Chapter 8

Late that night, rain poured down outside. Adrian couldn't sleep, sweat soaking through his pajamas. He stripped off his shirt, revealing a lean physique with multiple old scars etched on his bronze skin. Whenever it rained, his old injuries flared in painful waves. He was long used to it. He reached into the bedside drawer for some painkillers and swallowed two. He got up to check on his kids but heard movement in the kitchen. Down in the kitchen, Grace was bustling around, unaware that Adrian was watching from the stairs. "How can making a simple soup be so hard?" ... The next morning, Grace put a few bowls of soup on the table and looked expectantly at Adrian and the children. "Here, try it. It's easy on the stomach." Ethan, frowning, noticed the dark circles under her eyes. "You made this?" Grace nodded. Clara looked stunned. "Mommy, do you know how to cook?" She wasn't just surprised that Grace could cook. She was stunned that Grace would ever step foot in the kitchen for them. That had never happened before. Grace said casually, "Cooking isn't that hard." She wasn't about to mention how she'd ruined five pots last night just to get this right. In front of her kids, she had to keep up the image of being a capable, dependable mother. Ethan pushed the soup away, refusing to accept any goodwill. "No thanks." Grace had already prepared herself to be rejected, but she still wanted to do something for her kids. Even though she was ready for it, it still hurt a little. She started, "It's okay—" "Don't waste food. Eat it." Before she could finish her sentence, Adrian slid the bowl back toward Ethan. Ethan glanced at Adrian's tired face. "Dad, what were you doing last night? Did you rob a bank or something? You look like a zombie." Adrian looked at Grace, who was yawning, and noticed the plaster on her hand. He turned to Travis and said, "Hire a nutritionist. From now on, that person will handle Clara's and Ethan's meals." Grace opened her mouth like she had something to say, but in the end, she stayed silent. Did Adrian think her cooking wasn't good enough? Or did he worry she might poison their food? As she walked away, Ethan's eyes flickered knowingly to his father. "So you're hiring a nutritionist because you feel bad about her getting hurt, right?" Adrian gave no reply. He just said before leaving, "Finish the soup. Your mom spent all night making it." Ethan folded his arms and scowled. "I didn't ask her to make it, and I'm not drinking it. Wait, how do you know she was up all night?" He glanced around the empty living room, then frowned at the soup. "It looks nasty. I bet it tastes gross." Once he was sure no one was watching, the boy scooped up a little with a spoon. He was about to put it in his mouth when the doorbell rang. A maid came in. "Mr. Ethan, a woman named Nina Snyder is here, asking to see Mrs. Donovan." Ethan's expression turned cold. So, Grace was still plotting with Jesse and Nina? "I almost fell for her tricks!" He immediately dumped the entire bowl in the trash. Then, he looked out the window at Nina standing in the driveway. Curling his lip, he said, "Let the dogs out." The car was just pulling out of the garage when Adrian caught a glimpse of Nina running away from the front gate. Behind her, two big dogs chased after her, snarling fiercely. She looked completely disheveled. It was obvious Ethan was behind it. Adrian did nothing. Nina wasn't exactly a decent person. He asked, "Did we get a response from Stock God?" Stock God's return had rattled the entire market. Every major player wanted to partner with that legendary investor. Securing a deal with Stock God practically guaranteed dominance on the trading floor, which could directly boost a company's stock and value. Naturally, Adrian wanted that partnership, too. Travis answered, "Mr. Donovan, we've been turned down. According to my sources, Stock God decided to work with Jesse." Adrian's face hardened into a frown. Why on earth would Stock God team up with a nobody like Jesse?