Chapter b251 /b

    bChapter /bb251 /b

    OLIVIA’S POV

    “Hey!”

    The deep,manding voice sliced through the tense silence, making every muscle in my body freeze in ce. It was the one thing I had been praying wouldn’t happen. My worst fear had juste true- the robbers had noticed us moving.

    For the past few minutes, Charlie and I had been creeping slowly, barely shifting across the floor in hopes that no one would care or catch on. Our movements were so small that I thought maybe, just maybe we could get away with it. But it wasn’t about speed, not really. It was about numbers. Two of us shifting at the same time was already risky. Add that bastard Adrian trailing behind us, and it was like waving a red g in front of a bull.

    We had been trying to edge away from him too, not wanting to look like we were together. But it didn’t matter. The robber’s sharp eyes had picked up on our attempt, and now one of them was marching toward us with heavy, deliberate steps.

    My pulse jumped into my throat. I didn’t know what he was going to do or how far he was willing to go to prove a point. My palms had gone mmy, and I could feel Charlie stiffen beside me.

    “Where do you people think you’re going?” the man sneered, his tone thick with mockery. He swung his riflezily, though the menace in his eyes was anything but casual. “Did you really think I wouldn’t notice the little dance you were trying to pull?”

    I parted my lips, ready to say something, anything to calm the situation. But before I could even form a word, Adrian’s voice rang out, firm and reckless.

    “It was my idea,” Adrian said quickly, drawing every bit of attention to himself. “They had nothing to do with it.”

    I wanted to choke him, He was either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid – probably both. The robber stopped in his tracks, narrowing his eyes at him.

    “Oh, it was your idea?” The man let out a low chuckle, the kind that didn’t reach his eyes. “And tell me, pretty boy, what exactly did you think was going to happen? You nned to crawl your way out of here while we just sat back and pped for you?”

    His mocking tone grated against my ears. My stomach twisted as I watched Adrian, who somehow managed to hold his ground even with a rifle trained not too far from him.

    “No, that wasn’t our intention,” Adrian replied, his voice steady, though I could see the tightness in his jaw. “We were sitting directly under the air conditioner. She was already freezing. We just wanted to move a little. Last I checked, that wasn’t a crime.”

    The words hung in the air, thick with tension. For a second, I thought the robber might actually consider it. But then I saw it – the faint twitch in his jaw, the way his hand flexed over his weapon. He wasn’t moved by Adrian’s exnation. He was annoyed, insulted even, that someone dared to speak back to him.

    The robber’s lips twisted into a smirk that didn’t belong anywhere near humor. His free hand slid through his greasy hair, pushing bit /bback in a motion that looked casual, but I knew it was anything but. He was building up, winding himself tight like a coil about to spring.

    And then it happened.

    Before anyone could blink, the robber swung the butt of his rifle with brutal force. The sharp crack of metal meeting skull echoed through the hall, followed by Adrian’s strangled groan.

    Chapter b251 /b

    Even bthough /bAdrian bhad /bbeen seated, the blow was strong enough to knock himpletely off bnce. He btoppled /bbackward, crashing t onto the cold, hard floor with a sickening thud.

    For a heartbeat, the entire room went silent.

    Then came the gasp. Dozens of hostages sucked in air all at once, the sound sharp and collective. A few women screamed, the noise breaking high and frantic, though quickly muffled in fear of angering the robbers further.

    And all I could do was sit there, frozen in ce, as the atmosphere grew heavier, dread pressing down on every single one of us.

    “Did that hurt? The next time you try something like this, I’ll put a bullet in you.” The robber’s voice dripped with rage, his words sharp enough to slice through the already tense silence. He gave Adrian onest re before turning away, striding back toward the group of men who were sweeping jewelry into bags from the terrified hostages.

    The whole room seemed to hold its breath, every hostage trembling, some whispering prayers under their breath. My own chest was tight, fear running like fire in my veins, but at the same time, anger bubbled up, because Adrian just had to open his mouth.

    When he finally stood, his movements slow and heavy, I noticed his hand pressed firmly against his forehead. A secondter, he pulled it away, and I saw a thin line of blood trickling down the side of his face.

    “Why?” The word left my mouth before I could stop it, sharp and using. My voice was low, but there was no mistaking the edge

    in it.

    “Why what?” he asked back, his tone oddly calm, as if being threatened at gunpoint and bleeding from his head were just another part of his day. He wiped at the blood with the back of his palm, smearing it across his skin.

    “Why did you do what you just did? Why did you speak?” My fists clenched at my sides as I tried to steady my voice, trying not to let the anger show, but it was nearly impossible.

    Adrian tilted his head, his expression almost confused, like he couldn’t understand why I would even ask. “You were clearly in trouble, and I decided to help.”

    “Help?” I hissed. “I didn’t ask for your help. I don’t need it. And because of you, we got noticed! My son and I – we are trying to move away from you, Adrian. But you just keep following ius/ii, /ikeep trying tomunicate, like you can’t take a hint.” My words dripped with sarcasm, each one heavy with resentment./

    For a second, his face darkened, but then, just as quickly his expression shifted. There was something in his eyes that I couldn’t quite ce. Excitement? Relief? It was almost like someone had just handed him the answer to a question he’d been waiting too long to ask.

    “So, he’s actually your son,” Adrian said slowly, his voice carrying a strange mix of triumph and wonder. “When he told me, I didn’t want to fully believe it. But hearing it from you now… it confirms everything.”

    My chest tightened, and I stared at him, disgust rising like bile in my throat. I let my eyes wander from the blood matting his hair to the stubborn determination on his face. Even sitting there injured, he carried that same infuriating arrogance that had haunted me for years.

    “And how does that concern you?” I snapped, unable to hide the irritation in my voice. “What difference does it make to you if I confirm it?”

    Adrian’s eyes softened just slightly, though his jaw was set like stone. He leaned forward, lowering his ivoice /ias if the whole world didn’t need to hear what he was about to say.

    “It concerns me because ever since I heard those words from your son,” he paused, his gaze piercing straight through me, “one

    question has been roaming around my brain till now.”

    My breath hitched.

    He studied me with an intensity that made me want to look away, but I couldn’t. My stomach twisted, a knot of dread forming day

    inside me.

    Finally, he asked the question I’d been most afraid of.

    “Is he my son?”

    ま