Chapter 239: Chapter 239: We’re Going on a Honeymoon
The sky was like a vast blue gem. A silvery-white airplane, like a sharp blade, cut smoothly through the endless azure canvas as it wove through cottony clouds.
Sunlight streamed through the oval window, casting slanted columns of light into the cabin. Dust motes danced silently in the beams.
Wren Sutton opened her eyes and instinctively turned her head, her gaze landing, as if by habit, on the seat beside her.
Adrian Lancaster was staring intently at the tablet in his hands. On the screen, dense tables of data glowed with a faint, cold-white light in the shadows of the cabin.
His brow was slightly furrowed. Behind his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes were focused, scrutinizing one line of numbers after another. His long, slender fingers would occasionally slide and tap across the screen.
The light sculpted his chiseled profile. From his taut jawline to his focused gaze, every detail radiated meticulous concentration.
His dark gray, custom-tailored suit was perfectly smooth, without a single crease. A simple yet elegant watch peeked out from his cuff—the very picture of a man on a business trip.
As Adrian Lancaster’s secretary, Wren Sutton was all too familiar with him in this state.
She had seen Adrian Lancaster’s calm decisiveness in the conference room, seen the silhouette of his back as he handled documents late into the night in his study, and witnessed his unyielding sharpness at the negotiating table.
And now, even in a cabin tens of thousands of feet in the air, he remained in work mode.
This side of him left her both in awe and hopelessly, deeply attracted.
Sensing Wren Sutton’s gaze, Adrian Lancaster immediately pulled his attention from the data and turned his head toward her.
The sharp gaze behind his lenses softened the instant it landed on her, like the surface of a lake brushed by the first spring breeze as the winter snow begins to melt.
"Awake?" His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a unique magnetic quality. The end of the word tilted up slightly, a questioning lilt completely different from the steady tone he used when giving orders.
Wren Sutton nodded. Just as she was about to say something, Adrian Lancaster suddenly took her hand, interlacing their fingers, their palms pressing firmly together.
The warmth of his palm seeped through her skin, dry and comforting. He gently pressed the pad of his thumb into the soft flesh between her own thumb and forefinger—an incredibly private and intimate little gesture.
Wren Sutton’s heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively tried to pull her hand away.
On this trip abroad to inspect resort projects in Solara, she was the accompanying secretary, primarily responsible for taking meeting minutes and providing logistical support.
Also on the trip was the president’s special assistant, Henry Hayes, who was responsible for coordinating the itinerary and providing support for legal and business negotiations.
The three of them were all seated in first class, with Henry Hayes in the aisle seat of the row directly in front of them.
Right now, she could see the tips of Henry Hayes’s black hair just over the top of the off-white seatback.
She and Adrian Lancaster were secretly married. No one in the entire company, from the board of directors to their colleagues in various departments, knew of any relationship between them beyond that of a superior and a subordinate.
And yet, right now, Adrian Lancaster was holding her hand so openly, without any hesitation.
Wren Sutton’s heart began to race. Her eyes drifted uncontrollably to the row ahead, locking onto the back of Henry Hayes’s head as if she could see right through the seat and picture the shocked or questioning look he would have if he were to turn around.
"President Lancaster, let go," Wren Sutton whispered, her voice barely a breath. Each word was laced with cautious tension and a nearly imperceptible plea.
She tried to pull her hand back, applying slight pressure with her wrist, only to find Adrian Lancaster’s grip was firm. The hold was gentle yet inescapable, possessing his signature, indisputable sense of control.
Adrian Lancaster guessed Wren Sutton’s concern. The corner of his mouth curved into a half-smile. It was a faint expression, tinged with a hint of teasing, but concealing a deep indulgence.
Instead of letting go, he tightened his fingers slightly, gently caressing the back of her hand with his thumb in a soothing gesture.
Then, he leaned over slightly, his other hand rising naturally. He casually tucked a strand of hair that had fallen beside her cheek behind her ear—an incredibly intimate gesture.
