Chapter 133 - The Shocking Picture

Adam snatched the phone from the assistant's hand and looked down at the screen. The assistant was shocked at first and tried to snatch his phone back but Adam simply turned around and walked out saying," I'll be back in a minute.."

With his head bent down, he read the news article but the picture that was attached to it seemed to jump out at him. Lucas was holding Alice by the elbows and Alice was looking up at him.. It was not intimate but it was not the way a person would stand with a business associate or even a casual friend. Looking at the picture, Adam felt his heart being pierced. Alice was supposed to meet him yesterday so what was she doing with Lucas. And then last night, she had not even mentioned seeing the man. Admittedly it could have been a coincidence and they could have met at the same hotel but coming back together.. He re- read the words in the article and wanted to throw the phone at the wall.. "Alice Faye and Lucas Ivy.. growing closeness... chances of partnership.. long term relation. returning back to the hotel together." All those words seemed to be shooting arrows into his heart. 

He trusted Alice with all his heart but Lucas was a different story. Lucas had been sly and cunning from the start even when he was a child. He could read people well and adapt faster making someone instinctively trust them when he wanted. Even as a child, Adam remembered that Adken Parry had been against having Lucas but the man had quickly won him over. So much so that when he had been sent his own son to the village, he had not let Lucas Ivy go, choosing to have him by his side. Even now, Adken Parry would rather heed to that man than his own younger son.

In fact, he himself had fallen for Lucas Ivy's trap and discovered too late what deception the man had held.. Adam could feel the anger in his veins against Lucas and somehow that flowed over to Alice. She had promised him to keep her distance! And yet she had not even kept that promise for twenty four hours! And that man had touched her! He was going to kill the bas****! 

Walking back out of the studio, he threw the phone to the assistant who barely caught it and walked out of the building, ignoring the man who was running behind him yelling," Sir! Apollo had called! He said that he had something urgent to talk about.."

The man tapered off in his hollering when he noticed that Adam had already walked away a long distance. He cursed himself for not relaying the message as soon as he had seen him but he had been too shocked at the sudden entrance of the man and then being caught while talking so unprofessionally. Taking out his phone, he called back Apollo and told him that Adam had been to the studio but left in a hurry before he had a chance to pass on the message! He naturally did not tell Apollo about the conversation that Adam had overheard or the subsequent instances. 

Adam walked on and on aimlessly. One minute he wanted to go and confront Alice about the picture but the next minute he wanted to calm down and sort out his feelings before they could talk. That night he had almost blown off his top at Alice and he did not want to talk things out in anger. It was better he cool down. But even as he tried to tell himself that a devil voice whispered in his ear, "Why did Alice not come this evening? Was she with Lucas Ivy again? And even if she wasn't, she must have seen the news. Was she not bothered about his feelings? She did not try to get in touch and explain?"

His heart protested in pain and he tried to control his thoughts, "Alice was not careless. She had known that he did not have his phone so maybe she must have assumed that he would not have a chance to see the news and she would be able to explain tonight. He should not be doing self harm and jumping to baseless conclusions. The amount of trust he had in Alice was much more than the amount of cunningness Lucas Ivy had. But he also understood that they needed to talk. 

It was said that words could lie but pictures did not lie. But that picture was a lie. He was sure of it.  Oh, he knew that it was not photoshopped and the picture must have been orchestrated by none other than Lucas Ivy. It was purposely created to cause deception and create misunderstanding between them. Lucas Ivy was using Alice to target him. 

Adam smiled at that. Lucas Ivy thought that Alice was his weakest point. But that was not the case. Alice was his strongest point. Once they had talked things through, him and Alice and their relationship would come out stronger.

Adam had walked a long distance away when he finally felt a bit at peace but even as his mind had calmed, his heart remained a mess. Because there were two facts that remained," Alice did not tell him about being with Lucas Ivy that night.. And she did not come to the studio or even try to explain anything. And these two points sat there in his mind like red flags. He knew there was only one person who could answer him and truly chase away his insecurity. But he was somehow hesitant to go and talk. 

Finally, Adam cursed at himself and decided to go back to the hotel. He would talk to her. His anger and everything would be soothed once Alice was in his arms. Sighing, he decided to return to the hotel but found himself in a deserted part of the town, having no idea where he was.. Finally he was able to flag down a cab and only after talking to the driver did he realize how far he had walked away from the hotel.