It's been three days since Adeline found out about Theodore's infidelity. He'd been bombarding her phone with calls that quickly went into voicemail.
The decision had already been made, yet he was calling her. For what?
After what he'd done, did he think she would come back with empty memories of the event and continue living as husband and wife as if nothing had ever happened?
His audacity made her chuckle when she remembered it.
"Believe me when I say, Theodore will get what's coming for him. He left you, you, for a mere secretary?" Daniela, Adeline's best friend, said with a look of disbelief written all over her face. Daniela Frostwood was the heiress to the Frostwood family. Both she and Adeline had gone to school together when they were little. They met there and have continued to stay friends since then. "I feel like I need a drink." She gulped down her chilled mango juice as if it was going to turn back time or so Adeline would admit everything she said was a joke.
Adeline looked at Daniela with a smile. She had curly brunette hair with brown eyes that were like milky chocolate. She was beautiful.
"You're acting like this is huge news for you," she commented.
"It may not be for you, but this is big for me. A mere secretary…"
"You're still stuck on digesting that?"
"Who wouldn't be?"
Adeline could only laugh.
She skimmed through the papers on the desk that her grandfather's assistant had brought for her. After taking the challenge, she needed to know more about Darien Hawthorne, how she was going to please him.
Their families had clashed in the past for an unknown reason, but since her grandfather wanted her to pitch a good idea to them so their business would hold a partnership, she believed their feud had been resolved.
Those documents included the history of the Hawthorne Corporation, and Adeline had to finish everything as soon as possible.
The documents were a lot, and she'd been skimming through them for the past three days already, yet, she wasn't done with them.
She leaned back on her chair, her head becoming clouded with exhaustion.
Years ago, the Hawthorne and the Donovan family weren't exactly best friends. But they smiled when the oldest members shook hands and took pictures.
No interactions were exaggerated, just two family elders who didn't want trouble and co-existed without shedding any blood, until they suddenly severed ties with each other years ago, after the elder Hawthorne and his son were involved in an accident that took her life.
Adeline didn't know much about that because she'd been really young when it happened so she couldn't recall much.
She suddenly faced Daniela. "Do you know what could have caused the dispute between the Hawthorne and Donovan family years ago?"
Daniela blinked at her twice, gathering her response before she parted her lips to speak.
"I don't know much, but from what my brother has told me, John Hawthorne suspected your grandfather to be the one behind his brother and father's accident," she replied. John Hawthorne was Darien's uncle.
"But why does he suspect grandfather?" Adeline questioned, getting invested this time around.
"Well, it was related to their business stuff. Something about shares and mines ownership—something along that line. Your grandfather rejected the idea and the Hawthorne family weren't pleased. So a week later, they got into an accident and John's suspect was your grandfather."
Adeline frowned deeply at this. She wasn't surprised that what caused their separation was something related to shares. Everyone wants profits and sometimes, they can get greedy. But could her grandfather have killed them?
"My goodness, Adeline. You know I don't like getting involved in business. I never understand how you do it."
Adeline smiled at Daniela. She was a publicist, the kind of career that her family was still finding hard to digest since she was a heiress.
"You know what? Enough of you studying. Let's go have fun," Daniela said, pulling Adeline off her seat and heading to her walk in closet. "I know a club nearby. Let's go have a drink, dance and you know, maybe you can land a guy tonight." She winked at Adeline who immediately scowled at her.
"Aren't you supposed to be a publicist? You know I can't do something like that. Clubbing, yes, but having a one night stand is just ridiculous."
Daniela rolled her eyes.
"And why not? That Theodore bastard has sucked all your shine and charm over the past years. You're not even thirty and you're always looking stressed," Daniela scolded.
Adeline touched her face as she stared at herself in the vanity mirror.
She was only twenty five, yet she could see a few wrinkles on her face.
After getting married, she was always home and studied business once in a while. After giving birth to Ian, she didn't have much time in her hands to take care of herself anymore.
She only wore makeup during an event just to look good in the pictures.
Her icy blue eyes stared back at her.
Did Theodore cheat on her because she didn't look beautiful anymore? She wondered.
"Come on, let's get ready." Daniela dragged Adeline to pick a dress. "Just one night, and then you can continue studying."
Adeline couldn't refuse. She needed a break. Burying her head deep into paperwork for three days straight wasn't healthy.
Three hours later, the girls were ready to depart for the club.
Adeline was wearing a red gown that hugged her beautiful curves. They were slightly short, barely reaching her knee—only stopping below her midthigh.
The night wind was cool to the skin, and she felt new breathing in the fresh air. She never got the chance to club before because of her parents strict parenting.
"Who knows, you might get lucky tonight," Daniela said, grinning from ear to ear.
What Adeline didn't notice was that once she entered the club, her figure caught the attention of a pair of bush-green eyes.