Chapter 46
Walking out of the Adams Mansion, Jeffrey caught up with Ophelia, his face dark: "Ophelia, you were really disrespectful to Sloane just now. Grandpa's upset too."
"Did she respect me?" Ophelia turned to look at him, her eyes cold. "She's been making snide remarks since she walked in, putting me down at every turn. The fact that I didn't embarrass her completely already shows plenty of respect for Grandpa."
Jeffrey was left speechless, opening his mouth: "But she's an elder after all..."
"Then she should act like one." Ophelia cut him off. "Jeffrey, I've done more than enough by helping you fool your grandfather."
"I'm giving you one month to clean up your mess with Freya, and to make it clear to the Adams family that we're done."
"If you can't handle it in a month, I'll tell your grandfather the truth myself. Don't blame me when that happens."
Jeffrey froze: "One month? That's too short. I still haven't figured out the company situation."
"That's my final deadline." Ophelia gave him no room to negotiate. "It's up to you."
With that, she headed toward her car.
Just as she opened the door, Jeffrey's phone rang, the screen showing "Freya."
Ophelia caught a glimpse and saw Jeffrey answer, his tone immediately softening: "Freya, I'm out handling some business. I'll be back soon."
"I'm not with anyone, just by myself."
Watching him lie without batting an eye, Ophelia suddenly found it amusing.
He used to be the same way—sweet-talking her while saying he was busy at work and had to stay late, when he was actually out shopping and eating with Freya. He even made excuses to miss her birthday.
She didn't linger, starting her car and driving off.
Jeffrey hung up, watching Ophelia's car disappear at the intersection, his face grim.
He knew Ophelia meant what she said. If he couldn't handle things in a month, she really would tell Wesley the truth. Then he wouldn't just lose Wesley's money—he'd be kicked out of the Adams family.
But Freya wasn't easy to deal with either. She was treating him like a lifeline now. How could she possibly let go easily?
Jeffrey irritably ran his hand through his hair and pulled out his phone to text Freya: "Got some urgent business to handle. I'll be back later. Don't overthink it."
After sending the message, he drove off too.
Driving away, Ophelia felt no emotional turmoil, just a sense that this farce should end sooner rather than later.
Her car had just merged onto the main road when her phone suddenly vibrated.
William's name flashed on the screen. She paused for a moment, then answered casually.
"Hello, Mr. Brown." Her voice still carried a hint of exhaustion from leaving the Adams Mansion.
William's voice came through the phone, sounding lower than usual, with a slightly slurred quality: "Ophelia, I'm at The Velvet Room. I've had too much to drink. Could you come pick me up?"
Ophelia frowned, a bit confused.
She'd seen William's alcohol tolerance before. At the last celebration dinner, he'd drunk plenty of red wine without showing any effects. How could he suddenly be drunk and asking her to pick him up?
But thinking it over, she and William were business partners on the resort project, and he'd helped her out plenty of times before. It would be hard to refuse.
"Send me the address. I'll head over now." She didn't ask questions, agreeing readily.
After hanging up, she turned the car around and headed toward The Velvet Room.
Still, she couldn't help wondering—William was always so careful, and Chase was usually with him. How could he end up drunk and alone?
Forty minutes later, Ophelia followed the GPS to The Velvet Room.
The Velvet Room was lavishly decorated, with dim yellow lighting and soft music playing in the corners.
As soon as she walked in, she spotted William sitting by the window. In front of him sat a bottle of red wine, more than half empty, and he held a wine glass in his hand, swirling it slowly.
He wore a dark gray suit with two buttons undone at the collar and sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing the smooth lines of his wrists. Where was the drunk person?
His eyes were clear, his expression calm, even carrying a hint of amusement.
Ophelia walked over and sat down, her tone puzzled: "Mr. Brown, you're not drunk?"
William looked up at her, a smile playing at his lips as he took a sip of wine: "I needed a reason to get you to come see me."
He raised his hand to call over a server, indicating to add another place setting: "Sit down and have a drink with me? The wine here is quite good."
Ophelia didn't move, her confusion growing: "You specifically called me here just to drink?"
"What else?" William set down his glass, his gaze settling on her face with a probing look. "The other day, I saw you having dinner with Jeffrey and Kaida. Seemed like a pretty friendly conversation?"
Ophelia's heart jumped. So he really had seen them.
She picked up the water glass on the table and took a sip, her tone flat: "Not really friendly. Just discussing some things with Jeffrey and letting Kaida know how to play along."
"Play along?" William raised an eyebrow, leaning forward slightly. "You seem less cold toward that child than I expected."
"You think I'm going soft on Jeffrey?"
Ophelia found this absurd and couldn't help laughing: "Mr. Brown, are you jealous?"
She meant it as a casual joke, but William didn't deny it. Instead, his eyes darkened, and his whole demeanor shifted.
He suddenly stood up, walked around the table, and approached her.
Ophelia instinctively leaned back, her back hitting the wall with nowhere left to go.
William placed both hands on the wall on either side of her, trapping her in a small space.
The air around them seemed to freeze instantly. His faint woody scent mixed with the mellow aroma of red wine washed over her, almost enveloping her completely.
His gaze was intense, carrying undisguised aggression as it locked onto her eyes, his voice low and direct: "Yes, I'm jealous. So what?"
Ophelia's heart skipped a beat, her cheeks flushing uncontrollably, as if they'd been set on fire.
She could clearly feel his warm breath brushing past her ear, carrying a faint hint of alcohol, making her ears tingle instantly.
"Mr. Brown, you... don't do this." She turned her face away, not daring to meet his eyes, her voice trembling slightly.
William chuckled softly, his breath grazing the side of her neck with burning warmth: "You don't like it when I do this?"
Ophelia's ears turned completely red. She quickly changed the subject: "Where's Chase? It's so late—why isn't he with you?"
"I sent him back to handle the Ainsley situation." William straightened up, his tone regaining some composure but still carrying a trace of subtle intimacy. "She still won't give up. She wants to get the media to expose some baseless rumors. I had Chase go suppress it."
He sat back down across from her, looking at Ophelia's flushed cheeks, the amusement in his eyes deepening: "Alright, I'll stop teasing you."