Adrian nodded, still in shock of what had just happened.
“Now get out of the car.” Ethan ordered, leaving Adrian on the side of the road before him and Dave drove off. By the time Adrian returned to the mansion, he was still shaking, his hands quivering. The image of that man's body—inside his head—wouldn't go away, and Ethan's cold command echoed in his ears. He had to say something—to someone—but who would believe him? A nobody in this family, a lowly pawn used whenever it suited them? How could Ethan just walk away from what he had done? The thought chilled him to the bone. Adrian pushed the heavy oak door of the Sinclair mansion open and was immediately met by Evelyn. She stood in the foyer, arms crossed across her chest, her foot tapping impatiently upon the marble floor. "Where's Ethan? Why didn't you bring him back with the car? "I—he took the car," Adrian said, swallowing the lump in his throat. "I…I don't know where he went after that." You could hear the nervousness in his voice. Evelyn's eyes flashed suspiciously, and she walked closer, circling him like a predator sizing up its prey. "Is that so? You're hiding something." "No, I'm not," was the quick response from Adrian, but immediately, the lie tasted bitter on his tongue. He was too tired to argue. "He and Dave wanted to go somewhere, that's all. She pursed her lip but did not push further. "Well, you're just as useless as I thought. Go find something worthwhile to do before Jane sees you standing around like an idiot.” His heart was racing in his chest as beads of sweat formed on his head. The guilt was eating away at him. As he made his way toward the kitchen, he heard someone coming into the house. Turning around, he watched as Ethan and Dave walked in through the front door, their faces pale and visibly shaken. Where did you two go?" Evelyn demanded, her arms crossed as they entered. Her eyes darted suspiciously between the two of them. "None of your business," Ethan mumbled, pushing past her. Their dishevelled appearance and the haunted look in Ethan's eyes told Adrian everything he needed to know: they were just as shaken by the accident as he was. As the day went on, Adrian couldn't help but become increasingly worried about the man they had hit. And where was the car? they didn't return to the mansion with it. He wanted to scream at Ethan, to get him to take some responsibility for what they had done, but he knew that would only go bad for him. The Sinclairs were those who always managed to twist things in their favor, and he was no match for their influence. The hours went by, and suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door. Ethan jerked slightly, and Adrian froze as Evelyn went to see who was at the door. In the doorway, two detectives met her with serious, professional faces. Had they found out about the accident? The taller, darker man in his early forties with grey hair, stepped forward showing his badge. “We're looking for Ethan Sinclair," he said, deep-voiced and authoritative. "His car was spotted at the scene of a hit-and-run earlier this morning." Evelyn's eyes widened in shock, but she quickly masked her surprise with a cool, calculated expression. "There must be some mistake," she said smoothly. "My brother would never- "We need to speak with him," the second detective interjected, a woman in her thirties. Leave no room for argument. Evelyn turned toward the living room as her face turned unyieldingly hard, having realized there was no talking their way out of this one. "He is in the living room," she said as she stood aside to let the detectives in. Adrian watched in fear as the detectives came into the living room. Ethan and Dave stood up from the sofa, equally scared out of their minds. “Mr Ethan Sinclair?” “Yes?” “You're a suspect in a hit and run Incident that happened earlier this morning at Windbury drive. You're under arrest” “What? What do you mean. I don't know anything about that!” Ethan denied any knowledge of the accident but was quickly put in cuffs and read his rights. "What's going on! Where are you taking my son?" Gregory Sinclair thundered as he came down the stairs. "Your son is the prime suspect of a hit and run case that happened earlier today. we are taking him in for questioning""They are saying Ethan ran someone over and never stopped," Evelyn turned to her father. "What?!” Gregory was in disbelief. His foolish son had finally gotten himself into serious trouble. “Make sure you don't say anything until the lawyer arrives” Evelyn said firmly to Ethan as he was taken away. Immediately he was out of the house, she turned her attention to Adrian. “Didn’t you drive them, Adrian?” an accusatory look was drawn all over her face. “Yes I did but--” Adrian was interrupted by a phone call. It was Dr. Harris, the doctor in-charge of his mother’s case. "Hello?” he answered anxiously. He had recently taken his mother for some more tests and was waiting for the results. "I am calling about your mother's condition. We need to talk, immediately." The doctor’s tone implied that it was something serious. "I-I'll be right there," Adrian stuttered, hanging up the phone. He glanced at Evelyn’s piercing stare, sensing no room for explanations now. “I have to
“What?.....how do you know my mother needs surgery?” the shock was evident on his face. Evelyn took a step towards him. “How I know doesn't matter. What matters is that I can help you….that is if you do what I say” “I'll be back in an hour. I want your answer by then” she said coldly before leaving his room. Adrian paced back and forth. What was he to do? if he agreed to do what Evelyn asked, he could save his mother. But at what cost? If he admitted to the crime, he would be punished dearly. The thought of having to spend years behind bars made him shiver. If he chose not do it, there was no guarantee that Evelyn wouldn’t still try to pin it on him. The air suddenly felt thick and choking as Adrian tried to make a decision. An hour later, Evelyn returned. Her face was cold and confident, her eyes locking onto his as if she knew exactly what he was going to say. Adrian's heart sank realizing what he had to do. She'd already won, and they both knew it. "Well?"
