Genius Kids' Scheme: Claiming Daddy's Billionaire Empire Chapter 278

"Yes," Adam said simply, meeting his father's questioning gaze. The city lights twinkled beyond the office window, casting shadows across his resolute face.

Marcus's eyebrows shot up. He hadn't expected such a straightforward answer.

"Your grandfather will lose his mind. Three kids, Adam? He'll have a fit before you finish your sentence."

"Her past doesn't matter to me." Adam leaned forward, voice dropping. "Ex-husband, family baggage—I couldn't care less. We click. That's what matters."

He ran a hand through his hair, jaw tight. "Look, I've watched Haven marriages turn into glorified business deals my whole life. I won't be another chess piece moved around for family advantage. I just want..." He paused, searching for words. "I want something real."

Marcus studied the man his boy had become. Adam had his mind for business but none of his willingness to fold on personal stakes. The stubborn set of his jaw reminded Marcus of himself thirty years ago.

"Your mother—" Marcus started.

"Will hate it." Adam finished for him. "That's where you come in." 

He rarely asked for help, and they both knew it. Something in Marcus softened at the request.

"You're the only one she listens to," Adam added.

Before Marcus could answer, Adam was already wheeling toward the door. "Thanks. Meeting in ten."

The door clicked shut, leaving Marcus alone.

"Walked right into that one," he muttered, slumping back. Sophia had been curating potential daughters-in-law since Adam was in high school. Now he'd have to tell her their son had thrown her entire list in the shredder for a doctor with three ready-made kids.

Across town, Irene collapsed onto her bed, stealing five minutes of peace before the next round of chaos erupted downstairs. She absentmindedly scrolled through her phone when a news alert made her thumb freeze mid-swipe.

**#BREAKING: Wright Heiress Arrested for Orchestrating Kidnapping**

She tapped on it, and more headlines flooded her screen:

**Haven-Wright Engagement Implodes After Arrest**

**Rejected Heiress Hired Thug To Attack Rival**

Irene sat up straighter, pulse quickening as she scanned the article. Tommy Jackson had flipped—complete with recordings, text messages, and money trails all pointing straight to Samantha Wright.

Her phone slipped from her fingers. The memories crashed back like ice water: the rough hands grabbing her in M Country, the panic that had stolen her breath, the helpless feeling of not knowing if she'd see her children again.

Irene hugged herself, suddenly cold despite the warm room. Her eyes drifted to the family photo on her nightstand—three grinning faces that had almost lost their mother.

"Stop," she whispered to herself, shaking the thoughts away. Samantha was locked up. The system would handle her now. Letting those memories resurface would only give that woman more power than she deserved.

Later that afternoon, Brandon's voice boomed through the living room, rattling the windows. "Rot in jail? That's too good for her! Wright family churns out a psycho and acts surprised when she tries to kidnap someone? Should've taught her basic human decency somewhere between etiquette class and yacht lessons!"

The news of Irene's near-miss in M Country had only hit the Sterling family today, after Samantha's arrest exploded across the media. Brandon's rage filled the living room like smoke.

He jabbed a finger toward Adam. "I swear, if that woman gets some rich-girl plea deal, I'll—"

"She won't," Adam cut in, voice quiet but razor-sharp. His wheelchair seemed more throne than handicap as he leaned forward. "The law's just the opening act. Irene gets hurt, the person responsible pays twice over." He didn't add that the Wright family could beg on their knees and still get nowhere with him. Samantha had burned her last chance long ago.

Joseph nodded from his spot on the sofa, cane resting across his knees. "Good man." The weathered lines of his face relaxed slightly. 

Brandon and Joseph exchanged glances—rare approval passing between them. For once, Adam had handled a situation exactly as they would have.

Irene lingered in the stairway shadow, listening. Something unfamiliar fluttered beneath her ribs—not quite butterflies, but close cousins. Her lips curved upward before she even realized she was smiling.

"Mom!" 

Three heads whipped around simultaneously, radar-locked on her presence. The triplets swarmed her in seconds.

Alex's glasses slid down his nose. "You never said anything about being attacked!"

"Did they hurt you?" Lucas's eyes were wide with worry.

Lily clutched Irene's sleeve. "We'll be your bodyguards from now on!"

Their concern hit Irene like a warm wave. Their fierce protectiveness—so adult in such small packages—made her chest ache with love.

"That horrible lady!" Lily's little chin jutted out. "First she goes after Uncle Adam, then she tries to hurt you? She's the worst person ever!"

Irene knelt down, smoothing Lily's hair. "Don't worry about me. Adam was there. You know nothing bad happens when he's around."

She'd meant it casually—just reassurance that the adults had handled things—but the triplets exchanged lightning-fast glances that screamed conspiracy. In their minds, the equation was simple: Mom trusts Adam + Adam protects Mom = Wedding Bells Soon.

Alex nodded solemnly. "Uncle Adam wouldn't let anything happen to you."

"You should take him everywhere!" Lily bounced on her toes. "Like a superhero bodyguard!"

Heat crawled up Irene's neck as she registered the amused looks from the adults in the room. Brandon's smirk was particularly insufferable.

"I'm—uh—going to start dinner," she mumbled, making a tactical retreat to the kitchen before her face could betray her completely.

The clock on the wall ticked past eight when Irene slipped into Adam's room later that night, treatment equipment in hand. The door clicked shut behind her, sealing them in their own private world.

She waited until her hands were busy with the equipment before asking the question that had burned in her mind all day.

"Did you get Samantha arrested?"

Her fingers paused over his leg, waiting. The silence held weight.

Adam's eyes found hers. "Yes."

One syllable. No explanation needed.

Irene's hands resumed their work, but slower now. "She was supposed to marry your cousin, right? Won't your family be furious?"

The concern in her voice was for him, not herself. Adam watched her bent head, the way strands of hair fell across her forehead as she worked. Something in his chest melted at the edges.

"Let them be mad," he said, softer than she'd ever heard him speak. "You're my personal doctor."

*Personal doctor.*

Two ordinary words that shot through Irene like electricity. Not just any doctor. *His* doctor. Something about the possessiveness in his tone sent warmth spiraling through her body, bubbling up beneath her skin until her cheeks felt hot.

Irene ducked her head, suddenly fascinated by the equipment settings. She felt sixteen again—not the confident surgeon who'd faced down medical crises without flinching, but a woman caught off-guard by unexpected feelings.

The treatment machine hummed softly in the background. Neither spoke for several minutes, but the silence wasn't empty—it was filled with things taking shape between them, still unnamed but growing stronger by the day.

Irene adjusted the final electrode, fingers lingering a moment longer than necessary against his skin. When she looked up, Adam was watching her with an intensity that made her breath catch.

"All set," she murmured, but made no move to pull away. The room seemed to shrink around them, the world outside fading to insignificance.

For tonight, they were just a man and a woman, finding their way toward something that felt increasingly inevitable.