REBIRTH : Chasing The Limelight-Chapter 72: Someone might have bumped into her by mistake.
Adrian walked along the corridor with his hands in his pockets. As he passed by one of the windows, something caught his attention. He shifted his gaze a little and he saw into a studio not too far away.
A girl stood on the stage inside with her hand wrapped around a standing microphone.
His steps came to a halt without him realizing it. From where he stood, the distance and the angle made it almost impossible for her to be able to notice him.
He watched her with a calm, unreadable expression, not moving. At first, he thought she was alone, but when his eyes moved across the room, he noticed another figure seated amongst the empty seats. It was her assistant.
He did not stay long. After only a few seconds, he turned and walked away as if he had never glanced into the room in the first place.
By the time he reached outside, he was already back to his usual self. He stood beside his car and leaned against it, his gaze resting on nothing in particular as he waited.
The words came into his head again.
Not everyone treats things as disposable.
They had been repeating in his mind for days now, appearing without warning and refusing to leave. He did not understand what she meant by it, yet it would be a lie to say it did not bother him.
To him, what he did had been very reasonable.
She was a sponsored artist under the Vale family. Her phone had been worn out and almost unusable. Replacing it for her was normal and he did not see anything wrong with it. Whether she accepted it or refused it should not have mattered.
And yet, her refusal stayed in his mind. Though he had expected it in a way, the feeling it left behind was very unfamiliar to him.
People did not usually refuse things from him. Not because he was generous, but because he rarely gave anything at all.
His gaze lifted a little and rested on the third floor window.
That scene of that night flashed in his mind.
He only seemed to become aware of himself after she had walked out of the room. Only then had he thought about what he had done.
He had been watching her long before that. From the moment she walked into the hall with that actor. From when she allowed him to hold her hand. To the way she let him wipe her lips without protesting, as if it were nothing.
It had irritated him.
At that time, he had thought it was reasonable. She was connected to the Vale family and her image was not separate from theirs. So the way she conduct herself was not irrelevant to him.
Even what he had done in that room...
His hands had never behaved like that in his life. The sudden desire, the lack of restraint, the way his thoughts had lost their usual order... it was unlike him. He had barely held himself back.
Even so, he had told himself it was not something unusual. Things like that were not unheard of between sponsors and the people they invested in.
Still he regretted it.
But if he was honest, it was not the act itself he regretted. It was only the way it happened.
His gaze returned to the window and another pair of eyes met his instantly. He did not know when she had come to stand there but before he could even react, she had already looked away.
His expression did not change as he lowered his gaze again. Not long after, he saw Harris approaching with Relanie and her assistant. When they reached him, Relanie quickly muttered an apology before walking past him and into the car.
Adrian did not respond. He simply turned and walked to the other side of the car. As he did, his eyes lifted once more toward the window.
She was still there. And their gazes met again. But just as quickly, she looked away.
Adrian did not pause for too long, he entered the car and closed the door beside him. "Drive," he said calmly while leaning back on his seat.
Harris nodded at once and started the engine. The car moved smoothly out of the premises of Voice and into the road without delay.
Relanie sat beside him quietly, leaving a small space between them. Adrian noticed it though he did not turn to look at her. She had always been more clingy in the past, always finding a way to lean closer to him or start a conversation, but now she remained still. He did not comment on it, but he acknowledged it.
The car was silent the entire time, not until Adrian spoke up. "Look into the incident again."
Harris blinked in confusion with his eyes still focused on the road ahead. "Which one, boss?" he asked.
"The pool." Adrian replied.
Relanie turned her head to the side, her brows drawing together as she looked at him. "You mean Elara’s drowning incident?"
Adrian gave a quiet hum in reply.
Relanie held his gaze for a moment longer. Then after a few seconds, she nodded slowly and turned back to face the front.
She softly spoke up again after a brief silence. "Is it really that necessary? After all, she has already woken up."
Adrian did not respond, but however, Harris reacted immediately. "Miss Relanie, didn’t you hear? Someone pushed her." he said quickly, though his voice was still polite.
Relanie went quiet, then she said, "I heard. It might be true, but it could also be that someone bumped into her by mistake."
There was a short pause, before Harris suddenly burst into laughter.
"Bumped into her?" he repeated in amusement. "Miss Relanie, you’re just too... kind. What kind of bump sends someone flying into a pool like that? Was it a professional push bumper?"
He shook his head, still smiling to himself. "Well... I guess it’s possible. Maybe someone tripped, lost their balance, and decided to take her along for the journey. Very considerate fall."
He chuckled again before glancing sideways at Reine. "Right? Or what do you feel?"
Reine slowly turned her head to look at him. Her gaze was as cold as the inside of a freezer.
Harris’s laughter stopped immediately. He cleared his throat and straightened up. "Ah... sorry."
