Chapter 457

Hailey’s heart skipped a beat. Crap! She had let it slip. She was too angry and heartbroken for Celine and the baby. In the heat of the moment, she blurted everything out without thinking. She quickly tried to cover it up. “Huh? Adam, you misheard. I never said anything about a child.”

Adam tightened his grip on the phone. “You did. You said I abandoned Celine and the child. Hailey, are you hiding something from me?”

Hailey felt a bit diffident. Luckily, Adam wasn’t standing in front of her; otherwise, she knew she would give herself away instantly. Lying had never been her strong suit. “Adam, I already told you, you misheard. I never said anything about a child. What, are you suddenly interested in having kids now?”

That question caught Adam off guard. He fell silent.

“See? You don’t even like kids, so why are you asking? Anyway, I have things to do. Gotta go.”

She hung up before he could say another word. As he listened to the disconnected tone, he frowned. He was certain he hadn’t misheard. Could Celine be pregnant? Suddenly, Adam recalled that Celine had asked him if he liked children back then. He lowered his gaze, glancing at the steel watch on his wrist. It was already this late, and Perry was staying over at her place. What were the two of them doing right now?

Without a second thought, Adam turned around, left his apartment, and once again stood in front of Celine’s door. He reached out and rang the doorbell again.

Moments later, the door opened. This time, it wasn’t Celine. It was Perry. Perry stood in the doorway, his handsome features calm and composed. He didn’t seem surprised to see Adam. “Oh, Mr. Alvarez, why are you here again? Are you looking for Celine?”

Pursing his lips, Adam asked, “Where is she?”

Perry replied, “Oh, she’s in the shower.”

Adam clenched his fists at his side. “It’s already late. Why haven’t you gone home, Mr. Marshall?”

Perry found his response ridiculous. “It is late, but why are you here looking for Celine? I’m her boyfriend now, so I have every reason to be here. You, showing up like this, seems a little inappropriate, don’t you think?”

Adam smirked as he said, “Celine may be your girlfriend now, but she’s still my ex-wife. Why wouldn’t I come see her?”

Perry responded, “Well, if Celine and I were doing something…intimate, you would be interrupting us.”

Adam countered, “She’s my ex-wife. There’s nothing intimate between us that we haven’t already done.”

Their words were sharp, each exchange a calculated strike. Neither yielded, trading blows in a battle of wits. For now, they were at a stalemate.

Perry said, “Mr. Alvarez, like you said, she’s your ex-wife. It’s over between you two.”

Adam replied, “Whether Celine and I are over is between us. Why do you keep meddling in other people’s business?”

Before Perry could reply, a clear, melodic voice interrupted them. “Who is it?”

It was Celine. Adam looked up and saw Celine, fresh from her shower. She had changed into a loose, champagne-colored nightgown. The warmth from the bathroom had left her fair cheeks flushed, adding a youthful glow to her features.

Celine paused at the sight of Adam standing at her door. “Mr. Alvarez, why are you here again?”

Perry said, “Yeah, Celine, I was wondering the same thing. I had no idea why Mr. Alvarez is back.”

Celine said, “Mr. Alvarez, if you have something to say, just say it.”

Instead of answering, Adam strode forward, completely ignoring Perry. In one swift motion, he grabbed Celine’s slender wrist. “Come with me,” he ordered.

Chapter 458