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
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
Adriana thought Calvin would brush off his sleeve and leave her with his impenetrable back, but instead, he took her hand and walked out of the prosperous, opulent manor with the wind at his feet.This time, there wasn’t much strength in his grip, but she had no reason to shake him off.Calvin hadn’t killed Carson, nor had he done anything to hurt him. Although his words had been harsh, Carson was still safe and sound. That alone was enough to make Adriana bellyache for a long time.Once in the car, Adriana settled into the driver’s seat. She fastened her seat belt and glanced at the man beside her.“Why don’t I drive you home?” she offered.Calvin leaned back in his seat, silently watching as she started the engine and drove out the same way they had come.Once on the main road, Adriana asked again, “Where to?”Would Calvin, like the other man, simply say, wherever?“Not angry?” he asked.Adriana let out a soft laugh in her heart. Her face remained calm. “What’s there to be angry abo
For the past three hours, Calvin had been sitting silently on the open-air sofa, eyes closed.It was a habit he had developed over the years. Whenever a major decision loomed or a crisis at the company demanded his attention, he would retreat to a quiet, undisturbed place. There, he would let go of everything for a few hours, putting himself into a state of deep immersion.He would completely empty his mind of distractions, then calmly analyze the pros and cons. With a perspective that stretched five, even ten years into the future, he would weigh every angle before arriving at a decision—always from a vantage point far above the present moment.Many people praised Calvin’s forward-looking vision, saying he seemed to have the trends of the next few years already in his grasp.But no one knew that behind every landmark decision lay hours of intense focus and piercing insight.Today, however, he couldn’t clear his mind at all.He couldn’t untangle his thoughts no matter how hard he trie