Chapter 81: Chapter 81



Adrian couldn’t help but kiss Joelle’s eyebrows. “I worry about how heartbroken Grandma would be if we can’t have a child.”

True enough, Adrian’s priority was the legacy of his lineage over their love, making Joelle feel like nothing more than a breeding machine.

Before she left Miller Group, Joelle stopped by the bathroom and encountered someone clad in a cleaner’s outfit. The cleaner’s hat obscured their identity, making it difficult to tell if they were male or female. As Joelle neared, the person unexpectedly called out her name.

To her surprise, it was Spencer, mopping the floor. She knew Adrian had promised Lyla he’d secure a position for Spencer at Miller Group, yet she hadn’t envisioned it would be as a cleaner. Realizing he was in the women’s restroom made Joelle reconsider her needs.

“Could you step outside, please?” she asked.

Adjusting his hat, Spencer replied, “Joelle, does it surprise you to see me cleaning here?”

Joelle was indeed surprised but chose not to demean his efforts. “There’s honor in all work. Earning one’s way has no shame.”

With a mischievous grin, he spoke in a raspy, forceful tone. “You’ve always been considerate and gentle. Remember how as kids, no one else wanted to play with me? You were the only one who treated me nicely.” Joelle struggled to remember such details from their childhood but knew she had never intentionally treated Spencer differently. Unsure why he would say that, she responded, “I heard about your upcoming engagement. Is it true?”

“Yes.” Spencer kept his head down, organizing the cleaning cart.

“Who is the woman you’re engaged to?” Joelle inquired. Spencer looked up, his gaze carrying layers of unspoken thoughts. “Do you actually care about me?”

Joelle was taken aback, having meant her question to be merely polite. “No, just curious.”

Spencer’s tone took on a hint of dejection. “A girl of the Hudson family.”

Find your favorite stories at g Ɐ ln σ ν𝒆 𝓁s., conn “Okay.” Joelle decided she’d had enough of the conversation.

“You must be having a tough time with Adrian, right? Damn Rebecca!”

His words were so softly spoken that Joelle barely caught them. “What did you say?”

“Nothing.” Spencer gave a short laugh, then silently wheeled his cart away.

A chill ran through Joelle as she locked the bathroom door. Preparing to change, she noticed a dark spot on the stall door. She initially mistook it for a stain, but a closer look revealed it was a mini camera embedded in the wood.

A shiver of fear ran down her spine. She glanced around and noticed a bottle of cleanser on the countertop. It seemed ordinary until she picked it up, finding it unusually light. Curious, she unscrewed the cap and discovered another camera hidden inside.

The only person Joelle could suspect of such invasive actions was Spencer, recalling how he had always been an odd child, once capturing small animals for experiments. Once he had tricked Joelle into observing his experiment, and she had witnessed him dismembering a frog. Terrified, she had burst into tears, while he had smirked malevolently.

After inspecting each stall, Joelle discovered five hidden cameras. She presented them to Adrian. “Do you realize someone has been secretly taking photos in the bathroom?”

Adrian’s brow furrowed, knowing Joelle wouldn’t fabricate such an issue. “Who did it?”

“That’s a question for you. Why would you assign a man to clean the women’s restroom?” Joelle asked, her tone sharp.

A realization dawned on Adrian. “Was it Spencer?”

Joelle exhaled deeply. “I’m not sure. There’s no concrete proof.”

Given that there were no surveillance cameras allowed in the restrooms and Adrian had designated Spencer for the cleaning duty, it provided him a plausible reason to be there. The situation was now complex.

Adrian leaned back in his chair, his expression grave. “I’ll have it investigated.”

Joelle was confident he would handle the matter diligently, given the privacy risks to all female employees of Miller Group. However, she felt compelled to caution him. “Be wary of Spencer. You assigned him to clean the bathrooms, and while he may appear harmless, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been manipulating things behind the scenes. You should be more cautious in how you manage people and tasks.”

Adrian looked at her, surprised. In his view, she had always been either naive or simply uninterested in such matters. He didn’t expect that he would be lectured by Joelle one day.

“Concerned about me?”

“You’re overthinking it,” Joelle replied curtly, turning to leave.

Back at her workplace, she dove into the afternoon’s tasks. After work, she encountered Rafael. “Rafael, don’t you drive to work?”

“No, I’m swamped with work, so I use this time for a bit of exercise.”

Joelle smiled understandingly. “That’s great. I can join you for a bit.”

They started towards the bus stop, but soon a car honked persistently behind them. Joelle spun around, ready to confront the driver, only to find it was Adrian’s car.

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