Genius Kids' Scheme: Claiming Daddy's Billionaire Empire Chapter 284: In Your Arms Again

Adam stared at the screen showing Irene tied to a chair, her lab coat torn, fury blazing in her eyes instead of fear. His heart nearly stopped, though his face stayed blank.

"I want her back unharmed," he said, voice dropping dangerously low. "Otherwise, you'll beg for death long before I'm done. Not even Grandfather can save you then."

Victor's smirk widened as he pushed the contract closer. "Clock's ticking."

Adam pulled out a pen, his fingers steady as he uncapped it. Each stroke of his signature felt like a knife to his heart. Memories flashed—Irene adjusting his treatment equipment, her smile at the kids' jokes, the way she looked at him that night on her porch.

He tossed the signed papers across the table. "The address," he demanded, eyes never leaving Victor's face.

Victor flipped through the pages, checking each signature with growing satisfaction.

"Factory district outside town," he said smugly. "Which building? That's your problem to solve."

Adam leaned forward. "If she's missing even a hair, be ready to pay for it."

He wheeled away, pressing his earpiece the moment Victor couldn't see him. "Thomas, get everyone out there. Search every abandoned factory. Now." His voice carried an urgency Thomas had never heard before.

In the car, Adam's nails bit into his palm. The pain did nothing to quiet the fear eating at him.

Back at the hotel, Victor watched Adam leave, his smile twisting into something ugly.

*Wreck a doctor's hands, wreck my nephew's future.* He made a call, voice cold as ice. "Make sure that doctor's hands are ruined. You'll get paid after." He hung up, already imagining Adam's face when he realized his precious doctor would never treat him again.

Across town in the abandoned factory, Irene had already worked the blindfold off her eyes. The ropes around her wrists had loosened, her fingers working on the final knot.

*The kids are waiting for me to come home. I have to make it out of here.*

She caught the lead guy answering his phone, and her blood turned to ice when she heard "ruin her hands." Her stomach dropped—her hands were everything, her way to heal, to help *Adam*.

"Who are you guys?" she asked, keeping her voice steady despite her racing heart. "What do you want? Did Adam pay?"

She glanced around, looking for a way out. The men watching her had the telltale signs—wide pupils, constant sniffing, jumpy movements. Addicts, easier to knock out with chemicals.

*The spray in my pocket should do the trick.*

One of them moved closer, eyes gleaming. "We're gonna have some fun, sweetheart. Play nice and it won't hurt too much."

The leader touched her face, his fingers rough. "Boss says to mess up your hands, but we can have some fun first."

Irene shook like she was terrified, secretly testing if the ropes would give. "You're after money, right? I've got plenty. Whatever they're paying you, I'll give you twice as much!"

Adam's face flashed in her mind. *He's out there looking for me, but I can't just wait around. Not with what they want to do to my hands...*

"Sure, we want cash," one laughed, his breath reeking of booze as they surrounded her. "But we want you too!"

When one grabbed her arm, Irene stomped hard on his foot, hitting the exact spot to cause maximum pain. He yelled and shoved her away. "You bitch! You'll pay for that!"

She fell hard, her fingers finding the small bottle in her pocket. Relief flooded through her as she curled up, pretending to be hurt while quietly opening it.

"Eyes closed, don't breathe," she reminded herself as they came at her again.

In one quick move, she tossed the contents upward. White mist filled the air—her defensive spray that targeted muscles and movement.

The men inhaled it and their eyes lost focus as their muscles stopped working. They dropped to the floor, limbs twitching.

Irene remembered why she'd made this spray: *After what happened in M Country, I promised myself I'd never be helpless again.*

She jumped up, freed herself completely, and sprinted for the exit. The moment she burst outside, she kept running, not daring to look back.

Irene stumbled forward, her bare feet bleeding from countless cuts. She'd kicked off her broken heels a mile back, each step now agony on the rough ground.

*I have to make it. For the kids. For Adam.*

Behind her, voices grew closer. "There she is!"

She closed her eyes briefly, summoning one last burst of strength. The three children's faces in her mind pushed her forward despite her muscles screaming in protest.

Adam's car raced through the industrial zone, each passing minute feeling like an eternity. His usual cool composure had shattered completely, leaving only raw fear in its place.

"Eastern team found her location," Thomas reported. "Old steel mill."

"Get us there," Adam ordered, gripping his armrest until his knuckles turned white.

His mind filled with terrible possibilities. If she was hurt because of him, because of his family's twisted power games...

"Sir! She escaped the building!" Thomas suddenly announced. "She's heading east on foot!"

Something broke inside Adam—a dam holding back emotions he rarely allowed himself to feel. His shoulders sagged momentarily, the crushing weight of the past hour lifting just enough to breathe.

"Turn around," he commanded, voice thick. "Cut her off on the main road."

A hint of a smile touched his lips as he exhaled a breath he'd been holding since Victor's first call. *That's my girl.*

Irene could barely move when headlights suddenly caught her in their glare. A car screeched to a halt, and she collapsed to the ground, resignation washing over her.

*After everything, they caught me anyway.*

She raised a trembling hand to shield her eyes from the blinding light.

The sound of a car door opening was followed by something else—the soft whir of wheelchair wheels on pavement.

"Adam?" Her voice cracked, barely a whisper.

As he came closer, she saw his face in the headlights. Gone was the composed businessman, replaced by someone whose emotions ran naked across his features—fear, relief, and something deeper she'd never seen before.

"Irene." Her name on his lips sounded like salvation.

"Adam!" Tears spilled down her face as she reached for him with the last of her strength. She fell against him, sobbing into his chest, fingers clutching desperately at his shirt.

Adam's arms wrapped around her, pulling her close with surprising strength. He buried his face in her hair, his breathing unsteady against her temple.

"I thought I'd lose you," he whispered, the words meant only for her. "I've never been so scared."

The confession stripped away every barrier between them. This wasn't her patient or her children's benefactor. This was simply Adam—a man who had just realized what truly mattered to him.

She felt his heart racing against her cheek as he held her tighter, one hand gently cradling her head.

"You're safe now," he promised, his voice a caress. "I've got you."

In the glow of the headlights, they clung to each other, two people who had crossed an invisible line together—from what had been to what could be. Nothing would ever be the same after tonight, and somehow, that felt exactly right.