2025-12-17 09:10:48Adrian looked at Vanessa and suddenly felt amused.
Not in a warm way.
More like watching someone embarrass themselves without realizing it.
A faint sneer tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“If we’re talking about affairs,” he said coldly, “then your relationship with him looks far more convincing.”
His gaze slid briefly to Charles before returning to Vanessa.
“She and I just met today,” Adrian added calmly, nodding slightly toward Iris. “Try again.”
The words were light, almost casual.
There was no anger in them. No raised voice. No explanation.
Vanessa's face flushed instantly.
Her breath hitched as disbelief turned into rage.
Her chest rose sharply as anger flooded her expression.
“You—!” she shouted, taking a sharp step forward. “How dare you say that!”
Her heels scraped loudly against the floor, the sound sharp and jarring.
Several people nearby flinched.
Being called an adulterer was her biggest fear.
She had spent years polishing her image—successful, respectable, admirable.
A woman everyone praised.
The idea that people might now see her as immoral made panic creep into her bones.
She clenched her fists.
“You’re lying!” she yelled, her voice cracking slightly from fury. “You’re shameless! Twisting the truth like this—”
Her finger jabbed toward Adrian, trembling with anger.
Her voice rose even higher, sharp enough to draw more attention from across the lobby.
“You think you can smear me just because you’re pathetic?” she snapped. “Do you think anyone here would believe you?”
She let out a cold laugh, trying to steady herself.
“Fine,” she sneered. “Since you love lying so much, are you going to tell everyone now that she is the one from the Rand family who invited you here?”
Her eyes darted sharply toward Iris.
The accusation was deliberate and calculated, meant to humiliate.
Iris didn’t react.
She stood quietly beside Adrian, posture straight and expression composed.
She didn’t frown, didn’t argue, she didn’t even look offended.
That composure alone irritated Vanessa even more.
Adrian answered without hesitation.
“She is from the Rand family,” he said indifferently.
The statement was simple.
A beat passed.
“But she’s not the one who invited me.”
For half a second, the lobby fell silent.
It was the kind of silence that came before laughter—
before mockery— before judgment.Then laughter erupted.
It rolled through the lobby like a wave.
Whispers burst out immediately.
“Did you hear that?”
“He’s really serious about this nonsense.”
“First he claims the Rand family invited him, now this?”
“Does he think everyone here is stupid?”
Some shook their heads.
Others smirked openly.
Charles laughed the loudest.
He threw his head back, clapping his hands slowly, exaggerated and mocking, as if applauding a bad performance.
“Vanessa,” he said with a wide grin, “your ex-husband is impressive.”
He dragged the word impressive, thick with sarcasm.
He turned to look at Adrian, eyes filled with disdain, as if he were watching a clown who didn’t know when to stop.
“Truly a man who loves to daydream,” Charles added lazily. “One fantasy stacked on another.”
He leaned closer to Vanessa.
“No wonder you divorced him,” he muttered loudly enough for others to hear. “This level of delusion is dangerous.”
Vanessa felt reassured by Charles' reaction.
The support steadied her nerves.
She crossed her arms, lifting her chin proudly as if reclaiming control of the situation.
Her earlier panic faded, replaced by confidence.
“Exactly,” she said coldly. “He’s gone mad.”
She looked around deliberately, letting everyone hear her.
“A poor man pretending to be important,” she added. “How laughable.”
At that moment, a pair of heels echoed across the lobby.
The sound cut through the noise.
A woman walked out from behind the lobby counter.
She wore a tailored suit, perfectly pressed.
Her hair was neatly tied back and her expression was calm but sharp, eyes already assessing the scene.
It was Elaine .
The manager of Skyline Hotel .
Her presence alone caused several people to straighten subconsciously.
Elaine frowned slightly as she approached, her gaze sweeping over the gathered crowd, then landing on Vanessa, Charles, Adrian, and Iris.
“What’s going on here?” Elaine asked.
Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried authority.
The surrounding chatter faded.
