Chapter 141 Keep Your Distance
Keep Your Distance
"I'm curious," Adeline said, sitting in the passenger seat and looking at the road ahead. "How did you know I didn't damage that painting?"
Holding the steering wheel, Sebastian gave a breezy laugh. "Would you believe me if I said it was because I trust Miss Moon's integrity?"
Adeline paused, taken aback.
After a moment, she let out a light chuckle. "Do you know me, Mr. Sebastian?"
"I once considered a career in jewelry design and, took it up as a self-study for a while, but I found it too challenging and gave up. "
"During my studies, Miss Moon's reputation was unmistakable."
Adeline was surprised.
But then again, it made sense.
If Sebastian didn't know her, why would he defend her or even offer her a ride home?
With a faint smile playing on her lips, she murmured, "It's a small world."
"Lucky I was well-read, or I would've missed the chance to meet a maestro today."
Sebastian's voice was smooth and gentle. "But I was just teasing you. "
"There's another reason why I believe you didn't ruin the painting."
Adeline turned to look at him.
With a smile tugging at his lips, he revealed, "The painting you 'damaged' today wasn't the original. "
"I have my share of mischief."
"Like tampering with replicas that are on display and instructing folks to place them out of surveillance."
"I enjoy observing people's true reactions to my work when they think no one is watching."
Adeline was stunned for a moment, and then it clicked.
"So you saw the whole thing?" she asked.
"In a way," he confirmed.
Sebastian pulled the car to a stop. "We're here."
Adeline turned to realize that they had arrived at Violet's place without her noticing.
She unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out of the car. "Thank you. "
"I'm sharing a place with a friend, so that I canwon't invite you in for coffeetea."
Sebastian, too, stepped out of the car.
He handed her a business card and a beautifully wrapped small box. "I'd like to be friends with you, Miss Wilson."
Adeline paused, then took the card. "I'd very much like that."
The man chuckled softly, grasping Adeline's hand and pressing the box into her palm, "Don't reject it just yet. Take it home, open it, and if you're not satisfied, you can always return it to me."
After his words, he returned to his car, closed the door, and waved at her, "Goodnight."
Adeline stood rooted to the spot, watching the taillights of his car fade into the distance, and gave a half-hearted wave back.
It wasn't until his car disappeared from her sight that she let out a sigh of relief, stuffed the gift and business card into her purse, and turned to climb the stairs to her apartment.
The hallway was dimly lit.
As Adeline stepped inside, someone abruptly pulled her into the stairwell.
She didn't even have time to scream.
The man didn't do anything to her after dragging her inside; he leaned against the door of the stairwell and silently lit a cigarette.
In the faint light, Adeline made out his face.
"Jasper?"
He took a long drag, his gaze icy, "You just met the guy, and you let him take you home. Wow!? And you accepted a gift from him as well.?"
Adeline gasped, "Are you stalking me?"
Jasper ignored her question and gave her a coldchilly look, "Is it because I don't want you anymore, and the kids are back with me and Stella that you feel so empty and carefree?"
Adeline looked at him as if he'd lost his mind, "What's it to you?"
"Jasper, right now, the only relationship between us is that of CEO and subordinate at the company. "
"Is it part of Foster Group's corporate culture to meddle in employees' private lives?"
There was a momentary pause in Jasper's intense expression.
He took another drag, "I'm just reminding you not to trust people so easily."
He had met I was meeting her for the first time, stoodanding up for her in public, tooktaking her hand, droveiving her home, and gaveiving her a gift.
Such a man must have ulterior motives!
"Don't trust people too easily."
Adeline echoed his words, then let out a cold laugh, "You're right about that."
"People are very good at lying."
"Even when everyone is waiting for him to tell the truth, he can still look them in the eyes and lie, saying he didn't see anything."
With that, she looked defiantly atup into Jasper's face, "Right, Mr. Foster?"
Jasper's face turned sour.
After a prolonged silence, he finally looked up, "I'm sorry about tonight. "
"But I have my difficulties, Stella, she..."
"Mr. Foster's difficulties are that he can't expose his deceitful wife, right?"
Adeline's voice was sharp, her frustration from the whole evening coming to a head.
"Jasper, I just can't figure you out. "
"Did you ever spare Adeline even one glance with all she sacrificed for you?"
"She waited for you every night at dinner, staying up until latethe small hours."
"Fearing to upset you, she swallowed every last bit of grief she endured with the Fosters in silence."
"She could have had a bright future, an expansive life ahead, but she gave up studying abroad to marry you!"
"And you? You never even looked her way. You , never bothered to give her the slightest acknowledgment."
"Six years have gone by, ."
"aAnd here you are with Stella now, all loving and protective, lying for her, even at the cost of your principles!"
The woman turned her face away, unwilling to look at the man who broke her heart. "I really can't see through you."
"Stella was indeed in the wrong tonight."
Facing Adeline's fury, Jasper sighed, "Bennett and Lauren never accepted her. "
"Her actions today might stem from jealousy of your place in the children's hearts."
With a cold laugh, Adeline sniffed, "The kids will never see her as their mother."
Her children would never call another woman 'mom.'
"But she is their biological mother, after all."
Taking a deep breath, Jasper responded, "I'll work with her to try to get the kids to accept her. This won't happen again."
Adeline turned and stared at him coldly, "How can you assure it won't happen in the future?"
"What if it does? Will you Mr. Foster continue to lie as you did today?"
Visibly annoyed, Jasper furrowed his brow, "You don't need to beat a dead horse. I said it won't happen again!"
"It better be true."
With a scoff, Adeline skirted around him and ascended the stairs.
As she passed him, the man grabbed her arm, "Stay away from Sebastian."
Shaking off his grip, Adeline retorted icily, "He's a painter I've admired for years, and I'm a jewelry designer he likes. It's none of your business. "
"You'd better go home and take good care of your wifeMrs. Foster!"
Without looking back, Adeline exited the stairwell and entered the elevator.
The moment the elevator doors closed, she caught a glimpse of him still standing there, motionless.
Trying to restrain her emotions, she found the situation more absurd the more she thought about it.
Soon, the elevator reached her floor.
When Adeline arrived home, Violet was already asleep.
Dinner was left out for her on the table.
She quickly warmed up her meal and began to eat as she unwrapped the gift Sebastian had given her.
It was a USB drive.
With a frown, Adeline carried her platebowl of food back to her room and opened the contents of the drive.
It was a surveillance video.
Without much thought, she clicked on it.
The image on the screen made Adeline's eyes widen in shock.
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