All Chapters of Strangers in Public, Lovers in the Dark: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Stanley said helplessly, "Stop making things worse, Christian."Adeline's lips twitched. If she weren't afraid that Christian would continue to pester her, she would have been forthright about her history and let Stanley call off the engagement himself."I have somewhere to go. Neither one of you needs to worry about me," she said.Walking right past Christian, she went downstairs. She heard footsteps following behind her, but she didn't turn around.Once she was out of the house, she was about to call a cab when a hand reached out and snatched her phone away.Christian took out his car key and pressed it once. "Get in. I'll give you a ride."After thinking for a moment, Adeline handed him her suitcase, gave him Sylvia's address, and sat in the back seat.During the drive, neither one spoke.Christian seemed to be in a good mood, the faint smile on his face adding a gleam to his eyes. Adeline figured he was reveling in her misfortune.Her falling out with Stanley was exactly w

Christian texted back to Adeline, "I'm free tonight."Adeline was relieved to see his response. She'd been worried he would refuse to meet her.She booked a private room in a restaurant with a decent atmosphere. After waiting for about ten minutes, Christian arrived as agreed."Please have a seat, Dr. Shaw," Adeline greeted him politely, though her mood was pretty foul.She regretted not asking clearly first before attending the event with him the other day. She'd ended up letting him use her as a decoy to drive off other women without getting anything in return."Is there a reason why you asked to see me, Ms. Wright?" Christian inquired.He took off this black jacket and hung it up before sitting down.Sitting across the table from him, she handed him the menu for him to order what he wanted."Why don't you order first, Dr. Shaw? We can talk while we eat."This shameless scumbag was feigning ignorance when he knew full well why she'd asked to meet him.Christian lifted his e

The next day, when Adeline was about to head to work, Christian had Isaac deliver the car he was giving to her as compensation.When she went down to get the car key from Isaac, she saw that it was a brand-new red Tesla. Considering the premium-quality paint finish and the sleek design, she knew it wasn't cheap."My car was only worth under 50 grand. You guys didn't need to give me a car this expensive," she told Isaac."This was a gift from the car dealer. Dr. Shaw doesn't drive a car this affordable, so go ahead and accept it, Ms. Wright," Isaac lied without missing a beat, following Christian's instructions to the letter.In reality, this was a premium model with all the upgrades that he'd picked up at the shop this morning, and it'd cost over 100 thousand dollars."Thanks."Adeline accepted the key. She didn't bother arguing with Isaac. A car was just a means of transport to her. No matter how expensive the car was, everyone still had to abide by the speed limit while drivin

"What happened?" Stanley asked."A friend of mine is drunk and is asking me for a ride," Adeline replied as she clenched her phone, inwardly cursing Christian out."I'll go with you."Stanley stood up and grabbed his jacket.Just then, his phone started ringing. Adeline saw Wendy's name on the screen. The profile picture was Wendy's beaming smile.He stepped aside to take the call before coming back in to settle the bill."I'm afraid I can't go with you, Adeline. Wendy's drunk.""Then you should hurry up and go to her."For the first time, Adeline was grateful for Wendy's existence. She and Stanley parted ways to pick up two different people.Since she was unfamiliar with the place, she used the GPS in the car to drive to the bar Christian sent to her. In the blink of an eye, Stanley's car disappeared far ahead.The bar was in a somewhat remote area, and the GPS seemed to have taken her on a detour. It took nearly 40 minutes before she finally arrived. It was dimly lit and fi

Adeline glanced at Christian's phone, which he'd left on the table. She grabbed it and used his fingerprint to unlock it.After pulling up his WhatsApp, she noticed that his chat with her was at the top. Her name was written as "Just Playing".She let out a barely audible sigh. Hadn't he played with her enough in those four years?"What are you doing with my phone?" Christian had clearly drunk too much. He muttered the question without opening his eyes."My phone's dead. I'm using the GPS on yours," Adeline said to brush him off.She tapped on the chat beneath the one named "Just Playing" and sent the bar's location.Christian: "Come pick up your boss."Isaac: "Got it."Adeline tucked the phone back into Christian's pocket and stayed with him until someone arrived. 20 minutes later, Isaac showed up."Did Dr. Shaw have too much to drink, Ms. Wright?" Isaac inquired."Yeah. Take him back.""Will do."Isaac helped Christian up and walked him out. Adeline followed behind them.