Adriana’s fists trembled, but she forced herself to respond. "I would never do sothing like that," she said firmly. "My dignity won’t allow it."
With tears blurring her vision, she walked away.
The mont she exited the café, she deleted the ssage she had sent to Peter.
Tears stread freely down her face as she walked, her chest aching.
’My love life is truly strange,’ she thought bitterly. ’I had no one for so long. Then I t soone who left for a few dollars. And when I finally had money... I t soone who wanted because of it.’
Then she moved on and found another man, and this ti she didn’t even have enough money to lose again.
The irony of it all twisted painfully in Adriana’s chest.
For a fleeting mont, a strange thought crossed her mind... to abandon everything, disappear to so faraway place where no one knew her na, where she could finally find peace, or maybe even find herself again.
The more she thought about it, the more tears stread down her cheeks, blurring the world around her.
Not far away, Anton had seen everything unfold.
He stood there for a long mont, hesitation written all over his face, his fingers curling and uncurling as if he wanted to step forward and say sothing.
In the end, he chose silence. Turning away, he left without a word.
That night, when Adriana returned ho, the house was unusually busy.
No one noticed her quiet arrival.
She slipped back into her room unnoticed.
The mont the door closed behind her, the strength she had been holding onto crumbled.
She cried, her sobs muffled by her pillow, until exhaustion finally dulled the ache in her chest.
When the tears dried, she lay there staring at the ceiling, her mind slowly settling into a cruel clarity.
’If I can’t have Peter... and if I can’t bear to see my family suffer,’ she thought bitterly, ’then there’s only one choice left.’
Just as she reached that conclusion, her phone buzzed. A ssage lit up the screen... from David Richardson.
’How many months will it take for you to leave Peter without raising his suspicion?’
Adriana stared at the words for a long ti, her lips pursing tightly.
Without replying to him, she opened Peter’s chat instead. Her fingers hovered over the screen before she typed two words.
’Let’s stop talking.’
She sent the ssage, turned off her phone, and tossed it aside.
She wasn’t in the mood for explanations, argunts, or tears that night.
Curling up on her bed, she cried herself to sleep.
The next day, because of exhaustion and sorrow, she took leave from college.
When she finally erged into the living room, she moved slowly, her steps heavy.
Sitting at the dining table, she barely touched her food. Everyone noticed her swollen eyes, red and puffy.
Olivia frowned. "What happened to you?" she asked gently. "You look completely out of it."
Adriana forced a small smile. "I used the wrong cream," she replied lightly.
"My eyes are hurting." She gestured vaguely at the table. "Just ignore and continue with breakfast."
Most of them nodded and let it go.
But Aurora didn’t.
Aurora stared at Adriana’s swollen eyes, her gaze sharpening as fragnts of a dream from the previous night resurfaced in her mind.
The more she thought about it, the more certain she beca. ’So it wasn’t just a dream,’ she realized. ’Adriana really t Peter’s father.’
Her lips curved into a slow smile, but there was no warmth in it.
’Does David Richardson truly think he can threaten my sister and walk away untouched?’ she mused. ’What a naïve man.’
She looked at Adriana and called softly, "Adriana."
When Adriana turned toward her, Aurora smiled brightly. "Go and sleep," she said casually.
"Five hours later, the entire problem will disappear. That’s what my fairy godmother says."
Adriana couldn’t help but shake her head, a faint, tired smile appearing at the corner of her lips.
Aurora’s so-called fairy godmother was still a mystery to everyone, but one thing was certain, whenever Aurora said those words, good things sohow followed.
’I just hope,’ Adriana thought quietly, ’that after this long and painful breakup, I’ll still have the strength to love again... soone else.’
She nodded at Aurora.
Aurora returned the smile and calmly continued eating, as if nothing unusual had happened.
Once she finished her al, she casually instructed Emily to arrange a eting between herself and David Richardson.
anwhile, at the Richardson residence, David was having breakfast when his favorite daughter spoke up. "Kaya wants to et Peter."
David smiled, about to respond, when Peter’s cold voice cut in. "I don’t want to et anyone."
