Chapter 9 Adrienne's steps paused for a few seconds before she slowly walked out. The elevator doors closed behind her. Jared felt so relieved. He swallowed hard. "I'll look into it right away." To find out why Adrienne was here, and she was with Willard. That man had once nearly kissed her by force. Garrett had been furious back then and had her taken away immediate- ly. The elevator reached the seventh floor. Garrett stepped out. "No need. If she wants to fall, let her." After all, it wasn't like it was her first time sleeping around. Jared wisely said nothing and followed behind. Meanwhile, in the private room, Willard pushed open the door and greeted the people inside. "Sorry, folks. Ran into someone I knew in the elevator. Took a few extra minutes." The room was filled with potential business partners. Most of them were small-time entrepreneurs. One of them teased, "Your new assistant's really something. That face could make her a star." Willard grinned proudly. "She's not interested in that kind of spotlight." A group of middle-aged men began cracking crude jokes, their eyes roaming over Adrienne's body. She lowered her lashes, pretending not to notice. Willard jerked his chin. "Go pour a drink for Mr. Camacho. He's been looking at you all night." Adrienne got up and walked over to Ernest Camacho, bending down to pour him a glass of wine. Ernest's gaze lingered on her face, and he raised his hand to touch her waist, but she dodged with her wine glass. "Mr. Camacho, a toast to you." Looking a little embarrassed, Ernest didn't push it further and finished his drink. Adrienne returned to Willard's side, once again taking on her obedient demeanor. The middle-aged men finally got to the point and began discussing the real purpose of the evening. After the talk, someone said, "I just saw Garrett Melendez in the first-floor lobby. The aura he carries is no joke. Is the Melendez family planning to make the second son the heir? Will the eldest really go along with that?" Among truly powerful families, sibling rivalry could be brutal. 0.0% 16:42 "The eldest is refined and gentle, while Garrett came up from the grassroots. They have totally different tempera- ments. Garrett is ruthless, and the rest of the family is wary of him. I heard the eldest even indulges him quite a bit. No one knows if it's genuine or just a front." "Hey, how could we common folk understand all the twists and turns of elite families? I handed my business card to Garrett once. He didn't even glance at it." "That's because you tried to curry favor with the wrong person. I once complimented the lady with him, Ms. Pierce, at a banquet, and he took my card right away." Willard, now thirty-nine, looked at Adrienne with a touch of sympathy. She was used to it and listened quietly. "Garrett really treats Bethany well. He takes her to every event. I heard they nearly got married years ago, but some lowly woman drugged him and ruined everything." "Come to think of it. Has anyone ever seen what that wife of his actually looks like?" Everyone started freely speculating about Garrett's relationship with his wife. Maybe he loathed her, or maybe he'd al- ready torn that disgraceful woman to shreds. Just then, Willard chuckled lightly. "Adrienne probably knows best about that. Why don't you tell us? Did Garrett have her torn to pieces?" Adrienne's lashes trembled slightly. Her eyes swept over the gossip-hungry faces, and she said softly, "We live in a society governed by law." Everyone burst out laughing, saying how witty she was. 58.5% 16:42