My Secret Lover at the Bar

He stayed silent. Just when I thought he wouldn’t answer, he leaned down and kissed me.

I thought that meant yes, so I clung to him and pulled him into another long, breathless night.

By our third year together, Isabella came to the Bennett estate.

She revealed she’d been switched at birth by her adoptive parents. A DNA test confirmed she was the true Bennett heiress. She moved into my bedroom, while I was cast out of the family.

Overnight, I went from the pampered heiress of the Bennetts to the daughter of an abusive gambler.

Adrian didn’t know about my fall from grace.

At that time, his upgraded drone model had just succeeded. I gave him a break and booked flights for his family to Miami.

After being thrown out of the estate, I rushed to Miami to find him—only to overhear him talking with a friend.

“Adrian, you’ve been with Sophia Bennett for so long. When are you going to make it official?”

He fell silent.

“Do you even like her?”

“Not really.”

My blood froze, though I forced down the ache in my chest.

That night, I went to him again, desperate. We spent hours together, but afterward, as I traced the hard lines of his abs, I made my decision.

“Adrian, we’re done.”

He stayed silent again.

But he must have been relieved. No longer would he be treated like a dog at my beck and call.

I left, tossing my phone into the trash, and returned to my biological parents’ home.

I knew Adrian was destined for greatness—he was smart enough.

What I hadn’t expected was that he’d end up with the real heiress.

At 3 a.m., I curled up in the nightclub’s breakroom, catching a nap before my shift ended. By 5 a.m., I had to set up my food stand for the office crowd’s breakfast rush.

Business was good as usual, and just as I was about to close up, another customer ordered fried rice.

“No scallions. More onions. Two eggs. And absolutely no shrimp—our boss is allergic to seafood.”

My hand froze mid-motion. That was exactly Adrian’s habit. He too was allergic to seafood.

I laughed bitterly. What was I even thinking?

I cooked quickly, plated the food, and handed it over.

As I packed up my cart and got on my motorbike, a voice stopped me.

“Did you make this fried rice?”

It was Adrian’s voice.

I pulled my mask higher and croaked a reply.

“Tastes good. Who taught you to cook like this?”

“My mom.”

He sneered. “Oh? Since when did my mom become your mom, Number 18?”

I lowered the brim of my cap and insisted he’d mistaken me for someone else.

“Sophia Bennett, you kept me for three years. Then you tossed me aside, ended it like it was nothing. Did you really think I was just your dog?”

I trembled. He had recognized me.

“Sophia, do you really think you’re so powerful? Disappearing on me like that? You’re the dog here, with that stubborn temper you’ll never change.”

He was using my own words against me.

The next second, he yanked off my mask. Our eyes locked, the tension between us swelling like a rising tide.

“Adrian, what are you doing? Hurry, or you’ll be late for the board meeting!”