Adrian lifted an eyebrow.
Business talks can get sensitive, but honestly, asking about a contract switch after expiration isn’t crossing any lines.
So Nelson’s question didn’t really come off as rude.
He hadn’t planned on hiding anything to begin with, but when he opened his mouth, he changed his mind halfway.
“Well, yeah, XR is definitely in talks.
I’ve heard Vera Quinn used to be your chief designer at Cooper Jewelry, but since the contract’s up, it’s fair game now, right?
Nothing shady going on here, yeah?”
“Of course,” Nelson replied, slipping one hand into his pocket, thumb rubbing against his index finger.
His voice was steady, smooth.
“Honestly, I came to CTR today just to see how things are going.
If you’ve already signed her, guess I’ll just take the loss and reflect.”
Adrian’s sly eyes curved up into a smirk.
“I thought you came to pull a fast one on me for a sec.
Had me a bit on edge.
Vera Quinn worked with you guys for three years, that’s a lot of history.
Advantage is yours.”
“If an advantage was enough, she wouldn’t have left.” Nelson gave a dry chuckle, meeting Adrian’s eyes head-on.
“But hey, now that I know she hasn’t signed with you yet, looks like the game’s still on.”
Adrian let out a dramatic sigh—it was hard to tell if he was just being lazy or genuinely fed up.
“Yeah, tell me about it.
Thought the deal was in the bag, but I waited all morning and she didn’t even show.
Couldn’t get a hold of her either.
Designers, man…
moody as hell.”
Nelson smiled faintly.
“Well, guess it’ll depend on which one of us puts in more effort.”
Adrian nodded vigorously.
“Yep.”
They chatted like old friends, all the tension from just moments ago nowhere to be seen.
Nelson glanced at his watch.
“Getting late.
I’ll head out now.
Don’t skip lunch, Adrian.”
Adrian waved with a grin.
“Take care, Nelson.
Not walking you out.”
As Nelson’s figure disappeared into the distance, Adrian’s smile faded too.
He touched the corner of his mouth—let out a low hiss.
Damn, it really did hurt.
That jerk hadn’t held back.
He snapped a quick selfie and sent it to a group chat called [Have You Pampered Debbie Today].
[Adrian: Took one for the team defending Debbie.
Feeling proud!]
[Ethan: What the hell happened?!
Who messed with Debbie again?!]
[Lucas: Where’s Debbie?
Is she okay?!]
…
[Oliver: Just called Debbie.
She’s fine.
Grabbing lunch with friends.
Everyone calm down.]
Chat instantly went dead.
Adrian scrolled through the messages, stunned.
Seriously?
So all five of them only cared about their sister?
Not even one asked how he was?
Ugh.
Sister-obsessed maniacs.
He was just about to roast them all when he got a message from Claire.
[Debbie: Adrian, did you put on any ointment?
Is it still hurting?
Sorry I left without checking on you.]
[Debbie: If you haven’t eaten yet, come by and join us.
I ordered all your favorites.
It’s a bit of a trip from your office, so we’ll get started, but your food’s waiting—I asked the kitchen to keep it warm just for you]
Adrian felt a wave of warmth.
Ah, finally, someone who actually cared.
Unlike those five idiots—all useless.
He replied right away.
[Adrian: Don’t wait for me, just eat ahead!
I’m on my way, see you soon!]
Lotus Smoke.
One of Jadewick’s most well-known—and oddly located—restaurants.
It’s so tucked away and exclusive that there’s a cap on how many diners they allow per day.
If you’re just a regular trying to get a seat, better book a month ahead.This massive city of Jadewick—there are only a handful of people who can waltz into Lotus Smoke without a reservation.
And getting Jasper McCarthy, a top-tier private chef, to cook?
That’s not something just anyone can pull off.
When Adrian walked in, Claire and Alyssa had just started eating.
Claire spotted him right away and stood up.
“Adrian!”
“Hey, don’t bother getting up.
You two eat—I’ll just hang out for a bit.”
Adrian had brought some meds with him on purpose.
As he spoke, he pulled them out and started applying the ointment himself.
That punch from Nelson was no joke.
Lucky it didn’t land dead center—otherwise, he might’ve lost a tooth.
Close call for his good looks.
“I’ll help you with that, Adrian.”
Claire looked genuinely guilty.
If it weren’t for her, her brother wouldn’t be dealing with this mess.
“Much appreciated, Debbie.”
Adrian flashed a cheeky grin as he handed over the cotton swabs and medicine, then plopped down beside her without fuss.
Claire took care as she dabbed the wound.
“If it hurts, just say so.”
“Doesn’t hurt!” Adrian gritted his teeth, trying not to wince—though his twitching face said otherwise.
Claire gave him a helpless look and lightened her touch.
“Can you not move so much?
You’ll tear it again and end up with a scar.”
“Wow, calling your brother ugly already, huh?”
He chuckled, pulled out his phone, and snapped a quick selfie.
“Still handsome, though.”
Before she could say anything, he sneakily dropped the photo into their group chat and locked his screen.
“So you better take care of that face from now on.
Don’t go getting beat up again,” Claire said, wiping her hands clean with a warm towel, not noticing what he’d just done.
Alyssa, who’d been quietly watching the whole interaction, was filled with warmth—and a little envy.
“You two have such a great relationship.
Makes me jealous.
Oh, and I heard Adrian call you Debbie—nickname?”
Claire nodded with a smile in her eyes.
“Yeah, my parents picked it.”
Adrian chimed in, grinning, “We’d already chosen that name before she was born, so we decided to use it.
But her legal name is still Claire, and we’re keeping it that way.”
Actually, the name Claire wasn’t even given by the Thompsons, actually.
It came from the Cooper family, back when they had that childhood engagement arranged.
Nelson’s grandfather had picked it.
The only decent memory Claire had left of Raventon was probably the now-deceased Cooper patriarch.
That thought seemed to dim her usually bright eyes.
“Anyway, let’s eat—the food’s going cold.”
“Yeah, let’s dig in!”
Adrian, ever the gentleman, served the ladies some soup.
Then he turned to Alyssa.
“By the way, about what I mentioned before—have you given it more thought?”
Alyssa paused mid-movement.
“You made quite the offer,” she said honestly.
“Anyone would be tempted, especially someone like me.
I mean, I’ve been canceled online—what could I possibly bring to your company?
Isn’t signing me just losing money?”
“Why would it be a loss?”
Adrian leaned in slightly.
“You’ve got the looks and presence—this industry’s made for people like you.
As for being blacklisted?
That just means you’re well-known.
You’ve got name recognition.
How is that not an asset?”
The soup he set in front of her was still steaming.
Alyssa stared at it for a long second, half considering just dumping it out and ending her career right there.
Before she could act, Adrian added, “All that bogus gossip—they clear up eventually.
Sometimes your haters are your biggest fans waiting to switch sides.
But those fake-perfect idols?
Sooner or later, they’re the ones who get canceled for real.”
Alyssa looked up fast, stunned.
“…You really believe in me?”
Adrian smiled.
“Anyone willing to stand up for Debbie earns my trust.
That simple.”
Alyssa’s thoughts were all over the place.
As she lowered her eyes, a news alert popped up on her phone—it was about Raventon’s missing heiress being found.
Debbie Fields, the Thompson girl who’d been missing, was back.
Her parents donated five hundred million to help police set up a system for tracking missing children.
Debbie Fields.
The name hit her like a freight train.
Alyssa’s head shot up almost instinctively.
So Claire and Adrian… they were from the Fields family of Raventon.
The top-tier, ultra-rich kind of family—on the same level as the Coopers?