Chapter 330 Adeline Loves Me
Adeline and Linda turned their heads at the same time. Seeing Jasper, Linda's face darkened, while Adeline gave a faint smile. "David said this floor is secure. Besides us, no one else should be here."
"So, I'm not a person in David's eyes?" Jasper smirked.
"Are you insulting David or me?"
He walked over, eyes on Adeline. "I heard the first thing you did when you woke up in the car was ask about me."
"I thought it was urgent, so I came straight up," he said, his eyes turning cold. "Guess I was wrong."
"You know you shouldn't be here, yet you stay?" Linda snapped. She used to think Jasper was devoted to Adeline, but now she saw him as a hypocrite.
Jasper shot Linda a cold look. "Is this how you treat your benefactor?" he asked icily. "If I hadn't bought your father's company, the Phoebe Group, and asked David to look after you, you wouldn't dare speak to me like this."
"Benefactor?" Linda scoffed. "To outsiders, you might seem like a savior. Without you, my father and I might be..." She trailed off, emotional.
"But," she continued, staring him down, "did you do it out of kindness, Mr. Foster? Did you really pity the Phoebe family?"
"If it weren't for Adeline, would you have helped us at all?"
"My benefactor is Adeline," she declared. "She's the one I owe."
Linda's words amused Jasper. He hadn't expected her to be so much like Adeline.
"So, you're saying," he drawled, "that everything I've done was pointless? That I'm not your benefactor, and you owe me nothing?" He looked at Adeline, something unreadable in his eyes. "Then who owes me?"
Adeline took a deep breath, stepping between them. "Linda, let's get you back to your room."
Linda nodded silently, letting herself be wheeled away.
Adeline turned back to Jasper, her face neutral. "Mr. Foster, the one who owes you is me."
"Please wait. I'll take her back and be right with you."
Without waiting for a response, she pushed Linda towards her room.
Jasper watched them go, eyes narrowed. A minute later, Adeline returned, walking briskly towards him.
"Mr. Foster," she said lightly. "How about a cup of coffee? My treat."
He raised an eyebrow. "Is that how you're repaying your debt?"
"It's a start," she replied, heading to the elevators. "But it won't clear the debt entirely. Consider it the first installment."
At the elevator, she stepped inside and turned back, smiling playfully. "Come in, Mr. Foster."
The elevator's metallic sheen highlighted her slender grace, her smile refreshing like a spring breeze. But it was her eyes that held his attention.
Jasper stared at her, his heart skipping a beat. He was transported back to the early days of their marriage. Back then, she would follow him, trying to be the perfect wife. He had scoffed at her efforts, pretending indifference, but deep down, her presence had warmed him.
He remembered one party in particular. They stayed until the end, and as the elevator arrived, she stepped inside playfully, turning to face him with that same tilt of her head and expectant smile.
Around him, she was always gentle, steady, and obedient. But in those brief moments, a spark of mischief would light up her eyes, showing a side of her he rarely saw.
The memory was vivid, the feeling still strong. In that instant, the Adeline Collins of his memories merged with the woman before him. Their appearances, personalities, and circumstances might have changed, but the look in her eyes and the warmth she evoked remained the same.
"Adeline," he began, his voice thick with unspoken emotions.
Adeline froze, her smile faltering. Had he realized?
She quickly masked her unease, forcing a light laugh. "Mr. Foster, what was that?"
Jasper blinked, the moment broken. He cleared his throat, a wry smile touching his lips. "Nothing," he murmured, stepping into the elevator.
Downstairs, David was waiting in the lobby, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He straightened as they approached, signaling his men to keep a close watch on Linda.
"Don't worry," Adeline reassured him, "Linda won't do anything rash."
David just grunted, his eyes filled with worry, before stepping into the waiting elevator.
Adeline watched him go, a soft chuckle escaping her lips. He was awkward and overbearing, but there was a certain charm to his gruff demeanor. If not for his overprotective nature, he and Linda might have been a good match.
"Interested in him?"
Jasper's voice, with a hint of frost, broke through her thoughts.
Adeline turned to him, realizing he had misinterpreted her lingering gaze. "No," she replied, meeting his eyes directly. "I'm only interested in you, Mr. Foster."
Jasper frowned, his expression unreadable, before turning and heading towards the exit. Adeline followed closely behind, her mind racing.
They settled at a nearby café, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee filling the air. Adeline took a sip, her gaze steady as she met Jasper's across the table.
"I need a favor," she stated directly.
Jasper leaned back, his expression carefully neutral. "And what favor would that be?"
"Help me persuade David to let Linda terminate the pregnancy."
He didn't reply immediately, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You know that with her current condition, such a procedure could be life-threatening?"
"My suggestion is to wait a few months, until her health improves and the risks are minimized."
Adeline set down her cup, her expression resolute. "But if we wait that long, the fetus will have a heartbeat."
Jasper raised an eyebrow. "So? Are you saying that once a heartbeat is detected, termination is off the table?"
His words struck a chord deep within her. After the accident, consumed by hatred and despair, she had contemplated the same thing. But her babies already had heartbeats, tiny flutters of life she couldn't bring herself to extinguish. The irony wasn't lost on her.
"What if it were your child, Mr. Foster?" she countered, her voice soft but steady. "When Adeline Collins was hit by that car, your children already had heartbeats. If she had shared your belief, would you have Bennett and Lauren in your life right now?"
Jasper's composure finally wavered, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his features. "That was different," he muttered, his voice low.
"How so?"
He hesitated, his gaze dropping to his hands. "Adeline loved me," he finally admitted, his voice barely a whisper.
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