Chapter 3

Despite my chronic stomach issues, the alcohol caused burning pain in my abdomen. After the event, I struggled to reach the car waiting at the hotel's entrance.

As I opened the door, I saw them in an intimate moment. Hearing the door, they paused.

Cora, displeased, got off Gideon's lap and gave me a look. Gideon glanced over, asking,

"How did the matter with Mr. King go?" I relayed Mr. King's statement about 'no further cooperation.' Hearing this, Gideon's expression changed.

Mr. King was not only the company's biggest partner but also a primary source of income.

Canceling the partnership risked a financial crisis. Clearly, Gideon understood the consequences.

He looked at me with reproach, about to speak, but Cora interrupted.

"Adeline, you're useless. Can't even apologize properly. What are you still doing by Gideon's side?" She poked Gideon's chest with her manicured finger, adding,

"Gideon, maybe we should give Adeline a little punishment."

"Otherwise, she might ignore your advice again." Cora's attitude seemed to deny any wrongdoing on her part.

Hearing this, Gideon affectionately ruffled her hair and slammed the door shut. The car door locked with a click. Gideon lowered the window, coldly demanding my phone, "Cora's right. You need a lesson."

She pointed her carefully manicured red-tipped finger at Gideon's chest, suggesting, "Gideon, why don't we teach Adeline a little lesson?"

"Otherwise, Adeline will keep ignoring your advice," Cora said, acting as if she wasn't the one who stirred up trouble this time.

Hearing this, Gideon gently tousled her hair before slamming the car door shut.

With a click, the door locked.

Gideon rolled down the window and curtly demanded my phone: "Cora's right; you need to learn your lesson."

"This time, I'll be kind and let you walk back to the villa from the hotel."

With that, he told the driver to start the car.

But just as the car sped up, it suddenly stopped.

Cora leaned out the window and shouted, "Adeline, don't forget to buy ribs on your way back."

"Whenever Gideon and I go out, he often brings your homemade braised ribs."

"Hurry back to the villa; I'm eager to have them!"

As thunder roared in the sky, the car sped away.

Cold rain poured down, drenching me in an instant.

My heart grew colder with each heartbeat.

When I finally returned to the villa, my soaked body was stiff and hard to move.

I was about to head to the bedroom to change clothes when I opened the door to a scene of chaos.

Especially the photo album I had hidden in a secret corner—it had been maliciously torn and thrown on the ground.

The few intact photos bore dusty footprints.

The smiling father and daughter in the photos were my deceased father and me.

I squatted down, touching the photos, and cried out in agony.

Hearing my cries, Cora, wearing a dress Gideon had given me for our wedding, swayed over to me.

"What's with all the yelling? I just picked a few clothes from your closet, no need to shout."

I clutched the photos tightly, my eyes bloodshot as I glared at her, questioning, "Who told you to dig out these photos?"

Cora casually replied, "They're just old photos, nothing valuable."

She snatched the photos from my hand and, with malice in her eyes, deliberately commented, "The man in these photos looks like he's doomed to die young. He must be suffering in hell after death!"