Chapter 11: Give Her a Little Gift

Meanwhile, Adrian Cross and Tiffany Rose were still flirting on the sofa, entangled in a state of disarray.

It wasn't until they heard a sound at the door that the two abruptly pulled apart.

Their eyes were filled with uncertainty and alarm.

In the next instant, Vivian Hale’s voice rang out, tinged with excitement and pleasant surprise.

"Honey, I forgot to take something and came back for it. I didn't expect you to be here too. Did you miss me?"

Adrian’s eyes widened suddenly.

He hurriedly tidied his clothes.

"Vivian, why did you come back without saying a word..."

Vivian walked in with a beaming smile until she spotted Tiffany standing nearby.

She immediately let out a cry of surprise.

"Miss Rose! Why are you here?"

Adrian’s breath hitched for a moment.

He quickly walked over to Vivian and took her hand. "Vivian, it’s not what you think! My work entertainment ran too late, so I let her stay the night here..."

Hearing this, Vivian blinked and then smiled.

"I didn't think much of it. I know you're busy with work, unlike me, an idle person supported by her husband. You two must have a lot of work to coordinate. Letting Miss Rose stay for a night is nothing. Besides, there are plenty of guest rooms, and it saves a girl like Miss Rose from traveling back and forth."

"I’m not the narrow-minded type. I’ve always trusted my husband completely."

Hearing her say this, Adrian felt a secret sense of relief, but a strange, indescribable feeling also rose in his heart.

Just as he was about to ask what she came to get, Vivian suddenly leaned shyly into his embrace and whispered in his ear.

"Besides, you even made a special trip to the hotel to accompany me last night, honey. Your performance was amazing. You only left in the middle of the night because of work, so I knew it must be urgent. How could I possibly blame you?"

Since he loved finding substitutes so much, she would let him truly feel what it was like to wear the "green hat" he had woven with his own hands.

Adrian’s body shuddered violently.

He had been with Tiffany all night; when could he have possibly gone to see Vivian?

As his gaze shifted downward, the hickey on the snow-white neck of the person in his arms suddenly came into view!

Adrian’s face turned ashen instantly, and he spoke almost through gritted teeth.

"Are you saying we were together last night? This mark... I did this?"

Hearing this, Vivian couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled. What, the man from last night wasn't sent by him?

Suddenly, she recalled the words the substitute had mumbled in his daze, and a strange look crossed her features.

She quickly snapped back to reality and gave the man’s chest a playful, coy punch, looking at him with bright eyes that held no guile.

"What are you talking about? Didn't you see that I called for a massage when you arrived last night? This was from the massage. You only stayed for a little while before rushing off. What, are you so busy with work that your head is spinning and you’ve forgotten?"

At this point, Vivian gently wrapped her arms around Adrian’s waist.

"Only you would still be so clingy after so many years of marriage. You couldn't even stand me spending a night at Pearl’s house, fearing I’d be snatched away by someone else."

Looking at the cunning spark in her eyes, Adrian felt a bitterness he couldn't voice.

When had he gone to see her yesterday!

How could that man take such liberties on his own!

He could only harden his heart and play along. "Yes, I was too busy last night; my memory is a bit muddled."

Vivian looked concerned. "Then you must take better care of your health. And I’ll have to trouble Miss Rose to look after my husband a bit more at the company."

Watching their intimate display, Tiffany was filled with rage and hatred.

However, she didn't dare to truly start a confrontation. Her nails dug deep into her palms as she forced out a smile.

"Rest assured, Mrs. Cross. With me around, President Cross won't have any problems."

By now, Adrian had no heart left to care about much else.

Even though Vivian had explained it, the red mark on her neck remained an eyesore.

Furthermore, she wasn't even the slightest bit worried about him and Tiffany.

The more Adrian thought about it, the angrier he became. He decided to follow her lead and said intentionally, "Indeed, Tiffany is very capable. You should give her more pointers when you have time; don't be stingy."

He said these words entirely to spite Vivian.

Without realizing it, he had gone from his initial worry to a state where he actually looked forward to Vivian discovering something.

To his surprise, Vivian only paused for an instant before her beautiful fox-like eyes curved into a smile.

"Sure. I’ll do whatever you say, honey."

Adrian’s anger flared even more.

He had never imagined that Vivian’s submissiveness would make him feel so stifled.

Vivian, having had enough fun, let go of Adrian and used the excuse of going to the bedroom to get her things, hurrying upstairs.

The bedroom was a mess.

Though no condoms were out in the open, anyone with eyes could see what had happened.

The smile on Vivian’s face vanished instantly, turning cold.

She locked the door, found a suitcase, and packed away the sailboat model Tiffany had carelessly left on the nightstand. Then, she pulled a USB drive from the bottom of a drawer.

Inserting it into her computer, the screen flashed with dense testing data and revision summaries.

Without stopping, she imported all the data into Tiffany’s laptop, which had been left there. She hid it in a folder of materials that she knew Tiffany rarely looked at and sneakily set up a shortcut that was easy to click by accident.

Since she loved other people's things so much, Vivian would give her a few more, lest she couldn't keep up the act and delayed Vivian’s plans.

After finishing all this, Vivian stood up again.

She was actually starting to look forward to it.

If Adrian ended up with nothing in the end, only then to find out that the "genius" he held in the palm of his hand was actually a hollow shell—and the thing he truly wanted was lost to him because of his own stupidity—how much regret would he feel?

She let out a long breath and walked back out with a smile fixed on her face.

Just as she went downstairs, she saw a pale-faced Tiffany about to leave.

Vivian spoke with a smile, "Miss Rose, why are you leaving so soon? If you're not busy, why not stay for dinner? I’ve rescheduled my ticket; I can leave after we eat. But once I’m gone, Adrian will be alone again. You can stay and chat with him longer so he doesn't have to go back to the office; the commute is so tiring."

Tiffany jumped at the chance to agree. "Sure. I always hear President Cross say Mrs. Cross is a great cook. I’ll have a taste today too."

The blatant boasting in her words made it seem as if she were treating Vivian like a servant.

"Of course. What dishes would Miss Rose like to eat? I’ll go buy the ingredients right now."

Even Adrian couldn't help but frown. Seeing Vivian like this made him angry; he was frustrated by her lack of fighting spirit.

"Yes, stay for dinner. Vivian is only good at being busy with these things anyway. It just so happens we have a bottle of fine red wine at home; let's have a glass to relax and talk about the new project."

As he spoke, he kept watching Vivian’s face.

He hoped she would object to something.

But Vivian’s face remained fixed with a perfect smile. She even obediently went to the wine cellar to fetch the bottle.

"That sounds perfect."

Adrian almost ground his teeth to dust.

How could Vivian be generous to such an extent?!

Before long, several decent-looking dishes were served.

Adrian intentionally sat on the same side as Tiffany, peeling a shrimp carefully for her and placing it in her bowl.

"I remember you like shrimp. I’ve cleaned it for you; eat more."