Ever since he’d gotten Claire rcer’s contact info, Adrian Sutton had been dying to ssage her.
He had so much he wanted to say, so much he longed to tell her about how he felt.
But he was afraid of scaring her off, terrified she’d block the contact info he’d worked so hard to get.
He wanted to strike up a conversation, but worried she’d find him annoying.
He’d written and rewritten the ssage countless tis, deleting it, then starting over... never quite daring to hit send.
Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore and settled on a topic he hoped wouldn’t seem too forward.
"Miss rcer, I hope I’m not disturbing you. I’d like to ask for so advice about live-streaming. Would you happen to be free for a al?"
His deferential words were brimming with anticipation.
Once he saw that the ssage was delivered, he stared at the screen, unable to look away.
He was terrified he might miss her reply and not respond imdiately.
His emotions swung from anticipation to anxiety, then to the dreadful fear that she would just delete him after reading the ssage. He was a nervous wreck.
It had only been a minute since he’d sent the ssage, but it felt like a century had passed.
His gaze flickered between his phone and Claire rcer, who was just a short distance away.
He saw her look at her phone, her lovely brow furrowing slightly.
’Just as I thought. Claire’s annoyed with .’
Adrian Sutton’s heart plumted.
Just as he was starting to think she wouldn’t reply, his phone screen finally lit up.
Claire rcer replied: "Sorry, I’m actually not that familiar with live-streaming."
"Besides, I’m with my two best friends right now, so it’s not a good ti."
Seeing her reply, Adrian Sutton was so overjoyed he could have cried.
’Claire didn’t delete . I really thought she was going to.’
’But... Claire did turn down.’
’Was it too forward of to ssage her, given our current relationship?’
’This won’t work. The progress is too slow. Even getting a single al with her is an impossible luxury.’
He’d already waited for her for so many years. He didn’t want to wait any longer.
So, as Claire rcer and her two friends found a restaurant for dinner, she ran into Adrian Sutton yet again.
While Stella Thorne was still marveling at his good looks, Claire rcer couldn’t help but grumble to herself.
’Is Rhonia really this small?’
’How do I keep running into him every other day?’
Just as she was thinking this, Adrian Sutton was already walking toward their table.
He wore a warm, polite smile as he greeted Claire rcer.
"Fancy seeing you here, Miss rcer..."
Claire rcer nodded at him.
"It is a coincidence."
"Claire, you know this gorgeous guy?"
Claire rcer nodded.
Roxanne Peyton leaned into her ear and whispered.
"That’s the male model Claire spent the night with."
Once she had her answer, Stella Thorne’s eyes lit up with gossip as she looked at Adrian Sutton.
’Putting other things aside,’ she thought, ’this handso guy’s looks and bearing are at least a passable match for our Claire.’
’It’s a sha such a top-tier hunk is just a male model.’
’Otherwise, with looks that stunning, he’d be perfect for Claire to have a little romance with.’
"Miss rcer, would you mind if I joined you?" Adrian Sutton asked, looking down at their table.
Claire rcer actually wanted to say no.
’I don’t know why, but this man gives a strange feeling.’
’Rhonia is a huge city, yet we’ve run into each other ti and again. It seems a little too frequent.’
Just as she was about to politely decline, Roxanne Peyton spoke up.
"We don’t mind. Go ahead and sit."
She had a good impression of the handso stranger, if only because he’d put Gavin Sinclair in his place the other day.
’His profession might be a bit unsavory, but which heiress in their circle hasn’t hired a male model for a bit of fun?’
’Just think of it as so entertainnt for my girl, a way to pass the ti.’
There happened to be an empty seat next to Claire rcer. Adrian Sutton fought the urge to sit down beside her imdiately and instead asked politely.
"Miss rcer, may I sit here?"
What else could Claire rcer say?
It was a four-person booth. Stella Thorne and Roxanne Peyton were sitting across from her, leaving only the seat beside her empty.
She nodded at him.
Adrian Sutton sat down beside Claire rcer, his heart hamring in his chest.
’Ten years. This is the first ti I’ve ever been able to sit openly by Claire’s side.’
’Is my dream of all these years finally, slowly, coming true?’
Adrian Sutton was beyond ecstatic.
Roxanne Peyton, a natural extrovert, started to break the ice. "By the way, we still don’t know your na."
"Adrian Sutton."
"Can I call you Sutton?"
’Sutton?’ Adrian thought.
’Not even the elders in his family had ever addressed him so informally.’
’Especially since he was several years older than them.’
But she was Claire’s best friend, so he couldn’t very well refuse her.
He nodded at Roxanne Peyton.
"Sutton, you don’t have to be so formal. We’re all pretty easygoing."
"But speaking of which, shouldn’t you be at work around this ti?"
Adrian Sutton repeated, "Work?"
Claire rcer asked, "Don’t you work at the CK Lounge?"
"Oh... right."
He rembered telling Claire he was a staff mber at the lounge.
"The day I t you was my first day."
"Then you suggested I try live-streaming. I thought it was a great idea, so I quit the next day."
Stella Thorne quickly jumped in. "So Claire was your first client, and also your last?"
Adrian Sutton nodded distractedly before her question fully registered.
’Client?’
’Why does it sound like I’m really in so kind of illicit profession?’
’No wonder they’re calling Sutton...’
’I can’t let them misunderstand my profession. How am I supposed to pursue Claire if they do?’
’How could a male model ever be worthy of standing by her side?’
’How could he ever deserve to?’
Just as Adrian Sutton was about to explain, the food arrived.
The topic was dropped, and he couldn’t just force an explanation without it seeming deliberate.
’It’s fine!’
’I’ll find a chance to explain it to Claire later.’
’I only need to explain it to Claire. What anyone else thinks doesn’t matter.’
Noticing he had barely touched his chopsticks, Claire rcer asked.
"Why aren’t you eating? Is the food not to your liking?"
’Is Claire worried about ?’
Inside, Adrian felt a blaze of excitent ignite in his chest, but he feigned composure.
"No, it’s not that."
Rembering how she’d beaten him up last ti, Claire rcer felt a pang of guilt.
Besides, he didn’t seem to hold any malice toward her, so she placed a piece of spicy stir-fried chicken in his bowl.
"You should try this. It’s their specialty."
’Claire... just served food?’
An overwhelming sense of bliss washed over Adrian Sutton.
’The mont I’ve fantasized about every day... it’s finally happening.’
He suppressed the tempest of emotion inside him and gave her a small smile.
"Okay. Thank you, Miss rcer."
Though he almost never ate spicy food, he popped the piece of chicken Claire had given him into his mouth without a second thought.
It was so spicy. So spicy his tongue went numb, his throat felt like it was on fire, and his stomach burned as if scorched by flas...
But he was happy.
’This is a dish from Claire. Even if it were poison, I would savor it.’
Before the al was even over, Adrian Sutton’s stomach condition flared up, and he broke out in a cold sweat from the pain.
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