Jas sat in the front passenger seat, nervously swallowing.
As far as he knew, Adrian had never been rejected by any woman in his life - whether in business, dining, or on bed. Christine was probably the first.
This was as catastrophic as the sun crashing into Earth.
And having witnessed the whole catastrophic event, Jas figured he'd probably get caught in the crossfire too.
The driver was smart enough to roll up the partition window between the front and back seats. Though by then, they had already heard most of what they shouldn't have.
Honestly, while Jas understood Christine's situation, he couldn't help but feel sorry for his boss.
Today, Adrian was supposed to et with a Bellamy family representative about a private art auction worth 300 million. They had just arrived at the private gallery, got off the car, hadn't even t the other party, when Jas' phone rang briefly before getting cut off.
Seeing it was Christine calling, he rembered how two months ago she had called about Marcus's evil intentions. After such a long ti, this call from Mrs. Blackwood at late night must be urgent.
He walked over and cleared his throat, gesturing for Adrian to check his phone.
But Adrian's eyes narrowed, and he imdiately instructed him to call their contact at the mobile carrier instead.
Their group had deep partnerships with national carriers for worldwide art transport security systems. Within minutes, they had Christine's location sent to Adrian's phone.
His boss had so kind of sixth sense - one look at the address showing Christine near a hospital side street, and he imdiately called for Thomas, heading straight back to the parking lot and racing over there.
Sure enough, Adrian's instincts were right. If they had been a few minutes later...
Jas shrank back in his seat, not daring to think about what could have happened.
Truth be told, Jas wasn't sure if Adrian had made such a big scene just to protect Christine, to deal with Marcus who had long been a disgrace, or both. But one thing was certain - Adrian cared about Christine more than any woman who had ever shared his bed.
This was the first ti Adrian had assigned his personal bodyguard to soone. And remarkably, these past two months were the first ti Adrian had stayed celibate.
He cared for her so deeply and had just saved her from danger. Stories of heroes saving damsels in distress had always been romantic classics. Jas thought Christine would at least show so gratitude, if not profound thanks?
But no. Apart from one brief "thank you," her next ten sentences were... accusations.
Jas even felt a twinge of sympathy for Adrian.
Trading a father for a son was tragic enough, but now Christine was burning bridges. Jas worried Adrian might snap.
He wanted to tell Christine to stop, but as a secretary, it wasn't his place to intervene.
Now, Christine was looking earnestly at Adrian.
She had been afraid at first, too scared to et his eyes. Outside, streetlights flashed by, their colorful glow streaming across Adrian's expressionless face. His prominent brow, sharp nose, and chiseled jawline gave him a pensive look that made Christine nervous.
But this was about Ethan. She had to be brave.
After hesitating several tis, she gathered her courage and blurted out: "Adrian...brother… if Rebecca, or Ethan, or anyone else asks later, could you... explain to them that we're not... that kind of relationship?"
Adrian didn't turn to look at her.
His eyes narrowed slightly, fixed on the reflection in the car window. Through the glass, he could see the woman he'd just rescued looking at him intently, her lips moving.
As Christine's last word hung in the air, Adrian's hand, holding a handkerchief, froze for a mont before tossing it aside.
Under the soft yellow light, his tal cufflinks caught and reflected a gleam.
Jas didn't need to look back to feel the increasingly heavy atmosphere in the rear seat. It felt like Adrian's two months of celibacy was about to explode into rage.
However, one thing beca clear to Jas: Christine never intended to be Adrian's woman. She wasn't after pleasure, money, or power.
She was truly a good woman, devoted solely to Ethan.
But... perhaps it was exactly because she was such a woman that the atmosphere grew even heavier.
Now he understood why his boss had been angry these past two months.
According to their original plan, they were supposed to drop Christine ho first, then take Adrian back to the gallery. With about 20 minutes left until ho, Jas silently signaled the driver to find sowhere to pull over. If they kept listening, they might not live to see tomorrow's sunrise.
The Maybach finally stopped on a quiet side street, dark and secluded.
The mont the car stopped, Jas and the driver practically shot out of their seats, leaving Adrian and Christine alone inside. They found a spot at a safe distance, but still within sight of the car - one crouching, one standing.
The November night was bitter cold with gusts of icy wind. Standing outside was miserable, but Jas preferred staying alive.
Inside the car, Christine felt nervous seeing they'd stopped in an unfamiliar place. Yet her nervousness wasn't from fear - more like uncertainty, as if she wasn't sure whether her words had been right, waiting for Adrian's reaction.
Perhaps Adrian believed that any woman he'd slept with automatically beca his. In a way, he wouldn't be wrong.
Christine didn't care about the label - what worried her was Ethan finding out. She couldn't bear those consequences. It would lead them all into an inescapable abyss.
"Christine Blackwood, twice now."
Adrian suddenly spoke, his voice as cold as the freezing air outside.
In three months, this woman had provoked his anger twice.
"...What?"
Christine didn't understand, her heart trembling at his tone.
For she realized this might be the first ti he'd called her by na.
"What should you be calling ?"
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