46

ADELINE’S POV

I stared at the message on my phone, feeling my stomach twist.

"We are shooting in Macau," I said angrily to Clarissa, my secretary, who sat next to me in the car on our way to the office. She didn't seem fazed at all.

"It was in the contract," she said, her tone even and calm.

I looked at her, flabbergasted. "Why didn’t you tell me?" I asked, my voice rising.

"Because you read through it and signed it yourself," she replied.

I opened my mouth to argue, but then I closed it. She was right. I had read the contract.

But I was thinking of Xander the whole time and must have missed this part. The legal team had confirmed it was a fair contract, too. I couldn't even blame her.

I put my head back against the seat in the car and groaned. Clarissa glanced at me, a small smile on her lips.

"Instead of thinking the worst, why don't you use the trip to relax and unwind?" she suggested. "You haven't had a break since you came to Manhattan."

"This is not a holiday," I snapped. "I’l