Chapter 4

Christian's brows twitched. The cigarette between his fingers was crushed flat.

Adeline didn't spare him another glance. She lifted the blanket and got out of bed. After picking up her scattered clothes from the floor, she put them on and headed to the bathroom to freshen up.

Once she was done, she grabbed her bag and walked straight toward the door without looking back.

She'd only just finished taking a shower after returning to the villa at Verdis Heights when Stanley messaged her to inform her he would be arriving soon.

Thankfully, the housekeeper had taken some time off, so no one knew she hadn't been back the entire night.

Following their engagement, Stanley bought the villa to use as their future marital home. Since it was close to the network, Adeline moved in ahead of time.

After receiving his message, she changed into a simple outfit and waited outside.

It wasn't long before a black Maybach came to a stop in front of the villa, and Stanley got out of the driver's seat. He was wearing a fitted gray suit that made him look like an elegant gentleman.

"Why are you the one driving?" Adeline asked.

"It'll just be the two of us today. I'll be your personal driver."

Smiling, he took her handbag and opened the door to the front passenger seat for her. Every act and gesture conveyed the air of refinement.

If Wendy hadn't been in the picture, Stanley would've definitely been perfect husband material.

As that thought popped into her head, Adeline let out a soundless sigh. This seemed to be the story of her life. Whenever she had something good, it would be taken away from her for one reason or another.

She got into the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt, and the car pulled away from the villa.

The two chatted throughout the drive, and Stanley asked about the program Christian had recorded.

Adeline's mind was still full of what had happened at the hotel this morning, so she answered in a rather distracted manner.

Sensing that, Stanley asked caringly, "Are you in a bad mood?"

Adeline looked at his gentle expression and quietly replied, "Why don't we call off the engagement, Stanley?"

The moment she finished speaking, the car jerked and came to a sudden stop, the wheels screeching sharply.

Adeline's body flew forward before being held back by the seatbelt. Gripping the seatbelt, she took a few deep breaths to steady herself before turning to Stanley in shock.

His expression was tight. Gone was the usual gentle calmness that colored his features.

After a moment of silence, he asked quietly, "Addie, haven't we already discussed everything?"

"I'm a petty person who gets jealous easily. I won't tolerate being made to feel hurt or uncomfortable in any way, so…"

She didn't finish her sentence, but a man as smart as Stanley could easily deduce what she was referring to.

"Wendy is just a little sister to me. Her brother sacrificed his life to save me!" Stanley declared.

He gripped Adeline's hand, his expression relaxing.

"Don't force me to be a heartless and ungrateful man, Addie. Although it was our families who arranged our marriage, you know that I love you. Once Wendy is older, she'll start a family of her own, too. She won't disrupt our lives."

It'd been over two years since they'd gotten engaged, and Adeline had always shown him so much care and attention that he didn't believe she didn't love him whatsoever.

All of his friends who witnessed their relationship told him he'd found such a wonderful woman to be his wife.

Adeline pulled her hand back and frowned in disappointment. She could understand Stanley's desire to make it up to Patrick for having saved his life. However, that didn't mean he owed Wendy anything.

He shouldn't be forcing Adeline to sacrifice her own comfort and peace of mind just to let him fulfill his own desire to do what he thought was right, either.

Moreover, since she'd woken up in bed with Christian today, she knew that the situation was already irreversible. But at the same time, she couldn't voice that, and she was beginning to resent Stanley as well.

If he hadn't abandoned her while she was drunk, everything else that followed wouldn't have happened. She was the victim in this situation, yet she alone had to put up with all the pain and bitterness.

There was nothing she felt like saying, so she turned her head and looked out the window.

Wendy was 20 years old now, but in Stanley's eyes, she was still the 14-year-old girl who lost her brother, who was all alone in the world and needed to be protected.

Compared to them, Adeline was the outsider.

After not getting the answer he wanted, Stanley looked away in silence and started the car up again. The two had an awkward lunch together before arriving for their appointment at the bridal boutique.

