bChapter /bb240 /b

    ADRIAN’S POV

    I let bout /ba small, disappointing sigh, the kind that carried the weight of irritation I’d rather not show but couldn’t quite hide. I bdidn’t /bbeven /bneed to turn bto /bsee who bit /bwas. That smug voice, that deliberate way of making his presence known, it was unmistakable.

    Still, I pivoted slowly, as though giving him the courtesy of my attention. And there he was–Marcus–walking toward me like he owned bthe /bbce/bb, /bblike /bbhe /bwas the host of this entire ceremony. The self–satisfied expression stered on his face only made me more certain that he’de here with an agendab. /b

    “What do you mean by that, Marcus?” I asked, my voice sharp enough to cut ss. Anyone standing nearby could hear the venom in my btone/b. I didn’t

    bcare/bb. /b

    He stopped just a few feet away, swirling the champagne ss in his hand with that practiced arrogance “What do I mean by that? Am I not telling bthe /btruth?” He cocked his head, a faint smirk ying at the corners of his lips. “You’ve been telling your friend James over here and I’m sure plenty of others too that you’re only here to say hello. But tell me, Adrian… is that really the main reason?”

    I stared at him for a beat, holding back the urge to roll my eyes. “Hold on,” I said, my tone shifting into mockery. “So you’re trying to unravel the bmystery /bthat I came here for another motive? I thought you had better things to do, Marcus. Don’t you have apany to run? I didn’t realize you’d traded in byour /btitle for that of a detective.” A slow smirk curled on my lips, one meant to match his arrogance and throw it back in his face.

    Marcus tilted his head in acknowledgment, almost like he appreciated the jab. “You’re right about most of what you just called out, old friend,” he said smoothly. “Yes, I am trying to unravel a mystery. But it’s not the mystery that you came here for another motive, it’s something much deeper than that.” He took a deliberate sip from his ss before continuing, his eyes never leaving mine. “Secondly, I already know byou /bcame here for your little miss lovey- dovey, Olivia ke. And I also know…” His smile widened like a man delivering the punchline to his favorite joke. “She’s your ex.b” /b

    James, who had been quietly standing beside me, finally spoke up, his tone light but with just enough edge to make the point sting. He shot me ba /bnce and let a slow grin spread across his face. “You hear that, boss? Your friend Marcus over here ims to know a lot of things. Well, everything except respect.”

    Marcus’s gaze flicked to James, his brows raising ever so slightly. “Tell me,” he said, his voice tinged with curiosity, “how exactly do I not know the value of respect?”

    I didn’t give James the chance to answer. Instead, I stepped forward slightly, my eyes locked on Marcus. “You’re asking him that question? You came here to congratte your friend Olivia and yet, when she’s not around, you refer to her with disrespectful little names like ‘lovey–dovey.” I tilted my head slightly. “What are you going to say about that?”

    For a moment, Marcus just stared at me, and I thought maybe I’d hit a nerve. But then heughed. A good, heartyugh that seemed almost too genuine for the situation. It was unexpecteding from him, but the way his shoulders shook told me he was actually enjoying this exchange far too much.

    When he finally caught his breath, he shook his head, still smiling. “Talk about jumping to conclusions,” he said, his toneced with mock amusement. “You called her my friend, Adrian. And tell me who told you we were friends? Because I can assure you, we’re not.” He took another sip from his champagne, still holding my gaze like he was savoring the tension between us. “In factb…/b” He leaned in just slightly, lowering his voice, though bnot /benough to keep nearby ears from catching it. “I haven’t even spoken to thatdy once in my life.”

    My right eyebrow arched almost on instinct, the kind of involuntary reaction that happens when your brain is still catching up to what your ears just heard. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught James ncing at me. He had that same expression I imagined I was wearing part surprise, part suspicion.

    Neither of us had been expecting that answer.

    What does he mean he has never spoken to Olivia/before?

    The words kept circling in my mind like vultures around a carcass. If Marcus truly had never met herb, /bthen what in the world was he doing bhere/bb? /bbSure/bb, /bbthis /bceremony was technically open to the publicb, /banyone with the right connections or the right amount of money could wrangle an invitation but it bwasn’t /bexactly a ce you just stumbled into. The guest list was… curated. And Marcus didn’t strike me as the type to attend ban /bevent just to bsip /bchampagne and p politely.

    I leaned forward slightly, narrowing my eyes at him. “If you haven’t met Olivia ke before,b” /bI said slowly, making bsure /bbmy /bwords bwere /bmeasuredb, /bb“/bhow do you know her? And what are you doing hereb?/bb” /b

    bChapter /b240

    Marcus bdidn’t /bhesitate. He smirked, typical of him before leaning back casuallyb, /bas if this was all just a bgame/bb. /bb“/bbAre /bbyou /bbliving /bbunder /ba brock/bb? /bbCan’t /byou co bthat /bbshe’s /bbeen btrending /beverywhere–news outlets, online headlines, social media, you name it? bAnd /bof course, byou /bbknow /bbme/b. bWhen /bbI /bbsee /ban opportunity…” He spread his hands in a mock shrug, b“/bbI /balways go for it.”

    bI /bbdidn’t /brealize how tense my shoulders had been until I suddenly felt them rx. I couldn’t even exin why, but hearing that bhe /bdidn’t know bher /bpersonally was oddly… relieving. Maybe part of me had been bracing for something worse, something that would sting far deeper than I bwas /bbready /bbfor /b

    James, however, wasn’t quite convinced. “Hold on,” he said, frowning slightly. “She’s trending online, yes. But they haven’t mentioned anything about Adrian and Olivia being together for years now. You can barely find a headline that does. And for you to use the words ‘lovey–doveyb, /bbit /bmeans,

    He stopped there, the sentence dangling in the air like bait..

    He didn’t need to finish. My mind had already sprinted ahead, connecting the dots before James even hinted at the picture they formed.

    If Marcus knew about our past rtionship, then that had to be the real reason he was here. He didn’te for the ceremony, the open bar, or theworking opportunities. No, Marcus came hoping to dig deeper, to get more information about Olivia–information he could use, but was he nning on using it against me? I mean that’s the only reasonable exnation that makes sense

    I clenched my jaw, not sure if I should confront him or let it slide for now.

    But before I could decide, the air in the room shifted. It was subtle at first–a murmur passing through the crowd, the quiet scrape of chairs being pulled in, the faint buzz of cameras being readied.

    I turned toward themotion, and that’s when I saw her.

    Olivia stepped out from the back room like she owned the entire ce, and technically she did

    She was wearing the most beautiful dress I had ever seen on her–sleek, form–fittingb, /bthe kind of design that whispered elegance but shouted power. It shimmered under the lights with each movement, hugging her in all the right ces, flowing just enough to make her look untouchable.

    A team of armed security followed closely behind, their presence a silent warning to anyone who might have been thinking bof /bgetting too close. But bit /bwasn’t them that drew the eye, it was her.

    She looked… incredible.

    Since the day I married her, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her look quite like this. Back then, she had been beautiful, yes, but this was different. This was a woman who had learned exactly how much power she held and wasn’t afraid to wield it.

    The way she walked–head high, posture perfect–radiated a mix of elegance and pride. Every step seemed intentional, almost rehearsed, as though bshe /bwas perfectly aware that every eye in the room was on her… and she loved it.

    And I couldn’t help it despite everything, my chest tightened just watching her.