Chapter 177
“What are you doing here?” Melanie asked the moment she saw Adam standing at her doorstep. She wanted to ask how he knew she was here but did not dare ask or else he would know that she knew about him.
But instead of answering her, Adam stepped into her room and said,”I think I should be the one asking you that question,” Adam replied, stepping further into the room. His eyes fell on the small, half-zipped bag lying open on the bed. “Are you packing or unpacking? Don’t tell me you missed me so much that you flew all the way to Maniwa just for me,” he added with a teasing grin.
Melanie shot him a brief, unreadable look, then turned her attention back to the bag. “I’m packing. I came here for business. And now that it’s done, I’m leaving.”
Adam arched a brow claerly inconvinced and she almost had the urge to shift under his gaze! Dam* it! All of this had been a coincidence then why was she feeling guilty? She looked up when he questioned her. “Hmm. But why the sudden rush to leave?”
“Because my work is done,” she repeated coolly but she still didn’t meet his gaze.
His voice seemed to be coming closer as he said,” Wow. Look at you-answering all my questions like it’s a press conference. Alright then, tell me this- why did you run the moment you saw me?”
Melanie looked up then and widened her eyes when she realized just how close he’d come to her and shook her head,” When did I run away? I am right here.”
“I am talking about this morning.”
Melanie froze for a heartbeat. Then nearly winced. He saw her? At the café? Damn. That was bad. She scrambled mentally. Best to pretend ignorance, to play dumb.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, carefully keeping her voice neutral.
Adam’s smile widened, slow and smug, like a cat who’d just caught a mouse. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and turned the screen toward her. “Really? Because this…” he said, tapping the screen, “…this looks like you. That stricken look? Very familiar.”
Melanie glanced at the image, heart pounding. It was her—just barely visible in the blurred image because it had seemingly been taken in a hurry and without focus. It was the moment she had realized that he was here too and she had not seen his message.
But she kept her expression bored and unimpressed as she shrugged. “Nope. Not me. Look at her clothes. I don’t even own anything like that. You can check my bag if you don’t believe me. Nothing like that in there.”
Melanie glanced at the phone and then shook her head,” Nope. That is not me. Look at her clothes. I don’t have that kind of clothing.. And you can check my bag too. Not there.”
Adam narrowed his eyes at her, then at the bag, where carefully folded neutral-toned clothes peeked out. He seemed to weigh her words, but Melanie didn’t let herself flinch. Internally, though, she was breathing a massive sigh of relief. Thank God for the mishap in the hotel lobby earlier. Otherwise, she’d have been caught red-handed.
But her relief was short-lived.
A sharp knock echoed from the door.
Melanie’s head snapped up. No. No, no, no. She’d opened the door earlier expecting housekeeping with her laundry. It had turned out to be Adam. But now—
Before she could move, Adam casually turned and strode to the door, opening it without hesitation.
There, hanging neatly on a hanger in a see-through plastic cover, were the very clothes she had just denied owning—freshly cleaned and delivered by the hotel staff.
They might as well have been waving a sign that said: She’s lying .
Melanie’s heart sank. Adam didn’t say anything at first, but she felt the shift in the air behind her—felt the slow, dangerous smile forming on his face.
He took the clothes and carefully placed them in her bag and then at her,” So, you have anything more to say?”
Melanie grimaced and could have kicked herself. She should have stuck to her plan and remained truthful and told him everything. Taking a deep breath, she said,” It is all your fault.”
Adam raised an eyebrow. “Do tell, how is this my fault?”
“I wasn’t following you or anything,” Melanie said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Adam raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it—at least not yet.
Melanie drew in a breath and then started again, more deliberately this time. “Okay, here’s the thing. You know how Maniwa is famous for its wood, right? Someone told me there was going to be an exclusive auction happening here—a big one. So, I came in a hurry, thinking it could be a great opportunity for business. I didn’t have time to pack properly, I even had to pick up some clothes and a bag at the airport.”
“But when I got here,” she continued, “I found out it was all just a rumor. Or maybe a prank by the competitors, I don’t know. Either way, the auction didn’t happen. But since I was already here, I went ahead and finalized a deal with one of the local suppliers, wrapped things up quickly, and planned to fly back.”
She looked down, and then at him, “I didn’t even know you were in Maniwa. I mean it. I thought I’d messaged you about it yesterday—just to check in—but when I saw you this morning, I realized the message had never gone through. That’s when I actually checked, and… yeah, realized that you’d sent a message to check in too.”
“So, when I saw you this morning, I didn’t want you to think I was stalking you or trying to keep an eye on you so I just left. I thought of telling you when you returned.”
Adam gave her a look and then raised his hand to gesture her to come closer.