"What’s wrong?"
Adrian rose from the sofa, looking at Roxanne with genuine confusion.
He couldn’t understand what had just happened. A moment ago, she’d been teasing him, even kissing him. Now, the ice queen had returned in full force.
Her expression was so cold that he mentally replayed their conversation, searching for the exact moment he’d said something stupid.
’Did calling her a rich heiress really set her off?’
He knew some wealthy people disliked having their backgrounds brought up, especially those from old-money families who preferred to keep their fortunes private. But Roxanne’s reaction felt far too personal for that.
It was as though he’d accidentally touched an old wound.
After several uncomfortable seconds, she exhaled slowly. Some of the tension left her shoulders, though her expression remained stern.
"If you waste any more of my morning, I’ll be late for work. So please, leave. I need to get ready."
Adrian’s face immediately brightened.
At least she wasn’t throwing him out with the security guards.
"Heh. Didn’t you hear the news?" He flashed her a shameless, boyish grin. "Today’s officially National Bring Your Man to Work Day."
Roxanne pinched the bridge of her nose.
Was this man physically incapable of being serious for more than three seconds?
"Why didn’t I just leave you face-down on the bar floor?" she muttered before turning toward her bedroom.
Adrian watched her go, scratching the back of his neck.
"Come on, admit it. You fell so hard for me last night that you couldn’t bear to leave me behind. You just had to bring me home as a souvenir."
Roxanne stopped dead in the doorway.
Her back straightened.
"Out, Adrian!"
"Alright, alright! I’m going!"
He hurried toward the front door, wisely deciding not to push his luck any further.
However, just as he reached for the handle, he caught a glimpse of her reflection in the polished hallway glass.
For the briefest moment, the corner of her mouth had curved into a small, helpless smile.
Adrian grinned to himself as he stepped outside into the cool morning air.
’So the permafrost isn’t permanent after all.’
His good mood lasted until he’d barely made it past the estate’s wrought-iron gates.
Then reality caught up with him.
Jacob still had his Ferrari.
Adrian pulled out his phone and started a video call. After three rings, Jacob’s face appeared on the screen, framed by the sleek kitchenette of what looked like an expensive hotel suite.
"Adrian! What’s good, my boy?"
"Can you bring my Ferrari back to my apartment later?" Adrian asked, cutting straight to the point. He narrowed his eyes at the screen. "And where the hell did you disappear to last night?"
A greasy grin spread across Jacob’s face. He looked like a man who’d spent the night making excellent use of someone else’s Italian sports car.
"Bro, last night was a religious experience." He shook his head, still basking in the memory. "If you find any women’s jewelry under the passenger seat, just let me know, alright?"
Adrian stared at him in silent disappointment.
Some things never changed. The leopard couldn’t change its spots, and Jacob couldn’t resist turning every opportunity into a personal hustle.
"Just bring the car back in one piece, you parasite."
With a sigh, Adrian ended the call before his friend could launch into a detailed account of the previous night.
Since he had no other ride, he hailed a yellow cab at the estate’s outer roundabout and headed back to his apartment to pack.
The next morning, his silver Ferrari sped along the highway on the outskirts of Halcyon City, its engine producing a smooth, throaty growl as the open road stretched ahead.
His destination was Oakridge, a quiet town a few hours away, near the edge of the provincial district.
Compared with Halcyon City’s glittering skyline and endless displays of wealth, Oakridge was almost painfully ordinary. Brick storefronts lined its main streets, modest houses sat behind neat suburban driveways, and neighbors somehow knew one another’s business before breakfast.
Around here, an exotic supercar cruising down Main Street would attract more attention than a celebrity arriving at a red-carpet event.
Adrian hadn’t set foot in the town for nearly four years.
After graduating from university, he’d been consumed by ambition. Convinced that his instincts and gambling skills could take him to the top, he’d chased the promise of fortune in Las Venturas.
For a while, he’d believed he was invincible.
Then everything had fallen apart.
His losses had piled up, his debts had grown, and shame had gradually driven him away from the people who mattered most. At first, he’d simply delayed returning their calls. Eventually, over the past few months he stopped calling home altogether.
He wasn’t exactly a model son.
Yet as the familiar green hills and weathered highway signs came into view, an unexpected warmth spread through his chest.
Four years was a long time.
How much had changed since he’d left? And what would his family think when they saw him again?
He’d spent part of the previous day picking out gifts, hoping to soften the blow of his long absence.
For Lily, his little sister, he’d bought a delicate emerald hairpin. His mother would receive an understated diamond pendant, while his father would get a premium bottle of dark-label Belgian ale.
