Chapter 27

Adrian Cole took out the photo.

Victoria Sterling had been somewhat curious at first, wondering what kind of car it was and just how rare it could possibly be.

She wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about cars, but she had seen plenty of top-tier luxury vehicles and could recognize some of the more famous models.

Then she looked at the photo.

Victoria: “…………”

The image was so blurry that it was practically useless.

She wasn’t a car enthusiast, either. There was no way she could identify a vehicle from a blurry shot of its rear end.

Victoria hesitated, then looked at Adrian.

The young man’s handsome face was as calm and distant as ever, but beneath that composure, she could still detect a trace of frustration and disappointment.

She pressed her lips together.

Elena was shallow and foolish, yet simply because she had that face, she could still make men lose their minds over her.

Victoria’s gaze darkened almost imperceptibly.

She glanced at Sophia, who was still standing awkwardly nearby, and gave her a polite smile before turning back to Adrian.

“I still have something to take care of, so I’ll head out first. Everyone knows how capable you are. You’re not going to be defined by one competition. As for that academic conference I mentioned before, I’ll keep an eye out for you.”

“Okay. Thanks, Victoria.”

Adrian forced himself to pull it together and thanked her.

At the same time, Elena had already recovered from her exhaustion and stepped into the enormous en-suite bathroom attached to the bedroom.

The bathroom was just as extravagantly luxurious.

There was a massive double soaking tub, a full selection of high-end bath and skincare products, and a concealed door leading to a small walk-in dressing room.

Inside, several rows of brand-new pajamas and underwear had been neatly arranged.

Every conceivable size was available.

Elena wasn’t surprised.

For someone as wealthy as Richard Sterling, keeping his private residences stocked with clothing and personal necessities in a range of sizes was probably just standard practice.

She took a quick shower, changed into a nightdress, and collapsed onto the bed.

Within minutes, she was fast asleep.

The next morning.

Since she had gone to bed relatively early the night before, Elena woke feeling surprisingly refreshed.

She pulled open the curtains and looked out at the lake shimmering beneath the first light of dawn, then stretched lazily.

After washing up, she discovered a large rolling clothing rack waiting just outside her room.

The rack had two levels and was accompanied by a multi-tiered shoe display.

There were all kinds of styles—trendy casual wear, formal outfits, relaxed everyday clothes, as well as several globally limited-edition designer sneakers, chunky retro trainers, delicate strappy heels, ankle boots, and more.

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Elena stood in front of the overwhelming collection for a full three minutes.

In the end, she selected a loose knitted tank top and a pair of wide-leg linen-cotton trousers.

She had no classes that morning.

She planned to get in some more extensive dance practice before breakfast.

Although the bedroom was spacious, it still wasn’t large enough for the kind of jumps and traveling movements she wanted to practice.

She had noticed the area beside the private lake the night before.

There was a broad, perfectly level outdoor space surrounded by the estate’s gardens. It looked almost like a natural outdoor studio.

Elena changed, slipped on a pair of soft-soled training shoes, and quietly made her way downstairs.

The estate was peaceful at a little after six in the morning.

The only sounds were the breeze moving across the distant lake and the occasional calls of waterbirds.

The enormous living room was completely empty. A few uniformed staff members were working silently in the kitchen area farther away.

Beyond the floor-to-ceiling glass walls, the first rays of morning sunlight had turned the lake a soft golden orange.

A thin veil of mist drifted across the water, making the entire estate look almost dreamlike.

Elena pushed open a glass door leading into the garden.

Cool morning air carrying the scent of fresh grass and the lake swept over her, instantly waking her up.

The garden was even larger than it had appeared from a distance the previous night.

Stone paths wound through carefully landscaped grounds, connecting elegant gazebos and terraces beside the water. Several beautifully shaped old trees and carefully maintained ornamental plants stood among the rocks and greenery.

Across a small pale-stone bridge was a broad, perfectly maintained open space.

Neatly trimmed hedges surrounded it, along with several flowering trees.

It almost seemed designed for morning exercise.

Elena walked to the center of the open area and loosened her ankles and wrists before beginning her warm-up.

She slowly raised one leg, extending it into a perfectly straight vertical line.

Her loose trousers shifted with the movement, revealing the long, toned line of her lower leg.

Once her muscles were fully warmed up, she closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath of crisp morning air, faintly scented with flowers.

She emptied her mind completely.

No music.

No rhythm.

Only the instinctive memory stored deep within her muscles.

She began with a slow, controlled sequence of arm movements, tracing smooth arcs through the air.

Then her body lowered slightly before flowing into a deep backbend.

Her loose clothing gave her remarkable freedom of movement.

As she twisted, turned, and leapt, the fabric of her clothes fluttered through the air, the folds shifting with every extension of her body like a moving sculpture.

The more she danced, the more deeply she became immersed in it.

Her movements grew larger and more powerful.

She moved through a series of sweeping extensions, continuous leaps, deep turns, and traveling sequences that carried her across the entire open space.

She moved like a butterfly brushed with gold by the morning sun, stretching its wings freely between the shimmering lake and the garden.

Fine beads of sweat appeared along her forehead and rolled down her cheeks, leaving tiny dark spots on the pale stone beneath her.

Her breathing gradually became heavier, but her rhythm never faltered.

Every transition was clean and precise.

There was no hesitation in any movement.

After completing her final sequence, Elena took several steps to settle her breathing.

Then she heard a faint sound.

It sounded as though someone had just placed something gently on a stone table.

Elena spun around.

“?!”

At the edge of the open space, beneath an old flowering tree, was a discreet stone bench that blended almost perfectly into the surrounding landscape.

Richard Sterling was sitting there, watching her.

He seemed to have just finished his own workout as well.

He was dressed extremely casually.

A fitted black athletic tank top clung to his body, slightly damp with sweat.

For once, the physique normally concealed beneath his tailored shirts was completely visible.

It was a lean, powerful build that combined strength with explosive athleticism.

His broad shoulders and heavily developed upper arms stood out beneath the sleeveless top, while the defined lines of his forearms and hands were clearly visible.

His low body fat made the contours of his collarbones and chest noticeable above the neckline.

One hand rested casually on his knee.

He had just placed his phone beside him with the other.

Now he simply watched her.

His deep black eyes seemed almost bottomless as they remained fixed on her through the thin veil of morning mist.

Elena froze where she stood.

She had no idea how long he had been sitting there.

She had been so completely absorbed in the movement, so focused on the conversation between her body and the space around her, that she hadn’t noticed anyone approaching at all.

The branches overhead cast broken patterns of pale gold across Richard’s body, while the morning sunlight sharply outlined the hard, defined angles of his profile.

He sat there quietly, almost lazily.

Yet there was something about him that reminded Elena of a powerful predator that had just finished surveying its territory.

Calm.

Relaxed.

And carrying the unmistakable sense that, at any moment, all that restrained power could explode into action.