Chapter 211
The warm glow of the bedside lamp bathed the master bedroom on the second floor of the villa in soft amber light.
The bathroom door suddenly swung open, releasing wisps of steam. Adeline emerged, her bathrobe cinched tightly around her waist. Her damp waves cascaded over her shoulders, freshly blown half-dry. Without makeup, her face looked naturally flawless.
She carried a warm washcloth to the bed and gently began wiping the face of a tipsy Chloe, her movements tender and careful. After finishing, Adeline was about to help Chloe out of her clothes and into something more comfortable when a knock interrupted her.
"Who is it?" She called out.
Adeline paused mid-motion and walked toward the door, hearing a deep voice respond from the other side.
"It's Howard."
She pulled the door open to find Howard standing there, holding a wooden tray with two mugs of warm milk and a glass of fresh watermelon juice.
Adeline's eyes flicked to the tray, confusion written across her face. "Howard, what's all this?"
Howard's gaze flickered slightly when he saw Adeline. He offered her the tray and explained, "We all had quite a bit to drink tonight. The milk helps with sleep. Chlo has this habit—she needs a glass of warm milk before bed to sleep well."
"The watermelon juice is for the hangover. Chlo always gets dizzy and nauseous after drinking. This helps her feel better."
Howard looked at the bare-faced Adeline with complete seriousness. "I'm entrusting Ms. Taylor with Chlo's care tonight."
"Mr. Miller, you're being too formal," Adeline said with a laugh. "Chloe's my best friend. Taking care of her when she's drunk is a given."
She snorted playfully. "Seriously, Howard, we've been classmates for years, and this is the first time you've been so proper with me."
She accepted the heavy tray, feeling the weight of Howard's love for Chloe in her hands.
"You two are married and still this awkward around each other?" Adeline's gossip radar was firing on all cylinders.
Howard wasn't taking the bait. He turned and walked toward the other end of the hallway.
After he left, Adeline closed the door with her foot and turned around—only to find that Chloe, who had seemed passed out drunk moments ago, was now awake and staring vacantly while propped against the headboard.
"You're up?"
Adeline strode over and set the tray on the nightstand. "Did you hear what Mr. Miller just said? So, Mrs. Miller, milk first or watermelon juice to cure that hangover?"
"Stop teasing me," Chloe said with a resigned look. She reached for the watermelon juice and took small sips through the straw.
True to Howard's word, after finishing the juice, her dizziness and nausea subsided noticeably.
Chloe's eyes darkened with thought. When had Howard come to know her so well? He even remembered exactly how alcohol affected her.
"Feeling better?" Adeline asked, picking up one of the milk glasses and taking a sip. Her eyes narrowed in pleasure. "I had no idea Howard was so thoughtful and attentive—a perfect husband material. Remember back in college? Even though you both ran separate studios, you were always in sync. The entire class thought you two would end up together."
"Chlo, is it possible that this mystery woman Howard's supposedly in love with doesn't actually exist?"
"How could that be? If you love someone, would you stand by and watch them marry someone else? Don't overthink it."
Chloe instinctively dodged the question.
Adeline shrugged.
"Fine," she said, clearly struck by another thought. "Still, Howard is so much better than Arthur. Actually, there's no comparison between them!"
Chloe simply nodded noncommittally, continuing to sip her juice.
"Chloe."
Chloe looked up to meet Adeline's scrutinizing, curious gaze. "What?"
Adeline blinked a couple of times. "Since things are completely over between you and that cheating jerk Arthur, why not consider actually being with Howard for real?"
At her words, Chloe froze momentarily, her expression complicated.
If Adeline hadn't mentioned Arthur, she would have completely forgotten about him.
Previously, every mention of Arthur had made her either sick or irritated, but now she felt nothing at all.
"It doesn't matter. He has someone he likes," Chloe said nonchalantly as she finished her watermelon juice. She placed the glass on the nightstand and began changing clothes. "Let's stop talking about my love life. Tell me about you and Kelvin."
"Me and Kelvin? Nothing to tell."
Adeline choked mid-sip on her milk, coughing several times as suspicious pink bloomed across her cheeks.
Her eyes darted away, clearly avoiding the subject.
Chloe, now in her nightgown, turned slowly to face Adeline sitting on the bed. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes filled with gentle exasperation.
"How long were you planning to keep me in the dark?"
She was referring to whatever was happening between Adeline and Kelvin.
Previously, Chloe had been too preoccupied with work projects and dealing with Arthur's drama to properly check in on Adeline's affairs.
Now that she finally had time to have a proper conversation with Adeline, she wasn't about to let the opportunity slip away.
Seeing Chloe's determined stance, Adeline resigned herself to the inevitable. She knew there was no escaping this conversation tonight and raised both hands in surrender.
"You never miss a thing, do you? Ask away. I'll tell you everything."
"That's more like it. Good girl. I'm going to shower first, then I'll interrogate you properly."
Chloe flashed a victorious smile, gently pinched Adeline's cheek, and headed for the bathroom.
As soon as the bathroom door closed, Adeline collapsed onto the soft bed with a look of despair, her mind racing.
She was trying to figure out how to explain things to Chloe. Should she admit that she and Kelvin were just friends with benefits? But Kelvin had never agreed to such an arrangement.
She was screwed!
Adeline's eyes filled with conflict and struggle as she tossed and turned on the bed, trying desperately to figure out how to explain her relationship with Kelvin to Chloe.
Then the bathroom door opened, footsteps approached, and Chloe's cool voice sounded in her ear.
"Have you figured out how you're going to come clean?"
In that moment, Adeline felt like her world was crashing down.
Tonight was definitely going to be a sleepless night.
Of course, Adeline wasn't the only one suffering torment that evening.
A thousand miles away in Crystal Haven, at the Williams Villa study.
Arthur sat behind his desk, his handsome face darkened with displeasure as he stared coldly at the photograph in his hand. The picture showed four young people having an outdoor barbecue in the garden of a luxury villa, drinking and laughing together.
His gaze was fixed on one particular woman with an elegant, cool demeanor. With bright eyes and a dazzling smile, she outshone even the red roses blooming around her.
It was Chloe.
His phone lay on the desk beside him, screen lit up, showing an ongoing call. A hesitant voice came through, "Mr. Williams, Kelvin has joined Howard in Riverton. According to our sources, he's already taken a position at a private hospital owned by the Miller Group."
"If we allow him to establish himself in Riverton, it could eventually pose a threat to you. Should we perhaps... arrange for him to disappear permanently?"
Arthur's expression darkened further, an inexplicable frustration building inside him as his fingertips traced Chloe's smiling face in the photograph.
Once upon a time, his Chloe had smiled just as happily by his side. He couldn't pinpoint exactly when her smiles had begun to fade away.