Chapter 8
1005 Words
"Hey, don't get so worked up. He's not dead, but..."
"But what? Tell me, tell me now!"
"He might never wake up."
Melina was completely stunned. It felt as if her heart had been hit hard, making it almost impossible to breathe. She looked at the nurse, dazed and terrified. "Not dead, but never waking up?"
"In other words, he might become a vegetable."
A vegetable! Steve, the lively, gentle, smiling Steve would become a vegetable? Lying there, unable to speak, unable to move, like a living dead person? No, how could this happen? Melina's vision went black, her head dizzy, and she fainted.
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Two months later.
In a large room, clothes of a man and a woman were scattered on the floor. The bed sheets were crumpled and nearly balled up, the air still filled with a suggestive atmosphere.
A voluptuous woman, wrapped in a towel, sat at the edge of the bed, drying her hair. A man emerged from the bathroom, his chiseled face, thin lips pressed together, and cold eyes looking distant. His tall frame, with well-defined but not exaggerated muscles, was wrapped in a white towel around his waist. His slightly damp hair gave him a cold and somewhat devilish allure.
The woman unabashedly admired the man's body. He was the best she had ever seen, and the wealthiest. But she knew that a man like him was only for fun.
Everyone knew that Adrian, the CEO of the Chambers Group, was notorious for his coldness and indifference towards women. He changed women faster than clothes, and none lasted more than a month. He had a peculiar habit of never letting women stay overnight. A cold and strange man like him, she knew she couldn't hope to tie him down.
Adrian glanced at the woman coldly, walked to the table, wrote a check, and in a voice devoid of any emotion, said, "Take the check and leave this room within ten minutes."
He then took a cigarette, sat on the sofa, lit it, and took a deep drag, exhaling the smoke into a cloud of melancholic sorrow. The woman walked to the table, picked up the check, and smiled with satisfaction at the amount. Adrian was indeed generous.
Ten minutes was more than enough for her to leave.
The woman dressed, tossed her hair back, blew Adrian a kiss, and left, understanding the situation well. As the door closed, Adrian stubbed out another cigarette.
The room fell silent, with only the sound of his breathing audible. He leaned back, closed his eyes, his entire demeanor cold and solitary, much like the room itself—large, empty, and desolate.
A phone ringing broke the silence. He opened his eyes, frowned slightly, reached for the phone, and in a low, slightly chilly voice, asked, "Who is this?"
"Adrian, getting married isn't like going to the gallows. Is it that hard? Can't you be considerate of your grandfather's condition?"
His father Paul's angry voice came through. Adrian listened quietly, his cold face showing no emotion. Paul's anger grew when Adrian didn't respond, but he couldn't push too hard. "What do you need to agree to this marriage? Do I have to beg you?"
Adrian scoffed and finally spoke, "You? Begging?"
Paul, already furious, was on the verge of bursting a blood vessel. Did he give birth to this son just to anger himself? Was he his enemy in a past life? Even though Adrian hadn't discussed the marriage with the family initially, they had been hopeful and expectant. But the engagement was called off within days.
Grandfather Gu suddenly had stomach cancer, a part of his stomach was removed, and the future was uncertain. The old man's greatest wish was to see his eldest grandson settle down and have a great-grandchild. But Adrian had shown no signs of complying, only changing women more frequently.
The phone went silent. Just as Adrian was about to hang up, he heard Paul's voice again. "Adrian... I'm begging you, just this once, fulfill your grandfather's wish."
Adrian's grip on the phone tightened, and after a moment's silence, he hung up. His dark eyes flashed with a cold light, mixed with an inexplicable pain. It seemed his father truly saw him as a cold-blooded creature, a walking corpse without feelings.
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At Chambers Group
After a meeting, Adrian returned to his office, where someone was already waiting. The man stood up and greeted, "Adrian."
Adrian motioned for him to sit, took a seat on the sofa, and picked up the coffee that his secretary had prepared. He took a sip.
The man placed a file in front of him and began to speak, "Adrian, I've found a suitable candidate. This girl is 25 years old and has been working for two years. She has a clean background, her parents are teachers, and she has a good character. She's pretty too, definitely presentable. Most importantly, she has someone in her heart, so she won't bring you unnecessary emotional trouble."
Adrian didn't bother looking at the file. It was just a transactional marriage; the woman's identity and appearance didn't matter to him, only that she wouldn't cause trouble. "Set up a meeting."
He gave a brief instruction, and the subordinate understood his meaning. It seemed this candidate was satisfactory. Next, the two would meet, negotiate, and his task would be completed.
Melina was led into a luxurious villa, walking slowly, her steps heavy. Each step brought her closer to a dark abyss, where her dreams of love and her future were gradually shattering.
"Walk faster. Adrian doesn't like to be kept waiting."
Melina looked up at the man leading her, clenched her fists, steeled herself, and quickened her pace. They went up to the second floor, and the man opened a door, instructing her, "Go in and don't say anything unnecessary."
She nodded, hesitated, then stepped inside. The door closed behind her. She saw a man's tall, straight back. This back looked familiar, so familiar it made her heart race.
- Writer
