On the way back to Serena's residence, Adrian remained silent, his expression cold and distant.
Serena glanced at him, feeling uneasy about his demeanor.
"What's wrong?" she finally asked.
"Nothing," Adrian replied curtly, without even looking at her.
Serena raised an eyebrow. Adrian rarely spoke to her in such a tone.
Deciding not to press further, Serena chose to let it go. She had no idea what was bothering Adrian, but if he was going to be rude and throw a tantrum without reason, she wouldn't entertain it.
The rest of the ride home felt increasingly uncomfortable.
When they finally arrived, Serena didn't even glance at Adrian before heading straight to her room. She was utterly exhausted and wanted nothing more than to collapse onto her bed.
Adrian, noticing Serena's indifference, could only watch her walk away. He knew his behavior earlier had been unreasonable, but thinking back to the event—where Ren had been by Serena's side the entire time—left him feeling frustrated.
Sighing heavily, Adrian retreated to his own room.
____________________________
After showering and changing into her pajamas, Serena noticed her phone blinking. Seeing a missed call from Ren, she froze for a moment.
Honestly, she wasn't sure how to react to Ren's confession. Maybe if they had met when she was in her twenties, she would have entertained the idea of being pursued by him. But now, she wasn't so sure.
It wasn't about Ren—it was about her circumstances. Even though she was a divorcée, in the eyes of others and especially in the eyes of her father-in-law, she was still considered a member of the Shine family, not the Kale family. Given his nature, Serena was certain he wouldn't let her live peacefully.
Suddenly, her phone rang again. Seeing Ren's name on the screen, Serena hesitated for a few seconds before finally answering.
"Hello?" she greeted.
"Hey..."
Ren's deep, baritone voice resonated through the speaker, sending an unexplainable shiver down Serena's spine.
"Are you about to sleep?" Ren asked, initiating the conversation.
"Not yet. I just finished showering," Serena replied honestly.
"Ahh... good," Ren said, sounding relieved.
Serena found his reaction odd.
"I thought you weren't answering my call because you were trying to avoid me," Ren admitted.
"Why would I avoid you?" Serena asked, confused.
"Maybe because I'm chasing after you," Ren said straightforwardly.
Serena fell silent.
Since Serena didn't respond, Ren also stayed quiet. Neither of them spoke, yet neither ended the call.
"Ren..." Serena finally broke the silence.
"Hmm?" Ren's voice was gentle.
Hearing his tone, Serena felt goosebumps again. For some reason, Ren's voice often had this effect on her.
"Is he deliberately trying to seduce me with his sexy voice?" she wondered.
"Serena?" Ren called again when she didn't say anything.
Hearing his voice once more, Serena narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
"Ren, you're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" she accused.
"Huh? Doing what?" Ren sounded confused.
"You're purposely using your sexy voice to seduce me, aren't you?!" Serena confronted him directly.
"So... you think my voice is sexy?" Ren asked, clearly pleased.
Serena didn't answer and only pouted in silence.
"If I keep doing it, will you be tempted?"
"REN!!!" Serena protested.
Ren chuckled softly. He could easily imagine Serena's reaction—she was probably pouting, making her cheeks puff up.
"Okay, okay... my bad," Ren apologized. "I wanted to ask if you're free tomorrow afternoon."
"Hmm..." Serena hesitated, thinking.
"Do you have plans?" Ren asked again when she didn't answer.
"I feel like I do, but I can't remember with whom," Serena admitted.
"Alright. What about dinner, then?"
"Hmm... not sure yet."
Hearing this, Ren let out a long, exasperated sigh. Asking Serena out for a meal was proving to be a challenge.
Hearing Ren's frustration, Serena felt a pang of guilt.
"What about the day after tomorrow?" Serena offered a solution.
Ren's eyes immediately lit up, and a wide smile spread across his face.
"Okay," he agreed enthusiastically.
Hearing Ren's voice no longer tinged with disappointment, Serena smiled.
Without realizing it, she had already started to feel that she didn't want to see or hear Ren disappointed.
They continued talking until, eventually, Ren noticed that Serena had stopped responding. Instead, all he could hear was the soft sound of her breathing—she had fallen asleep.
Glancing at the clock on the wall, Ren saw that it was already 2 a.m. He smiled faintly.
"Good night, Serena," he murmured gently.
______________________
The next day, Serena suddenly remembered that she had an appointment with an editor.
She usually communicated with her editor via email, but for some reason, this time, the editor had requested an in-person meeting.
When Serena arrived at the designated location, she spotted a young woman waiting anxiously.
"Riri?" Serena called.
Riri, the editor, immediately broke into a wide smile, her eyes sparkling as she saw her favorite author in person.
"Ms. SR, you're even more beautiful than I imagined," Riri complimented without hesitation.
Serena chuckled. She wasn't sure why, but Riri's straightforwardness felt refreshing. Most of the people Serena knew were two-faced, but Riri was expressive and sincere, making it easy for others to let their guard down.
"Just call me Serena," she requested. Hearing Riri address her by her pen name felt strange.
"Noted!" Riri replied enthusiastically. "Ms. Serena, regarding the schedule for your new book..."
Serena was impressed. Despite her young age, Riri was highly professional and well-organized in her work.
They ended up discussing Serena's upcoming novel project until late into the evening.
If Adrian hadn't called, they might have kept talking even longer.
"Mom, where are you?" Adrian asked, his voice filled with concern.
Serena paused, momentarily confused by the question.
"Why?" she asked in return.
"It's already 9 p.m.," Adrian replied.
Serena was startled. Only then did she realize how much time had passed.
"Sorry! I lost track of time. I'll head home after dinner," she apologized.
Hearing this, Adrian let out a sigh of relief. At least his mother was safe.
"Send me the address. I'll pick you up," he requested.
"No need. It's not far," Serena declined, not wanting to trouble him.
"Mom... please," Adrian insisted.
Serena sighed before finally sending him the address.
"You have a son?" Riri asked, looking shocked and completely unconvinced.
"Uh... yes," Serena admitted.
"How old?"
"Twenty-five."
Riri was at a loss for words. She had assumed Serena was single and still young, but now she discovered that Serena had a twenty-five-year-old son.
"So... how old is Ms. Serena actually?" Riri wondered internally.
"Are you human?" Riri finally asked, unable to hold back her curiosity.