She moved a beat slower still, the tingling sensation of skin contact coming from her ankle. When she looked again, a pair of large, clean, slender hands cupped her heels and effortlessly took off her shoes.
So Adriana asked a second time, “What are you doing?”
But the question in her stomach wasn’t only this one. She also wanted to ask why Calvin had suddenly shown up. Shouldn’t he be at the celebration banquet? Even if he wasn’t planning to attend, he still shouldn’t be meeting her here, at this time.
The occasion and atmosphere were bizarre.
Only, she didn’t get a reply from Calvin — instead, she was rewarded with a sharp crunching click.
Calvin held the high heels in one hand and struck them against the concrete floor with such force that the slender heel snapped off.
Adriana opened her mouth in shock and frustration, wanting to curse and lash out. “Calvin, if you’re upset, you
The words were reproachful, but the tone was surprisingly gentle and heartfelt.Adriana’s eyes turned red, and the tip of her nose stung as tears streamed down.Looking at her brother—finally back safely after a long flight—her heart surged like a tsunami. The moment felt distorted, like a dream, yet overwhelmingly real.She had truly seen her brother again—in New York, in the vast land of her own country.“Why have you lost weight again? Don’t you eat enough, even after opening a restaurant?” she scolded softly.Austin reached out and rubbed his sister’s hair. “You’ve lost weight too. But you’re still pretty. Have you been doing well?”Adriana clung to her brother’s arm, letting her tears soak into his shirt. It had been so long since she’d seen him in a suit—he still looked so poised, so handsome.“I’m fine. I eat well, sleep well, live well, and work well,” she said, repeating well several times, just in case he didn’t believe her.But Austin could sense she was only trying to reas
Adriana was perplexed. What good could Jessica and Selena possibly do? They couldn’t wait to see her embarrassed.Did Calvin mean for them to see him? Did he expect them to recognize him as the one sending the flowers?Adriana held her forehead, exasperated.If Calvin ever found out those flowers were actually from Mark, would he blow up the entire building?Besides, she didn’t want to go down that road.Adriana compromised, “If there’s a better way, I’ll consider it.”Kevin kept his lips tightly pressed together and didn’t comment, silently driving the car toward Full Moon Castle.Calvin got out of the car just in time to see the setting sun slowly sinking behind the Western Mountains. The golden light spilled like leaves across the horizon, coloring half the mountain in red.Today’s sunset looked strikingly similar to the one they saw on the day Full Moon Castle officially opened.Adriana, however, wasn’t in the mood to appreciate the view.“Calvin, what time does my brother’s fligh
Adriana wanted to be sarcastic, but her phone rang.Giving a puzzled smile, she raised her cell phone and said, “I have to take this call.”Stepping out through the glass doors of the law firm, Adriana quickly pressed the elevator button. “You’re here?”“Yes. Waiting for you.”The elevator was still down and not coming up. It would take at least five minutes to reach the entrance from the building. Adriana wasn’t sure if Calvin would lose his patience this time.“I’ll come as soon as I can. Please wait a little,” she said.Before Calvin could respond, a voice suddenly called out behind her.“Isn’t it Mr. Red Rose? After sending flowers for so many days, when will he finally show his face?” shouted Selena.Jessica chimed in loudly, “Exactly! We haven’t seen anyone picking up or dropping off Miss Clarke in a while. Don’t you know how popular she is with men? Aren’t you afraid someone might snatch her away?”Adriana hurriedly ended the call, but their voices had already carried through —
Adriana had been busy nearly the whole day. Around noon, she had lunch with Mona—who spent the entire time gushing about her idol.“My idol has been a school legend since elementary school,” Mona beamed. “From grade school to university—total academic bully. Full scholarships every year. Super invincible and awesome! His family's rich, but he still relies on himself. Totally shattered my impression of rich second-gens.”“It’s all because of those ridiculous online comments. I almost misunderstood his character. But in real life, he’s super low-key and introverted. Total gentleman. Have you ever eaten with my idol? OMG—his table manners are out of this world!”“He even told me all these classic legal cases. Way more vivid than anything I ever heard in school!”“My idol—”Adriana finally couldn’t take it anymore. Her chopsticks froze mid-air as she stabbed at her food. “Are you eating or not? Do you want me to print a picture of him, hang it in your office, and let you stare at it when
Adriana wiped the sweat from her face with a defeated look. Her cheeks were drenched, flushed pink and soft red. Biting her lips, she asked, “How much longer do I have to run?”Calvin’s gaze lingered for a half-second at the corner of her damp, glistening mouth. His throat moved with a hard swallow as he mentally cursed himself—Damn it.“One more kilometer,” he said.Adriana didn’t think much of it at first. But when they paused to rest, she remembered her phone could track the distance. She pulled it out and checked, “Calvin, it’s already almost three kilometers.”Calvin lifted an eyebrow and smirked. “Almost three. Run back.”Coaxing her one kilometer at a time, Calvin eventually dragged Adriana through a full five kilometers.Back at the hotel, Adriana was so sore and weak that even drinking water felt exhausting—like her body had been vaporized dry.Calvin, on the other hand, had already taken a shower, changed into his usual crisp suit, and looked fresh as ever.He nudged Adriana
“You think I’m like you? You don’t sleep at night and still have energy during the day.”Calvin frowned. “Why stay up late when you can sleep well at night?”Adriana wanted to take back what she just said—insomnia was a sore spot for Calvin. Feeling a little guilty for accidentally poking at it, especially after all the effort he had made to bring her brother back to the country, she touched her nose and said softly, “It’s just… more inspiring to work at night.”“Really? The law requires creative inspiration now?”“I can come up with different defense strategies at night. You think litigation is just memorizing codes?”Once the topic shifted to her area of expertise, Adriana’s tone grew confident.Calvin didn’t argue. “Staying up all night makes you age faster.”Adriana laughed. “You don’t look old to me.”“…”Calvin gently moved his right arm. Although the splint had been removed, steel nails and a titanium plate still supported the bone. It wouldn’t break again, but healing took tim