The staff had already made the preparations in advance, and the boutique had been reserved for them.

Stanley looked around before pointing at a diamond-studded white wedding gown. "Addie, what about that one?"

"It looks alright."

They'd scheduled the appointment three months ago, and Adeline had secretly looked forward to it. At the end of the day, she was just an ordinary 25-year-old woman. She, too, had harbored romantic fantasies about her wedding.

But now, as she looked at the intricate wedding gown, she felt nothing.

Lisa Reeves, the sales assistant in charge of helping Adeline, chimed in with a smile, "You have impeccable taste, Mr. Cooper. That design would look lovely on Ms. Wright. It complements her fair skin and refined bearing wonderfully."

With how enthusiastic Lisa was, Adeline didn't want to be too cold toward her, so she smiled in response.

Stanley took it as a sign that she'd come around, so he exhaled in relief and urged, "Go try it on."

Three sales assistants escorted Adeline into the fitting room, while another escorted Stanley to the VIP lounge.

Half an hour later, Adeline looked at herself in the mirror, with the wedding gown on. She noticed the suggestive-looking red marks on her collarbone.

Knowing what Christian was like, she had a feeling he'd left them there on purpose.

Since the gown she had on was a strapless one, Stanley would most likely spot the marks right away.

"Please help me cover up the exposed skin with some concealer," she said.

"Of course, Ms. Wright," Lisa replied.

Being well-trained professionals, none of the sales assistants asked any questions. But after thinking it over a little more, Adeline said, "Actually, never mind. Just leave it."

If Stanley saw the marks, he would definitely get suspicious. Being a gentleman, he wouldn't confront her in person—but he certainly wouldn't tolerate such humiliation either.

Maybe that meant they could call off the engagement after all.

The moment that thought came to her, her phone started ringing. It was in her handbag, so Lisa fetched it for her. The name displayed on the screen was Monica Lawson.

Adeline stared at it for a few seconds before taking the call. "Ms. Lawson."

"You're shopping for wedding gowns with Stanley?" Monica asked, her voice indifferent, as if she were just asking for the sake of it.

Adeline hummed in acknowledgment, her expression impassive.

"Behave yourself. When you get married, I'll consider letting Coraline return to the country for the wedding ceremony."

Pressing her lips together, Adeline asked quietly, "What if the Coopers call off the wedding?"

"They won't," Monica declared with a firm tone, but her voice turned cold. "Don't try anything clever, Adeline. It's been three years. It's time you forget about that penniless man you were seeing back in Ellovia. If not for the Coopers' sake, then at least for Coraline's sake."

The repeated mention of Coraline Wright, Adeline's younger sister, made Adeline deflate.

"I got it," she said.

There was no way she could call off the engagement herself.

She tugged at the neckline of the gown, making the marks even more visible before apologizing to Stanley in her heart.

Lifting her head, she took a deep breath to suppress her emotions before putting on a smile as she stepped out of the fitting room.

"How do I look, Stanley? Do you like it?"

However, Stanley was in the middle of rushing out of the VIP lounge, his phone pressed to his ear. He didn't even look at Adeline.

"I'll be right there! Just stay where you are and wait for me. Make sure you don't go anywhere."

He looked flustered, but his voice was calm and reassuring.

Adeline didn't even have to ponder to know that the call had to be from Wendy. In just the span of a single month, she'd witnessed this scene play out many times already.

Whenever Stanley was with her, no matter what they were doing, just a call from Wendy was enough for him to drop everything and go to her without any hesitation.

"Addie, Wendy got lost in the mountains, and she's all alone. I need to look for her. Try on a few more gowns. I'll come back once I've found her," Stanley said in a rush as he hurried toward the entrance.

Adeline lifted her hem and went after him, but the step at the door tripped her, and she fell to the floor. The pain shot through her at once, making her eyes water.

"Stanley, just send someone else instead."

She looked up at him, silently flipping a coin in her heart, wondering which side it would land on.