Chapter 186
Adrian
The last investor complaint arrived in a sealed envelope.
It accused Adrian of abandoning the company, Amara of manipulating governance, and Priya of being a figurehead. It demanded that the old family proxy be restored before Sterling “lost its identity.”
Priya sent the letter to the full board.
The board rejected the demand unanimously.
Adrian was not present for the vote. He had asked not to be.
When Priya told him the result, he felt the strange emptiness of a battle that no longer required him.
“You can be relieved,” she said.
“I am.”
“You can also miss being necessary.”
He looked out at the city. “I do.”
Priya waited.
“But I do not want Mira to grow up believing necessity is the same as love.”
Priya nodded and ended the call.
At home, Adrian found Amara packing for a foundation conference. She would be away for four days. He asked what she needed, then stopped before turning the question into logistics.
“I need you to be Mira’s father while I am gone,” she said.
“That is already my job.”
“Then do it without making my absence a crisis.”
He promised.
The promise was not heroic. It was a schedule, a grocery list, and a willingness to ask for help when the second night went badly.
When Amara returned, Mira ran to her and then immediately turned back toward Adrian to show him the wooden bridge they had built.
Amara watched them stand on either side of it.
“Did you survive?”
“We ate noodles twice.”
“Then no.”
They laughed. The house remained standing without her managing every room.