CHAPTER 5 — THE FIRST TEST

“Smile.”

I looked at Adrian. “I am smiling.”

“No. You look terrified.”

“Maybe because you’re staring at me like you’re about to fire me.”

His mouth twitched. “You’re supposed to be my girlfriend tonight.”

“Then stop looking at me like your employee.”

“I’ve never had a girlfriend who worked for me.”

“Exactly.”

For a second, neither of us spoke then Adrian reached for my hand. My fingers stiffened.

“Relax,” he murmured.

“I am relaxed.”

“You’re gripping my fingers hard enough to cut off circulation.”

I immediately loosened my hand. “Sorry.”

He looked down at our joined hands then back at me. “Don’t apologize.”

The car stopped. Adrian glanced through the window. “We’re here.”

My stomach tightened. Tonight was our first real test. Not his family.  his grandmother and a private dinner.

His company. Hundreds of people who knew him. People who knew I worked for him.

People who would immediately notice that the woman standing beside Adrian Hawthorne was his assistant.

The door opened. Adrian stepped out first then he turned and offered me his hand.

I stared at it. “Come on.”

I placed my hand in his. The cameras started almost immediately. Flash. Flash. Flash.

Someone shouted his name. Another person called mine. I instinctively moved closer to him.

Adrian’s hand settled around my waist and suddenly, I forgot how to breathe.

“Keep walking,” he whispered.

“You could have warned me.”

“I thought you could handle it.”

“I can.”

“Good.”

We entered the venue and the room changed. Conversations stopped.

People turned. Someone actually dropped a glass. I wanted the floor to open beneath me.

Daniel appeared almost immediately. He grinned.“Well, this is going to be entertaining.”

Adrian gave him a warning look. Daniel ignored it. “Congratulations, brother. You managed to shock an entire company without announcing a new acquisition.”

“Daniel.”

“What?”

“Go away.”

Daniel laughed. He looked at me. “Don’t worry. He’s always this charming.”

I smiled. “I’m beginning to notice.”

Adrian’s eyebrows lifted.

Daniel laughed harder. “She’s good.”

Then he disappeared into the crowd. I released a breath. “Your family is strange.”

“You haven’t met my family yet.”

That did not make me feel better.We moved through the room.Everywhere we went, people smiled at Adrian and then looked at me.

Some whispered. Some didn’t bother whispering. “That’s his assistant, right?”

“I thought he didn’t date employees.”

“How long has this been happening?”

“Maybe she’s just another arrangement.”

My smile weakened. Adrian heard the last comment. He stopped.

The man who had said it immediately looked uncomfortable.

Adrian’s voice was calm. Too calm. “If you have something to say about my relationship, say it to me.”

The man swallowed. “I didn’t mean.”

“I know exactly what you meant.”

I touched Adrian’s arm. “It’s fine.”

He looked at me. “No, it isn’t.”

I shook my head slightly. “Please.”

He held my gaze for another second before turning away. That tiny gesture surprised me.

He had listened to me.Not because I was his assistant but because I had asked him to. We continued walking.

“You didn’t have to do that,” I whispered.

“Yes, I did.”

“Why?”

His eyes moved toward the crowd. “Because you’re with me.”

My heart gave an uncomfortable little jump. I reminded myself it was acting. Nothing more.

The real test came an hour later. We were speaking with several executives when Victor Hale approached.

I knew him. Everyone at Hawthorne International knew him. Senior executive.

Twenty years with the company. The kind of man who could make junior employees nervous simply by looking at them.

He shook Adrian’s hand then he looked at me.“Miss?”

“Adriana.”

“Of course.”

His eyes moved between us. “So this is the famous girlfriend.”

Adrian’s hand tightened slightly around mine. Victor smiled. “Forgive me. I’m simply surprised.”

“Why?” I asked.

He raised an eyebrow. “You’ve worked for Adrian for two years.”

“Yes.”

“And now you’re dating him.”

“Yes.”

“That seems convenient.”

The words hit harder than I expected. My smile disappeared. Adrian stepped forward.

“Victor.”

But I stopped him. “No.”

He looked at me. I turned back to Victor. “You’re right.”

Victor seemed surprised.

I continued. “It is convenient.”

Adrian stared at me. “So convenient,” I said, “that I know exactly when Adrian is lying, when he’s angry, when he’s about to cancel a meeting, and when he hasn’t eaten all day.”

Victor’s lips twitched.

I continued. “But if you’re asking whether I’m with him because of his position, then you should probably ask him why he chose me.”

Silence. Everyone nearby suddenly seemed very interested in their drinks.

Victor looked at Adrian. Adrian didn’t hesitate.

“Because she is the only person in this building who isn’t afraid to tell me when I’m being an idiot.”

Daniel, standing several feet away, nearly choked. Victor laughed.

“Well.”

He looked at me again. “I suppose that answers my question.”

He extended his hand. “Welcome to the family.”

I shook it. “Thank you.”

When he walked away, I released the breath I’d been holding.

Adrian leaned toward me. “That was impressive.”

“I was terrified.”

“You didn’t look terrified.”

“I was.”

His mouth curved slightly. “You hid it well.”

I looked at him. “You looked angry.”

“I was.”

“Why?”

He didn’t answer immediately then he said, “I didn’t like the way he spoke to you.”

My heart skipped again. Before I could respond, someone called his name.

He turned. I expected him to leave. Instead, he looked back at me. “Stay close.”

I nodded and for the rest of the evening, he kept finding his way back to me.

After every conversation. every handshake. After every meeting.

His eyes always searched for me and every time he found me, his shoulders relaxed.

At some point, I realized something terrifying. Adrian wasn’t pretending anymore.Not completely.

Near the end of the evening, we stepped outside for some air. The noise faded behind us.

I leaned against the railing. “That wasn’t as terrible as I expected.”

Adrian stood beside me. “You did well.”

“You sound surprised.”

“I am.”

I laughed. He looked at me. Really looked at me then he smiled.

Not the controlled expression he gave executives. Not the cold CEO smile. A real one. Warm.Brief but real.

“You know,” he said, “I actually enjoyed tonight.”

I looked at him. “Because of the event?”

He shook his head. “Because you were here.”

My smile faded. For one second, neither of us moved then a camera flashed from across the street.

I turned. “What was that?”

Adrian’s expression changed instantly. “Stay here.”

He walked toward the street. The person holding the camera disappeared behind a parked vehicle.

Adrian’s security team rushed outside but whoever had taken the photograph was already gone.

Across the city, a phone vibrated. Evelyn picked it up. An unfamiliar number had sent her one photograph.

She opened it. Adrian stood beside a me. His hand was around my waist.

I was smiling up at him. Evelyn’s smile vanished. She zoomed in. “Adriana.”

She knew exactly who I was. She had seen my name before. Adrian’s assistant.

The woman who had suddenly become his girlfriend. Evelyn opened another screen then another.

“Let’s see who you really are.”

She began typing. Within minutes, she had requested Adriana’s employment records, financial history, and personal information.

Then she stopped. A single number caught her attention. Evelyn leaned closer.

Her eyes narrowed. “Seventy-eight thousand dollars?” A slow smile returned to her face. “So that’s why.”

She picked up her phone. “Find out everything.”

Somewhere in the city, someone began digging into every weakness i had spent years trying to hide.