Chapter 8 I Am Adrian

Lila Cross was dazed. Hadn't Noah just gone out for a walk and some exercise? Then who was this? She stared at the little boy in front of her, chopsticks in hand, shoveling food into his mouth at lightning speed. "You..." The woman sat down across from him, studying his face. "You're not Noah, are you?" Noah's hand froze mid-bite. He lifted his greasy face. "I am!" Lila folded her arms. "Are you his twin? Older brother? Younger brother?" Her memory couldn't be wrong. And upon closer inspection, this boy's aura was clearly different from Noah's. Seeing he couldn't keep up the act, Noah pouted. "Fine, I'll confess. I'm Noah." "Lucian's my older brother." "And Adrian Quinn's my dad." Lila Cross: "!!!" "You and Lucian... are both sons of Mr. Quinn?" The boy took a savage bite of a large shrimp. "Yeah." Lila was completely thrown. Before marriage, no one had told her Mr. Quinn already had twin sons. And... Mr. Quinn looked like *that*—how could his sons be this handsome and adorable? After a long silence, she glanced at Noah. "Since you and Lucian are twins, why did you pretend to be him?" She finally understood why Lucian seemed to change personalities every time he went upstairs and came back down. Because it wasn't the same person at all. Noah lowered his head and kept eating, refusing to answer. He was scared—after terrifying her so badly that night, how could he face her? Soon, Lucian returned from his walk. "Got caught?" The moment he walked in, he knew what had happened. He sat down, elegantly picked up his chopsticks, and shot a mocking glance at his brother. "Told you you wouldn't last." Noah rolled his eyes, scarfed down the rest of his meal, and bolted upstairs. Lila frowned. "He only ate that much?" "He's usually a big eater." "But now that he's been exposed, he's embarrassed." Lucian explained coolly. "He's still a kid. He's got pride." Lila: "..." Says the boy acting like a grown-up. Lucian ate with flawless grace. "Starting tomorrow, my brother and I will try to call you 'Mommy'." Then he lifted his bright, sparkling eyes to hers. "Congratulations. You've got two incredibly handsome sons." "Buy one, get one free." The boy informed her with solemn maturity. "You're getting a great deal." Lila: "..." Truthfully, marrying Adrian Quinn had been impulsive. Her boyfriend and best friend had betrayed her. The Cross family treated her like a servant, constantly using their "kindness in raising her" to guilt-trip her. That's why she'd chosen to marry into the Quinn family. But... she'd never imagined she'd be mothering a pair of twin boys! After dinner, she decided to have a serious talk with Mr. Quinn. She didn't think she was mature enough to be a stepmom. "Mr. Quinn's a bit tied up today, but I get it—you two are newlyweds, wrapped up in each other." Walter Briggs grinned slyly. "I'll call Mr. Quinn right away and bring him home!" "I didn't—" Lila watched the butler's eager back as he hurried off. Was he misunderstanding something? She sat on the sofa, watching a comedy, waiting for Mr. Quinn. The movie was hilarious, and Lila's mood slowly lifted. Until— She saw the man from that morning walk in through the door. Alarm bells went off in Lila's head. "Why are you here again?" Mr. Quinn would be back soon—what was this man doing here now? And why did he have a key? The man in a sharp suit smoothly unbuttoned his jacket, his voice icy. "Let me ask you—whose house is this? And why are you here?" Lila frowned. "This is Mr. Adrian Quinn's home. I'm his new wife. Of course I'm here." She stared at him. "But who are you?" The man casually hung his coat on the rack, gave her a detached look. "What a shame." "I am Adrian Quinn himself." ... The living room fell dead silent. Lila stared at the man before her—so devastatingly handsome he made her heart race—her eyes wide with confusion. He was Mr. Quinn? Impossible. That night, she had clearly seen Mr. Quinn. He was hideous and terrifying, exactly as the rumors said! As if reading her mind, Adrian Quinn stepped gracefully into the living room. "The man you saw that night was Noah's prank." Lila: "..." That night's figure was Noah? She looked up at the man before her, her eyes filled with shock. That morning, she'd been too flustered to look closely. Now, gazing at his sharply defined, coldly chiseled face, she finally understood—no wonder Lucian and Noah were so good-looking. It was all in the genes. "So..." The woman's voice trembled. "You weren't disfigured in the fire five years ago?" It was widely rumored in Aurevia's high society that five years ago, the third son of the Quinn family had been caught in a fire, leaving him disfigured and twisted in temperament. Lila had even heard rumors he'd driven two fiancées to their deaths. Yet the cold, aloof man before her now made it impossible to connect him with the monster of those rumors. Her awestruck gaze made Adrian Quinn frown slightly. He gave her a cold look. "Noah said you made dinner for me?" Adrian had a business dinner tonight, but the two brats at home had forced him back. Lucian had hacked his computer and canceled the dinner under his name. Noah had called Mr. Alexander Quinn, complaining he wasn't bonding with his new wife. Walter and Mr. Alexander Quinn had bombarded him—his new bride was lovingly preparing dinner, waiting for him. So he'd reluctantly returned. Yet the moment he walked in, this so-called devoted wife didn't even know her husband. "Dinner?" Lila blinked, then jumped up and rushed to the kitchen. "You haven't eaten?" The leftovers had all been taken upstairs by Lucian for Noah. She opened the fridge, saw almost nothing, and turned to him. "How about noodles?" The man raised an eyebrow. "You didn't prepare anything?" His deep, cold voice held a trace of displeasure. Lila bit her lip, knowing he must think her an incompetent wife. She paused, then spoke softly while chopping quickly. "I didn't know when you'd be back. Didn't want you to eat leftovers, so I wanted to make something fresh." Then she turned, smiling at him. "After all, you're different from anyone else to me." When Lila smiled, her bright eyes curved into crescent moons, utterly adorable. Adrian felt something stir in his chest. Maybe this woman really did have a bond with his two boys? When she smiled, she shone like a little sun—just like Noah. Looking at her like this, he couldn't bring himself to say anything harsh. The man turned, sat on the sofa, coldly switched off the TV, and pulled out his phone to work. In the kitchen, Lila exhaled deeply. She'd barely pulled it off. From tomorrow, she'd add "cook for Mr. Quinn" to her phone's reminders! Ten minutes later, a steaming bowl of egg noodles was on the table. "Mr. Quinn, dinner's ready." The words hung in the air for a long moment before the cold, aloof man finally rose and sat at the table. His eating manner was flawlessly elegant. Lila had never seen anyone eat with such aristocratic grace. She stared at Adrian Quinn, lost in thought. "Enjoying the view?" The man's low, calm voice came. "If you like watching, you can watch for a lifetime."