The Breeding Deal: Brother-in-law's Forbidden Offer - Chapter 76

Chapter 76: A Bit More

Adrian gave James a measured glance. James caught himself immediately and snapped back into his professional mode.

They headed to the parking garage at the hospital, and James began briefing Adrian on the day’s schedule.

“At 10 AM, there’s the charity lecture at NYU you agreed to attend in May. Lunch is the monthly meeting with industry experts in SOHO and we shall arrive before 12:30. And in the afternoon, it’s your usual boxing session at the private club uptown.”

All three assistants would be there – Thomas as Adrian’s sparring partner, with James and Daniel in attendance.

Adrian had been boxing for over twenty years. He started after that fight when he was ten, when he’d fought Marcus and a dozen other kids to protect Ethan.

He’d actually been badly hurt in that fight, but the injuries were hidden under his clothes. Rebecca and his grandfather assumed he’d been the only aggressor. It wasn’t until that evening, when his grandfather allowed him to shower, that the housekeepers discovered young Adrian’s body covered in bruises, his chest and back marked with shocking injuries.

Those bruises took a whole year to fade.

Though they were all just kids, Marcus and Wesley had shown no mercy. From that day on, young Adrian swore to become strong.

Rebecca wasn’t wrong when she said he held grudges. Twenty years later, Adrian still remembered that bloodied little boy standing alone in an empty room, vowing to return every bit of that cruelty with his own fists someday.

Ironically, as adults, fists became child’s play.

Instead, those two brothers, backed by their father, used their minds and mouths to carefully weave dark traps and lies, waiting for opportunities.

For twenty full years, their family never dared confront Adrian directly. Even when he took over the family business and cut them out of any shares in the group, they swallowed their anger in silence.

But Adrian finally got his day.

His fists crashed into their faces one by one, settling a twenty-year-old score – not just for their cunning schemes, but for his loney childhood that followed.

And for their dirty hands reaching toward Christine.

Thinking of Christine, Adrian’s focus wavered for a moment, his footwork slowing on the boxing ring.

In the next instant, Thomas’s gloved fist whooshed past, grazing Adrian’s face.

Thomas tried to pull back when he realized something was wrong, but it was too late. His fist scraped across Adrian’s face in a hiss and landed on his mouth with a thud.

It was a hard hit. The glove slammed against his teeth through his lip, and blood slowly seeped from the corner of his mouth.

The red liquid trickled down as the man wiped it with his sweaty arm.

Adrian rarely got hurt in the ring.

No one knew how to react. In the quiet gym, Thomas walked toward his boss with furrowed brows, still breathing heavily but maintaining his serious expression.

“Boss,” he said calmly, “the doctor said to control your desire. Your reflexes drop when you’re exhausted yesterday night.”

The man’s voice echoed in the quiet air.

Below the ring, Daniel almost choked on his bubble tea. James froze completely, medical kit in hand, his legs trembling mid-step toward the ring.

Inside, James was screaming: Thomas, yes, my dumbass sister Sophie asked you this morning to stop the boss, but not by calling him out like some smartass after the fact! Are you out of your mind, bringing up his bedroom activities to his face?! I get you’re trying to help Sophie, but do you have a death wish or something?!

The guy had zero emotional intelligence.

The air stayed frozen for a few seconds before Adrian suddenly raised his fist and knocked Thomas flat.

“BAM!”

Thomas saw stars. After a few seconds, the muscular man stumbled to his feet and steadied himself. “Again,” he said.

But Adrian was already leaving the ring. Shirtless, his chest and abs gleaming with sweat, his brows deeply furrowed, looking absolutely livid.

James wanted to treat his injury, but Adrian waved him off and headed straight for the shower.

James opened the medical kit and gave Thomas two ice packs to sit with. Daniel came over sympathetically, offering him a banana.

“Next time, if you don’t know what to say, maybe just don’t say anything.”

After boxing, it was nearly evening. Adrian had dinner with two Thai collectors, viewed an exhibition, and returned to the office at 9:30 PM.

