n

n

nAs Cassidy only continues pressing down her skepticism with a dubious look, Adrian takes a moment to silently review what exactly happened before he got there.

nIn reality, he had already went ahead of his wife and arrived at the venue of the party yesterday. He helped his elder brother, Edward, in laying out the last touches for the preparation, which ended up taking an entire day to finish.

nHis wife already passed away, so he really needed some assistance in organizing his eldest son's birthday celebration. Since Adrian is the closest to Edward among the siblings, he specifically asked for his help - much like how he'd always count on him in his work and personal affairs.

nBut as for this particular arrangement Adrian has found himself doing at the last minute, he decided not to count on his brother - or anyone for that matter. By that, he meant that he didn't mention to anyone that he'd be returning to his mansion and going back there with his wife this time.

nTo put it simply, Adrian came up with the decision to escort Cassidy to the venue, and because of how sudden it was, he left without informing Edward and everyone else.

n

"It's just that... the feeling I had the other night never disappeared from my mind - when she told me that she won't be coming to the party, to be exact. I could sense that she's planning something again, and as for what it was...

" he quietly pondered as that unsettling and bothering feeling began to resurface within him for the nth time that day - without him realizing it, that is.

n

"I feel like she's going to leave without telling me again - like when she went to the airport and boarded a plane back then... And now that I'm thinking about it once more, I still don't get what made her do such a thing in the first place.

"

nFor that reason, Adrian ended up getting carried away by his undecipherable emotions and consequently deciding to do all of these.

nIt's so not like him - he knew, especially since it seemed like he kept losing his cool. But even then, he still went along with his impetuous actions. It's just that for a very long time now, he'd been sensing something strange around his wife that made him do so - not 'with' since he's already more than convinced that she's downright strange.

n

"Are we just going to stare at each other like this or what? I can't read minds, you know,

" Cassidy started again after a moment of silence between them.

n

"I came because I wanted to make sure that you're really going,

" Adrian plainly replied, veiling his true concern and feigning nonchalance.

n

"Why does that sound like I'm an inmate who's about to be transferred to another prison?

" she then huffed with a deeper frown.

n

"What are you saying? You don't even have any guard around, and now that I'm on that subject again, why in the world don't you have a bodyguard?

"

n

"I don't know and I don't care. They'd only make me feel more like a prisoner-

"

nRight then, though, the car made an abrupt halt all of the sudden, cutting her off. Taken aback, the two then looked at the driver. At their surprised reaction, he only returned a worried and apologetic expression.

n

"I'm deeply sorry, Sir and Ma'am, but I think that we've just encountered a mechanical issue. I'll go check if there's a problem with the engine,

" the driver said before frantically excusing himself and getting out of the vehicle.

n

"Well, considering how old this car looks, that's kinda expected,

" Cassidy remarked with a dismissive shrug.

n

"Why the heck are you riding on this car to begin with? I didn't arrange any of these at all,

" Adrian fussed over again, feeling both confused and impatient.

n

"Chill out, bossman. The problem is probably not that bad. We'll be there in no time.

"

nContrary to what she said, though, it ended up to be quite bad.

nAfter minutes into his search for the source of the mechanical malfunction, the driver eventually found out that it's a kind of engine problem that would take hours and a true professional to be solved. This only means that they'll be stranded in that deserted road for quite some time.

n

"No, we're not...!

" Adrian bolted out exasperatedly as he stormed out of the car with his wife in tow.

n

"We can't afford to be late. The party will be happening this evening, and I have a part to play. Can't this be solved any faster?

"

n

"The driver said he already called for help, but since we already got this far in the middle of nowhere, it would definitely take time before it got here. Why don't you also call for back-up in the meantime?

" Cassidy coolly chimed in, leaning on the car with a collected poise.

n

"You don't appear to be bothered, huh?

"

n

"Oh, not really. You're just overreacting either, but since you're a very, very wealthy man who never experienced getting stuck at this kind of situations before, I'll try to understand.

"

nAs she said that with a mockingly complacent smirk, he only shot her an annoyed look. It's just that the way she looks at him makes him feel like he's one spoiled brat in her eyes.

nBut then, Adrian knows for himself that he is no brat at all. With that in mind, he just ignores Cassidy and goes ahead to pull out his phone from his pocket -

nOnly to find himself starting to lose his cool again the moment he saw that he already ran out of battery.

n

"Great. Just great,

" he then sighed exasperatedly, his brows scrunched tightly together in vex.

n

"Oh, ran out of juice? You must have at least a charger or a power bank, though, right?

" she inquired to which he just averted his gaze in reply.

n

"Well, umm... You see, I left all my things back in the private villa. I was in a rush, so I didn't really have any time to take anything with me.

"

nAt this, Cassidy couldn't help but blink incredulously. Adrian has never been this much of an irresponsible and scatterbrained idiot - she dares to say. After all, he's always been the very definition of perfection.

n

"He's a human powerhouse for crying out loud! He can handle hundreds of business firms, and he rarely makes a mistake. Just what kind of heedless spirit possessed him all of the sudden?

" she wondered in silence.

nBut now that Cassidy thought about it, she did notice that Adrian arrived earlier without any baggage or even a single companion. It's so not like him to be that empty-handed and somewhat restless. He's also not acting like himself to top it off.

n

"Seriously, everything's just so great that I'm losing words to say. Now, we're stuck in this soulless road and under the scorching sun. Best trip ever,

" he just kept on rambling while ruffling his hair in miff.

nThis ends up with his head looking like a bird's nest as it turns into quite a mess. At this one, she suddenly realizes that she's actually seeing a whole new side of this cold husband of hers - for the very first time, he's not wearing any facade.

nHe just appears genuinely annoyed and indignant about this entire situation, which makes him look like a normal human being for once. With these in mind, she can no longer stay silent still and composed.

nAnd so, Cassidy suddenly bursts into a fit of mirthful laughter, making Adrian pause and look back at her in nonplus.

n