All The Wrong Reason episode 28

🌸ALL THE WRONG REASONS🌸
🌹 EPISODE TWENTY-EIGHT🌹

“The prodigal son returns.” Jordan Gibson was peering
from the top of the staircase, looking down as his older
cousin walked in,side the house.
Justin looked at him out of the corner of his eyes. His
cousin had a smirk on his face and it almost took all of his
strength not to climb the twenty-step staircase and break
his nose. He was usually not a violent person. But he just
spent the entire flight from New York to Chicago pushing his
alcohol tolerance to its limit. Patience did not rank high on
his virtue list right now. “F-ck off, Jord!” he muttered
instead.

Jordan received a gentle punch on the shoulder from
his other cousin, Gian. They watched as Justin walked
straight to his father’s study on the ground floor of the
twelve-bedroom mansion.
Just before Justin opened the door, Gian called out to
him.
“Hey J!”
Justin turned back to Gian. He smiled at him. “I like
her!”
Then Ian peered from behind her twin brother’s
shoulder. “Me, too! I became a fan when she slammed the
door in your face. No wonder you’re crazy about her.” She
smiled at him encouragingly.
Justin nodded at his cousins. He appreciated their
support. He needed it. Especially now, since his heart bled
from Adrienne’s decision to give him his freedom. Freedom
to embrace his destiny. Freedom to give his parents’ crazy
decision a chance.
No! What Adrienne did only made him love her more.
He knew how broken she was and how painful it was for her
to give him up to another woman. And yet, she still set him
free because she didn’t want him to destroy his relationsh¡p
with his parents.
And because of what she did, she just proved to Justin
that she was the only woman worthy of becoming Mrs.
Justin Adams.

God! Let me fix this! I could use a miracle!
He opened the door of his father’s study. His father
looked up from the stack of papers he worked on, his eyes
transfixed on his son.
“Where’s Mom?” Justin asked his father.
“In the hospital,” he said. “I’ll take you there after I
sign these papers.”
Justin nodded and went to the wine counter and
poured himself some whiskey. He was quiet. He felt that
nothing he could say to his father would make him change
his opinion of him, or his mind about making him marry the
brat of their good friends. He drank the liquor, keeping his
back to his father. He silently looked at the books in front of
him, not really reading their titles. But he just needed
something to look at to keep himself from having another
verbal judo match with his father.
He felt a hand on his shoulder.
“Son…” his father started.
Justin inclined his head slightly towards his old man.
His father took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I kicked you
out. But I’m glad you’re back.”
Justin looked at the books in front of him again. He
didn’t say anything.

His father removed his hand from his shoulder. “Thank
you. For coming back. Your mother took it very hærd.”
Justin drank his whiskey straight up. Then he turned to
his father. “Don’t thank me,” he finally said. “Thank
Adrienne.” Pain shot to his heart when he mentioned her name. “She set me free. Because she didn’t want me to
destroy my relationsh¡p with you. If she didn’t beg me to
come here, I wouldn’t be in front of you…feeling absolutely
miserable.”
And then he went to the door. “Are we going to the
hospital or not?”
“Justin!” his father roared at him. “Do not disrespect
me.”
Justin threw his hands in the air. “I’m not disrespecting
you! But I hope you excuse my less-than-gallant demeanor
today, Dad. I happen to be a little heartbroken! The love of
my life asked me… no, begged me, to leave her so I can
come back to you. I’m sure you remember what a
heartbreak feels like! Or maybe you don’t. Coz you’ve
woken up to the love of your life for the last twenty-eight
years.”
“Son…” his father started. “When I was in your place,
before I met your mother, I was exactly like this. I didn’t
understand why my parents forced me to marry somebody I
haven’t met yet. I understood the business arrangement.
But at that point, I asked them, too…why it’s me who
needed to sacrifice for the family. We had more than we
needed. I couldn’t understand why we wanted more.” His
father looked at him wearily. “But I couldn’t thank them
enough for their choice. Your mother is an excellent
woman.”
Justin raised a brow at his father. “So is Adrienne,” he
said evenly.

