Genius Kids' Scheme: Claiming Daddy's Billionaire Empire Chapter 103

Irene nearly jumped at Adam's voice. She'd been so lost staring at his profile that she hadn't noticed he'd spotted her.

"Nope, just being your delivery girl." She held up the plate and dessert like evidence. "You barely touched this before the great water fiasco."

Their eyes met briefly before looking away. The awkwardness from earlier still hung in the air.

Irene cleared her throat. "Seriously, I slaved over this for hours. The least you could do is eat it."

Adam's lips quirked up at one corner. "Slaved?"

"Three attempts at this dessert alone." She nodded toward the small dish. "My kitchen looked like a crime scene after."

"Then I better do it justice." Adam set aside his papers and reached for the plate.

Irene felt oddly satisfied watching him eat food she'd prepared. The small moment of normalcy erased some of the awkwardness from earlier.

The study door creaked, and Thomas's head appeared, eyes doing a quick assessment before he fully committed to entering.

"Hey, Dr. Sterling," he began, hovering awkwardly. "Weird question—you wouldn't happen to have anything for killer migraines, would you?"

Irene turned. "Who's it for?"

"My mom." Thomas shifted his weight. "She gets these headaches that knock her flat for days."

"I've got something that might help," Irene said.

Hope flooded Thomas's face. "Really? Would you... I mean, could I maybe buy some from you? I know it's a lot to ask, but—"

"Sure," Irene cut in with a casual shrug. "And since we're practically neighbors now, I'll even give you the friends and family discount. Fifty percent off."

Thomas looked like she'd just offered him a winning lottery ticket. "Seriously? Dr. Sterling, you're a lifesaver! Mom's been miserable for weeks!"

The back of Thomas's neck prickled with sudden awareness. His smile withered as he felt Adam's stare drilling into him. He turned slowly, meeting his boss's eyes and immediately wishing he hadn't.

"I should, uh—" Thomas stammered, suddenly eager to be anywhere else.

"I'll get it for you," Irene said, completely missing the silent exchange. "It's in my medical bag."

"I'll come help!" Thomas practically bolted for the door.

As they disappeared, Adam sat alone, annoyed by the weird feeling in his gut. Why should it matter that Thomas got discounted medication? The thought felt petty, but it stuck with him.

Minutes later, Irene slipped back into the study alone.

"Finish your dinner," she said, gesturing toward the bookshelves. "Mind if I look around?"

Adam nodded, watching as she drifted along the walls of books. Her fingers traced spines with the reverence of someone who understood their value.

His study spread across three walls of perfectly organized shelves—not a speck of dust in sight despite the vast collection. Books representing knowledge from across centuries and disciplines, all meticulously arranged.

Irene suddenly stopped, her whole body going still. "You read medical literature too?"

Adam swallowed a bite before answering. "When I have time."

"How much do you actually get?" she asked, still scanning titles.

"Enough to follow the concepts. Not enough to perform surgery." The small joke slipped out unexpectedly.

Irene smiled, continuing her exploration when suddenly she gasped like she'd been shocked.

"Oh my God!" The words escaped before she could filter them.

Adam looked up, startled. "What is it?"

"This book!" Irene pointed to a leather-bound volume, her face lighting up with the kind of excitement most people reserved for finding money. "Do you have any idea what this is?"

"Feel free to take a look," Adam offered, watching her reaction with curiosity.

"Can I?" She was already reaching for it, handling the book like it contained sacred texts. "This neurological research has been impossible to find. I've been hunting for it for years."

"If you want it, it's yours."

"No way. Do you know how rare this is? Medical researchers would kill for access to this." She cradled it carefully. "I'll just read it here, if that's okay."

With that, she curled into a nearby armchair, immediately lost in the pages. She was completely focused on the text, tuning out everything else.

Adam returned to his work, stealing glances at her total absorption. The quiet between them settled like a comfortable blanket—no need to fill it with words.

The soft light from the lamps warmed the room as night deepened outside. Neither noticed the hours passing, happy in their own activities yet somehow together.

A gentle knock finally broke the spell. Thomas stood at the door, looking apologetic.

"Dr. Sterling? Your kids are here looking for you."

Irene blinked a few times, suddenly realizing how late it had gotten. Before she could respond, the door burst open wider as three small figures rushed in.

"Mom! What are you doing here?" the triplets chorused, surrounding her chair like tiny satellites finding their planet.

Lily yawned hugely, fighting to keep her eyes open even as she clung to Irene's arm. All three looked like they'd fought hard against sleep just to find her.

"Reading," Irene explained, smoothing Lucas's wild bedhead. "Adam has this incredible medical book I've been hunting for forever. I completely lost track of time."

The triplets exchanged looks of total disappointment.

"Reading?" Lucas repeated, his face dropping like a rock. "That's it?"

Irene raised an eyebrow at their dramatic disappointment. "What did you expect me to be doing?"

Alex and Lucas exchanged sidelong glances while Lily pouted spectacularly.

"Did you at least have fun tonight?" Lucas asked carefully, his tone oddly pointed for a five-year-old.

"I had a great time," Irene answered honestly, completely missing the scheming looks passing between her children.

Lily tugged her sleeve, voice dropping conspiratorially. "But what did you and Uncle Adam do together?"

"Ate dinner. I read, he worked." Irene pinched her daughter's cheek gently. "Normal adult stuff."

Lucas looked ready to smack his forehead in frustration. Their gorgeous, brilliant mother was absolutely hopeless at this dating thing! They'd given her perfect alone time, and she'd spent it reading a dusty old book?

Seeing their crestfallen expressions, Irene quickly changed subjects. "How was your hospital visit? Did you have fun with your uncle?"

The triplets instantly perked up like someone had flipped a switch.

"Second Uncle showed us his trophy collection!" Lucas bounced despite his drooping eyelids.

"And he got me this princess doll from Milan!" Lily added, suddenly wide awake. "It's so pretty, Mom!"

"He told us all about how he won the championship from last place!" Alex's eyes shone. "None of the other racers thought it was possible—not even him!"

As they gushed about Brandon, Irene smiled even as she felt a strange tug in her chest. Something about watching her children get excited about someone else—first Adam, now Brandon—felt like watching bits of their attention shift away from her. It was silly, childish even, but the feeling was there.

"He said next time he'll show us actual race footage!" Lucas continued excitedly.

"And he knows all these famous racers!" Alex added.

From his desk, Adam watched as the usually quiet study filled with the children's energy. Something about the scene felt right—the lively chatter filling spaces he hadn't noticed were empty.

Irene caught his eye over the children's heads, offering a small, apologetic smile for the interruption. But Adam just nodded, looking surprisingly content with his quiet evening being invaded by three pajama-clad hurricanes.

Some disruptions, it seemed, were worth making space for.