?<strong>Chapter 161:</strong>


    Jonathan was mad. How could Joelle cook for Rafael? “Jonathan, it has nothing to do with you.” Joelle opened the door, stepping aside to let Rafael enter. Rafael, ever the gentleman, bid Adrian a courteous goodbye. It was merely out of habit.


    As Adrian looked at the closed door, he realized that rushing back home early had been aplete joke.


    Wasting no time after entering the room, Joelle quickly donned an apron and washed her hands, ready to cook. Just like before, Rafael offered to help. This time, he moved with more confidence, knowing where to find certain things without needing to ask Joelle.


    But before they could begin, the room was suddenly plunged into darkness. “Power outage?” Joelle muttered, ncing at the electric box. Everything seemed fine; nothing had tripped.


    Rafael peered out the window and noticed the lights in the building across the street were still on. “Is it time to pay the electricity bill?” he asked, turning back to Joelle.


    “I just paid it a few days ago,” she replied.


    “Maybe call the property management.”


    The night outside was pitch ck, and the room was now devoid of any light. Joelle reached out tentatively in the dark, her hand brushing against Rafael’s.


    He guided her to the sofa. “Sit down and stay put. I’ll find your phone.”


    gα?ησν????s, where the best stories live


    Joelle felt a wave of relief wash over her. The thought of navigating the dark room had been unsettling.


    “It should be in my bag. I left it on the shoe cab by the door.”


    Rafael moved carefully through the room, eventually finding her phone. Joelle called the property management and was told there was a circuit issue in her apartment that couldn’t be fixed until the next day.


    Just as she hung up, there was a knock at the door. It was Leah.


    “Ms. Watson, dinner’s ready. Oh, why is it so dark in here? Haven’t you turned on the lights?”


    “The circuit’s down,” Joelle exined helplessly. “Property management said it won’t be fixed until tomorrow.”


    “I see,” Leah said, her eyes flicking to Rafael. “You haven’t had dinner yet, have you?”


    Joelle nced at Rafael apologetically. “I’m sorry, Rafael. It seems I can’t host you for dinner tonight.”


    Leah chimed in quickly, “Why not join us for dinner? I’ve made plenty, and it’d be much more fun with more people!”


    Adrian was in the next room. To Joelle, the thought of Rafael and Adrian sharing a meal at the same table was unthinkable.


    Just as she was about to decline, Rafael said cheerfully, “Sure, I haven’t had Leah’s cooking in ages. Joelle, shall we?”


    Rafael’s enthusiasm left Joelle with little choice. It would have been rude to refuse.


    They followed Leah to the opposite apartment. The table wasid out with six dishes and a steaming bowl of soup. Alison was already seated, and as they joined, the room filled with an unexpected warmth.


    Leah carefully poured a ss of her homemade wine for Rafael, who epted it with a smile. His gaze drifted to Adrian as he remarked, “It’s strange, isn’t it? You and Joelle live on the same floor, yet only her circuit has a problem.”


    Adrian set down his fork, wiping his mouth with a napkin before responding, “What exactly are you implying?”


    Rafael replied, “Don’t you find it a bit too coincidental? There’s a ckout on her side, and suddenly Leah has prepared an extravagant meal. Do you and Leah usually eat this much? Or were you expectingpany?” Joelle also sensed that something was wrong.


    Could Adrian have caused the power outage? With his influence, it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility. She set her fork down, her eyes narrowing as she followed Rafael’s line of thought. “It was you, wasn’t it?” A fleeting look of guilt crossed Adrian’s face, but he quickly denied, “No!”


    Yet, Joelle’s intuition nagged at her—Adrian was involved; she just couldn’t prove it.


    Leah stepped in to defend Adrian. “Today is my birthday. Mr. Miller asked me to cook a few extra dishes to celebrate. Ms. Watson, please don’t overthink it. I’m sure the power will be restored soon.”


    Joelle offered a smile, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “Yes, maybe a repairman will show up at my ce, and hisst name will be Miller!”


    Adrian cleared his throat. “Let’s just eat.”


    Despite her anger towards Adrian, Joelle’s hunger won out. She needed to eat, especially for the baby.


    She picked up some food, but Rafael cautioned her, “Don’t overdo it.”


    “Okay. I know.”


    Since bing pregnant, she had immersed herself in reading about pregnancy, and Rafael had been attentive as well. There was an unspoken understanding between them.


    Adrian’s brow furrowed as he observed their exchange. “What’s going on?”


    Joelle didn’t look up. “Nothing.”


    Rafael exined, “Joelle’s been dealing with some stomach problemstely.”


    A surge of possessiveness red in Adrian. How did Rafael know so much about Joelle’s health? She was his ex-wife. What business did Rafael have knowing these details?


    But then, he had never paid much attention to Joelle’s well-being before. The aftermath of the abortion had taken a serious toll on her. She was even infertile now.


    “Have you seen a doctor?” he asked.


    Joelle met his gaze, her eyes steady. “Don’t worry about me. My health isn’t your concern anymore. Perhaps you should be more worried about Reba.”


    .


    .


    .