Chapter 7 The Stunning Ex-wife
1039 Words
Inside the livestream channel of the bidding session, the chat was exploding with comments.
"Who is this gorgeous boss girl? As a recent graduate in architecture from UT-Austin, I am impressed!"
"The restoration plan by A&C Studio is incredible. How could they have achieved this without a deep understanding of ancient architecture and its history?!"
"I personally prefer A&C Studio's proposal. Now, it's up to the selection committee!"
Adelyn looked at Randal with a provocative smile, exuding a confident and assertive beauty unique to women.
Her looks were just a bonus. It was her charisma that made it impossible to look away.
Disbelief filled Randal's eyes. Shock and surprise were not enough to describe how he felt at this moment.
He stared at Adelyn while his heart was pounding wildly.
Was this still the Adelyn he knew? She was now like a blooming rose, impossible to ignore.
"Both proposals are commendable," Liam announced, rising from his seat. "But the restoration of St. John's Church is of great significance. I will need some time. Please bear with me a moment."
With that, he turned and walked backstage.
Behind the stage, there was a large one-way window—opaque from the outside, but transparent from the inside.
A man sat in a leather chair, with a fine silver cross hanging around his neck. His golden, slightly curled hair framed a strikingly handsome face with defined features.
His ocean-blue eyes, starry and captivating, were hard to look away from, while beneath his sculpted nose lay a pair of sensual lips.
He watched the girl on the stage quietly, his gaze filled with admiration.
Liam entered and spoke respectfully to him, "Mr. Morrell, who will you pick?"
The livestream was buzzing with speculation about who would win the bid, and yet, the mood on-site was notably tense!
Initially, the members of A&C Studio were skeptical of Adelyn, who took over the studio as their new leader.
But after spending a few days together, and seeing the proposal come to fruition, they were all convincingly won over by her capabilities. They knew Adelyn truly had the skills!
For years, A&C Studio remained relatively unknown. Today, to be able to compete against Barnett Construction and to make the selection committee reconsider, they had already made significant progress!
This was a great start, making the outcome of this competition seem less critical!
Now, those most anxious were actually Barnett Construction's team. Initially, they all felt confident of winning the bidding, but their faces had now turned grave.
People were murmuring in surprise, "Who would have thought Mr. Barnett's ex-wife actually excels at architecture? I thought she was just here to lead the team."
"It's really strange. If Mr. Barnett's ex-wife's good at architecture, why didn't she join the management of Barnett Construction over the years?"
"Maybe it's just a fluke? After all, she was married to Mr. Barnett for five years. She must have picked up some knowledge, right?"
Randal remained silent, not agreeing with his subordinates' remarks. Even if her team completed the proposal, the logical explanations and professional terminology were all spoken by Adelyn herself.
It had only been a few days since their divorce.
If she truly didn't have a clue about architecture, how could she stand on that stage with such confidence?
These should be accumulated over time and couldn't be faked. And it was easy to find that Adelyn not only knew the techniques, but was also very skilled!
Randal's gaze fell on Adelyn. She was poised and graceful, causing Randal's suddenly to suddenly clench, his chest tightening!
When he found himself unable to look away from Adelyn on the stage, his heart pounded wildly.
How many secrets did Adelyn still keep from him? How many lies had she told him during their five-year marriage?
He had originally entertained the idea of having A&C Studio collaborate with them after Barnett Construction secured the bid, a notion that now seemed utterly absurd to him!
Yet, despite this, a thought still lingered in his heart: if only Adelyn would come back to him, he could overlook all her deceptions and wipe the slate clean.
But... would Adelyn come back?
For the first time, Randal, who had always been confident and believed he had everything under control, felt a sense of unease creeping into his heart.
Thirty minutes later, Liam came onstage again and stood with his hands behind his back.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for his decision.
"I choose... A&C Studio."
Hearing that, the members of A&C Studio erupted in excitement!
Barnett Construction had lost to an obscure little studio!!!
Amidst the excitement of her team members, Adelyn simply put on a mild smile.
She then said to Randal gracefully, "I appreciate your sportsmanship, Mr. Barnett."
With that, Adelyn went up to the stage to shake hands with Liam before they signed and exchanged the contracts.
A&C Studio won the bid! Instantly, topics like "A&C Studio Beats Barnett Construction" and "Barnett Construction Narrowly Defeated" hit the trending searches, sparking widespread online debate.
Through her hair color and the mole by her eye, netizens unearthed the fact that Adelyn was actually Mr. Barnett's ex-wife!
Suddenly, both A&C Studio and Barnett Construction went viral on social media.
One of the netizens even commented, "Is Randal Barnett blind or what?! His ex-wife is way hotter than his mistress! And she's a total badass compared to Brooke. That Brooke is nothing but some eye candy!"
*****
After the bidding session, A&C Studio's employees had to prepare for a press conference, so they left first.
Adelyn, on the other hand, collected all the materials on St. John's Church from Liam.
As she was leaving the hall, she encountered Randal in the corridor.
"Adelyn, we need to talk," he said, his frame blocking all the light in front of her—just like their five-year marriage had overshadowed her brilliance.
Adelyn didn't even look at him. She said in a cold tone, "There's nothing to talk about between us, Mr. Barnett."
"Adelyn, about me and Brooke..."
"I'm not interested."
With those words, Adelyn prepared to walk past him.
"Addie!" Randal grabbed her slender wrist, his voice filled with frustration. "When were you planning on telling me the truth?"
- Writer
