Elena walked back into the room carrying two cups of coffee, her heart pounding. She couldn't stop worrying about what her grandfather and Adrian might have talked about while she was gone. I hope he didn't ruin everything, she thought nervously. If he did, he can forget about me helping him find Damien Voss. I'd rather live with an invisible husband forever—men are nothing but trouble anyway.
When she entered, both men were sitting quietly. Her stomach twisted, fearing the worst.
"You're back?" Albert said, breaking the silence. "Hurry up, don't keep my grandson-in-law waiting for his coffee."
Relief flooded through her. Forcing a smile, she walked over to Adrian and handed him one of the mugs. "Here you go, darling," she said sweetly.
Adrian accepted it without comment, ignoring the way she called him that. The first sip made his brow crease slightly; he wasn't used to instant coffee but he drank it anyway.
Elena sat at the edge of the bed and asked, "Grandpa, what were you two talking about?"
"That's a secret between men," Albert said with a playful grin.
"I want to know," she pressed.
Albert chuckled. "I just told your husband that you can be quite the handful and that he should be ready to handle you."
"Do you really think I'm trouble, Grandpa?" she asked, pretending to be offended.
"Aren't you?" he teased.
She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Maybe a little."
Albert laughed and lightly pinched her nose. "Good that you admit it. Don't give your husband too much stress. Try to be a good wife."
"I will," she said with a small smile.
After chatting with him for a while, Elena and Adrian left the room together. In the hallway, she spotted a nurse and said, "Give me a minute."
Adrian nodded and waited nearby, scrolling through emails on his phone.
Elena walked up to the nurse to ask about her grandfather's condition. When she was told he was doing well, she nodded in relief and turned back to join Adrian.
"Damien?" she called.
"Hmm?" he responded, turning to look at her.
Elena was surprised at how naturally he responded to being called by another name, despite being busy. Was he still immersed in the role he was playing, or had he become so accustomed to being called Damien as if it was truly his own name.
Seeing her not responding, he asked, "Shall we leave?"
Snapping back to reality, she approached him. "You seem to have gotten used to being called Damien in just an hour."
"I'm perfect in any task I accept," he replied confidently, and the two headed to the elevator.
Once they reached the parking lot, Adrian instructed, "Noah will accompany you to the police station."
Elena nodded but added, "Before that, I have another condition."
Adrian gave her an impatient look. "What is it?"
"You must have investigated everything about me by now," she commented.
"I did," he confirmed.
"But you failed to investigate my life in Xyros City," she noted.
He hummed in acknowledgment. "But soon I will get it done."
"No. I don't want you to do that," she said, her tone and expression serious. "That's another condition. You are not to investigate anything about me anymore. Once we find Damien Voss, we'll have nothing to do with each other, so let's keep our lives and personal information separate. A person like you must have many things you don't wish to reveal either."
"Now you can go to the police station," Adrian said, then turned to Noah. "Go with her."
"No need. I can go on my own," Elena stated firmly. "And thank you for helping today. I'll make sure to repay you."
"Helping me find your husband will be enough," he replied before turning towards his car, where Noah was already in the driver's seat.
Meanwhile, two figures had spotted Elena and the tall man with her.
"Mother, who is that man Elena is talking to?" Selena asked, trying to get a better look, though they were still at a distance.
"Must be a random man. What nobleman would even breathe the same air here? Look at his clothes—they're so simple," Clara remarked dismissively. "Even the car is ordinary."
"You're right, Mother. Let me take a picture so I can show it to Reed later to show him what kind of men his ex-fiancee is hanging out with." Selena clicked a picture but noticed the man's face wasn't clearly captured. "His face isn't clear."
"Must be an ugly man anyway," Clara interrupted. They watched as the man drove off in his car, and Elena left in hers.
Just then, a car parked nearby, and Sephina Cross stepped out. "What are you two doing here?" she asked, her tone sharp.
"Mother, we just saw Elena with a man," Clara informed her. "We were just wondering if she's doing something inappropriate again to damage our reputation."
"A man?" Sephina exclaimed, her interest piqued. "Where is he?"
"Mother, they've just left," Clara informed her, surprised by the sudden shift in her mother-in-law's demeanor.
"Left?" Sephina asked, her voice laced with anger.
"Yes, Mother. But why do you seem so..."
"That man must be Elena's husband," Sephina said, her eyes narrowing. "I just found out she was bringing her husband to meet Albert, so I hurried here."
"So all that talk about not knowing who her husband is was a lie?" Clara asked, incredulous.
"Why are you surprised? Who gets married without knowing the other person?" Sephina scoffed. "Did you two see him?"
"Not clearly, but Selena managed to get his photograph."
Clara turned to her daughter, who was clearly busy cooking a new plan to trouble Elena. 'So her husband is just a random hillbilly,' Selena thought. 'That means he can't protect her, and I can do whatever I want with her.' A wicked smirk curled on her lips. 'Just in time.'
"Selena, show your grandma that picture you took," Clara prompted.
Selena snapped out of her thoughts and quickly showed the picture on her phone. It only captured Adrian's back as he was sitting inside the car. "I couldn't get his face, but Grandma, from his clothes and that low-brand car, you can tell he's just an ordinary man—no match for our family's status."
Sephina gripped her cane tightly in anger. "She dared marry a poor man and act like she's some kind of queen. Soon, I'll have her on her knees and teach her a lesson she'll never forget."
They walked towards the elevator, while Selena did something on her mobile, 'Elena, this is for humiliating me in front of everyone at last night's party. You are the one to force me to do it.'