Chapter 91: Secret Boyfriend.
Adelyn tried to think.
But no matter how many times she retraced her memory, she couldn’t recall when they had exchanged numbers.
And then she realized —
This wasn’t new.
When it came to him, there were always gaps in her memory.
Crucial ones.
Just like now.
"Who is it?" Amelia suddenly asked from beside her when Adelyn remained silent for too long.
Startled, Adelyn turned to her at once.
There was a flicker of wariness in her eyes —like she had almost been caught red-handed.
Amelia’s brows furrowed at her reaction. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Her gaze shifted to her phone before she tilted her chin slightly to ask. "Who is it?"
Adelyn hesitated.
Her lips pressed together as she instinctively took a step back. "Uh ... I think I should step aside to take this call. It’s kind of ... important."
"You —"
Amelia barely had a chance to protest before Adelyn had already slipped away, heading toward a quieter corner.
Once there, she let out a slow breath, calming herself before finally lifting the phone back to her ear.
"Mr. Warren ..."
"Important?" Dylan repeated, his voice carrying a trace of amused interest.
Adelyn froze.
Even without seeing him, she could almost picture the look on his face. And just like that, heat crept up her cheeks.
She had only said that to escape Amelia.
Did he really have to pick on it?
And now that he had —
How was she supposed to take it back?
Thinking quickly, she forced a light tone. "Of course, important. Mr. Warren, don’t ever doubt my sincerity towards you. You’ve become quite an important person to me ... so much so that I can’t even lie about you to others. And that’s why I had to step away so that I don’t end up revealing you."
Another lie.
But what choice did she have?
It was the easiest way out —even if she was certain he would see right through it.
And sure enough —
Before she could dwell on it, his voice came through again.
"Do you want me to treat you the same?"
Adelyn blinked.
For a moment, she couldn’t process it.
Did he actually ... believe it?
"If you want, I can also —"
"N-No need," she cut in immediately.
And the moment the words left her lips — she knew she had said the wrong thing.
The silence that followed only confirmed it.
She bit her lip, pinching the bridge of her nose with mild frustration.
Quickly searching for a way to fix it, she added, "I mean ... you don’t have to treat me that importantly, Mr. Warren. To your list, Little Eira should be at the top. I won’t mind being second to her."
Even as she said it, she felt like she was rambling.
If anything, it should have made him frown
But just then —
She heard him hum.
That small response didn’t register until she heard him say,
"Okay."
If she had been confused before, she was utterly speechless now.
What was wrong with this man?
Wasn’t he supposed to be a sharp and formidably shrewd CEO?
How could he not see through her such easy lies?
"Mr. Warren ... are you alright?" she asked cautiously, stopping herself from outright suggesting he see a doctor.
Dylan hummed lightly. "I’m fine. Are you concerned about me?"
restraining herself from directly asking him to see the doctor.
Dylan hummed through the line. "I am good. Are you concerned for me?"
At this point, Adelyn gave up trying to overthink.
"Yes ... a little," She simply admitted, "You did get drenched last night. But I’m glad it didn’t affect your health."
As she finished her words, silence followed.
He didn’t speak, nor did she know what to say next.
But when, even after a while, the call didn’t seem to be ending —
Adelyn took the initiative.
"Mr. Warren, you called me ... was there something you needed?"
"I assumed your audition would be over by now," he replied. "So, I called to ask how it went."
Only then did Adelyn remember —he had asked the same question at the start.
Realizing, she quickly answered, "Oh, it went well. It wasn’t particularly difficult. But they haven’t made the decision yet."
"I am sure you will get it," he said, his voice carrying a quiet certainty.
Adelyn had never relied on others’ confidence.
And yet —
Hearing from him, she felt an unexpected warmth spread through her chest.
The feeling startled her.
And just as quickly, she pushed it aside.
What are you thinking, Adelyn? He was just saying it casually. She chided herself.
"I hope so too, Mr. Warren," she replied, a little too quickly. Then added, "Um ... if there’s nothing else, should I hang up first? Amelia’s still waiting, and I haven’t told her how it went."
There was a brief pause.
It was like he was reluctant to end it so soon.
However, then —
He said, "Go."
Adelyn almost smiled immediately. Her reaction like that came so naturally that she didn’t even notice it. "Thanks, Mr. Warren. I’ll hang up then. Talk to you soon."
And with that, she ended the call.
Just as she did and turned back, Amelia was standing right behind her. Her arms crossed and eyes narrowed.
"Amelia ..."
"Who was it?" she asked again.
And this time, Adelyn knew she couldn’t avoid it.
"A friend," she replied simply. Then, clearing her throat, added, "He knew I had an audition today, so he called to ask how it went."
Amelia studied her carefully, her gaze still sharp.
But Adelyn remained composed.
After a moment, Amelia finally relaxed.
"The way you ran off earlier," she said, her tone turning casual, "and the expression you had just now —if I didn’t know you better, I would’ve thought you were hiding a secret boyfriend."
Adelyn nearly choked.
A fit of coughing escaped her before she could stop it.
Amelia frowned but quickly handed her a bottle of water.
"Take it easy," she said. "No need to react like that. I’m not saying you actually have one."
Adelyn looked at her, her expression complicated.
But Amelia didn’t notice.
Her attention had already shifted back to something else.
"Wait," she said, turning back to her, "you still haven’t told me —how did your audition actually go?"