Chapter 93

Stella's POV

God. I'm acting like a teenager. He's my husband, after all.

Taking a deep breath, I walked over to him, leaving Frank momentarily confused by my sudden detour.

"What are you doing here?" I tried to keep my voice steady.

Adam's green eyes assessed me coolly.′′Passing by. Thought I'd pick you up for dinner."

"I already called Joseph," I said, shifting my weight uncomfortably. "I told him I won't be back for dinner tonight.I have plans."

"Last-minute plans?" Adam's voice was casual, but I detected an edge to it.

"Yes," I replied simply.

Why is helying? He could just say he came to pick me up.Always so roundabout. Taylor cleared his throat discreetly. "Sir, I believe we've been waiting for nearly thirty minutes." Thirty minutes? Adam had been waiting for me for half an hour? That didn't sound like "passing by" at all. Before I could dwell on this revelation. Frank appeared at my side,curiosity evident in his expression.

"Wait, isn't this the CEO of GT Group?" Frank said, recognition dawning in his eyes. "Stella, you two know each other?"

Adam's gaze shifted to Frank, instantly cooling several degrees."Who are you?"

I could feel the tension mounting between them, like storm clouds gathering before a downpour. "He's my friend, Frank." I said quickly."Frank, this is my-"

"Husband," Adam cut in before I could finish, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Frank's eyes widened in shock. "Husband? No, you must be joking!" His gaze darted between us. "Sir, I just saw tabloid reports about you and jewelry designer Grace Davis. AndStella," he reached for my left hand, examining my bare fingers,"doesn't wear a wedding ring."

I felt my stomach drop. Of all the topics to bring up, Frank had inadvertently chosen the most explosive one. Adam's eyes narrowed dangerously as Frank held my hand, examining it with exaggerated scrutiny. This is trouble. Frank mentioned Grace and noticed I'm not wearing a ring. Adam's definitely going to be furious. "See? No ring." Frank announced triumphantly. "Stella isn't married!"

Adam moved with lightning speed, snatching my hand away from Frank's grasp. "Let go of her!" he growled, his voice low and threatening.

Frank seemed oblivious to the danger. "Sir, are you one of Stella's suitors? I'm also pursuing Stella,and with your disrespectful behavior, you should withdraw from the competition! You-"

"Frank!" I interrupted frantically. "He really is my husband!"

Frank froze mid-sentence, his expression comical in its shock. "What? You're not joking?" His gaze darted between us. "But the rumors about him and Grace are really-"

"Frank," I cut in sharply, "I'm aware of those rumors. But he is indeed my husband."

Adam's grip on my hand tightened possessively. I tried to pull away, uncomfortable with the public display,but he only held on more firmly. His thumb brushed across my bare ring finger,and something like regret flashed briefly in his eyes. He never gave me a ring, so why is he concerned now? This man is so hard to understand.Frank studied our joined hands, then Adam's face,then mine. His expression shifted,becoming unexpectedly serious

"Suitor?" Adam repeated, his voice dangerously soft.

"Mr. Lancaster." Frank suddenly switched to a business-like tone,"I sincerely apologize! The truth is, Stella is actually my boss. I only claimed to be her suitor because I couldn't bear to see my beautiful employer deceived by some scoundrel... I'm not calling you a scoundrel, sir! Well, I did have my suspicions.11

I stared at Frank in disbelief. Frank's improvisation is amazing.I just hope Adam doesn't take it too seriously.

"Frank," I interjected, desperately trying to salvage the situation,"maybe we should reschedule our dinner for another day?"

Adam's expression remained stony. "Since you're my wife's subordinate, I'll treat you to dinner."

Oh no. Adam and Frank at the same dinner table was the last thing I needed right now.

Frank, sensing my discomfort, shook his head.′′I7m terribly sorry, Mr. Lancaster, but I must defer to Stella in this matter.She seems reluctant to continue with our dinner plans tonight."For a moment, no one spoke. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife. I just want to end this awkward encounter as quickly as possible.

Adam finally broke the silence. "Taylor, bring the car around."

As we drove through Manhattan's evening streets, the silence in the backseat was suffocating. Taylor kept his eyes firmly on the road, clearly uncomfortable with the tension radiating from us.

Adam finally spoke, his voice deceptively casual."Stella,that Frank is thirty-five years old."

I turned to face him, anger bubbling up inside me. "Adam, he's my friend! You can have rumors with Grace Davis, but I can't even have a male friend? I haven't questioned your actions,what gives you the right to monitor who I'm friends with?"

Finally, I can say what's been on my mind. Why can he freely associate with Grace while I can't even have a male friend?

Something flickered in Adam's eyes-surprise, perhaps."When did you learn about those rumors?"

"When you were in Toronto," I replied, turning to look out the window."Why didn't you ask me about them?" I let out a bitter laugh. "If I had asked, would you have told me the truth?"

Before he could respond. Adam leaned forward. "Taylor.pull over."

Taylor glanced uncertainly in the rearview mirror. "Sir?"

"Pull over." Adam repeated, his voice allowing no argument."Find something to do for an hour. Come back then."

Taylor's brow furrowed in concern, but he obediently guided the car to the curb. "Yes, sir."

An hour? What is he planning? I felt a wave of tension, but also a hint of anticipation.

Once we were alone. Adam turned to face me fully. "The media got it wrong. I attended her exhibition as a friend.nothing more."

"You went to Toronto to see her exhibition." I said.unable to keep the hurt from my voice. "Did you know your wife won an award that same day? Cyril congratulated me, but you didn't even know I'd won anything."

exhausted by the conversation.

"Then I'll accompany you to all your future award ceremonies."Adam said slowly. How I wished you were there that day, but you were applauding another woman instead."Grace," he said, his voice businesslike, "someone told me they saw a post on your Instagram showing a mask that was supposedly from me. Is that true?""I don't want to say. It doesn't matter now," I said,suddenly The sincerity in his voice made my eyes burn with unshed tears. I looked away, unwilling to let him see how much his words affected me.

Why does such a simple promise soften my heart? But what excuse will he have next time?

"And what about the mask?" I asked, my voice barely steady."You didn't have time to make a mask for me, but you had time to handcraft one for Grace Davis? I saw her Instagram post."

Adam's expression hardened. "I didn't give her that mask."

"'Made by ADAM," I quoted, the words bitter on my tongue."Do you think I can't read?"

Without hesitation, Adam pulled out his phone and dialed a number. After a few rings, a soft female voice answered.

"Adam? This is unexpected."

There was a brief pause. "Oh, that," Grace laughed lightly."I'm sorry. Adam. A friend with the same name as you gave me that mask. I didn't realize it would cause any confusion. If it's causing problems for you, I'd be happy to delete the post."

"Delete it," Adam said tersely.

"...Alright," Grace replied, her voice tinged with disappointment before the call ended.

The silence that followed was heavy with unspoken wvords.I stared at my hands, my thoughts in turmoil. The woman's voice was undeniably the same one who had answered Adam's phone when I called to share news of my award.

He confronted her so directly? And why did she sound so disappointed about deleting the post?