It was half past eight after dinner.
Elena Shen received a call from Aurel Shen.
As she stared at the screen flashing insistently with his contact name, the guilty conscience she thought had faded—after lying through her teeth under Aurel's dark gaze and sneaking back to China two days ago—resurfaced all over again.
She clutched her phone and stepped outside.
Under the blooming begonias, she slid to accept the call.
On the other end, Aurel showed surprising patience.
Despite the delay in picking up, he hadn't hung up.
And the moment Elena answered, his voice, low and laced with restrained anger, came through the receiver.
"Elena. What are you doing?"
She lowered her head, gently nudging a pebble to the edge of the begonia bed, and replied honestly, "Celebrating my birthday."
His breath hitched audibly. Before she could say another word, his cold voice came, sharp and accusatory—
"Celebrating your birthday? You turned your status from single to married for your birthday?"
"Elena Shen, what kind of birthday are you having?"
Her eyes widened slightly in shock. His sudden interrogation brought back the guilt she felt sneaking out under his nose two days ago, now multiplied tenfold.
Gripping the phone tightly, her survival instinct kicked in, and she tried to deny it.
"W-what do you mean, single to married?" she mumbled, glancing at the time on her screen, then calculating what time it must be where Aurel was, across the Pacific. "Brother, shouldn't you be—"
"You think just because I'm not in the country, I can't access the Civil Affairs Bureau's records?" Aurel cut her off. His voice trembled with anger, barely held in check.
Elena fell silent.
"You rushed back just to register your marriage?"
Aurel Shen opposed her marriage to Ethan Jiang even more vehemently than he had objected to her past relationship with Adrian Jiang.
"Elena, tell me honestly—based on the few days you've spent with Ethan, do you really know him?"
"He's been abroad for almost a decade. You know nothing about his past. Here in Huaihai, in the Jiang family, he holds an unparalleled amount of power. You signed those papers with barely a second thought. What happens if one day you regret it? Do you think it'll be that easy to leave him?"
Elena's foot froze over a stone.
Through the towering glass windows beyond the begonias, she looked into the brightly lit hall. By chance—or perhaps not—her eyes met Ethan Jiang's, who had just turned his head in her direction.
Their gazes locked.
Her eyes flickered, then she lowered her gaze again, silently resuming her idle kick at the pebble near the flower bed.
Though their marriage was technically an alliance between families, she knew all too well she stood at a disadvantage. This union had come on the heels of the Shen family seeking the Jiang family's support.
In such circumstances, she had no right to bring up divorce.
Unless one day, the Shen Corporation's assets could surpass Jiang's—unless they could offer tangible benefits to Ethan's Tiansheng Group—only then could she talk about ending this marriage.
Aurel thought she was being reckless.
Registering a marriage the very day she became legally eligible.
Elena didn't dare talk back. She kept quiet and listened, letting the reprimands hit her like cold rain. Eventually, when Aurel had exhausted even his own anger, his voice softened slightly.
"I'll be back in a few days. Once the Jinming branch issue is resolved. Elena, we'll talk about the rest when I see you."
By the time the call ended, Elena had kicked such a deep pit into the decorative pebbles around the begonias that it looked like a crater.
She rubbed her ear, stung from the tirade, and gave a subdued response.
Only when the line went dead did she glance at the hole she'd dug, then gave it one last firm kick before turning to go back inside.
Mrs. Lin had been trying to persuade Ethan and Elena to stay the night. When Elena returned, she walked in on Mrs. Lin mid-conversation with Ethan about the matter.
The moment Elena stepped inside, Mrs. Lin turned to her.
"Finished your call? It's getting late, and going back and forth at this hour is a hassle. If you ask me, why don't the two of you stay the night and head home tomorrow?"
At those words, Elena instinctively looked toward Ethan, who was seated across from Mr. Jiang.
He was already looking at her.
Beneath the warm glow of the lights, his expression was gentle, as though waiting for her answer. If she wanted to stay, they'd stay.
To Elena, it didn't really matter where they spent the night.
Adrian hadn't returned all afternoon and likely wouldn't show up tonight either...
That thought hadn't fully settled when the sound of a familiar sports car braking echoed faintly through the courtyard.
Elena's expression shifted, and she immediately withdrew the idea.
Ethan glanced at her and set down his glass.
He spoke first.
"Mom, there's something urgent at the company tomorrow. The Tiansheng headquarters is closer to Yushan Residence. Elena and I won't be staying tonight."
Though disappointed, Mrs. Lin was a reasonable woman. She didn't insist.
It was getting late, and since they intended to leave, she quickly saw them off.
Elena followed Ethan out.
Near the courtyard fountain, they ran straight into Adrian Jiang, who was just returning.
The courtyard glowed beneath the overlapping lights of ground lanterns and pillar fixtures, their golden brilliance banishing every shadow of night.
Only the cool autumn breeze passed softly through.
"So late and not staying at the old house, big brother?" Adrian asked with apparent warmth.
Ethan's voice was cool and distant as always.
"There's work tomorrow morning, It's more convenient to return to Yushan Residence."
The mention of Yushan Residence caused the dark shadows in Adrian's eyes to flicker faintly.
He maintained a slight smile, his gaze shifting without a word to Elena, who stood quietly at Ethan's side, never once sparing him a glance.
"I have something I want to say to Elena," Adrian said slowly, his voice calm. "Do you mind, brother?"