Adaline rubbed her head. Her vision blurred. Since morning, her stomach had felt uneasy. Earlier everything was fine; she felt perfectly healthy. She had even had breakfast. So why did she feel nauseous now?
Adaline unlocked her phone and received a message from Altezza that he had just arrived at the project site. For the past two weeks, Altezza had ceased to lead Coskun Company. After returning from Bangka Belitung recently, it was finally decided that Gian would officially take Altezza's position in the company, as Duncan and Tessa had discussed earlier.
Now Gian held the position of COO-Chief Operating Officer-which was previously held by Altezza in Coskun Company. Meanwhile, Altezza had returned to his own founded company, an architecture firm that had been established over the last five years and which he had left to assist Antony at Coskun.
So for the past two weeks, Adaline and Altezza had been going to the office separately. However, if Altezza had no urgent matters, he would first drop Adaline off at Coskun before going to his office. And his new habit now was that every time he entered the office, Altezza would advise-or more accurately, command-Adaline to keep her distance from Gian. Even if necessary, Adaline had to flee even if all she saw was Gian's shadow. Apparently, the rivalry between the two cousins still persisted.
Tessa glanced at her friend intently. "Are you okay, Ada? You look pale." Tessa touched Adaline's forehead with the back of her hand. Not warm, but rather cold and sweaty.
"My head feels dizzy, and my stomach is queasy. I think I caught a chill," Adaline replied softly.
"Shall I make you some hot sweet tea?" Tessa offered, and Adaline nodded.
Soon, Tessa returned with a steaming cup of jasmine-scented tea.
"Take it slowly. If you still feel dizzy, it's better to go home," she suggested.
Adaline nodded. But it turned out that ten minutes later, her nausea had disappeared, and she was feeling better.
Adaline and Tessa decided to have lunch in the cafeteria. For some reason, Adaline really wanted to eat something slightly sour.
"Wow, this girl keeps getting sexier. If I had a wife like this, I'd happily stay at home all day," Adaline heard a man commenting quite loudly behind her.
"Who?" her companion asked.
The man might have been pointing at an article he was looking at because then the second man commented, "Huh, like a girl like her would even want us. I bet a girl like her would only go for rich guys. Just buying her sandals might cost three times our salary."
"Yeah, true. But who would actually want her anyway? Girls like her might not even make good mothers. Just for fun, looking at her makes you happy."
"Damn, I'd even take a knockoff Jovanka Lawrence. That body is..." The man whistled.
Adaline shifted her attention back to Tessa, who was bringing their order. "Why?" Tessa asked curiously.
"Those guys, when they talk about girls, it's always so lewd," Adaline replied, shuddering.
"Who's talking about who though?"
"Those guys behind. They were talking about Jovanka Lawrence. You know her, right? The famous model?"
"Oh yeah. She's in the same agency as Joanna, right?" Tessa asked. Adaline nodded. "Yeah, they probably like her. Guys always like seeing girls with big chests, curvy hips, lips with red lipstick..."
"Tessa, seriously. What are you even saying? Sometimes you just go off on a tangent."
"Well, that's the fact. Guys' minds are all about how to fill their stomachs and please the little guy down there."
"Just eat your food before it gets cold. You'll get a headache if you keep thinking about it," Tessa ordered, met with a nod from Adaline.
However, for some reason, the name Jovanka Lawrence continued to occupy Adaline's mind. There was something unsettling about that name. Yet Adaline had to admit she had never been associated with that name, even though she had a friend who was a model.
Later in the evening, Gian waited for Adaline in the lobby. His smile greeted her. Without hesitation, he waved to Adaline. For some people, this seemed odd, especially since Adaline was not someone who easily warmed up to others. She felt uncomfortable with Gian's actions. Although he was her brother-in-law, for Coskun employees who didn't know about Adaline and Altezza's marriage, they might assume their new boss was having an affair with Adaline.
"Hello, sister-in-law. You're quite difficult to meet, it's like meeting a celebrity," he greeted warmly as they got closer.
"S-Sir. You can't act like this, other employees don't know that we're related. Especially if your fans find out, what if they get jealous," Gian just shrugged nonchalantly.
"I'm not one to care about other people's opinions, just so you know. And as for fans, I know I'm that popular, but don't worry, there won't be any malicious fans hurting you, because before that, I'll be the one to protect you first," he said with a commendable level of confidence.
