Chapter 2

Adeline and Erica parted ways, and Adeline headed straight to the restaurant that Stanley sent to her.

When she arrived at the entrance of the restaurant, she ran into two uniformed police officers walking out.

One of them was Victor Lewis, a frequent face at the network studio. She'd collaborated with him multiple times, so they were fairly well acquainted.

"What a coincidence, Officer Lewis," Adeline greeted him.

Victor was considered the most handsome police officer on the force. On top of that, his name seemed to evoke the same energy he did, a kind of firm and steadfast determination. He was always the one pushed forward whenever a task involved some kind of public appearance.

Victor was speaking with his colleague when he heard Adeline and turned his head. His handsome face broke into a smile. "Are you here for dinner, Ms. Wright?"

"Yes. Are you two on a case?" she inquired.

"A scuffle broke out at the restaurant, so we came to break it up. We're heading back to the station right now."

Victor adjusted the brim of his police cap, his uniform looking crisp and sharp.

"Then I won't keep you two from your work any longer. Drive safe," Adeline said before backing away with a smile to let them pass first.

Victor nodded goodbye, but as he walked past her, he paused to say, "By the way, thank you for the last article you wrote, Ms. Wright. It was well received by the community, and I also received a commendation for it."

The senior executives at the network had once said Adeline's pen was the sharpest knife, so they recommended her for the collaboration with the police force. He hadn't taken them seriously at the time, but after reading all of her articles, he realized they weren't exaggerating.

"Not at all. I'm just doing my job," Adeline replied in a professional tone.

Smiling, Victor said, "Then I'll see you next time. I'll definitely treat you to a meal sometime, Ms. Wright."

"See you," Adeline said with a wave.

She headed into the restaurant and located the private room where the party was being held. Once she opened the door, she was greeted by a group of familiar faces.

The guest of honor, the son of the Shaw family, hadn't arrived yet, but the others weren't in a hurry anyway. They were busy chatting among themselves while they waited.

After greeting them one by one, Adeline took her seat beside Stanley. When he turned over to talk to her, she noticed the bruise on his face.

As she leaned in to take a closer look, she asked, "What happened to your face?"

"It's nothing."

The moment Stanley finished saying that, Wendy Jensen, who was sitting on his other side, piped up, "Adeline, Stan got into a fight because of me. The police had to come to break it up. Please don't get mad at him."

Adeline frowned. Stanley had always been a gentle man by nature. She'd never seen him argue with anyone, let alone get into a physical brawl with someone. But if it'd been because of Wendy, she didn't find it all that surprising after all.

Patrick Jensen was a friend of Stanley's who'd died in a car crash while protecting Stanley, and Wendy was Patrick's younger sister.

Wendy was 14 years old when the accident happened. From then on, Stanley took Patrick's place as her older brother.

In just the one short month since Wendy returned to the country, Adeline had seen enough to realize just how much Stanley cared about this so–called younger sister of his.

With a gracious smile, she replied, "Looking out for you is both my and Stanley's responsibility. If I'd been here, I would've asked Stanley to protect you, too."

Stanley shot her a grateful look before saying to Wendy, "I told you, didn't I? Adeline, your sister-in-law, is a kind and understanding woman."

Wendy's face went pale. Her fingernails dug into her palms as she took in Adeline and Stanley's seemingly affectionate exchange.

However, Adeline wasn't interested in keeping up with this farce, so she got out of her seat and said, "Please excuse me. I need to use the restroom."

She opened the door, only to see a familiar figure appear right in front of her. Christian was standing right outside the private room, his expression frosty as he looked at her.

What was he doing here?

Just as Adeline got a bad feeling about this, someone inside the room called out, "Hey, Christian!"

Everyone immediately got up to greet him, and Stanley was no exception.

"You're here at last, Christian! We've been waiting ages for you. You're going to have to drink up later to make it up to us!"

"Now, now. It's already an honor that the one and only Christian Shaw has come to have dinner with us."

"Come take a seat, Christian."

Everyone else swarmed over to usher Christian into the room, talking over each other. Adeline was pushed into a corner, her back pressed against the cold wall.

Christian's family was the Shaws of Southcrest? The one that was esteemed by the elites of both Southcrest and Jaspervale?

This was impossible. There had to be some kind of mistake!

When she'd known him, he was just an ordinary college student who had to rely on part-time jobs to afford his school tuition. Throughout their four-year relationship, she'd resorted to various subtle means to help support him, careful not to do anything that might hurt his pride and ego.

Even when she broke up with him, she'd given him all her savings, ensuring he could focus on completing his doctoral thesis without having to worry about money.

But now, she was being told that he was the son of a prestigious family and heir to a vast fortune.

What did that make of her? Of the four years they spent together? Had she merely been a plaything that he, a wealthy scion, toyed with for amusement?

All the dignity she'd carefully preserved for him, and all the excuses she'd painstakingly constructed… Had they simply been a joke in his eyes?

Adeline felt like she'd been struck in the chest by a boulder. A wave of hurt and anger washed over her.

