Chris returned after dinner with Joan and Edward.
Adriana wasn't used to eating alone, so she asked Heidi to keep her company at the table.
Chris noticed the bandage on her hand. "What happened to your hand?"
"I was bitten by Edward this morning."
Adriana saw no reason to hide it. A child's misconduct reflects the parent's failure to teach. As Edward's biological father, Chris bore responsibility for disciplining him.
"Chris, Edward isn't usually like this," Joan said, nudging the boy forward. "Hurry up and apologize to Adriana."
Edward clung to her leg and refused to let go, shouting, "She threw away my water gun and hit me! I got scared, so I bit her!"
"Shut up! This is Adriana's house. You have to listen to her, or you'll get kicked out!"
What a pointed remark. Five years apart, and Joan hadn't changed one bit.
Adriana rolled her eyes silently.
"He's just a child. Don't scare him," Chris said, then looked at Adriana, a hint of entreaty in his eyes.
"Adriana, Edward is my son after all. He's mischievous because he takes after me. Be more patient with him."
Joan chimed in softly, "Adriana, I apologize on Edward's behalf. I'm sorry."
Anyone watching would think they were a family of three, Adriana thought.
Since the parents refused to rein in their unruly child, there was no point in her inviting trouble for herself. But she wasn't about to let that bite go unanswered.
"It's fine. Chris will compensate me."
She removed the bandage and extended her hand toward Chris. "Look."
Chris's brow furrowed, his expression darkening. He'd assumed a bite from a four-year-old wouldn't amount to much. But the skin on Adriana's hand was torn open, two deep rows of teeth marks stark against her fair skin. It looked painful just to see.
"What kind of compensation do you want? Name it."
"A house."
This was the first time Adriana had ever asked Chris for anything. She didn't own a place of her own. The villa her parents had left her had been tricked out of her hands by relatives when she was young—the money never even reached her.
"Fine. Pick whichever you like."
Chris agreed without hesitation. She'd been wronged; buying her a house to make it up to her was only right.
A flash of irritation crossed Joan's eyes, though her smile remained intact. "Chris, you treat Adriana so well."
Adriana let out a soft laugh. "After all, we were both raised by Grandma Rosie, and we've been married for five years. We're the closest people to each other in this world."
Even as she said it, she lacked conviction.
Chris's parents and hers had died in the same plane crash. That year, she was eight and Chris eleven. As children, they'd bonded over shared loss, and he'd taken good care of her.
As a brother without blood ties, he'd done his duty well. But as a husband—especially after Joan and her son appeared—he'd become hopelessly muddled.
She said it only for the momentary satisfaction of provoking Joan.
Joan's smile nearly cracked as she cast a resentful look at Chris. He didn't notice and changed the subject instead.
"Adriana, come to the company tomorrow morning. I've already arranged everything."
"I found a job."
Chris smiled faintly. "You don't have to put on a brave front with me. There's nothing shameful about not finding work. I've got your back anyway. Go in for a few days, and if you don't like it, just come home and tend your flowers."
A chill crept into Adriana's heart. She replied coldly, "I'm starting work tomorrow."
He was so sure she couldn't find a job—it was laughable. If she hadn't spent five years caring for him full-time, she would already have built a career of her own.
Joan asked, "Which company is it? Maybe Chris knows someone there."
Adriana hesitated. To be honest, she still wasn't sure whether the offer was real. Sanctity was an internationally renowned corporation that countless people dreamed of joining. The interviewer had rejected her outright, yet she'd received an offer email afterward.
She'd checked the sender—it really was Sanctity's HR department. While mistakes were unlikely at a company of that caliber, the situation was still strange.
Whether she'd truly been hired would only be confirmed after she went in tomorrow. If she named the company now and it turned out to be a mistake, it would be unbearably embarrassing. She didn't want to lose face in front of Chris and Joan.
Seeing her hesitation, Chris grew even more convinced she was lying. He'd already had his assistant contact various companies. As for the few major corporations beyond his reach, Adriana wasn't even qualified to submit a résumé.
"You don't even know the company name. Don't get scammed. Have Jimmy drive you tomorrow. If it doesn't work out, you can always come back to me."
"Thanks, but I won't need that."
Adriana stood up and left the "crowded" living room without another word.
Every sentence was supposedly for her own good, yet every one of them hurt her.
Five years ago, she'd chosen Chris and given up the man she truly loved. Perhaps this was her retribution.
Before bed, Chris pushed open the door. "Edward is making a fuss, wants me to sleep with him."
Adriana replied with a distracted "Mm," quietly letting out a breath of relief. If he spent the night in Joan's room and then came back to sleep beside her, she'd feel sick to her stomach.
At this moment, all she cared about was the job at Sanctity. And the figure she'd glimpsed in the VIP elevator lingered stubbornly in her mind.
She must have been missing 'him'—hallucinating, even. After the breakup, he had gone back to his country, Mitaly. There was no way he'd appear in Heatherton City.
"Good night." Chris reached out and ruffled her hair. Adriana recoiled into the covers as if shocked by electricity.
He froze, his gaze dimming, and left with a dark expression.
…
The next morning, Adriana left early to avoid Chris.
She ate breakfast downstairs at Sanctity Group's building, then waited over an hour before employees began arriving for work. She went to HR and explained her purpose.
"The interviewer clearly rejected me yesterday. Are you sure the email wasn't sent by mistake?"
The round-faced woman at the desk smiled. "Miss Adler, we don't make such elementary errors. Although the interviewer turned you down, our chairman personally reviewed your résumé and decided to hire you."
Adriana was quietly astonished. She couldn't think of anything special about her résumé that would catch the eye of Sanctity's chairman, given the abundance of talent under his command.
HR didn't know the reason either—only that there was absolutely no mistake.
Adriana received her badge and went up to the ninety-sixth floor where she'd be working. The open-plan office was spacious and bright.
A man walked toward her. "Hello, I'm the chairman's assistant, Charlie Kloss."
A flash of admiration crossed Charlie's eyes. Anyone personally chosen by Neo Reeves at first glance was clearly no ordinary hire.
Adriana shook his hand calmly. "Nice to meet you, Charlie. I'm Adriana Adler. I look forward to working with you."
There were two other men and one woman in the office, all secretaries from the executive office. They greeted her one after another, and she responded in kind before lowering her voice to ask, "Charlie, I interviewed for an engineer position—specializing in intelligent powered exoskeletons. Is there some mistake?"
For the past five years, she'd been researching precisely this field, all for the day Chris might walk freely again.
"Our chairman and CEO, Mr. Reeves, reviewed your résumé and felt you were better suited for a secretary position. That office belongs to Mr. Reeves," Charlie said, pointing to the far end of the open office. At the end stood five or six long wooden steps leading up to an elegant set of double wooden doors.
"If the bell on your desk rings, it means Mr. Reeves is calling you."
"Understood. Thank you, Charlie."
Since she was already here, she decided to take things as they came. Getting into Sanctity at all was a rare stroke of luck.
Adriana resolved to establish herself first, then look for an internal transfer when the opportunity arose. She searched online for information about Sanctity's chairman, Neo Reeves. He kept a low profile; she found only a single photo of him giving a lecture at a university.
He looked faintly familiar, as though she'd seen him somewhere before, but she couldn't place it.
She must have been mistaken. After marriage, she'd had virtually no social life—only keeping in touch with her best friend Bella. Chris never took her to business functions. How could she possibly have met someone as prominent as Neo?
