A Light Kiss

The dim lights in Tatiana's hotel suite were making her sleepy, but she still had to finish the final preparations for the benefit.

She was just about to send an email to Hailey when the sound of an incoming call interrupted her.

Tatiana glanced at her phone screen and frowned. It was Gilbert.

She didn't want to talk to him, but she decided to answer anyway.

"Must you always be so cold and rude?"

Those were the first words he said. Apparently, they had reached the point where they no longer even greeted each other.

Her husband's stern, irritated voice continued, "If you don't want to be friends with her, that's your choice. But I've never seen you deliberately try to make someone your enemy, Tatiana."

He paused and sighed.

"She's already had a difficult life, Tatiana. She's been through a lot, and the last thing she needs right now is you upsetting her with your cold attitude. All I'm asking is for you to be a little more considerate. Your whole life revolves around charity work, so why can't you show a little compassion?"

"I don't have to show her anything. She might be someone in need, but you're the one taking care of her. This charity... is yours."

Gilbert's voice grew quieter. "You've changed, Tatiana."

That one sentence made Tatiana's heart beat faster with anger. She couldn't believe how arrogant her husband was.

"I've changed? Then how exactly do you expect me to behave?"

"Forget it."

Those were the last words Gilbert said before hanging up.

Tatiana threw her phone onto the bed and covered her face with both hands. All the pain she had finally managed to push aside came rushing back, choking her once again.

'What do you want me to do, Gilbert? What am I supposed to do when she's pushing me out of everything, while I have nowhere else to go?'

She had never felt this miserable before. She had seen her friends deal with their husbands' affairs. She had watched them stay calm and strong, as if none of it bothered them.

So why was it hurting her so much?

Perhaps they had all been pretending. After all, admitting that they were hurt meant admitting that they were weak. Nobody wanted to admit how easily someone else could hurt them.

'Even if I never had lasting romantic feelings for you, Gilbert, you were still my friend for so many years... and now... what are you now, Gilbert? What am I?'

●●●

The benefit was fast approaching, and foreign guests were already beginning to arrive.

It was decided that they would stay at the Bloomfield Hotel, allowing Tatiana to ensure their stay was comfortable and that nothing would go wrong.

During the final preparations, both Tatiana and Gilbert were occupied with their respective tasks, and Mrs. Caldwell was grateful that she hadn't had to face him until now.

Today, however, she had no choice but to stand side by side with him to greet their guests. All of them were important businessmen, some even potential partners.

Welcoming guests of such status required both of them to be present; it was a tradition.

The tall doorman opened the heavy, ornate door, and two bellboys immediately rushed to the entrance to assist with the guests' luggage.

The first guest to arrive was the infamous Stellan Adler.

Accompanied by his assistant, Stellan walked toward Tatiana and Gilbert with deliberate, confident steps, his entire demeanor exuding an impressive aura of self-assurance.

Tatiana wasn't sure whether every rumor about Mr. Adler was true, but one thing she could now confirm for herself—he was astonishingly handsome.

Unlike Gilbert, who was also quite attractive and had an air of maturity about him, Stellan's features were refreshingly soft, even though he appeared older than his years.

Tatiana couldn't help but wonder if this was due to the sequence of tragedies that had plagued his family like a curse.

Stellan's face was fair and devoid of any blemishes.

His sharp jawline contrasted with the soft curves of his full lips and the small, angular shape of his nose. His eyes were dark, reminiscent of stormy skies, and the thick black frame of his long lashes gave him a slightly exotic look.

The most prominent feature, however, was his jet-black, carefully styled hair. The color was so intense that under the bright light of the fading sun, it had a peculiar, almost silver glow. Watching it reflect the rays of light was an enchanting experience.

'He is not just handsome; he is strikingly gorgeous...'

Tatiana caught herself admiring Stellan's beauty and felt her face grow hot. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so flustered in the presence of a man. It was almost embarrassing.

As if to come to her aid, the rest of the rumors about young Mr. Adler rushed through her memory, and her mind picked the most unpleasant one to focus on.

'He is a well-known womanizer who likes to sleep around... Well, I guess I can see where these rumors are stemming from. He is too handsome to be ignored.'

When Stellan finally approached the married couple, Tatiana thought he would greet her husband first, just like everyone always did.

However, to everyone's bewilderment, the man turned to Mrs. Caldwell, took her small hand in his, and planted a light kiss that barely brushed over her soft skin.

Tatiana's eyes widened, and everyone else seemed to share the same thought—young Mr. Adler was definitely a player and a flirt, finding nothing wrong with directing his subtle romantic gestures towards a married woman whose husband was standing right next to her.

Tatiana found it strange, and yet her heart refused to slow down.

"Welcome back, Mr. Adler. It is a pleasure to finally meet you." She tried to sound as detached as possible but her stern voice failed to fool Stellan. Still holding her hand in his, he smiled and nodded, "The pleasure is all mine. You look absolutely stunning."

Tatiana didn't get a chance to answer as Gilbert chimed in, offering Stellan to accept his handshake.

"It is nice to meet you, Mr. Adler. Too bad your brother couldn't make it. I was looking forward to meeting him too."

Stellan didn't seem very interested in Gilbert's words. Their handshake barely lasted a second and his words sounded almost disrespectfully as he replied, "It's a pleasure."

Mr. Adler quickly turned his full attention back to Tatiana and smiled again. "I hope to see you often from now on, Miss Caldwell."

"It's Mrs. Caldwell," Tatiana tried to correct him but the man paid no heed to her words. Instead, he playfully winked at her and walked away, escorted by his assistant towards the elevators.

Tatiana watched him disappear behind the elevator doors, his hot breath brushing over the skin of her hand still lingering in her memories.

Slowly, she covered that hand with the other as if to seal that feeling forever and felt a pair of sharp eyes drilling her back from behind.

She turned around and saw Gilbert looking down at her with the most unpleasant glare.

He was angry.