Darrenâs face immediately showed a hint of a smileâthough anyone could see it was just a surface-level politeness.âSo this is the long-awaited and much-talked-about Calvin Walker! Nice to meet you, truly a pleasure.âHe didnât know Calvin personally, but Calvin knew everything about himâas if he had done his homework. Not long ago, Calvin had even sent Darren an indecent video to teach him a hard lesson. And yet, standing here now, he didnât show even the slightest trace of emotion.âMr. Venzor is too kind,â Calvin said lightly. âI didnât expect the underworld king of New York City would grace New Jersey just to enjoy the scenery.âDarrenâs position in New York City was, in some ways, comparable to Xavierâs in New Jersey. Their forces were deeply intertwinedâblack and white working in tandem, with wealth and influence equally shared.Darren had coveted that island for a long timeâcoveted it, but couldnât obtain it. He had waited patiently for Xavier to show signs of letting go. What
The waiter took the violin from Carsonâs hands as he stepped forward and reached out. Alice placed her hand gently in his, and the two descended the steps bathed in a stream of light.Adriana had to admitâthe atmosphere alone was enough to rival a wedding scene.It was Aliceâs first time seeing Calvin in person, and her eyes briefly flashed with admiration. But she quickly composed herself and spoke with poise. âTo finally meet the legendary Calvin Walker in personâit seems the rumors werenât exaggerated at all. Your presence and elegance are unmatched. One in a hundred million.âAdriana couldnât help but marvel inwardly. Alice wasnât that old, but her presence and polish were impressive. Other women who saw Calvin either panicked and lost their composure or stared at him like fangirls struck with infatuation. But Alice was composed.Truly worthy of being Xavier and Serenaâs daughter.Calvin replied blandly, âMiss Hamper, you flatter me.âCarson gave a cold laugh. âHow could those wom
Plans change, and the prepared outfit had to change accordingly. Adriana washed up and changed into freshly dry-cleaned clothes.âThere are still a few hours left. Iâm going to buy a dress!âWaitâCalvin wasnât wearing the same clothes he came in with. Didn't he just buy sportswear?Calvin folded his legs and sat on the sofa, casually checking the stock market. He pointed lazily toward the suite. âGo and choose for yourself.âAdriana wasnât surprised that Calvin had managed to get a new outfit so quickly, even off-season. What did surprise her was why he went to the mall himself when he couldâve handled it with a single order.To experience civilian life? Soak in the local flavor of New Jersey?Probably not.Xavierâs wife was extremely beautifulâshe wouldnât want to be outshone. So, Adriana chose a low-profile, understated white dress. It had a square neckline that framed her collarbone in a shallow V-shape. She added a delicate necklaceâjust enough to bridge the gap.After changing, A
âItâs me who canât afford to make mistakes, but Calvin, with all his pride, wouldnât⌠forget it. You just stay here. Iâll go find him.ââGo find him?â Calvin repeated.âWhat are you thinking? That Iâd go to his room? Am I crazy?âShe was tempted to add, One of you is already giving me a headacheâIâd have to be sick in the head to get involved with another one.Calvin grunted. âYou seem awfully eager to go.ââYouâŚâ Adriana deflated with a sigh. Forget it. Whatâs the point of arguing with a self-centered man?She grabbed the things from his hands and tossed them on the sofa. Then she took a deep breath, adjusted her posture, and walked to the door. She opened it just a crack, trying to step outside without letting Carson see into the room.As Calvin watched her walk away, a nameless irritation slowly rose within him.Adriana angled herself through the narrow opening and asked, âWhat do you want to see me about?âCarson eyed her awkward posture and scoffed, âWhatâs with that? Is there so
Adriana held Calvinâs car key as if it were some life-or-death code.Even though the real reason was simply that it was inconvenient for him to come down personallyâhe had already taken off his clothes to showerâAdriana couldnât help but feel that Calvin should trust her.With her thoughts in a tangle, she gathered his clothes bag and headed toward the hotel reception. Fortunately, she had her ID with her and, thinking quickly, managed to open another room on the way.âAdriana!âA low, disgruntled voice called out to her, making her instinctively raise her head.Why is it him again?Carson towered over her, his knife-sharp brows furrowed. âYou live here?âAdriana shot back, âWhat about you?âCarson held up a room card. âLooks like you donât want to stay in the same hotel as me.âShe played dumb. âItâs your freedom to choose which hotel the Deputy Director wants to stay in. It has nothing to do with whether I want to or not.âCarson gave a low hum. âThatâs true. But running into each o
