Obsession His Runaway Bride (Noelle and Adrian) novel Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Compete

Adrian sat in the back of his car as his fingers tapped against his knee while his mind was clearly elsewhere.

‘Noelle.‘

He gritted his teeth as the name burned at the edges of his thoughts. He had told himself he wouldn’t let her matter much. And yet, here he was, hunting for her like she was a treasure, to the point of returning to the life he had once left behind.

His fingers stopped as they curled into a loose fist.

She thought she could just leave him. That she could disappear into a world where he wouldn’t find her.

She was wrong.

Adrian exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders back, but the tightness in his chest remained. He had never been a patient man. Not when something belonged to him. And Noelle… 1

His jaw clenched.

She had made a mistake. One he wasn’t going to let slide. 2

The air inside the car was filled with tension but Calix calmly sat beside him while scrolling through his phone with a lazy indifference. At the front were two of Adrian’s men sitting stiffly with eyes trained on the road ahead. They knew better than to speak unless spoken to.

They had been searching for days. They searched every place Noelle could have gone and every person she might hav contacted. But she had vanished like a ghost. Until today when one of his men had finally found her which led him to

Adrian leaned back against the seat and exhaled sharply. “So… she’s in that place,” he muttered. His eyes narrowed as the glow of the city lights flickered against the car window. His voice was quiet, but there was an edge to it. “She must be hiding there carefully.”

Calix hummed in agreement while his tone sounded far too amused for Adrian’s liking. “Unless someone tipped her off.”

Adrian’s jaw immediately clenched as the thought infuriated him.

Noelle was smart, but she wasn’t the kind of woman who could vanish without a trace on her own. She had no underworld ties and no experience in disappearing. If she managed to slip away, its only a matter of time before he finds her.

His fingers curled into a tight fist as his patience began thinning by the second.

“Then I’ll find her,” Adrian murmured in an unwavering voice. “Wherever she goes.”

Calix finally glanced up with his dark eyes glinting in agreement. Then, to Adrian’s mild irritation, he chuckled.

“I know exactly what’s running through that head of yours,” Calix said, stretching out his legs lazily. “Funny thing is… mine has started running too.”

Adrian raised a brow out of confusion. “What the hell does that mean?”

Before Calix could answer, Adrian’s phone rang. His gaze dropping to the screen. The caller ID showed one of his best informants, which made Adrian quickly pick up his phone and without hesitation, he swiped to answer.

“Talk.” he demanded.

The voice on the other end was quick and direct. “She’s gone.”

Adrian’s entire body went still at the man’s words.

“What?” His voice dropped in a low and dangerous tone.

“She took a bus out of town an hour ago. Left nothing behind. Someone must have warned her.”

Chapter 32 Compete

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Calix let out a slow exhale as amusement flickered in his expression. “Looks like your little mouse really doesn’t want to be found.”

Adrian forced himself to stay composed. But the heat simmering beneath his skin was impossible to ignore.

Calix watched him carefully with his smirk widening as if he could hear every violent thought running through Adrian’s mind.” What now?” he asked in a light but knowing tone.

Adrian lowered the phone while staring out the window for a moment before speaking.

“We trace her movements,” he said coldly. “Check security footage at the station. Find out which bus she took.”

Calix sighed dramatically, stretching his arms behind his head. “You know, you could just let her go,” he mused, though his tone held no real suggestion. “Women run all the time, and chasing them down? Bit dramatic, don’t you think?”

Adrian instantly shot him a look, one that carried barely restrained irritation which made Calix’s smirk widen. “Right, right,” he muttered. “Forgot who I was talking to.”

Alexei was happy today. Really happy.

Family Day had been more fun than he expected. He could still remember Noelle standing there, smiling and holding his hand while cheering for him when he won his medal. It almost felt like she belonged there. Alexei smiled sleepily. He liked her. She was nice, soft–spoken, and smelled like flowers. And she didn’t treat him like a spoiled rich kid. Although she did somehow scold him a few times but she treated him like him.

Suddenly, the little boy’s thoughts were interrupted by a knock at his door.

“Come in!” he called, rubbing his tired eyes.

The door opened, revealing Valerian. He stood in the doorway with one hand in his pocket and the other holding a phone.

“Still awake?” Valerian asked, scanning the boy with a knowing look as he switched the lights on.

Alexei nodded. “Mhm.” He sat up straighter. “Is something wrong?”

Valerian stepped inside and spoke. “Your mother called.”

Alexei blinked in confusion.

For a second, his drowsiness faded.

“My mom?”

Valerian nodded and walked over, handing him the phone. “She wants to talk to you.”

Alexei hesitated before taking it. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk to her, but… She didn’t call often.

Alexei swallowed as he pressed the phone to his ear. “Mama?”

“Alexei, sweetheart,” his mother’s voice came through the speaker, warm yet distant. “How was your day?”

Alexei smiled a little. “It was fun! We had Family Day at school, and I won a medal!”

“That’s wonderful,” she said gently. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be there.

Alexei gripped the blanket beneath him. He had heard those words before. Many times.

“I know,” he mumbled.

Valerian watched him closely, but he didn’t say anything.

His mother’s voice softened. “I’ll see you soon, okay? Be good to your uncle.”

Chapter 32: Compete

Alexei nodded, though she couldn’t see it. “Okay.”

“Goodnight, my love.”

“Goodnight, mama.”

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The call ended with a beep. Alexei slowly lowered the phone and stared at the screen for a moment before handing it back to Valerian. His uncle took it without a word and slipped it into his pocket.

The boy then suddenly let out a small sigh. “Dyadya Val?” (Uncle Val?)

“Hm?” Valerian hummed and arched a br

Alexei hesitated before asking, “I want to see Noelle again.”

His words made Valerian pause for a second. His nephew wasn’t the only one thinking about her. Even as he stood there, Valerian found his mind drifting to the stubborn woman who had occupied far too much of his thoughts today.

She had smiled so easily at Alexei as if she was finally getting comfortable with him. She held his hand, laughed at his jokes, and fussed over him.

“She can’t always be here, Alexei,” he said.

The boy frowned, gripping his blanket. “But I want her to be.”

Valerian exhaled and stepped closer to the bed before asking Alexei. “You’re already attached to her?”

Alexei nodded eagerly. “Yes! She’s so kind!”

Valerian’s jaw ticked slightly. Kind, huh? he thought.

Alexei sat up straighter. “She always smiles at me,” he added proudly.

Valerian’s fingers twitched.

He knew. He had seen it. That soft curve of her lips, the way her eyes lit up when Alexei reached for her. She had looked at his nephew like he was something precious.

But when she looked at him?

A frown. A huff. An exasperated sigh.

“Didn’t notice,” he muttered under his breath.

Alexei blinked. “Really?”

Valerian shrugged, shoving his free hand into his pocket. “Maybe was too busy watching her ignore me,” he said dryly.

Alexei giggled, oblivious to his uncle’s irritation. “Noelle doesn’t ignore me,” he said happily.

Valerian shot him a flat look. “Yes, I noticed.”

Alexei flopped back onto his pillow and looked up at the ceiling. “I think she likes me more than you,” he mused.

Valerian narrowed his eyes at his nephew’s annoying statement. “You shouldn’t say things like that,” he muttered.

Alexei grinned. “Why? Are you jealous?”

Valerian let out a sharp exhale, rubbing his temple.

“I can’t believe I feel like I’m competing with my own nephew,” he muttered to himself.

Chapter 33: Hide

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Chapter 33: Hide