“We want to make sure you marry well,” his father
said. “That the woman you will marry is marrying you not
for your money or your privilege.”
Justin narrowed his eyes and pretended to look
thoughtful. “Gees! If I wasn’t Justin Adams, she wouldn’t be
arranged to marry me. Isn’t that considered marrying me for
my money or my privilege?”
His father took a deep breath, doubtless trying to
control his temper. “This conversation is pointless. You’re
drunk. You aren’t in your proper frame of mind.”
Justin grinned at his father sarcastically. “It won’t
make a difference, Dad,” he said. “Because this is how I’m
going to be for the rest of my life. Drunk and not in the
proper frame of mind. So I suggest, get used to it.”
“One more disrespectful word out of your mouth and
your wedding will happen sooner than you can turn sober!”
his father said in a booming voice.
“Sir, yes, sir,” Justin murmured, turning towards the
door and opening it. “I’ll see you in the car. I have a
feeling…and this is just a hunch…that… that I’m way over
the alcohol limit. Obviously, I can’t… can’t drive.”
He exited the room. He was a little tipsy, yes. But he
had a high alcohol tolerance, he knew he couldn’t entirely
blame alcohol for his less than respectful words to his father.
He found Ian standing at the foot of the stairs, staring
at him wearily. She has a look of sadness on her face.
“I’m sorry, Justin,” she whispered. She ran to him and
gave him a hug. “I’m so sorry.”
It took a moment for Justin to put an arm on Ian’s
back.

“Don’t be sorry for me just yet, Ian,” Justin whispered.
“Be sorry for the girl whose fate is being forced to mine.”
Ian pulled away from Justin and stared at him.
“Justin… what do you mean?”
Justin stared down at Ian. His eyes glittered in spite of
himself. “Just wait, Ian. I would die first before I marry some
other woman other than Adrienne.”
“Justin…they would…disown you!” Ian whispered.
“They already did,” Justin said. “And yet, I’m still here.
More miserable than ever.”
Gian and Jordan appeared behind Ian’s back.

“We feel you, cuz,” Gian said. “If you need help, you
know you can count on us, right?”
Justin smiled at his cousins. “I know. But right now, I
think I might be on my own.”
His father emerged from his study and looked at his
son and his cousins. “You guys going to visit your aunt?” he
asked.

“We just came from there,” Ian began. “She’s doing
fine. Just minor cuts and bruises. Doctor said she’ll be home
in a day or two.” Somehow Justin knew that it was her way
of telling him not to feel too guilty about his mother’s
condition. It wasn’t anything serious.
Jac Adams looked at his son. “Let’s go.”
Justin didn’t speak the rest of the way to the hospital.

He leaned back on his seat and closed his eyes. He thought
about Adrienne. The way she looked the first time he saw
her. She appeared so conservative and reserved, hiding
away her beautiful personality beneath her knit sweaters,
plaid p-nts and black-rimmed glasses. She looked like a
woman who had no idea how attractive she could be and
couldn’t care less about what others would think about her.
The first time he laid eyes on her, something in him
stirred. The fact that she didn’t even look up at him when he
passed by the corridors of Blush made her even more
attractive to him.
He never had a problem with the ladies. He didn’t
even have to memorize or master the use of pickup lines.
He had always been confident of his looks, and the name he
carried had its advantages in charming a woman to his bed.
But he made it clear from the start that he was just having
fun. Nothing spelled permanency. The fact that he knew he
was already promised to another woman took the pressure
off his back to make a woman fall in love with him. He didn’t
care if the woman walked out on him after they spent the
night together. If she didn’t, then he would.

Remembering how he used to be, Justin couldn’t help
thinking that Adrienne was right. He was an assh-le when she first met him. But he was no longer that guy. He no
longer wanted to play the field.
He played on Wall Street because he did well there.
That was him. Things just seemed to come easy to him. He
played the stock market and made millions on his own,
because it gave him something worthwhile to do before he
embraced his destiny of being the heir of Adams Industries.
Just like how he played the field with women. It gave him a
reprieve before he surrendered himself to his bride-to-be.
The woman he would pledge his faithfulness to for the rest
of his life.

But when Adrienne came to his life, he realized that
he was done. It was time to start taking things seriously. He
started working for his father. He only kept the stocks he
thought were worth keeping. He stopped playing on Wall
Street…he stopped playing the field with women. He started
becoming serious. He stopped being rebellious…and hoped
his family would see how this woman changed him. How she
was so good for him. But nothing changed. The moment
they saw him coming around, they also thought he was
ready to meet his destined wife.
They didn’t see that he changed because of Adrienne.
Because finally, he started seeing his future with her. He
started imagining himself taking the reins from his father,
and then coming home every night to the woman he
couldn’t live without. He started believing he could be
happily married to a woman… something he never saw
before, knowing how he would end up marrying his parents’
choice for him.
“We are here.” His father interrupted his thoughts.

When Justin opened his eyes, he felt pain in his head.
The effects of alcohol had started to take a toll on him. He
pressed his temples with his fingers.
“Headache?” his father asked.
“Good that we’re at a hospital then,” Justin murmured.
His mother had the most luxurious suite in the
hospital. When she saw him, she cried almost instantly.
“Oh, Justin,” she said, stretching her arms out to him.
Justin went to her silently. He gave his mother a hug.
When he pulled away from her, he saw that she only had a
small cut on her forehead. Ian was right. She had minor
injuries. But what Justin really worried about was her
emotional pain.

