The Billionaire’s Fight For Redemption (Noah and Sierra) novel Chapter 81

Chapter 81

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After a while, he studies me. Not in a way that makes me uncomfortable, but like he’s noticing something others might overlook. “You look… different,” he says gently. “A little shaken and a bit out of sorts.”

I blink, a bit startled. My fingers tighten around the mug, but I don’t deny it. Somehow, against my better judgment, the words tumble out.

I can’t explain it. I can’t name it or even begin to understand it, but for some reason his presence puts me at ease.

It shouldn’t. It doesn’t make sense. I barely know him. And yet, there’s something about the quiet steadiness he carries, the unspoken calm in the way he looks at me, that makes me feel safe.

“There was an accident at work today,” I whisper. “One of the machines almost fell on me.”

Adrian stills, his coffee halfway to his lips. “Almost?”

“A teammate pulled me away in time,” I say, my voice unsteady. “If he hadn’t-” I stop. The rest is too heavy to say out loud.

His eyes soften, steady on mine. “That must have been terrifying.”

I nod, swallowing hard. “It doesn’t even feel real. One second, I was reviewing some reports; the next…” My breath hitches. “It all happened so fast. I’m still shaken.”

For a moment, neither of us speaks. The café hums with quiet conversations, the hiss of the espresso machine, and the sound of a chair scraping. Normal sounds, in a normal place, and yet I feel anything but normal.

Adrian leans back slightly, thoughtful. “Accidents like that… they leave more than bruises, even when you walk away unscathed. Your body keeps the panic, even after the danger’s passed.‘

His words make something inside me loosen, because yes, that’s exactly what this feels like. Panic is still trapped beneath my skin, no matter how safe this café is.

I nod again, grateful, and take a sip of my tea, though I barely taste it. “I guess I thought coming here would help me calm down.”

“After something like that, our bodies normally lean towards seeking something normal,” he says simply. “It’s a way of grounding ourselves. A way of reminding your system that you’re safe.”

I don’t know why, but his calmness steadies me more than the tea. He doesn’t push or demand. He just sits there with a comforting air surrounding him.

I find myself exhaling for the first time since the accident, my shoulders lowering a fraction.

When I glance up, Adrian is watching me quietly, like he’s making sure I’m still anchored. I look away, embarrassed, but the knot in my chest doesn’t feel quite as tight anymore.

He clears his throat, maybe sensing the heaviness lingering. “For what it’s worth,” he says lightly, “this place has the best doughnuts in the city. It’s half the reason I come here. The other half is the coffee, of course.”

I almost smile. “Biased opinion?”

“Professional opinion,” he counters, mock–serious, lifting his cup. “Doctor’s orders. You look like someone who could use a sugar rush.”

A quiet laugh escapes me, unexpected but welcome. “I’ll stick to my tea.”

“Fair enough,” he says, smiling in a way that softens his features and makes him look less like the calm doctor

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