The man’s tone was calm, but there was an unmistakable hint of criticism and disapproval beneath it, leaving Victoria deeply embarrassed.
Even so, she didn’t dare argue.
Charlotte and the others had probably been loud and unruly. Naturally, Richard would be displeased after seeing them behaving that way.
At least, that was what Victoria told herself.
Yet she still felt a little wronged.
She couldn’t help thinking that her father was being far too controlling. Even in front of outsiders, he hadn’t bothered to spare her any embarrassment.
But that was simply how he had always been.
“…Yes, Father. I’ll be more careful from now on.”
Victoria lowered her head.
But those words sounded completely different to Adrian.
He had always been painfully aware that his family was nowhere near the Sterling family’s level. Because of that, there had always been a complicated mixture of pride and hurt buried deep inside him whenever he was with Victoria.
He had earned his place at Peking University through sheer ability and intelligence. His professors considered him a genius, and among his peers, he was undoubtedly one of the most outstanding students of his generation.
Yet in this particular circle, all of that seemed strangely insignificant in the face of absolute wealth and power.
Now, listening to Richard deliver those casual words, Adrian felt as though they were aimed directly at him.
Humiliation and anger surged through him.
He might not come from a family like the Sterlings, but his parents were respectable businesspeople in their own right.
Why, then, was he somehow unworthy of being friends with the Sterling heiress?!
Adrian’s fingers slowly curled at his sides, his knuckles turning slightly white.
His thin lips pressed into a straight line.
He was almost unable to stop himself from raising his head and saying something.
That he relied on his own talent, not his family background.
That he was different from those spoiled second-generation heirs who knew nothing but drinking and partying.
That Richard Sterling might possess wealth beyond imagination, but that did not give him the right to casually dismiss the value of an independent individual—
But when he actually raised his eyes and met Richard’s deep, unreadable black eyes, every word caught in his throat.
That gaze was calm and utterly emotionless.
There was no contempt.
No mockery.
Not even any obvious emotion.
And yet, it carried an absolute, overwhelming pressure.
Like a silent, colossal iceberg, it could crush every trace of pride and resentment with effortless ease.
Adrian suddenly realized that, in Richard’s eyes, whatever he said or thought at that moment might be nothing more than the childish babbling of an immature boy—naive, laughable, and not even worth acknowledging.
The courage that had just risen inside him vanished in an instant.
In its place came a cold, bone-deep sense of helplessness.
In the end, he couldn’t say anything.
He simply clenched his teeth harder, lowered his eyes, and avoided that unnerving gaze.
Richard caught every change in Adrian’s expression.
Yet he showed no reaction whatsoever, as though he had merely noticed a speck of dust drifting across his field of vision.
He withdrew his gaze and said calmly to Victoria,
“The driver is waiting outside.”
Victoria didn’t dare say anything more.
She quickly nodded and led Adrian and the others outside.
The four of them walked out of the mansion and continued through the garden.
Only when they saw the large iron gate outside did they finally relax a little.
“I’ll have the driver take you home.”
Victoria said that as she got into the Rolls-Royce with them.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
“Victoria, you’re too kind! You should go back inside. You don’t have to come with us—”
One of her classmates hurriedly spoke up when he saw her getting into the car as well.
Victoria quickly shook her head.
There was no way she wanted to stay in the same mansion as Richard.
Not even if the mansion was enormous.
“I was going home anyway,” Victoria said.
She was referring to the Sterling family’s main residence.
“It’s on the way. We can keep discussing our assignment in the car.”
The sedan soon pulled away.
The bodyguards’ vehicles followed close behind.
Meanwhile, Elena stayed in the spacious shower for quite a while.
The warm water washed away the lingering chill and uncomfortable stickiness, gradually warming her from head to toe.
She dried herself with a soft bath towel before carefully blow-drying her slightly wavy hair.
In the mirror, her cheeks were flushed from the heat, and a faint mist seemed to linger in her eyes. Her fluffy, curly black hair fell loosely over her shoulders, giving her a relaxed, alluring appearance.
Wrapped in a bath towel, Elena pushed open the bathroom door—
and suddenly stopped.
There was a small clothing cart outside the bathroom that hadn’t been there before.
Several sets of clothes had been neatly arranged on it.
They were all seemingly simple casual outfits, but the quality of the fabric was unmistakably excellent.
There was a cream-colored cashmere cardigan paired with matching wide-leg trousers, a light gray silk blouse with black cigarette pants, and a soft, powder-blue cotton dress.
The lower level held several pairs of shoes as well—soft lambskin flats, low-heeled sandals, and mesh sneakers. The sizes and styles were surprisingly complete.
On the middle shelf sat a brand-new, unopened set of underwear.
Elena tried one of the outfits on and quickly realized the size was a perfect fit.
Her heart stirred slightly.
Victoria had a well-proportioned figure, but she was a little shorter than Elena and slightly fuller, with a somewhat broader frame.
