"Brendan!" Adeline tried to stay calm. "Remember, you and I will get divorced sooner or later. Whoever I am with now has nothing to do with you. Just mind your own business. Please. When she saw the mess on the ground, she felt bad for Rodger. Her conflict with Brendan shouldn't have affected other people. While sobbing, Adeline said to Rodger, "I'm sorry for the mess. Earlier, Rodger was worried that they still loved each other. But now that he was looking at her angry, aggrieved face, he breathed a sigh of relief. They were so hostile against each other that they got mad as soon as they saw each other. Sooner or later, they would separate. "It's fine. It's just a shame I didn't get to taste all the delicious food that you cooked," he remarked. Adeline shook her head. "I'll cook for you again next time if you want. But, um… what should we do now? You haven't eaten yet. Rodger patted her on the head and said, "There's a new restaurant nearby. I heard it's good. Let's go there and try it out! I'll ask someone to come in here and clean the place up. "Sure. " Adeline nodded. "Let's go there. It's my treat!". Rodger shrugged. "Sounds great. The two of them left the office side by side, talking about the restaurant they'd dine in. They didn't even bother to look at Brendan. Before leaving, Rodger glanced at him and put on a triumphant smile. "Mr. Clemons, you're welcome to stay here and rest. We'll come back later. Brendan was so infuriated that his temples were throbbing. When the office door was opened, he heard the whispers of the employees. "Is Mr. Stevenson dating Adeline? He's been looking after her ever since she became part of the company. "I don't think so. She's a divorcee! She doesn't deserve to be with Mr. Stevenson. But, he seems really concerned about her. He works overtime with her every day. Why would a boss do that for his employee if he wasn't after something?". "I'm surprised that Adeline is such a sly vixen. She's actually a year older than Mr. Stevenson, but she managed to hook up with him. Maybe one day, she'll become our boss' wife. "You know what they say: don't judge a book by its cover. But… why is Mr. Stevenson even into her? What's so good about her?". "Perhaps a married woman is more skilled at seducing men. Just listening to their idle chatter infuriated Brendan to the point that he clenched his fists. There was only one thought in his mind. Were they this intimate in the company every day? . No wonder Adeline insisted on divorcing him. It turned out that she had already fallen for another man! . Enraged, Brendan kicked the glass door beside him, causing it to shatter into pieces. Almost instantly, everyone around was startled by the loud noise. They were so scared that they exchanged glances and didn't dare to make a sound. They wondered what was wrong with Mr. Clemons. Brendan swept his eyes around. Overwhelmed by his daunting presence, the crowd dispersed in fear. They were scared that he'd lash out on them. A bold young girl came over and flashed him a bright smile. "Mr. Clemons, would you like me to give you a tour of our company?". "No, thanks

Brendan wasn't in the mood for that. His reason for being here was to explain everything to Adeline. He wanted to tell her that he didn't have an affair with Tiffany. But now, all that seemed unnecessary. Adeline appeared to be fine, and she didn't seem to care. Brendan grunted and slammed the door shut. He shouldn't have come here today! . In a fit of annoyance, Adeline went out with Rodger for lunch. But to her surprise, he was actually serious. At this moment, they were sitting in a romantic, elegant French restaurant. Their table was right next to a window, overlooking the entire city. She stared at the exquisite tableware on the table, feeling like it was inappropriate for her to be here with Rodger. In her point of view, most of the people who came here to dine were couples. It was almost like t hey were on a date, which they were not. Rodger, on the other hand, was in high spirits. He took the menu, ordered so me dishes, and then passed it to her. "What do you want to eat?" . After a brief pause, Adeline came to her senses and said, "Oh, I, um… I'll have the same stuff you got. Having said that, she hesitated for a moment and added, "Rodger, please don' t misunderstand me. I was overcame with anger earlier, and I was acting on i mpulse. We're not suited for each other. I hope we can still remain friends. Instead of responding to what she sai d, Rodger asked, "Brendan Clemons is your soon-to-be ex-husband, isn't he?" . "H e i s. Even though Adeline and Brendan had been married for three year s, their marriage was a secret. When they got married, they didn't hold a wedding cere mony, nor did they announce it in public. Only their f amily and some of their closest friends knew about it. Brendan said that he didn't want the publi c to know too much about his private life, because it would only bring him trouble. Adeline agreed, but in her heart, she knew that it was just an excuse. How r idicu lous! . If a man really loved his wif e, how could he be so unwillin g to hold a wedding ceremony? . Why wouldn't he want to let the whole world know that they were in love? . But at the time, she decided to com promise. As long as they could be to gether, it was good enough for her. Before they got married, Brendan made it clear t o her that their marriage was just a business dea l. So, how could she ask for a wedding ceremony? . Now that she was looking b ack on their marriage, all it brought her was pain. She gritted her teeth, kept her head d own, and endured everything. Despite t hat, all she received was humiliation. Rodger sighed wh en he saw