Chapter 158: Come Pick Me Up

Chapter 158: Chapter 158: Come Pick Me Up

In the end, Adrian Grant relaxed in her office with his eyes closed for half an hour before heading back.

Before she left work, Adrian Grant sent her a message.

Adrian Grant: "Come pick me up."

Caroline Whitman stared at the message, silent for a moment.

She typed back, "President Grant, it’s always the boyfriend who picks up the girlfriend. How come it’s the other way around with you?"

Adrian Grant: "Well, in that case, come down. I’m downstairs."

Caroline Whitman: "..."

She went downstairs, skeptical, and sure enough, she saw Adrian Grant’s car parked at the entrance.

After getting in the car, she asked, "What’s the occasion? You actually had time to pick me up today?"

Adrian Grant smiled. "If you don’t find it annoying, I can pick you up after work every day from now on."

He was more than willing; he was just afraid Caroline Whitman would think he was too clingy.

Over the last few days, he had been quietly revealing his true self, bit by bit. Thankfully, he hadn’t seen any signs of annoyance from her.

Caroline Whitman mentally calculated the distance between their two offices and pursed her lips. "Forget it. In the time it would take you to get here from your company, I’d already be home."

"And don’t even talk about leaving work early to pick me up. I think we need a little space. We don’t have to be attached at the hip all the time."

Caroline Whitman remembered Ryan Grant saying Adrian could be clingy. The signs seemed to be cropping up over the past two days, so she decided to give him a little preemptive warning.

Adrian Grant neither agreed nor refused. He simply didn’t respond to her comment about needing space.

He just asked, "Are you free tonight?"

Caroline Whitman: "What is it?"

Adrian Grant: "There’s a cocktail party tonight, and I need a date. I was hoping you would come with me."

It was the first time he had asked her for something like this.

"What kind of cocktail party?" Caroline Whitman asked instead of immediately agreeing.

"Just a regular business function," Adrian Grant said casually.

Caroline Whitman raised an eyebrow. "Do regular business functions require a date?"

Her appearing as his date carried a different implication entirely.

It would be tantamount to publicly announcing their relationship.

Adrian Grant took off his glasses, leaned over, and rested his head in the crook of Caroline Whitman’s neck. His voice was low and somewhat muffled.

"I don’t know about other people, but I need one."

’Is he trying to be cute?’

Caroline Whitman blinked, a novel feeling spreading through her.

She raised a hand to his soft hair, the fine strands tickling her palm.

Her gaze fell to her own fingertips, which were resting on his head. Looking at the ring he had placed on her finger, Caroline Whitman responded softly, "Oh."

"So, you agree?" his voice murmured by her ear.

"Just this once," Caroline Whitman said, pursing her lips.

...

She just hadn’t expected to see so many familiar faces at the party.

Caroline Whitman saw Chase Ford and Vincent Fuller’s group, which included Luna Lynn and Wanda Sutton. Even Ethan Xavier, whom she had just seen that morning, was here.

’Well, what do you know,’ she thought. ’The whole main cast is here.’

Her gaze shifted, and she saw Zane Carson was here, too.

Caroline Whitman lowered her voice to complain to Adrian Grant, "Why is it always these people? Your social circles really are one and the same."

Adrian Grant’s expression remained unchanged as he turned his head slightly to respond, "Kingsport is only so big, and there are only so many circles. It’s perfectly normal to run into them."

After a pause, he added, "I didn’t expect all of them to be here today, either."

’Yeah, right.’

The corner of Caroline Whitman’s mouth twitched.

’Do you really think I believe you?’

As they entered, many eyes had already turned in their direction.

Adrian Grant was always the center of attention in their circle. With a date by his side, he was naturally drawing even more looks.

Besides, this date was none other than Caroline Whitman, the future head of the Whitman Group.

The two of them standing together—their combined presence alone was enough to make people start whispering.

Not to mention the fact that they were arm in arm.

Vincent Fuller was the first to look over. His gaze paused on their linked arms for a second before shifting to Adrian Grant’s hand, his eyebrow arching slightly.

Luna Lynn noticed as well. The hand holding her wine glass faltered, and her eyes, when they fell on Caroline Whitman, held a hint of surprise.

Following Vincent Fuller’s gaze, Chase Ford and Wanda Sutton also turned partway and saw the pair who had just arrived.

As for Wanda Sutton, she wasn’t all that surprised.

She had already heard plenty of unconfirmed gossip from Molly Lawson, but she’d assumed Molly was just spouting nonsense out of jealousy for Caroline Whitman.

Turns out, it was all true.

’So, does that mean Caroline Whitman and Adrian Grant really have a child together?’

Wanda Sutton quickly dismissed the thought.

The child rumor was too absurd. A quick background check on either Adrian Grant or Caroline Whitman would show it was impossible.

If any man, woman, and child seen together were called a family, then the whole world would be one big happy family.

The last time rumors about Adrian Grant’s love child were leaked, they hadn’t done any damage to the Grant Group whatsoever.

Ethan Xavier was the last of the group to react.

He had just finished exchanging pleasantries and turned to see the two of them standing side by side.

One of them was Caroline Whitman.

The woman who had rejected him just that morning.

His gaze immediately shifted to Adrian Grant beside her. For a split second, Ethan Xavier’s expression froze in a subtle, telling way.

"President Grant, bringing President Whitman along tonight. This is...?" Vincent Fuller was the first to speak, his tone laced with a perfectly measured dose of curiosity.

"My girlfriend."

Two simple words, delivered without embellishment and with utter confidence.

’Girlfriend, huh.’

Someone nearby overheard and immediately sidled over. "Well, well, President Grant. Is this the official announcement?"

As he said this, some people subconsciously glanced over at Luna Lynn.

Rumor had it that not too long ago, Adrian Grant and Luna Lynn were an item. But now, looking at them, they didn’t seem to know each other at all.

Then again, back when the story was trending, Luna Lynn was a starlet. It wasn’t out of the question for her to latch onto the Grant Group for exposure and publicity.

But as a result, on the very day the rumors trended, Luna Lynn was forced out of the entertainment industry. It was hard not to wonder if the Grant Group had a hand in that.

The minds of the uninformed instantly filled with all sorts of baseless gossip.

As Adrian Grant made his introduction, Caroline Whitman smiled cooperatively. At just the right moment, she raised a hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and the pink ring on her finger flashed under the lights.

Wanda Sutton secretly rolled her eyes.

’She’s really putting on a show.’

She glanced down at the plain white diamond on her own hand. No wonder Molly Lawson couldn’t stand Caroline Whitman. Now, it seemed...

...she was starting to feel a little annoyed herself.

Wanda Sutton turned to look at Chase Ford, whose eyes were glued to Caroline Whitman, and snapped,

"Is she that interesting to look at?"

Chase Ford pulled his gaze away and said coolly, "At least she seems gentler than you."

Wanda Sutton gritted her teeth. "Say that again!"

Chase Ford looked at her with an indifferent expression and obediently repeated himself. "At least she seems gentler than you."

He paused, and seeing that Wanda Sutton was about to erupt, he added with a cold look, "If you want everyone here to look down on the Sutton Family, by all means, make a scene."

Wanda Sutton’s anger deflated instantly. But thinking about how Chase Ford had just compared her to Caroline, she snorted coldly.

"You’ve got some nerve, Chase Ford! Do you really think you’re any better than Vincent Fuller or Adrian Grant?"

Chase Ford, however, didn’t get angry. "So what if I can’t compare? You’re still stuck with a piece of trash like me, aren’t you?"