"What are you so afraid of?" he murmured, his voice as low as hers, his warm breath brushing against Wren Sutton’s ear. "It’s not like I haven’t held it before."
His tone held a matter-of-fact intimacy, along with a lighthearted tease at her current nervousness.
Hearing this, Wren Sutton shot him a look that was both frantic and annoyed. She raised her other hand, discreetly pointed to the front row, and mouthed his name: "Henry Hayes!!!"
The hint was so obvious, she refused to believe Adrian Lancaster didn’t understand.
Adrian Lancaster chuckled at Wren Sutton’s adorable, genuine reaction. The laughter in his eyes deepened, and his heart melted.
Any desire to keep teasing her evaporated, replaced by a feeling of gentle protectiveness.
He lowered his head and whispered close to her ear, "Henry Hayes knows everything."
Wren Sutton visibly stiffened.
She whipped her head around to face him, her eyes wide with undisguised shock. "He knows we’re married?"
Adrian Lancaster nodded, dispelling her concerns. "He knows."
"How does he know?" Wren Sutton pressed, her curiosity now overpowering her tension.
Adrian Lancaster answered honestly, his voice holding a hint of a smile and a matter-of-fact tone, as if he were stating the most natural thing in the world.
"I told him."
"..."
"Certain aspects of the itinerary, especially those involving your safety and personal preferences, require his full awareness and cooperation."
"..." Wren Sutton stared at Adrian Lancaster, stunned.
’So, it was all for my sake.’
All those meticulous arrangements she had assumed were just for work—the perfectly timed rest breaks, the meals catered to her tastes, the business trips scheduled to avoid her monthly cycle...
’None of it had been a coincidence. It was all the result of Adrian Lancaster’s specific instructions.’
A warmth bloomed in her heart, spreading slowly through her limbs and enveloping her in a sweet, tender glow.
Just then, the seatback in front of them moved.
Henry Hayes turned around. His expression was neither deliberately evasive nor surprised as his calm gaze swept over the two of them.
Adrian Lancaster’s hand was still resting by Wren Sutton’s cheek in an intimate gesture, while she was leaning slightly into his embrace, their proximity far exceeding the normal boundaries between a boss and an employee.
Henry Hayes’s expression didn’t flicker in the slightest, as if the scene before him was perfectly ordinary.
He looked at Adrian Lancaster, his voice steady, clear, and as professional as ever.
"President Lancaster, the plane will be landing in forty minutes. The car has been arranged to take you and..."
He paused, his gaze shifting very naturally to Wren Sutton as he gave a slight nod.
"...Madam to the villa on Santorini Island."
Wren Sutton’s heart gave a violent lurch.
’Santorini?’
’That wasn’t the destination scheduled for their inspection tour.’
’The itinerary clearly listed Cygnus Isle and Serendi. That romantic island on the shores of the Calypsos Sea had never once appeared on it.’
Adrian Lancaster squeezed her hand gently in a silent reassurance.
He nodded at Henry Hayes. "Yes. Proceed with the adjusted itinerary we finalized. As for the inspection team, you know what to say."
"Understood." Henry Hayes adjusted his glasses, his tone perfectly placid.
"I will lead the inspection team to Cygnus Isle as originally planned for the five-day preliminary survey and data collection."
"I will compile all meeting minutes and reports and send them to your encrypted email on schedule."
"The official story for everyone else is that you are feeling unwell and need a few days to rest, and that Secretary Sutton is accompanying you to look after you."
With everything laid out so clearly, even the densest person would have understood by now.
Wren Sutton was completely floored. She turned to look at Adrian Lancaster, her eyes full of confusion.
"What does Assistant Hayes mean?"
Adrian Lancaster gave her a deep look, his gaze tender and doting.
He reached out and caressed Wren Sutton’s cheek, his voice low and clear. "We’re going on our honeymoon."