Charles turned immediately.
His face brightened as if he had been waiting for her.
“Elaine,” he greeted her warmly, stepping forward. “Long time no see.”
He smiled, familiarity obvious, his posture relaxed.
“It’s nothing serious,” Charles said casually, waving a hand. “Just ran into a couple of lunatics.”
Elaine raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Lunatics?”
Charles chuckled, then gestured toward Adrian and Iris with a mocking tilt of his head.
“This man suddenly barged in claiming someone from the Rand family invited him to dinner here,” Charles said with amusement.
His eyes flicked toward Adrian disdainfully.
“And the woman next to him even claims she’s from the Rand family.”
Another ripple of laughter passed through the crowd.
Vanessa smirked, clearly satisfied.
She watched Elaine carefully, waiting for her to take their side.
Elaine’s smile stiffened.
Her fingers tightened slightly at her side.
The Rand family?
Her heartbeat skipped.
She did know the Rand family was hosting an important guest today.
A very important one.
One she had personally overseen preparations for.
She glanced at Adrian.
Then at Iris.
Both of them stood calmly. No fear. No anger. No desperation.
Neither of them tried to explain further.
That calm unsettled her.
For a brief moment, doubt crept in.
The lobby grew quiet.
Some people exchanged looks.
Charles noticed the hesitation immediately.
His smile stiffened and he spoke up quickly.
“Elaine, don’t misunderstand,” he said smoothly. “It’s actually Vanessa who’s hosting the Rand family today.”
He gestured toward Vanessa.
“We’re here to celebrate their cooperation.”
Vanessa nodded firmly, stepping forward half a step.
“That’s right,” she said confidently. “I’m the one working with them.”
She met Elaine’s gaze without flinching.
Elaine pressed her lips together.
Even so, unease lingered. Just in case.
She straightened her back.
“Skyline Hotel is a property of the Rand family,” Elaine said clearly, her voice firm. “And I know every single member of the Rand family.”
Her gaze sharpened.
She pushed through the crowd, walking straight toward Adrian and Iris.
Up close, she examined them carefully.
Their faces. Their posture. Their quiet confidence.
She searched her memory.
Every gathering. Every banquet. Every family member she had ever met.
Nothing. Recognition didn’t come.
Her expression darkened and the doubt vanished.
Suddenly, her hesitation turned into anger.
She spun around sharply.
“Security!” Elaine shouted. “Get these two people out of Skyline Hotel!”
Her voice echoed across the lobby.
Gasps followed instantly.
Security guards moved at once, stepping forward.
Vanessa's lips curled into a triumphant smile and Charles folded his arms, clearly pleased.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 48
Vanessa sank into the backseat of the car, sunglasses already sliding into place over her eyes like a shield. Monica plopped down beside her with an exaggerated sigh, stretching one arm across the seat like she owned the place.“You look like death warmed over,” Monica said, peering at Vanessa’s puffed eyes. “Are we sure you survived last night or did you just… you know, die a little?”Vanessa huffed, jabbing a finger at her sunglasses. “If I survived, it’s a miracle. And these,” she gestured to the dark lenses, “are literally the only thing keeping me from murdering someone on sight.”Monica laughed, a loud, obnoxious kind of laugh. “Murder? Ooh, dramatic! Don’t tell me Adrian is the target. I didn’t think he was equipped for that.”Vanessa rolled her eyes, muttering, “He’s lucky I haven’t invented a way to publicly humiliate him like he deserves.”“Lucky for him,” Monica said with mock solemnity, pressing a hand over her heart. “Or maybe he’s cursed. I can never tell.” She leaned ba
Chapter 47
Vanessa sat rigidly on the edge of her bed, phone still in her hand, the screen glowing with paused footage she hadn’t yet found the courage to replay fully.Her phone vibrated again, this time with an incoming call labeled PR – Nadia.Vanessa stared at the name for a few seconds, jaw tight. Of all people, this was the one she least wanted to hear from right now. Nadia didn’t call unless things were already bad. Emails were for minor fires. Calls were for infernos.She answered anyway.“Yes?” Her voice came out clipped, defensive before the conversation even began.“Vanessa,” Nadia said, skipping pleasantries entirely. Her tone was calm, professional, but weighted. “I need you to listen to me very carefully.”Vanessa scoffed softly. “If this is about last night—”“It is,” Nadia cut in, firmly. “And it’s worse than you think.”Vanessa rolled her eyes and leaned back against the headboard, crossing her arms. “People get denied entry all the time. This will blow over.”There was a brief
