“Sorry, Addy. It all happened so suddenly that I didn’t have time to tell you.”Duke’s voice came from the other end of the line. There seemed to be shrieks of panic from a crowd and roaring fire from a collapsing beam.Adina felt even more worried, and she spoke in a serious, as well as stern manner, “You have to be careful. The cemetery can be rebuilt if it burns down, but if you…” She pursed her lips. “In short, be safe. The kids and I will be waiting for you.”“Okay, I’ll go home as soon as I can. Don’t worry.”After Adina hung up, her heart remained dejected. She felt burdened as if a disaster was coming.“Addy, are you done calling Duke? We have to go and make a toast now.” Mrs. Winters walked over and handed her a glass of champagne.Adina placed the phone in her pocket before she flashed Mrs. Winters a smile. “Okay, let’s go.”There were a few hundred tables of guests at the wedding banquet. Experts from different industries were seated at each table, and they were all
There was a wet blanket over his body, and it looked like he was not injured.Adina sighed in relief. She immediately dialed Duke’s number, but nobody picked it up after the phone rang for a while.When she turned around, she saw Mrs. Winters walking over after sending off the guests. “Mr. Brown came to take the children home earlier. Let’s go home now.”Adina held her phone and asked, “Mom, is Duke back yet?”“He went to the police station to make a statement.” Mrs. Winters seemed to avoid her gaze slightly. “It appears that someone set fire to the Winters Cemetery. Not only the cemetery was destroyed, but the entire row of nearby shops and houses was also burned down. It’s a big deal, so Duke has to help the police with the investigation.”Adina nodded and did not say anything else.Once the wedding banquet ended, the hall became very quiet. The Winters family’s mansion was desolate upon their return as well.The courtyard was full of balloons and string lights, yet Adina felt
The sky was dark, and scattered moonlight fell on the balcony. The man’s figure was straight and slender.Adina pulled the blanket away before she gently got off the bed. She held a dagger that she had hidden in the drawer as she slowly walked toward the man on the balcony.Then, she pulled the balcony door open, lunged forward, and restricted the man’s arm with one hand. At the next second, she pointed the dagger at the man’s neck.The man was forced to turn around. When the moonlight shone on his face, his features looked clear and blurry at the same time.“Duke, why… why are you standing on the balcony?”Adina quickly released him and threw the dagger on the tea table on the balcony.She scrutinized the man under the faint moonlight.His illuminated features appeared profound and cold, while his gaze was intense. He just emanated an unwelcoming aura.It was just like when they first met.No, this man’s aura was even colder today than when they first met.Adina looked at
A strange aura permeated the room, and Adina immediately pushed the man away.She rolled over to the right side of the bed and switched on the light with a snap.The moment the light came on, the man covered his face.Adina frowned and looked over with a sharp gaze. When the man covered his face, she found his demeanor very unfamiliar for some reason.It was as if the original Duke had suddenly disappeared.“The fire burned my eyes today. Switch off the light first.”The man covered half of his face as he spoke in a husky voice.Adina crawled from the corner of the bed, pursed her lips, and said, “Show me. If it’s severe, you’ll need some medication.”She raised her hand and moved the man’s fingers away one by one.An extremely familiar face appeared before her. Adina saw his eyebrows that were furrowed, a habit that he had developed, and she also observed his tall nose and thin lips that he had used to kiss her.“Addy, why are you looking at me like that?” the man asked as h
The morning passed by as Mrs. Winters rambled on.While Adina listened to Mrs. Winters’ rambling, the scenes from last night played out in her mind.For some reason, the odd feeling in her heart intensified.She pursed her lips before she smiled and said, “Mom, did Duke go to the office? I’d like to pay him a visit and have lunch with him.”“Aww! The two of you are still sweet newlyweds,” Mrs. Winters teased. “I was thinking of asking you to have lunch with me.”Adina appeared apologetic as she said, “I have something very important to discuss with him. I’ll have dinner with you tonight.”“Go ahead. Have a safe journey.”Mrs. Winters stood at the door while she watched Adina drive away. Worry slowly filled her eyes.Adina had a smooth journey and soon stopped in front of Winters Corporation.Duke and Adina had just gotten married yesterday, so everyone in the city knew that Ms. Daugherty was now the lady boss of Winters Corporation.As soon as she stepped into the lobby, the
“I’m really busy.” Earl pursed his lips. “I need to take a flight to Europe for a business trip this afternoon, and I’ll only be back half a month later.”Adina was stunned.He was going out for a business trip on the first day of their marriage?It was not that he could not go, but this man would not do such a thing with the way he felt about her.“What would you like from Europe? I’ll bring it back for you.” Earl touched his thin lips. He had a chronic smoking habit, and he wanted to smoke again at that moment.Adina pursed her lips. “If Mel finds out that you’ll be on a business trip for half a month, she’ll be very sad.”Mel? The image of a little girl popped up in his head.He had only seen the little girl from a distance. He had not officially met the girl after becoming Duke.Earl smiled faintly and said, “I’ll bring her a present so that she won’t be sad.”He suddenly stood up. “Okay, I’ll get ready to go to the airport. Be careful on your way home.”He walked out o
When the girl started to cry, her three elder brothers panicked.George wiped the tears off her face. “Dad will be back in half a month. After that, you can be with him every day.”Alden stroked his sister’s hair. “You have Mommy and your brothers with you. It’s okay if Daddy isn’t here.”“Mel, have a lollipop!” Harold put a strawberry-flavored lollipop in her mouth. “How is it? Sweet?”Melody’s tears turned into laughter. “It’s so sweet!”Adina forced herself to smile.A child’s world was as simple as that. A lollipop could sweep away all the gloom.An adult’s world, on the other hand, was always complicated.Adina sat on the couch as she contemplated whether she should send Duke a message, asking him to call Melody after he arrived at his destination.The little girl would really get worked up if she could not see her dad for half a month.She searched her contact list and found Duke’s name. Just as she was about to send him a message, her fingers suddenly froze.How could
Adina leaned back in her chair and nonchalantly said, “Maybe they’re delivering money to me. Let them in.”She had been feeling gloomy recently. Earning some money could give her a temporary sense of happiness.Zhenny and Jasmine soon walked into the meeting room in succession. After Serene served them coffee, she sat beside Adina.Adina put on a fake smile. “Mdm. Jones, Ms. Yackley, may I know the purpose of your visit?”Jasmine scoffed before she looked to the side as if she was full of dissatisfaction.“First of all, congratulations on getting married.” Zhenny drank some coffee before she resumed indifferently. “I just heard this morning that my daughter offended you during the first chip design presentation in Elitos, so I’ve purposely brought her along to apologize to you. I hope that you can be generous and not hold it against a kid.”Adina leisurely replied, “Ms. Yackley should be twenty-two this year, right? She’s just a year younger than me. I don’t think a person of her