After Adrian Desmond entered, he had intended to go to the study, but his legs involuntarily led him to his bedroom.
That bedroom was a place where he and Sienna Johnson had once shared their lives, with traces of Sienna still lingering within. The adjacent baby room, into which he’d poured so much effort, had also been beautifully decorated. All of this was ruined when Sienna left.
Following Adrian was lanie Carpenter, who stopped in her tracks when she saw Adrian entering his bedroom.
After that woman had left, Adrian hadn’t allowed anyone to enter that room. Although Adrian didn’t explicitly tell lanie not to enter, she knew that "anyone" included her.
"Mai!"
Adrian pushed open the door, silently praying that she would be inside, never having left.
"I’m back..."
The door creaked open, revealing silence and wilted lotus flowers in a vase. The cunning foxlike woman was not there. She had rejected him, truly abandoning him this ti. Adrian felt his strength being siphoned off, and he stood there in despair.
What do I have to do to bring you back to my side?
In the kitchen, lanie personally prepared dinner for Adrian.
lanie was an excellent cook. Her dream since childhood had been to marry Adrian, bear and raise his children, and be a good wife. Yet, due to their sporadic ti together, she hadn’t had many opportunities to showcase her virtues.
"Madam, your cooking is truly excellent. Simply slling it makes feel content," Affen complinted sincerely while assisting lanie with washing and cutting vegetables.
"I wonder if Sixth Brother will like it?" lanie asked bashfully, her heart filled with the simple joy of cooking for the man she loved.
"Sixth Master will definitely like it."
"I hope so... Sixth Brother has been running around outside recently, and he must not have been eating well. He’s lost a lot of weight. I hope he can eat more and regain his strength."
lanie prepared all of Adrian’s favorite dishes with great care, hoping he would stop looking so troubled and return to his forr, spirited self.
Affen looked at lanie, then thought of the proud and aloof Sienna. In her heart, she preferred a woman like lanie, suitable for both ho and social occasions. Yet, Adrian’s heart was filled only with Sienna, and he couldn’t see lanie’s good qualities.
Ah, n. It’s truly difficult to understand how they think.
After a bath to wash away his fatigue and a change of clothes, Adrian stood at the window, smoking. With his tall and slender figure, he exuded strength in every movent—a man capable of making a woman feel safe.
"Sixth Brother..." lanie stood at the door and gently knocked. "Sixth Brother, it’s ti for dinner," she called.
Adrian turned and looked at lanie, who stood quietly at the entrance, her gaze deliberately ingratiating. If he hadn’t encountered Sienna Johnson—that passionate, cunning, and fatally beautiful woman—perhaps he and lanie would have been living a courteous and peaceful life.
Did he regret saving that woman from the sea?
Adrian did not regret it!
If he could have known the outco, he still would have saved her, only treating her better afterward. He’d treat her well enough that she’d be unwilling to leave him.
"Let’s go." Adrian extinguished his cigarette and turned towards the living room.
As he left the room, Adrian subconsciously glanced at the adjacent room—the baby room. His son was already five months along in gestation, due to be born in just a few more months. He had to find them before his son was born.
As long as he was alive, Adrian would never allow her to marry another man or find a father for their son.
Her man could only be him, and his son’s father could only be him—Adrian Desmond!
lanie set the prepared dishes on the table, the customary complete and balanced al. "I learned this Squirrel Fish recipe from Affen so days ago. Please have a taste and see if it’s good."
All the dishes on the table were Adrian’s favorites.
"Hmm." Adrian had no appetite.
lanie placed a bowl of rice next to Adrian and smiled gently. "Sixth Brother, it took quite a while to prepare this al. You really should eat more. Look, you’ve lost weight."
The wolfberry rib soup on the table was still steaming hot. lanie sat across from Adrian. Through the rising steam, his face gradually blurred in her eyes, as if he were drifting further away, out of reach.
lanie skimd the oil from the wolfberry rib soup and ladled a spoonful of the clear broth into a small bowl beside Adrian.
"Sixth Brother, how is the taste of this wolfberry rib soup?"
"Good."
When Adrian was very young, he lived a lavish life. After a sudden family crisis, he faced a long period of hardship. Later, when he beca successful, his life grew even more luxurious. He wanted only the best of everything.
"Try this fish and see how it tastes. The fish was just caught from the sea this morning. It’s very fresh." lanie offered, using her chopsticks to place a piece of fish in Adrian’s bowl.
Adrian took a bite, but it seed as if his taste buds had lost all sensation. Unable to eat anymore, he set down his chopsticks. There were so things that he couldn’t avoid and had to face head-on.
If he had to choose between Sienna Johnson and lanie Carpenter, Adrian would choose Sienna. After all, she carried his child.
"Why haven’t you eaten? Doesn’t it taste good?"
"lanie, I have sothing to tell you..."
"Sixth Brother, let’s talk after dinner. The food won’t taste good if it gets cold." lanie kept putting food on his plate, hoping he would eat more, but Adrian didn’t touch his food.
"Sixth Brother, if you’re not used to my cooking, I’ll ask Affen to prepare sothing else for you."
"No need. I don’t have an appetite."
Adrian looked at the tranquil-faced woman. He moved his lips, then cruelly said, "Let’s get a divorce!"
Her chopsticks trembled, and sauce from the fish splashed onto the table.
"I don’t love you. The only reason I agreed to marry you was because of our childhood marriage contract. And... I swore that I would marry you and take care of you for the rest of your life. However, you know the current situation. Mai isn’t happy. She’s disappeared, and I can’t find her. So..." Adrian said harshly to lanie, whose face had turned pale, "lanie, let’s get a divorce. Even if you’re not my wife, I’ll still take care of you for the rest of your life."
Outraged, lanie responded, "Adrian, when my father passed away, you promised him that you’d marry . Are you planning to go back on your word?"
Adrian replied cunningly, "Didn’t I marry you? Now, I want a divorce."
lanie sagged, her upper body leaning against the chair back. She looked at him, distraught, as if she had lost her soul. She quickly composed herself, stood up, and grasped Adrian’s hand. "Sixth Brother, please don’t leave . If I’ve done sothing wrong, please tell . I can change."
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