?ALL THE WRONG REASONS?
? EPISODE TWENTY-ONE?
“You seemed glowing, Adrienne. Something you’re not
telling us?” Cynthia, one of her officemates asked her when
she and the girls were chatting at the corridor.
Adrienne shook her head. “No. Not really. I just feel better
than any other day in my life, that’s all.”
At the same moment, Justin appeared on the corridor.
She looked at him. He st©pped by her side. She didn’t
say anything, quite uncertain how she should behave with
him in front of her other female colleagues. The same ones
who drooled over him.
She was surprised when he put his arms around her
w@!st.
“Pick you up after work?” he asked.
She smiled shyly and nodded. Then he bent down and
gave her a quic-k k!sson thel-ips. Then he looked at the
other girls and said, “Have a nice day, ladies.”
When he was gone, all the girls in front of her were
open-mouthed and wi-de-eyed, except for Jill.
“What the hell…” Cynthia started.
“Okay, so you’re the mystery girl?” Anna, the
receptionist asked.
“Mystery girl?” Adrienne echoed.
“Well, when Ivan, Garry’s new as-sistant, asked Justin
to go clubbing with him where he’d introduce him to some
girls, he told him he can’t because he has a girlfriend.”
Girlfriend.
That word made her heart skip a beat. She’s Justin
Adams’s girlfriend when he was known to dodge
commitments any chance he got. And now…he’s hers.
Somehow, she still couldn’t believe that all this was
happening to her.
“That’s why you are in full bloom! You’re shagging a
god!”
“Cynthia!” Adrienne knew she was red as an apple.
“This is very interesting,” Anna said. “I never thought
that guy could settle down.”
“We’re seeing each other. We’re not getting married,”
Adrienne stated.
“So, the IENNE on his car plate is actually short for
Adrienne?” Cynthia asked with a shocked expression on her
face.
“Yes!” Jill replied. “Trust me girls. They only have eyes
for each other. You should see them together. It’s like you
are a painting on the wall. They just look at you, but you are
inanimate and you don’t really exist.” Jill smiled.
“And you didn’t tell us about this, Jill. I can’t believe
you!”
“I didn’t know until last week, to be honest,” Jill
responded. “Apparently, they’ve been seeing each other for
more than four months now.” Adrienne glared at her.
“What kind of gossip columnist are you?” Anna asked
Jill.
“It made me feel bad about my abilities. Both as a
gossip columnist and as her best friend.”
“Come on, Jill. You alre-ady forgave me for it. You
alre-ady know about it now.” Adrienne giggled.
“Yes. Along with the rest of the world. You never let
me savor the moment for myself.”
Adrienne put an arm around Jill. “Don’t forget, I am
treating you and Yuan big time for this,” she whispered.
“Oh right. I have a right to shut up after all.” Jill
smiled.
They talked about going to Boston. Adrienne wanted a
break and try to see her father on a weekend. Yuan and Jill
would go with her—on Adrienne’s treat.
“This is big!” Cynthia said. “There will be at least two
guys in this office who will be heartbroken with this
information. How could they compete against Justin Adams?
And it’s not just a flir-ting kind of thing, it seems. It looks
serious.”
“Come on, ladies. We’re just taking one day at a
time,” Adrienne said and then she went back to her office.
She got an email from Jill after a few minutes.
To: [email protected]
Fr: [email protected]
Subject: You!
You have to wake up alre-ady! You’re not dreaming this
thing you have with Justin. It’s real! And you deserve it.
All of us can see that both of you are head over heels
for each other!!!
Even Mike thought so. He actually told me that Justin
suddenly st©pped being interested in women months ago.
They could only conclude two things. Either he’s turned g@y
or he’s got it bad for one girl. And that girl turned out to be
you! You’re so lucky, dear!
And to k!ssyou in front of a crowd like that?
Wow! Knowing that Justin Adams had been sli-ppery
and evasive with women…and now he’s suddenly mushy
and ro-mantic.
Mike says you are all he talks about! And that plate in
his car is like advertising to the whole city that he’s not
single anymore.
He’s in love with you! He hasn’t said it straight out.
But I bet you, you should be prepared to be Mrs. Justin
Adams in the future!
Jill
Adrienne smiled and replied:
To: [email protected]”
Fr: [email protected]
Subject: Re: You!
Jill,
Thanks!
I AM head over heels with him and I know he’s crazy
about me. I don’t know if he wants to marry me, but I don’t
care about that yet.
What’s important is that we are with each other and
I’m happy. I’m not thinking about how this will end. Because
that’s how we started anyway. Not thinking how it will end
and how long it will last.
I am just happy and thankful for him. And yes, I do
feel lucky! I feel blessed every minute I am with him.
