Chapter 4 - The Shared Table
Adrian walked into the apartment carrying a brown paper bag that smelled overwhelmingly of grilled garlic, lemongrass, and roasted pork.
He looked tired. The grey tweed jacket was hanging over his arm, his tie was loosened at the neck, and his dark brown hair was slightly tousled.
"Thai food," he said, setting the paper bag on the kitchen island. "There’s a small place near the metro station. I didn't know what you liked, so I got chicken pad thai, green curry, and fresh spring rolls."
Emily came out of her bedroom, her shoes off, her sleeves rolled up to her elbows.
"You didn't have to buy food," she said.
"I was hungry," Adrian replied, pulling two white paper plates and wooden chopsticks from a drawer. "And I assumed you hadn't eaten since the terrible coffee at the courthouse."
They sat across from each other at the raw oak coffee table, the cardboard containers spread between them on the floor.
For five minutes, neither of them spoke. The only sound in the apartment was the distant hum of traffic on Oakridge Lane and the soft clink of their chopsticks against the cardboard boxes.
"Valerie called," Emily said quietly, setting her chopsticks down.
Adrian paused mid-bite. He set his container down and looked at her, his grey eyes suddenly intent.
"What did she say?"
"She demanded I come home to sign the prenuptial agreement with Julian Vance," Emily said. She picked at a piece of lemongrass on her plate. "She told me Carter Textiles goes into receivership on Friday if forty million dollars isn't deposited into their account."
"And what did you tell her?"
"I told her I was already married."
Adrian didn't look surprised. He took a slow sip of his iced tea and nodded once.
"How did she take it?"
"She thought I was lying," Emily said. "Then she threatened to ruin what's left of my reputation if I didn't show up at her house tomorrow morning."
Adrian’s jaw tightened. "Ruin your reputation how?"
Emily looked down at her lap.
The memory flared up instantly—hot, toxic, and familiar. The white hospital room. The smell of antiseptic. The silent bassinet in the corner of the room that she hadn't been allowed to approach. The sound of Valerie's voice in the hallway telling the doctor that Emily was 'unstable' and 'unfit'.
"Just old family history," Emily murmured. "Things that happened when I was twenty-two."
Adrian watched her face carefully. He didn't push. He didn't pry. He simply nodded again and reached for a spring roll.
"Valerie’s legal team will pull the county record by nine A.M. tomorrow," Adrian said. "Once they see my name on the certificate, they'll attempt to run a background check on me."
Emily looked up. "Will they find anything?"
"They'll find a thirty-two-year-old independent financial auditor with a small office in Pasadena and a modest bank account," Adrian said smoothly. "Nothing that suggests money. Nothing that suggests power. Valerie will assume you married a broke nobody out of spite."
Emily stared at him.
"And are you?" she asked softly.
"Am I what?"
"A broke nobody."
Adrian smiled. It was the same faint, dangerous smile he had given her on the courthouse steps—the one that made her heart pull against her ribs.
"I have enough to pay my rent, Emily," he said softly. "And enough to buy pad thai on a Tuesday night. For now, that’s all Valerie needs to know."
May you like
He stood up, gathered their empty cardboard containers, and carried them to the kitchen trash bin.
"Get some sleep," he said, turning back to face her from the kitchen island. "Tomorrow is going to be a loud day."
