Genius Kids' Scheme: Claiming Daddy's Billionaire Empire Chapter 211

Fancy lights shone down on the Haven family dinner table, showing off stiff shoulders and fake smiles all around. George sat at the head, his worn face lighting up for a second when Adam wheeled in with Marcus.

"Adam, eat more," George nudged, pointing toward an untouched dish. "You're wasting away."

Adam nodded, moving food around his plate without taking a bite. His mind was still back at Emerald Garden, where Lily had insisted on giving him special cookies she'd baked "just for Uncle Adam" before he left.

"By the way," Adam said, cutting through the awkward small talk, "those missing parts? Found them. Cops have them now, but we'll get them back soon." His voice got colder. "Someone from inside took them. We'll catch them."

George's expression remained unreadable as he cut his steak. Not surprised, not curious—just listening.

Victor studied the exchange, his knuckles whitening around his fork. The silence stretched until he couldn't stand it anymore.

"This was your responsibility," Victor finally said, unable to hide his smirk. "Seems like a major oversight failure, doesn't it?"

Adam didn't look up immediately. When he did, his eyes locked directly with his uncle's.

"Speaking of failures," Adam replied, casual as discussing the weather, "heard about your overseas investments tanking. Funny how that never came up at board meetings."

You could practically see sparks flying between them. Victor's face twitched, panic replacing his smug look. *How the hell does he know?* The question burned in his mind as he fought to look calm.

"What's this about?" George cut in, his razor-sharp gaze hitting Victor like a spotlight.

"Nothing serious," Victor managed, voice pitching higher. "Minor setback. Already handling it."

Victor sat far enough away that the dining room's shadows hid his sweaty brow. George frowned, apparently buying the excuse at face value.

"How many times have I told you not to chase quick money?" George shook his head. "One wrong move and you're totally screwed."

Adam watched silently. His uncle's nervous eye-darting confirmed everything Thomas had dug up—Victor was in deep trouble.

"Have a full report ready for tomorrow's meeting," Marcus added, setting down his glass with a soft clink.

Victor's jaw tightened as realization hit. Father and son were boxing him in. "Fine," he bit out.

The uncomfortable silence lasted seconds before Victor launched his counterattack.

"Weren't you finalizing things with the Wright girl?" Victor asked, voice rising just enough to grab everyone's attention. "Yet you're hanging around some doctor instead."

Adam's expression didn't change, but something dangerous flickered behind his eyes.

"Talented physician, from what I hear," Victor continued, faking innocence. "Though she comes with baggage—three kids, right?" He tilted his head. "Interesting choice over Samantha Wright."

Adam's eyes darkened gradually. The reality hit hard—Victor had been watching him, tracking his movements, investigating Irene.

*Irene*. Just thinking her name made something shift in his chest. A few months ago, he would've ignored this obvious bait, but now it felt wrong in every way. Victor dragging her into this mess felt like his uncle had reached across the table and grabbed something special that wasn't his.

"Uncle," Adam replied, voice ice-cold despite his poker face, "so this is what you're using your brain for these days? You never cared about my life before. Maybe worry more about the money you're losing instead."

The temperature around the table plummeted. Victor's face hardened into naked hatred as he stared across expensive china.

"Are we eating dinner or what?" George barked, cutting through the tension. "If you're not hungry, don't waste good food." His hand hovered over a serving dish, caught in the crossfire.

Both men broke their staring contest, reaching for their utensils without actually eating.

After a few strained bites, George cleared his throat. "Adam, what's this about ending things with the Wright girl?"

Adam knew this was coming. His grandfather wasn't one to miss business circuit gossip.

"Samantha checks all the boxes," George said flatly. "School, connections, family—everything a Haven wife should be."

Adam set down his fork with a soft clink. "My treatments and work already take up most of my time. I'm not wasting what's left playing dress-up at parties."

He paused, then added, "If Haven needs someone to run things, Mason can step up."

*Irene would vanish the second she thought she was causing family drama.* The thought tightened his chest. He couldn't risk it.

"Let's drop this," he finished with unmistakable finality.

George studied his grandson, noting the unfamiliar resolve in his eyes. This wasn't his pragmatic heir talking—this was something else entirely.

"I'll back off for now," George said, his rough voice softening a bit. "But Haven needs someone steady at the wheel. Family business isn't just about who's related to who—it's about stepping up. Mason's got skills, sure, but you're the one the board believes in."

Adam stared at his plate silently. This was one battle he wouldn't concede, not even to the grandfather he respected above all others.

Around the table, reactions varied. Elena studied her nephew with newfound curiosity, Marcus watched his son thoughtfully, and Victor's eyes flashed with calculation as he plotted his next move.

---

Hours later, Thomas drove through darkness toward Emerald Garden, streetlights flashing across Adam's profile in rhythmic intervals.

"Calling out Victor's money problems tonight," Thomas said carefully, "might make him do something crazy."

Adam's fingers drummed on his wheelchair armrest, shadows moving across his face. "Making him show his cards is exactly what I want. Keep an eye on those parts. If he tries using them to fix his money problems..."

Thomas caught Adam's ice-cold gaze in the rearview mirror and didn't need to hear the rest.

After a moment of heavy silence, Thomas asked what had been eating at him since dinner. "The way he talked about Irene and the kids... do you think he might—"

Adam's hand suddenly clamped down on the armrest, knuckles going white. Something shifted in his expression—that perfect business mask cracking just enough to show the man beneath.

"If he even thinks about going near them," he said, his usual measured tone giving way to something raw and personal, "there won't be enough money in the world to save him. Especially..."

He didn't finish, but Thomas noticed his boss's gaze drift toward Emerald Garden in the distance. Thomas saw something in that look he'd never seen before—something soft beneath all that toughness, a need to protect that had nothing to do with business.

*"I need you guys to behave tonight, okay? Uncle Adam has a family dinner."* Adam recalled Irene's words from earlier, the way she'd leaned over Lucas's math homework, hair falling forward as she patiently explained fractions.

The memory of Ocean World surfaced—the shoelace moment, that flash of warmth in her eyes when she watched him with her son.

"Everything changes from today," Adam said as they pulled into the driveway.

Noticing the light still on in Irene's window, Adam pulled out his phone, hesitated briefly, then typed: "Home in 30. Treatment still on?"

Her reply came instantly: "Ready when you are. Bring that bottle from your bathroom. Trying something new tonight."

Something clicked into place in Adam's chest at her words. Whatever mess was brewing at Haven, here was his solid ground—no-nonsense, focused, and somehow becoming the center of his world without even trying.