Reborn Before the Great Flood: I Built the Last Ark

Chapter 4

“What’s wrong? You’ve been quiet since we left,” Adrian Rivers asked.

He was driving toward the Imperial Lounge, where he and Sarah planned to spend the rest of the day.

Sarah drew a deep breath.

She still could not stop thinking about what had happened with Damian that morning.

When they woke up, he had been as affectionate as ever. He had always obeyed her and given in to whatever she wanted.

Then, in the blink of an eye, something changed.

“It’s Damian,” she said. “Something was wrong with him this morning.”

Adrian’s brows immediately drew together.

He knew Sarah was obsessed with him, but he still could not suppress his jealousy whenever she mentioned her husband.

“Why?” he asked with a laugh. “Did he tell you he was leaving you?”

Sarah fell silent.

This was not the first time Damian had threatened her with divorce. Usually, he would not even last five minutes before following her around, apologizing and begging her to forgive him.

But today?

Her phone had remained strangely silent.

Adrian’s laughter became uneasy.

“What? Did he really say that?”

“Well… kind of.” Sarah looked out the window. “But I know Damian. It won’t last. I’m sure he’s already crying and trying to find out where I went.”

Adrian nearly rolled his eyes.

“So what, Sarah? You don’t need him anymore. The Cross heir has his eyes on you. Shouldn’t you focus on him instead of that useless husband of yours?”

Adrian remained Sarah’s lover, but he did not care how many other men surrounded her.

He had his own reason for staying.

Sarah loved him too much.

Whatever Adrian wanted, she would do everything she could to give it to him—even if it meant using her connection with the mysterious Cross heir to secure a deal for Rivers Trading.

“It’s not that simple,” Sarah insisted. “Damian is still useful to me. I can’t just remove him from my life.”

“Useful for what? Annoying you?”

Sarah bit her lip.

Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Damian had helped her.

She did not know how he had done it, but she was certain he was the reason she had been hired by Cross Corporation. For an ordinary security guard, Damian had a strange talent for putting her in the right place at the right time.

“Let’s stop talking about him.” Sarah changed the subject. “How is your proposal with Cross Corporation?”

A wide smile spread across Adrian’s face.

“It’s going well, my love. Mr. Cross finally agreed to meet me tomorrow.”

Sarah clapped excitedly.

“Yes! I knew you could do it!”

Adrian laughed. “Of course. Who could possibly reject my proposal? The partnership will benefit both companies.”

He smirked.

The truth was that Rivers Trading was already drowning in debt.

The company handled imported goods, marine equipment, warehouse storage, and cargo brokerage for larger corporations. On paper, it looked respectable. In reality, its vessels were leased, its loans were overdue, and several of its suppliers existed only to inflate expenses.

The Cross contract was Adrian’s final chance to inject money into the company and escape Greyhaven before his creditors closed in.

Cross Corporation was the country’s largest shipping and logistics conglomerate. It already had its own import-export network, but Adrian believed Sarah’s connection with the Cross heir would force the corporation to approve his unnecessary partnership.

“I’m so proud of you, Adrian.”

Sarah held his arm and rested her head on his shoulder.

“And because of that… we should celebrate today,” she whispered seductively.

Adrian’s grin widened.

See that, Damian? Your wife belongs to me. No matter how much of a fool you make of yourself, I’ll always be the man she wants.

Before long, they arrived at the Imperial Lounge.

Sarah confidently entered through the VIP entrance with her hand wrapped around Adrian’s arm, as though they were a married couple.

“We reserved a villa on the top floor,” she told the receptionist.

Sarah took out the black card Mr. Cross had supposedly sent her and handed it across the counter.

Damian had personally given the card to her during their honeymoon. Since it appeared to have an unlimited spending limit, Sarah never bothered asking how her security-guard husband had obtained it.

She simply assumed that it had been another gift from the Cross heir after her wedding.

“The same villa, Ms. Moore?” the receptionist asked with a courteous smile as she accepted the card.

“Of course.”

This was not the first time Sarah and Adrian had come there together.

Whenever they met, they reserved the Imperial Lounge’s largest villa on the top floor. Only celebrities, influential officials, and billionaires could afford it.

As long as Sarah possessed the black card, she and Adrian could enter whenever they pleased.

The receptionist swiped the card.

Her smile faltered.

She tried again.

Then a third time.

Sarah noticed the growing tension on the woman’s face.

“What’s wrong?” she demanded. “Why is this taking so long?”

The receptionist swallowed. “I’m sorry, Ms. Moore. Your card has been declined.”

Sarah’s brows snapped together.

“What did you say? How could it be declined? Try it again.”

“Yes,” Adrian added impatiently. “We come here often, and that is the card we always use. There is no way it could be declined.”

The receptionist nodded. “Of course, sir. I’ll try once more.”

An unexpected sense of dread settled in Sarah’s chest.

How could this have happened?

The card came from Mr. Cross—the heir to the largest shipping empire in the country. It could not possibly have run out of money.

The receptionist released a nervous breath and returned the card.

“I’m very sorry, Ms. Moore. The transaction is still being declined.”

Sarah stared at her.

“You—”

Before she could finish, her phone rang.

She snatched it from her bag and answered when she saw her mother’s name.

“Mom, not now—”

“Sarah Moore! What happened? Did you offend Mr. Cross?”

Sarah winced and moved the phone away from her ear.

“What is it, Mom? Calm down and tell me what happened.”

“Mr. Cross canceled my card! What is going on?”

“What?”

Sarah went pale.

She looked at Adrian, then at the receptionist waiting behind the counter.

Her mind returned to Damian.

His cold eyes that morning.

The divorce.

The way he had allowed her to leave without begging her to return.

Sarah took an unsteady step backward.

Did he just…?