When he arrived, his parents and wife had repeatedly urged him to persuade his sister.But seeing the sadness in her eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to make such a cold, hard decision.Feelings aren’t something one can just switch off.Bones may be broken, flesh may be cut—but even then, the tendons remain connected. Outsiders can never fully understand a bond like this.Adriana pursed her lips and clenched her fists. “Brother, you used to have a wide range of contacts in New York City. Mom and Dad know a lot of people too. Why don’t you help me meet someone trustworthy?”Mom and Dad couldn’t be wrong, and she was open to the idea of an uneventful marriage.After all, it wouldn’t be forever. She didn’t want to disappoint her parents again. Even if she couldn’t do anything else for now, at least she could give them some peace of mind.Austin was half amused by her resigned attitude, as if she were giving up on her life. “You’d actually agree if I introduced someone to you?”“Willing. A
He had asked Austin to come back—not to facilitate their reunion, but for another reason. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to interrupt the emotional moment inside. With him present, Adriana wouldn’t be as relaxed, and Austin would remain guarded.“I’ll talk to him alone tomorrow,” he decided.Adriana’s eyes remained fixed on the screen, and before long, she burst out in harsh laughter. It was clear she and her brother were very close.Calvin rubbed his brow with his long fingers, a hint of sadness on his face.Kevin handed him a cup of tea and asked in a low voice, “Is there any room for maneuvering in Clarke’s matter?”Calvin replied, “It won’t be easy.”“I’ve heard someone higher up is deliberately suppressing it,” Kevin said cautiously, avoiding direct confrontation.Calvin took a sip of water, deep in thought. “If it were just a debt problem, we could throw money at it and be done. But the Maxwells—whom he offended—won’t be satisfied with simply letting him come back alive.”Kevi
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