Chapter 7

Stephanie was momentarily stunned. She didn't expect Adrian to ask her such a question. Also, he seemed a little… unhappy at the moment.

But why, though? Was it really because she insisted on returning to the team meeting despite being ill?

She was very sure that she and Adrian weren't close enough for him to show such concern for her.

"Well, not really…"

Honestly, Stephanie just wanted to drop by her colleagues' private room and tell them that she'd be going home for the night.

But when she recalled the way those colleagues crowded around Kiara earlier, she felt that it was unnecessary for her to do so.

She wasn't the main character of tonight's dinner anyway, so no one would care if she left early.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the private room's door a few times in a row. A man, who was seemingly Adrian's assistant, stood at the doorway.

"Everyone's waiting for you, Mr. Hawke."

It didn't matter what type of business Adrian was conducting at the table—he'd always be the main character. No business negotiation could proceed without him.

"I'm sorry for delaying your schedule, Mr. Hawke," Stephanie quickly said.

"It's fine." Adrian was back to his detached self. It was as though his displeasure was just a figment of Stephanie's imagination.

After that, Adrian walked out of the private room. When he walked past his assistant, Harry Newman, he shot the latter a look.

Harry nodded right away in understanding.

Once Adrian left, Stephanie rested in the private room for a little longer before leaving the hotel. As she stood on the pavement, she was about to flag down a cab when she saw a black car rolling to a stop next to her.

The car door on the driver's side was opened from the inside. Harry could be seen getting out of the car.

He smiled at Stephanie as he approached her. "Ms. Ford, Mr. Hawke has ordered me to take you home."

"There's no need for that." Stephanie quickly turned him down. "I've already troubled Mr. Hawke enough as it is."

"It's fine. This is nothing to Mr. Hawke," Harry explained. "Besides, Hawke Group and Ford Group have had many business collaborations with each other over the past two years. Soon, they'll be collaborating on a deeper scale."

He paused momentarily before adding, "That's why Mr. Hawke finds it necessary to take good care of you, Ms. Ford."

Since both companies had many collaborations going on, Stephanie had a feeling that she'd see Adrian more often once she went home for good. It'd be bad for both parties if she kept turning Adrian's offer down.

"Thank you for your offer, then."

"You're far too courteous, Ms. Ford. This way, please."

Harry took the initiative to open the car door for Stephanie.

At the same time, Adrian sat by a window overlooking the cityscape in a fancy VIP private room located on the top floor of the hotel. He looked downward, where Stephanie could be seen getting into his car. Shortly after that, Harry drove away from the hotel.

A bold associate decided to crack a joke at that moment.

"See something interesting outside the window, Mr. Hawke?"

Adrian averted his gaze, his response cold as ice. "No."

Since he refused to answer, no one dared to ask the same question.

Adrian pulled out his phone and tapped on WhatsApp's icon. His gaze swept across his private chat with Stephanie. Then, it landed on the latest text his mother, Amelia Sutton, had sent to him last night.

"The Fords have agreed to the marriage alliance. You're at Hydroton now, aren't you? I heard that Stephanie is also there. You should visit her. Pay more attention to her, will you?"

All he had replied was, "Okay."

Adrian seemed to have thought of something, for he texted Amelia again. "Mom, where is Dr. Lombard right now?"

Amelia was quick to respond. "Oh, she traveled abroad again last month. It was an urgent trip, and she didn't tell me where she went, too. I can't get in touch with her at the moment. Why are you looking for her, by the way?"

Adrian's gaze darkened slightly.

"It was nothing. Let me know if you can get in touch with Dr. Lombard again."

…

Harry drove Stephanie back to Tyler's residence. As she stood at the front door, she took a few deep breaths to center herself.

For the longest time, she had viewed this place as her home. But now, it was nothing more than a temporary shelter for her. If anything, this place grossed her out.

If not for the fact that she was worried about alerting Kiara and Tyler regarding her secret investigation into the car accident, Stephanie wouldn't have chosen to return to this place at all.

Taking advantage of Kiara and Tyler's absence, Stephanie began searching through the whole place, with Tyler's study being her top priority. Alas, she couldn't locate any useful clues.

Then again, since Tyler was adamant on concealing Kiara's crime for her, there was no way he'd left any evidence behind, let alone keep it in his own residence.

At this point, Stephanie was just latching onto a trace of hope.

Just as she got out of the study, she heard the sounds of the front door being opened. Tyler and Kiara then walked into the residence. They were even holding hands at that time.