The office was dark, warmed by the air conditioning to feel like spring. In the dim room, Sophie was curled up on the sofa, silently playing games on her phone.

Christine had woken up around five, first spending half an hour on the phone with Patricia about some leads regarding her brother Oliver, telling her mother not to worry. Then Sophie came in offering a massage, but after just over thirty minutes, Christine had fallen asleep again. She was probably in that sleepy phase of pregnancy, having slept from six until almost nine.

James and Daniel entered the inner office first. Sophie had just started to flash a cheerful smile when she glimpsed Adrian, looking like the god of death, behind her brother.

The man’s tall figure loomed like a dark cloud into the room, and in the next second, Sophie darted off the sofa and vanished.

James glanced toward the bedroom where the floor lamp was on. With Sophie here, Miss Christine must still be sleeping.

After returning to the office, Adrian’s first priority would always be showering. James efficiently went to run hot water in the bathroom, removing his shoes and walking carefully in socks past the bedroom to avoid disturbing Christine.

Outside, Daniel had already helped Adrian remove his coat, suit jacket, and leather shoes, taking them for dry cleaning.

The two worked systematically, but just as they were leaving the office, Daniel, already half out the door, sneakily turned back to press his ear against it, hoping to catch some gossip.

The next second, James grabbed him by the ear and silently dragged him away.

Adrian only bathed briefly before coming out, drying himself. His mouth still hurt from the punch earlier. He frowned at his reflection in the mirror, touching the corner of his lip.

He entered the bedroom where only the floor lamp was on. Christine was still curled up in bed, sleeping on her side, hugging a pillow, breathing steadily.

She seemed to… always need something to hold while sleeping.

Adrian got into bed on the other side. He reached over and pulled the pillow from Christine’s arms, placing it behind himself.

The sudden emptiness in her arms left her feeling bereft, and cold air sneaked under the covers where the pillow had been. She grew restless in her sleep, instinctively reaching out with drowsy movements, her hands searching the air for her lost comfort. Adrian leaned forward to catch her wandering hands, but in her unconscious quest, her fingers – soft and delicate – inadvertently found their way to his chest, trailing across his bare skin.

Christine was still dreaming.

She wanted her pillow back, but why did it feel… hard?

Half-asleep, her mind was too foggy to think clearly. She instinctively moved closer, her nose filling with a familiar, crisp scent mixed with moisture and the warmth of skin beneath her fingertips.

She opened her eyes slightly. In the dim light, she saw a man’s bare chest. Before she could see his face, a large hand cupped the back of her head, pulling her into his warm embrace.

Christine froze.

She thought she was dreaming – was this…?

Her hands moved urgently in the dark bedroom, touching his neck, jaw, lips, moving upward until they cupped his face as she stared at him in wonder.

Warm. Not a dream.

Her eyes flew wide open, trembling pupils reflecting Adrian’s face.

She quickly let go, sat up, and backed away, stammering apologies for touching his face like a crazy person.

“S-sorry… I was half asleep. You’re here, I should go-”

As she tried to get up, he caught her wrist. Still weak from sleep, she fell back against his chest with just a slight pull.

His chest was hot, burning, pressed tightly against her.

The next moment, he pulled her into his embrace, her face inward, her nose a breath away from his chest.

His warm, long fingers wrapped around her waist, holding her tight. Christine’s eyes widened, her heart pounding audibly.

“Don’t move.”

“Sleep a bit more.”

Adrian’s voice was soft, unusually lacking its usual authority, vibrating through his chest against her nose. But Christine sensed he wasn’t entirely happy.

She didn’t want to probe why, knowing better than to anger him. Plus, she still needed his help with her brother’s situation. If it was just sleeping together, not sex, she could manage that.

But it was too warm to sleep like this, how could anyone fall asleep in this gesture? She had barely shifted uncomfortably when his hand gripped her chin, making her look up at him. His eyes were narrow, filled with endless irritation.

Christine froze, mouth open to apologize, but before she could speak, he lowered his head and captured her lips.