Chapter 128 Confirmation
Adrian Cole stepped out of his car in front of the lounge he usually met his friend.
The air carried that familiar quiet shift that came after sunset, when the noise of the day softened into something slower and more deliberate.
The tall buildings surrounding the street were glowing with scattered lights, office windows still illuminated long after most people had gone home.
Adrian paused briefly beside the car, slipping his phone into the inside pocket of his suit jacket.
His mind, however, wasn’t on the city. It was still lingering in Rebecca’s office.
The memory of their meeting replayed itself in small fragments as he walked toward the entrance of the building.
The way she had looked up when he walked in. The brief moment of surprise she hadn’t quite managed to hide.
And the way she had quickly regained her composure. He had met hundreds of executives over the years. Powerful men. Ruthless negotiators. Brilliant strategists and he could boldly say Rebecca hadn’t been any of those things.
But there had been something else about her. Something far more difficult to define.
Adrian stepped inside the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor. As the doors slid shut, he exhaled slowly. He had gone to that meeting expecting a simple confirmation.
A face to match the name he had seen mentioned in business circles.
Derek Hemsworth’s wife, Rebecca Smith.
That had been the entire purpose. Nothing more, yet the meeting had left him… unsettled. Not in a negative way. Just unexpected.
The elevator doors opened quietly a few seconds later. The lounge occupied the entire top floor of the building, and the moment Adrian stepped out, the atmosphere shifted.
Soft lighting filled the space, warm and golden. The glass walls revealed a wide view of the city stretching endlessly below, the roads appearing like thin glowing veins of light cutting through the darkness.
Inside, the mood was calm and refined. Low conversations drifted from different corners of the room. Glasses clinked occasionally. A soft jazz melody floated through the air, subtle enough that it never interrupted the quiet rhythm of the space.
Adrian adjusted the cuff of his sleeve as he walked toward the reception desk. The hostess looked up immediately.
“Good evening, Mr. Cole, ” she greeted, her voice sounding polite and practiced.
“Your guest is already here.”
She gestured toward the far corner of the lounge near the windows.
Adrian nodded once before saying, “Thank you.”
As he walked across the lounge, his gaze automatically swept across the room out of habit.
It was something he did unconsciously. Years of business meetings had trained him to notice details quickly.
Who was seated where. Who was watching whom. Who looked like they were trying too hard to appear relaxed.
But tonight his attention wasn’t particularly focused. His mind was still wandering back to the afternoon.
To Rebecca’s voice and her controlled tone, and the way her eyes had betrayed a quiet exhaustion she clearly didn’t want anyone to notice.
He spotted Henry before he reached the table. Henry Mercer was leaning comfortably against the back of a leather couch, one arm draped casually along the top edge. A glass of whiskey rested loosely in his hand.
Henry noticed Adrian approaching and lifted his glass slightly in greeting.
“Well, well,” Ryan said with a lazy grin. “Look who finally decided to show up.”
Adrian slid into the seat across from him. “You’ve been here long?” he asked.
Henry shrugged. “Long enough to finish one drink and start wondering if your mysterious little visit this afternoon turned into a date.”
Adrian gave him a flat look. “It was a business meeting.”
Henry leaned back, clearly unconvinced. “Sure it was.”
A waiter appeared almost immediately. Adrian ordered a drink before turning his attention back to Henry.
Henry, meanwhile, was studying him with the kind of curiosity that only came from years of friendship.
“So?” Henry asked casually. “How did it go?”
Adrian leaned back slightly in his seat, stretching his legs out in front of him as he exhaled slowly. For a moment, he didn’t answer.
He was still trying to put the experience into words.
After a few moments, he sighed. “She’s not what I expected,” he finally said.
Henry’s interest immediately sharpened.
“Oh?”
The waiter returned with Adrian’s drink and set it on the table. Adrian picked up the glass and took a slow sip before continuing.
“I thought she’d be cold,” he said. “Calculating. Maybe a little arrogant... like Derek.”
Henry chuckled softly. “That’s usually what people assume about successful executives.”
Adrian nodded faintly. “But she wasn’t.”
Henry leaned forward slightly. “Meaning?”
Adrian stared thoughtfully into his drink for a moment. The reflection of the lounge lights shimmered faintly in the glass.
