Until the show almost concluded, Adro still couldn't find Grace. He hadn't actively searched for her among the numerous spectators because, as a model, he needed to keep his gaze straight ahead during the runway. Only when the picture-taking session came could his eyes scan every seat around him.
‘Why hasn't she come yet? Why is she taking so long?’
"Committee! We also want to take pictures together!" shouted some female students from below the stage.
"Sorry, that can't be done." One of the committee members guarding the stage replied.
However, Adro approached one of them and said, "I don't mind taking some pictures with my fans. Can you filter them so it won't be too many, please?"
The male committee widened his eyes. "Are you serious about this? You won't impose any extra charges on us, will you?"
Adro chuckled and shook his head. "This is a personal request. It seems some of the spectators below are my fans. I just want to briefly g
"Whom do you want to meet?" Grace asked, glancing around and realizing that Adro's fans had almost surrounded them.Adro threw a brief smile at his fans. "I'm sorry, everyone. I've been waiting for someone, and since that person has arrived, I think I should leave now.""A-Adro, wh-why are you with Grace Menken?" Lily asked with a little shrill voice."Yes, Adro! How do you two know each other? What's your relationship?""Grace Menken? How is that possible?""How can Menken know Adro?"Hard questions and murmurs echoed after Lily boldly asked Adro the personal question.Instead of getting annoyed, Adro was delighted. He tightened his embrace around Grace's shoulders while raising his eyebrows. "Wow, Grace, I didn't know you were this famous on campus. At home, you always said that you don't have many friends.""At home?""What's their relationship, actually?""Grace, how do you know Adro?" Rossa asked in a rush, staring at Adro’s hand that was still hanging on Grace’s shoulder in disb
"Huh?" Grace muttered.“The first time I arrived at your home, I found your paintings had dark and cold emotions. The characters in your paintings never smiled. However, in these three paintings, you started to add bright colors and warm elements." Adro continued.With a furrowed brow, Grace observed her paintings from the oldest to the newest. How could she not have noticed it? Adro was right; her art style had gradually changed."Does this have something to do with your mood?" Adro asked, checking the dates on Grace's three latest paintings; one of them was a Joselyn painting.Grace fell silent. Upon reflection, it was true that her mood influenced her artwork. And her paintings had undergone a drastic transf
"A-Adro?" Grace placed both hands in front of her chest as Adro's face got too close to hers."Don't make a scared face; you need to look used to it," Adro whispered, reaching out to unfasten Grace's seatbelt.Shooting up her eyebrows, Grace now understood what Adro was doing. Then she peeked behind Adro’s back to witness Victor's expression, which she had never seen before. His furious eyes nailed at them, and his face turned red, even visible from a distance, as if it were boiled from the inside."He... looks mad," Grace mumbled."Hm?" Adro glanced at Grace's unfocused eyes. Then he fastened her seatbelt, smirking. "You seem worried. Should I go out and approach him?"Grace's eyes widened. She shifted her gaze to Adro's eyes, which were still right in front of hers. She cleared her throat, trying to lean back, although it was futile as the backrest of the seat was so solid that it couldn’t afford her more space. "I-I'm not worried. I
"You will?" Grace's eyes sparkled. "Oh! Glad to hear that!""Yeah! I've made a list of exciting destinations-"Adro's sentence was cut off when his phone rang. "Oh, excuse me, I need to take this for two minutes," he said to Grace as he reached for the cell phone from the sofa."Sure. Take your time," Grace replied."Thanks," Adro said before answering the call. "Spencer? ... Yes, I know... He did? Haha, what a nonsense guy... No, no, I'm fine, of course - You know I don't check my phone often like you guys ... Yeah, sure. I'll check it out now. It's in the group chat, isn’t it? ... No problem."Sipping her wine, Grace glanced at Adro, who had just hung up his phone, before staring at the phone screen. A smile formed, and a chuckle escaped his lips as he typed something on it.As Adro promised, he finished in just two minutes. Then he placed his phone back on the sofa. "I’m sorry, it's my friends reporting something they think is
Grace's eyes widened as her body was stunned, feeling the warmth of Adro's lips on hers while watching a pair of closed eyes right in front of her.Opening his eyes, Adro looked into Grace’s hazel eyes before releasing his lips from hers. He pulled his head back a little only to find Grace's cheeks turning redder, and her eyes widened."A-Adro..." Grace stammered.However, without hesitation, Adro seized Grace's lips again and devoured them. He didn't care about what would happen after this; he couldn't even believe he was suddenly kissing her. He was a dignified prince but unable to control himself.Grace's words unleashed Adro's emotions. He desired the girl in front of him so much. He wanted to protect the g
"Congratulations, Grace," Adro said, handing over a large bouquet of carnation and orchid flowers.Grace swallowed, looking at Adro from head to toe. He wore a deep denim-blue suit that made his eyes stand out. His appearance even caught the attention of people around them."Don’t… don't you have a photoshoot?" Grace asked as she received the flowers, then thanked him."I asked for permission to leave early to accompany you. Isn't this a once-in-a-lifetime moment?""It is..." Grace mumbled, unable to look into Adro's crystal eyes.Grace thought that after last night's incident, she could avoid him for a few days, considering he would leave tonight.
Under the table, Grace's hands clenched even tighter, and she unconsciously bit the inside of her lower lip. She wanted to be honest. She was tired of hiding and suppressing her feelings for Adro. But, as she had said earlier, humans must be able to control the effects that arise from their feelings."I care about you, Adro, as a friend," Grace replied, saying apologies in her heart."Grace," Adro responded with a huff. He believed that Grace was still lying."Adro, please listen," Grace continued before Adro could give another objection. "I don't mean to be presumptuous, but try to think calmly again about what you truly feel in your heart. Right now, you've just started a new life in a new world. You're separated from your family and your future wife. Your life has changed 180 degrees. Don't you think that you might just be confused right now? Maybe you feel like this towards me because I'm the first person who has been there for you since you arrived in this
"Oh, nice to meet you!" Grace rose to her feet, extending her hand. "I'm Grace Menken, the new secretary for Ms. Park." Sean nodded with a smile that still lingered on his face, then returned the handshake from the girl in front of him. "Nice to meet you too, Menken. I've heard a bit about you from Ms. Park. I hope we can work well together." Sean's friendliness eased Grace's nervousness. She returned his smile with equal warmth. "You can call me Grace. Thank you so much for the warm welcome. I'll do my best not to inconvenience you." Sean shook his head. "Don’t mind it, Grace. Both of us are Ms. Park's assistants, so it's only fitting for me to guide you through our work. And feel free to call me by my first name." "Thank you, Sean," Grace said, holding her breath to keep her voice from trembling. What dream did Grace have last night that she could have such a cool coworker? Sean Lee was a man with deep black hair and eyes. His eyes, shaded by thick and long eyebrows, stood out p