The Billionaire's Hidden Heir

#28 - A Mountain Of A Problem

Adrian

"Oh damn!" Benji exclaimed as he pushed back and shot up from his seat for the first time in over six hours that we'd been stuck in my house. For all the expertise he boasted of, I had hoped for a more reassuring answer than that.

I rubbed my temples, trying to stave off the mounting frustration and the oncoming headache. While I watched on, he had gone over the video of Lily and Warrick in bed, running it through countless software programs to determine its authenticity before he made a decision. The gradual frown that painted his face the longer he was at it confirmed that he would come to the same conclusion as I had. Still, I hoped that somehow he would find something I had missed, even if that would count for the worst mistake I'd ever made in my life.

"Damn it!" I cursed as I paced in tight circles.

"It's damned impossible to tell if the footage is fake, I'll give you that," Benji trailed, shooting me a sympathetic expression. "But..."

But... His damned tone weighed heavily with unspoken accusation. "This was Lily, Adrian." Benji said through gritted teeth. And there it was. His disappointment was oh so clear. I didn't blame him though. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Besides the fact that you disappeared right about the same time Lily did? I guess I didn't want you talking me out of the divorce." I confessed. Being here now, though, faced with Lily's innocence, I wished Benji had been around to do exactly that. Beat me back to my senses if need be.

"She was barely holding on to life when she walked away, Adrian," Benji narrated. "Wallace set up everything she'd need for the new life she had chosen, but Lily refused to get any help that was tied to you." My chest tightened at that. "It took Asher's birth for her to accept the simplest gifts from your grandfather, and they all had to do with Asher." Benji shot me a grateful look. "That kid was her saving grace. If she hadn't been pregnant," he trailed off, and I could fill in the blanks. "So if you have no intention of fighting for them, then leave now, man. Let her have this little piece of happiness she has found." Benji urged.

Except, I couldn't walk away. Didn't want to. "I'm not going to hurt her."

"Better not, or this time you will have me to deal with," Benji warned, and I knew he meant it. "On the flip side," he gave me a hard look, "we have a mountain of a problem on our hands. This type of work doesn't come cheap," he gestured at the laptop. "Which means whoever it is behind this has deep pockets and serious intentions. And can't be easily dealt with." I agreed, totally.

"Will you let me check Courtney out now?" Benji crossed his arms, daring me to say anything other than a 'yes'. He had made a similar request the first time we met and he'd been hired to clean up another security breach that had knocked out Frost Industries at the knees and nearly burned to the ground everything grandfather had worked hard for. I said no at the time, citing Martha and Courtney as being part of the trusted Frost family even though not by blood. I hoped, for their own sakes, that they had remained loyal, or they would face the consequences.

I nodded. "But whatever you find, I get to do the rest." I added.

"Fair enough," Benji agreed. "And one more thing, I need you to maintain your relationship with Courtney as is-"

"I can't." I shook my head. Not only because I didn't trust myself not to confront Courtney and try to get the answers for myself, but because of Lily. The mere mention of Courtney was a trigger so painful that my being close to her would definitely hurt Lily. Admitting that gave way to the ache in my chest at how much I'd hurt her.

"Maybe let's take some time to figure it out then," Benji concluded with a sigh, just as my doorbell rang.

I perked up, a frown on my face. I wasn't expecting anyone. The thought of it being Lily gave a little kick in my chest and got me shooting up from my seat. "But then again, it could be Margret and Marjorie," I thought, dialing down my expectation.

A familiar little human who looked a hell of a lot like me stood grinning at the door, his presence righting my world. "Hi, Dad," Asher beamed, giving me a moment before he rushed past me and into the house. That he could already do that freely warmed my heart. Once he disappeared, I dragged my gaze back to my front porch, back to Lily, that little kick in my chest intensifying at the sight of her. Where Asher's presence righted my world, Lily's threatened to tilt it right off its axis. Not only because of the guilt I felt, but because she was a breath of fresh air and at the same time a reminder of all the pain I had caused.

"Come in," I invited, but she shook her head, taking a step back.

"I was just dropping Asher off. When you didn't show up like you promised, he was beginning to get antsy."

Crap! With me and Benji immersed in our investigation, picking up my son from Lily's had slipped my mind. "God, I'm sorry. Something came up." I said, flinching at my words.

"If you are still busy, I can drop him by later," Lily offered.

"It's fine." I nodded. "Thank you for bringing him over." I wished she could stay too.

"No need to thank me, it was no trouble," she waved me away and turned to leave. "Just remember that today is a school night."

"Please stay," I blurted, heart hammering in my chest. Seeing her take that step away from me, I was strangely afraid that if she walked away, it would be for good.