Chapter 84 Don't Waste Your Energy
"Mr. Foster has arrived!"
"It's Mr. Foster!"
"Hurry, let's welcome him..."
As Adeline crossed the threshold, she ran straight into a group of men dressed in sharp suits.
Excited whispers of Jasper's arrival had spread like wildfire, sending them scurrying towards the entrance in a frenzied dash.
Caught in the commotion, Adeline found herself squeezed into a corner.
Casting a helpless glance at the dense crowd by the door, she sighed in resignation.
It turned out Jasper was the kind of man who could drive not just hordes of women wild, but men seemed equally helpless against his charm.
"Sorry about that."
Her musing was interrupted as a refined-looking man bumped into her.
With a brief apology, the man hurriedly followed the throng going out to greet Jasper.
Adeline curled her lip in annoyance, headed to the bar, and pulled out her phone to check a photo sent by Violet.
Violet had only been seeing Ethan Sterling for less than a week and hadn't had the chance to introduce him.
She had no choice but to rely on the photo to identify him.
The moment she opened the picture, she was struck by a feeling of familiarity.
After a second's thought, she realized it was the man who had just bumped into her.
Frowning slightly, she pocketed her phone, took her place in the corner near the entrance, and began scanning the room for Ethan Sterling.
The bar entrance was bustling.
A few men in pricey suits were huddled around Jasper, practically on their knees as they spoke.
Although Adeline's feelings for him had cooled, she couldn't deny that in the crowd Jasper still stood head and shoulders above the rest.
Towering in height, he naturally loomed over everyone around him.
Combine that with his prideful and distinguished aura -
He was forever that man who captured the crowd's gaze.
Standing there, Adeline watched him interact indifferently with the men, her purpose for the evening momentarily forgotten.
She observed his casual demeanor, the depth of those unfathomable eyes until suddenly, his gaze met hers across the room.
Their eyes locked.
His gaze was icy cold.
Adeline's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly averted her gaze, pretending she hadn't seen him as she resumed her search for Ethan Sterling.
Jasper responded to her evasion with a slight, cold curl of his lips before withdrawing his attention, listening to the men’s chatter as he strolled into the bar.
The crowd parted to let them pass, then silently trailed behind.
After a lengthy search amid the throng, Adeline finally spotted Ethan Sterling, who was following the crowd with a measured step.
"Mr. Sterling."
She hurriedly strode over. "I'm a friend of Violet's, and I'd like to have a word with you."
Ethan Sterling hadn't intended to pay her any mind, but at the mention of Violet, he frowned slightly and turned to look at her.
"A friend of Violet's?"
"You here to put in a good word for her?"
His glance was icy, "Don’t bother wasting your breath."
"When I first spent time with Violet, I thought she was kind-hearted and genuine – a real catch. But my first visit to her place, I found a pregnancy test. She’s not who I thought she was. Maybe I got her all wrong. We're just not cut out for each other."
After his words, he turned, presenting Adeline with a cold shoulder. "I've got an important social event, and I can't afford to waste time on this drama."
"Wait!"
Adeline bit her lip, knowing that if Ethan was so quick to misunderstand Violet, he probably didn't care deeply for her anyway.
But even if they were to break up, it should be for reasons between the two of them, not because of a mix-up she'd caused.
"Just give me a few minutes of your time."
Adeline frowned, "I'm not here to sing her praises; I'm here to clear up a misunderstanding."
"You..."
As she spoke, the crowd had moved towards the elevator.
With a snort, Ethan stepped into the elevator without a backward glance.
Left with no choice, Adeline followed him in. Inside, fearing he might slip away, she instinctively grabbed his sleeve and said in a hushed tone, "Just hear me out..."
But before she could continue, a teasing voice chimed in, "Ethan, joining a business mixer and you've brought a lady?"
Another man chuckled, "Heard you picked up a new girlfriend a few days back- a beautiful little thing who's never been romanced. Is this her?"
"Lucky guy. Not only is she pretty, but she’s also clingy..."
Ethan opened his mouth as if to clarify the situation, but couldn't seem to find the right words.
Eventually, he forcefully pulled his sleeve from Adeline’s grip.
Adeline smirked lightly and reached for his sleeve again.
From the get-go, this man had shown no interest in her and certainly didn't want to listen to her explanations.
And now, with this golden chance to connect with Ethan Sterling, how could she let it slip by so easily?
Plus, if she appeared casual about the whole thing, she could better clarify that the pregnancy test was hers, thereby underscoring Violet's innocence, right?
A gentle smile on her face, she turned to Ethan Sterling's colleagues. "Please, stop teasing him," she said with good-natured chiding. "He's already blushing."
Her words might have been innocent, but everyone in the room had already assumed her as Ethan Sterling's girlfriend.
This realization sent a ripple of laughter through the group.
Linking her arm through Ethan's, Adeline whispered conspiratorially, "If you don't want rumors flying, you'd better listen up when I clear the air later. Otherwise, I'll make sure you're tonight's company joke!"
Ethan Sterling visibly choked on her words.
He huffed silently, not daring to unhook her brazen, confident arm.
The audacity of this woman!
People chatted Adeline up about Ethan, and she responded with an unapologetic ease.
Yet, for some reason, she felt a chill in the air, an inexplicable heaviness in the atmosphere of the hallway.
It seemed as if she was being watched, somewhat intentionally.
With furrowed brows, she instinctively turned to look.
At the end of the hallway, a tall, imposing man leaned against the wall, his presence exuding a sense of detached nobility.
A cigarette hung from his fingers; he smoked leisurely while conversing with the people next to him.
And those obsidian-like eyes were fixed coldly on her hand, clasped around Ethan Sterling's arm.
A wave of awkwardness washed over Adeline, as if she had been caught in an act of infidelity.
But then she shook her head at the absurdity of it all.
It was he who refused to take responsibility that morning. And after all, it wasn't like her relationship with Ethan Sterling was official; and even if it were, what right did he have to object?
With a dismissive curl of her lip, she turned back to Ethan's coworkers and said, "Gentlemen, Ethan and I need a moment to chat. He'll join you for drinks later, if that's alright with you?"
"Not at all, not at all!" one of them replied, a manager sort, who flashed her a friendly smile. "But don't keep him too long; we have a drink session with an important business partner tonight."
"Thank you," she nodded, a flirtatious smile playing on her lips before she sauntered away with Ethan.
As their retreating figures disappeared toward the staircase, the man at the end of the hallway spoke in a detached tone, "What's that group about?"
"Oh, just a small company looking to discuss a partnership with one of my teams," Jason Smith, his friend standing by, replied, the corner of his lips curling subtly. "Interested?"
Jasper crushed the cigarette butt, frowning slightly, "Not interested."
He should have known that woman wasn't as straightforward as she seemed.
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