Chapter 126 Aura
In that instant, it was like touching a live wire.
Serena immediately dropped her gaze.
Adrian didn't say anything more, just turned back to his work. Just then, Serena's phone buzzed with a message from Blake, Sarah's assistant:
[Don't worry, Ms. Sarah Rothwell finished her checkup right on schedule. We got really lucky today—Professor Carrington was just getting back from the lab when we arrived at the hospital. She's taken over as Ms. Rothwell's attending physician. With her on the case, Ms. Rothwell should be in good hands.]
Professor Carrington—full name Katelyn Carrington—was the top-ranked oncologist in the country. With her as Sarah's attending physician, the chances of recovery shot up significantly.
Serena was thrilled, though also a bit surprised. She hadn't expected her sister to get this lucky. But hold on... wasn't this a little too convenient? Katelyn was Elizabeth's aunt. And given Elizabeth and Adrian's relationship... Thinking back to how Adrian had personally driven her to the hospital that day, a thought suddenly struck her.
What if running into Katelyn hadn't been a coincidence at all? Had Adrian pulled strings behind the scenes?
She turned to look at him. "Mr. Locke, did you—"
"What?" Adrian glanced up, meeting her eyes.
Serena was about to ask if he'd arranged for Katelyn to take Sarah's case when a gentle voice spoke from the doorway.
"Adrian, still working?"
It was Elizabeth.
Serena swallowed the words that had been on the tip of her tongue.
Adrian's brow furrowed slightly. "What were you going to say?"
"Nothing." Serena dropped her gaze back to her work.
Seeing this, Adrian let it drop. He stood and walked to the door himself.
---
Elizabeth entered with an elegant, warm smile. "Am I interrupting?"
"Not at all. I told you I'd pick you up. Why'd you come on your own?"
"I was in the area anyway, so I thought I'd just come up."
Adrian nodded and personally pulled out the chair at his desk for her. "Have a seat. I've got a bit more work to wrap up. Give me a few minutes?"
"Of course."
Elizabeth settled gracefully into the chair.
Adrian returned to his work area, his gaze briefly flicking in Serena's direction. When their eyes met, Serena felt a flash of mortification. She was totally third-wheeling right now—like a giant, glowing lightbulb. She quickly hunched over her documents, trying to focus.
Since the coffee table was already lower than a regular desk, and she was sitting directly on the carpet, she was positioned way down low—not even remotely at eye level with Elizabeth. Naturally, Elizabeth hadn't noticed her presence yet.
Serena tried to move as quietly as possible, carefully turning pages to minimize any sound and basically make herself invisible. But Adrian was working silently too, and Elizabeth wasn't scrolling through her phone or anything—just sitting there serenely. The office fell so quiet it was almost eerie. Even Serena's careful page-turning seemed loud.
Elizabeth's head turned in her direction.
Feeling that scrutinizing gaze, Serena scrunched down even further, desperately trying not to be seen. Her pulse kicked up with a weird cocktail of nerves and adrenaline—like she was about to get caught by the wife or something.
Which was ridiculous. She and Adrian had absolutely nothing going on. At most, they were an expired engagement. She didn't even know why she was so nervous.
Elizabeth couldn't see anyone and asked, "Adrian, is there someone else in your office?"
Adrian was reviewing documents and didn't look up. "New employee. Started today."
Elizabeth turned away. Serena finally breathed a sigh of relief.
But the very next second, Elizabeth stood and started walking toward her corner. Now there was absolutely no way to hide.
Serena looked up, meeting Elizabeth's curious, appraising gaze head-on.
She spoke first. "Ms. Carrington, hello."
Elizabeth looked down at her with thinly veiled assessment. "Hello. Why are you sitting on the floor?"
The question was gentle enough, but Serena could still feel the unmistakable vibe radiating off her—the boss's fiancée, marking her territory.
Serena laughed awkwardly. "The floor's... comfortable."
Elizabeth's brow creased slightly. She knew Adrian wasn't some warm, nurturing boss who personally mentored new hires. And this girl's face was way too beautiful—especially those bright, expressive eyes that gave her an innocent yet captivating look.
A thread of alarm wound through Elizabeth's chest. But she didn't let it show, turning to Adrian with a smile instead. "Girls shouldn't sit on the floor like that. It's too cold. Adrian, you should tell her to get up."
"Leave her be. Let her do what she wants." His tone was utterly indifferent, as if he couldn't care less what Serena was doing.
Serena's internal monologue ran wild. Did he think she was a total lost cause? Not even worth bothering with anymore?
Elizabeth, however, heard something entirely different in his words—indulgence. Adrian was letting a woman do whatever she pleased in his personal office. This girl had to mean something to him.
She was about to probe further when Adrian shut down his computer and stood. "Alright, let's go."
Elizabeth said nothing more and headed for the door.
Adrian glanced at Serena. "You can head out too."
"Okay." Serena's response came out way too casual.
Elizabeth heard and turned to look at her again.
Only then did Serena realize her mistake. She quickly switched to a more professional tone. "Thank you, Mr. Locke. I'll just pack up and head out."
Adrian acknowledged with a cool hum.
---
Elizabeth walked out beside him, smiling conversationally. "That employee of yours is very pretty. She looks a bit familiar, actually. I feel like I've seen her somewhere before."
"Really? You're probably mistaken. She's been working in other cities until recently. Just got back to New Valley."
Adrian's tone stayed detached. Seeing his lack of interest, Elizabeth dropped the subject and moved on to other topics. Gradually, their voices faded as they moved down the hallway.
Not that Serena was particularly interested in what they were talking about anyway. It was rare to get off work early—she quickly gathered the files on her makeshift desk and her personal belongings, then headed for the elevator.
The doors slid open on the parking garage level. What she didn't expect was to immediately hear the sound of muffled, heartbroken sobbing echoing through the quiet concrete space...