One night stand with my president(chapter 441)

 

Chapter 441: Back Together

From the moment Adeline laid eyes on the woman beside her brother, everything clicked into place.

She'd heard bits and pieces before-Alberto had once dated someone seriously.

No one knew exactly why they broke up, but judging by the look in their eyes now, former girlfriend might no longer be the right label.

Adeline was genuinely happy for them. After all, what sister wouldn't be glad to see her brother reunited with someone he clearly loved?

"Adeline, Harrison," Alberto called out, practically glowing. "Let me introduce you-this is Connie. My girlfriend."

There was no hesitation in his voice. He said it with certainty, and pride.

Connie smiled and greeted them warmly, her gaze resting on Adeline with admiration. "I always imagined the daughter of the Mendoza family would be beautiful, but you... You're something else entirely. I've seen beauty, but you? You're in a league of your own."

The compliment was so earnest that Adeline couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

Alberto, however, immediately put on a mock-stern face. "What? Are you saying my sister is the most beautiful woman you've ever seen? What about me?"

Connie shot him a playful glance and quipped,"Please. Compu. ed to your sister, you ve got a long way to go."

Despite the teasing, Alberto looked at Connie with such soft affection that Adeline instinctively recognized the expression.

It was a look she was more than familiar with - because that was exactly how Harrison looked at her.

Soon after, Isaac and Gracie came downstairs.

They paused the moment they spotted Connie.

Their eyes met briefly, silently exchanging the same question, "Is that who we think it is?"

But after living half a lifetime, they'd learned to keep their expressions in check.

Connie greeted them politely, and they responded with warmth, just as they would have years ago.

That evening, Connie stayed for dinner at the Mendoza family.

Afterward, she and Adeline took a quiet walk in the garden, chatting side by side.

It was during this stroll that Adeline finally heard the full story of how she and Alberto had broken up.

As it turned out  there had been no dramatic

betrayal. No earth-shattering secret. Just...

distance.

Alberto had been overwhelmed with work for a while. They hadn't seen each other in weeks.

Connie had felt neglected-but she understood the pressure Alberto was under as the Mendoza heir, so she said nothing.

Then, one night, while Alberto was away on a business trip, a friend of Connie's happened to be in the same city. That friend spotted Alberto at a restaurant, sitting beside another woman who was pouring him a drink a little too intimately.

She snapped a photo and sent it to Connie.

Connie had been with Alberto for ten years. 

She knew his character. She didn't really believe he a cheat. But still-seeing that image had lit a fire in her chest.

She had been so patient, giving him space, never demanding more than he could give... only to see him, in another city, with some woman leaning in like that.

She lost it.

And that, Adeline thought, was how it started—a spark that caught on old insecurities.

Alberto, exhausted from work, didn't know why Connie was suddenly cold and angry. 

He tried to soothe her, but when she wouldn't say what was wrong, he snapped too.

One fight turned into a blowout. Words were exchanged. And then came the fatal one-breakup.

They hadn't meant it. Not really. After ten years together, how could it be that easy to walk away?

But just a few days later, Connie heard a rumor.

Alberto was getting engaged.

She tried calling him. He didn't pick up.

She asked aroud.

Every answer was the same: he was engaged, and the woman came from a powerful family. It was all so detailed. So convincing.

Connie was devastated. "Have I really meant so little?" she thought.

She cried for days. When Alberto finally called, she was still so hurt, she refused to answer.

Instead, she sent him a flurry of angry texts, then blocked him.

Just like that, ten years unraveled.

Adeline couldn't help but wince. "Seriously? Ten years together and they still didn't know how to talk to each other?"

All of this... could've been avoided with one honest conversation.

She thought of her and Harrison. They'd had their fair share of miscommunication

too.

She smiled bitterly.

"Anyway," Connie said, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishlv "we talked it all out this afternoon. Tur out, that woman at the dinner was just someone the business partner brought along. She poured him one drink, and Alberto immediately had her sent away. Unfortunately, that's the exact moment my friend walked in..."

She gave a helpless shrug. "And the whole engagement thing? Total nonsense. Neither of us knows where that rumor even came from. The day I called him, he really was just tied up with something urgent."

If she'd just waited, asked, and trusted him.

And as for the whole "I'm getting married" thing? Connie sighed. "That night, I went to a bar to drink away my misery. Someone said something about Alberto getting engaged, and I-I just snapped. I said I'd get married too. It was a joke.

But apparently, one of Alberto's friends was there, overheard it... and the rumor started." At the Livingston banquet, when Alberto confronted her, she'd doubled down. Just to save face.

But today, they had finally laid it all bare because neither of them had ever really moved on.

If they had, there would've been no reason to make up.

Connie took Adeline's hand, her tone gentle and sincere. "Adeline, I can see how much you and your boyfriend love each other. But trust me, even the best relationships can fall apart without proper communication. Take it from me and your brother-don't make the same mistake. If something's bothering you, talk to him. Don't let it fester."

Adeline nodded. "I know."

She had learned that the hard way already.

And now, Alberto and Connie's story had only driven the lesson home further.

"But there's still one thing that bothers me," Adeline said thoughtfully. "Where did that engagement rumor even come from?"

Connie gave a wry smile. "Neither of us knows. I even called the people who told me about it originally. They all said the same thing-that they'd heard it from someone else. No one knows who started it."

Adeline frowned slightly. "You two should probably look into it. I have a bad feeling.

Something tells me it wasn't just idle gossip.

Maybe someone out there wanted to tear you apart. I hope I'm wrong... but better to be sure."

Connie's smile slowly faded as her expression turned serious.