Elena kept her head slightly lowered, revealing a stretch of slender, porcelain-white neck, while her thick, black curls fell loosely over her shoulders.
The cream-colored cashmere cardigan and matching camisole made her complexion look even more luminous.
The loose-fitting clothes concealed some of her curves, but somehow, that only added to her clean, soft appearance, giving her a delicate beauty that seemed almost fragile.
The assistants and technical staff had long since mastered the art of looking anywhere but at her, pretending not to notice her.
Yet the tense, highly efficient atmosphere in the room seemed to pause for a brief moment at her appearance and her soft voice of thanks, as though something had subtly shifted.
Richard’s gaze settled on her.
His fingertips tapped lightly against the edge of the laptop.
He didn’t respond immediately.
“Bzzzt—bzzzt—”
A sudden vibration from a phone cut through the silence.
Elena quickly pulled out her phone and glanced at the screen.
Adrian was calling.
Without hesitation, she hung up.
Less than two seconds after the screen went dark, it lit up again.
The vibration started once more.
Elena hung up again.
This time, she held down the side button and switched her phone to silent mode.
“He keeps calling,” Richard’s deep voice suddenly broke the silence. “He might be in a hurry.”
Elena raised her head and met his gaze.
Richard was still sitting there, his posture relaxed. One hand rested casually on the armrest, while the elbow of his other arm supported him against it, his fingertips resting lightly against his chin.
He simply watched her in silence.
“It doesn’t matter anymore.”
Elena lowered her head.
“When I was pushed into the pool and surrounded by people laughing at me, I didn’t see him in such a hurry.”
Richard immediately knew who the caller was—the same young man from earlier.
His dark eyes grew slightly colder as his thoughts shifted back to the report his assistant had given him earlier.
Of the classmates Victoria had invited that evening, only Adrian had brought his girlfriend.
Several of the other young men and women were already in relationships as well, but they had all come alone.
“Answer it,” Richard suddenly said. “Make it clear, so he won’t keep calling and disturbing you.”
Elena’s fingers paused.
He wasn’t asking.
Could he have realized that Victoria treated Adrian differently and wanted to learn more about him as well?
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That was fine.
Elena took a deep breath, pressed the answer button, and turned on the speakerphone instead of holding the phone to her ear.
“Elena?”
A cold male voice came through the speaker, the impatience and irritation in it almost spilling over.
“Where are you?”
Adrian asked.
Elena remained perfectly calm.
“You’re only asking me that now. Don’t you think it’s a little late?”
There was an obvious pause on the other end.
A few seconds later, Adrian’s voice grew deeper, restrained anger simmering beneath every word.
“Elena, you went too far tonight. Never mind the fact that you got into a fight with Charlotte and hit her with a pitcher! Did you offend Mr. Sterling too? Do you even know who he is?”
Elena lowered her eyes and quickly glanced at the man beside her.
Richard had turned his head toward her as well.
Their eyes met for a brief moment.
Elena pressed her lips together and quickly looked away.
“Victoria’s father, right? I’ve heard he’s a very influential businessman.”
Adrian let out a mocking laugh, as though he had already expected her to come up with nothing particularly insightful.
“He’s the chairman of the Sterling Consortium!” Adrian said coldly. “A single word from him can move energy markets, redirect billions in capital, and influence entire industries. The heads of those old-money families you’ve only ever seen in financial magazines have to tread carefully around him.”
He continued, his tone becoming increasingly serious.
“The Sterling family has been building its industrial empire since World War II. Their roots run deep, and their influence extends across finance, energy, manufacturing, and international investment. No one really knows how much power they actually hold.”
He gave a dismissive scoff.
“Forget it. You wouldn’t understand even if I explained it to you.”
Adrian had already left Victoria’s car and entered the gated residential community where his family lived, so he was becoming even less restrained with his words.
“…But do you know what happened a few years ago? Someone got drunk at a private gala and made a few careless remarks about the Sterling family. Less than three months later, most of that family’s market value had evaporated.”
He paused.
“And that person disappeared.”
His voice was low and serious.
“Elena, this isn’t something you can fool around with! And—”
“That’s enough.”
Elena interrupted him.
“Adrian, are you actually close to Victoria’s father?”
“What?”
Adrian clearly hadn’t expected the question.
“I mean,” Elena said slowly, “you talk about Mr. Sterling with such certainty. Almost as if you’ve personally witnessed everything you just described…”
She paused for a moment.
“Do you and Richard Sterling meet often? Or do you actually have business dealings with him?”
Adrian was caught off guard by her question.
Of course he didn’t actually know Richard Sterling. Tonight was the first time he had ever met the man in person. Most of what he had just said was nothing more than gossip he had heard from people in their social circle.
“If you’re not even close to him,” Elena said with a cold laugh, “then Victoria kindly invited you to a party at her family’s estate, and you turn around and talk about her father like this behind her back. Most of what you’re saying is nothing but baseless rumors.”
She paused.
“Do you really think that’s appropriate?”
“Elena! What the hell are you talking about?”
Adrian’s voice suddenly rose, clearly hitting a nerve.
“I was trying to help you! I was warning you not to overestimate yourself and offend someone you have no business offending! Not everyone is as forgiving as Victoria!”
“Please don’t use me as an excuse to justify your own behavior.”
Elena spoke slowly, each word deliberate.
“Adrian, you’re a disgusting ingrate. Victoria treats you like a friend, and this is how you repay her? I’m honestly ashamed of you.”
“You! You—!”
Adrian was practically shaking with rage.
He had been furious and fully prepared to lecture her.
Instead, somehow, he was the one being lectured.
He was stunned, angry, and completely confused.
In his mind, Elena had always been vain, materialistic, and incredibly shallow.
Whatever he said, she accepted it as fact. Even when she was unhappy, all she knew how to do was throw a tantrum and argue without making any sense.
She could barely form a coherent opinion about anything, let alone argue with someone logically.
And yet—
she had just backed him into a corner and left him completely speechless.
Elena possessed breathtaking beauty.
But she came from a poor family.
And, in Adrian’s eyes, she was stupid.
Throughout their relationship, Adrian had always looked down on her.
Now, being lectured from such a moral high ground made Adrian deeply uncomfortable.
“I’m your boyfriend!” Adrian said. “Is this how you talk to me?”
“You remember you’re my boyfriend now?”
Elena let out a mocking laugh.
“When Charlotte pushed me into the pool and those people stood around laughing at me, where were you?”
Her voice remained calm, but there was a clear edge to it.
“If you don’t act like a boyfriend, then don’t expect to be treated like one.”
She paused.
“Oh, since we’re talking about it…”
Elena’s tone suddenly became casual.
“Let’s break up.”