“Adrian, you-!” Felicity’s voice rang out, sharp with disbelief as she stared at him.
But her shock was fleeting. She quickly composed herself, then flashed a sly, teasing smile. “Tell me, are you actually interested in my sister? Or is it just the allure of Harrison’s soon–to–be ex–wife?”
She cocked her head, eyes glinting with mischief. “Since Selene and Harrison are in the middle of a divorce, I guess you get the thrill of an illicit affair–without having to worry about much backlash, right?”
Felicity looked at Adrian as if she could see right through him.
The whole room felt like a walk–in freezer, tension radiating from Harrison so intensely that even Dames looked ready to buckle under the pressure.
Adrian’s sharp, fox–like eyes hardened with a steely chill.
“Did you come straight out of the Vatican?” he shot back coolly. “You’re surrounded
by so many frescos, you must be mistaking yourself for a mural.”
Felicity was caught off guard, searching for a retort. “Are you talking about yourself?”
Adrian’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Nobody else here is as honest about what they’re really thinking.”
Felicity’s face colored with embarrassment. She forced a pale comeback, “You must be talking about yourself, then!”
Adrian only laughed, then turned to Harrison. “You really do attract these types, don’t you? No wonder Selene wants out. Honestly, it’s no surprise she’s divorcing you.”
He leveled his gaze at Harrison. “You two are from completely different worlds. You don’t deserve her.”
For a split second, Harrison’s eyes widened, storm clouds roiling in their depths.
Ever since word got out that Harrison was marrying Selene, everyone in their circle had been baffled. He could have secured a match with one of the heiresses from Aldonia’s most powerful business dynasties. Instead, he’d married the daughter of the Thompson family.
The Thompsons were wealthy, sure, but their company wasn’t even close to the top tier. Everyone said Selene was lucky–she’d married way up. People praised,
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Harrison for his generosity and sense of duty.
On top of that, Selene hadn’t even been acknowledged by the Thompsons until she was eighteen. Gemma had spent years grooming Selene into the perfect society wife.
Now Adrian was standing here, telling Harrison he wasn’t good enough for her.
It was laughable.
Maybe the doctor had injected saline into Adrian’s brain instead of his IV.
“Love really is blind, isn’t it?” Felicity crossed her arms and sighed.
Harrison gave a cold, mirthless chuckle. “I never thought you’d be the type to go for leftovers, Mr. Shaw.”
Just then, Harrison turned and caught sight of–Selene standing in the doorway. No one knew how much she’d heard of his and Adrian’s exchange.
He signaled for Dames and strode toward her.
“Monday,” he said flatly, “our waiting period is up. I booked us for divorce at two–thirty. Selene, are you actually going to show up?”
She was the one who asked for the divorce–yet he was the one daring her to go through with it.
He’d run out of patience for this woman entirely. He wasn’t about to let her drag things out any longer. He couldn’t wait to be rid of her, to see her regret it once the papers were signed.
But looking at Harrison’s strikingly handsome face, Selene felt nothing–not a flicker of emotion.
“Fine. Monday. Two–thirty. Courthouse steps. I’ll be there.”
The air around Harrison grew even colder, but he just turned and left with Dames in
tow.
As Felicity passed by Selene, she shot her a look–half a smirk, half a sneer.
Selene stepped into the room, her expression calm. “Professor Shaw’s here,” she told Adrian, “He’s cornered your doctor and won’t stop talking.”
The doctor had explained that Adrian’s injury was just behind his heart. If it hadn’t been for the metal buttons on his jacket stopping the arrow, the crossbow bolt could have pierced right through him.
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Chapter 57
Daph stood by the bed, her big, earnest eyes brimming with concern.
“Does it hurt, Mr. Shaw?”
“It does,” Adrian replied, feigning a dramatic sigh.
Daph stood on tiptoe and gently blew on the bandage at his back. “Let me make it
better.”
Adrian smiled. “Hm. I think it really does hurt less now.”
Daph grinned, her baby teeth flashing in a sweet, gap–toothed smile.
Then Adrian glanced over at Selene. “Aren’t you curious what Mr. Vaughn and I were talking about just now?”
He’d noticed her standing outside the door for a while–she might have missed the beginning, but from the snatches she caught, she’d know enough to guess the rest.
Selene shook her head. She could already imagine what Adrian had said to push Harrison over the edge, to make him finally drop the façade.
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