WILL SHE BE COMING?

Authors pov 

Julian's fists clenched. He took in a soft breath before letting it out.

The corner of Magnus' lips curved into a sick smirk. "You look displeased to see me here. Well, it's a shame. Adele will be quite ecstatic to see me."

Julian's gaze did not move from him.

"Mr Laurent, you are not a child. You should have some courtesy when visiting a young couple at this time of the morning. I don't think my wife will be pleased by this." A fleeting look of annoyance flashed across Magnus' face before he replaced it with an unfazed expression.

"I see," Magnus said, a hint of mockery evident in his tone.

"It looks like the both of you are getting along well enough. How lovely," he added. Julian was about to say something, but Adele's voice cut through.

"Father?".

The two men turned their gazes upwards. She was standing at the top of the staircase. 

"My darling!" Magnus exclaimed, spreading his arms apart. Adele hurried downstairs, rushing into his embrace.

"I've missed you," Magnus said, rubbing her back, his expression softening. Julian didn't say a word, observing their interaction with a watchful and guarded gaze.

Adele looked up at her father, slowly breaking away from the embrace. 

"But what are you doing here this early, Father?" Adele didn't seem too suspicious of his visit, she was mostly confused because her father was never really the type to visit someone without notice.

Julian's lips curved into a smug smile, his arms crossed. "Yes. Tell us. Why did you decide to come here this early in the morning without notice? You must be aware that this isn't one of your houses."

Adele turned to him, shooting him a glare. "You don't have to be so mean to my father just because he's going through some financial problems." Even though she agreed with Julian, she wasn't very happy with his remark.

Julian didn't protest. 

He just walked up to Adele, leaned towards her, and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Take care of yourself, baby."

Her eyes slowly widened, a faint pink staining her cheeks. She looked at Julian for an explanation, but he just grinned at her before grabbing his briefcase to leave.

"I might be back late, so don't miss me too much." Then he just left.

Adele was so stunned that she forgot her father was still in the same room with her. Her hand slowly moved to her chest, thoughts running wild like a headless chicken at the fact that he had just called her 'baby'.

Oh, this man, she thought.

Magnus' expression hardened. 

It had only been a month since they were married. Could it be that his daughter had already fallen for that man? Wasn't she supposed to hate Julian after what he did to her brother?

Magnus softly touched her shoulder, making her turn to face him.

She immediately fixed her expression to something more serious, her hands moving to scratch her temple. "Umm. I guess you could take a seat," she said, gesturing slightly towards the sofa.

"Maria!" she called out to one of the maids.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Please attend to him." It sounded like Adele was in a hurry to leave Magnus' premises.

"Won't you be here? At least tell me how well your marriage is going." He leaned back more comfortably on the sofa, patting the space beside him for her to sit.

Adele gave a small sigh. Her hands folded above her stomach.

"Honestly, Father, I don't know what you were expecting when you agreed to this marriage, but why do you care if it's going well or not?"

Magnus crossed his right leg over his left, resting his right arm on the back of the sofa. "Isn't it my duty to ensure that my daughter is happy in her new home? After all, you're living in a house with a murderer." His tone didn't sound exactly concerned, and his gaze remained on her without shifting.

She scoffed, almost painfully.

"You should have thought of that before sending me off to live with him."

Magnus stood up, patting his trousers. "Oh, my dear Adele. I'm only trying to do what's best for you." Adele shot him a glare. His expression remained unfazed as he moved closer to her.

He placed his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it slightly. "Ever since your mother passed away, I've had to carry the weight of raising you and your brother on my own." His gaze had softened, as if he were trying to persuade a little kid who refused to do her homework.

"You should know that I love both you and your brother, and I would never let you meet the same fate as him." His hand tightened on her shoulder.

"Umm. Right," she drawled, slowly removing his hand from her shoulder. "I need to freshen up. Maria will help you out when you are ready." Then she turned and left.

---

"Mr Jade has agreed to partner up with us. He says his daughter will be the one to present the contract during the party, as he will be unable to attend," Naomi reported.

"Okay," he simply replied, checking his phone screen every few seconds.

"Are you expecting someone today, sir?" Naomi asked curiously.

He didn't answer her immediately. 

"Not exactly."

"All right," she said, gathering the files she had brought before turning around to leave.

She glanced quickly at her wristwatch after leaving. It was noon already, and she hadn't even had anything for breakfast. Now her stomach was grumbling. Naomi made her way to the cafeteria. The room was noisier than usual, and there seemed to be more people than usual.

Looks like no one's skipping lunch today, she thought.

After grabbing her meal, she made her way to an empty table. She had to be quick and get back to work. Being Julian's secretary hadn't given her much chance to mingle with her co-workers, but she was fine with it, though.

"Have you heard? They say Mr Julian's wife will be making an appearance at the Hayes event."

Naomi's ears shot up as she heard that. A group of ladies were talking about it in a corner. She tried to hear the rest of what they were saying but couldn't make out much from their conversation. 

Mrs Hayes was coming to the event? Wouldn't she end up behaving in a hostile manner and embarrassing Julian at the party? Naomi couldn't stop thinking as she ate. She would have to protect Julian from any embarrass

ment his wife might try to put him through that day.