Strangers in Public, Lovers in the Dark

At the television network's broadcast studio, Adeline Wright had her head down as she rushed to finish a news script. The moment she typed out the final word, she sent it off to her superior, Derek Mosley, who'd been urgently hurrying her the whole time.

Now that she was finally done, she started stretching her sore neck. Noticing that the camera operator was still busy setting up his equipment, she went over and lent him a hand.

The network had recently launched a new expert interview program, and today was its first recording. It was a priority for the network's senior management, who'd arranged for many people to be there as observers.

Since the follow-up feature interviews would most likely be assigned to Adeline, she took this opportunity to familiarize herself with the guests.

Beside her, the interns clutched the guests' profiles and chattered excitedly, with one of them gushing to her over how handsome today's guest was.

Adeline smiled in response, but she didn't think much of it.

Today's guest was originally supposed to be an elderly man, and she could already recite his entire life and career history by heart.

However, just an hour ago, the network had suddenly issued a notice saying that there had been a last-minute change in the lineup sequence, so a different guest was coming today. She didn't even have time to read the new guest's profile.

The interns had already spotted a young and handsome man listed among the guests. They'd been ogling his portrait for days now, hoping to see him in person.

Based on their reaction, Adeline deduced that the handsome young man was today's guest.

Nevertheless, what she cared about more was the interviewee's professional ability. That determined whether she could write a good news feature. Looks didn't matter at all.

At that moment, the camera operator handed her a microphone. "Adeline, could you help the guest put this on? I need to check the audio setup."

"Sure."

As soon as Adeline took the microphone, there was a commotion at the studio entrance. The guest for the interview was being ushered in by a group of the network's upper management. She glanced over and saw a tall, broad figure, but she didn't get to see his face. Dressed in a tailored black suit, he moved with an unhurried pace and a confident, somewhat imposing bearing.

Just his figure alone made him stand out in the crowd, but Adeline didn't react much. There was never a shortage of attractive men and women showing up at the television studio.

"Look! See the way he carries himself? He makes it seem as though even the senior executives are merely his assistants," Erica Kramer, Adeline's partner at work, said with barely contained excitement in her hushed voice.

Adeline was used to Erica being a sucker for handsome men, so she simply smiled helplessly. With the microphone in hand, she walked toward the stage where the senior executives had gathered.

Honestly, the whole thing felt a bit excessive to her. No matter how famous the guest was, there was no reason for so many of the network's senior executives to fawn over him.

Even the deputy director of the network was speaking with a tone of pure reverence. "Please wait a moment, Dr. Shaw. The interview will begin shortly."

Adeline stiffened a little.

Even after three years, just the last name Shaw was enough to make her chest tighten.

"You're too poor. I was just playing around with you."

Three years ago, when she was still in Ellovia, Adeline had said those last words to Christian Shaw and thrown him a stack of money before breaking up with him. At the time, she'd been forced to return home and submit to an arranged marriage.

All along, she firmly believed that Christian would make something of himself. The money was just her way of repaying him for his love and affection.

She thought she'd already moved on from the past, but just hearing the same last name was enough to stir ripples in her heart.

Pulling herself back out of her thoughts, Adeline squeezed through the crowd to put on the microphone for the guest. He was pretty tall, so with her head slightly down, she couldn't see the "handsome face" the interns had been waxing lyrical about the whole time.

"Are you Ms. Wright, the reporter?"

The guest's cool, indifferent tone rang out above Adeline's head, making her pause.

How could it be?

She whipped her head up, her breath stalling when she met his piercing gaze.

Christian Shaw?

It really was him! How could it be him?

"That's right. Good afternoon, Dr. Shaw. Did you need help with anything?" Adeline replied.

Although she forced herself to respond calmly, her mind was a mess. Shouldn't he be abroad?

"The microphone is too loose," Christian said curtly. It was hard to discern any emotion in his tone.

"Sorry about that."

After adjusting the microphone, Adeline swiftly got off the stage.

The interview began soon after. Even when faced with the host's somewhat sharp questions, Christian responded with steady composure the whole time.

As Adeline listened to the exchange, her mind started to wander.

The spotlight seemed to highlight Christian's broad shoulders and long legs, making his figure look even more muscular and well-defined. Just as before, he was still the center of attention no matter where he was.

His appearance hadn't changed much, but his demeanor had become even more distant—especially when he looked at her. His gaze had been frighteningly chilly.

It'd been three years since she last saw him, but it felt like it'd been a different lifetime.

How nice it was to see that Christian had become the renowned and accomplished Dr. Shaw. He was no longer the poor student who had to eat plain bread while seeking shelter in the rain, constantly rushing between his classes and his part-time job.

Beside Adeline, Erica let out a quiet sigh. "Isn't he insanely handsome? I heard he's still single. Look at his figure. He sure looks strong. I wonder who'll be lucky enough to date him."

He was indeed remarkably strong. Adeline knew that better than anyone.

