Tangled in Secrets

Adrian and Chloe sat together in a restaurant, discussing when they would meet his grandfather again.

Adrian glanced at the calendar on his phone before placing it on the table.

"How about Saturday?" he suggested. "Grandfather has been asking when we'll visit again."

Chloe's expression changed immediately.

Saturday.

The company ceremony was scheduled for that same day, and attending it was already a problem for her. There was no way she could comfortably appear before Adrian's grandfather and risk being recognized by someone from the company.

She needed an excuse, and she needed one quickly.

"Saturday? I don't think I'll be available," she replied.

Adrian raised his eyes from the table. "Why?"

"I have something important to attend to."

"What could be more important than seeing my grandfather?"

Chloe hesitated. "Well, my friend has been asking me to accompany her somewhere. I promised her I'd go."

"Then tell her you have something else to do."

"That's not so easy. I already promised."

Adrian stared at her for a moment, studying her expression. He found it amusing how quickly she could come up with excuses whenever his grandfather was involved.

"Then Sunday?"

"Sunday might not work either."

"Why?"

"I might have to travel."

"Travel where?"

"Somewhere outside the city."

Adrian leaned back in his chair, clearly unimpressed by her excuses.

"Is there any day you're actually available?"

Chloe forced a smile. "Of course. We just need to find the right time."

"Well, that leaves me with no choice," Adrian said calmly, "but to ask you to pay the penalty f*e."

"What?" Chloe stared at him, shocked.

She had almost forgotten about the penalty clause in their agreement.

"Adrian, you can't be serious."

"Why wouldn't I be? It's written in our agreement."

"But I'm not refusing to meet your grandfather. I'm just saying the date isn't convenient."

"Then you should have thought about that before making the agreement."

Chloe pressed her lips together. She wanted to argue, but she knew he had a point. The agreement had been her idea too, and she had signed it without considering every possible complication.

Still, she couldn't afford to let him force her into a situation that might expose her identity.

"Can we at least discuss another date?" she asked.

Adrian picked up his glass and took a sip of water.

"We've discussed enough."

Before Chloe could come up with another argument, Adrian picked up his car keys and stood.

"Wait. Where are you going?"

"Since we're done here, I have other things to attend to."

He didn't wait for her response. He walked out of the restaurant and drove off, leaving Chloe sitting there with a frustrated expression.

She watched his car disappear before letting out a long sigh.

"Unbelievable," she muttered.

She picked up her phone immediately and called Aria.

"Hello? What's wrong?" Aria asked when she answered.

"Adrian is trying to ruin my life!"

"What happened this time?"

Chloe explained everything, including the penalty f*e Adrian had threatened to make her pay.

"Wait, he actually expects you to pay that much money?" Aria asked.

"Yes! And he just walked away as if he hadn't said anything."

"Okay, calm down. Let's meet and talk about it."

"Where?"

"Somewhere we can sit down and figure out what to do."

After ending the call, they agreed to meet at a nearby bar.

Chloe arrived before Aria and settled at a table in the corner. She ordered a drink but barely touched it. Her thoughts were too occupied with the penalty f*e and the possibility of being forced to attend the company ceremony.

She checked her phone again, hoping Adrian might have sent a message. There was nothing.

"Of course," she muttered, dropping the phone onto the table.

A few minutes later, Aria arrived. She approached the table, pulled out a chair, and sat opposite her.

"How are you holding up?"

Chloe sighed. "Do I look like someone who's holding up well?"

Aria studied her friend's face. She could tell how worried Chloe was, and a pang of pity crossed her expression.

Without saying much, she reached into her bag and pulled out an envelope. There was money inside.

"It's not much, but use it to pay the penalty f*e. It's all I have," Aria said, holding the envelope out to her.

Chloe looked at the envelope before taking it.

She opened it and glanced at the money inside. A tight smile appeared on her face.

"It really isn't much," she said.

Then her smile disappeared.

"This won't even make a dent."

She pressed a hand against her forehead, trying to contain her frustration.

Aria lowered her eyes.

"I'm sorry. But I don't have enough money, not since I left my dad's place," she explained. "It's really tough living on just my salary. Rent, utility bills, miscellaneous expenses. And why is the maintenance f*e so expensive?"

Chloe looked at her in disbelief.

"You think I have time to listen to a rich girl complain about her life?" she snapped.

Aria frowned slightly. "I'm only explaining why I can't give you more."

"I know, but what am I supposed to do with this?" Chloe asked, lifting the envelope. "Adrian isn't going to accept this as payment."

