Semua Bab The billionaire's discarded bride: Bab 21 - Bab 30

Adrian and I had already set the table for dinner and taken our seats  For a second, neither of us spoke. Then Grandmother's cheerful voice floated down the hallway. "If the two of you are finished staring at each other..." "...my dinner is getting cold!" Heat rushed to my cheeks. Adrian cleared his throat. "We should..." "Yes." "We should." Dinner was louder than usual. Mostly because Grandmother refused to let silence settle. "Celia." "Yes?" "This bread is wonderful." "Thank you." She turned to Adrian. "And you?" He swallowed another bite before answering. "It's good." 

The heritage exhibition was unlike anything I had ever seen.The restored ballroom glowed beneath crystal chandeliers, their light dancing across polished marble floors and glass display cases. Antique jewelry, hand-painted porcelain, and centuries-old artworks filled the hall, each piece carrying a story older than anyone in the room.For a moment, I forgot about the cameras.Forgot about the whispers.Forgot that I was the woman who had once been branded a thief before I had ever stolen anything.I simply admired the craftsmanship."You like this one."Adrian's voice came quietly beside me.I hadn't even realized he was watching me instead of the display.I smiled."The setting."I pointed toward an antique emerald necklace."See how they placed the stones? Most people notice the emeralds first, but the goldwork is the real masterpiece."He looked closely before nodding."I would've never noticed.""That's because everyone looks at the center.""And you?""I've always preferred wha

I hadn't slept much.Every time I closed my eyes, I heard his voice again.They were only words.They shouldn't have mattered this much.By the time I reached the dining room, I had already prepared myself for the usual distance.Instead, Adrian was already seated.He didn't say a word.He simply pulled out the chair beside him.I stopped in the doorway."You're staring," he said without looking up."I'm deciding whether to sit.""You already decided."He wasn't wrong.My feet had moved before my mind had caught up.Slowly, I lowered myself into the chair.A moment later, Eleanor entered, leaning lightly on her cane.Her eyes drifted over the two of us.Then to the narrow space between our chairs.I braced myself for the teasing.For the knowing smile.Instead, she calmly reached for the teapot."Good morning," she said.Mild.Unbothered.Somehow, her silence said more than any joke could have.Across the table, Vivian's teacup paused halfway to her lips.Her gaze shifted from Adrian

 By now, it had become a habit. Just before the sun slipped below the horizon, the sound of Adrian's car pulling into the driveway echoed through the Lancaster estate. "The young master is home." One of the maids announced it so casually that no one even looked up anymore. Except me. I immediately scolded myself for it. Don't start waiting for him, I thought. You'll only make things harder for yourself. "Mrs. Lancaster." Martha's amused voice pulled me back to the present. She stood with her hands on her hips, watching me stir the soup. "I think we should stop asking whether the young master will be joining us for dinner." I looked at her. "Oh?" She nodded solemnly. 

 I found the envelope on the hall table the next morning. It was propped neatly against a vase of fresh lilies, the white petals opening beneath the morning sunlight. My name was written across the front in careful gold script. Mr. and Mrs. Adrian Lancaster. I stared at it for a moment. There was something strangely intimate about seeing Mrs. Adrian Lancaster written so confidently beside my name. As though the person who had written it had never questioned whether I belonged there. I reached for the envelope. "The Whitfield Anniversary Gala." Vivian's voice came from behind me. I turned. She was already walking toward the breakfast room, perfectly composed in a pale silk blouse, one hand resting lightly against the back of a dining chair. "On