Chapter 22: Who Have You Been With?

"Pfft."

It was unknown how much time passed before Vivian Hale let out a soft laugh.

She chided reproachfully, "What are you talking about, Honey? I have chronic gastroenteritis. How did you manage to drag pregnancy into this?"

At this point, Vivian paused for a moment.

She feigned ambiguity, her eyes like silk.

"Or rather, do you want a child again?"

Adrian Cross had just let out a sigh of relief, but hearing these words made him feel as if a fishbone were stuck in his throat.

After a long while, he finally squeezed a sentence out of his mouth, "Let's not think about that for now..."

This response was exactly what Vivian had intended.

She immediately followed up, "Yes, the doctor said this illness of mine needs to be nurtured slowly and properly. If I'm helping you handle the real estate matters, I won't have the energy to deal with any extra things."

Vivian looked up, her bright eyes staring brilliantly at Adrian.

"Speaking of Mom's side, I really am a bit unable to look after her. However, Miss Rose is so capable; with her going to take care of her, I'm very much at ease. Honey, you won't blame me for this, right?"

Adrian thought of his own mother's demand to bring Vivian over, and suddenly felt a lump in his throat.

Too many things had happened today; at this time, he really shouldn't let Vivian overexert herself anymore.

After all, this woman was sincerely acting for his own good.

Unlike Tiffany, who had actually pulled off such a stunt just to fight over jealousy.

If it weren't for the patent in her hands, he probably would have dumped that stupid woman long ago.

Let her serve his mother for a few days then; it could be considered a lesson for her.

After figuring this out, Adrian spoke slowly, "Mm, let her take good care of Mom. You're physically unwell, so just focus on recovering properly. No need to worry. However..."

Adrian’s gaze darkened slightly.

He looked at Vivian again, the depths of his eyes once more filled with calculation.

"However, you still need to go to this industry summit. Tiffany is too young; I'm afraid she won't be able to control such a massive scene. You have to help her more."

Hearing this, Vivian showed not a single shred of discomfort on her face.

Her smile remained radiant, "Alright, if it can relieve my husband's worries and difficulties, I'm willing to do it."

Gazing at her unresentful little face, an indescribable emotion flashed through Adrian’s heart.

He didn't harbor any suspicions, merely reaching out his hand to ruffle Vivian’s head.

Like rewarding an obedient and well-behaved pet, "As expected, my wife is still the best."

Vivian curled the corners of her mouth, smoothly shifting the topic.

"Then I'll go wash up first and wait for you upstairs."

With that, she rose and prepared to go upstairs, revealing an elegant, porcelain-white swan neck and a distinctly delicate collarbone.

Her houndstooth jacket exposed the apricot-colored camisole dress underneath.

The satin fabric draped over her beautiful body, outlining a proud silhouette.

Her skin looked as fair and translucent as snow.

Seeing this, Adrian’s eyes flickered, his throat rolling.

Earlier at the hotel, he had been interrupted right when his interest was at its peak. Returning now to find Vivian so submissive, gentle, and obedient, it was impossible for him not to feel aroused.

He lifted his hand, wanting to pull her into his embrace, but in the very next instant, he spotted an ambiguous red mark on her exposed chest.

Resembling a red rose petal, it was exceptionally conspicuous against her tender white skin.

Adrian’s breathing abruptly stopped.

A chilling sharpness suddenly burst forth from his eyes, and he grabbed Vivian’s wrist in a tight vice.

"Vivian Hale, who exactly have you been with these past few days?!"

Vivian looked down and saw the mark on her body, her eyes narrowing slightly.

This was left behind by that man, Silas Cross.

And this dog of a man before her, after flirting and fooling around with the wild flower outside, was now looking to release his lust everywhere?

She merely lifted her gaze and curled her lips, her expression appearing entirely innocent.

"With Pearl, of course. What's wrong? Honey, you're hurting me."

"Then where did the mark on your body come from?"

Adrian spoke through gritted teeth, his gaze ice-cold.

"Oh, you mean this? This is a mark left from my physical therapy session in Sanya. You also know that usually, any random touch leaves a mark on me. Don't tell me you've misunderstood something about me?"

Adrian’s grip on Vivian’s hand didn't loosen.

His expression was hideously dark and terrifying.

Yet Vivian merely tilted her head, looking at him with confusion.

Given the current situation, even if she lied, Adrian wouldn't dare not to believe her.

Sure enough, after a period of silence, the man finally released her hand, and the desire that had clearly surged within him just now completely receded.

He was just about to speak, but Vivian beat him to it.

"Honey, why have you been so paranoid and suspicious lately? I've heard that when people do something guilty, they tend to think the same of others. Could it be that something really is going on between you and Tiffany?"

Adrian’s words instantly became choked in his throat.

His heart was vexed, yet he didn't dare to pursue the matter further.

"How could that be? I have no interest in that kind of country bumpkin."

Vivian narrowed her eyes.

"Really?"

Adrian’s mind was a complete muddle, carrying an indescribable amount of irritability.

"Could I possibly lie to you?"

He simply didn't want to remain in the villa any longer, casting a guilty glance at his wristwatch.

"I just remembered there are still some matters at the company that haven't been handled yet. I'm going back to work. Sleep early."

Leaving behind those words, the man departed in a hurry.

Vivian watched his retreating figure, making no move to stop him.

She put her jacket back on with a cold sneer, the depths of her eyes entirely frozen.

Adrian Cross, this is only the beginning.

...

Living in the villa without the man was considerably more comfortable.

Vivian soaked in a hot bath, taking the opportunity to open her work software to check the company's recent status.

The results left her utterly astounded.

During the short time she was away on 'vacation,' the approval forms had practically exploded.

Aside from employee resignations and a drain on talent, it was all allocations of funds.

The amounts ranged from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, yet all the money had been poured into research without a single final outcome report in sight.

It seemed Tiffany was using her few initial drafts to forcefully push the project forward.

Truly foolish to the extreme. But this time, she should be taking a massive tumble, right?

Vivian continued scrolling with her mouse, only to discover a rejection email from WE sitting quietly in her inbox.

Opening it to read, the content explicitly stated their refusal and that they would not permit any subsidiary company to have any cooperation with Cross Group.

The tone was unyielding, carrying an flavor that brooked no resistance.

Vivian raised an eyebrow. WE was precisely the company she had interviewed with last time.

This email from the other party was undoubtedly adding insult to injury for the current Cross Group, but at the same time, it was helping her corner the dog into a dead end.

Once this statement from the other party went public, anyone else wishing to cooperate with the Cross Group would naturally have to weigh the consequences carefully.

Only, why was the other party helping her?

Vivian pondered for a moment, simply picking up her phone to open her memo app.

Inside was the contact information for that mysterious boss.

She had finished her interview back then but forgot to add him upon her return.

Now that someone had done her such a massive favor, she really ought to express her gratitude, and perhaps test the waters while she was at it.

Otherwise, her heart would always feel a bit unsettled.

Vivian searched for the account.

Very quickly, a black profile picture appeared.

Even the network name was merely a single letter: L.

Vivian bit her lip, ultimately sending the friend request anyway.

She originally thought she would have to wait for a long time, but the other party accepted within a second.

Furthermore, he proactively sent a message.

"Hello, Miss Hale."

Staring at these words, Vivian was momentarily dazed.

Why did she get the feeling that the person on the other end had been intentionally waiting for her—and had been waiting for a very long time.

Yet the relationship between the two of them really couldn't be considered deep.