Her message was clear: if Adriana didn’t admit that the owner of the car was her boyfriend, she would be tacitly admitting the law firm’s rumors were true—that she was involved in an unproductive relationship with some rich man.If she said the man in question was her boyfriend, fine. But then why were they still hiding it and refusing to let others know?Is your boyfriend that unattractive?Adriana spoke calmly. “You’re completely wrong.”The atmosphere instantly turned ice-cold. Seven or eight pairs of eyes fixed on Adriana in that moment.What?Is Miss Clarke really that kind of person?You’re not afraid of losing face, admitting it so easily?Are you crazy? Even if it’s true, you can’t admit it! How will you face people in the future?Selena let out a cold laugh, breaking the silence. “Lawyer Clarke, everyone else is trying to save your face, whispering behind your back. But you? You admit it outright?”Adriana crossed her arms, the other hand still holding a document. “That man i
Afterwards, Adriana once again contacted Carson. Carson, as if expecting her call at this hour, said, “Did that old Piker Marshal take the initiative to reconcile gracefully?”Adriana tugged at the corner of her mouth. “You seem to know a lot.”“Same path I’ve used on others,” Carson replied casually.Adriana said, “Marshal’s methods can’t be underestimated. I have a feeling they’re holding back. Right now, the biggest shortcoming is that we haven’t obtained specific data on the building materials. After so much back-and-forth, the hazardous substance levels have been reduced. The only way is through medical test reports, proving that the patients’ illnesses—formaldehyde poisoning deteriorating into leukemia—are connected.”Carson’s mood inexplicably lifted as he listened to her speak, even though it was just cold, hard analysis.“You want to go and verify their living environment?” he asked.“That’s right. I need to further confirm whether these three patients also had substandard ma
On the other side.Calvin finished his cigarette, then stepped back into a room heavy with silence.Adriana was gone.The soft glow of the floor lamp still lingered, a silent witness to his loss of control just minutes ago.Calvin pinched the bridge of his nose tightly and started toward the coffee table. His hand paused when he noticed the ceramic cup Adriana had left behind. There was a faint mark on its rim—as if the warmth of her lips still clung to it, so much like the lingering heat that still burned on the corner of his own mouth.She’s gone.Good.If she’d stayed any longer, he wasn’t sure he could’ve stopped himself from doing something even more reckless than that kiss.Right now, what he needed—desperately—was a cold shower to put out the wicked flames coiling inside his body, flames he could no longer suppress.The shower lasted half an hour, but it didn’t make
Adriana was sunk into the sofa, holding a steaming cup of milk tea, looking perfectly at ease. “Milk tea is just a combination of tea and milk, isn’t it? The ones they sell outside add all sorts of extra ingredients, but mine is pure. Don’t believe me? Try a sip.”Calvin frowned, eyeing the pale-looking tea in his hand suspiciously, as if it might turn out to be some kind of dark cuisine.“I won’t die from drinking it, right?”Unable to stand his pickiness, Adriana took the initiative and drank two mouthfuls to demonstrate. A trace of milk clung to the corner of her lips, and she naturally swept her tongue over them to lick it off. “See? I’m not lying to you.”Calvin’s Adam’s apple bobbed. When he looked back at the cup, he couldn’t shake the feeling that her lips were still pressed against it, one after another. Heat pooled in his chest, pure desire making his heartbeat unstead
Adriana was smart enough to turn to the flour. After a few hands-on exercises, her mastery of the batter’s consistency and the addition of seasonings became more and more refined—almost flawless—and soon she was standing by the stovetop, holding a glass basin, ready to start cooking.Then she turned her head and froze. Calvin was cutting tomatoes.Still unable to use his right hand properly, he held the knife in his left and steadied it with his right, slicing horizontally and then dicing vertically. In no time, a ripe tomato had been transformed into neat, uniform red cubes, pleasing to the eye.What amazed Adriana even more was that Calvin, with his left hand, cracked an egg single-handedly. He tapped it lightly on the edge of the bowl, pried it open with a flick of his fingers, and let the egg slide effortlessly into the bowl. The movement was smooth and graceful, worthy of a close-up in a culinary documentary.Calvin stirred the eggs and, without lifting his head, said, “Heartbrok
Adriana understood immediately. He meant the place where she used to live.“Someone is living there now?” she asked.What else are you going to eat? Bricks?“No one,” Calvin replied.Adriana: “…”He entered the password to unlock the door, and they stepped inside.The air system had been running around the clock. Even though no one had lived in the house for a long time, the air still felt fresh and natural. The curtains were open, offering a clear view of the scenery outside. The house was clean and tidy—spotless, even.But then Adriana froze. She pointed uncertainly at a three-tiered sideboard. “Who assembled this?”When she left, all the big furniture was still in its packaging boxes in the living room. So, how had everything ended up neatly arranged? Some of the furniture wasn’t even where she had expected it to be.Calvin glanced at her. “What do you think?”Adriana ran her hand over the sturdy five-drawer cupboard. It didn’t wobble at all. The screws were perfectly in place, fix