Novel Square
95
Shadow ventured towards the bus stop and boarded a car that would drivr her back to the Castle.
Upon entering, she carelessly tossed her bag aside and slumped onto the sofa. Exhaustion overcame her, rendering her motionless.
Though she had accomplished nothing throughout the day, she couldn’t fathom why she felt so utterly drained.
Perhaps, she pondered, it was the uneasiness within her that sapped her energy.
She opened her Weibo and discovered two trending topics: “Blackheart Factory” and “Unrefined Video Blackheart Factory.” The comments section overflowed with curses.
Occasionally, a few remarks defended the Eden Group and Jessica, but they were quickly drowned out.
In no time, Shadow stumbled upon a video of Jessica being ambushed at the entrance of the Eden Group.
Within the video, Jessica appeared entirely deranged.
The viral comment beneath the video read, “The more I look at her, the more I’m convinced that this woman resembles a true lunatic. How can she shamelessly scold the reporters and claim this to be a fictional matter after her scandalous video was released?”
“I agree with the leader’s perspective. Thankfully, I’m not her friend. Even if this lunatic tried to murder someone, she wouldn’t receive the death penalty, right?”
“She’s genuinely insane!”
“She may be attractive. How much would it cost to sleep with her?”
Shadow placed her phone down, disinterested in further browsing.
Apart from a few bodyguards stationed outside, the entire villa remained deserted. She was uncertain of Alpha Kilian and “Alpha Dominic’s” whereabouts.
Mulling over the situation, Shadow decided to message “Alpha Dominic” “Are you coming back for dinner?”
If “Alpha Dominic” wasn’t returning for the meal, she would forgo cooking. After all, there were bodyguards handling culinary duties.
Meanwhile, Alpha Kilian had just concluded a grueling three-hour meeting, leeching his energy.
Having just arrived back in his office and seated himself, he received a text message from Shadow.
As he began to respond, Xavier burst through the door, brimming with excitement.
“Alpha Kilian, you must see this!” Xavier thrust his phone into Alpha Kilian’s hands.
Alpha Kilian lowered his gaze to see Xavier’s screen, causing his pupils to shrink. Briefly scanning the content, he coolly remarked, “There seems to be an issue with the Eden Group’s factory. If someone desires to deal with the Edens, they can exploit this situation. However, none of these companies are innocent. Under normal circumstances, no one would resort to such drastic measures against the Eden Group.”
Xavier nodded in agreement. “You’re right. If this matter were to occur, could it be that the Eden family’s former leader is returning to their pack?”
“It’s a possibility.” Alpha Kilian suddenly recalled something, his voice turning frigid.
Unaware of this shift, Xavier inquired, “This revelation occurred suddenly. There wasn’t any prior news about it. Who do you think could be responsible?”
Who indeed?
Alpha Kilian glanced at Xavier, declaring, “I won’t tell you.”
Xavier’s eyes widened. “Just watching the news without divulging any information. Do you really know who’s behind this?”
Alpha Kilian ignored him, choosing to switch on his computer and peruse news articles related to the Eden Group.
After a few minutes, Alpha Kilian ceased his reading.
Only then did he remember Shadow’s message and hastily composed a text in response.
Xavier had witnessed Alpha Kilian texting earlier, but he hadn’t caught sight of its content.
Naturally, Alpha Kilian only sent messages to one person Shadow.
“Are you returning home for dinner? I didn’t drive today, so I can’t go back. I’ll take your car to your house!” Xavier, enthralled by Shadow’s cooking, couldn’t help but consider freeloading at Alpha Kilian’s residence.
Alpha Kilian turned around, his refusal chilly. “We’re not going in the same direction. My car won’t accommodate you.”
“Don’t be so cold and heartless. It’s just a meal at your place. Aren’t we brothers?”
Alpha Kilian persisted in his refusal. “No.”
Nevertheless, Xavier impudently climbed into Alpha Kilian’s car.
…
Shadow stared at her phone screen, examining the message “Alpha Dominic” had sent her.
A single, concise “En” adorned the message.
As a destitute individual, Shadow pondered adding “Alpha Dominic” on WeChat. This way, if she ever needed to reach him, she could do so without incurring charges.
She scrolled through her WeChat contacts, discovering no sign of “Alpha Dominic.”
Did this person not utilize WeChat at all?
Shadow set her phone down and ambled towards the kitchen.
Just as she finished slicing ingredients, the sound of a car engine outside reached her ears.
“Alpha Dominic” must have returned.
“Shadow.”
That voice.
Shadow turned around, beholding Xavier striding in with a smile on his face. He clasped a dainty box in his hand, sporting a logo from a cake shop Hazel frequently frequented.Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.
“Sigh, I didn’t bring my car to the company today and couldn’t go home. I happened to chance upon ‘Alpha Dominic’ on my way and hitched a ride back to spend the night. I apologize for burdening you with another serving of dinner. I brought cake for you.”
Xavier was indeed the CEO of the entertainment company. His words were well-calculated.
However, Shadow still felt unease being referred to as “Shadow” by Xavier.
“Thank you.”
Xavier, affable and attractive, elicited a smile of gratitude from Shadow as she accepted the cake.
Subsequently, she snapped a photo of the cake and sent it to Hazel.
Hazel responded with a huff emoji. “You bought cake without bringing me along!”
“Xavier bought it. I believe he purchased it from a shop you frequent. Could it be possible that you encountered him?”
“He’s wielding a forty-meter-long knife. JPG.”
Shadow refrained from teasing her further. Recalling Hazel’s earlier suggestion to celebrate together, she queried, “Would you like to come and eat?”
“No.” Xavier’s presence would dissuade Hazel from joining.
Throughout the meal, Xavier, still brooding over the Eden Group’s factory incident, broached the topic once more.
Shadow kept her head lowered, focusing on her meal. She remained as silent as a mute.
After conversing for some time, Xavier finally recalled that Shadow was a member of the Eden family.
Directly addressing Shadow, he inquired, “What’s happening with your company, Shadow?”
Shadow?
Alpha Kilian narrowed his gaze, peering up at Xavier. “You should leave once you’re full.”
Perplexed, Xavier wondered when he had once again offended this lord.
Shadow had grown accustomed to Alpha Kilian’s capricious nature. She shook her head, replying, “I’m uncertain. After all, I am merely a handyman at the company.”
As she finished speaking, “Alpha Dominic,” seated across from her, abruptly turned his head and stared at her.
His eyes, dark and enigmatic, bore a trace of understanding.
Why did Shadow sense that “Alpha Dominic” seemed to see through her falsehood?