Happy?
Yen
Justin’s Porsche was parked in front of her building
when she went out of the office.
She gave him a k!sson thel-ips when she went in.
“How’s work?” he asked.
“Great. How about you?”
He shrugged. “Met with some of Dad’s accountants.
Made some money on stocks. I’m thinking of just keeping
the blue ch!ps now. I don’t want to do risky pla-ying
anymore. I won’t be able to focus on it when I start with
Dad’s companies.”
She nodded. “I think that’s a very sound choice.”
He smiled. “My priorities have changed. I’m done
goofing around.”
“You don’t look like you’re goofing around, hon. You
actually made so much for yourself, just goofing around.”
He chuckled. “Actually, thanks to you.”
“Me?”
He nodded. “Remember we were talking at the
balcony that night we got back together?”
She nodded.
“You told me that Jeffrey was looking over me. That he
made sure I had a blessed life. I figured, I wouldn’t want to
let him down. I thought that if he were me, he wouldn’t want
to waste our legacy. He would feel duty-bound and honor-
bound to help Dad run the business. And since I was the one
who lived, I am the one who will carry that out…for both of
us.”
Tears threatened to pool in Adrienne’s eyes.
“That’s why, I thank you, hon. For ma-king me realize
how lucky I am. And that in return, I shouldn’t be avoiding
my obligations to my family. I owe it to my father for giving
me the life I have now. I owe it to Jeffrey. I’m living both our
lives. And I want to make it worth it. I want to make him
proud.”
She squee-zed his hand. “I’m happy for you, Justin.”
“I am happy, too. And I’m lucky to have you, honey.”
“Really? As far as I know, you were doing just fine
before we met”
He shook his head. “I thought I was fine. But when I
met you, I realized that some people have to work to be
appreciated. I never did. I never felt that my family’s trust in
me wavered. I couldn’t believe that someone like you, who’s
beautiful, smart and successful would think so little of
herself. That you couldn’t see all the wonderful things that
make you—you. Make you perfect. You made me see the
things that I have been taking for granted. And it’s time to
make things right. While it’s not yet too late.”
She squee-zed his hand again. “Thank you, Justin. For
ma-king me love myself the way I do now.”
He took her hand and k!$$£d it. “And thank you. For
ma-king me love the things I have the way I do now.”
“So where are we going?” she asked.
It took him a moment to reply. “I’ll just drop you off.
I…actually nee-d to go back to Chicago tonight.”
“Everything all right?” she asked.
He looked at her for a while. Then he said, “Yeah.
Peachy.”
She traced a hint of worry in his voice. But she didn’t
want to pressure him. And besides, he’s Justin Adams. She’s
sure that whatever worried him, he’d find a solution for it.
She thought about Justin’s parents. The man who
looked so much like his son, and the beautiful heiress he
married made this wonderful man she found herself now
head over heels in love with.
“You look a lot like your Dad.” She wondered out loud.
“And he looks exactly like my grandfather,” Justin said.
“People say it’s because they married women who were
head over heels in love with them, and not with their money.
Thus, their heirs had inherited exactly their physical
features. But it’s all just very dominant genes, to be
honest.”
Adrienne laughed. “Maybe my Mom wasn’t very in
love with my Dad then.”
Justin laughed. “Yeah. Like I said, it’s just genes.”
“Kimberly and my mother look the same. They both
have blond hair. My father’s hair is dark brown. So I guess, I
look like my dad.”
“Where did the red highlights come from?” he asked.
She shrugged. “Genes skipping generations and
landing on me, I guess.”
“They look great on you. Added a foxier effect.” He
win-ked at her.
She laughed. “I wish my mother looked at it that way.
She believes it makes me look like a harlot.”
Justin shook his head. “It’s pretty. And it’s you. It’s
p@rt of what makes you…you.”
“Glad you liked it. Otherwise, I would dye it back to
plain brown again.”
Justin laughed. “No, honey. You’re perfect just as you
are.”
“Your parents are still so in love with each other. I
couldn’t say that my parents act like they were crazily in
love with each other.”
“I envy my parents for what they have. My Dad grew
up with business instilled in him by my Grandpa. He didn’t
have much fun in his life. He was always so responsible,
strong and focused. But when he met my Mom, he went out
of his skull.”
“Who wouldn’t? Your mother is absolutely stunning.”
“And she’s smart too. When they met, she was
twenty-three years old, and my Dad was twenty-five. They
were married within the same year.”
“Really? That young?”
