CHAPTER EIGHT

The rhythmic tapping of fingers against the polished wood echoed through Adrian Lewis’s office.

Stacks of documents covered the large mahogany desk before him, each waiting for his signature. Across the room, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the bustling skyline of Panilton, where traffic crawled through the afternoon streets like tiny streams of light.

Normally, Adrian would have been completely absorbed in work.

Today…

He had signed the same page twice.

His attention wasn’t on the reports.

It wasn’t on the upcoming board meeting.

And it certainly wasn’t on the figures Ethan had been explaining for the past five minutes.

It was somewhere else.

Back at the Lewis mansion.

Back with his wife.

“…Sir?”

Ethan’s voice finally broke through his thoughts.

Adrian looked up.

“Hm?”

Ethan blinked.

“I asked whether you’d prefer Thursday or Friday for the investors’ meeting.”

A brief silence followed.

Adrian glanced down at the document in front of him before realizing he hadn’t heard a single word Ethan had said.

“Thursday,” he answered calmly.

Ethan nodded, though he looked unconvinced.

“I’ll make the arrangements.”

He gathered a few files before stopping at the office door.

“There is one more thing.”

Adrian looked up.

“What is it?”

“The chairman has invited you and Mrs. Lewis to dinner this Saturday.”

“My father?”

“Yes.”

Adrian leaned back in his chair.

His father rarely hosted family dinners unless there was something important to discuss.

“I’ll let him know after speaking with my wife.”

Ethan gave a small nod.

“I’ll inform him Sir.”

As soon as the office door closed, silence returned.

Adrian reached for another file.

He opened it.

Read the first sentence.

Then closed it again.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

It was strange.

For years, the Lewis mansion had never felt like home.

It had always been quiet.

Cold.

Every room had felt too large.

Too empty.

Yet over the past few days…

Something had changed.

The silence no longer felt lonely.

He found himself wondering what Natalie was doing.

Had she eaten lunch?

Was Mrs. Carter overwhelming her with another endless schedule?

Or was she wandering around the gardens again, smiling at flowers the way she had the other day?

The image made him chuckle softly.

She really had changed.

Or perhaps…

He had never truly looked at her before.

A knock interrupted his thoughts.

“Come in.”

Ethan stepped back inside.

“I’m sorry to interrupt again, sir.”

“Go On?”

“The board meeting has been postponed until tomorrow.”

Adrian raised an eyebrow.

“So my afternoon is clear?”

“Completely.”

For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Adrian surprised even himself.

“I’m leaving early.”

Ethan stared.

“…Sir?”

“I’ll finish the remaining work tomorrow.”

Another pause.

Ethan had worked for Adrian for almost seven years.

He had seen the man cancel vacations for meetings.

Miss birthdays for negotiations.

Work through fevers.

But leave early…

For no business reason?

Never.

Adrian noticed his expression.

“Is there a problem?”

“N-No, sir.”

Ethan recovered quickly.

“I’ll have the car prepared.”

“Thank you.”

As Ethan disappeared once again, Adrian reached for his phone.

His thumb hovered over Natalie’s contact.

He hesitated.

Why was he hesitating?

She was his wife.

He pressed the call button.

Several kilometres away, Natalie sat in the mansion library with a notebook open on the table.

Books towered around her from polished wooden shelves that stretched almost to the ceiling.

She hadn’t come here to read.

She had come to study.

Or rather…

To study Maria.

Over the past hour, Mrs. Carter had quietly brought her several family albums, old magazine interviews, and newspaper clippings featuring Maria Daves.

Natalie carefully turned another page.

Maria smiling beside politicians.

Maria opening charity events.

Maria attending fashion galas.

Maria posing confidently for cameras.

Everything about the woman radiated confidence.

Natalie looked down at herself.

“I don’t know how to be you.”

She sighed.

“If only you’d stayed for your own wedding.”

Just then, her phone vibrated.

The sound startled her.

She glanced at the screen.

Adrian Calling…

Her heartbeat skipped.

For reasons she couldn’t explain, seeing his name made her smile.

She answered almost immediately.

“Hello?”

“Am I disturbing you?”

His deep voice came through the speaker, calm as ever.

Natalie smiled.

“Not at all.”

“What are you doing?”

She glanced at the photographs spread across the table.

“…Reading.”

“Enjoying yourself?”

She laughed softly.

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

A quiet chuckle came from the other end of the line.

“I’m leaving work early today.”

Natalie blinked.

“You are?”

“Yes.”

“I thought we’d have dinner together.”

For a moment…

She forgot how to speak.

“I would like that “ she said quietly

“Good.”

There was a brief pause before Adrian added,

“And don’t let Mrs. Carter make other plans for this evening.”

Natalie frowned slightly.

“Why?”

“You’ll see when I get home.”

Before she could ask another question, the line disconnected.

Natalie slowly lowered the phone.

A smile spread across her face before she could stop it.

“What are you smiling about?”

Mrs. Carter’s amused voice came from behind her.

Natalie jumped slightly before laughing.

“You startled me.”

“I noticed.”

Mrs. Carter looked at the phone in Natalie’s hand before smiling knowingly.

“Mr. Lewis?”

Natalie’s cheeks turned pink.

“…Yes.”

“And?”

“He said…”

She looked down shyly.

“…he wants us to have dinner together.”

Mrs. Carter’s eyes softened.

“How lovely.”

Natalie couldn’t stop smiling.

For the first time since arriving at the mansion…

She found herself looking forward to evening.

She had no idea Adrian was planning something much more personal than dinner.