The man wore a bespoke suit that accentuated his exceptionally tall and imposing figure, radiating an oppressive aura.
Standing by the window with his back to her, he took a drag from his cigarette, leaving the air faintly tinged with the scent of tobacco.
Perhaps hearing her uncomfortable coughing, he stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray.
He then turned around, pushed up the rimless glasses on his nose, and looked at her, his thin lips curling into a faint smile.
“What, you don’t recognize me anymore?”
Bella Jefferson’s gaze collided with his.
Somewhere deep in her heart, it felt like a string had been fiercely plucked.
Her heart pounded wildly as her breath hitched.
Even though they hadn’t seen each other in five years, his face was branded into her memory.
She would recognize him even if he were reduced to ashes.
He was the Sinclair family’s adopted eldest son.
The man who shared absolutely no blood relations with Mason Sinclair—Miles Sinclair.
She wondered how he could suddenly be back after vanishing five years ago.
Lowering her head, Bella concealed her complicated emotions.
When she looked up again, her face was a mask of cold indifference.
“Should I call you Mr.
Sinclair, or Mr.
Xavier?”
Behind his glasses, Adrian Xavier’s eyes flickered with a gloomy yet steady light as he watched her, not missing a single shift in her expression.
He walked over and sat down opposite her, his hands clasped together.
On his left hand, the Jade ring—a symbol of his status—gleamed with a lustrous sheen.
The heavy silence couldn’t conceal the turbulence in his eyes, and the answer was self-evident.
Thinking back, the time of Miles’s departure perfectly aligned with the timeline of Adrian’s return.
Because Miles was an orphan and Adrian never made public appearances, no one had ever connected the two men.
“May I ask why Mr.
Xavier went out of his way to bring me here?” Bella was self-aware enough not to flatter herself by thinking Adrian was here to catch up on old times.
“The renowned doctor Felix Hollis is internationally famous.
Naturally, I’m here to seek medical treatment.”
“How did you know I’m Felix Hollis?”
“You don’t need to know that.” Adrian pushed a thick medical report across the table.
“Sarah has congenital heart disease.
I need you to cure her.”
She wondered who Sarah was.
Hearing him use such an intimate name, she wondered if it could be his sweetheart.
Bella picked up the report and glanced at it, only to realize the patient was a five-year-old child.
Had he already married and had children?
It had been five years, and the memories of the past had long faded like passing clouds, yet at this moment, Bella’s chest still tightened painfully.
She set the report down on the table and spoke truthfully.
“The child’s condition is extremely severe.
She needs surgery as soon as possible.”
“I know.” Adrian’s expression was grave.
“This surgery is extremely dangerous.
I’ve consulted countless experts, but not a single one dares to take it on.”
He had also sought out Mr.
Xanor, but the old gentleman was already retired.
Given his advanced age, he no longer had the stamina to perform such a major operation.
Refusing to give up, Adrian had visited him countless times.
It was only recently that Mr.
Xanor had finally revealed Felix Hollis’s true identity.
Bella sneered.
“Then what makes you think I’d dare to take it?”
“You are a cardiology expert and Mr.
Xanor’s most prized student.
You’ve participated in several major heart transplant surgeries and are known as the ‘Natural Enemy of the Grim Reaper.’ If you don’t dare to take it, wouldn’t it tarnish your title as a renowned doctor?”
He wore an ambiguous smile, leaving Bella unable to tell if he was genuinely praising her or merely mocking her.
“You don’t need to provoke me.
I really can’t take on this surgery.”
Adrian suddenly stood up, leaning his hands on the table.
His knuckles turned white from the force.
His lowered eyes held no warmth, radiating only an oppressive, ice-cold intensity.
“Can’t take it, or won’t take it?”
Bella met his gaze without a hint of fear, laughing self-deprecatingly.
“Mr.
Xavier, perhaps you’ve forgotten.
Over the past six months, your people have repeatedly humiliated me over the Xavier Group collaboration.
My brain has long been ruined from all the drinking.
I can’t lift a scalpel anymore.” She continued aggressively, “You’ve been hiding behind the scenes this whole time, watching me act like a clown, selling my smiles and drinking away my dignity just for a project.
