Night Carved Paths Into Silence by Zyrel Ash ` 217
Chapter 217
The car unlocked as she spoke, and she went to pull open the
passenger door.
“Get in and wait for a bit.”
Madeleine held onto the door, confused. “Aren’t you getting in?”
“I’m going to go look, see if I dropped the keys somewhere.”
“Oh. Okay, go ahead.”
Madeleine got in the car, leaning on the open window to wait
for her.
She expected to run into Adrian.
Rebecca didn’t look surprised at all; she just walked toward him
calmly.
Usually, she’d smile whenever she saw Adrian, her eyes full of
admiration.
But now, her face was blank, even a little cold.
Chapter 217
“Professor Shaw.”
Adrian nodded and pulled a car key from his pocket.
“Is this yours?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
She reached for it, but just as she was about to touch the key,
Adrian closed his hand around it.
Rebecca frowned, looking at Adrian in confusion.
Their eyes met, and the indifference Adrian had been faking
started to crack.
He seemed to let out a soft sigh.
“Don’t you have anything you want to say to me?”
“I do.”
Rebecca didn’t shy away. She nodded openly, then held out her
hand. “Give me the key first.”
“No.”
For once, Adrian was acting like a stubborn child.
Chapter 217
“What if you take the key and just walk away?”
His words made Rebecca laugh. She said, a bit helplessly, “This
key isn’t that important.”
It wasn’t important.
But she still came back for it.
Maybe… it wasn’t the key that was important, but the person
who took it.
After a moment of silence, Adrian gave the key back to
Rebecca.
He stood there without moving or speaking, just waiting for
Rebecca to say something to him.
“I’m sorry.”
What he got was an apology.
Adrian was clearly not satisfied with that, and his handsome
brows furrowed.
“All you have to say to me is ‘I’m sorry‘?”
“Is that too simple?
Chapter 217
Then let me apologize more formally. I’m sorry, Professor Shaw.
I shouldn’t have faked my identity to get close to you.”
Rebecca’s tone was calm, and she kept looking into Adrian’s
eyes as she spoke.
The more open she was, the more Adrian felt like a pair of
hands were squeezing his heart.
Rebecca continued speaking.
“I admit, I did it because I wanted to invite you to join the
Whitman group. I saw your interview; you didn’t want to do R&D
for a pharmaceutical company, you just wanted to focus on
your own projects.”
As Rebecca spoke, she pressed her lips together, probably
feeling a bit shameless.
“I could only hold on to a one–in–a–million chance, hoping to get
close to you, persuade you, and get you to join the Whitman
group.”
She shrugged. “I didn’t expect you to find out so quickly. It’s not
all bad, though. To be honest, this whole time has been
agonizing for me.”
Chapter 217
“Agonizing?”
Adrian thought he must have misheard.
He gritted his teeth. “Do you mean lying to me was agonizing, or
that being with me… was agonizing?”
“Is there a difference?”
“Of course there is!”
Adrian was getting a little emotional. He clenched his jaw, and
his eyes trembled almost imperceptibly.
Rebecca had been meeting his gaze, but she couldn’t stand
being looked at like that and glanced away.
“It’s all the same to me.”
Adrian’s voice was low and restrained. “You really think there’s
no difference between the two?”
He took a step forward, closing the distance between them, his
gaze burning into her.
Rebecca instinctively took half a step back, her hand holding the car key tightening slightly.
Chapter 217
“Professor Shaw, we were never supposed to get this involved
with each other.”
She said softly, “You’re a genius in academia, and I’m just a
businesswoman. My intentions for approaching you weren’t
pure from the start, so why are you so hung up on this?”
“Not pure…” Adrian chuckled. “Then tell me, what is pure?”
Rebecca was silent for a moment, then finally looked up at him.
“At least it shouldn’t be lying.”
“But you lied.”
Adrian stared at her, saying slowly, “You lied to me, and now
you think a flippant sorry can just wipe it all away? Rebecca,
what did our time together even mean?”
Rebecca took a deep breath, suppressing the tightness in her
chest.
“Then what do you want?”
Adrian laughed, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.
“What do I want?”
Chapter 217
He repeated the question, stepping closer to Rebecca. “You
don’t even know what I want?”
“If you’re looking for a resolution, I’ve already apologized. If you
still think that’s not enough, I can make a public statement that
won’t affect your reputation at all.”
She tried to back away, but Adrian’s hand shot out and grabbed
her arm.
“What if I want you?”
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella’s storytelling style is immersive and addictive—perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.