Chapter 047 An Indirect Kiss?

By the time they got back to City View Gardens, it was already 10 p.m.

Adelina walked in, loaded with bags of various sizes, and Fiona gasped in amazement at the sight.

The logos on the shopping bags were unmistakable.

"Adelina, did you land a sponsorship? You even have LV! Oh, and Chanel? And Gucci too! Are they all real?"

Fiona unpacked the items one by one—perfume, a skincare set, a bracelet, and so much more.

A quick estimate put the total value of these goods well into six figures.

Adelina felt slightly embarrassed and quickly packed everything back up. "I met Mr. Moore's mother today, and these were her gifts of gratitude. Pick anything you like to keep for yourself. As for the rest, if you're free tomorrow, could you please return them at the counter? I have to travel again, and I don't know how long I'll be gone this time."

"What? You want to return all these?" Fiona couldn't bear the thought. "Since Madam Moore gave them to you, why not just enjoy them? Why return them? Isn't her son's life worth this much?"

With a wry smile, Adelina said, "Don't forget, Mr. Moore saved me later on. We're even now. No one owes anyone their life."

Fiona looked disappointed but resigned. "All right, then."

She picked out a Chanel perfume for herself, thought for a moment, and then selected a Dior 888 lipstick. "This lipstick suits you; keep it. I'll handle the returns tomorrow."

Adelina checked the shade and agreed she needed such a lipstick, so she put it in her bag and headed to her room.

The next morning, Adelina was jolted awake by the insistent ring of her WhatsApp notification. Groaning, she opened one eye to see it was only 5:30 AM, earlier than her usual alarm.

"Hello?" Her voice was hoarse and groggy, the sound of someone not yet fully awake.

The person on the other end was silent for a moment before saying, "Come downstairs, I'll take you to the airport."

That jolted Adelina completely awake.

She glanced again at the caller's profile photo—a rolling mountain landscape that had a certain mature charm to it.

But then, the image changed to a photo of a small purple sandalwood bead bracelet.

Then, she saw the contact name—Langston!

It then dawned on her that she had added him on WhatsApp just the day before.

Quickly sitting up and clearing her throat, she spoke again, "M-Mr. Moore! Are you downstairs?"

"Uh-huh."

Not daring to delay any longer, she jumped out of bed and hurried to the bathroom to wash up.

When she came out, she was dressed in a practical T-shirt, sweatpants, and paired them with a sturdy pair of hiking boots.

Downstairs, the champagne-colored Maybach shimmered in the dim morning light.

Langston was dressed the part too in a set of hiking attire and matching boots, the very image of an outdoorsy guy ready for an adventure.

Seeing Adelina approaching, the man who had been leaning against the car door went forward to help her with her luggage.

"Mr. Moore, didn't you say the flight was at 10 a.m.? Why leave so early?"

It wasn't even 6 a.m. yet. If they left now, they would have to wait at least two hours before boarding the plane.

However, after Langston put her luggage in the trunk, he opened the passenger door, signaling her to get in, "Let's have breakfast first."

The restaurant at the Airport VIP Lounge was usually quiet, but the environment was exceptionally nice.

Langston's arrival quickly caught the attention of those around, and without his suit jacket, he looked especially approachable.

A blushing waiter came up to greet them and even poured them a cup of tea without being asked.

Langston ordered two breakfasts and soon after they were served, he picked up a phone call. "Yes, I'm at the airport now. All right, you guys drive safely, no rush."

Adelina glanced over unintentionally and saw the name "Miss Watson" on the screen.

She wondered if it was Katherine.

Remembering the way she had stared at her the day before, Adelina felt a certain hostility.

Lost in thought, she suddenly smelled something delicious, and without realizing it, opened her mouth.

"How does this teriyaki eel taste?"

Langston, who had just finished his call, forked a piece of eel and offered it to her. However, Adelina did not swallow it whole, instead taking just a small bite.

The fish was drenched in a thick sauce, melting on her tongue with just a light chew.

"Mmm, it's really good."

No sooner had Adelina given her judgment than she saw Langston put the other half of the piece into his mouth.

"Not bad," he commented after finishing it.

Adelina looked at him, startled, feeling her face grow warm.

She didn't know why he did that. It was almost like an indirect kiss.

Later, when she saw him fork another piece of eel, she busily lowered her head and started stuffing her mouth with food—shrimp dumplings, fish balls, rice balls...

Seeing her eat with such urgency, Langston thought she was really hungry, so he added some meat from his plate to hers.

Unaware, Adelina kept eating whatever she saw, including the meat.

It wasn't until she let out a loud burp of satisfaction that she stopped to look at Langston's plate, which was almost empty as well.

Langston gave a faint smile. "Next time, I'll just order two servings for you, to keep you from emptying my plate."

Only then did Adelina belatedly realize something—toward the end, a few more pieces of delicious eel had appeared on her plate, but her original serving had not included any eel at all.

"M-Mr. Moore, I'm so, so sorry! I..." her voice trailed off in embarrassment, "Maybe I could give you the money for it, or... shall I order another one for you?"

Langston looked at her lips as she spoke, noticing a smudge of sauce still lingering there. A slight itch tickled at his heart, his hand nearly lifting to wipe it away for her when suddenly, a delicate female voice rang out, "Langston, I've finally found you!"

Adelina and Langston both looked up to see Katherine striding toward them in a long, red dress, her sensuous waves of hair tied up high like a ponytail at the back of her head. To match her outfit, her makeup was even more striking than the day before, naturally making her appear even more enthusiastic and passionate, a very noticeable sizzling beauty.

Adelina also took note of the young man trailing behind her, and that his gaze was fervently fixed on her.

"Adelina?" In the next second, he proactively greeted her, "I didn't expect to meet you here! I heard you got an internship; did you join Moore Corporation?"

Katherine and Langston both turned their attention toward him.

"Waite, you know her?" Katherine asked with curiosity.

Waite's face went a touch red. "Adelina and I go to the same college. She's a grade above me. She's going to be a senior after this summer. We are both volunteers at the college's emergency medical reserve team, so we sometimes train together. I was actually hoping to have her at Watson, but who would've known she's so talented to get into Moore Corporation."

After his explanation, he stepped up to Langston and introduced himself, "Hello Mr. Moore, my name is Waite, and Katherine is my sister. She takes after our Dad, and I take after our Mom, so unless I tell you, no one would realize we're actually siblings. I'll be your free photographer for this trip, and since it's summer break, consider it a chance for me to get some practical experience!"

On the side, Katherine saw her brother's initiative and added, "Langston, he's from the photography department at Glorious University. You can trust the quality of his photos; they'll definitely be magazine-worthy!"

However, Langston's interest wasn't piqued by the prospect of photoshoots; his gaze coolly swept over Waite. "We're going on a field inspection, not a leisurely outdoor photography session. I hope you can approach this with the right mindset and not romanticize the process too much. Lest you find it too tough and start thinking about returning home after just one day!"

After listening, Waite nodded in agreement but couldn't help casting numerous glances at Adelina. "Mr. Moore, please rest assured, both my senior and I are part of the emergency medical team. Filming is just a side activity for us. But by having me along, you'll have extra assurance for rescue support. Isn't that right, Adelina?"