INICIAR SESIÓNSophie remained where she was even after Adrian's car disappeared from view. The bustle inside Meadow Lane continued as though nothing had happened. Customers came and went through the revolving door. Somewhere behind her, Lyla was already giving instructions to another department. Yet Adrian's final revelation lingered in her mind, refusing to leave.‘Your family had been supporting Beckett Holdings.’She had instinctively rejected the idea. It sounded too absurd to be true. Her father had never approved of her decision to go to the States, let alone to marry Adrian. After she insisted on marrying him, she had believed the distance between herself and the Langhams only widened. Father no longer involved her in the family's affairs, he didn’t even look for a way to reach her anymore.
Adrian parked across Meadow Lane, his hands remaining on the steering wheel long after the engine was off. The storefront looked busier than the last time he had seen it. Employees carried garment bags between the building and the loading dock, while several customers stepped out with shopping bags bearing Meadow Lane's logo. Even from outside, the place felt lively.He pushed the thought away and entered the building. The receptionist recognized him almost immediately."Hello, Mr. Beckett.""I'm here to see Sophie."Before the receptionist could answer, Lyla walked out from the corridor with several documents tucked under one arm. She stopped the moment she noticed Adrian. There was a brief flicker of surprise across her face before it disappeared behind a professional smile."Good afternoon, Mr. Beckett.""I’m here to see Sophie."Lyla smiled, but it didn’t feel friendly. "Miss Langham is currently in a meeting."Miss Langham. The name grated on him somehow. Perhaps it was the fact
"Mr. Beckett."Adrian looked up from the report in his hands. His legal director stood by his home office’s door with a thick folder tucked under his arm."The documents you requested.""Leave them there."The man placed the folder on Adrian's desk, and Adrian immediately opened it. Inside was a complete list of every partner Beckett Holdings had lost since the divorce became public. Construction companies, logistics providers, insurers, packaging manufacturers, financing firms. They belonged to entirely different industries and had no obvious connection with one another. At first glance, the withdrawals looked almost random.His finger tapped lightly against the desk as he read through the report for the second time. No company willingly paid a penalty fee unless they expected to gain something greater elsewhere. If so many businesses had reached the same decision within such a short period of time, someone had to be coordinating it behind the scenes. Someone influential enough that
Adrian flipped the contract Julia brought. Everything seemed fair, nothing suspicious. Brought by one of his most promising staff. The company was not big, but from what he’d seen, they didn’t seem to dabble in anything funny.After they were done with whatever projects they had left, the company was at a huge risk if they failed to find a new partnership. The sales of their own products was not too affected despite a small effort of boycott, but if he only depended on it, he might not be able to avoid layoff.Beckett Holdings needed this contract, if only to keep things afloat. More and more partners pulled out at an extremely alarming rate. Adrian knew now—he had angered someone powerful. He didn’t have to guess who it was.He sighed, his mouth pulled into a weary smile.The same person who used to ease his mind during the company’s hard times was now the reason for his biggest challenge yet.How cruel, Adrian thought, as his hand reached for his phone. His finger already hovered ov
When Sophie arrived at Le Ciel, Oliver was already hanging out outside.“Are you that excited?”“Yeah,” Oliver admitted it readily. “I have something to take care of around here. Picked the nearest place I could find.”“Don’t gentlemen usually choose the place closest to the lady?”Oliver shrugged. “Hey, you told me to pick.”“That I did,” she nodded. “So, you got us a table?”“Yes. Let’s go.”Oliver opened a door for her, confirmed his booking information. They followed the waiter to their assigned seat. A basket of cheese bread was waiting at their table, and Sophie’s face brightened at the sight.“You got this?”Oliver nodded. “Yes. Figured you’d enjoy something while we wait.”“Did you get anything else?”“No,” Oliver slid the menu book over. “I’d rather have a look together. Come on, what do you think we should get?”“Hmm,” Sophie read the items one by one. It seemed like a pretty standard French place, and she was rather starving. “I want something filling. Maybe I’ll get the st
The day came for Gregory to officially join Meadow Lane.The company, if it was to be called that, was small by any metric. It had less than twenty employees even with Gregory joining, so the welcome party was done with just eight boxes of pizza.Sophie Langham. Was celebrating with pizza.Sophie noticed Gregory standing stiff, receiving a slice with confusion in his face. “Why?” she asked, “culture shock?"Gregory stared, then watched as the other employees munched on their slices. “Uh… yes.”“Right. You’ve never joined a company this scale before,” Sophie nodded, grabbing a cola and handing it to Gregory. “Get used to it,” she said before moving to get her own.The moment Sophie left, Lyla immediately got him. She dragged him into a conversation, showing him around to all his future co-workers. After she was done introducing everyone, she hit her own chest and stood proudly.“I know you’re an experienced executive assistant, but I've been here longer than you, so that makes me your
Early in the morning, Sophie woke up to yet another charade.When she opened her eyes, she couldn’t find Adrian. She found him in the kitchen, operating the coffee machine. It was what she got for their first wedding anniversary, back when Sophie said she wished to enjoy espresso anytime she wanted
Adrian fulfilled his promise. Just as the clock struck midnight, Sophie could hear the beeping of their door system. She swiftly assumed her usual role. The wife, who was always ready to welcome her husband back.“Adrian, you’re too much,” Sophie said with a pout. “Not a word, not even a text. Do I
Their dinner ended on an unsatisfactory note.Adrian had to leave because of a work emergency. Sophie couldn’t even tell if it was real or not—if Adrian was just stealing fractions of time to be with Julia Hall.“I’ll make it up to you,” Adrian had said.But it had been two days, and Adrian was now
Nation’s ideal husband. That was what people called Adrian Beckett—a title Sophie had helped him earn. A self-made man, building his kingdom within just one generation. Beckett Holdings went public after only three years, and on the announcement livestream, Adrian had turned to Sophie and proposed







