Chapter 8

Celeste froze as her eyes met a pair of deep, unreadable ones. Adrian? What was he doing here? His long, narrow eyes lifted slightly at the corners, and in the dim light, his gaze shimmered darkly, like a still, bottomless lake. The image of what had just unfolded at the Wrenford residence flashed in her mind, and her chest tightened with unease. For a moment, she had no idea what to say. "It's at least an hour's walk down from here," Adrian said. His voice was low and gravelly. "You're not seriously thinking of walking all the way down, are you?" Celeste had been planning exactly that until she ran into Adrian. Damien wasn't going to come after her, and he definitely wasn't going to offer her a ride. "Thank you, Uncle Adrian," she said, pulling open the car door and climbing in. But the moment she sat down, a wave of dizziness crashed over her. She barely managed to grab the handle in time to keep from collapsing. Her head pounded. It was a sharp, splitting pain that made it hard to think. She'd barely settled in when Adrian's deep voice came again. "What did you just call me?" Celeste turned her head, and her eyes locked with his, and in that moment, a reckless idea took shape in her mind. Adrian had never married, and not once had he been tied to scandal or rumor. If she wanted to climb higher, she couldn't do it on her own. But the thought had barely surfaced when the dizziness returned, fiercer than before. Her body gave out, and before she could stop herself, she collapsed sideways. Adrian moved on instinct and caught her by the shoulder before she could fall. A faint scent of violets drifted into his nose. It smelled familiar. Where had he smelled that before? Even from the moment he first saw her, Celeste had felt oddly familiar. But this was their first meeting, wasn't it? "Ms. Morin? Ms. Morin…" Adrian frowned, looking down at Celeste now in his arms. They were so close now that he could feel the heat radiating from her, even through the layers of his suit. He reached out to check her forehead. She was burning up badly. He pulled back, took out his phone, and dialed his assistant, Joshua Williamson. "Have the doctor come to Serenade Manor." "Yes, Mr. Wrenford." 30 minutes later, Joshua arrived at Serenade Manor with the family doctor and headed straight for the second floor. Outside the master bedroom stood a tall, slender figure. Joshua had assumed Adrian was the one feeling unwell, but as he stepped inside, he was startled to find Celeste lying on the bed. Adrian, with his near-obsessive cleanliness, never let anyone, especially not a woman, enter his bedroom. Susan Foster was the sole exception, and it was only to clean. Joshua lingered by the door, unable to resist glancing at Celeste. Who was she? After taking the medicine, Celeste slowly began to come around. By the time she opened her eyes, half an hour had passed. As she blinked against the light, she sat up slowly, momentarily disoriented by the unfamiliar surroundings. Everything in the room was shades of black, white, and gray. Even the blackout curtains were pitch black. Then the memory before she passed out returned—Adrian's car. She'd gotten into Adrian's car… So this was his room? She threw off the covers and got to her feet. Her body still felt like it was burning from the inside out, but she pushed through the discomfort and stepped out into the hallway. "You're awake, miss?" Susan greeted her with a warm gaze the moment she opened the door. She must've been the housekeeper. Celeste glanced around, and Susan smiled, pointing to the end of the hallway. "You must be looking for Mr. Wrenford. He's in the study." Celeste nodded faintly. Mr. Wrenford—that had to be Adrian. She made her way down the hall, each step slow and measured, and knocked gently on the study door. "Come in." His deep voice called from inside. Celeste pushed the door open. By the towering floor-to-ceiling windows stood a tall, lean silhouette. Even from behind, she recognized him instantly. "Mr. Wrenford, why am I at your house?" At the sound of her voice, Adrian turned, his eyes meeting Celeste's pale, drawn face. Expressionless, he brushed past her and said, "You passed out the moment you got in my car. I didn't know where you lived, so I brought you here. The housekeeper's already given you some medicine." "Thank you, Mr. Wrenford." "Why not call me Uncle Adrian anymore?" He circled the massive desk and sat down. Celeste blinked as she was caught off guard. "In the car," he reminded her, "you called me Uncle Adrian. Since you're still Damien's wife, and he hasn't signed anything yet, that title is still valid, wouldn't you say?" He leaned back in his chair, raising a brow, but his gaze remained unreadable. She'd only called him that in a moment of reckless impulse. Right now, feeling as unwell as she did, she didn't have the energy to dwell on things deeper. Just as she opened her mouth to respond, a young voice piped up from outside the study. "Daddy, is Great-Uncle Adrian really home?" Celeste froze. That was Lucian's voice. What was he doing here? "He is," came Damien's voice next. "I just asked him." Her stomach dropped. She'd only just announced their separation—and now, to be found here of all places? There was no way she could explain this. To avoid unnecessary trouble, Celeste made a snap decision to hide. She glanced around the room and quickly realized there was no better hiding spot than under the desk. "Mr. Wrenford, please don't tell them I'm here." She rushed to his side and ducked behind the desk. Adrian followed her gaze and immediately caught on. A slow, amused smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Well, this was getting interesting. He gave her a slight nod and shifted back in his chair, making space. By then, footsteps were close. Celeste didn't have time to second-guess. She dropped into a crouch and slipped under the desk. As he pulled the chair back in, she caught the faint scent of cedar on him. They got too close, and she retreated instinctively. But she moved too quickly and lost her balance. Instinctively, she reached out and grabbed the nearest thing—his long legs. Adrian lowered his eyes to meet hers under the desk. At that moment, the air between them felt razor-thin. At the same time, a knock came at the door. Celeste quickly let go of his legs and crouched still. "Uncle Adrian." Damien entered with Lucian by his side. Adrian, seated alone at the desk, barely glanced up. He said indifferently, "It's late. What brings you over?" Under the desk, Celeste held her breath and listened. Damien exhaled. "Lucian's feeling better. I was planning to take him home, but with what happened earlier... "I didn't expect Celeste to cause such a scene, especially not at a family dinner meant to welcome you home. I just wanted to apologize."