“I’m not drunk!” Celeste planted her hands on the edge of the chair, rising quickly to her feet. Adrian furrowed his brows in concern as he saw her stagger toward him. “You’re walking like that and you say you’re not drunk?” His lips curled slightly, his tone casual. “What a stubborn woman.”

“Mr. Wrenford!” Celeste suddenly extended her right index finger, pointing in his direction. “You should step back a little.”

“What are you going to do? You’re not planning to climb over here again, are you?”

“I—I just want to show you that I’m not drunk…” Celeste stammered.

Before he could stop her, her hand had already reached the glass railing.

“You’re not just drunk. You’re completely wasted.”

Adrian instinctively reached out, trying to stop her, but before he could touch her wrist, she slapped his hand away. A second later, she swiftly lifted her leg and climbed over the glass railing.

Adrian watched her movements in disbelief. He couldn’t help but be amused and exasperated by the unexpected turn of events. The way she climbed over the railing reminded him of how she looked while treating patients, and even of that moment she ran into a burning building to save someone. So many different images of her were floating in his mind, and none of them seemed to align. He didn’t know which one was truly her.

“Ms. Morin, you’re going to fall!” Adrian wanted to rush to help her, but the way she was positioned left him unsure of how to assist. As she hung there by the railing, he genuinely feared she would fall at any second.

“No. I think I’m just tired. I want to go back to sleep…”

Celeste tried to move backward, but she realized she couldn’t get past. She was stuck, trapped between the railing, unable to move forward or back.

She looked up helplessly at Adrian, who was standing next to her. “Mr. Wrenford, I…”

Adrian couldn’t help but suppress a chuckle, though he quickly fought it back. He extended his hand toward her and offered, “I’ll help you.”

“Thank you.”

Chapter 54

She instinctively reached for his hand, thinking he would help her back over. But instead, Adrian wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her toward him and guiding her to his side. As she climbed down, her eyes were barely open from exhaustion. She slumped into the chair on his balcony, then rested her head on the table, slowly closing her eyes.

Adrian, watching the scene unfold, couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face. When she was awake, she was an ambitious, driven woman. But when she was drunk, she seemed like a pure-hearted child. He wondered how such a woman could ever be capable of setting someone up. He questioned how she could have possibly spent three years in prison for something like that.

“Ms. Morin, wake up. Ms. Morin…” No matter how gently Adrian called Celeste, she didn’t stir. This time, there was no way he would let her stay in his room. The first time, he had been able to get away with it. But there was no way he could do so again.

Adrian sighed. He lifted her in his arms and quickly carried her off the balcony. He walked across the room and headed toward the door, intending to carry her to the room next door. Just as he reached the door, he heard footsteps coming from downstairs.

Adrian’s room was located near the stairs, and from his vantage point, he could clearly see the man climbing up the stairs. It was Damien, who had left earlier and now returned.