Genius Kids' Scheme: Claiming Daddy's Billionaire Empire Chapter 271

Hunger won out over fear. 

Tommy clutched a sad little convenience store bag as he crept back to the villa, three days of stubble darkening his hollow cheeks. His stomach cramped painfully, reminding him why he'd risked leaving his hideout in the first place.

He paused at the walkway, eyes scanning the overgrown lawn. Nothing moved. The villa sat quiet against the darkening sky, just as he'd left it. 

Relief loosened his shoulders. He quickened his pace.

The attack came from nowhere. 

Hands grabbed him from behind. Tommy's world spun as he thrashed wildly, his pathetic dinner scattering across the concrete. He broke free for half a second—just long enough to realize he was completely screwed.

"Got him," a voice announced, flat as a dead man's EKG.

Tommy's phone skidded across the pavement, screen lighting up with Kelly and Emma's faces. His little girl's gap-toothed birthday smile. His wife's arm around her shoulders. The family he'd never see again.

A wheelchair emerged from the shadows, nearly silent on the smooth pavement. Adam rolled forward, those ice-blue eyes taking in everything—Tommy pinned to the ground, the spilled food, the desperate way Tommy stared at his phone.

Tommy went limp the moment he saw Adam. Game over.

"Take him," Adam said, voice soft but unmistakable.

As they dragged Tommy to the waiting car, Adam reached down and picked up the fallen phone. He studied the woman and child on the screen, his thumb hovering over their smiling faces.

Something flickered in his eyes—not quite sympathy, but a recognition. A weapon had just fallen into his hands.

Across town, the warehouse air hung thick with tension. The zip ties bit into Tommy's wrists as he sat alone under the harsh spotlight. Everything beyond that circle of light was shadow and silence, broken only by the soft whir of approaching wheels.

Adam rolled into view, Thomas standing at his shoulder.

"Let's skip the bullshit," Adam said. "Who sent you after Irene?"

Tommy lifted his head, defiance masking his terror. "Nobody. My own call."

"Jesus, we don't have time for this," Thomas snapped. "We know you worked Wright security."

Tommy barked out a laugh. "Got it all figured out, huh?" His eyes locked onto Adam. "Maybe I just didn't like your doctor girlfriend."

Adam moved closer, his voice dropping. "Wright family. Yes or no?"

"Haven't you heard?" Tommy's smile was all teeth and no humor. "I'm just a thug with a grudge."

"One million dollars," Adam said, the offer landing between them like a grenade. "Safe passage for you and your family." He paused. "All I need is the truth."

Tommy's fingers curled into fists. His throat bobbed as he swallowed. For a moment, his mask slipped—just enough to see the terrified husband and father beneath.

Then something hardened in his eyes.

"Do your worst," he said, voice steadier than his racing heart. "I've got nothing to say."

Thomas stepped forward, jaw tight, but Adam raised his hand. The movement was small but final.

Outside in the night air, the distant hum of the city continued, oblivious to the drama unfolding in the abandoned warehouse district. Adam's voice cut through the darkness. "Find his family. Now."

Thomas nodded, already making calls. Minutes stretched into an eternity before his expression shifted to surprise.

"Boss, the house is empty. Neighbors haven't seen the wife or kid since yesterday."

Adam's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. "Find them. Whatever it takes."

"And when we do?"

"Bring them here," Adam replied. His voice was calm, the kind of calm that precedes devastation. "Let's see how his loyalty holds when his family's standing right in front of him."

The news of Tommy's capture traveled quickly through certain channels. In her bedroom at the Wright estate, Samantha paced like a trapped animal, phone clutched so tight her knuckles ached. The call had lasted seconds, but its message kept repeating in her head like a broken record.

*Tommy's been caught. Haven has him.*

She set the phone down with trembling fingers, catching her reflection in the mirror—wild-eyed and pale, barely recognizable as the poised socialite who'd haunted Silver City's elite gatherings.

"Shit, shit, shit," she whispered, pressing her palms against her temples.

A soft knock pulled her back from the edge of panic. Her security chief stood in the doorway, waiting silently for instructions.

"Tommy's family," she said, forcing authority into her voice. "Get them out of the country. Tonight."

The man shifted his weight. "Miss, it's not that simple. Haven's people are already—"

"I don't care if you have to stuff them in diplomatic pouches!" Desperation sharpened her tone to a knife's edge. "Get them across the border! Now!"

He nodded once, jaw tight. "Understood."

When the door closed, Samantha sank onto her bed, the fight draining out of her.

"Everything's falling apart," she whispered, staring at nothing. "Adam, why couldn't you just choose me? Why her?"

The silence offered no answers.

While plans unfolded in Silver City's wealthy districts, ordinary lives were being shattered in its quieter corners. Kelly was loading the dishwasher when her front door burst open. She spun, grabbing a kitchen knife that suddenly felt absurdly small.

"Stay behind me," she hissed to Emma, who clutched her teddy bear.

Men in dark clothing crowded her kitchen, faces blank.

"Who are you?" Kelly demanded. "What do you want?"

The lead man stepped forward. "Kelly and Emma. You're coming with us."

"Like hell we are!" Kelly backed up, pushing Emma further behind her.

"Your husband is in Adam Haven's custody," he stated flatly. "You don't come with us, Tommy doesn't see morning."

Emma's small voice broke through. "Mommy? Is Daddy okay?"

Kelly's face crumpled. "Please, we haven't done anything."

The man checked his watch. "Ten seconds to decide. Come with us, or Tommy dies."

Tears streamed down Kelly's face as she nodded. "We'll go. Just let me get Emma's things—"

"Now," he cut her off.

They were hustled outside, Emma's teddy bear tumbling forgotten to the doorstep. As the SUVs pulled away, the stuffed animal lay abandoned, a single witness to a family torn apart.

The next morning arrived with no knowledge of the night's events in Irene's peaceful home. Golden light poured through her kitchen as pancake batter sizzled on the griddle. Lily arranged strawberries into smiley faces while Alex and Lucas bickered over chore distribution like tiny lawyers.

"Mom! Tell Lucas the pancake-flipper gets to choose the movie tonight!"

"That's not a rule!" Lucas protested. "Last time you picked that princess documentary again!"

Irene's phone buzzed on the counter, Matthew's name lighting up the screen. She trapped it between ear and shoulder, still flipping pancakes.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Morning," Matthew's voice was warm through the speaker. "Got something I want to discuss with you. Think you'd find it interesting."

She hesitated, spatula hovering mid-flip. "Today's pretty packed... maybe late morning?"

"No rush," he assured her. "Whenever works for you."

After hanging up, Irene glanced down at her phone wallpaper—Adam with the triplets at Ocean World Park, his rare smile catching her off guard every time she saw it.

Something had been off during their last session. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, tension locking his shoulders. Not like him at all.

Her finger hovered over his contact. Should she check in? Maybe reschedule with Matthew?

"Mom! He's drowning perfectly good pancakes in syrup!" Lily's voice yanked her back to reality.

Irene tucked her phone away, but her thoughts stayed with Adam. The worry that tightened her chest wasn't just professional concern anymore. Somewhere along the way, he'd become important to her—in ways she was only beginning to fully understand.