Chapter 7

Meredith didn't pick up When Adonis called the first time. He called again, and she still didn't answer. He kept calling, again and again. Finally, on his ninth attempt, the call connected. The moment Adonis heard the steady breathing on the other end, he was suddenly reminded of high school. Back then, when he was falsely accused of plagiarism and had no one to turn to, he had called her over and over, just like this. At that time, she had only said one thing. "Don't be afraid. I'll back you up no matter what." But now, his voice trembled as he asked, "Did you give him that draft of my painting?" Meredith didn't hesitate for a moment and admitted to it calmly. "Yes, I did." Long, uneven breaths came through the phone. Adonis' voice shook audibly as he asked, "Why did you do that?" Meredith fell silent for a few seconds before she answered, "No one should ever see that painting, let alone should it bear your name. Don't you understand?" It turned out that Meredith was afraid that the public would take notice of his feelings. She was worried that he still harbored improper feelings for her. Adonis' lips twisted into a wan smile as he shut his bloodshot eyes. "But I wasn't the one who plagiarized—it was Nicholas! By giving him my draft, you've permanently smeared my reputation. My entire career is ruined!" "Nic made a mistake. He didn't do it on purpose. What's the big deal if you take the blame for him this once? From the start, I only wanted you to learn painting as a hobby to distract yourself. "There's no need to take it so seriously. Besides, I'll take care of you for the rest of your life. You won't have to worry about your livelihood." With that, she ended the call. Adonis remained frozen in place, still holding the phone to his ear. His gaze locked onto the mirror in front of him. He stared at the reflection of his own face. His eyes were swollen from crying, and he looked haggard and worn—he suddenly felt like he barely recognized himself. Was this really him? Meanwhile, he felt that he no longer knew Meredith. Was she still the same sister-in-law who would take his side when he was forsaken by the rest of the world? To be honest, Adonis couldn't see it anymore. After the failed exhibition, Adonis became more determined to make enough money to repay Meredith for all she'd spent on him throughout the years. A few friends introduced him to some part-time jobs that paid well. So, Adonis worked as a caddy at a golf course and served at some high-end clubs. He took every job he could find to gather money as fast as possible. He would leave the villa early and come home late. A week before he was set to leave the country, Adonis finally scraped together the remaining ten thousand dollars. He put on his server uniform and pushed open the door to a private room, ready to work his final shift. Coincidentally, he ran into some familiar faces on his last day of part-time work. A group of men and women were gathered—they were in the middle of some game. Right in the first round, Meredith lost. The game's host read out her punishment aloud. "You have to kiss the person you like for three minutes straight!" The room erupted into cheers as everyone turned to look at Nicholas, whose face had turned bright red. But Meredith stood up abruptly, walked past the crowd, and left the room. Step by step, she walked until she stood right before Adonis. Everyone in the room fell silent, stunned at this turn of events. Just when everyone was bewildered and trying hard to figure out what was going on, Meredith took out her phone and handed it to Adonis. "Hold this and record everything," she said. An apprehensive feeling washed over Adonis. His heart skipped a beat at what was about to come. But at that moment, he realized that he didn't seem to feel the pain he used to. Maybe it was because he had truly decided to let go. So, nothing could hurt him anymore. He took the phone with a calm expression and found the camera app. With steady hands, he pressed the record button. Meredith's phone had a high-resolution camera. Despite the dim lighting, Adonis could still clearly see everything on the screen. Meredith turned and walked back to her seat. She snuggled into Nicholas' arms and reached up to kiss him. The timestamp on the screen showed the seconds ticking by. Soon, three minutes passed—not a second more, not a second less. However, the video didn't end there. After the kiss, Nicholas suddenly dropped to one knee and pulled out a diamond ring from his pocket. His voice was filled with tenderness as he asked, "Meredith, will you marry me?" He was proposing to Meredith! Adonis couldn't quite make out what she said in response. The people in the room quickly swarmed around them, blocking the camera's view. Cheers and excited shouts erupted from every direction and filled his ears. With that, Adonis lowered the phone and tapped on the video button to stop recording. Just then, the manager came over and told him another batch of guests had arrived next door and needed his assistance. Adonis handed the phone to a colleague standing nearby and turned to leave the private room. He didn't linger for even a moment.