CHAPTER 232: ADAMS FAMILY ALWAYS SURVIVES

Emma knows!

She must have heard me that night or else why would Emma run away?

Morris stumbled to a stop near the elevator bay, leaning on the cool metal frame. His reflection stared back at him. Unshaven, shadows under his eyes, the haunted look of a man who’d finally realized just how badly he’d failed the only child who ever mattered.

For a moment, the weight of guilt pressed so hard on his ribs that it almost took his breath away.

"Emma... please," He whispered, voice cracking under the plea. "Where did you go?"

A nurse passing by slowed down, her eyes full of gentle concern.

"Mr. Adams," she offered carefully, "security is checking every exit. Please... wait in the family room?"

But waiting felt like dying slowly.

"No," Morris rasped, straightening despite the trembling in his legs. "I have to find her myself."

And with that, he turned and kept moving... past recovery wards, past quiet corners where hope and grief shared the same sterile air.

With every step, the truth throbbed painfully in his mind. She woke up... and her first instinct wasn’t to find me. It was to leave. Or was she made to leave?

Alex! Fucking Alex!

And that truth cut deeper than any wound.

____________________________

Morris Adams stood before the grand entrance of the Derek Adams estate, rain still dripping from his coat. The butler opened the door cautiously, reminding him of the butler of his house... the one whose death had silenced so many questions.

The marble hallway smelled of polish and old secrets. And as Morris stepped inside, it felt like the past itself clung to the air, refusing to let go.

In the drawing room, Derek sat by the fireplace, a glass of scotch in hand. Darla perched on the armrest, her posture tense despite her practiced calm. Alex leaned against the piano, arms crossed, impatience etched into every sharp angle of his face.

"You look like hell, Morris," Derek muttered without looking up.

"Where is Emma?" Morris demanded, voice raw.

"Last time I heard, she was in the hospital." Derek looked at him now, with calm cautious eyes.

"She’s not there!" Morris screamed. "I got a call this morning from the hospital that she has regained her consciousness but then when I reached there, she was gone!"

"You lost your own daughter, and you came to us?" Alex sneered, eyes dark with quiet triumph. "Dont tell me... You again think I’m behind her disappearance!"

Morris ignored him, eyes boring into Derek. "She’s missing Derek. She woke up and left. Do you know anything?"

A cold silence settled.

Darla’s red painted nails tapped rhythmically against the armrest. "Why would we?" she asked softly. "She’s your problem, not ours."

Morris clenched his fists so tightly his nails bit into his palms. His gaze dropped to the carpet and that was all it took for the past to pull him under.

___________________________

Police lights painted the driveway in flashing blue and red. The body of Mr. Grant, the old butler of Morris’s Estate, lay under a thin white sheet near the service stairs. An officer turned to Morris, eyes sharp.

"We believe Mr. Grant was the one threatening Emma Adams. He had access to the house systems. He could have tampered with her car which resulted in accident."

Morris barely registered the words, shock pulsing through him like ice.

"Grant? But... he served this family for decades. He could never..."

Derek stepped forward then, voice perfectly steady.

"A man can hide darkness in his heart, Morris. We’re lucky the truth came out before more damage was done."

Morris opened his mouth to argue, but the sight of Darla... her hand resting on Derek’s arm, face pale but calm... stopped him. The police moved on, sealing the evidence.

And just like that, the story was decided. The butler had been guilty. His sudden death? A tragic suicide attempt. Case closed.

But Morris never forgot the flicker of relief... just for an instant that had crossed Derek’s eyes when the officer named Mr. Grant as the culprit.

_________________________

"You buried the truth that night," Morris rasped, voice shaking now.

Alex scoffed. "Watch your words, Uncle. You’re drunk."

Morris’s eyes burned as he looked at each of them in turn. "If Emma doesn’t come back safe... if I find out this family had anything to do with it..."

Darla’s lips curved into a cold, pitying smile. "Morris, dear... haven’t you realized by now? This family always survives."

The fire cracked softly in the silence that followed, shadows dancing on the walls like ghosts refusing to leave.

_____________________________

After Morris stormed out, the room felt colder, darker. Darla rose from her seat, the fire’s reflection burning in her eyes.

"Are you behind Emma’s disappearance?" She demanded, voice brittle as glass.

Alex leaned back against the piano, his lips curling into a smug, poisonous smile. "I didn’t even know she was awake. How would I kidnap her, mother?"

Darla’s breath hitched, a tremor of fear shuddering through her chest. "Then it means... Emma remembers," she whispered hoarsely. "She remembers the night you tried to kill her..."

Alex moved in a blur, hand clamping over her mouth so hard her head jerked back.

"Shut up!" He hissed, eyes wild. "Do you want to announce to the whole damn world your son’s a murderer?"

Darla’s nails dug into his wrist, forcing him to release her. She stumbled back, chest heaving, glaring at him with raw terror.

"It won’t be long before Emma tells everyone," She spat, her voice cracking. "And this time, Alex, even we won’t be able to save you!"

Alex’s jaw tightened, darkness clouding his gaze. "I will shut everyone’s mouth... just like I did to the butler. Before Morris can protect her, I’ll find Emma and silence her... for good."

Darla shook her head, despair twisting her features. "You think it’s that easy? That you can keep burying bodies and lies? You’ll destroy yourself, Alex!"

He scoffed, bitterness dripping from every word. "Look who’s worried about the consequences now. Shouldn’t you worry about your own skin first? Didn’t Father prepare the divorce papers? After Jean humiliated you in front of the media?"