Chapter 193: The Ramblings Of The Little Crow…

The black sedans cut through the bright morning light, their tires kicking up gravel as they pull into the long, winding driveway of the lake house.

Sunlight glitters across the clear surface of the water, casting sharp reflections against the walls of the property.

Everything outside looks clean, quiet, and somehow unbothered, but inside the car leading the other cars, the air is stiflingly heavy.

Adrien sits rigidly in the back seat, his fingers digging into the denim over his knees until his knuckles turn white.

That deep, suffocating uneasiness from earlier has grown into a dull ache in his chest. He feels as though he is standing at the edge of a massive cliff, about to step into something dark and vast without a map, a light, or a hand to guide him.

Beside him, Orion remains completely motionless. He sits with his long legs crossed, his dark gaze fixed on the almost intimidating front door of the house ahead.

Orion does not feel anxiety, hesitation, or regret. To him, this is a necessary step to take. He has a threat to contain, a scandal to control, and a family name that cannot afford another public humiliation.

His ’discussion’ with Lady Dimitra has been set aside.

The fact that Adrien is sitting beside him, visibly struggling to keep himself together, is the only reason Orion has allowed this conversation to happen at all.

"You’re crushing your jeans," Orion remarks.

Adrien glances down at his clenched fists and immediately loosens them. "I’m fine."

"I never asked you a question."

"Then why say anything?"

Orion turns his head, regarding him with a cool, unreadable expression. "Because if you intend to fall apart, I’d prefer you do it after we’ve finished here."

Adrien stares at him. "You’re unbelievably comforting. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"They have of course. Frequently."

"I doubt that."

"You’re welcome to ask my staff."

Adrien lets out a humorless breath and looks away. Even now, Orion can find a way to irritate him. Unfortunately, the familiar irritation does little to settle the uneasiness twisting his stomach.

What happens when they find Louise?

What if she refuses to speak? What if she confirms everything Adrien has suspected? Worse, what if she tells him something that makes the last few weeks seem like nothing compared to what has been happening behind his back?

He doesn’t know which possibility frightens him more.

The car comes to a stop.

Niko steps out of the front vehicle first, his usual mocking smile replaced by sharp, professional focus. Armed security guards spread around the perimeter, taking up positions along the treeline and blocking the rear exits with quiet, practiced discipline.

Orion opens his door.

"Stay close to me," he tells Adrien.

Adrien climbs out after him. "I’m not going to run away."

"I know."

"Then why— " 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

"Because I don’t want you wandering into someone’s line of fire while you’re busy asking questions."

Adrien shuts his mouth.

There are moments when arguing with Orion feels less like a conversation and more like throwing himself against a brick wall. He follows him toward the entrance, his pulse quickening with every step.

When the front door of the lake house is forced open, there is no chaotic struggle. No furniture crashes to the floor. No frantic footsteps retreat down the hallway. No desperate attempt to escape through a back window.

Louise stands directly in the center of the sunlit entryway, her coat buttoned tight, her spine straight and rigid as an iron rod.

She watches the armed men spill into the hallway with cold, bitter eyes. She does not tremble, beg, or ask for mercy. Her hands remain tucked inside her coat pockets as though she has been expecting this visit.

Adrien steps through the doorway behind Orion, his heart hammering against his ribs.

The house smells of old dust, dry wood, and stale tea. The furniture is sparse, and the silence is so complete that he can hear the guards shifting their weight behind him.

Then Louise’s eyes land on him.

Something deep inside her snaps.

A sharp, harsh sound tears from her throat, and she begins to laugh.

It is a broken, terrible sound that echoes off the bare walls, startling even the seasoned guards near the entrance. Niko narrows his eyes, one hand resting near his sidearm as he watches her carefully.

Louise isn’t laughing because she has lost her grip on reality. She is laughing because the rage inside her has grown too bitter, too enormous to contain in silence any longer.

Her shoulders shake, but there is nothing joyful about the sound. It is the kind of laughter that comes when crying would feel too much like giving up.

"Look at you," she spits, staring past Adrien as though someone else stands behind his shoulder. "Look at what she made! That coward! That pathetic, disgusting coward!"

She takes a step forward, her jaw clenched.

"All those years. All those years of telling me what to do, who to be, what I owed her." Her laugh breaks into a bitter scoff. "And the moment things stop going her way, she runs."

Adrien stares at her.

"Who are you talking about?"

Louise ignores him.

"She ran!" she snarls, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps. "The moment she felt the fire coming for her, she packed her little bags and crawled into a hole! She left me here!"

Her voice rises until the words scrape her throat.

"She thought she could hide behind me again. She thought I’d take the blame, clean up her mess, and smile for everyone afterward like the good little daughter she trained me to be."

She laughs again, but this time the sound is quieter.

"Not this time."

Adrien stands frozen near the door.

A wave of confusion washes over him, momentarily wiping away his anxiety and replacing it with disbelief.

From his perspective, Louise and Alice have always been a united force. They were the mother and daughter who spent years tormenting him, manipulating his father, and turning his childhood home into a nightmare.

He has spent all this time believing the leaked video was a joint attack, carefully orchestrated by both women to destroy his life and embarrass Orion.

Yet Louise stands before him cursing Alice with a hatred that feels far too personal to be an act.

He has spent all this time believing the leaked video was a joint attack, carefully orchestrated by both women to destroy his life and embarrass Orion.

Yet Louise stands before him cursing Alice with a hatred that feels far too personal to be an act.

"What are you talking about?" Adrien asks. His voice comes out weaker than he intends.

"Louise... what do you mean? You and Alice worked together. She gave you the resources for the leak, didn’t she?"

Louise stops laughing.

Her eyes snap to his, cold and entirely devoid of warmth. "You really are stupid, aren’t you, Adrien?"