She remembered their years studying in Ellovia—how they spent hours tangled up in the sheets of their rented apartment, unable to part even as the night turned to day and back to night again.

Christian clearly had his hands full with his classes and part-time job, yet he seemed to have never-ending stamina and could never be fully sated.

Adeline's fingers had once dug into his back and his waist, feeling the strength hidden beneath taut muscle. Her lips had once traced his lips and his throat, addicted to the heat radiating from his rock-hard body.

They used to wrap their arms around each other in bed, caressing each other's skin.

With smiles, they'd promised that neither would scorn the other even when their faces turned wrinkled and their bodies sagged with age.

The rich, velvety voice that rang out from the stage perfectly matched the voice in Adeline's memories. The bright lights illuminated every part of Christian's body, showing how immaculately dressed he was, from his hair down to every single one of his accessories.

He was still Christian Shaw, but he wasn't the Christian Shaw she knew back then.

Erica wondered dreamily aloud, "I've never seen such long legs before! He must be at least a few inches over six feet."

"He's six feet and one inch tall," Adeline blurted out.

Christian had great proportions that made him look taller than he actually was.

"How do you know?" Erica asked.

"Oh… I can tell people's heights just by looking at them," Adeline said with an awkward chuckle before withdrawing her admiring yet somewhat bittersweet gaze.

Fortunately, Erica didn't press any further. Instead, she pointed at Adeline's lit-up phone screen, commenting with a giggle, "Married women can't be caught staring. Your husband's calling to check on you."

"Don't be silly. We're not married yet," Adeline chided gently, before quietly slipping out of the studio to take the call.

"I'm working right now, Stanley. Did you need something?"

"A childhood friend of mine just returned to the country, and we're throwing him a welcome home party this evening. You should come meet him," Stanley Cooper said brightly, his tone filled with anticipation.

"Who is it?" Adeline asked curiously.

She and Stanley had been engaged for a little over two years now, and she'd pretty much met all of his close friends.

"It's the son of the Shaws of Southcrest. I don't think you'll know him," Stanley replied.

The Shaws of Southcrest were a prominent yet rather enigmatic family.

Benedict Shaw, the head of the family, was a retired military general. His oldest son was in the government, while his youngest son founded a tech company that was among the top 100 most successful companies globally.

Money alone was nowhere near enough for someone to establish a connection with a family like the Shaws. As it was, Adeline never did get the opportunity to meet them.

Her father had once tried to form a connection with the family, but despite his best efforts, he only managed to meet a driver who worked for them.

After agreeing to attend the welcome home party, Adeline ended the call and turned around. Failing to notice that there was someone there, she ended up bumping into a broad shoulder, and her phone slipped out of her hand.

"Careful, Ms. Wright."

A familiar voice rang in her ears, and a large hand caught her phone with ease.

Adeline's heart clenched. She instinctively took a step back to put some distance between them. distance.

"Thank you," she said before reaching for her phone, her fingers trembling slightly.

However, Christian didn't hand it back to her. Instead, he looked at her with his dark eyes and asked, "Are you that afraid of me?"

"It's rather chilly to be standing out here right now, Dr. Shaw. Kindly return my phone to me."

Adeline raised her head and flashed a polite smile at him. She wasn't exactly afraid of him. She was just unsettled to be running into him again after all this time.

Christian said nothing, his cold gaze still fixed on her. She didn't bother evading his gaze, however. She kept her hand held out.

After a short stalemate, Erica came out of the studio. She looked at the two of them in surprise before walking up to Adeline and asking with a smile, "Are you acquainted with Adeline, Dr. Shaw?"

Christian's eyes darkened as he coldly spat out, "I don't know her."

He shoved the phone into Adeline's hand and strode off.

Adeline stared at his retreating back and let out a small, bitter smile.

It was just as well that he pretended not to know her. They should've gone their separate ways after the breakup anyway. She'd hurt him back then, and it would be best for both of them if he could move on from that.

"What did Dr. Shaw say to you?" Erica asked, her eyes lit up with eagerness for gossip.

"Nothing. My phone dropped, and he picked it up for me," Adeline replied.

"What a shame. I'd be great if you could establish a connection with Dr. Shaw. He was already in high demand abroad, you know. Since returning to the country a month ago, he's turned down countless interviews, yet he agreed to an interview with our network."

Erica sighed, regretting that she hadn't asked Christian for his number just now.

Adeline was rather amused. "With how healthy you are, I doubt you'll ever need to establish any sort of special connection with a doctor."

"That makes sense. I'll take that as a compliment and treat you to some barbecue this evening!" Erica declared with a laugh, her mood changing at the drop of a hat.

Adeline had to wistfully decline. "I already have dinner plans this evening. We'll have to take a rain check on that."

Honestly, it was rather strange. She'd gone three years without running into a single person with the last name Shaw, yet they seemed to be coming in droves today.

However, as long as it was Christian Shaw, she didn't care what other Shaw she met.