He didn’t even look up. "If you want to decide sothing," he continued coolly, "decide it for the girl you raised since birth."
David finally looked at him, his gaze sharp. "You’ve been acting rather arrogant lately," he remarked.
"Aren’t you worried that your eldest brother might find support elsewhere and take away your partners and all the things that should belong to you rightfully?"
Peter smiled faintly. "If my eldest brother truly has that kind of ability," he replied calmly, "then I won’t stop him."
His eyes glinted with quiet confidence. "At least then, he’d finally be doing sothing on his own instead of relying on Father to do it for him."
David chuckled softly, the sound carrying a hint of mockery.
"Ever since you gained Miss Dawn’s backing, you’ve beco quite arrogant," he remarked, adjusting his cufflinks leisurely.
Peter smiled faintly, unfazed.
"If you had Miss Dawn’s backing," he replied calmly, "You’d probably be even more arrogant than this."
David’s smile deepened. He straightened his coat and spoke with confidence.
"That’s because Miss Dawn sees value in . That’s why she plans to invest in you. It’s not the other way around."
Peter frowned, about to respond, when David’s phone suddenly rang.
David glanced at the caller ID and paused before calmly answering.
From the other end, his assistant’s voice ca through, barely containing excitent. "Sir, Miss Dawn has contacted us."
The mont David heard those words, his fingers tightened around the phone, almost trembling with anticipation.
’Miss Dawn.’ A rising billionaire. A legend in the business world.
Soone he admired deeply, soone he longed to emulate.
He had heard countless stories... how she acquired companies with terrifying precision, how her investnts multiplied profits a hundredfold.
’If I can get close to her,’ he thought greedily, ’I’ll rise faster than ever. Millionaire... billionaire... it’s all within reach.’
His thoughts raced until the assistant’s hesitant voice pulled him back. "Sir... should we agree?"
"Yes," David replied instantly. "Arrange the eting. As soon as possible."
Once the call ended, he turned to Peter, who was watching him with mild curiosity. David smiled.
"That was my assistant," he said lightly. "Miss Dawn wants to et ."
Peter raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Then I suppose I should wish you good luck," he said.
"And maybe remind you not to take things so seriously that you end up fainting."
David’s brows knit together, but Peter continued smoothly,
"Also, don’t forget your heart dicine. Otherwise, who knows what kind of mishap might happen."
David frowned. "Have you ever t Miss Dawn?"
Peter shook his head. "No. But I have an inkling." His gaze sharpened. "And I can only say this... whatever stunt you pulled yesterday, your karma is coming today."
David’s eyes turned cold. "Did Adriana tell you that?"
Peter shook his head again. "I’ll deal with her later."
His tone hardened. "But let make one thing clear. If you continue threatening Adriana, I will leave the Richardson family without hesitation."
He stood up, then paused, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Of course, you don’t have to take my words seriously," he added casually.
"After eting Miss Dawn, you’ll understand exactly why I said them."
With that, Peter walked away confidently.
David stared after him, frowning deeply. ’Is there really sothing I don’t know?’
He finished his breakfast quickly and left the mansion.
Not far away, Nexi who had overheard everything narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. ’Could Adriana really be Miss Dawn?’
anwhile, when David arrived at the private room, he found it empty. ’Is this so kind of tactic?’
An hour passed.
During that ti, David’s expression shifted from pale green to ashen white, then flushed red.
He swallowed his anger repeatedly, reminding himself that the other party was a billionaire.
One careless move, and his entire company could be wiped out with a snap of her fingers.
Finally, the door opened.
A woman stepped in, dressed in black, a familiar veil obscuring her face. David imdiately stood up, plastering on a flattering smile.
"I’ve been waiting for you for ages," he said smoothly, gesturing for her to sit.
She chuckled lightly. "You may have been waiting," she replied calmly, "Do you like this hotel?"
David nodded hastily. "Of course. Though I think the ambience here is excellent."
Miss Dawn smiled faintly. "In fact, this entire hotel generates profits in the millions."
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