Adrian's gaze shifted slightly. "Mrs Hales, you've seen her?"
Mrs Hales nodded, a trace of regret in her expression. "When I woke up, I saw that young lady changing by the door. She had taken off her mask. Big eyes, a small face… delicate, gentle-looking. Even at my age, I couldn't help but stare."
Big eyes. Small face. Soft, pure features.
For some reason, the moment he heard that description, Riley's face surfaced in his mind.
Adrian lowered his head with a faint, self-mocking smile.
I must be losing it.
Now everything reminded him of her.
Mrs Hales noticed his reaction and looked puzzled. "You haven't seen what she looks like?"
He shook his head. "Only once. She kept her mask on the entire time."
"I see," Mrs Hales said, nodding in understanding.
"I'll head back to Clearbrooke Estate today," Adrian added. "I'll come visit again in a few days."
"It's okay," she said quickly. "You should focus on your own health. I'm fine now. No need to go back and forth just for me."
"I know," he replied quietly, then wheeled himself out.
***
Riley was lounging on the couch, happily eating fruit.
The moment she saw Adrian come out, she jumped up and walked over, taking over his wheelchair without being asked.
She stuffed the stuffed bunny into his arms and pushed him out.
***
Back at Clearbrooke Estate, Adrian went straight into his study to handle company matters.
Riley returned to her room.
She pulled her laptop out from under the bed, then slipped into the closet.
Lollipop in her mouth, she powered it on.
After scheduling another follow-up appointment with Adrian on the medical forum, she paused.
Then she remembered the tech collaboration she had asked TitoDax to take on with Sterling Corp. She hadn't checked on it yet.
Just as she opened the chat to message him, a notification popped up TitoDax had messaged first.
[TitoDax: Boss, help! You're finally online! We can't hold on much longer!]
Riley frowned slightly.
[Naraku: What happened?]
A link came through immediately, followed by a rushed explanation.
[TitoDax: This Sterling Corp project is cursed. Their system gets attacked every single day—each wave worse than the last. We have to constantly reinforce the defenses just to keep things running. It's exhausting!]
The pay was good. But the workload was insane.
They had handled major long-term contracts before. Most companies only needed a solid system once, with occasional maintenance.
But Sterling Corp was different.
The attackers were relentless and skilled.
They had to stay on alert at all times.
Riley lowered her gaze, thoughtful.
Sterling Corp has risen rapidly in recent years, expanding at an alarming pace to become one of the most powerful conglomerates in Lumut.
Of course it attracts enemies.
Getting attacked every day?
Not surprising.
A quiet laugh escapes her.
Adrian really does live in a world where everyone outside his circle is an enemy.
She refocused, her pale fingers moving swiftly across the keyboard.
[Naraku: Don't worry. I'll take a look. I'll adjust your code so you don't have to keep patching it every day. Just monitor it afterward.]
Riley carried herself with her usual effortless confidence.
On the other side of the screen, TitoDax and the others nearly burst into tears of joy.
That arrogance, they loved it.
Nothing boosted morale like it.
[TitoDax: Boss, you are unstoppable!!!]
Riley didn't reply.
She took a look at the program from TitoDax, tucked herself deeper into the closet, and let her fingers fly across the keyboard. Fifteen minutes later, she sent back a new link.
[Naraku: Done. Just monitor it from now on.]
TitoDax replied almost instantly.
[TitoDax: Boss, you're insane! Sterling is offering ten million for this collaboration. Why don't you just come lead us full-time? We'd definitely make it big.]
One short-term project already paid that much.
If they secured a long-term deal, they'd be set for life.
The thought alone had TitoDax and the others buzzing with excitement.
Riley paused, fingers hovering over the keys.
Then she typed.
[Naraku: No. I have to study. See ya.]
[TitoDax: ???]
On the other end, the team stared at their screens like they'd just seen a ghost.
Study?
Our boss…is a student?
What kind of monster are we working for…?
Riley closed the chat, shut her laptop, and was about to get out of the closet when her phone chimed.
She frowned and picked it up.
Someone had tagged her.
It was a post on the Imperial University forum, already pinned to the top:
[Riley the fool, get out of Imperial University!]
The title alone was aggressive enough.
And it directly tagged her.
Riley blinked, confused.
What did I do this time?
She tapped into the post and froze.
It was over a thousand words long, listing her so-called "crimes" in detail.
Bullying the newly crowned campus beauty Felicia into carrying her bag.
Throwing a chair in class and injuring a student.
Cheating on exams to get a perfect score, then "fleeing in fear".
Using connections to get into Imperial University.
Getting into a car with a rich older man after school, suspected of being kept.
Forcing people to spend money to vote for her.
Bullying Victor Watts.
Each accusation came with "evidence" of photos, clips and screenshots.
Everything looked airtight.
Convincing.
Even Riley herself had to admit—
If I didn't know better, I'd think I was trash too.
The post was written cleverly.
It framed itself as fair and objective, presenting "facts".
But between the lines, it twisted the narrative, steering public opinion.
Within ten minutes, it had already reached 2,000 shares, over 10,000 comments, and 50,000 likes.
The speed was unprecedented on the campus forum.
And the comment section was a mess.
Pure hostility.
[BlossomWorld: I'm from Class One. I can confirm Riley threw a chair and smashed a girl's head open.]
[TofuBelle: Oh my god, how does someone like this even exist at our university? Who is Riley? Get out of Imperial University!]
[CampusQueen: Isn't she supposed to be rich? Then why is she getting into some greasy nouveau riche guy's car? Disgusting. Can she learn from Goddess Feiyu and rely on her own effort?]
[TurnBackNow: Sitting here eating popcorn. @Riley, come explain yourself.]
[Sinai: Explain what? Are you stupid or her PR team? Isn't this enough evidence? She's probably hiding right now. Besides, she's a fool—what kind of response are you expecting? This alone is enough to get her expelled. Cheating is already unforgivable. What's there to defend?]
[AlluringBeauty: Agreed. If you support kicking Riley out of IU, like this comment and push it to the top!]