"The baby is already kicking. Every night, he waits for me to come home and play with him for a while before he’ll go to sleep obediently. She wouldn’t have the heart to hurt him..."
Seeing Adrian Desmond’s expression, Walter Klein knew he had misspoken. He quickly added, "Yes. Madam will definitely give birth to the Young Master."
"Yes! She will give birth to the child," Adrian echoed, his head lowered.
Owen Hunter had just returned after several years in Orienta. Dan Taylor hosted a gathering, inviting several good friends for drinks, including Adrian, who was naturally in no mood for it. In the end, Owen had to personally drive over and drag him along.
In the car, the scholarly and refined-looking Owen Hunter gazed at the visibly emaciated and haggard Adrian Desmond. "What’s wrong with you?" he demanded. "I just got back, and Edward is throwing a welcome banquet for me. You didn’t even show up? Are you saying I’m not your brother anymore?"
"My woman is gone. How could I be in the mood for your banquet?" Adrian didn’t try to hide his private affairs. Of course, very few people knew that Adrian’s woman had run off while pregnant.
"You, if you want to marry many women, you should be like Edward and find those with big breasts and no brains. If you want one woman who truly loves you, then you have to give up the others. You’re too greedy, and that’s why you’ll end up with nothing."
Owen and Adrian’s relationship was very good, and Adrian knew Owen spoke for his own good, without holding anything back. So, even though Owen’s words were harsh, Adrian didn’t get angry.
"I already regret it, so can you just drop it?"
"Still haven’t found her?" With Adrian’s power and means, it was unreasonable that he couldn’t find one woman.
"I haven’t found her," Adrian said. "It’s as if she’s vanished into thin air. If she weren’t carrying my child, I’d honestly think it was all a dream, that she never even existed."
Owen chuckled softly. "...I never thought a man like you would fall into the trap of love one day, and speak so poetically too."
As the car moved, streetlights flickered into the interior, casting Adrian’s face half in shadow, his expression unreadable.
"I heard you married an Orienta woman?"
"Yes, I did. She’s eight months pregnant. Adrian, I’m going to be a father..." Owen announced proudly.
Eight months pregnant? Adrian’s heart skipped a beat. His son would also be eight months old by now. But where on earth was his son?
"Eight months..." he muttered.
"Yeah, eight months..."
"My son is eight months old too."
Owen’s expression stiffened, realizing his words had struck a nerve with Adrian. "I’m sorry..." he apologized.
Adrian’s spirits sank again. Seeing Adrian looking so exhausted and listless, Owen didn’t know how to comfort him. He patted Adrian’s shoulder reassuringly. "If you keep searching for her , she’ll come back to you eventually."
After that, the two of them fell silent.
One didn’t know what to say; the other didn’t want to say anything. In this heavy atmosphere, they continued to the A&K Club. The rightful source is novel·fiɾe·net
The club they went to was owned by Adrian.
The staff members, seeing the Big Boss arrive, stared at him in astonishment, wondering why he would show up to inspect their work at this hour.
When the bar manager heard Adrian had arrived, he hurriedly dropped what he was doing and rushed over to greet him.
"Sixth Master, you’re here! Are you here to check on the club’s operations? Business has been excellent recently, with many new members joining..."
Adrian had named the club A&K. The name was unconventional, yet distinctive enough.
A&K integrated dining, drinking, and entertainment, with wait staff sourced globally. The club operated on a membership system. Applicants needed to provide proof of assets and be recommended by two members with at least one year’s standing. Members paid annual fees based on their tier, which could be upgraded by accumulating sufficient points.
This was how Adrian had made A&K the top club in Abyanabad.
Adrian waved his hand impatiently. "I’m here with friends today. Call over the prettiest new waitresses." He usually disliked having women serve him when he drank, but Dan Taylor enjoyed it.
The manager personally escorted Adrian to the lavish private room that usually only Adrian himself could use. Dan Taylor and the others were only able to use this extravagant, Louis XVI-palace-style room when Adrian was present.
"Wow, this really is king-level treatment!"
Dan Taylor settled onto a leather sofa just as a group of enchanting waitresses entered. His eyes lit up at the sight.
Adrian watched him, not with mockery, but with a hint of envy. Dan had three wives at home and still had affairs, yet his three wives coexisted peacefully. Adrian hadn’t thought much of it before, but now he considered it quite a skill; after all, he couldn’t even handle two women.
Dan Taylor immediately pulled a tall, slender Bonracan beauty into his arms, making no attempt to hide his lust. Nearby, the more reserved Owen Hunter waved away a Cagalangan woman who approached to serve him.
"You go serve him," Owen Hunter said, gesturing with a finger towards Dan Taylor. The waitress hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly and walked towards Dan.
Dan Taylor had just seized the chance to grope the Bonracan beauty a few times. Looking up, he saw Adrian, Owen, and Jule all without any women by their sides, while he himself was surrounded by five or six. He blinked and asked, "What’s going on here?"
"My wife is fierce," Owen said with a laugh, his face showing no shame, only a look of foolish bliss. "If she found out I was fooling around with other women, she’d probably annihilate me."
Dan Taylor snorted. "You’re men of Abyanabad! How did a trip to Orienta make you so spineless? Men are supposed to have women on each arm. You’re all usually so imposing; how do you all turn into cowards when it comes to women?"
"Edward, you’ll never understand my happiness in this lifetime," Owen said.
"I’m very happy too!"
Owen shook his head, not bothering to argue with Dan Taylor.
Adrian said even less, not speaking unless spoken to, just drinking heavily, as if determined to drink himself into oblivion.
Dan Taylor saw this wasn’t going well. They were here to welcome Owen, not to let Adrian get hammered. "Hey, hey, drink less! Even if you own this club and drink for free, you can’t go on ."
Adrian was drinking as if it were water, downing one glass after another. "My alcohol tolerance is excellent. I’ve never actually been drunk before."
Owen said, "Let Adrian drink. Getting thoroughly drunk might do him some good."
Jule remained silent, his eyes fixed on Adrian, filled with hostility. Dan Taylor felt that tonight’s gathering, meant for pleasure, had turned into an ordeal.