You must be incredibly proud of yourself, right?”
Before this, she had always believed her inability to secure the Xavier Family’s project was due to her own lack of competence.
Only now did she realize that it wasn’t her fault at all; Adrian simply had no intention of collaborating with Meridian Group and was deliberately making things difficult for her.
Orchestrating that elaborate scene last night was nothing more than an attempt to watch her and Mason fall out, all to avenge her past betrayal.
But she wondered what right he had to be angry when he was the one who had betrayed her first.
Adrian remained silent, which Bella took as a tacit admission.
Her tone turned icy.
“Leave.
I won’t perform this surgery!”
She turned around, a wave of complex emotions sweeping through her.
Surprise and sudden realization mingled with the sorrow of how much things had changed, completely enveloping her heart.
She, Miles, and Mason had grown up together.
To be precise, she had known Miles longer than she had known Mason.
Miles was an orphan adopted by Mr.
Sinclair and Mrs.
Sinclair because they had been childless for years.
Unexpectedly, when Miles was five, Mrs.
Sinclair became pregnant.
The Sinclair Family worried that Miles would compete with Mason for the inheritance in the future, so they planned to send him back to the orphanage.
However, Mr.
Sinclair disagreed and insisted on keeping Miles by his side.
Because of his status as an adopted son, even with Mr.
Sinclair protecting him, Miles lived a very difficult life in the Sinclair family.
Mason, in particular, often bullied Miles behind everyone’s back.
Perhaps out of sympathy, or perhaps out of curiosity, Bella had always secretly helped Miles.
As they spent day after day together, their hearts uncontrollably drew closer, and they started dating while hiding their relationship from everyone.
The turning point occurred five years ago on Miles’s birthday.
Bella had booked a restaurant, intending to confess her feelings to him.
Instead, Miles stood her up, only for her to later stumble upon him blowing out candles with another woman.
In a terrible mood, she drank a lot of alcohol.
When she woke up, she found herself lying in a hotel bed with Mason.
Along with this came the news that Miles had left without saying goodbye.
For five whole years, Miles never appeared again.
His name was never mentioned; it was as if he had vanished from the face of the earth.
Now, however, he had returned as the heir to the Xavier Family, even gifting her such a special reunion present.
She wondered whether she should thank him for helping her see Mason’s true colors, or hate him for his ruthless heartlessness.
Bella’s heart ached bitterly.
Having said her piece, she stepped forward to leave.
Adrian caught up to her in a few strides, his palm clamping down on her wrist.
“Name your terms.
That includes the collaboration project you want.”
His palm was scalding hot.
The crisp scent of cedar mixed with a faint hint of tobacco emanated from him.
It wasn’t unpleasant; rather, it only added to his aura of authority.
Back in their school days, he had always been the center of attention.
Beyond his handsome face, he was athletic and academically brilliant.
He excelled in every aspect, making him the perfect all-around idol adored by all the girls, and the pride and joy of their teachers.
But it was precisely because of his excellence that Mr.
Sinclair and Mrs.
Sinclair disliked him even more.
Therefore, immediately after his disappearance, they announced to the public that Mason was the sole heir of the Sinclair family.
Now that he had become the Crown Prince of the number one clan, the Xavier Family, his demeanor and tone had grown even more aloof and unfathomable.
Bella tried to shake off his hand, but he gripped her even tighter.
“Let go!” she demanded, a hint of anger in her voice.
Adrian’s lips curled into a mocking smile.
Leaning close to her ear, he lowered his voice.
“You were willing to throw away a bright future for Mason.
Now that you have this perfect opportunity to please him, are you telling me you don’t want it?”
“That’s right, I don’t want it!” Bella’s face instantly flushed red as she struggled vigorously.
She didn’t even want Mason anymore; why would she care about the collaboration?
She had only come to this appointment today out of curiosity about Adrian’s identity.
The answer had been revealed, and she had no desire to keep entangling with him.
At that moment, Adrian’s assistant burst into the room in a panic.
“Mr.
Xavier, Sarah is feeling unwell again.”