If these clothes fit Elena this perfectly, then they clearly couldn’t have been Victoria’s.
Had Richard arranged for someone to prepare them specifically for her?
And in such a short amount of time?
Elena didn’t dwell on it.
She put on a simple camisole, then chose the cream V-neck cashmere cardigan and matching trousers before slipping into a pair of comfortable flats.
The soft cashmere felt gentle against her skin, its relaxed cut subtly accentuating her slender waist and long legs.
She loosely gathered her still-damp hair, took a deep breath, then opened the bedroom door.
She walked through the quiet hallway and headed downstairs.
The living room was brighter than before.
The massive crystal chandelier had been turned on completely, illuminating the polished marble floor until it gleamed like a mirror.
The last traces of noise left behind by the young heirs had long since disappeared.
What remained was an entirely different atmosphere—
quiet, efficient, and tense, filled with the unmistakable sense of people working.
Richard had already moved to the sitting area on one side of the living room, seated in a large armchair.
An open, lightweight laptop rested in front of him, its screen filled with complex graphs and data tables.
The assistants and technical staff had each taken up a corner of the room. Some stood while others sat, speaking quietly and rapidly as their fingers moved across their tablets.
Every so often, someone would step forward, place a document or tablet quietly on the coffee table beside Richard, and then quickly retreat.
“…As for the lithium mining project, the local government has finally agreed to our proposed additional terms. The Ministry of Mines says we only need to send someone over to sign the formal agreement.”
One of the assistants spoke in a low voice.
“But the budget for community compensation is nearly forty million higher than expected. The project team isn’t sure how to proceed and would like you to make the final decision.”
Richard nodded.
“Don’t bother saving that money. The reserves have already been confirmed, and there’s enough for us to operate for at least twenty years. Compared with a cycle that long, this additional expense is nothing more than a rounding error.”
He paused briefly before continuing.
“And tell them this—the additional condition is that we will take responsibility for building the basic infrastructure for the local communities.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
One of the assistants immediately made a note.
Elena stood quietly at the turn of the staircase, not going downstairs just yet.
The light outlined the man’s handsome profile as he remained focused on the discussion. The sharp, restrained lines of his face showed no trace of emotion as he casually discussed decisions that controlled the flow of enormous amounts of capital.
It was as though those numbers, each capable of affecting the lives of thousands of people, were nothing more than pieces he could casually move across a chessboard.
Elena took a deep breath and slowly walked over.
The assistants and technical staff noticed her.
Their voices immediately died away, as though someone had pressed a mute button.
None of them approached Richard again.
The man on the sofa turned his head slightly.
Those deep, abyss-like eyes settled on her.
He was reclining comfortably on the sofa, his suit jacket casually draped over the armrest. Beneath it, he wore a finely tailored dark-gray shirt.
The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing his long forearms, the muscles subtly bulging beneath the skin and veins winding across them.
An intricate mechanical watch rested on his wrist.
Their eyes met.
“…Thank you,” Elena said somewhat awkwardly. “I mean, thank you for the clothes and shoes.”
At the same time, inside the Maybach that had just entered the Fourth Ring Road, Victoria was discussing their project with Adrian.
“Hey,” one of the students beside them suddenly said. “Where’s Elena?”
Adrian froze.
Victoria immediately put on a concerned expression.
“We passed by the pool just now, and she wasn’t there anymore. Elena probably went home by herself, right?”
Adrian frowned slightly.
Victoria glanced at him.
“I hope Elena wasn’t frightened. My father is very particular about rules—”
Adrian’s brow furrowed even more deeply.
He thought about Elena’s personality.
Careless.
Shallow.
Rude.
She really was the kind of person who could easily offend someone like Richard.
And just now, Richard had said something about the level of the friends she made.
Could he have been talking about Elena?
After all, among the guests Victoria had invited, Elena was the only one who came from a working-class family.
It had to be Elena’s thoughtless behavior that had offended Richard, causing him to reprimand Victoria as well.
The more Adrian thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.
Victoria reached over and patted him lightly on the shoulder.
“Don’t overthink it. Elena isn’t familiar with our circle yet, so there are a lot of things she doesn’t understand. She didn’t mean any harm.”
As she spoke, she hesitated for a moment.
“It’s just… I heard Elena had a bit of a conflict with Vivi. She hit Vivi on the head with a pitcher. I don’t know exactly what happened, but that does seem a little excessive.”
Hearing that, Adrian felt even more certain that his assumption had been correct.
His expression darkened.
Elena really was hopeless in situations like this.
She caused trouble everywhere she went. Embarrassing herself was one thing, but now she had even dragged him into it.
And then she had secretly left without telling him.
Didn’t she realize he might worry about her?
Did she even remember that she was his girlfriend?
And besides, Elena didn’t even have a car of her own.
So which wealthy heir had she left with?
Adrian glanced out the window and saw that they were almost at his home.
He pulled out his phone and dialed Elena’s number directly.
“I’ll ask her where she is.”