A Test of Their Love

Chloe and Adrian arrived at their destination. It was his grandfather's house.

"Maybe I should have taken something to calm my nerves," Chloe murmured as she stepped onto the grounds.

"Are you nervous?" Adrian asked. "Didn't you say you had this under control?"

"Mr. Ethan said your grandfather is a very scary, very strict person." Chloe swallowed. "If he finds out we're lying to him..."

"If you're scared," Adrian said, "then while we're inside, try to love me for real."

"What?" Chloe stared at him, stunned.

"Let's go," Adrian said.

They stepped inside. Adrian's grandfather was already seated, rubbing his hands together like some kind of mafia boss.

"Hey!" Adrian greeted him.

"Ms. Stephanie!" the old man exclaimed, turning to a servant standing nearby. "You are as beautiful as I imagined."

"Not her. Her," Adrian corrected, looking at Chloe, who was standing behind him.

Adrian had no idea that Stephanie wasn't her real name. She was Chloe, an employee of his own company.

"What?" His grandfather looked stunned. "Oh, my!"

"Nice to meet you, sir," Chloe said.

They both laughed awkwardly. Chloe had never been so nervous in her life.

The old man invited them into the dining room for a meal, and as they ate, he began asking questions.

"You said you majored in art in New Zealand?" he asked Chloe.

"Oh, yes, sir," she answered with a smile.

"I suppose that's why you seem so unique," he said, complimenting her.

Chloe froze before a loud, awkward laugh burst out of her.

Since I'm meeting the chairman, I put on a lot of makeup so I wouldn't be recognized.

The thought made her laugh even harder.

She quickly pulled herself together and pushed a dish toward him.

"Try this, sir. They say potatoes are good for people with hypertension. Adrian told me about yours."

She was doing her best to play her role.

"I have diabetes, too," the old man said. "Bland vegetables like these are probably better than anything cooked to be all sweet and salty, right?"

"Ah, indeed. Eating habits are important, but it's even better to combine them with exercise," Chloe replied, trying to recover from her earlier comment.

She began touching Adrian lightly, resting her hand on his arm and occasionally adjusting his sleeve, putting on a convincing show of affection for his grandfather's benefit. She even tried to feed him, lifting the food straight to his mouth.

Adrian glanced at her, slightly surprised by her sudden affection, but played along.

"Ms. Stephanie," the old man called.

"Yes, sir?" Chloe replied.

She had not given them her real name, and she meant to keep it that way. Stephanie would carry the lie for her.

"Do you love Adrian?"

Silence fell over the room. Adrian looked at Chloe, and Chloe stared back at him.

"Of course!" she said, with all the passion she could gather. "I'm dating him because I love him."

"Then why did you break up?"

It was a tricky question, and the old man had asked it plainly.

"That's..." Chloe glanced at Adrian because she had no idea what to say.

"Grandfather, you can't just ask something like that so directly," Adrian said, stepping in.

"I'm asking because I need to know, you rascal." His grandfather turned to Chloe. "Come on. Answer me."

"Well..." Chloe searched for the right words. "I thought he cared about work more than he cared about me."

"Adrian is someone who knows nothing besides work," the old man said. "That won't change in the future, either. Are you all right with that? Because you will keep fighting about it."

"Don't worry, sir." Chloe held his gaze. "When we talked things over this time, I decided that I would understand that Adrian puts work above everything else. He's crazy about his work. And after I told him, 'Let's break up,' I ignored all his calls. But he canceled an important meeting and ran over to see me."

"Is that true, Adrian?" his grandfather asked.

"Let's eat first and discuss that later," Adrian said. "The food is getting cold."

"What? Oh, right. Let's eat."

The dinner continued, and Chloe did her best to impress the old man. Despite her nervousness, she managed to keep up the act until the meal was over.

When it was finally time to leave, they exchanged their goodbyes and headed out.