🔹Crystal Russell

I was still admiring the moon when I heard the sound of soft grunts. I snapped my eyes to Adrien and saw him rolling on the couch in discomfort. I turned on the bed lights and looked at him as his eyes were clenched hard as if in pain.

"Adrien, are you okay?" I asked, worried.

"Hm? Y- yea. Just a little headache." He groaned with his eyes shut.

"Shall I give you a pain killer?" I asked.

"No. It's okay. I am just tired. I will be fine." He said but I wasn't convinced. He was visibly in pain and I couldn't sit and do nothing about it.

"You should sleep on the bed." I was already out of the bed and walked near to him.

"Bu-" "I am not asking, Adrien. Take the bed." I did not let him argue. He sighed and stood up to go to bed. His groans did not stop. Instead, his breath turned harder and I couldn't see him like that anymore.

An idea popped in my head, but I hesitated to ask him. What if he wouldn't be comfortable? I thought to myself. But when he groaned indicating extreme pain, I asked anyway.

"Adrien. Do you- I mean, I can give you a massage if you like." I suggested.

He looked at me for a second, then asked. "Are you sure, I mean, you might be tired too. It's late."

"No. I don't mind." I shook my head.

He nodded with a small smile and muttered a 'thanks'. I shifted closer to him and sat next to his head. Bringing my fingers to his forehead, I gently pressed it. I massaged his temples in a circular motion and a relieved moan left his lips. He relaxed under my touch, giving me a hint of satisfaction.

I, however, had started to get a little uncomfortable after a while due to our position. I kept shifting in my place to sit comfortably but my back and wrist would hurt.

As if sensing it, Adrien suddenly lifted himself up with the support of his elbows and laid his head on my lap. I stiffened for a moment but continued massaging him. Our current position helped me stay relaxed too. Adrien's groans and grunts reduced but he was still breathing heavily. Slowly, my fingers made their way to his hair. I have had a strong urge to run my hands through his silky locks. I moved my fingers over his scalp and he leaned further in my touch. After a few more minutes, his breath calmed down. I glanced at him and his eyes were closed without any signs of pain.

I slowly lifted his head in my hands and moved to place it gently on the soft pillow. Turning off the bed lamp, I moved to go back to the couch but my wrist was tugged back.

"Sleep here, please." He whispered with his eyes slightly open. I agreed with a smile and laid down next to him, our bodies closer than usual. While he was soundly asleep, I couldn't keep my eyes off his perfectly sculpted face. The dim moonlight shone on his face and my fingers involuntarily moved to push the strands of his hair away from his face. Still admiring him, I had no idea when I dozed off.

The next day started off with a new excitement when I received a call from Evan. Apparently, he heard from Hannah that I was looking for a job and he seemed to have one which goes great with me, so he asked me to send him my resume and have a meeting with him later.

Adrien and Aunt Margaret were already gone and Lily had gone to the mart to get some groceries. Before I could get ready for the meeting with Evan, someone I did not expect at all decided to give a surprise visit.

Sophie Flores.

"Hi." She smiled at me at the threshold.

"Hi. Come in." I returned the smile and moved aside allowing her to get in. She walked straight to the living room and got herself comfortable on the couch while I followed her.

"Adrien is not home yet." I informed her thinking that she was here to see him. Why else would she be here, anyway?

"Would you like to have something?" I asked a bit formally. Honestly, I wasn't really comfortable around her. Not after the way she kept on giving me sort of bitchy glares at our wedding. Not just that, I somehow feel very self-conscious around her. She reeks of wealth and beauty and I cannot help the inferiority complex she gives me.

But she was Adrien's friend and a guest at our house. I couldn't be rude to her.

"No, thank you. I am actually here to meet you." She smiled awkwardly, fiddling with the hem of her dress.

"Oh." I sat on the couch across from her, not knowing what to say.

"Crystal, first of all, I am sorry." I wasn't expecting an apology. "I behaved very oddly with you at your wedding." She looked down guiltily. I stayed quiet.

"As Adrien's wife, you need to know something." She looked back into my eyes and breathed deeply. "I was in love with Adrien."

I was surprised by her sudden confession.

"And I was so blinded by my love for him that I didn't care about anything else. I even tried to kill myself." I inwardly gasped at the information.

The bandages on her wrist.

"I-I refused to understand the situation and acted on impulse. It was extremely immature of me and I am truly sorry if I made you uncomfortable." Her voice cracked as she spoke. She brushed her blonde hair back and sighed.

"Adrien has been my best friend since we were babies. With time, he became my possession, the love of my life. I hated it when he dated someone else but I could do nothing. I knew my feelings were one-sided. But when he informed me that he is committing himself to someone, I lost my calm." She was being honest with me. I could figure out by her eyes.