Her gaze cut through the noisy crowd and landed, stunned, on Christian's face. The face she had once longed for now felt frighteningly unfamiliar.

"Addie, this is Christian Shaw. Come say hello," Stanley said, his voice pulling her out of her chaotic thoughts.

She took a deep breath to quell her stormy emotions before calmly walking up to Christian.

"Hello, Dr. Shaw. We meet again."

Thankfully, no one in this room knew about the history they shared. She'd hurt him, and he'd lied to her. That made them even now.

"You're acquainted with Christian?" Stanley sounded surprised.

Adeline glanced at Christian before chuckling. "Dr. Shaw joined one of the network's programs today. I know who he is, but he probably doesn't know me."

They'd spent four years practically joined at the hip. When they broke up, she grieved the end of their relationship as if she'd lost her husband. Unfortunately for her, it seemed as though she'd been crying over the wrong grave.

"Christian, this is my fiancee, Adeline Wright. I've mentioned her to you before," Stanley introduced her.

Christian looked over indifferently and stuck his hand out. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Wright. I've heard a lot about you."

"On the contrary, it's my honor to meet you," Adeline replied coolly before taking her seat at the table without shaking his hand.

Christian glanced at his still-outstretched hand and let out a faint scoff. Just as he was about to withdraw it, another hand suddenly grabbed his.

"Why didn't you respond to any of the texts I sent you, Christian?" Wendy asked with a coquettish pout.

"Don't touch me."

Frowning, Christian pulled his hand away and wiped it with a handkerchief from his pocket before tossing the handkerchief into the trash.

Adeline recognized the handkerchief. It was a classic design from a luxury brand and extremely expensive. Back in Ellovia, he would've had to save up all the money he earned part-time in a month just to pay for that handkerchief.

Stiffening awkwardly, Wendy looked at Stanley, who patted her on the back before flashing a grin at Christian. "How dare you turn your nose up at my sister like that? I won't stop until I get you drunk today."

Christian didn't speak. He simply took his seat, his expression stoic.

Once the food and drinks were served, the atmosphere livened up a lot.

Adeline filled her wine glass to the brim. Just as she lifted it to her lips, a well-defined hand extended a glass toward her. "Allow me to offer a toast to you, Ms. Wright. Congratulations on finding yourself a good husband."

She froze for a moment before smiling back at Christian, though her heart filled with bitterness. "I wouldn't dare accept the honor of receiving a toast from you, Mr. Shaw. Allow me to toast you instead. Congratulations on your triumphant rise to success."

After lightly tapping her glass against his, she brought the wine glass to her lips before adding, "Then again, you were born into prestige, Mr. Shaw. Your present success is merely icing on the cake for you."

And with that, she downed her entire glass of wine.

Christian watched her, his dark eyes as cold as ice. Lowering his gaze, he let out a soft chuckle before downing his drink as well.

Only they understood the hidden meaning in those words. Everyone else thought it was just a polite exchange between two new acquaintances.

Shane Hudson, the host of the party, stuck his thumb up and said, "You're the first person to receive a toast from Christian, Adeline."

"The honor's mine," Adeline replied with a smile before picking up the wine bottle.

Stanley quickly pressed her hand down. "Don't drink so much. You know you're not good with alcohol."

"You're here, aren't you? What's there for me to be afraid of?"

Adeline pushed his hand away and poured herself yet another full glass of wine. Dinner would be pretty hard for her to sit through if she didn't get to have some alcohol in her system.

To Stanley, it sounded like a flirtatious remark, so he relaxed and didn't stop her.

Christian's grip tightened around his glass, his veins popping. It looked like he was about to crush the glass.

As it'd been a while since they last gathered like this, everyone drank to their heart's content. It was pretty late when they finally called it a night.

All of the others were driven off by the drivers. Soon, Stanley, Adeline, and Wendy were the only ones left at the restaurant.

"We'll drop you off first, Addie," Stanley said gently as he supported the inebriated Adeline.

Adeline nodded, her head hazy. Wendy had moved into the Cooper residence back then and was still staying there now, while Adeline stayed alone at her future marital home.

They'd just exited the restaurant when Wendy suddenly clutched her stomach in pain.

"Stan, my stomach is killing me. I think I'm coming down with food poisoning."

Stanley immediately released Adeline and turned to support Wendy instead. "Don't be scared. I'll take you to the hospital right away!"

After helping Wendy into the car, he glanced back at Adeline. Following a brief hesitation, he said, "Take a cab home, Addie. Message me when you get there."

He drove off without even waiting for a reply.

Adeline pulled her coat tighter and slowly slid down to the ground. She got her phone out to call for a cab, but her fingers refused to work with her. She kept getting her password wrong.

"Stop shaking…" she mumbled as she placed her phone on the ground to try again.

Still, she failed to unlock her phone.

A cold wind blew, making her shiver and curl up. Her eyelids started drooping. In her daze, she spotted a set of headlights approaching. It came to a stop right by the curb.

The door opened, and a tall figure stepped out before coming toward her.

In her blurry vision, the figure looked a bit like Christian. Surely she was hallucinating. She struggled to keep her eyes open, but her consciousness faded.