the lo ok on her face. "I never knew that Brendan w as married, but I've heard t hat he has a woman he likes. Just then, the w aiter began serv ing their order. Rodger asked her to sta rt eating, while he pour ed her a glass of wine. "Addie, I've always cared about you. I can tell at a glance if you're happy or not. You haven't been happy in the past few years. Sooner or later, you and Brendan are gonna b reak up. No matter how great a guy is, he's a failure if he can't make his wife happy. "Listen, Rodger, I kn ow that," Adeline sai d while looking down. No matter how good Brendan was, he had never loved her. Even if he forced himself to marry her, she was just a stranger to him for three whole years. To him, all h er efforts me ant nothing. While staring into her eyes, Ro dger said, "Since you know that , why don't you just leave him?" . He was looking at her with eyes filled wit h affection and pity. He had been taking good care of her in the workplace, so Adel ine regarded him as a true friend. "I know that it's impossibl e for me to be with him in the future. I'll divorce him soon. "Seriously? " Rodger's e yes lit up. "Yes, seriously. " Adeline nodded determinedly. "But his grandfather is seriousl y ill right now. He won't be able to bear the bad news. That's why I don't want to add to his pain. But once Grandpa starts to feel better, I'll divorce him. Rodger wa s secretly pleased. As a man, he knew what another man would be thinking. It was unusual of Brendan to c ome to the company today and lose his temper

If he really didn't care about Adeline, he wouldn't have come here. When Rodger saw Brendan's reaction, he felt threatened. After all, Brendan a nd Adeline were marr ied for three years. They spent three years together. How could he not love her after all those years? . Rodger was determin ed to keep Brendan away from Adeline. Thus, he suggested, "I think he's going to make things difficult for you. I'll ask someone else to take over the Treacly Honey project for you. However, Adeline shook her head and shrugged , visibly determined. "Do you think I'd still let him affect me? Don't worry about me! Since I've already decided to divorce him, I won't regret my decision. I'll stay professional and I'll k eep our relationship out of the workplace. I'll try not to cause trouble for anyone!" . She might've lost he r marriage, but she still had a career. She had to che er up! . "It's great to hear that. " Rodger breath ed a sigh of relief. He was worried that this si lly girl would be wallowing in pain and sorrow by now. Adeline knew just how nice Rodger was to he r. "Rodger, about us…" . He knew what she want ed to say, so he cut her off midsentence. "Adeline. " Staring at her sincerely, he said, "I kn ow this is sudden for me to say, but I've noticed yo u since the first day I became part of the company. "What?" Adeli ne was a litt le surprised. Rodger looked bac k at her with a s mile on his face. "Why are you so surprised? I still remember that day vividly. Your hair was shorter than, and you looked just like a freshly graduated college student. At the ti me, I had just taken over the company. During the board meeting, several of the older shareholders made things difficult for me. Actually, people all thought tha t the only reason I got the position was because of my family and that I didn't have any real talents. Back then, you were the one who stood out and defended me. Having heard th at, Adeline rec alled that day. That day, she heard several coworkers talking behind Rodg er's back in the break room. She couldn't stand to listen to them becau se they were so mean. Thus, she opened the door and told them, "What nonsense are you talking about? Mr. Stevenson isn't that kind of person. He is a very talented designer. All his designs are unique and i ncredible. If you see any of his work, you wouldn't have said any of those things about him!" . The memory played in her mind. When she opened her ey es, she met Rodger's de ep, affectionate gaze. Was he r eally in to her? . "Adeline. " Upon noticing how embarrassed she appeared to be, Rodger cleared his throat and said, "You don't have to be so nervous or afraid. I love you, but you don't have to feel obligated to respond to my feelings. But since you and Brendan are getting divorced, would you be willing to give me a chance?" . The way his eyes glimmer ed with anticipation and hope was so captivating. It was a request tha t women would have a hard time refusing. Puzzled, Adeline asked, "I don 't get it… What's so good abou t me? Why do you even like me?" . Roger gently stroked her hair and smiled. "Silly girl, this is love. I love you an d there's no reason for it. Love can't be explain. All I'm hoping for is a chance t o be with you. I promise to give you a full and happy life in the future, Adeline!" . There was not a hint of hesitation wh en he said those words. It was someth ing that she never got from Brendan. But right now, she ha d no idea how to resp ond to Rodger's love. Fortunately, he didn't press her. He starte d eating and kept chatting casually with he r, easing the awkward tension between them. It appeared that he was just happy to be able to sit with her face to face like this. Once she was back a t the company, she went back to work. When it was finally time to ge t off work, she realized that i t was raining heavily outside. She forgot to check the weath er forecast this morning, so she didn't bring an umbrella. Rush hour plus the heavy dow npour? She was instantly sur e she couldn't get any taxi. It didn't seem like the rain would let up anytim e soon. She had no idea how to get home. Just the n, a car pulled over at the gate of the company