Chapter 133 Distracted And Distant
Adrian didn’t go back to his office immediately after the site visit. Instead, he told the driver to take a longer route through the city.
He didn’t give a reason. He didn’t need to. He just… wasn’t ready to return to normal yet. He sat quietly in the backseat, his elbow resting against the door, his fingers tapping absent-mindedly against his arm as he stared out the window.
The city was alive around him. Cars rushing past, people crossing the streets, headlights flickering in motion but Adrian barely noticed any of it.
Everything felt distant and muted. Like his body was there, but his mind had stayed behind. With her. Rebecca.
Her face came back to him without effort. Not just how she looked but how she felt. That quiet strength. That calm voice, and then… those tiny cracks he'd noticed.
The pauses she tried to hide. The way her eyes seemed to lose focus for just a second before she pulled herself back together.
Although jt had been subtle, so subtle that most people wouldn’t have caught it, yet he had.
Although that had always been the way he was, this time… he almost wished he hadn’t noticed. Because now he couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Adrian leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes briefly. Why does she look like that?
The question had followed him all day. At first, he had dismissed it, telling himself everyone looked tired sometimes and that everyone had stress, that it was normal.
But somehow, he just felt that this didn’t feel normal. It just felt like something heavier that it was something that didn’t go away after rest. That it was something she had learned to carry.
And that bothered him more than it should have. His eyes opened slowly. He glanced at his phone.
He had lots of unread emails, missed calls and deadlines; all the things that usually held his attention without effort.
But today, they felt… unimportant. That alone made him frown. That wasn’t like him.
Adrian wasn’t someone who got distracted easily. He didn’t lose focus. He didn’t sit in cars thinking about people he barely knew.
And yet, here he was, thinking about the way she had said—
“I’ll add it to my schedule.”
He exhaled softly, almost shaking his head. She hadn’t even smiled when she said it.
She had just said it like rest was something she had to earn. Or worse, something she didn’t think she deserved.
His chest tightened slightly at that thought, and he didn’t like it.
He didn’t like how that made him feel, because it wasn’t his place neither was it his concern.
She wasn’t part of his life. She wasn't even his... He stopped the thought before it finished because the more he tried to push it away, the more the thought remained.
An hour later, Adrian sat in a quiet private section of a restaurant. A glass of water sat untouched in front of him.
He hadn’t even realized he hadn’t taken a sip. He was still thinking and still stuck in that same loop.
Henry arrived a few minutes later, sliding into the seat across from him.
“You sounded serious,” Henry said, studying his face. “What’s going on?”
Adrian didn’t answer immediately. He didn’t even realize how he must look right now.
Distracted and distant.
Henry leaned back slightly, watching him more carefully now.
“This is about her, isn’t it?” he asked with raised brows.
Adrian glanced up and sighed when he saw Henry’s raised eyebrow.
“I knew it.”
Adrian let out a slow breath. “I met her again today as per the site visitation.”
Henry nodded and leaned forward slightly.
“And?”
Adrian hesitated. That one word shouldn’t have been hard to answer. But somehow, it was. Because he didn’t just have one answer. He had too many thoughts he couldn’t explain properly.
“She’s… not okay,” he said, the words coming out quieter than he expected.
Henry frowned. “That’s a strong statement.”
Adrian leaned back in his chair, rubbing his jaw lightly. “She looks like someone who hasn’t slept properly in weeks.”
Henry shrugged. “You already said that.”
Adrian shook his head slowly. “No… it’s more than that.”
He paused, trying to put the feeling into words. “It’s like…” he exhaled, frustrated with himself. “Everything she does is controlled. Measured and careful.”
Henry tilted his head. “Isn’t that a good thing?”
Adrian looked at him and shook his head. “Not like this.”
There was something in his voice that sounded more serious. Henry noticed it and leaned forward.
“Explain,” he said, looking at him curiously.
Adrian stared briefly at the table before speaking again. “It doesn’t feel natural,” he said quietly. “It feels like she’s forcing it.”
Henry went still, looking at him as he struggled to find the right words to explain it.
Adrian continued, his voice calm but thoughtful. “She doesn’t make mistakes. She doesn’t hesitate. She answers everything perfectly.” He paused. “But at the same time… it’s like she’s somewhere else.”
Henry frowned. “Is it like she's distracted?” he asked, wondering why he was finding it hard to explain if he might Rebecca was being distracted.
Adrian nodded slightly. “But she won’t let it show.”
That was the part that stayed with him the most. Not the exhaustion or the silence. It was the effort. The effort it must take to hold everything in like that.
Henry leaned back slowly. “Hmm.”
A brief silence passed between them. Then Henry said casually, “You know her husband, right?”
Adrian’s expression didn’t change. “I know of him.”
Henry nodded. “Well… there’s been talk.”
Adrian looked up, something in his chest shifted slightly. “What kind of talk?” he asked curiously, wondering why Henry had not mentioned it since and had waited till now to say it.
Henry hesitated, then said, “Derek’s grandfather passed away recently.”
Adrian stilled, a frown creasing his brows. “I didn’t hear about that.”
“It wasn’t public,” Henry said. “But people notice things like that. It can never be kept a secret.”
Adrian nodded slowly, thinking about all he knew about Edward Hemsworth. A powerful man, a name that carried weight.
Losing someone like that… it wasn’t just personal and it could affect
everything.