Anna looked at him inquiringly. It seemed as if he had read her thoughts. This was her chance to confuse him, while her mother-in-law took her children out of the country.
"You were right when you said I still loved you. I do love you, Adam. Not like before, but I do. Don't kill that love inside me. Don't try to hurt my family."
"That will depend only on you."
"Would you be satisfied if I went with you out of obligation and not of my own free will? Do you want me in your life, even if that's not what I want for my life? You've changed a lot. The Adam I knew was prouder. He had self-love."
"I'm going to teach you to love me again the way I once did. Just as you forgot me, you'll forget Maxwell, too."
"You're not thinking about my children. How can I be happy living away from them?"
"When telephones were invented, this embarrassment ceased to be insurmountable." He said, repeating almost the same words as her. "You can communicate via video calls. But you'll have to choose between Ian and your other children. You won't be able to live with them all."
"That's inhumane."
"Do you always like to remind me that I'm a monster, because you only talk about humanity when it suits you?" He said and looked at her untouched plate. "Eat up, Anna." Adam said finishing his meal.
Anna pushed the plate away from her. She had no hunger and no appetite at that moment. Something was wrong. She could sense that Adam was guarding against a possible escape attempt by his mothers-in-law with their children. She knew him too well. He wouldn't tell her he knew where his children were without having a plan. He was always detailed.
"Do you have people of your own infiltrating the mansion where my children are?"
"I do."
"You don't mind dying, as long as you kill my children?"
"Anna... You still think that your father is going to kill me, but I can assure you that he won't, even if he could... It would destroy his life."
"Did you plan something for him, too?"
"Of course. He's not the biggest threat to my life right now, but he's a nuisance. I had to look for things that would protect me from him, from the little things he can do. Right now, he must be aware of what could happen to the secret he keeps under lock and key, and to his whole family. I've prepared for everything all these years, Anna. Don't think I'd be naive enough to come unarmed, to fight every obstacle.
Anna looked at him with all the coldness she could muster and stood up.
"You can't win me over while threatening the people I love." She said and was leaving the restaurant when a huge man stopped in front of her. She looked at him inquiringly.
"You can only leave here in the company of Mr. Lens."
Anna closed her eyes. It wasn't a man. It was a werewolf. Adam didn't lie. He brought his army to Scotland.
Anna looked back and Adam was quietly sipping his wine without looking at her. It infuriated her almost uncontrollably, but she took a deep breath. She looked behind the giant werewolf, who stood in her way, to see if she could spot any of her father's or Maxwell's bodyguards, but she saw no sign of them. Taking a deep breath, knowing that the werewolf wouldn't allow her to leave, she returned to Adam.
"What are you up to, Adam?"
He looked at her and smiled.
"A little show of power, to make you understand that your father can't do anything against me. He never could. I patronized him and allowed him to believe otherwise, because I know he needed revenge on the murderer of his wife and son. He has a lot to lose now. He's weak. You've given him reason not to want to live on the run. He sent his men after us? What audacity! But I arranged for him to send them back. You can no longer count on Henry's protection. Perhaps Ian will take not only my place, but also that of his grandfather in the business world. He's only four years old and is more competent than his father. Haven't you wondered how long it will take him to destroy his mother's inheritance? An inheritance that Max and I decided should go to him."
"Not ever! I won't let my son be like you or like Dad."
"And you want him to be like my brother's starchitect? No, Anna. He will learn to be like us. Because you too are capable of atrocious acts. And I'll prove it to you when I hand Sarah over to you. And my son will know how to defend himself and use a gun. He'll be bigger than me and his grandfather. He will inherit a vast empire. He'll know how to look after it, and he'll be a man like me."
Anna shook her head in disgust.
"How can you wish that for Ian? You're monstrous."
"No. I'm just telling you what's going to happen. I'm trying to be honest with you. Would you rather I lied and said that Ian would spend his life pretending to be a stupid human? Anna, you've lived with a miniature me for four years and you've never met him. I've spent four hours with Ian, and I know more about him than you and Max put together."
"Go away, Adam, and let me get on with my life. Bonnie can give you beautiful children." Anna said imploringly.
"The only woman I want to be the mother of my children is you. I can no longer go a day without seeing you."
"We can communicate by video call."
Adam understood the irony of the words he had said, and now she was repeating them to him.
"I'd rather see you dead if you don't come back to me, Anna. I'm being fair. You stole something from me that you can never give back, and... I want to make you suffer for doing it, but... I'm willing to curb my impulses so that I can touch your skin again every day. A video call can't give me the feeling I need."
"That's not love, Adam. It's obsession."
"My sweet obsession, Anna. I never called it love."
"Yes, you did. You said you still loved me."
"Yes. I did. That's what you needed to hear at that moment, right?"
Anna felt like throwing the plate in his face.
"When do you intend to leave?"
"I'm waiting for your decision. As soon as you decide, we'll leave." Adam said, and stood up, holding out his hand to help her.