CHAPTER 25: CHAPTER 25: DADDY WANTS YOU

In the hotel lobby, Adrian Lockwood’s emotions were mixed with joy and worry.

The joy was that Serena Sinclair still cared about him.

His decision last night to have Chloe Lynch stay at the villa was right; Serena indeed got angry.

Not only angry but the consequences were also quite serious.

She didn’t come back all night.

The worry was about her not returning all night.

He called Una Hutton, and as soon as he began to speak, she called him crazy and then launched into a furious rant.

He didn’t even have a chance to get a word in and could only hang up the phone directly.

Besides Una, Adrian Lockwood didn’t know who else to call.

Serena’s only close friend in Aethelgard was Una Hutton.

But in Adrian Lockwood’s mind, that beat-up car lingered.

Every time he thought about Serena being with that wild man last night, Adrian’s mood inexplicably turned irritable.

After waiting for more than half an hour, Serena still hadn’t returned.

Adrian Lockwood took out his phone to call Serena.

Before he could dial, there was a commotion at the hotel entrance.

Adrian looked up to see several business cars pulling up in succession.

The doors opened, and reporters with microphones and cameras swarmed inside.

Upon seeing Adrian Lockwood, several reporters’ eyes lit up.

"President Lockwood, is it true that you’re getting divorced?"

"President Lockwood, sources say you’ve had a change of heart, that the mistress is your secretary, and that you’ve kicked Mrs. Lockwood out with nothing. Is this true?"

"President Lockwood, with the municipal bidding conference next month, what are the chances for The Lockwood Group? Is the current marriage news part of the Lockwood’s strategy?"

"..."

He was nearly furious.

But he dared not let it show on his face.

Adrian Lockwood hadn’t expected Serena to actually follow through and leak to the media.

"The divorce is just a rumor!"

With his first words, Adrian defined the nature of the marriage change and smiled, "My wife and I have known each other since childhood; we fell in love at 16, entered Aethelgard University together at 18, I confessed and she agreed, and we officially got together. It’s been 12 years now..."

"Six months ago, I had kidney failure, and she even donated a kidney to me. Our deep feelings can’t be described to outsiders, but I can responsibly say that our relationship is great, and I have never done anything to wrong her."

"The mistress story is pure rumor; if you provide the whistleblower’s information, I will certainly sue for defamation!"

"As for next month’s bidding conference..."

With just a few words, the situation was completely turned around.

In front of the camera, Adrian Lockwood spoke eloquently.

It was as if this wasn’t an unscheduled shoot due to rumors, but a press conference he initiated.

Dressed in a suit.

Exuding deep charisma.

The man’s infinite charm on the screen was magnified immensely at this moment.

"A real good man! They say men go bad when they get rich, but there are exceptions!"

"His wife is really lucky!"

"..."

In the hotpot restaurant, seeing the surrounding diners all with envy.

Serena Sinclair had lost her appetite.

"Bastard!"

Across the table, Una Hutton glanced at the TV and cursed, "He can make black seem white; such eloquence is wasted not being a lawyer!"

"Don’t..."

Serena lightly glanced at Una, "You’re insulting lawyers!"

A profession as noble as a lawyer couldn’t be tarnished by someone like Adrian Lockwood who twists the truth.

"You’re right!"

Una realized, picked up a piece of meat for Serena, then asked, "So what do you do now?"

The intention was to let the media chase off Adrian Lockwood so he wouldn’t pester her at the hotel.

Unexpectedly, it instead boosted promotion for the Lockwood Group’s upcoming work.

If time could rewind a few hours, after venting her anger, she shouldn’t have leaked the details!

Serena regretted it!

"It’s nothing..."

Facing Una’s worried look, Serena smiled, "I just need to get through tonight."

Tomorrow she’ll look for a new place, and once she’s moved out of the hotel, Adrian will find it much harder to pester her.

"I’ll stay with you."

Una put down her phone, "Tomorrow I only have one class; I switched with a colleague, so tonight I’ll stay with you at the hotel. Tomorrow we’ll go house hunting, and aim to move by 2 p.m., even saving tomorrow’s room fee!"

She was so moved she could only offer Una more food.

The two tried to set aside their bad mood and enjoy the delicious hotpot in front of them.

At the same time, in the basement of Hillcrest Villa, Wyatt Hawthorne’s eyes were dark.

"Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Sorry..."

The cold automated voice echoed in his ear.

Wyatt took the phone away, not knowing if Serena’s phone was dead or if she was so depressed she chose to turn it off and hide.

Looking up again, on the car’s screen, the handsome and dashing President Lockwood was eloquently explaining the development history of The Lockwood Group over recent years.

To those in the know, he was blocked by paparazzi in the hotel lobby.

To those unaware, it seemed like he was doing a briefing to municipal leaders seated before him.

Sarcasm spread across his eyes, and Wyatt made a call, "Start trading tomorrow morning and acquire more of The Lockwood Group’s stock."

Yesterday plus today.

New gripes and old scores to be settled together!

The person on the line agreed, and Wyatt hung up, opened the car door, and entered the elevator.

Exiting the elevator, the foyer lights came on welcomingly.

Meow!

A call resounded as an orange cat emerged from somewhere.

It walked over and affectionately rubbed against Wyatt’s pants leg.

"Little rascal!"

Without even bothering to change shoes, Wyatt sat on the floor and tapped the cat’s forehead, "Your mother doesn’t want you anymore!"

Meow!

With both front paws on Wyatt’s suit pants, the orange cat’s big eyes were filled with tiny confusion.

"But it’s okay..."

Wyatt petted the cat’s head, "Daddy wants you!"

After changing shoes, Wyatt stood up and went into the living room.

Pausing.

The once pristine sofa bore a string of footprints, fading from black to gray to light gray.

The floor-to-ceiling corner Brazilian green plant was broken midway, with soil from the pot scattered all over the floor.

A slight stench lingered in the air.

No need to think about what it did, Wyatt wagged his finger at it, "Troublemaker!"

The troublemaker glanced at Wyatt, then swaggered up to the second floor.

After calling the butler, Wyatt entered the master bedroom.

After showering, he returned to an air filled with a faint lemon scent.

The green plant had been replaced.

The sofa was clean, but subtle marks on the armrest now clearly labeled it a scratching post for the cat.

Turning on the TV to an international news channel for background noise, Wyatt grabbed a tablet and leaned back on the sofa.

The phone beeped lively.

Some asked what he was busy with, saying it had been a while and they missed him.

Others tagged him in the chat, asking if he’d like to go drinking.

Too lazy to reply to each individually, Wyatt simply responded in the chat group.

[Not going. I’m busy watching a kid.]

???

It was like a bucket of ice was dumped into hot oil, and the already lively chat group instantly exploded.

Wyatt tossed the phone aside and looked at the orange cat curled up in his lap, sleeping soundly and purring, as his cold gaze gradually warmed.