Out!
Clam Theme 210 Celine withdrew her gaze, her head lightly. âHailey, Iâm fine.â
Without another word, she pulled out her phone and dialed Alvarez Residence.
Maryâs answered almost immediately. â
, you decided to call me! Iâve missed you so much!â
Celineâs eyes lingered on the faint of the luxury car disappearing into the distance. âGrandma, I donât have any classes tonight. I can come to Alvarez Residence and have dinner with youâ
âThatâs wonderful! And itâs perfect timing. Adam will be back tonight too. Iâll be waiting for you.â
âOkay.â
After ending the call, Celine turned to Hailey. âHailey, I need to go to Alvarez Residence.â
Hailey nodded. âAlright, go keep Mrs. Alvarez Senior company for dinner.â
But Celineâs expression remained calm as she , âNo, Iâm going to find out Nikkiâs sugar daddy really is.â
What?
Hailey froze.
fixed on the man seated beside her.
Adam dressed impeccably in a black, customâtailored suit. A neatly folded pocket square peeked from his jacket, and the residual authority of a highâstakes meeting seemed to cling to him.
The mutual glow of neon lights filtered through the tinted windows, casting soft reflections on his sharp features, making him appear as distant and unattainable as he had the first time Nikki laid eyes on him.
Adam held the document in his hands, flipping through it with a focused intensity, paying her no attention at all.
Nikkiâs gaze softened her eyes filled with a mix of admiration and longing. âMr. Alvarez, I fell off the wire rig today, but I wasnât hurt. You didnât have to He didnât bother to 1/ out of your way to come see me â
dismissive his handsome eyelids. âDid Celine go to the hospital to see you?â His was indifferent, almost Nikki froze, caught off guard.
shut the file with precision. His deep, cold eyes finally locked onto her face. âDonât anything reckless in front of Celine, Do you understand me?â
He at her from his lofty , gaze a Nikki froze completely. She had thought that after her fall from the wire rig earlier today, he had come to see her out of concern.
But in just two sentences, he had made it painfully clear that every word he spoke revolved around Celine. And then, he had gone so far as to warn her, to ensure she didnât say anything inappropriate in front of his wife.
The meaning behind his words hit her like a slap. He didnât want celine to find out that he had âsleptâ with her.
A wave of humiliation crashed over her, and her misplaced affection burned hot in her chest. Nikki clenched her fists tightly.
How could she not resent Celine for this? After all, Celine come from nothing, just like she had. Celine wasnât born into anything more noble.
But while Nikki had spent her life tiptoeing around others, reading their moods, and living cautiously, Celine had always been calm, confident sharpâeverything Nikki wasnât.
Most importantly, Celine had Adam, the man who seemed almost godlike, and became Mrs. Alvarez.
Why? If Celine could have him, why couldnât she?
Nikki had been watching Adam, carefully observing everything that went on around him. That night when Leo gone looking (Chapter 239 for someone âcleanâ, she saw her chance.
But when she arrived at Lux Garden, Celine had beaten her to it, claiming that night with Adam as her own.
It should have been her. It should have been Nikki who shared that night with Adam.
She envied Celine.
And she hated her even more.
And Adamâs cold, dismissive tone only deepened the hatred. But dared not let it show. Swallowing her pride, she forced herself to nod. âI understand, Mr. Alvarez.â
At that moment, a cheerful ringtone broke the silence. A call was coming in from Alvarez Residence.
Adam answered, and Maryâs joyful voice rang out from the other end. âAdam, hurry up and come home for dinner. Celineâs here.â
His sharp features shifted almost imperceptibly. âIâm heading back .â
Ending the call, Adam glanced toward Leo and said, âPull over.â