?<strong>Chapter 244:</strong>


    Joelle remained silent, her gaze fixed intently on Rafael. “Alright, I was wrong.” Rafael apologized. “Aurora wouldn’t lie, and I know Liza meant no harm.”


    “I know she didn’t mean any harm,” Joelle murmured. “But it’s odd, don’t you think? Lately, she’s been visiting us alone, always avoiding me when she discusses things with you. And frankly, it’s unsettling to find her in our room.”


    Rafael considered her words carefully, opting not to share that his parents disapproved of Joelle, fearing it might hurt her. Instead, he attempted to paint Liza in a more sympathetic light.


    “Liza is probably just concerned about how we’re doing. She’s always been the type to worry, constantly involving herself in my life since we were kids.” He pulled Joelle into his arms, creating aforting embrace where they could discuss anything openly without resentment.


    “Joelle, there’s something you should know about Liza. She’s had it tough.”


    He spoke gently, holding her close. “Years ago, when our father was in trouble, she married a man she didn’t love just to help him through the crisis. It’s been tough on her.”


    Joelle, who had only heard snippets of this story, listened more intently. “Then what happened?”


    “After the financial crisis was resolved, she gathered enough strength to ask for a divorce. But the ordeal left her somewhat paranoid. Don’t hold it against her. She’s been through a lot.” He kissed Joelle’s hair in aforting gesture.


    “I understand,” Joelle replied, her earlier resentment dissolving into a deep sense ofpassion upon hearing about Liza’s struggles.


    In the days that followed, while Adrian was away on a business trip, Gina kept him updated with photos and videos of Aurora. Only afterpleting his work could he finally sit down to go through them.


    In every video, Aurora was beautifully dressed, often with Joelle appearing in the background. Each sighting of Joelle made Adrian’s smile falter momentarily, prompting him to light a cigarette out of habit.


    As he scrolled through the many videos, one in particr caught his eye—it seemed out of ce. He clicked on it, and his pupils dted in shock. It appeared to be a snippet from a different video entirely. Gina must have sent it by ident.


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    The initial sounds from the video were unmistakably inappropriate, and Adrian cranked up the volume to be sure of what he was hearing. He was relieved to be alone. Anyone else’s presence would have made the situation exceedingly awkward.


    Realizing her error, Gina quickly removed the video from the message thread. “Sorry, Mr. Miller. I identally sent a video that wasn’t meant to be shared.”


    Adrian responded simply, “No worries.”


    Gina quickly followed up, her message tinged with concern. “Mr. Miller, you didn’t watch it, did you?” Adrian replied with straightforward honesty, “I did.”


    A string of embarrassed blushing emojis came from Gina. “It was from a friend’s collection. I’m really sorry about that.”


    Adrian chose not to respond further. He set his phone aside and headed for the shower to clear his head. After refreshing himself, Adrian returned to find several new messages from Gina. “Mr. Miller, are you still awake? If you find some time, could you please visit Aurora? She’s been missing you.”


    “Good night, Mr. Miller.”


    He chose not to respond to any of them.


    Two dayster, as Adrian returned to Illerith, he unexpectedly encountered Gina at the airport. “Mr. Miller, what a coincidence!”


    Adrian gave her a brief, indifferent nce. “Do you need something?”


    “I’m actually here to pick up a friend, not you,” Gina rified, waving towards a young woman approaching from a distance.


    Adrian’s expression softened slightly, realizing his assumption was off. He turned away just as Can arrived to pick him up. Once in the car, Adrian checked his phone and saw a message from Gina. “Mr. Miller, could I possibly get a ride? My car just broke down.”


    Shortly after, Gina and her friend joined him in the car. Gina thanked him with a bright smile. “Thank you so much for this.”


    Adrian merely stared out the window, offering no response.


    Gina’s friend, attempting to make conversation, chimed in, “Gina, is this your handsome boyfriend?”


    “No!” Gina responded quickly. “This is my boss.”


    Her friend nodded. “Oh, I see. Your boss is really nice to you.”


    Gina offered a shy smile and tried to gauge Adrian’s reaction, relieved to see he wasn’t visibly annoyed.


    As they arrived at Gina’s destination, Adrian finally broke his silence. “Gina, there’s something you could help me with.”


    Gina brushed her hair behind her ear, attentive. “Of course, what do you need?”


    “I’ve brought back some gifts for Aurora and Rnd. Could you pass them on?”


    Gina’s friend, curious, interjected, “Who are Aurora and Rnd?”


    “My ex-wife’s children,” Adrian responded, his voice cool.


    “Okay,” her friend uttered with a frown, as she looked at Gina.


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