It was really hard to tell who the winner would be.More importantly, it was still a toss-up whether Xavier was even willing to sell.Calvin said bluntly, âIâll invite you to throw in a handful of soil at the groundbreaking ceremony, so donât be in such a hurry.âCarson cursed under his breath. âThe more you run your mouth, the worse youâll end up. You think you can take meat out of that old foxâs mouth just because of the Grand Empire name? It didnât work before. Bringing a female secretary wonât change anything.âCalvin replied calmly, âWeâll see.âAdriana, caught in the middle of their standoff, interrupted, âIâm hungry. Can we eat now?âEven choosing lunch turned into another battleground, with the two men nearly arguing again. Finally, Adriana had to raise her voice. âI just want to eat Northwest cuisine! You guys can go eat Japanese or French food if you want. Letâs split up.âIn the end, the two menâwith both the best looks and highest statusâended up following Adriana to a Nor
Adriana smiled and thanked him, sitting down as she was told. Noticing Xavierâs teacup, she asked, âMr. Hamper, do you like Fuding White Tea?âXavier raised his brows in surprise. âOh? You know about tea?âShe couldnât say she was an expertâjust that her father loved tea, and over time she had picked up a few things by watching and learning from him.Adriana replied, âMay I smell it?âXavier noticed she had brought two tea brushes with her and handed them over.âThen tell meâcan you guess which one this is?âAdriana held the cup about a dozen centimeters from her nose, fanned the aroma gently toward herself with her hand, and took a few measured sniffs. âFuding White Tea. Snow Buds, roasted over charcoalâthe scent is quite distinctive. The best leaves come from Tai Mo Fangjia Mountain, a tiny region. The genuine mountain-grown White Pine-pressed Silver Needle is top-gradeâso rare that even with money, you may not be able to find or drink the real thing.âXavier had thought she might k
âMr. Hamper, Iâm really sorry for being late!âThe sound of laughter nearby snapped Adrianaâs attention in that direction. Just a moment ago, she had hated Calvinâs proximityâand now, she desperately wished he would come closer, preferably pulling her into his arms and hiding her away.Calvin had said that Xavier had an appointment with someone, but he hadn't mentioned that the appointment was with Carson.How could she justify herself if her identity were revealed on the spot?She feared that when the time came, not only would she fail to achieve her goal for Calvin, but she might also provoke Xavier into hostility.When cooperating, honesty and sincerity were essential. If they couldn't even manage that, how could they expect Xavier to work with them?Her mind was in disarray, thousands of thoughts racing through her head. But Calvin, standing behind her, seemed completely unmoved.Adriana asked in a low voice, âYou didnât know at first either?âHe wouldnât have let her play secreta
Calvin wore a white duck-bill cap, a black polo shirt, and matching black pants. His stride was relaxed and confident, stretching easily between the green grass and the blue skyâas if the entire field belonged to him and everyone else was just passing through.Xavier gripped the club with both hands but paused at the sound of footsteps. Without even looking closely, the familiar aura told him exactly who it wasâCalvin.Xavier understood the purpose of his visit immediately. He straightened up with a smile and said, âMr. Calvin, what wind blew a big person like you all the way here?âCalvin gazed out at the vast, unseen edges of the course. His eyes were calm and thoughtful, his mood lifted by the sweeping view of sea and sky. âA good place like New JerseyâI think Iâll start coming more often.âXavier caught the hidden meaning behind his words but maintained the cordial tone of a host. âItâs an honor that Mr. Calvin is willing to visit our little place. Iâve always said, the sky in New