Justin nodded. “Makes s-en-se to me. I don’t believe in
marrying at an older age. Two people in love can get
married as early as they want. If they feel they are right for
each other, what’s the point in waiting? I don’t believe that
you find your soul mate when you reach a certain age. She
comes, she comes. And it’s up to you if you will hold on to
her or let her go. And as far as I know, you will always regret
it if you let her go.”
She stared at Justin, quite unable to believe what
she’s hearing.
“I admire you, Justin. Not all guys think the way you
do. Actually, I never thought that would be your point of
view. I mean, before I met you, I thought, you were just
pla-ying around. But I know now, Justin Adams really is just a
name. The guy un-derneath is ten times the man who wears
the name tag.”
He smiled. “I’ve had my share of fun. I told you, I’m
done goofing around. You taught me how to look at things in
a different light.”
Justin dropped her off their building. He gave her a
thorou-gh k!sswhen he walked with her towards the elevators.
“I’ll see you in two days,” he told her. Then he sighed.
“This is gonna be so difficult!”
“Why?”
“I didn’t want to leave you this early. I mean… we’ve
just been officially together for about week.”
“Officially, huh,” she repeated.
“I’m not going back to the sidelines again, honey. I
patiently waited there. Someb©dy should actually build me a
monument!” He chuckled.
“Yes,” she said. “And thank you, Justin. For waiting for
me to come around,” She k!$$£d hisl-ips gently.
He leaned his forehead against hers. “Maybe… next
time… you could come to Chicago with me.”
She stared back at me. “What?”
He shrugged. “Let me… let me prep my family first,”
he said. “They’re not really used to me having a girlfriend.
Never introduced a girl to them before. But I’m thinking…
it’s time I introduce you.”
She smiled. She felt really happy. But at the same
time, she felt nervous. She really hoped his parents would
like her. She knew she wasn’t an heiress like his mother
was, but she hoped that his parents would accept her.
Because she sincerely loved their son.
When she got back to her ap@rtment, her phone was
ringing. She ran to get it.
“What did you do to Kimberly, Adrienne?” her mother
asked angrily. “And you were cheating on Troy? What a
disgrace! I did not raise you to be a slut! How could you
embarras-s us like this?!”
Before she could say something, she heard a cli-ck on
the other line and her father spoke. She realized that her
father picked up the extension line to join in their
conversation.
“Adrienne, I’m sure you would have a good
explanation for this,” her father said.
“Dad…” Tears rolled down her cheeks. She could
strangle Kim for turning this against her.
“If you didn’t love Troy anymore, then you should have
been honest with him about it. Kimberly told us that your
other b©yfri£ndwas at the resort, too. And he beat the hell
out of Troy.”
“His parents are quite mad! They’re thinking of filing a
lawsuit but they couldn’t un-derstand why Troy refused to do
it!” She heard her mother say.
“Troy was going to propose to you, sweetheart. That’s
why the whole family was going there.”
Propose? Is Troy crazy? He must be delusional to think
that I would say yes.
“But he cancelled everything. Said he changed his
mind,” her father said. “And then, they c@m£ back to Boston
and he’s got a broken nose and a shiner.”
“Dad, this isn’t all my fault…”
“Who’s the guy, Adrienne?” her mother asked. “You,
ungrateful girl! I was trying to look out for you! Troy is your
best chance at life. You wouldn’t make it on your own! Your
only chance is to marry someb©dy who could give you a
good life!”
“Wait a minute, Marina,” her father said. “Let’s give
her a chance to explain.”
“Dad, I’m not in love with Troy. It would be wrong to
continue being with him. I wasn’t happy!” she said in
between tears.
“When you get married to a good for nothing bastard
like your b©yfri£ndnow, then you would really be miserable!
He’ll just get you pregnant and then leave you because he
has no means to support you!”
“Mom!” Adrienne raised her voice. “Justin is not good
for nothing! He’s ten times the man that Troy was and will
ever be!”
“And how can you say that? How well do you know
him?!”
“Almost everyb©dy knows him!” Adrienne replied. She
was getting frustrated. “You want to know why Troy didn’t
want to file a lawsuit, Mom? Because he knows he couldn’t
go against Justin Adams and win! Justin could afford the best
lawyers in the country and the fact that I will testify against
him will make it a sure loss!”
“Justin Adams?” her father echoed. “That’s your
b©yfri£nd’s name?”
Adrienne sighed. “Yes, Daddy.”
“Justin Adams as in Jac Adams’s son?”
Pride swelled in Adrienne’s heart. “Yes.”
“What? You know this guy?” Her mother seemed
surprised.
“If you re-ad business news and Forbes’ magazines,
Marina, you would know who he is. They own Adams
Industries. Adrienne, your b©yfri£ndis… a billionaire. A
third-generation billionaire.”