“Sweetheart, I’m so glad you came back.”
Justin still didn’t say anything. He didn’t want to make
her feel any worse than she already did.
Then his mother stared back at him. “Have you been
drinking?” she asked.
He nodded slightly. Then he finally said, “I’m glad to
see that you’re doing better now.”
She smiled at him apologetically. “When your father
said you were going to move out of the house, I thought I’d
never see you again.”
He gave her a reassuring smile. “You know that…
won’t happen, Mom. I will always find time to see you.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” she said. “You know…you
know we were only looking out for you.”
Justin nodded again. He may disagree with his parents
on many things, but he would always love them. Other than
the fact that they were forcing him to marry somebody he
didn’t love, he knew that they’ve always been the best
parents.

They were interrupted by the nurse. Justin went to
stand by the glass windows and looked at the view of the
hospital. Again, he lost himself in his thoughts. His heart still
ached every time he thought about Adrienne and her pain
when she let him go. How she made love to him the prior
night. How she answered his question when they pretended
he was free to ask that question at all. The letter she wrote
to him, which he knew she wrote with deep sorrow.

He knew he had to play his cards right. Making his
parents change their minds was a tricky business. He’s
played the games of life many times and didn’t care if he
won or lost. But this time… he knew he couldn’t afford to
lose. Money wasn’t at stake here. This time, it’s his life, his
heart, his soul. And he’s already decided only one woman
has the right to claim them.
“Justin…” his mother called him.
Justin turned to his mother and didn’t say anything.
“Are you okay, honey?” she asked.
You think?
He didn’t say that out loud. His father might tolerate
his attitude towards him, but he would never forgive him if
he even utter one disrespectful word to his mother.
He nodded slightly. He stared out the window again.
Nothing in the view in front of him seemed interesting. But
he just didn’t want to look at his mother and not say
anything.

“Have you eaten?” she asked. “I will ask somebody to
get you food.”
Justin shook his head. “I’m not hungry, Mom.
Her mother nodded and smiled at him ruefully.
After a long period of silence, Justin went to his
mother and k-ssed her forehead. “I need to get back,” he
said. “I could use a shower and my head feels like it’s gonna
split.”
His mother hugged him. “I’m sorry, Justin,” he heard
tears in his voice. “I hope you will be able to forgive us.”
Justin didn’t hug his mother back, nor did he say
anything. When he pulled away from her, he k-ssed her
cheek again and then he headed for the door. His father
didn’t make an attempt to follow him.
Justin went out of the hospital and decided to walk to
clear his head.

He looked at his phone. No calls. No messages. He
stared at Adrienne’s picture on his wallpaper. He missed her and his heart broke every time he thought that he couldn’t
be with her…at least not yet.
He dialed her number, unable to resist the urge to talk
to her.
But it was off. He tried again. Still off. After two more
attempts, he gave up. He took a deep breath. Maybe
Adrienne was really pushing him to try his parents’ way first
and if it didn’t work out, he could come back to her.

He didn’t know how long that would take. He didn’t
have any intention to prolong it. He thought his best chance
right now lay in his parents seeing how wrong this choice
was. The next chance he has is if the girl he was arranged
to… no, he would never use the word ‘engaged’…would see
what a monstrous, despicable guy he was. He hoped she
would save herself the trouble and lifetime of misery and
just let him go.
When he got home, he took a long, hot shower. He
must have stayed under the water until his skin wrinkled. He
sent a message to their butler to bring some food up for
him. He no longer had any energy of facing any of his family
members. At that time, he just wanted to be alone.

After dinner, he asked one of the maids to bring
whisky and ice to his room. He drank in his room’s balcony,
looking at the starlit sky. There was a lover’s moon in the
sky and he again wished the woman he loved was in his
arms, looking at it with him.
“Adrienne Miller…I love you so much. With all of my
heart. I want no one else in my life, in my future. I want to
spend an eternity with you. I want you to be the mother of
all my children. Will you marry me?”
“Yes, Justin, I would.”
He repeated that memory over and over in his head.
How he wished, too…that everything was in the ideal world.
That he asked her that question for real. And that she said
yes.

He didn’t know it, but tears started to well up in his
eyes. He realized how scared he was. Scared that his
parents wouldn’t accept him returning to her. Scared that if
he did come back, he would be too late.
Adrienne was an exquisite woman. A lot of guys were
interested in her at Blush. Even some rich heirs seemed to
have found a liking for her. It wasn’t just him. And what
killed Justin was the fact that he couldn’t even do anything
to prevent her from finding happiness with another guy…
when he, himself, isn’t free to give her the happiness that
she deserved. And he’s scared that someday, when he is
finally free… she has grown tired of waiting and has given
up on him.
He wiped his tears with his fingers. Then he took his
glass to his l-ips and drank his whiskey again.