Adrian sat in the courtroom, his hands cuffed and his body tense. Today was the day that he would know his fate. Everyone’s gaze was focused on him. He hardly heard the murmurs of the people around him or the rustling of paper from the legal teams. All he could concentrate on was the gnawing feeling in his chest. Evelyn didn’t even bother to get him a lawyer, and he had to make do with a public defender. The judge, an older man with a stoic face sat on the high table in front of the room and read over the case details. “Mr. Adrian, you stand accused of vehicular assault and obstruction of justice. How do you plead?” Adrian swallowed hard. His eyes glanced to the back of the courtroom where Evelyn sat, her face looking cold and detached. She had done this to him, yet she sat there not looking affected at all. "I. I plead guilty," Adrian managed to speak. There was a collective shift in the room, a low murmur of voices as the judge nodded and scribbled down something. Guilty. It
“My name is Javier.” The man said as he helped Adrian up. Javier would come to be one of his trusted friends in prison. The coming weeks were difficult for Adrian as he tried to adapt to prison life. Each day seemed like hell, but he consoled himself that he was at least able to save his mother. But he hadn’t heard anything about his mother since he got into prison. No one from the Sinclair family had bothered to visit him, not even if his wife Jane. He was finally relieved when one of the guards called his name and informed him that he had a visitor. On getting to the visiting room, he saw that it was Jane. Of course, no matter how angry she was at him, she would definitely not leave him there without visiting. His wife must still love him. So he thought. He sat across her as she looked at him with a blank expression on her face. “Jane…I knew you’d come to see me.” Jane’s gaze swept over him. She could tell that prison life was already taking a toll on him, and part
Chapter 9 Adrian dropped the phone as his hands trembled. He couldn’t believe his ears. His mother, his whole world was gone. Everything he had done was all for nothing. Evelyn had lied to him. This couldn’t be true. His mother couldn’t be gone. He picked back the prison phone and dialed Evelyn. “What happened to my mother!” his voice sounded violent. “You should mind the tone you use with me.” Evelyn said coldly on the other end of the line. “You lied to me. I went to prison for nothing!” “You went to prison for a crime you admitted to commiting. How is that my fault?” she laughed over the phone causing Adrian to wonder how a person could be so heartless. “Did you really think I’d spend my money on that mother of yours? You are really a bigger fool than I thought. I hope you enjoy your vacation in prison.” With that she ended the call leaving Adrian in tears. He would go on to spend 7 years in prison, but that night was the worst night of his life. His chest felt tight and h
“If what you are saying is true, and you did work for my father, I don't care.” Adrian replied with a dismissive tone. “He was never there for me and my mother so I don't give a damn about him!” He thundered before walking away. The man let out a sigh. “If you ever change your mind and you want to find out more about your father, here's my card. I promise i can explain everything” He said, handing Adrian his business card. Adrian barely glanced at the card and put it into his jacket pocket. He got on to a bus going to a Niklon, a neighbourhood in Oakcity. he was going to see an old friend who had got out of prison two years before him-Javier. Adrian trusted him, and now that he did have a plan after seven long years, he needed Javier's help. Javier had been the only one he told about how the Sinclairs had wronged him. The bus ride was quiet, the soft hum of the engine the only sound as Adrian stared out the window. On getting to Niklon, Adrian went to a dingy bar Javie
The Sinclair mansion stood tall, casting long shadows in the late afternoon light. Indoors, the air was filled with a silent tension that had become usual ever since Evelyn became CEO. Ethan sat in the living room, with a glass of whiskey in his hand. he swirled the amber coloured liquid in the glass. The past few months had left him extremely discontent. As the first son, he was supposed to be the CEO but things hadn’t gone the way they should have, and now he was forced to play the supportive brother while she took the limelight. No one knew why he had stepped back even when he was rightly supposed to be CEO, and he preferred to keep it that way. The sound of clicking heels interrupted his thoughts. He didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. “Ethan” Evelyn’s sharp voice came through. “Have you seen the latest projections from the finance team?” He took a slow sip of his whiskey, holding off on the answer just long enough to annoy her. "I've looked them over." "And?"
Adrian pulled the janitor's uniform over his head; the plainness of the clothes felt strange to his skin. Javier had gotten him the cleaning job at Sinclair Industries. He would finally have the opportunity to once again see the woman who betrayed him. He walked down the halls of Sinclair Industries with a broom in his hand, almost invisible, a shadow moving through the building, unseen. People went on with their business and nobody gave him as much as a second glance, which was precisely what he wanted. He was just another cleaner going about his work. But Adrian had something else on his mind, he wanted to get into Evelyn's office. He needed to find something-anything-that could help bring her down. As he reached out to her office door, Adrian reached for his keycard. It was a standard issue for employees like him, a pass to the areas he needed to clean-including the executive offices. Slipping the card through the lock, the door unlocked with a soft click. He slipped in