Talia was momentarily taken aback but quickly masked her annoyance with a smile, her expression changing swiftly, "Adrian, you’re here." Adrian Jennings’ eyes narrowed slightly, "Did you just mention Ethan Grant?" Talia didn’t hold back, honestly replying, "Ethan Grant just knocked on the door." Adrian then noticed the breakfast bag by the wall. With lowered lashes, his voice gave no indication of his emotions, "Brought you breakfast?" "Yes, I have no idea why he’s being so weird early in the morning. I was sleeping so well, but he woke me up." Talia’s words were laced with evident disgust and irritation. Adrian asked, "How did he know your exact floor and room number?" This question caught Talia off guard. Right, she’d never told Ethan Grant her floor number or room number. How did he know? Talia said blankly, "I don’t know either." Adrian frowned, "Don’t worry, Talia, I’ll get to the bottom of this. Let me in for now." Talia stepped aside to allow Adrian entrance. Once inside, Adrian took off his gray pure cashmere coat and casually hung it on the hook on the wall. Talia bent down to grab the men’s slippers and placed them at Adrian’s feet. During the brief moment Adrian changed shoes, Talia tried to appear casual as she asked, "By the way, Adrian, you suddenly said you had an urgent matter to attend to last night. What was it? Did you handle it?" Adrian paused momentarily, his tone calm, "It was about Jessica Coleman." Seeing his frankness, Talia felt relieved. She let out an indiscernible sigh and relaxed her tense body. Thankfully, he didn’t plan on hiding anything. She knew she wasn’t wrong about him; Adrian was different from Ethan Grant. "Jessica Coleman?" Talia continued to inquire, "Isn’t she being held in the detention center?" Adrian, having finished changing his shoes, replied, "Sorry, Talia, I didn’t tell you earlier because I didn’t want you to worry. A month ago, Jessica Coleman falsely claimed she was pregnant and was abducted on the way to the hospital for a check-up." This was almost exactly what Ethan Grant had said last night. The only difference was Adrian used the term "falsely claimed." "Falsely claimed? So she wasn’t pregnant at all?" Adrian nodded, "Yes, after she was abducted, we’ve been searching for her, and finally found her at a telecom fraud park on the Caldorian border. She confessed she was never pregnant." Following Adrian, Talia walked into the living room, "Who abducted her? What was their motive?" "That’s why I had not wanted you to worry," Adrian turned to look at her, his expression serious, "The force that took her is formidable. I initially suspect they are targeting me." Adrian’s brow furrowed slightly, pausing to gather his thoughts, his expression resolute, "Last night... I received a call on my way to pick you up, telling me Jessica Coleman had been killed." Talia’s eyes widened abruptly, her expression startled. "After our people found her, we intended to discover who was behind it, but before we could ask anything, she was silenced." Jessica Coleman was guilty, and she hated Jessica Coleman. But she believed the law would punish her, for the crime of kidnapping and attempted murder. Even though under the current laws she wouldn’t be sentenced to immediate execution, even in the worst-case scenario, if she were to be, it should be the law that punishes her. Being murdered was still too cruel. Actually, Adrian hadn’t revealed the more gruesome details. Jessica Coleman was killed by having her throat slit, her death gruesome. Her long-ill father was also finished off by the mastermind, as were the hitman Agan and his elderly mother. Adrian had seen too much darkness from his position and could handle these things. But Talia was different. She was inherently kind, with a strong sense of empathy. Upon hearing such things, she would surely be so disturbed that she couldn’t eat. After the incident, Adrian pulled Talia into his arms, resting his chin in the crook of her neck. Breathing in deeply and relaxing, "Talia, a lot has happened recently. I feel like I’m always on edge, but I can truly relax only when I’m with you." Adrian embraced Talia, closing his eyes, "Talia, be careful lately. I worry they might target you. I’ll add two more bodyguards for your protection. Remember to take them with you when you go out." Talia, her head buried in Adrian’s chest, murmured a muffled response. Unease welled up in her heart, "Adrian, do you have any leads? Who could be so mad?" Adrian thought briefly before speaking his mind, "I don’t have any leads yet, but we should have answers soon. Some acts inevitably leave traces. Last night, I had already reported it to the police. They’re investigating as well." Talia’s eyes lowered, filled with heavy thoughts. After a while, the girl spoke somberly, "Ethan Grant came looking for me last night." Adrian’s hold tightened around her, "Why did he come?" Talia’s thin lips parted lightly, her voice gentle, "He came to find me, told me you were with Jessica Coleman last night, and also said... that you sent people to abduct Jessica Coleman from the police to intentionally mislead me, wanting me to suspect Jessica was carrying your child." Adrian gently asked her, "What did you think?" Talia replied, "Honestly, for a moment, I was indeed nervous and upset to the point of trembling. I was afraid you might have done something to wrong me... But then I figured that he was deliberately sowing discord. I trust you wouldn’t betray me." At this point, Talia’s voice carried a hint of sadness, speaking quietly, "I didn’t expect Jessica Coleman to be killed last night..." Adrian gently patted Talia’s back, comforting her, "It’s okay, Talia, it’s alright even if you doubt me, I’ll come to explain it personally to you of course, I’m glad you trust me so much about Jessica Coleman, I didn’t expect this either." Talia asked muffled, "Jessica Coleman... was she coerced? When she kidnapped Jasmine, the hand holding the dagger was shaking, her expression was tense and fearful, she didn’t seem inherently bad..." Adrian gave a slight nod. "She was indeed coerced." Talia hugged Adrian tightly, "Adrian, the mastermind is a true psychopath, please be careful." Google seaʀᴄh n0velfire.net Adrian’s eyes sharpened, his jawline taut, "Don’t worry about me, I’ll be careful."