He Called Me Fragile, Then I Ripped the Doorframe Apart Barehanded Chapter 09

He Called Me Fragile, Then I Ripped the Doorframe Apart Barehanded Chapter 09

A month later, Adrian stopped waiting around to intercept me.

The deliveries stopped, and he disappeared completely.

Claire breathed a sigh of relief.

“Ms. Langford, it looks like he finally gave up.”

I murmured in acknowledgment and turned another page of my book.

I did not feel much of anything.

Whether he came or stayed away had nothing to do with me anymore.

As it turned out, Adrian had not given up at all.

He had simply changed tactics.

First, my father came home and announced that Mercer Holdings had voluntarily ceded five

percentage points of its share of the port project’s profits to Langford Group.

“There are no new conditions,” Dad said, scratching his head. “They’re just handing it to us. Why is

Adrian suddenly being so generous?”

I said nothing.

Then my allergist called and told me that an anonymous donor had made a restricted gift through

the hospital foundation to purchase a state-of-the-art allergy testing system for the allergy and

immunology clinic I regularly visited.

“Ms. Langford, do you have any idea who the donor might be?”

“No.”

Finally, Claire came home one day and said that an anonymous benefactor had established a

substantial retirement trust for her mother.

“Ms. Langford, the amount is ridiculous. My mother thought the whole thing was a scam.”

I stared at the ceiling for a long time.

“Claire.”

“Yes?”

“Do you think there’s something wrong with him?”

“What?”

“Never mind.”

Two weeks later, my mother insisted on dragging me to a high-profile charity gala attended by

New York high society.

“Sweetheart, you can’t spend every day hiding at home. Go out, meet some new people, and enjoy

yourself.”

Reluctantly, I put on a dress and went with her.

Only after we arrived did I discover that Adrian was there too.

He stood in the middle of the ballroom in a perfectly tailored suit, surrounded by corporate

heavyweights.

I immediately turned to leave, but Mom caught my arm.

“Sweetheart, don’t be afraid. We’re in public. He won’t try anything.”

I was not afraid.

I was annoyed.

I deliberately avoided him throughout the gala.

Apparently, fate did not find that entertaining enough.

Near the end of the evening, the host stepped onto the stage and made an announcement.

“Please join us in thanking Mercer Holdings and Adrian Mercer for their two-million-dollar gift to the Allergy and Asthma Research Foundation.”

Thunderous applause filled the ballroom.

My hand froze around my glass of juice.

Of course it was the Allergy and Asthma Research Foundation.

He had dropped two million dollars on it without blinking.

I set down my glass, picked up my purse, and headed for the exit.

I had nearly reached the hotel lobby when I heard footsteps behind me.

“Natalie.”

He had followed me out.

I kept walking.

“I didn’t mean anything by it. I’ve been following this foundation’s work for the past two years.”

I stopped and turned to face him.

The lobby’s crystal chandeliers cast enough light to make every detail of his expression visible.

He looked exhausted and anxious, with an urgency that he was barely managing to contain.

He was nothing like the cold, detached man I had known at the Mercer estate.

I held his gaze and asked, “Adrian, what are you doing?”

“You keep sending me things, making donations, giving up part of the profit share, and following me around. What exactly do you want?”

My voice remained soft, but I could feel my emotions rising.

“Do you want me to forgive you? Are you trying to win me over? Do you want me to decide that you’re actually a good man who only had one lapse in judgment?”

“I did-”

“Then have you ever stopped to think about what happened during those five days you dismiss as a momentary lapse in judgment?” I cut him off as I stepped closer.

“I could not even have a bowl of hot soup in your house.”

“Victoria shook pollen into my face until I was sneezing with tears and mucus streaming down it.”

“I was deliberately given alcohol despite my allergy and nearly went into respiratory failure.”

“My parents were insulted right in front of me.”

“And you…”

I lifted my face toward him. My eyes had turned red, but I refused to let the tears fall.

“You stood there and watched.”

“You never said a word.”

Adrian went completely still.

His lips moved, but no words came out.

There was nothing he could say.

Every accusation was true.

“So nothing you do now will make a difference.”

I stepped back, putting distance between us.

“Once you hurt someone, the damage is done. You cannot erase it by offering compensation afterward.”

“Natalie-”

“I don’t hate you.”

I looked at him steadily.

“I truly don’t, but I will never forgive you.”

“I will never forgive you for as long as I live.”

I turned and walked out of the hotel.

The night air was chilly, and I sneezed.

Claire immediately hurried over and draped a coat around my shoulders.

“Ms. Langford, the car is this way!”

I climbed into the car, leaned back against the seat and closed my eyes.

My chest felt tight, as though a stone were pressing down on it.

But the feeling was not sadness.