âLizbeth may be small, but sheâs mighty,â Adrien chuckled. âJust like your former heartthrob Emmeline, who was also a skilled fighter, wasnât she?â
As he spoke, Adrien glanced at Emmeline out of the corner of his eye.
Emmelineâs gaze landed on Abelâs face, trying to gauge his reaction.
But Abel remained impassive and simply said, âPlease, Adrien, have a seat.â
Adrien sat down on the sofa in front of the main desk.
He couldnât help but feel a little uneasy.
I said Emmeline was his heartthrob, but this guy doesnât seem fazed at all.
Could it be that what Emmeline said was true?
Adrienâs gaze flickered back towards Emmeline.
She shrugged helplessly in response.
âEmmett, come here,â Abel called out.
Abel was getting annoyed at Adrienâs repeated glances toward âEmmett.â
âCome over here to me,â he said, his voice dripping with jealousy.
Emmeline obediently got up and walked over to him.
Abelâs large hand reached out and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly.
âTell me, are you still happy here?â he whispered in her ear, his tone possessive.
âYes, of course, I am,â Emmeline replied.
âWhy are you happy?â Abel asked himself, then answered, âIs it because Iâm here with you?â
Emmeline knew he was feeling jealous. He was jealous of Adrien.
But Adrien already knew the truth, and he promised to help her.
âYes, of course,â Emmeline replied with a smile, âI love being by Mr. Rykerâs side the most.â
âHmm, thatâs good,â Abel said, pleased, as he looked at her beautiful face and stroked her short hair.
Adrien pursed his lips and turned his head away.
If he didnât know that the small figure in Abelâs arms was Emmeline, he wouldnât be able to stand Abelâs behavior.
Although Adrien was a playboy, his sexual orientation was not an issue.
In other words, Adrien only liked beautiful women.
But now that he knew Emmett was actually Emmeline, Adrien could understand Abelâs behavior.
On the surface, it seemed like Abel had lost his feelings for Emmeline, but in reality, his soul still held a deep connection to her. Abelâs strange behavior towards âEmmettâ was the best explanation for it.
So, what would happen when Adrien finally faced Emmeline?
That was something Adrien was preparing for in his next move.
âAdrien,â Abel, still holding onto Emmeline, turned to him and asked, âIs there a reason for your sudden visit?â
Adrienâs original reason for coming to the Ryker Group was to catch âEmmettâ and ask some questions.
Adrien hadnât expected to get this answer.
Now that Abel had asked him, he couldnât tell the truth.
âI had a little disagreement with Liz and thought I could use a drink to clear my head,â Adrien said, trying to deflect.
âIs that all?â Abel chuckled. âDonât take love so seriously. A manâs priority should be his career.â
âAbel,â Adrien laughed, âdonât forget that you were willing to give up the entire Ryker Group for that little Emma girl. Now youâre talking about prioritizing business?â
Abel furrowed his brow, remaining silent.
After a few seconds of hesitation, he spoke with confusion, âI really canât understand how I could have done something like that. Did I really love her that much?â
Adrien kept his gaze fixed on Abel as he asked, âDo you think you love her?â
âI might have loved her at some point,â Abel replied. âBut eventually, I got tired and just moved on. I donât love her anymore.â
âWhat?â Emmeline jumped out of Abelâs embrace.
âEmmett, whatâs wrong?â Abel was startled.
âWhen you say it like that, itâs so cruel!â Emmeline exclaimed. âIf you donât love her anymore, why canât you just forget about her and move on? That would be so much easier to accept!â
âI havenât forgotten about her,â Abel said. âI remember every little thing we shared. But I just donât feel anything anymore. Isnât it clear that I donât love her anymore? You canât force yourself to love someone, can you?â
Waylon! Waylon! Waylon!
Emmeline gritted her teeth, thinking, Youâre really something, you know that? Youâre really something!