Page 12 of Secret Heir For The Billionaire Twin

"I think I got incredibly lucky with traffic."

He laughs. "Then you're already ahead of most people trying to get into Manhattan before lunch."

His easy humor immediately puts me at ease. Grace warned me that Adrian Blackwell was the public face of the company, but she never mentioned how naturally conversational he was. Some executives spend the first ten minutes of every meeting establishing authority, reminding everyone in the room exactly who they are. Adrian doesn't seem interested in any of that.

Instead, he studies me for a moment before saying, "I've read several of your features."

That catches me completely off guard.

"You have?" I ask, unable to hide my surprise.

He nods. "I have."

"I'll admit I wasn't expecting that."

"Why not?" he asks with genuine curiosity.

I laugh softly. "Because I assumed someone on your communications team handled the research and gave you the highlights."

Adrian grins without the slightest hint of embarrassment.

"They did," he admits. "But I still read every article myself."

"So," I tease, "you had help."

"I absolutely had help," he says with a laugh.

"I'm not pretending otherwise. But I wanted to know who I was inviting into our company."

I tilt my head, studying him a little more carefully.

"And?" I ask.

"And I was relieved."

"Relieved?" I echo.

He leans back against the sofa, his expression becoming more thoughtful.

"I've turned down quite a few anniversary profiles over the years."

"I noticed."

"They all wanted the same thing," Adrian says.

"A celebration?" I offer.

He nods once. "Exactly. A commercial disguised as journalism."

I can't help smiling.

"That isn't what we're interested in."

"I'm glad to hear that," I tell him honestly.

"So am I."

For the first time since I'd entered his office, I believe he means it.