REBIRTH : Chasing The Limelight

Chapter 92: A new piano.

It took a long pause before Mrs Vale spoke again. "Just tell me what you’re thinking."

Relanie’s chest tightened and irritation rose in it, but she did not explain anything. She only lowered her gaze and went straight to the point.

"Adrian likes her."

She held her breath after saying it. Then she looked up again. "I’ve known for a while... for a long while."

Her eyes stayed on Mrs. Vale’s face, searching for something. Maybe shock or denial. Or anything. But there was none.

Relanie’s heart went cold.

So she knew.

"Does Adrian know?" Mrs Vale finally said.

Relanie forced herself to stay calm. Her fingers curling tightly at her side. "He knows... He just won’t say it." she replied quietly.

Mrs. Vale seemed to think for a moment, like she wanted to say something else. But before she could, Relanie cut in.

"I want you to talk to her." she said firmly. "Tell her to stay away. From Adrian. From this family."

Mrs. Vale pressed her lips together tightly as she stared on. That small hesitation made Relanie’s frown deepen.

"She knows what she’s doing. She acts calm... like nothing matters. But she knows exactly what she’s doing. And Adrian–" She stopped, her jaw tightening. "Adrian doesn’t see it."

Mrs. Vale gently took her hands. "Or maybe... he sees it very clearly." she said softly.

Relanie’s eyes widened immediately. "You’re not going to talk to her."

"It’s not my place," Mrs Vale said shaking her head slowly. "To tell a young woman to stay away from my son. Especially when..." She stopped.

"When what?" Relanie asked immediately while Mrs. Vale was quiet for a moment. Then she spoke in a low voice.

"Especially when my son has never, in his entire life, shown interest in anyone." she replied.

Something snapped in Relanie’s head. Her heart jerked, then sank. Shock turned into disbelief. Disbelief turned into anger. "So that’s it. Because he finally likes someone... anyone... that’s enough?" she said, the corner of her lips raising in a self mocking smile.

"Relanie–"

"Even if it ruins everything?" she cut in. "Even if–"

"Nobody is being ruined," Mrs. Vale said, her voice rising a little. "Nothing has even happened yet. And you’re asking me to step into something that hasn’t–"

"It has." Relanie muttered, letting out a small, sharp scoff.

Mrs. Vale’s hands tightened around hers. And after some seconds, she sighed. "I’ve known for a while too," she admitted quietly. "Or... at least, I suspected."

Relanie stared at her with raised brows. "And you said nothing."

"What was I supposed to say?" Mrs. Vale replied. "He’s my son. He doesn’t tell me things. He never has. I only watched.. I understand... and I stay quiet. That’s how Adrian is." She looked at Relanie carefully. "I’m sorry."

Relanie’s expression changed. The calm on her face had started to crack.

"I know what you’ve given–"

"Never mind," she said softly, pulling her hands away from Mrs Vale’s.

Mrs. Vale fell silent.

"It’s fine," Relanie added. She stood up and picked up her bag. Then she looked at Mrs. Vale again. "You knew, and you still let me keep coming here. Keep calling you mom. Keep sitting in this house." she said.

"You are always welcome here... This is your home too." Mrs. Vale said quickly, her voice shaking a little. "That has nothing to do with–"

"It has everything to do with it." Relanie scoffed. She then turned and walk to the door.

"Relanie."

She stopped, her hand resting on the door handle.

"I love you," Mrs. Vale said. "Like my own. That hasn’t changed. It will never change."

Relanie stood there for a moment before lifting her lips slightly. "I see," she said quietly. Then she opened the door and walked out.

The room fell silent after the door closed shut. Mrs. Vale remained seated, staring at nothing for a long time. After a while, she picked up her phone. She looked at the screen and dialed a number. But before the call could go through, she ended it.

She took a slow breath and leaned back. Her eyes moved to the television.

The program had already changed.

–

Adrian sat behind the desk in his office, slowly turning a pen between his fingers. His eyes were fixed on the papers in front of him, but Harris knew better.

It really looked like his boss was reading. But if anyone asked him, he would say that only Adrian’s eyes were present in the room. The rest of him had gone on a trip somewhere far away... probably not related to business at all.

Harris let out a small sigh and continued anyway.

"Boss, they also want you to release the land contract with Vurg Enterprises," he said. "Kai Corporation is getting more aggressive. First they expanded into our industry, now this."

He paused, choosing his words carefully. "They are taking advantage of the situation. The fact that things are not... settled on our side."

He did not say it directly, but the meaning was clear. The Vale Group had not taken any clear movement regarding the marriage.

Harris glanced at Adrian in hesitation, then he cleared his throat. "And... about you and Miss Relanie... when are we planning to... you know... make things official? Before Kai Corporation decides to attend the wedding uninvited?"

Adrian only kept looking at the file in front of him with such deep concentration that Harris began to wonder if his boss was reviewing numbers... or replaying last night’s events with his so called fiancee in his head.

When he opened his mouth to call him again, what happened next made his whole body go numb.

A small smile was playing on Adrian’s lips.

Harris entire world view shattered. For a long second, he just stood there staring. His mouth remained slightly open, the words he wanted to say forgotten halfway.

He blinked slowly.

Was this real?

He had not even recovered from the shock when Adrian suddenly spoke. "Send a new piano to the third floor studio at Voice."

Harris froze again. He stared at Adrian like he had just been told to relocate the entire company into a music hall.

A piano? Now? While Kai Corporation was breathing down their necks?

We are discussing business survival... and this man is arranging musical equipment.

He swallowed everything and cleared his throat professionally. "Sir... Miss Relanie doesn’t use the third floor studio anymore. She uses the private one on the fifth floor."

Adrian didn’t even look up before he muttered. "No. Third floor."

Harris went silent. However, he was already screaming internally.

Third floor. That was not Miss Relanie’s studio. That was where Miss Veyne frequents.

He felt his soul leave his body and stand in a corner, watching him suffer. Because... Everything is already looking suspicious enough to give him early retirement from stress.

Of course he wasn’t stupid. He remembered the night Miss Veyne got drunk. Back then he had told himself that it’s fine. It was just one night and it would end there.

After all, It was common for a man to have a little... private stress relief once in a while. Nothing serious. Just a temporary thing to clear the mind.

Now, Harris realized that he was an absolute fool.

Did Boss understand what all these is leading to? Did he understand the meaning of his actions?

Because Harris did. And he was very afraid.

"The current one is out of tune," Adrian added calmly, finally lifting his head to look at him.

That gaze.

The kind of look that made people feel like one wrong word and they would be personally delivered to a pack of waiting wolves.

Harris straightened immediately. "Okay, sir." He replied in a clear voice.

Adrian nodded slightly and returned his attention to the file. "About Kai," he said calmly, "let’s see what they do."