Elena and Adrian stepped into the private hospital room, where a nurse had just finished giving medicine to the elderly man in bed.
"You seem cheerful today, Mr. Cross," the nurse said with a smile.
"I am," Albert replied warmly. "I'm about to meet my grandson-in-law."
His eyes lit up when he saw the two figures entering. "There she is, my granddaughter," he said proudly before turning to Adrian. His gaze stayed on the tall, well-dressed man beside her, and after a moment, he nodded in approval. "Good. Very good."
Adrian wasn't sure how to respond, but Elena felt a wave of relief and her grandfather looked pleased. She was glad she'd asked Adrian to help; at least now, there was less chance of Albert growing suspicious.
The nurse gave them a polite smile before leaving the room.
Elena slipped her hand around Adrian's arm, catching him off guard. She felt the muscles in his arm tense under her touch, but she pretended not to notice.
With a gentle smile, she said, "Damien, let me introduce you to my favorite person."
Adrian stayed composed, only giving a small hum in response as he walked with her toward the bed, letting her hold on to him. No woman had ever dared to act so casually with him before—and worse, he couldn't bring himself to stop her.
When they reached the bedside, Elena spoke softly. "This is my grandpa, Albert Cross—the person I've told you about so many times."
Adrian gave a respectful nod. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Cross," he said as he took the chance to gently pull his arm free and set the fruit basket on the table.
"And Grandpa," Elena added smoothly, "this is my husband, Damien Voss."
Adrian brows furrowed to hear this unpleasant thing, but he maintained his calm before turning to face the grandpa after settling the fruit basket.
Albert studied Adrian closely. "I'm glad you found time to meet me. Elena mentioned you're busy with your newly started business."
Adrian nodded silently, standing in place, his expression calm.
The old man observed the couple, noticing they didn't stand as close as married couples typically would. Instead, they seemed more like strangers.
"What's wrong, Grandpa?" Elena asked, noticing the shift in her grandfather's expression. He seemed happy to see Adrian—what had changed so suddenly?
"Where is your marriage certificate?" Albert asked, his tone strict and his demeanor serious.
Elena's heart skipped a beat—she realized she didn't have it. But before she could respond, Adrian reached into his pocket and handed her the document. "In your hurry, you forgot to get it."
She offered him a smile while her eyes accusing him of why he didn't give it to her before.
Accepting the certificate, she handed it over to Albert. "Grandpa, here it is. I tend to forget things, but fortunately, Damien remembers everything."
The old man didn't comment and looked through the marriage certificate with serious expressions. Observing the picture of a man plastered on the document, he looked back at Adrian, obviously to compare him with the picture. He let out a sigh of relief, but his gaze was still doubtful.
"You two got married a year and a half ago and didn't know about it?" Albert asked, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the pair.
Elena had already prepared for these questions, while Adrian left it to her as she had instructed him to leave such a part to her.
"Grandpa, we were both not in the right state of mind when we got married and ended up forgetting about it," she explained.
"Not in the right state of mind?" Albert exclaimed in disbelief, "Were you two drunk or what?"
Elena felt a wave of relief that her grandfather had unknowingly provided the answer for her. "Y-Yes, Grandpa. We were drunk, and then...we just forgot," she stammered.
Adrian sighed inwardly. This woman might be capable of many things, but lying convincingly wasn't one of them.
The old man clearly wasn't convinced. He turned to Adrian, his gaze now filled with displeasure. "And you, young man, you forgot such an important thing as well?"
"I didn't," Adrian replied, meeting the old man's gaze, his deep voice filled with confidence. "I was waiting for Elena to come back to me on her own. I didn't realize she had forgotten about our marriage. That's why, when I heard she was marrying someone else, I had to remind her."
Elena looked at him, surprised by his words. His expression was so serious and convincing that even she almost believed it was true. 'These businessmen are really good at bluffing,' she thought.
Albert's stern expression finally softened. "Alright, I hope you two can put the past behind you and live together happily from now on. Consider that wedding incident a sign to bring you back together."
Elena felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from her chest. Her grandfather seemed to believe the story, and it was all thanks to Adrian's quick thinking. She made a mental note to thank him properly later.
"Why are you two standing?" Albert asked. "Get chairs."
Elena quickly got a chair for herself, while Adrian remained standing. "I'm fine," he said.
"Where are you two staying now?" came another troubling question from the old man.
"Grandpa, Damien isn't from this city, so for now he's staying at a hotel," Elena replied.
The old man frowned. "You two are staying at a hotel?"
"No, Grandpa, I'm staying with Mia," Elena quickly clarified, not realising she had just made the situation more complicated.
Adrian shook his head at her idiocy. Lying sure was not her forte. He could see whenever she lied, she would unintentionally touch the tip of her tiny nose.
They heard Albert's angry voice. "You two are staying separately?"
Elena was caught off guard. "Grandpa, calm down. Let me explain properly. Anger isn't good for you."
She glanced at Adrian for help, but he remained silent, clearly leaving her to fix the mess she had created.