He Is Getting Married
872 Words
(Eleanor’s POV)
After a few hours of flying, the plane finally touched down in Z City. When I turned on my phone, I saw a missed call from Adrian. Exhausted from a long day, I didn’t feel like calling him back. Instead, I sent a message saying we’d talk when I got back in three days.
My days in Z City were filled with meetings and optimizing the project proposal. I was so busy that I didn't think about Adrian at all. This company was the second on my list, and they seemed satisfied with the preliminary work and said they would move forward with the contract after the director reviewed the final proposal.
By the third evening, I had finally wrapped up everything and was ready to head home.
“Your flight has arrived at its destination. Welcome to Y City…”
As the announcement played over the intercom, the plane touched down under the cover of night. I wheeled my suitcase through the airport, surprised to see Adrian waiting for me at the exit. He was casually dressed in gray, his blonde hair slightly tousled but still looking handsome. With one hand in his pocket, he smiled and greeted me with a warm hug, like we were a sweet couple who had been apart for days.
“Welcome back, babe,” he said, taking my suitcase after the hug. “You must be tired. How did everything go?”
I let him hold my hand and give me a gentle kiss on the forehead. Adrian drove me back to the villa, and we naturally chatted about the little things that had happened in the past few days. Neither of us mentioned how three days ago I waited for him in a restaurant and he didn’t show up.
Suddenly, my phone screen lit up. I unlocked it and found a message from Vivian: "He rushed to pick you up the moment you got back? Feeling good about that? Don’t get too cocky though, he’s been with me the whole time you were away. He just left my place, actually." Following were several photos: Adrian’s back in a hotel room, a silhouette of him while shopping, and a few intimate photos of the two of them together.
My good mood was instantly ruined, and I quickly blocked Vivian’s contact.
Adrian didn’t notice the change in my mood and casually asked, “What’s wrong? What's the message?”
I hesitated before saying, “It’s nothing, just a promotion message.”
When we arrived at the villa, I was exhausted and headed upstairs to shower and rest, but Adrian stopped me. “Eleanor,” he said, handing me a glass of water, his expression serious like he wanted to discuss something important.
I turned back to him, took the glass of water, and smiled softly. This was the perfect demeanor I had shown him for nearly five years.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, taking a sip of water.
"Are you not curious why I didn't come home last week?" Adrian asked.
I was startled. Wasn't he spending that week with his new fling, Vivian? Why would he suddenly bring it up? Could Vivian really have such a hold on him that he’s ready to admit it and break up with me?
Before I could respond, Adrian continued, "I went back to my hometown last week. There were some important matters to discuss with my family, so I stayed a few extra days."
"Oh?" I asked, puzzled. "They live far away, and they wouldn’t ask you to come unless it was something serious. What happened?"
"Nothing much, just that my grandmother wasn’t feeling well, so they called me back for a visit. While I was there, I also met up with the Sterling family a few times. Our families go way back, like, to our great-grandparents, so we’ve always been pretty close. The Sterling family’s been growing lately—mostly thanks to the eldest son, who’s got some serious business skills. They’re almost on par with FT Enterprise now."
Adrian went on, "Both our families have similar backgrounds and a solid relationship. The eldest son’s really sharp, and while the second son isn’t quite as business-savvy, he’s still impressive. And then there's the younger daughter, Isabella Sterling. She’s not in the family business yet, but she’s definitely the favorite and has a lot of influence in their family..."
"Adrian," I interrupted him, "what are you trying to say?"
"Do you remember before you left on your business trip, I mentioned that I had something to tell you?" Adrian hesitated before saying, "…I'm going to move out soon. Don’t worry, I’ll leave the villa for you, and I’ll also leave two of the nannies."
I was momentarily unable to process what he was saying. What did he mean? Are we breaking up? But why leave the villa to me?
Seeing that I hadn’t responded, he continued, "Oh yeah, you can't drive. How about this, I’ll leave the driver for you too, and I’ll hire another one for myself."
"What’s the relevance of what you said? Are you going on a long business trip?" I asked.
"No, Eleanor,” Adrian said, “I'm getting married.”
- Writer