Chapter 46
Lunch was served on the terrace.The restaurant sat on the uppermost level of the Rand Building, all glass and steel, open to the sky in a way that suggested nothing could touch the men who dined there. Below them, the city moved in restless lines—cars inching forward, pedestrians weaving through one another, lives unfolding in ways that would never brush against this height.Adrian sat across from Victor Rand, unhurried, composed, his posture relaxed in a way that came from certainty rather than ease.The table between them was set with precision. Polished cutlery. Plates arranged at careful angles. A waiter had just finished pouring wine before retreating with the kind of discretion money trained into people.Victor leaned back in his chair, phone in hand, eyes gleaming with quiet amusement as he scrolled.“It’s impressive,” Victor said, breaking the silence at last. “Truly impressive.”Adrian didn’t look up immediately. He cut into his food calmly as though Victor had said nothing
Chapter 45
Vanessa was dragged out of sleep by the shrill vibration of her phone against the bedside table.She groaned, rolling onto her side and burying her face into the pillow. The curtains were still drawn, the room dim and heavy with the kind of morning light that felt intrusive rather than gentle. Her head throbbed faintly—not from alcohol, but from the emotional exhaustion of the night before. Shame clung to her like a second skin, even in sleep.The phone vibrated again.With an irritated sigh, she reached out blindly, snatching it up and squinting at the screen. Her assistant’s name flashed insistently.“What?” she snapped the moment she answered, her voice thick with sleep. “Do you have any idea what time it is?”There was a pause on the other end, then her assistant spoke quickly, nervously. “Good morning, ma’am. I—um—have you gone online today?”Vanessa scoffed, rolling onto her back. “Obviously not. I was sleeping until you decided to wake me up. What kind of question is that?”The
Chapter 44
Monica sat frozen for a few seconds, still trying to process the last thing Vanessa had said. Her shock lingered on her face, eyes wide, mouth slightly open, as if she were waiting for Vanessa to laugh and say it was all some exaggerated joke.When that didn’t happen, Monica shifted closer on the bed.“Okay,” she said carefully, lowering her voice the way people did when they sensed something fragile underneath anger. “You can’t just stop there. Explain. What exactly happened? What do you mean by you were denied access? You mean like you didn't get into the hall?”Vanessa let out a sharp breath through her nose and turned her face away again, as though the ceiling suddenly held answers she didn’t want to share. For a moment, she looked like she might refuse to say anything more. Her fingers twisted into the fabric of the bedspread, gripping it tight.Then she spoke.“Fine, let me tell you everything that happened, so you understand exactly how I'm feeling right now. First of all... Yo
Chapter 43
When Charles finally pulled up in front of Vanessa’s house, the car barely had time to come to a complete stop before she reached for the door handle.She shoved it open and stepped out sharply, her movements stiff with barely restrained fury. The slam of the door that followed was louder than necessary, echoing down the quiet street like punctuation to everything she refused to say. She didn’t look back. Not even once.Charles remained in the driver’s seat for a brief second, his hands still gripping the steering wheel, jaw tight. He watched her retreating figure through the windshield as she marched toward the house, her back rigid, her shoulders squared like she was bracing against something invisible. He considered calling out to her—an apology, an explanation, something—but the look she’d worn in the car told him it would be pointless.So instead, he did what he’d been doing all night.He avoided it.The engine revved, tires rolled forward, and within seconds, Charles’s car disap
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