My Reborn Admirer Wins Over My Heart (Oriana) novel Chapter 14

**He Returned to Break and Own Me and for His Queen**
**Chapter 14: Investigation**

Oriana was acutely aware of Grant’s aversion to being interrupted by girls. With this knowledge etched in her mind, she made a silent pact with herself to follow him from a distance, like a shadow that respected his space while yearning for his attention. Each morning, she rose before the sun, the chill of dawn wrapping around her like a thin veil, and ventured out to fetch breakfast—his favorite pastries and a steaming cup of coffee. She would carefully tuck them under his locker, hoping that her small gestures would somehow bridge the chasm between them.

Her heart ached at the thought of his stubbornness. Even during those dark days when he was paralyzed, she had tiptoed around him, cleaning the stains on his bed in secret, determined that he would never see the evidence of his struggles. It was a small act of love, a way to shield him from the harsh realities he was too proud to acknowledge.

Grant was perceptive, she knew, but he often chose to feign ignorance. Oriana, however, was relentless in her devotion. She placed him above everything else—his dreams, his ambitions, his well-being—while her own aspirations faded into the background, overshadowed by her unwavering support for him. It was a bittersweet sacrifice, one that she made willingly, even as she felt herself slipping further into a role that felt increasingly one-sided.

In the end, it was he who had compelled her to compromise, to bend to his will. Grant wielded his authority as her guardian like a sword, cutting through her dreams and leaving her feeling powerless. And now, in a grand gesture that felt more like a condescension than a kindness, he offered her a job, convinced that all her efforts were merely to stay close to him. The thought made her feel dizzy, as if she had been trapped in a whirlwind of emotions for far too long.

Oriana’s mind raced. How could she have been so infatuated with this man for so many years? The realization struck her like a thunderbolt, leaving her both bewildered and a little ashamed. She glanced down, her head bowed, the corners of her lips twitching in a faint smile that Grant misinterpreted as contentment. He assumed, perhaps foolishly, that she was finally at peace with the situation.

After applying ice to her ankle, he ushered her into the bedroom, encouraging her to rest and gather her thoughts. As he gently closed the door behind him, his phone buzzed insistently in his pocket, pulling him away from the moment.

Alaric’s message flashed on the screen: “I found the guy who video-called Oriana.”

The words sent a shiver down Grant’s spine. His expression darkened, a storm brewing behind his eyes as he glanced back at the closed door. He retreated into his study, the weight of the message heavy on his shoulders.

“Hello, Grant,” Alaric’s voice came through, steady but cautious.

“Get to the point,” Grant replied, his tone clipped and direct.

“That account was registered and used in Jindiwood. He added Oriana as a friend ten days ago. Their chat history is empty—aside from a brief exchange the day they connected, there are only two video calls,” Alaric detailed, his voice tinged with urgency.

Grant’s fingers tapped against the back of his phone, his gaze sharpening into a steely glare. “Two calls,” he echoed, the words laced with a coldness that sent a chill through Alaric.

“Yeah, two. I suspect they met through another channel or app before connecting on WhatsApp. Most of their conversations likely happen elsewhere,” Alaric explained, his frustration palpable.

“Who is he?” Grant pressed, his voice low and dangerous.

“Grant, we can utilize Seabar’s SkyNet system here, but Jindiwood is beyond our reach. I can’t dig that deep,” Alaric admitted, his tone laced with regret.

Meanwhile, Bramwell had returned home with his wife and daughter, immediately instructing his assistant to arrange a dinner. He wanted to invite the leaders who had attended earlier, hoping to clarify the misunderstandings surrounding his speech. The Sterling family approached the situation with such earnestness and sound reasoning that the officials soon found their doubts dissipating.

As the evening wore on and the drinks flowed, Silas’s eyes began to cloud with the haze of inebriation. He leaned in closer to Luna, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Ms. Sterling, if there’s ever an opportunity, I would be grateful if you could introduce me to Mr. Stone.”

For a fleeting moment, Luna’s sweet smile faltered, her gaze dropping to the red wine swirling in her glass. Memories flooded back to her—five years ago, when she had gone viral on TikTok, sharing her story of survival on just two thousand dollars, battling a painful family history, and the struggle of raising a child alone.

Shortly after, her adoptive mother, Rory Steele, had succumbed to a severe illness, leaving Luna with a mere twenty thousand dollars and a metal box filled with memories. By that time, Luna had gained a moderate following as an influencer, yet the cruelty of her classmates at school continued to haunt her. They looked down on her, mocked her, and subjected her to relentless bullying.

One girl, hailing from a well-connected family, became particularly fixated on tormenting her. Luna reported the harassment to teachers and administrators, but no action was taken; instead, the bullying escalated. They cut her hair, smeared glue across her mouth, and locked her in the restroom for an entire freezing night. Clutching the metal box Rory had left her, Luna found herself on the rooftop of the ten-story school building the next day, teetering on the edge of despair.

But she couldn’t summon the courage to take that final step.

In a moment of desperation, the box slipped from her grasp, tumbling to the ground. A small red badge and a letter spilled out, revealing a legacy she had never known. Her adoptive father, Niall Steele, whom she had barely met before his death, had been a decorated war hero. During a massive earthquake rescue mission, he had selflessly used his own body as a shield to save five elementary school children.

The weight of this revelation hung heavily in the air, mingling with the memories of pain and resilience, as Luna grappled with the complexities of her past and the uncertain future that lay ahead.