Chapter 39: Stranger again

Noah's smile, with its trademark charm, flickered across his face in response.

"Indeed, it has been some time. Perhaps five years..." he trailed off, feigning forgetfulness.

"Or six..."

"Six years, five months, fifteen days,"

Adrian interjected, his voice tinged with a hint of bitterness.

Noah was momentarily stunned by Adrian's precise recollection, his calm facade faltering ever so slightly. But he quickly regained his composure.

"Mr. Blackwood, there's no need to dwell on such details. We were merely employer and employee," he said, his smile masking the turmoil beneath the surface.

The way Noah looked at him, with that smile and calm demeanor, felt like a dagger to Adrian's heart.

He longed to bridge the gap between them, to erase the distance that had grown over the years.