He had no idea that he was no longer alone. His father
was standing behind him, watching him.
Jac Adams sat on the chair beside Justin and poured
himself a glass of his whiskey. The two men sat there
quietly, looking into space.
Then finally, Jac said to his son, “How do you know
you’re not going to fall in love with your betrothed?”
Justin sighed and in a more respectful tone he replied,
“Because I only have one heart and it’s no longer mine to
give away.”
“All the while, we thought we were only doing what’s
best for you.”
“I did, too,” Justin murmured. “Then I met her. And I
realized that my love, my loyalty, my allegiance, my
soul…wasn’t yours to promise to some girl you see fit. The
choice must be up to me. Because I’m going to be the one
to decide whether I will be happy or miserable for the rest of
my life. You cannot choose my happiness for me, Dad.”
His father sighed. “Justin…to back out this late on this
agreement would destroy the friendsh¡ps we’ve built for
generations. Her grandfather and yours were like brothers.”
“So you’d rather destroy my life?” Justin couldn’t help
muttering.
“No. That would never be our intention.”
Justin didn’t answer back. Instead, he just drank his
whiskey.

“Your mother was dreaming of a wedding in two
months.”
“And she’s going to be disappointed.” Justin said. His
father stared at him. “You can’t compel me to marry this
brat earlier than three months.”
His father raised a brow at him. “Why?”
Justin sighed. “I almost lived with Adrienne, Dad. And
I’m sure it’s no surprise to you if I say that…we’ve been
together in bed. If I’m going to agree to this marriage, I
have to at least make sure that Adrienne isn’t pregnant.

Because if she is, I won’t care if you disown me or erase any
trace of me in this family. I will not make my own child a
bastard. I’m sure even you would understand that.”
His father fell silent for a moment and then he
nodded. “Fair enough. But in return, I want you to do
something for us.”
Justin sighed. “Really? Haven’t you already asked me
to hand in my life to a woman I’ve never even met?”
Jac nodded. “I want you to court your betrothed.”
Justin almost fell from his seat. “You’ve got to be
kidding me!”
Jac shook his head. “Get to know her. One year. That’s
what we usually do. Build a bond with her and make her like
you…fall in love with you.”
“Even if I’m not in love with her?” Justin asked.

“You don’t know that, son. I didn’t know that and yet I
am still as in love with your mother now as I was when I
married her. When I proposed to her, it wasn’t a business
arrangement anymore. I was proposing as a man…in love
with the woman of his dreams.”
“Really? You’re really sure this woman you set me up
with is the woman of my dreams? Because the last time I
checked, I already found her.”
“Justin…one year. And if she doesn’t feel even a little
bit of fondness for you…we will set you free.”
Just held on to his glass tightly. Suddenly, he wanted
to punch something, but he doubted his father would take
that well.
He thought his father just gave him a way out of this.
But one year is such a long time to wait to be with Adrienne
again… one year seemed too long to make her wait.

“She will fall in love with you. Because you’re Justin
Adams…the guy underneath is so much more worth falling
in love with.”
Adrienne’s faith in him made his heart swell and break
at the same time. How the hell is he going to make her wait
that long? And how the hell is he going to make sure that
the woman his parents arranged for him to marry wouldn’t
like him at all?
“I think I’ve just given you a fair bargain,” his father
said. “One year, son. And in that one year, you’re not
allowed to see or contact your girlfriend. Give yourself a
chance to be happy without her. And if by some miracle, you
find it in yourself to accept your betrothed…give your
girlfriend the chance to move on and find her happiness
with somebody who is free to give it to her.”
Justin didn’t say anything. His father put his glass
down on the table in front of them and stood up. He took
one last look at his son. He put a hand on his shoulder and
gave it a gentle squeeze. Then he silently left the room.
Justin sat alone in his balcony, thinking.
One year. One year was too long. He absolutely
believed that he couldn’t wait that long, even if Adrienne
could. He had to find a way to expedite things…and make
his misery shorter. He targeted one month as his limit. Not a
day more.

But how could he t-rn one year eleven months
shorter?
He took a deep breath. Well, his father gave him
permission to see his so-called betrothed as often as
possible to make sure she fell in love with him.
An idea formed in his thoughts. He would break some
of his principles and values, but hell! He thought it would be
worth it.
One month.

It seemed too short to make somebody fall in love. But
too long to do the opposite.
Smiling now, he felt a new sense of hope and energy
surging through his veins. He flipped his phone and typed a
message to the only woman he would want to spend the
rest of his life with.
Justin: Where will you be in exactly forty days? Let me
answer that for you. In Italy. Changing your last name to
mine.