Matthew shifted awkwardly, unsure if he should follow Claire's order. She had a way of making everything sound like a perfectly reasonable idea, even when it wasn't. But, for now, he nodded, forcing a small smile. "Alright, Claire, no dangerous stuff. I'll play it safe." Claire tilted her head, giving him one of those "yeah, right" looks. "Promise me, Matthew. I mean it."

He hesitated, but only for a second. Internally, he made a different promise not to Claire, but to himself. No matter what, he was going to protect her. Dangerous or not, he wasn't backing out. "Yeah, yeah, I promise," he finally said, though his tone didn't quite match the words.

Claire narrowed her eyes but decided to drop it. She had more pressing matters. "So, about the investigation, I asked you to do on Adrian. What did you find?"

Matthew sighed and plopped onto the couch next to her, his laptop in hand. "Okay, so here's the thing. I got my hands on the guest list from that event," he began, scrolling through a document on his screen. "And there's one name that really caught my attention." Claire arched a brow. "Who?"

He turned the laptop toward her, pointing at a name highlighted in yellow. "Cindy Marshall. Sound familiar?"

Claire frowned, leaning in to get a closer look. The name stirred a faint memory. "Cindy Marshall..."

Matthew said, leaning back, "She's the woman whose career Alexander totally destroyed a few months ago. Remember? The one that you told me about when you met her at the salon?"

Claire's eyes lit up as the memory clicked. "Oh, right! Her. Yeah, I remember now." She crossed her arms and thought for a moment. "Wait-do you think she's the one in the photo?"

Matthew nodded. "I was wondering the same thing. So, I hacked into the surveillance footage from the event." He pulled up a grainy video. "Look here. That's her, wearing the exact same dress as the one in the picture."

Claire's lips pressed into a thin line as she watched the footage. "So, it is Cindy. But why on earth would Adrian kiss her? What's the connection?"

"That," Matthew said with a frustrated sigh, "is the part I haven't figured out yet. She just kind of shows up, mingles for a bit, and then leaves. No obvious reason for Adrian to be involved with her."

Claire exhaled sharply and leaned back against the couch. She stared at the ceiling for a moment, her mind racing. "I'll talk to Adrian. I need to know what happened."

Matthew tilted his head, considering her words. "Yeah, that's probably the right way to go. Get it straight from the horse's mouth."

Claire stood up abruptly, brushing imaginary dust off her pants. "I'll do it now."

Matthew blinked in surprise. "Wait-right now? You just got back from Las Vegas. Aren't you tired?"

She shrugged, already grabbing her coat. "I'll rest later. I can't sit still while this is hanging over my head. It's driving me nuts."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Do you want me to come with you? You know, in case it gets... complicated?"

Claire paused, then smirked. "Matthew, you should focus on nursing your bruises and wounds first. Once you're all healed up, then you can jump back into the action." Matthew rolled his eyes, huffing in mock annoyance. "Sure, make jokes about me while I'm down. Real classy, Claire."

She chuckled, patting his shoulder as she passed. "You'll live. Don't worry."

As she headed for the door, Matthew called after her, "Just don't do anything reckless, alright? And keep me updated!" "Got it!" she shouted over her shoulder before disappearing down the hall.

vel

Matthew stayed on the couch, staring at his laptop screen. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this Cindy Marshall situation than they realized. Something about it felt too convenient, too... orchestrated. But for now, he'd let Claire handle Adrian. She was good at getting to the bottom of things-when she wasn't running on pure adrenaline, that is.

He sighed, shaking his head. "She's going to run herself ragged at this rate," he muttered to himself. But then again, that was Claire. Always diving headfirst into the thick of it.

As he settled back against the cushions, his mind wandered. Cindy Marshall. Adrian. The photo. None of it added up, and Matthew hated puzzles with missing pieces.noveldrama

"Well," he thought with a wry smile, "at least things are never boring around here."

Claire driver stop in front of Adrian house, she took a deep breath, and stepped out into the cool evening air. She adjusted her coat, feeling the weight of the conversation she was about to have. As she reached the door, she pressed the doorbell, and within seconds, the familiar face of Adrian's maid greeted her.

"Miss Peterson! Welcome," the maid said warmly, holding the door open.

"Thank you," Claire replied with a polite smile. "Is Adrian home?"

The maid nodded. "He is. Please, come in. I'll let him know you're here. You can wait in the living room."

Claire thanked her again and walked into the cozy living room, her heels clicking softly on the polished wooden floors. She sank into the

plush couch, her hands fidgetinet

slightly as she scanned the elegant space, trying to calm her thoughts. Moments later, the sound of hurried footsteps descending the staircase made her look up.

Adrian appeared, his face lighting up as soon as he saw her. Before she could utter a word, he crossed the room in a few long strides and enveloped her in a tight hug.

"I missed you," Adrian said, his voice warm but slightly tinged with guilt.

Claire returned his embrace with a small smile, patting his back lightly. "Missed you too," she replied softly before pulling away.

Adrian stepped back, looking at her earnestly. "Claire, I swear I don't know what happened. I don't even know that woman, and I don't remember kissing her. It's like my brain just... glitched."

"Whoa, whoa, calm down," Claire said, holding up her hands. "Take a breath, okay? First, how's your leg? The cast is off, right?"

Adrian sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, the doctor took it off last week. I can walk again, but I still have to do these annoying daily check-ups. They keep poking at me like I'm a science experiment." "Well, that's good news at least," Claire said, motioning for him to sit down. "Come on, let's talk this out."

The two of them settled on the couch, the tension in the air palpable. Claire sighed, turning to face him directly. "Look, before we dive into what happened with that woman, I have something to say." Adrian frowned slightly, his head tilting in curiosity. "What is it?"

Claire hesitated but pushed through. "I can't exactly get mad at you for this whole thing because... I wasn't entirely transparent with you either. I didn't tell you I went to Las Vegas with Alexander." Adrian's brows furrowed, his confusion evident. "Las Vegas? When?"

"A few days ago," Claire admitted, her voice quieter now. "We were working on his new hotel. It was a business trip, but I should have told you."

Adrian leaned back slightly, his expression a mix of surprise and hurt. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Claire shrugged, looking down at her hands. "I'm still not used to this whole relationship thing-sharing details, giving updates, all of it. I wasn't trying to hide it; I just didn't think about how it might come across. I'm sorry." Adrian studied her for a moment before sighing and shaking his head. "You don't have to apologize, Claire. Honestly, I get it. And it's not like I've been completely open with you either. I owe you an explanation." Claire's curiosity piqued as she straightened in her seat. "Okay, then explain. What actually happened?"