’Hopefully, that’ll buy me a temporary ceasefire.’
The previous evening, he’d also called Chloe to let her know he was leaving the city for a short break. He’d sent Roxanne a brief message as well.
The chat showed Delivered.
No reply.
Adrian had little doubt she’d seen it. Knowing her, she was probably enjoying the opportunity to leave him hanging.
He chuckled at the thought and returned his attention to the road.
Two hours later, the Ferrari rolled into Oakridge.
Familiar streets passed behind the tinted windows, stirring memories he’d buried beneath years of gambling, ambition, and regret.
Eventually, he turned onto an old residential lane and slowed to a stop opposite a cozy two-story house surrounded by a white picket fence.
He switched off the engine and stepped out into the cool morning breeze.
For a moment, he simply stood there, staring at the front porch.
"Home..." he murmured.
A faint smile appeared on his face, but it carried none of his usual confidence.
"Or at least, it was before I fucked everything up."
He’d spent the entire drive preparing himself for the worst. Cold shoulders. Disappointed sighs. Awkward questions he wouldn’t know how to answer.
He’d imagined standing on that doorstep like a stranger who’d overstayed his welcome, wondering whether the people inside could ever look at him the same way again.
Taking a deep breath, he opened the trunk and retrieved his duffel bag.
SLAM!
"ADRIAAAAAAN!"
A piercing shriek shattered the morning quiet before he could even reach for the doorbell.
The front door flew open, rebounding against the wall as a whirlwind of brown hair and oversized sleeves came hurtling across the lawn.
Adrian’s eyes widened.
’What the hell? I haven’t even knocked! How did she know I was here?’
He barely had time to react before a pair of skinny arms wrapped around his neck with astonishing force.
Lily buried her face against his chest, clutching his jacket as though she was afraid he’d disappear if she loosened her grip.
"Brooo! It’s been an eternity! We honestly thought Thanos had snapped you out of existence!"
The knot in Adrian’s throat dissolved.
He laughed, the sound coming more naturally than anything had in a long time. Wrapping his arms around his little sister, he lifted her off the ground.
"You really haven’t changed at all, have you?"
"Of course not!" Lily declared proudly as he lowered her onto the grass. "I’m still the same adorable, irreplaceable baby sister you’re legally obligated to spoil."
Then her cheerful expression abruptly collapsed into an exaggerated pout.
She planted both hands on her hips and glared up at him.
"Speaking of which, why haven’t you answered any of our messages? Did you get a new number or something?"
"Ehehe..." Adrian rubbed the back of his neck. "You know how it is. I switched phones and lost a bunch of contacts."
Lily’s eyes narrowed.
"Seriously, bro? You lost the number of your one and only sister? You’re telling me you didn’t even memorize it?"
"How could I forget my favorite person in the world?"
"Hmph! You’d better not have!"
Apparently satisfied with that answer, Lily finally turned her attention to the street behind him.
Her eyes landed on the silver supercar parked beside the curb.
She stopped breathing for a second.
Then her head slowly turned back toward Adrian, her eyes widening until they were practically the size of dinner plates.
"Brother..."
She pointed at the car.
"Whose car is that?"
A proud smirk tugged at Adrian’s lips.
He reached into his jacket, pulled out the sleek key fob, and let it dangle between his fingers with a playful jingle.
Lily’s reaction was immediate.
"KYAAAA! BRO!"
She grabbed his arm and started bouncing so frantically that Adrian wondered whether she’d ever touched the ground twice in the same spot.
"You have to drive me everywhere! You’re taking me all over town! And you’re picking me up from campus every single afternoon! Bro, we’re going to be the coolest siblings in the entire neighborhood!"
Adrian threw his head back and laughed.
Her excitement was infectious, and for the first time in years, he felt completely at ease standing in front of his childhood home.
He dropped his duffel bag onto the porch steps and folded his arms, looking down at her with the smug expression of an older brother who’d just been handed the perfect opportunity to tease his sibling.
"Picking you up from campus? Hold your horses, squirt. Don’t you have to pass your university entrance exams first?"
Lily froze.
Her bouncing stopped so abruptly that it looked as though someone had pressed a pause button.
Slowly, she tilted her head up to stare at him.
"Adrian..."
"Yeah?"
"That was a year ago."
He blinked.
The smug grin on his face faltered.
"Huh?"
Lily placed her hands on her hips again, staring at him with the sort of disbelief usually reserved for people who’d just witnessed something truly incomprehensible.
"I’m already in college."
"Eh?"