Chapter Five: The Woman He Was Supposed to Marry

The room fell into complete silence.

Zara looked from the furious man to Adrian, convinced she had misheard him.

"Engagement?" she asked quietly.

The older man let out a bitter laugh.

"So she doesn't even know."

Adrian's face remained unreadable.

"Mr. Harrington, this is neither the time nor the place."

"The time?" the man snapped. "You've embarrassed my family in front of the board, and you're talking about timing?"

Zara took a small step backward.

"I think I should leave."

"No," Adrian said firmly.

Both men turned toward her.

She swallowed.

"I really don't think I should be here."

Mr. Harrington scoffed.

"Smart girl."

He adjusted his expensive suit before pointing a finger at Adrian.

"My daughter has stood by you for three years."

"I never asked her to."

"You accepted the engagement."

"I accepted a business arrangement."

"There is no difference."

"There is to me."

The tension between them was almost unbearable.

Zara had never felt more out of place.

She was supposed to be at a job interview.

Instead, she had somehow become an unwilling witness to a family argument she didn't understand.

Mr. Harrington turned to her again.

"What did he promise you?"

She blinked.

"Excuse me?"

"Money?"

She frowned.

"No."

"A luxury apartment?"

"No."

"A fancy title in this company?"

"I just met him yesterday."

The older man's eyes narrowed as if trying to decide whether she was lying.

"You expect me to believe that?"

"I don't care what you believe."

The words escaped before Zara could stop them.

The office went quiet again.

Even Adrian looked slightly surprised.

Mr. Harrington laughed once.

"You've got courage."

"My mother calls it a bad habit."

A tiny smile tugged at Adrian's lips before disappearing.

Mr. Harrington noticed.

His expression darkened immediately.

"You smiled."

Adrian looked at him calmly.

"So?"

"You haven't smiled in months."

"I'm busy."

"No."

The older man shook his head.

"You're changing."

"I think we're done here."

Mr. Harrington stared at him for several seconds.

"This isn't over."

He turned and walked out, slamming the office door so hard the glass walls rattled.

Silence returned.

Zara let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.

"I'm sorry," Adrian said.

Her eyebrows lifted.

"You... apologized?"

"I don't usually allow people to interrupt meetings."

She chuckled softly.

"I've had a strange twenty-four hours."

"So have I."

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Zara placed the envelope containing the cheque back on Adrian's desk.

"I still can't accept this."

"It's your salary advance."

"I haven't earned it."

"You will."

She folded her arms.

"What if I fail?"

"I don't hire people I expect to fail."

She looked at him carefully.

"You're very confident."

"So I've been told."

"And very stubborn."

"I've also been told that."

She smiled despite herself.

A knock sounded on the door.

Evelyn entered with a tablet in her hand.

"Sir, the emergency board meeting starts in five minutes."

"I'll be there."

She glanced briefly at Zara.

"The board members are asking about the new assistant."

"They can wait."

Evelyn nodded, though she looked unconvinced.

After she left, Adrian picked up a folder from his desk.

"Before you make your decision, there's something you should know."

He handed it to her.

Inside were documents describing the responsibilities of an executive assistant.

Meeting schedules.

Travel arrangements.

Confidential reports.

Emails.

Phone calls.

Her eyes grew wider with every page.

"This is... a lot."

"It is."

"I've never done any of this."

"You'll be trained."

She closed the folder.

"I still think there are hundreds of people more qualified than me."

"There are."

That answer caught her off guard.

"But qualifications aren't everything."

She tilted her head.

"What do you mean?"

"I've hired qualified people before."

"And?"

"They lied."

The simple sentence carried more weight than she expected.

"They told me what I wanted to hear."

"You don't want that?"

"I want someone who'll tell me when I'm wrong."

Zara laughed.

"That might happen more often than you think."

"I was hoping it would."

For the first time since entering the office, she felt herself relaxing.

Maybe he wasn't as intimidating as everyone claimed.

Maybe...

Her thoughts were interrupted by her growling stomach.

Heat rushed to her cheeks.

"Oh my goodness."

She quickly looked away, embarrassed.

Adrian pretended not to notice.

"When was the last time you ate?"

"I'm fine."

"That wasn't my question."

She hesitated.

"This morning."

"What did you have?"

"...Tea."

"And?"

She looked at the floor.

"Just tea."

He sighed almost silently before pressing a button on his desk.

A few seconds later, Evelyn answered through the intercom.

"Yes, sir?"

"Please have lunch sent to my office."

"Right away."

Zara immediately shook her head.

"Please don't."

"You don't like food?"

"I do."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I don't like people spending money on me."

"It's company lunch."

"I'm not company yet."

"You are if you accept."

She couldn't argue with that.

Twenty minutes later, lunch arrived.

The aroma filled the office.

Her stomach betrayed her again.

Adrian looked away to hide a smile.

"You can stop pretending now."

"I'm not pretending."

"You've been looking at the food for the last three minutes."

"I have not."

"You have."

She sighed dramatically.

"Fine."

He gestured toward the table.

"Ladies first."

She took a cautious bite.

It was probably the best meal she'd had in weeks.

She didn't even realize how hungry she was until then.

Halfway through the meal, Adrian's phone rang.

He answered immediately.

"Knight."

His expression changed within seconds.

He stood up.

"What do you mean she's gone?"

...

"When did she leave the hospital?"

...

"No, don't call the police yet."

Zara stopped eating.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

Adrian slowly lowered the phone.

The color had drained from his face.

"What happened?" she asked carefully.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

Then he looked directly at her.

"My grandmother disappeared from the hospital an hour ago."

Before Zara could respond, Evelyn burst into the office, panic written all over her face.

"Sir..."

She struggled to catch her breath.

"We've just received a call."

Adrian's voice turned cold.

"From who?"

Evelyn swallowed hard.

"The caller said..."

She looked nervously at Zara before finishing.

"...they'll only return your grandmother if you do exactly what they ask."