Chapter 17: A Good Guy
[Miss Allen, you must pick up your belongings, or Mr. Martin will throw them away.]This belongs to NôvelDrama.Org: ©.
On a Wednesday morning, Riley read the text from the Human Resource Department of Brey Jewelry & Apparel Co. She checked the wall clock and groaned, “Again. It’s this room. It’s making me oversleep.”
It was 10 AM. Ever since Riley moved into Adrian’s home, she had been waking up late.
“How could Brian be so heartless? Did he forget that I was his wife for four years? He cheated on me, divorced me, and now, he wants to throw away my things?” Riley muttered.
She replied: [I’ll pick up my things later today].
Her dismissal was never formalized, so Riley never got to collect her belongings from the office.
Riley hurriedly bathed and got changed. When she descended the stairs, she noticed Linda going over some photos on an old album from the living
room.
“Oh, Riley, good morning!” Linda greeted.
“Good Morning, Aunt Linda.” Riley looked around and asked, “Has Adrian left?”
Riley hadn’t seen Adrian for two days. By the time she woke up, he was already gone, and she always fell asleep before he got back. According to Clint, Adrian had been very busy lately, but Riley hoped they would see each other soon. After all, they now lived in the same house.
“Yes, dear. Adrian leaves very early every day. He did check on you,” Linda reported.
“He checked on me?” Riley asked in surprise.
Linda nodded, saying, “Yes, he knocked on your door at around six, just before he left.”
“Oh, god. I’ve been sleeping like a log since I got here,” Riley murmured while massaging her neck.
“Isn’t that great? You deserve some good rest. Your face has brightened a little since you got here,” Linda said before smiling.
Linda turned toward the other housekeeper, who was wiping the furniture, and instructed, “Tell Rose that Riley will have breakfast now.”
“Come.” Linda gestured for Riley to take the seat next to her. She said, “Let’s check some old photos of Adrian while Rose is still preparing your breakfast.”
“Um. Okay,” Riley happily took the seat beside Linda. They scanned photos of Adrian as a child, most of which included a picture of Adrian’s mother. “Adrian loved his mom so much. She passed away when he was in high school. He was so heartbroken back then,” Linda described.
“I remember he said it was a tough time for him,” Riley recounted.
“He must have trusted you for him to talk about his mom. Were you and Adrian good friends?” Linda asked politely.
“Good friends?” Riley echoed. “Yeah, we were friends, but we never really got close… Maybe we didn’t get a chance to? Because of his accident?”
“I see,” Linda said. She maintained an amiable smile before flipping to the next photo set.
“Oh, that car,” Riley pointed to an old Porsche Adrian used to drive in college. “He used to drive this in school.”
“Yes, he did,” Linda confirmed.
Riley smiled, thinking back. She disclosed, “He-um. He gave me a lift once. That was the first time we had a decent conversation.”
“Really?” Linda asked. “Tell me about it.”
Riley chuckled and said, “Well, it was a rainy day.”
### FLASHBACK ###
Seven years ago.
Riley was off to school but got caught in the rain while waiting for a bus. She ran to the bus stop and waited, but the next bus was full. “Great. I’m going to be late,” Riley grumbled after she checked her watch.
Suddenly, a gray Porsche pulled over in front of her. The windows rolled down, revealing the great Adrian King.
As usual, he looked dashing, even in casual clothes. The women around Riley were over the moon at the sight of him.
“Going to school? Get in,” Adrian said, surprising Riley.
Riley looked back and around her. She pointed to herself and asked him, “Are you talking to me?”
“Obviously,” Adrian responded with a brow raised. “If you don’t want to be late, hop in.”
Riley hesitated, but she looked up at the angry skies and the number of people waiting for the bus. Sheè realized this was her only chance to get to school faster. She gulped and stared at Adrian, asking, “Youare not going to kill me, right?” Content belongs to NovelDrama.Org
“What?” Adrian asked. “If you don’t want to the -“
She quickly opened the door and hopped in, saying, “Thanks.”
Adrian did not respond. Instead, he drove in the direction of the university.
They did not speak to each other during the drive and the silence was killing Riley. So, she looked around Adrian’s car. She noticed a woman’s picture mounted above the touch screen of his car. She asked, “Your mom?”
Adrian looked at the picture briefly and replied, “Yes.”
“She is pretty,” Riley complimented.
“Thank you. She meant everything to me,” Adrian said.
“Meant?” Riley inquired.
“She passed away when I was in high school,” Adrian revealed.
Riley fell silent. She softly said, “I’m sorry.”
While watching the road, Adrian answered, “It’s okay. It was a long time. I have coped.”
Then, they rode in silence again until
et
they arrived at Halliport University. Adrian pulled over at the school’s entrance. Before opening the door for her he grabbed his sports jacket from behind and gave it to Riley. He said, “Cover yourself with this.”
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Riley accepted the jacket reluctantly. Then she asked, “Aren’t you getting off?”
“My class is not until after lunch. I’m going to meet my dad at the Plaza Hotel,” Adrian revealed.
Riley’s mouth fell open in shock. The Plaza Hotel was in the opposite direction of the school! She asked, “Then why did you drop me off?”
Adrian looked at Riley strangely. He lazily replied, “Because I saw the panic in your face and knew you were running late for school.”
He looked at the door and said, “Go.”
Riley held his jacket just before opening the car door. She said, “Thank you, Adrian. You aren’t such a bad person after all.”
“Contrary to whatever you think of me, Riley, I am actually… a good guy,” Adrian said, and even after Riley shut the door behind her, his words lingered in her head.
### END OF FLASHBACK ###
“And that was how it started,” Riley said to Linda. “When we saw each other next, I returned his jacket, and we talked. I initially thought he was a snob and all, but as it turned out, he was a good person.”
“He really is, Riley,” Linda said. “Sometimes, he is just misunderstood.”
Riley fell silent. Then, she thought about Brian, “Wonder why he and Brian became estranged.”
“Yes, Brian,” Linda said with a sigh. “When you see him, why don’t you ask him?”
Riley was taken aback to hear Linda say those words. She pondered before replying, “I actually did, but Brian never gave me a straight answer. If I see him, I might ask again, but I probably don’t want to see him.”
Linda laughed and said, “That’s fine, dear.” She held Riley’s hand and said, “It’s probably best you move on. Forget about Brian.”
It no longer surprised Riley that Linda knew about Brian. Perhaps Adrian had mentioned her divorce too. But as Adrian said, Linda was like family to him, so Riley supposed she was someone she could open up to about her failed marriage.
“I know some people would say that everybody deserves a second chance, but I say, why would I risk getting stabbed in the back again!” Linda exclaimed.
Riley chuckled. She answered, “That’s a very reasonable point because I did give Brian a second chance and only got stabbed again.”
“Oh, you gave him a second
chance?” Linda asked before pulling
Riley into a hug. She caressed Riley’s back and said, “I wish I was there to tell you not to give him a chance, Riley, but either way, it’s over now. You have a whole new life ahead of you…” Content belongs to
NovelDrama.Org
Linda smiled before she resumed, “With Adrian.”
Riley did not know why, but she felt her cheeks burned at Linda’s suggestion.