“She’s controlled,” he said finally. “Very controlled.”
Henry frowned slightly. “That doesn’t sound unusual.”
Adrian shook his head slowly. “No. But the control isn’t natural.”
Henry raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
Adrian set his glass down on the table. “It looks like someone forcing themselves to stay composed.”
Henry studied him more closely now. “Like someone holding themselves together?”
Adrian nodded once. “Exactly.”
Henry leaned back slowly.
“Well… that’s interesting.”
Adrian glanced briefly toward the large window beside them. The city lights stretched endlessly across the horizon.
“She’s exhausted too,” he added quietly. “You can see it in her eyes.”
Henry smirked faintly. “And you noticed that in the middle of a business meeting?”
Adrian ignored the teasing. “I mentioned it.”
Henry blinked, surprised at his friend. “You said that to her?”
Adrian shrugged. “I just wanted to see how she’d react.”
Henry laughed under his breath. “You’re unbelievable.”
Adrian lifted an eyebrow. “What?”
“You walk into a stranger’s office and tell her she looks sleep-deprived?” Henry asked him incredulously.
Adrian picked up his glass again. “It got a reaction that's all that matters.”
Henry shook his head, still amused.
“I bet it did.”
There was a brief silence between them. Henry took another sip of his whiskey before speaking again.
“So… did you at least confirm what we suspected?”
Adrian’s gaze drifted back toward the window. “Yes.”
Henry waited for Adrian to continue before he'd say anything. Adrian turned his head slightly.
“She’s definitely Derek Hemsworth’s wife.”
Henry let out a low whistle. “Well that’s one hell of a coincidence.”
Adrian didn’t respond. Henry watched him for a moment before narrowing his eyes slightly.
“Don’t tell me you didn’t already know that,” he said, raising a brow.
Adrian’s silence answered the question.
Henry groaned. “You’re kidding.”
Adrian took another sip of his drink. “Her name came up during one of the development deals last year,” he said shaking his head.
“So you knew exactly who she was when you walked into that office,” Henry concluded.
“Yes.”
Henry leaned back slowly, shaking his head. “You didn’t go there to buy property.”
Adrian didn’t deny it.
Henry leaned forward, lowering his voice slightly. “Adrian… you walked straight into Derek Hemsworth’s territory and introduced yourself to his wife.”
Adrian’s expression remained calm. “I scheduled a site visit.”
Henry stared at him in disbelief.
“You’re seeing her again?”
“Thursday.”
Henry leaned back and laughed quietly. “You’re insane.”
Adrian raised an eyebrow. “How so?”
Henry gestured vaguely with his glass. “Derek Hemsworth is not a man you casually provoke.”
“I’m not provoking him.”
Henry gave him a long look. “You’re meeting his wife.”
“For business.”
Henry laughed again. “You and I both know you’re not interested in the property.”
Adrian said nothing making Henry's smile slowly fade as he studied his friend more carefully.
“…You actually like her,” Henry said, making Adrian looked at him.
Henry leaned forward again. “That wasn’t part of the plan, was it?”
Adrian allowed a small smile to appear. “No,” he admitted.
Henry shook his head.
“Well… this is going to get interesting.”
Adrian turned his gaze back to the city lights. Rebecca’s face appeared again in his mind.
The way she had smiled politely while still looking slightly tired. The way she had tried to keep the conversation professional, and the quiet sadness that seemed to sit just beneath the surface of her composure.
“She’s not happy,” Adrian said quietly.
Henry shrugged. “Marriages rarely look perfect from the inside.”
Adrian shook his head slowly.
“No,” he said. Adrian’s voice remained calm, but there was certainty in it. “She’s not just unhappy.”
Henry frowned.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
Adrian leaned back slightly. “She looks like someone who’s already walking away.”
Henry went quiet. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The jazz music continued softly in the background as the city lights flickered below.
Henry swirled the whiskey in his glass slowly before speaking again. “Well,” he said thoughtfully, “if Derek Hemsworth is foolish enough to lose a woman like that…”
He lifted his gaze toward Adrian.
“…then someone else might eventually decide she’s worth keeping,” Henry finished but Adrian didn’t respond.
But the thoughtful look in his eyes lingered a little longer than before.