Feeling sorry, I scooted closer to her and held her hand. "It's alright, Sophie. I un-understand that you were hurt. It might not have been easy for you to give up on your love." I genuinely felt bad for judging her wrongly. She wasn't bad. She was just heartbroken.

"In fact, I am sorry for barging into Adrien's life and spoiling things for both of you. Believe me if I could, I would get us out of this matrimony but-"

"It's not your fault, Crystal. It's nobody's fault." She smiled, keeping her other hand over mine. "I just wanted to sort things out with you. Make everything clear of misunderstandings."

I grinned at her and she happily pulled me in a hug. "Thank you for forgiving me." I rubbed her back. She abruptly pulled away with doubting eyes. "You don't mind me being friends with Adrien, do you?"

I shook my head. "Of course not. You both have been friends forever and I will never come in between the both of you."

She smiled. "Not just Adrien, I wanted his wife to be my friend too." She said. "You are a great person, Crystal."

I shyly smiled. "I would love to have a friend like you."

And just like that, Sophie and I kept talking for the next half an hour. Although I had started to enjoy her company, she unintentionally kept bragging about her friendship with Adrien. How he shared everything with her. How he never does anything without talking to her. How they were companions of happiness and sorrow as if they were soulmates.

I just- just didn't like it.

I was... envious?

Something's wrong with me. Whatever.

Moving on with the day after Sophie left, I prepared for my meeting with Evan. I was already running late so I was quick to get ready and leave.

.

"Your work seemed pretty impressive, Crystal." Evan said and I proudly smiled. I've had quite an experience and a whole lot of creativity that made me approachable for the job.

"I also happened to talk to the head of the firm you worked for in Brooklyn and he too has appreciated your work. So, I am more than happy to have you work with me." He shut his laptop and grinned at me.

"Thank you, Evan. I am glad you like my work." I smiled at him.

"If you accept my offer, you will be organising all the parties that will be conducted in my clubs in Manhattan. I'll get you a team that may help you. 75% of the profit from every event will be yours. I have mailed you everything in detail. Read it and when you are ready, we will sign the contract." He explained and I nodded.

"I'll have a look and inform you." I told him. We kept aside the work for a while and kept chatting while sipping on our juices.

"By the way, I.. I met your husband today." Evan said, surprising me. His eyes were on the glass.

"Oh. Where?" I asked.

"Um.. I was in a hotel room with... a girl. And the hotel turned out to be his and we ran into each other in the hallway." He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment and I chuckled. "It was an awkward moment." He admitted, making me giggle in response

I was aware of the weird tension between Adrien and Evan. I just hoped that their encounter hadn't been bad if not good.

The sun had already set and the sky turned dark when we decided to go back home. Evan insisted on giving me a ride and I thankfully agreed.

I entered the penthouse and found it empty. I went to the bedroom and like I expected, Adrien was already home. He sat on the couch while scrolling through his phone and when he heard the click of the door, his eyes snapped at me.

"Hey." I greeted him while putting my bag on the bed.

"Hi. How was your interview?" He asked.

"How did you know?" I questioned back.

"Lily informed me. I asked her about you when you were not home." I nodded as he answered. "It went well. I got the job but I am yet to sign up with them." He smiled and nodded.

"You should have asked Martin to pick you up." Adrien said and I declined.

"It wasn't necessary. Evan had dropped me." His eyes suddenly became cold and a small frown etched on his face and I regretted informing him that.

What's with him and Evan?

"Why wa-" Before he could question anymore, I interrupted him and went to the bathroom to freshen up.

As I came out, without giving him a chance to say anything, I asked him if he had eaten his dinner. When he said he didn't I insisted on having it immediately as I was hungry. I asked him about Aunt Margaret too and he said that she would be having her dinner out.

There was silence at the dining table. None of us spoke for a while until Adrien decided to break it. "So, where did you get the job?" He asked, munching on the baby corn.

Damn it!

Telling him that I would be working with Evan didn't seem like a good idea. Considering how he turns cold just by hearing his name. But I couldn't lie to him about it. He would anyhow learn about it later.

Conscious of his reaction, I slowly muttered. "I'll be working with Evan."

His hand froze on the plate and his grip on the fork visibly tightened, making the nerves of his wrist bulge out.

My heartbeat picked up its speed as he looked up at me. His icy yet confused glare asked me to explain further.

"I will work as the head organizer for the events happening at his clubs." My voice was confident and it surprised me too. His eyes darted back to his plate with a clenched jaw. "I still have to read the detailed job description and sign a contract with him before starting the-"

I couldn't finish my sentence and flinched when Adrien banged the table hard with his fist.

"You will not work with that man."

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