Chapter 003
1319 Words
Half an hour later, they entered a luxury men’s boutique downtown.
Evelyn froze.
Across the aisle stood her cousin Laura Wainwright, holding the arm of a man in a designer suit.
“Well, if it isn’t my dear cousin,” Laura said with mock sweetness. “Shopping for your r****t husband already? Or is this your new boyfriend?”
Her smirk widened. “Come on then—introduce us.”
Evelyn’s face darkened instantly.
Her cousin — Laura Wainwright, daughter of her Eldest Uncle — had always been at odds with her. Back when Evelyn still held influence within the Wainwright Family, Laura would never have dared be this insolent. But ever since the scandal three years ago, when the family matriarch turned cold toward her, Laura had practically learned to step on her head.
Beside Laura stood a young man whose gaze flickered with greed as soon as he saw Evelyn.
His name was Frank Benson, heir to a powerful jewelry conglomerate. In Blackwater City, the Benson Family’s status was even a notch above the Wainwrights.
The Wainwrights had two famed beauties — Evelyn and Laura.
Yet in both grace and charm, Evelyn eclipsed her cousin entirely.
Had she not been married — and so firm in her demeanor — Frank would have pursued her first without hesitation.
Adrian Steele frowned as he moved to stand beside Evelyn.
Just what kind of hardship had she endured these three years, that even Laura dared to talk down to her like this?
“It’s you—Adrian Steele! You’re out of prison?”
Laura’s voice quivered with disbelief, then turned sharp as she glared at Evelyn.
“You still dare to be seen with him? If Grandma finds out, do you think you can bear the consequences?”
To her, Adrian was a man who’d gone to Blackwater Penitentiary for attempted assault — and Evelyn was supposedly his victim. She should despise him, not stand by him. The incident had dragged the entire Wainwright Family through the mud; the matriarch despised Adrian and had f*******n him from ever setting foot near them again. Evelyn couldn’t possibly have forgotten that — unless she’d lost her mind.
“I’ll handle Grandma,” Evelyn said flatly. “You don’t need to worry about it.”
With that, she took Adrian’s hand and strode past her cousin, heading for the racks.
Laura’s expression curdled.
“Excuse me! A little service here?”
A young sales associate hurried over.
“Do you sell to just anyone now?” Laura sneered, pointing straight at Adrian. “That man just got out of prison — a convicted offender! If word spreads that your boutique serves people like him, don’t expect anyone decent to shop here again.”
“Laura, that’s enough!” Evelyn trembled with anger.
At the word convict, the associate’s expression hardened. She stepped forward stiffly.
“Sir, I’m afraid you’re not welcome here.”
Laura lifted her chin triumphantly. Frank Benson gave her an approving smirk — the smug grin of a man enjoying the show.
In his eyes, Evelyn was a beauty with terrible judgment, married to a loser. She deserved the humiliation.
And if this pushed her to finally wake up and leave Adrian, well, then he could easily dump Laura and go after Evelyn himself.
Evelyn’s tone turned icy.
“Yes, my husband was just released. But show me the rule that says ex-convicts can’t buy clothes here. Or should I call your manager over and ask directly?”
The sales associate froze. There was no such rule, of course — she just found Adrian distasteful. This was an upscale boutique; having an ex-convict as a customer might stain its image.
But technically, Evelyn was right.
If her manager learned she’d overstepped, she’d be in trouble. The woman backed off quietly.
Laura clicked her tongue, refusing to let Evelyn walk away with dignity.
“Darling Frankie, what do you think of this suit?” she said, gesturing at a display.
“Looks great,” Frank replied casually.
“Wrap it up,” Laura ordered.
The associate nodded. “That’ll be a hundred and twenty thousand. Card or cash?”
Frank swiped his card without hesitation.
“Adrian Steele,” Laura said, lips curling, “can you afford something like that?”
Adrian didn't answer her.
Laura gave a sharp, disdainful laugh. “A grown man who can’t even afford a suit? Pathetic. Talking to you makes me sick.”
She waved a hand dramatically in front of her face. “The air around you even smells cheap.”
Then she turned to Evelyn with a mocking smile.
“Honestly, Evelyn, what were you thinking? He can’t do anything beyond cooking and washing dishes. Meanwhile, look at my darling Frankie—a man with a publicly listed company, powerful family, real ability. That’s what a husband should look like.”
Evelyn’s chest rose and fell; she was furious but had nothing to retort with.
It wasn’t Adrian’s lack of money that stung her — it was the humiliation of being publicly overshadowed by her cousin.
Frank’s grin widened, smug and unspoken: This is the price of choosing wrong.
Adrian spoke up suddenly, his tone calm but sharp as glass.
“I don’t know if my love’s taste is perfect,” he said. “But I do know it’s still better than yours.”
The room went silent.
“What the f**k did you just say, you worthless nobody?” Laura spat.
“I said,” Adrian’s gaze flickered toward Frank Benson, “you've been playing both sides. If that’s what you like, well, good for you.”
Laura’s face twisted. “You’re insane!”
Among his nine masters, Adrian’s Third Master had taught him a mystical skill — the Sight of Auras.
Everything in the world carried unseen energy: the golden glimmer of fortune, the blue shimmer of authority, the rosy haze of romance.
When Adrian looked at Laura just now, he saw two streaks of pink Aura swirling around her — meaning she was tangled with two men at once.
For an instant, Laura’s composure cracked. Her face flickered with panic before she forced it down.
“Say that again, and I’ll tear your mouth off!” she barked.
Frank’s expression hardened. “Careful what lies you tell, boy. I don’t take insults lightly.”
Evelyn’s voice cut in, sharp but worried.
“Adrian, don’t speak without proof. She’ll run to Grandma the first chance she gets.”
Adrian smiled faintly. “Proof? Check her phone. I hear two-timers keep very entertaining messages.”
Through his Sight of Auras, he also caught a shadow — a faint black Aura emanating from Laura’s phone. Bad luck.
That device was about to betray her.
“You—what are you talking about?” Laura snapped, panic flashing again.
Her greatest talent wasn’t charm — it was manipulation. She’d never settle for one man, not when she could play several.
But she’d told no one. How could Adrian possibly know?
Her reaction said everything. Evelyn’s eyes narrowed, uncertainty flickering through them.
Could he be telling the truth?
A sudden ding! echoed in the boutique.
A message popped up on Laura’s phone.
“What’s this?” Adrian said lightly. “Your other boyfriend checking in?”
“Give me the phone,” Frank demanded, his face darkening as he reached out. In front of everyone, he couldn’t afford to back down — silence would mean guilt.
“Frank, I swear I’m loyal to you! Don’t you trust me?” Laura’s eyes welled up instantly as she tried to tuck the phone into her purse.
Frank snatched it before she could.
A chat app was open — a new voice message blinking from a contact labeled Backup #2.
He hit play.
The boutique filled with a man’s voice over speaker:
“Baby, I miss you.”
- Writer
