Gregory Larsen booked a luxurious private room. Clearly, there were only five of them, yet the table was big enough to seat ten. Gregory Larsen thoughtfully pulled out a chair, bowing slightly and gestured towards Adrian Jennings. "President Jennings, please have a seat." Adrian Jennings was accustomed to such flattery and naturally sat down. But for Talia, it was the first time witnessing how outsiders treated the president of The Jennings Group. The man in front of her faced others’ fawning and flattery with indifference, his expression cold and detached, emanating an aura of aloofness that kept people at a distance. This made Talia feel unfamiliar; it was difficult for her to connect the high-cold man in front of her with the one who wore an apron to cook for her. After Adrian Jennings sat down, Edward Shelby took the seat to his right. Then Gregory Larsen chose a seat to Adrian Jennings’ left, leaving a space between them. His choice of seating was deliberate; too far would hinder business discussions, too close might offend President Jennings. So Gregory Larsen specifically left a gap and sat down. The director of the law firm sat next to Gregory Larsen on his left. Talia deliberately chose the seat farthest from Adrian Jennings, directly opposite him. Adrian leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping across coolly, the disappointment in his eyes fleeting. Latest content published on novel fire.net Edward saw this scene and sighed silently in his heart. Such a pair of unfortunate lovers. After everyone took their seats, Gregory Larsen pushed the menu towards Adrian Jennings, "President Jennings." Adrian flipped through it casually, announced a few dish names, then pushed the menu back to Gregory Larsen. Gregory Larsen added a few more substantial dishes. Talia kept her eyes lowered, daring not to look at the man across from her, just stared blankly at the glass turntable on the table. The dishes Adrian had just ordered with the waiter were all her favorites. In Talia’s heart, strands of resentment suddenly arose. They had broken up, yet he continued doing these meaningless things, first inviting her to stay for a meal, then ordering her favorite dishes right in front of her. What does he mean? Playing the role of a lovesick ex-boyfriend? In front of the director and Gregory Larsen, Talia couldn’t just stand up and leave. But being in the same private room as Adrian Jennings, she felt suffocated, barely able to breathe. She couldn’t understand Adrian Jennings. Adrian was chatting intermittently with the people around him, yet his gaze always inadvertently fell on the girl across from him. The girl sat there with her head lowered, silent, not playing with her phone, like a little quail with her head drooped. Adrian wanted to reach out and tousle her furry head, wanted to pull her into his embrace for a tight hug. The waiter finished serving the dishes. Talia said nothing, burying her head in the food. She was truly hungry. Last night, having accidentally encountered Adrian Jennings and Lana Larsen on the plane, she felt upset all night, had no appetite to eat, couldn’t sleep, and rushed to the tennis court early this morning without having breakfast, thus her stomach was growling with hunger. The conversations among the few men were not something she could interject into, nor did she want to, so she just focused on eating. Adrian Jennings agreed to collaborate with Tenward, saying he would send his assistant to sign the contract the following day, which delighted Gregory Larsen, who drank a few glasses of wine. Under the influence of the alcohol, Gregory Larsen gradually went from being nervous and flattering to uninhibited, his face glowing, and talked endlessly about his rise to fortune. Adrian Jennings ignored Gregory Larsen’s braggadocio, his thoughts constantly drawn to the girl across from him, his gaze uncontrollably darting over, his finger spinning the glass turntable, stopping the dishes she liked in front of her. Gregory Larsen and the law firm director were too busy drinking and chatting to notice Adrian Jennings’ subtle moves, but Edward saw it all clearly. Edward shook his head helplessly. He realized that his brother was a hopeless romantic. Adrian Jennings, who was always calm and composed, had countless admirers since childhood, including those like Jessica Coleman who pursued him relentlessly, but cold as he was, he never took interest in any of them. Previously he thought Adrian was indifferent to women, until he saw Talia Rhodes’ photo at his home and realized Adrian wasn’t uninterested in women, he had someone hidden in his heart. For her, he rejected everyone else. After the meal, Gregory Larsen was drunk, and the restaurant manager had already called for a driver, so Gregory Larsen left first. Outside the restaurant. The director bade farewell to Adrian Jennings and Edward Shelby, "President Jennings, Mr. Shelby, we’ll take our leave first." Adrian Jennings remained silent. There were some words he found inconvenient to say, but Edward understood him, and spoke on his behalf, "Are you guys taking a cab back?" The director replied, "Yes, Lawyer Rhodes and I are here on a business trip, staying at a hotel." Hearing this, Adrian Jennings furrowed his brow slightly. Edward knew Adrian was uneasy about letting Talia go back to the hotel with a middle-aged man who had been drinking, so he promptly offered, "I’ll give Lawyer Rhodes a lift. I haven’t drunk any alcohol, so I can drive." The director looked at the rideshare order on his phone, thinking: Why didn’t you say so earlier? He had already booked a ride, and it wouldn’t be appropriate to cancel it and cheekily hitch a ride with Edward, so he said, "Thank you, Mr. Shelby, for the trouble." Talia, however, refused, "No need for the trouble, I’ll just get a taxi myself." As she spoke, she opened her phone to order a ride. Edward half-jokingly, half-seriously asked, "Lawyer Rhodes, are you apprehensive about me?" Talia quickly glanced at Adrian Jennings, then met Edward’s gaze, politely replying, "Mr. Shelby, you know I didn’t mean it like that." Edward smiled and said, "Then Lawyer Rhodes, let me drive you back. It happens to be on my way." The director listened to them conversing, his mouth twitching, on his way? He hadn’t mentioned which hotel he was staying at, so how could Edward know if it was on the way? Could it be that Mr. Shelby was interested in Talia Rhodes? Just using this opportunity to show his attentiveness? The director’s gaze carried a hint of gossip, drifting between Talia Rhodes and Edward Shelby. Talia looked at Adrian Jennings, just about to refuse, when Adrian suddenly spoke, "Then you go ahead and drive her back, I need to head over to Lana’s place, she’s been urging me." A bucket of ice water poured over her head, Talia felt a chill running through her body. Edward gave Adrian Jennings a meaningful look, "Then you’d better hurry." Adrian replied with a faint "Hmm," didn’t spare Talia another glance, and turned to walk towards the black Maybach. Talia watched his back, feeling both sour and tense inside. Indeed, she still couldn’t maintain complete indifference. Adrian Jennings, what exactly do you mean? All these days, she’s worked hard to forget him, tried not to think about him. Yet he keeps appearing before her, doing things that easily lead her to misunderstand, first inviting her to eat, then ordering her favorite dishes, his gaze always lingering on her, while simultaneously flaunting his affection with Lana Larsen in front of her. What does he take her for? Is he treating her like a dog? "Lawyer Rhodes, I’ll..." "I said there’s no need!" Before Edward could finish, Talia snapped angrily, her tone laced with irritation, as if she’d swallowed bullets. Edward was momentarily stunned, awkwardly rubbed his nose, "Alright then, you can take a taxi back on your own." Goodness, the young lady looked gentle and serene, but she’s got quite the temper. Adrian Jennings, oh Adrian Jennings, you’ve upset your wife; let’s see how you appease her later.