Adrian stared at the threatening message on his phone and took a screenshot so he could show Selena. Her office was just down the hall,and when he entered she was making a call but she hung up when she saw him.
"What's up?" Selena asked, standing up and rounding the corner to meet him because she saw the look on his face.
Adrian simply gave her his phone without saying anything.
He thought to himself, "Was it from Victor? Victor was actually somewhat friendly so he wouldn't be the one to have sent the message."
When Selena saw the message, she scowled. "This doesn't add up," she said,shaking her head.
"Why not?"
"I'll put it past Victor. It's not something he would be caught doing."
Adrian's stomach dropped. "Who sent this?"
Selena didn't answer immediately, she just stared at the message with her eyebrows drawn.
"Call Victor," Adrian said. "Right now."
Selena picked up her phone and dialed Victor and placed the line on speaker. He picked up immediately it rang.
"Selena. Is everything alright?"
Selena said, "Adrian received a threatening text from someone who alleges to be his cousin and wants to steal Vault Corp out of his hands."
Victor gasped, obviously shocked.
"What? No. That makes no sense. I would never send such a thing," he argued.
"It was not you, we know,"Selena said hastily. "But do you know any other cousin that would have tried to attempt this."
Adrian heard Victor sigh from the other end. "We have a bunch of cousins, because the Vale family is very large. Ever since your father retired, everybody has wanted a seat at the table."
Selena's face went white. "How many cousins are we talking about?"
"There are at least fifteen of us in this generation," said Victor. "Some are close, while others are far and I'm sure not all pleased to hear that Adrian is alive."
Selena looked at Adrian who had a terrified expression. "Why didn't anyone tell me? Exactly how many competitions do I have out there, and how many want me dead?"
"I didn't tell you because I didn't think it was important—yet. At least I gave it a month before they start making moves on you. This is too soon. Even for me.", Victor said. "However, when someone is threatening you, we have to listen to it."
Adrian looked at Selena and even she looked disturbed.
"What's wrong?" Adrian asked. "You're staring at me like this could be any worse."
"Victor is the only cousin I have ever had to deal with, and it was even hard persuading him to accept you." Selena said to herself. "I thought I knew the ins and outs of this family but this...I have no idea what they are planning and me not knowing anything about them is killing me"
Before he could reply, Selena swiped her hermes bag and took her jacket from the chair. "Come on, we're heading out."
"Where are we going?"
"We're going to visit your parents," Selena said. "I scheduled it for later, for when you'd be ready, but with this, it's best we meet them now."
Adrian swallowed as his chest tightened. "Hold up. Right now? I'm not ready."
"You will never be ready, Selena said as she headed to the door. "But they need to see you. And you must have their protection."
He couldn't really argue with Selena, so twenty minutes later, he was in the passenger seat of her car, trying not to choke as he felt so nervous.
For the past nineteen years, he had no idea that his parents existed and now he was going to have to see them face to face. He has no idea what to say, and how to say it to them.
"All you have to do is just be yourself," said Selena, one hand on the steering wheel and the other hand clasped over his white knuckles gripping the edge of the seat hard.
"They wouldn't like me, myself. I'm clumsy and I say the wrong things and—"
"Then say nothing," Selena cut in. "Let them talk first. Trust me when I say this, they're more eager to meet you, than you meeting them. They've waited their whole lives for this moment. Them losing you in that fire scarred them so much, they didn't bother having another baby. So they're going to be really overjoyed meeting their lost child."
Adrian kept quiet, a lot of thoughts and adrenaline pumping through him. Selena kept driving, until they were out of the city and into the suburbs.
"They live in a village?" Adrian asked, expecting them to actually go to the richest neighborhoods in the city but instead it was like they were driving into a wasteland.
"They have this huge manor outside the city and that's where we're going."
Adrian had actually done a brief research a while back about his parents. A lot of properties were pinned to their last name but all their pictures were taken off the Internet. He'd always wondered why and he didn't want to ask Selena. Meeting them he'd know for himself.
Another hour later they turned off on a private road and then Adrian saw the gates.
They were huge and almost twenty feet high, black iron, with the crest of the Vale on it being the most conspicuous thing about it. Guards were on both sides of the gates and in uniforms, but with guns held in view.
A guard walked up to the car. Selena lowered her window and made a secret handsign.The guard withdrew and the gates opened silently.
They pulled in and Adrian's mouth dropped. The estate was like a mini city, buildings dotted over what must have been hundreds of acres, gardens and fountains with arched walls connecting them all.
And there were so many guards.
"Why so many guards?" Adrian asked.
"Your family has enemies," Selena said simply. "This is the most secure private residence on the continent."
The car pulled up to the main building. It wasn't as tall as the penthouse but it was massive. A man in a butler's uniform waited at the entrance.
James Sinclair. The man who called him that first night.
"Mr. Vale," James said with a small bow. "Welcome home."
Adrian climbed out of the car with shaky legs. "Thank you."
"Your parents are waiting in the main sitting room," James said. "Please follow me."
They walked through doors that opened automatically. The inside was somehow even more overwhelming than the outside.
Adrian tried not to stare at everything but it was impossible.
James led them down a hallway and stopped at a set of double doors. He knocked twice then opened them.
"Mr. Adrian Vale," James announced.
Adrian stepped inside and his breath caught in his throat.
His parents were backing him, looking out from the floor to ceiling windows to the gardens beyond. They were both holding hands and laughing together and that gesture touched his heart. He coughed slightly and they turned.
They both stared at Adrian frozen in shock while he could see himself in both their faces. The resemblance was uncanny.
As he took a step closer to them, the woman's face crumpled and she started crying.
"Adrian," she whispered, her hands reaching out to him.
She crossed the room in seconds and pulled him into a hug before he could react. Adrian stood there frozen not knowing what to do with his hands.
"I'm sorry," she said while crying into his shoulder. "I'm sorry we couldn't find you sooner. I'm sorry for everything you had to go through."
Finally Adrian leaned in, hugging her tightly. He felt a hand squeezing his shoulder and when he looked up he saw his dad standing over him, visibly trying to hold back tears.
"Welcome home, son," he said, his voice choked with emotion.
Adrian nodded and to his dad's surprise, he released himself from his mother's hold and hugged him tightly too, ignoring his outstretched hands.
"I'm Ricardo. This is Madalena. We're your parents."
"I know," Adrian said. His voice came out smaller than he wanted.
Ricardo gestured to a seating area. "Please. Sit. We have a lot to discuss."
They all sat down while Selena and James stood near the door to give them space.
"How did you find me?" Adrian asked as soon as they sat. It was the one question that has been on his mind every since the butler made that first phone call.