Genius Kids' Scheme: Claiming Daddy's Billionaire Empire Chapter 280

Adam's wheelchair rolled across the lawn toward the waiting car, his parents walking beside him. Tension hung between them after the family dinner.

"All I'm saying," Sophia broke the silence, fidgeting with her bracelet, "is that there are plenty of suitable women who'd kill to—"

"Mom, stop." Adam didn't look up. "There's nothing going on between me and Irene. Drop it."

"The entire country club won't shut up about it." Sophia's voice edged higher. "After that mess with the Wright girl—"

"Irene's working her tail off to fix my legs," Adam cut in, his voice deadly quiet. "So maybe cool it with the snide comments about my doctor, okay? It's not a good look on you."

Sophia's mouth snapped shut like a trap. She gripped Marcus's arm tighter, eyes dropping to study her son's dark hair, the stubborn set of his shoulders.

Something had shifted in Adam—a subtle change she couldn't quite name. For the first time, Sophia questioned her own judgment. Samantha had ticked every box on her mental checklist for the perfect daughter-in-law. Yet beneath that polished veneer lurked a woman who'd hire thugs to attack a rival.

"Makes you wonder how many more wolves are hiding in designer suits," she muttered.

Marcus squeezed her hand. The gesture said everything his words didn't: *I've already accepted his choice. Maybe it's time you did too.*

"All set?" Thomas asked as Adam slid into the car.

"Take them home first," Adam said, already checking his emails.

As they pulled away, Adam's thoughts drifted back to Irene. The sooner he could walk again, the sooner he could deal with this mess properly. Until then, he'd just have to run interference—keep the sharks away from her and those kids.

The clock on Adam's phone showed nearly eight when the car turned onto Emerald Garden's quiet streets. "He's here!" Lucas's nose smudged the living room window as headlights swept across the front lawn. "Uncle Adam's back!"

The front door flew open before Thomas had even killed the engine. Three small bodies rocketed down the steps like they'd been launched from a cannon.

"They've been watching for your car for the last hour," Irene called from the doorway, arms crossed against the evening chill.

Adam's face softened—just a hint, just around the edges—as the kids swarmed him.

"We made cookies!" Lucas announced. "Grandpa said they're edible this time!"

"I put in the chocolate chips!" Lily beamed. "The biggest ones are yours!"

Adam nodded once. "Thanks."

His stomach was still full from the tense family dinner, but somehow the thought of disappointing these kids seemed worse than forcing down another bite of food.

"We're pushing!" Alex declared, already grabbing one handle of the wheelchair.

"No fair, you pushed last time!" Lucas protested, shoving his brother aside.

"Everybody gets a side!" Lily wedged herself between them, ending the argument before it started.

Thomas found himself unceremoniously dismissed, standing alone in the driveway as the kids took over his job.

"They've been plotting this ambush since dinner," Irene said, descending the steps. The porch light caught the gold flecks in her eyes as she met Adam's gaze. Something unspoken passed between them—a silent acknowledgment of how bizarre and yet perfectly right this felt.

Irene's home hit him with a wall of warmth the moment he crossed the threshold. Not calculated elegance, but actual lived-in comfort—books stacked on side tables, a forgotten sweater draped over a chair, and photos everywhere. So many candid smiles frozen in time.

"Thank god you're here!" Brandon practically leapt from his seat at the chess table. "The old man's wiping the floor with me."

Joseph's eyes crinkled with mischief. "Giving up already?"

"Strategic retreat." Brandon surrendered his spot to Adam. "Your move, hotshot."

Adam scanned the board, immediately mapping the disastrous position Brandon had created. Within five moves, he'd flipped a near-certain loss into aggressive offense, his fingers moving pieces with surgical precision.

"Uncle Adam's going to crush him!" Lucas whispered loudly to Lily, who nodded with complete confidence.

Joseph's phone buzzed. Irene excused herself to take the call.

Once she was gone, Joseph's playful demeanor vanished. He fixed Adam with a stare that had made business rivals sweat for decades.

"The entire city's talking about you and my granddaughter," he said, moving his bishop with deliberate care. "What's that about?"

Wesley suddenly remembered he needed another drink. Brandon found something fascinating about his shoelaces. The kids, sensing adult tension, retreated to the kitchen with suspicious speed.

Adam moved his rook without looking up. "Victor's using it as leverage. He thinks if he can paint me as distracted by personal drama, he can undermine my business decisions." His voice remained casual, but his knuckles whitened slightly around the chess piece. "It won't work."

"And Irene? The kids? Where do they fit in this power play?"

"They don't." Adam finally met Joseph's gaze, something fierce flickering behind his eyes. "I won't let anyone touch them. Not Victor, not anyone."

Joseph studied him like he was evaluating a particularly complex investment opportunity. After a long moment, he nodded once, apparently satisfied with whatever he'd found.

"Good." The single word carried the weight of approval. "Those kids have been through enough. So has she."

The patio door slid open as Irene returned, tucking her phone away. Joseph immediately reset his face to casual amusement.

"Now," he said, turning his attention back to the game, "let's see if those fancy business school degrees actually taught you anything about strategy."

Sunlight flooded Adam's office the next morning as he reviewed quarterly reports. Thomas appeared in the doorway, coffee in hand, his expression somewhere between annoyed and amused.

"Wright's downstairs," he reported, setting the mug on Adam's desk. "Says he's not leaving until you see him."

Adam glanced up from his tablet, expression cooling visibly. "Executive meeting?"

"Twenty minutes."

"Tell him he has ten." Adam turned back to his work without another word.

Wright straightened his tie when Adam's office door finally opened, summoning whatever authority he had left. The past forty-eight hours had aged him a decade.

"Adam, we need to talk." His voice carried more confidence than he felt. "This has gone far enough."

Adam wheeled himself back into his office without acknowledging the statement. Wright followed, the door clicking shut behind them with unsettling finality.

"Name your price." Wright abandoned all pretense the moment they were alone. "What will it take to make this Samantha situation go away?"

Adam said nothing, watching with unnerving stillness.

Wright shifted uncomfortably. "Look, we've known each other for years. Wright Pharmaceuticals is prepared to offer Haven Enterprise rights to half our medical business. Billions in potential revenue."

He spread his hands, offering what would be a kingdom to most men.

The corner of Adam's mouth twitched upward in something too cold to be called a smile. "If that's all you came to say, you're wasting both our time." His voice remained perfectly level. "I'm not interested in Wright Pharmaceuticals. Try Victor or Walter—they might be more receptive."

He tapped the intercom button. "Thomas, Mr. Wright is leaving."

Three words that slammed the door on any negotiation.

Wright stood frozen, his face draining of color as reality crashed down around him. His daughter had crossed the one man in Silver City who couldn't be bought, reasoned with, or intimidated.

"Adam, please—" The word caught in his throat as Thomas appeared at the door.

"This way, sir," Thomas said, his tone making it clear this wasn't a request.

Outside the Haven building, Wright stared upward, reality finally sinking in. His daughter had crossed the one man in Silver City who couldn't be bought or reasoned with. And now that wrath was aimed directly at his family.