“It’s a common name! Maybe we’re not even talking
about the same person!” her mother hissed.
“We’re talking about the same person, Mom. My
b©yfri£ndis the heir of Adams Industries. I’m sure of it. He’s
quite famous here in Manhattan. And I’ve been on his
pri-vate jet, so there’s no doubt he is what Dad says he is.”
“Oh! So that was your plan all along?! Troy wasn’t
good enough, then?”
“Mom, why are you doing this to me?” she asked,
unable to st©p the tears now. “I wasn’t happy with Troy. I
was miserable! We don’t match! Can’t you just plea-se be
happy for me for once? I’m going for the guy I love, the guy
who made me complete! That’s what marriages are all
about. Even if I didn’t have an… affair with Justin, I still
wouldn’t have said yes to Troy. Because he’s not the guy for
me! He’s the guy you want for me!”
Her mother fell silent for a while. Then her father said,
“Adrienne…come to Boston when you have time. Let’s talk about this as a family. There are matters that we cannot
discuss over the phone.”
Adrienne suppressed a whimper. “Okay, Dad. I love
you.”
Then she hung up. She sat on the floor of her living
room, leaning her b©dy against the counter. How could her
mother act like this towards her? How could she love one
daughter so much and despise the other? What did she ever
do to her?
She wiped the tears from her face. And then she
gr@bb£d her purse and keys. She couldn’t be alone at a time
like this. She nee-ded to see her friends. Justin must be
onboard the plane by now, and she couldn’t burden him
with something this petty.
When she got to the elevators, a couple was standing
there, waiting for the lift. The man was dressed in an
expensive suit and the woman was wra-pped in a Burberry
coat. They looked rich and clas-sy. They had their backs on
her and didn’t even notice her pres£nce behind them.
“I cannot believe he would go off like that!” the
woman said. “I know he was always rebellious. But I didn’t
know he would go to extreme lengths like this!” Adrienne
only listened half-heartedly.
The man put his arms around the woman and
Adrienne thought that was sweet. “Honey… come on. We
can fix this. It’s not too late. It’s not like he’s married
alre-ady.”
“But I feel different about this. I know he’s been with
some girls before. But something tells me it’s different this
time. I think he’s serious about this one. Where is he, by the
way? How come he’s not in his ap@rtment?”
“He is probably at the airport now.”
The elevator st©pped on their floor. The couple
stepped inside and Adrienne stepped in after them. She got
a glimpse of the handsome man and the elegant woman.
They both looked like they were in their fifties. Somehow,
Adrienne thought they looked familiar.
“This is embarras-sing, honey!” the woman spoke in a
low voice. But Adrienne still heard her. “Ana has been my
longest friend. Our parents were the best of friends. You
know this arrangement had been finalized when Justin was
just a baby!”
“I know,” the man admitted.
Adrienne’s heart skipped a beat. She realized now
why the couple looked familiar. These were Justin’s parents.
Her knees shook and for a moment, she forgot how to
breathe.
“And he grew up knowing that. He didn’t complain
about it. We constantly reminded him of this. It’s his duty.
He even promised my father on his death be-d that he will
fulfill his wish.”
“And we know he will,” the man continued. “My son is
a man of his word. He made you and your father a promise
and he will keep it. I know because he’s my son. This family
is more important to him than anything else. He’ll go
throu-gh with this wedding.”
“It’s not like we chose badly. This girl comes from a
very good family. Decent. Wealthy.”
“And has a set of beautiful genes to give us absolutely
stunning babies,” the man added jokingly.
“I won’t forgive him if he defies us, Jac,” the woman
breathed. “He can’t back out on his word now. I will…
disinherit him!”
The man just laughed. “Now, now. Don’t be so
stressed out, sweetheart.”
The woman paused and Adrienne heard her laugh.
“Your son has given me more wrinkles than I want!”
The man laughed again. “No, honey. You’re very
beautiful. You’re a fox!”
The elevator opened on the ground floor. Adrienne
stood still as the couple walked past her.
Every nerve in her b©dy screamed. Every muscle
shook. She was certain that her face had turned white,
bloodless. Her heart pounded loudly inside her ribcage. She
couldn’t breathe.
Realization crept throu-gh her, took control of her b©dy
and threatened to suffocate her.
She remembered the many times when Justin would
fall silent and sad when he talked about his family and his
obligations to them. That was it. That was what his parents
asked him to do.
Her heart shattered into a million pieces. She walked
out of the elevator like a zombie. Her tears threatened to
blind her. She didn’t hear anything, didn’t see anything.
Only one thought dominated her mind and she couldn’t
escape the blinding pain that c@m£ with it.
Justin is engaged.