Chapter 163 Apologize
Ever since the Gu family had asked her to let Molly off the hook at the police station, she had sworn she would never get involved with them again.
They were no longer family, just strangers who had briefly crossed paths.
She was willing to lend Helen money, but that was her limit.
She wouldn't even consider admitting to be the mistress to clear Gu Xingqing's name, the woman who had framed her.
"Ms. Adeline..." Tears were brimming in Helen's eyes. "I'm not lying, my husband really had a stroke... He's in the hospital downtown right now. He even said, if he doesn't make it, his biggest regret would be not having properly apologized to our eldest daughter..."
'Apologize?' Those words struck Adeline's heart harshly, causing her a pang of distress.
She turned her face away. "There's nothing to apologize for."
She didn't care about the Gu family anymore, so she naturally wouldn't care about the injustice.
"Ms. Adeline, if you just agree to speak at tomorrow's press conference, I'll agree to anything." Helen, kneeling and pleading, tears streaming down her face, begged her.
"What's going on here?" Nathan pushed open the door and was met with the sight of Helen on her knees, face wet with tears.
He hurried over to help her stand. "Mrs. Helen, what's happened?"
Helen sniffled and quickly explained to Nathan the situation about the press conference. "Are you a friend of Adeline? Could you please try to talk to her for me..." her voice trailed off.
"Think of it as a good deed," she urged.
Nathan paused, then relented, "All right, I promise. I'll make sure Adeline is at the press conference tomorrow. Does that put your mind at ease?" Nathan stated with confidence.
Helen's face froze for a moment before bursting into waves of sheer delight. "Thank you so much!"
"Don't mention it," Nathan dismissed with a smile, ushering her out. "Relax. We'll be there tomorrow."
Once Helen had left and he returned to his office, Adeline had already resumed her work on the design sketches. "How do you plan to convince me? I'm not up for clearing the air for Guxing Qing," she declared without looking up.
"That's because she's guilty as sin, and no amount of clarification will change that." Nathan chuckled. "I don't intend to make you clear things up for her either."
Stretching languidly, the man settled into the sofa, his gaze landing leisurely on Adeline. "Earlier, when you mentioned the Gu couple on the phone, I decided to check on them."
"The idea was to upgrade their living situation out of charity according to your wishes."
"Guess what I saw?" he teased.
Adeline knitted her brows, finally putting down her pen and looking up at him.
"I saw Gu Jiancheng heading to Blue Bay. He hadn't been home long from Blue Bay before an ambulance took him away. I followed it to the Central Hospital out of curiosity, and after a little persuasion, a nurse let slip the truth to me."
Adeline paused. "How is he?"
"He faked it." Nathan laughed heartily. "The old man is in perfect health. His stroke was just an act."
Adeline closed her eyes and gave a bitter smile. She knew it. Even now, the couple was only thinking of themselves.
"And you still agreed to help Helen?"
"Of course, I had to," Nathan said with a twinkle in his eye. "If Gu Jiancheng has been to Blue Bay, then Guxing Qing surely knows about the press conference.
"I agreed to attend, but I never specified whether it was to clear things up for Guxing Qing or for Adeline. Let Guxing Qing wait with bated breath to see if you'll clear your own name. Isn't that amusing?"
Adeline gave him a resigned glance. "An artist's mind is always so spirited," she remarked dryly.
She had never considered clarifying the rumors for herself. If she had to correct every falsehood about her, she would be overwhelmed with exhaustion.
"I'm doing this for your own good," Nathan offered as he picked up a teacup from the coffee table and took a sip. "See how much I care for you?"
His words hung in the air when suddenly the office door burst open from the outside.
Standing at the doorway was Jasper, his face tinged with an ashen hue.
His eyes, cold as glacial streams, swept over Nathan and Adeline. "Director Li," he began. "The company policy is crystal clear. No idle chatter with non-employees during working hours."
After that, he gave Nathan another icy look, enunciating every word. "Please, all non-employees must leave."
Nathan shrugged nonchalantly and sipped his tea. "Wouldn't be considered non-employee idlers if I were a family member of an employee, would I?"
"And who are you related to?"
"I'm her boyfriend."
Facing Jasper's frigid gaze, Nathan chuckled lightly. "Mr. Jasper, aren't you aware?"
Jasper cracked a wry smile. "A boyfriend who hasn't even held hands?"
"How do you know I haven't held her hand?" Nathan rolled his eyes at Jasper and finished the last drop of tea. "I'm pursuing Adeline because she's single. And so am I. I'm not like you, Mr. Jasper. You've got a woman at home and still have thoughts about other women."
He set down his cup, stood up, and gave Adeline a tender glance. "I'll pick you up after work."
With that, he turned and left with an air of elegance.
Jasper watched his retreating figure until he vanished at the entrance to the design department, then let out a snort and slumped onto the couch.
"From now on, if I catch him coming to see you during work, your chances of meeting up with Lauren and Bennett are off," he said coldly.
Adeline rolled her eyes.
She put down her pen. "Mr. Foster, you keep saying my friend is an idler, interfering with my work. What business do you have coming to see me during work, then?"
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