In a private room of one of the most exclusive restaurants in Imperial City, Adrian Hale sat across from his longtime friend.
"Achoo! Achoo!" Adrian sneezed twice.
Rowan Lawson, platinum blond and ever playful, smirked. "Someone must be cursing you. Sounds like a woman."
Rowan, heir to the Lawson family, one of the four great powers of the Imperial City, was known for his easy charm. He and Adrian had studied abroad together, though unlike Adrian, Rowan had returned home earlier to run his family's empire.
Adrian, however, wasn't here for leisure. His grandmother had sent him back with a purpose: to find a woman.
He ignored Rowan's teasing and closed the file he'd been studying. Handing it to his assistant, Noah, who stood by attentively, Adrian said firmly, "Collect every detail about her as soon as possible."
"Yes, Mr. Hale," Noah replied, taking the file.
"Her?" Rowan leaned forward, curious. "Who is this mysterious 'her'?"
Adrian met his gaze steadily. "You live here. You must have heard of Elena Cross, daughter of the Cross family. Tell me what you know."
Rowan's face soured immediately. "Why her? Don't tell me you're interested in that kind of woman."
Adrian's brow lifted. "What do you mean by that kind?"
Rowan scoffed. "Don't you read the papers? Just look her up. She's nothing but a scandal waiting to happen. If you're thinking of getting involved, don't. She's toxic."
"I've seen the news," Adrian admitted. "But do you know her personally?"
"No, and I don't want to," Rowan said with a grimace. "Her reputation in the elite circle isn't just bad, it's ruined. That Reed Brown wanted to marry her, and she still managed to disgrace him. Imagine already married and still planning another wedding. What kind of woman does that? I almost feel sorry for her family. No wonder they banished her for years, though clearly, it didn't fix her."
Adrian said nothing. Every account he'd heard so far painted Elena in the worst light. He wondered if his grandmother had miscalculated. Still, he wasn't ready to judge without meeting her himself.
Rowan waved the topic away with a laugh. "Enough about that nuisance. We finally met again after so long. Let's talk about you. Now that you're staying in the Imperial City, we can finally catch up. I'll call Seth and Nathan too."
Adrian nodded absently, though his thoughts lingered. If Elena Cross was truly as wild as everyone claimed, then for his grandmother's sake, he would make her change. He had tamed far worse. One stubborn girl would not be the exception.
"You'll be taking over as the global CEO of the Hale empire now, and it will be difficult for you not to show publicly in our own country. When do you plan on revealing yourself?" Rowan asked.
"Not yet. Once I take care of some important matters, I will."
"Alright."
Once Elena was entirely calm and back to her senses, Mia asked, "What are you going to do about your job? Still gonna continue working for the Browns?"
"I will resign after I finish the current project. It's not right to leave it at the last moment."
"That means you still want to work with that asshole Reed, who didn't show even an ounce of trust in you despite knowing you for so many years and claiming to love you?"
"Mia, any man would be angry to see the woman he loves already married. He must have felt betrayed. Who in the world is going to believe that I'm married without even knowing it?"
"You still trust that jerk, don't you?" Mia cursed under her breath. "I'm telling you, he would not wait to get rid of you, forgetting everything you have done for him and his company over the years."
"He won't do it. He knows how to separate personal and professional relationships. He knows the company needs me."
Just then, Elena's phone rang. It was a call from her office.
Mia looked at the cellphone screen. "They know what happened yesterday and can't wait to call you back to work or should I say, to mock and insult you."
"It's my workplace, and I have to report anyway." Elena answered the call and heard a voice. "Miss Cross, you have been asked to report to the office."
"I'll be there in a while," she said before hanging up.
" Elena, I think you should resign."
"I'll decide once I get there," Elena replied, quickly straightening her dress, fixing her hair and face, and then leaving.
A white, ordinary car stopped in the parking lot of Brown Industries. Elena stepped out, only to see a familiar red luxury car pass by and park nearby. Determined to avoid trouble, she headed toward the elevator and waited for it to arrive.
"Nat," a sweet voice called out. A woman stood next to her, waiting for the elevator.
"You're not close enough to call me by my nickname," Elena replied coldly, eyeing her sister, who wouldn't budge until acknowledged.
Selena always maintained herself like a perfect lady. She was beautiful, wore expensive designer dresses, and acted sweetly in front of everyone, earning her the title of one of the most desired young ladies among the elites. Today, she wore a beige trench coat, her chestnut curls falling over her shoulders, highlighting her delicate features. Her sparkling eyes and smooth skin, every frown and smile exuding elegance. In contrast, Elena always wore professional-looking, work-appropriate clothes, which had become a habit even in her daily life.
Elena was undoubtedly beautiful, but she consistently wore the same clothes and kept the same hairstyle. Hers was one of those cases where even the most beautiful woman can look unremarkable if she doesn't put any effort into dressing up and focuses solely on work.
"Despite how you are, you are my sister, Elena," Selena spoke softly. "I will always care for you. I didn't sleep the entire night worrying about you. This morning, when you came home..."
"Spare me the theatrics," Elena interrupted. "You might consider becoming an actress."
The elevator arrived, and Elena stepped inside, followed by Selena. Elena pressed the button for the seventeenth floor and stepped aside.
A light smirk appeared on Selena's lips. "Will you press the thirtieth floor for me?"
"I see your hands are still attached to your body," Elena replied indifferently, knowing what Selena was trying to do. The thirtieth floor was Reed's private space, where no one was allowed without his permission.
"Never mind," Selena pressed the button herself. "I know you must feel hurt seeing that Reed allows me in his private place."
Elena didn't respond, focusing on the elevator's ascent. Selena's words were meant to provoke, but Elena had learned long ago not to give her the satisfaction of a reaction.
Her indifference had always bothered Selena, and this time she was not willing to give up, especially since she finally had something that could truly hurt Elena.
"By the way, how many times have you been there? What did you do there? I'm asking so I'll know what can be done there..."
The elevator door opened to the seventeenth floor, where the research and development department was located. Elena stepped out and turned to look at Selena, her gaze cold, her lips curved in a mocking smile. "You should ask those questions to your fiancé. You might like to hear from him what exactly we did there."