2026-04-21 13:16:38
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Chapter 170
ADRIAN'S OFFICE The office door opened with a quiet knock that didn’t wait long for permission.Mr. Henderson stepped in, closing it behind him. He didn’t speak immediately, but Adrian looked up from his desk anyway, already expecting him.“Mr. Henderson,” Adrian said.“Sir.”There was no need for formalities between them, but habits formed over years didn’t disappear easily.Henderson moved a few steps forward, stopping at a comfortable distance from the desk, his posture relaxed but attentive. He didn’t ask why he had been called in.He already knew.Adrian leaned back slightly in his chair, one hand resting against the armrest, the other loosely holding a pen he hadn’t realized he’d been turning between his fingers.“I need an event planner,” Adrian said.Henderson gave a small nod, as though that confirmed exactly what he had expected.“I assumed as much,” he replied.Adrian’s gaze remained steady.“Not just any planner,” he added. “I want the best.”There was no exaggeration in
Chapter 169
Vanessa watched Monica for a moment longer.Monica wasn’t backing down.That much was obvious.There was no impatience in the way she waited, no dramatic demand for answers—but there was persistence. Quiet, steady, and irritatingly focused. The kind that didn’t fade just because it was ignored.Vanessa exhaled softly through her nose, her fingers tapping once against the arm of the chair before going still.“Alright, fine,” she said at last.Monica’s expression didn’t change immediately, but her attention sharpened.Vanessa tilted her head slightly, studying her with a faint, almost testing look.“But don’t judge me.”The words came lightly, but there was something underneath them—not uncertainty, not quite. More like a challenge disguised as a warning.Monica let out a small breath, her lips pressing together faintly before she shrugged one shoulder.“I’m listening,” she said.Vanessa held her gaze for a second longer, as if confirming that she meant it. Then she leaned back into her
Chapter 168
VANESSA'S OFFICE Vanessa sat behind her desk, one leg crossed over the other, her posture relaxed in appearance but not in meaning. Her fingers rested lightly against the arm of her chair, tapping once, slowly, as she watched the man standing across from her.He wasn’t remarkable at first glance.That was exactly the point.Mid-thirties, perhaps. Clean. Well-dressed, but not flashy. The kind of face people wouldn’t remember easily, but also wouldn’t question. There was nothing about him that invited suspicion.Vanessa had chosen carefully.She tilted her head slightly, studying him again, not for the first time.“You understand what you’re being asked to do?” she said.Her voice was calm.Controlled.Not raised.The man nodded once.“I do,” he replied.Vanessa leaned back slightly in her chair, her gaze never leaving him.“Say it,” she said.The man hesitated for a fraction of a second—not out of confusion, but calculation—then spoke.“I’m to get close to her,” he said. “Casually. Na
Chapter 167
By the time Charles drove into the compound that evening, the story had already taken shape in his head.Not just loosely.Not partially.Fully formed.Refined.Adjusted in all the places where reality had failed him.He had already told Vanessa that he met Adrian. Now he had to give her a good detail of the discussion. He parked the car a little more forcefully than necessary, the engine cutting off with a sharp finality that seemed to echo his mood. For a moment, he stayed seated, both hands still resting on the steering wheel as he stared ahead through the windshield.The encounter replayed itself.Not as it had actually happened.But as he had already begun reshaping it.Adrian standing there.Adrian listening.Adrian responding.The version in Charles’ mind shifted the balance each time he replayed it, smoothing over the hesitation, erasing the warning, removing the quiet authority Adrian had carried so effortlessly.Replacing it instead with something else.Something that fit b
Chapter 166
The moment Charles reached them, the energy around the entrance subtly shifted.The store manager, who had been standing just a step behind Adrian during the final exchange of departure courtesies, immediately picked up on it. His posture changed almost imperceptibly—professional ease tightening into alert awareness.He gave Adrian a brief, respectful nod.“I’ll head back inside,” he said smoothly, already stepping away without waiting for a response.Adrian didn’t stop him.He simply acknowledged the departure with a faint inclination of his head before turning his attention fully to the person now standing in front of him.Charles.For a brief second, neither of them spoke.The silence wasn’t neutral.It was charged with recognition—on Charles’ side especially. There was something in the way he held himself, slightly squared shoulders, chin lifted just enough to suggest confidence that had to be consciously maintained rather than naturally carried.Adrian, on the other hand, remaine
Chapter 165
Adrian had not hesitated when he made the decision.Once it formed clearly in his mind, it was executed with the same precision he applied to everything else that mattered.The appointment had been arranged the next morning.A private consultation.Not for something off a display shelf.Not for something pre-designed or chosen from existing collections.He wanted something specific.Something made.The kind of ring that didn’t exist until it was created for a single person.For Iris.The call had been brief, but firm. His assistant had handled the logistics, and within the hour, everything had been confirmed.1 PM.That same day.Adrian had arrived without delay.The location was discreet, high-end, and designed for clients who didn’t simply buy luxury but commissioned it. There was no unnecessary noise, no crowded showroom, no public browsing. Everything was arranged through private consultation, where designs were discussed in detail and executed with precision.He had been led into
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