Husband By Contract, Lover By Heart

Juliana's breathing stalled. Her heart pounded wildly against her chest as she held her breath.

A single thought crossed her mind—had Adrian returned?

She quickly moved to a nearby table and acted as though she was a hotel housekeeper cleaning the room.

A tall man entered the room with a subordinate following behind him.

The man's presence filled the room with authority. After giving Juliana a measured look, he asked, "Are you here to clean the room?"

Juliana silently drew in a breath. Forcing herself to remain composed, she turned toward him and nodded.

A black dress shirt covered Adrian's broad frame, hinting at the firm muscles beneath it. Every line of his handsome face appeared sharp and defined. There was a natural authority about him that was impossible to ignore.

When his eyes settled on her, they were cold and piercing.

Juliana's hands tightened into fists. On the surface, she appeared calm, but countless thoughts were racing through her mind.

Would he recognize her? What should she do if he did?

To her surprise, Adrian only spared her a brief glance before shifting his attention elsewhere and heading toward the couch.

A small sigh escaped Juliana's lips. At least he hadn't recognized her as the woman from the previous night.

Taking a seat on the couch, Adrian tossed a project proposal toward his subordinate and said coldly, "Do it again. If I see another mistake like this, you're fired."

"Yes, Sir." Sweat broke out across the subordinate's forehead. His hands trembled as he accepted the proposal before quickly leaving the room.

Watching from beside the table, Juliana couldn't help thinking that Adrian's temper was terrible.

At that moment, Adrian spoke again. "Bring me a glass of water."

The subordinate was already gone. That meant he was talking to her.

Juliana walked over to the minibar and poured a glass of water. Suddenly, a thought entered her mind. What if Adrian had already found the pendant she lost? Hope flickered in her eyes.

Holding the glass, she turned around and headed toward him. As soon as she got close enough, she pretended to lose her footing and spilled the entire glass of water onto him.

The front of Adrian's shirt was drenched in an instant. Irritation immediately appeared on his stern face. Just as his anger was about to surface, she hurried toward him and began brushing at his shirt in a panic.

"Sir, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

While pretending to wipe away the water, Juliana quickly searched him for any sign of her pendant. The moment her fingertips brushed against the firm muscles of his abdomen, a powerful hand suddenly locked around her wrist.

Without warning, Adrian pulled her toward him. Juliana wasn't prepared for it. She slammed straight into his chest.

Before she could react, his large hand wrapped around her throat.

A dangerous look flashed across Adrian's eyes. "You snuck into my room," he said in a cold voice. "What exactly are you looking for?"

Juliana tried to break free, but his grip around her neck held her firmly in place. His strength was overwhelming, and she could barely breathe.

Only after her face turned red from lack of air did Adrian finally release her and shove her away.

Juliana staggered backward and crashed onto the floor. A low groan escaped her lips.

As he listened to her struggling to catch her breath, Adrian studied her more carefully. It suddenly struck him that her breathing sounded remarkably similar to the woman's from the previous night.

Back then, the room had been dark. All he remembered was a slender body, skin that felt incredibly smooth, and breathless sounds that lingered in his memory.

Rubbing her sore neck, Juliana slowly pushed herself off the floor. "You've got the wrong idea," she remarked. "I just came here to clean the room."

Just as Adrian was about to say something, another knock sounded at the door.

His assistant, Rylan, stuck his head inside. "Mr. Spencer," he said respectfully, "the person you asked me to bring is here."

Adrian briefly looked at Juliana before signaling for them to come in.

Rylan stepped into the room, and a young woman in a white dress followed behind him.

Standing quietly to one side, Juliana studied the newcomer. She caught the woman's shy looks toward Adrian. She also noticed the marks on the woman's neck that were impossible to miss. Everything about the woman suggested she had recently been intimate with someone.

People often said Adrian had no interest in women. Now, it seemed those stories were completely untrue.

A man with his status and influence would never be short of women wanting to be around him.

For some reason, that realization eased Juliana's worries. If he already had plenty of women in his life, there was no reason for him to dwell on what had happened between them last night.

After the woman entered, the look Adrian directed at Juliana became even colder. Despite all the rumors surrounding him, women constantly tried to use him as a stepping stone. In his eyes, Juliana was no different from the rest.

Turning to Rylan, Adrian instructed, "Throw her out."

Before Rylan even had a chance to react, Juliana had already started moving toward the door. "There's no need for that," she replied. "I know the way out."

Without waiting for another word, she turned around and quickly left the room.

Since the pendant wasn't on Adrian, she needed to figure out where else she might have lost it.

Believing he was a womanizer, Juliana became even more determined to end their marriage as soon as possible.