Adaline narrowed her eyes at her brother-in-law. "Then why were you waiting for me in front of the lobby? Is there something you need to tell me?"
"Oh come on. Does it really have to be this formal? Besides, this is outside of work hours, so stop with the fake formality," Gian casually draped his arm around Adaline's shoulder and led her towards the car. The man seemed completely unconcerned with what others might think. In a rather gentlemanly gesture, he even opened the car door for her and gestured for her to get in.
"S-Sir?" Adaline glanced at Gian with hesitation. Her eyes scanned the surroundings; she knew people were watching them. They must be wondering about the relationship between Gian and Adaline.
"Gian, Adaline, Gian. Besides, we're practically the same age," Gian suddenly laughed. "No, we're not exactly the same age. I'm three years older. But let's just say we're the same age. You and I were born in the same year, albeit different months. So stop using formalities like that when we're off the clock. And this, my current actions, are to prove to all the employees here that we're close. Since you didn't announce your marriage to the public, I'm doing it first," he continued in a casual tone. Gian nodded towards the car, silently gesturing for Adaline to get in.
"And actually, I also wanted to ask you about that. Why did you choose not to disclose your marriage?" Gian asked as Adaline settled into the passenger seat.
Adaline furrowed her brow. The reason why she didn't want to disclose her marriage to Altezza to the employees at the company was because she didn't want them to treat her differently. She knew there would be rumors, like Cinderella's story, where she, an ordinary person, suddenly married a prince. And there were many risks involved if people knew about her marriage to Altezza. One of them was people trying to get close to her. They might even flatter her just to get close to Altezza. Or perhaps they would gossip behind her back and malign her, listing Adaline's flaws one by one. Adaline wasn't ready for that kind of mental punishment.
"I have some business with Altezza, and he asked me to come to the apartment, so since we're heading in the same direction, why not go together?" she said, avoiding Gian's question.
Adaline simply nodded her head, whatever happened between Altezza and Gian was beyond her control. There was no meaningful conversation during the journey. Adaline only answered Gian's questions briefly without wanting to engage further. Just being in the car with him made her uncomfortable.
They arrived at the apartment, but Adaline didn't allow Gian to accompany her to the upper floor. Not because it was impolite, but as a wife, Adaline felt it was inappropriate to bring a man into the house without her husband, even if he was her own cousin. So, to avoid gossip, Adaline chose to have Gian wait in the apartment lobby. She tried to explain to Gian, and fortunately, he understood.
Once inside the apartment, Adaline chose to freshen up. And as usual, she began preparing dinner afterward. This time, she made an extra portion for Gian. Wasn't Gian fine in the lobby? The answer came shortly after.
Altezza and Gian entered right after Adaline finished cleaning up. As has been their habit in recent weeks, Altezza kissed her forehead in greeting. Although Gian called it a pretense, Altezza disregarded it. After dinner, Altezza and Gian chose to busy themselves in the study. Meanwhile, Adaline opted to watch TV. Bored with the TV broadcasts, Adaline finally turned to her phone. And somehow, news about Jovanka Lawrence became the main topic in the gossip column.
Curious, Adaline finally clicked on the news. It recounted Jovanka Lawrence's journey from her initial steps into modeling to being cast by a famous director and signing a contract for a major film project. The film, touted to cost billions to trillions, was scheduled for release soon. Besides the article, there was also a video interview conducted on a renowned TV station. Filled with curiosity once again, Adaline clicked on the video.
A beautiful face with a stunning body was now displayed on Adaline's phone screen. As a woman, Adaline was automatically drawn to aspire for a figure like that. A body with perfect curves coveted by all women. Smooth skin without blemish, a flawless face that seemed well cared for. And Jovanka Lawrence seemed more like a real-life angel.
For some reason, Adaline suddenly felt the urge to compare herself to Jovanka Lawrence. She herself remembered the past when her friend Joanna started her debut in the modeling world. Joanna admired Jovanka Lawrence, who had already been in the modeling world before her. Joanna was one of Jovanka Lawrence's fans. To Joanna, Jovanka Lawrence was an idol. A senior who was friendly, kind-hearted, and never stingy in sharing knowledge. Even her friend praised that Jovanka Lawrence had never been involved in the negative aspects usually associated with the modeling industry.
Adaline felt unlike her usual self; normally she felt grateful for what she had. But this time, there was something different about Jovanka Lawrence. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something unsettling in her heart. Or perhaps it was just her intuition speaking?