Aria sighed. "I wish I could help you with the entire amount."

Chloe's frustration began to show on her face.

"What do I do? If I go to the ceremony like this and somebody recognizes me, it's completely over for me."

The thought became too overwhelming, and tears began gathering in her eyes. She covered her face, unable to hold them back any longer.

"Hey, calm down."

Aria reached across the table and gently took her hand.

"I know you're worried, but how would they recognize you? Stephanie and Chloe are two totally different people. You look different when you're dressed up as Stephanie. I bet nobody will recognize you."

Chloe wiped her eyes.

"You think so?"

Aria nodded firmly.

"Of course. You're worrying too much. Besides, you don't even know if anyone will be paying that much attention to you."

Chloe looked down at the envelope again.

"I just hope you're right."

"Don't worry. We'll figure something out."

Chloe gave a small nod, trying to regain her composure.

After a while, the two friends finished their drinks and gathered their belongings. Aria insisted that Chloe come back to her apartment so they could relax and eat something.

Meanwhile, Adrian was at Ethan's house, keeping himself busy with chores.

He had been moving things around and attending to little tasks, anything that could help him take his mind off work.

Unfortunately, it wasn't working.

The thought of Chloe pretending to be Stephanie kept returning to his mind.

"So now she's lying about her company going bankrupt?" he muttered to himself. "My goodness."

He shook his head, still finding the situation difficult to believe.

He couldn't understand why Chloe had gone to such lengths to create an entirely different identity. What exactly was she trying to hide?

He leaned against the kitchen counter, lost in thought.

Ethan came out of the shower, drying his hair with a towel. He walked straight towards Adrian.

"Are you hungry? Should I order some food?"

"It's fine," Adrian replied.

His attention had shifted to a pile of packages on the floor.

"Why are there so many packages?"

"Just leave them," Ethan answered casually.

But Adrian was already walking towards them.

He glanced over the labels until one particular name caught his attention.

Aria Stone.

"Aria?"

Ethan immediately realized where Adrian's eyes had landed. He rushed over, intending to take the package, but Adrian had already noticed the name.

A small smile appeared on his face.

"Is this the Aria I know?"

Ethan went quiet.

For a moment, he simply lowered his head, wondering how to explain the situation.

"Well..." he began. "I missed the right time to tell you. But yes. The one who moved in next door is Aria."

Adrian raised an eyebrow.

"Aria Stone lives next door to you?"

"Yes."

"And you didn't think that was worth mentioning?"

Ethan scratched the back of his neck.

"I was going to tell you eventually."

Adrian gave him a knowing look but said nothing more. He simply turned away, leaving Ethan to deal with the package.

Ethan watched him for a moment before picking up the package.

He had a feeling that his explanation wasn't going to be the end of the matter.

Meanwhile, Aria and Chloe were walking towards the apartment building. Aria carried a plastic bag containing the drinks and food they had ordered.

Chloe glanced at the bag before looking at the building.

"Did we seriously need to drink at your place?" she asked, covering her face with one hand. "What if we run into Mr. Ethan?"

"That's why we're taking the stairs," Aria replied.

"That doesn't make me feel any better."

"There's no reason for you to be scared. Besides, right now, who are you?"

Chloe looked at her, confused.

"Chloe?"

Aria gave her a look.

"You're Stephanie. He thinks Stephanie is my friend. It's okay. Let's go."

She took the lead and guided Chloe towards the stairs.

Chloe followed reluctantly, hoping they wouldn't encounter anyone along the way.

Unfortunately, luck didn't seem to be on their side that day.

Just as they reached Aria's apartment, they spotted Ethan standing by her door. He was knocking with a package in his hand.

Chloe stopped immediately.

"Mr. Ethan?" Aria called.

The moment Chloe heard his name, she turned and hurried down the back stairs to hide.

Aria watched her disappear before turning her attention to Ethan.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

Ethan held up the package.

"Your package was delivered to my unit."

Aria looked at it, surprised.

"What? Why would my package be delivered to your place? Did the delivery man make a mistake?"

"No. You did. Look at the address."

Aria took the package and examined the label. Her eyes widened slightly when she noticed the mistake.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

Ethan sighed.

"Put in the correct address next time. It'll save everyone the trouble."

"Alright. Thank you for bringing it."

Ethan gave a small nod before turning and walking back towards his own apartment.

Aria waited until he had disappeared before pulling out her phone.

She immediately called Chloe.

"Come inside. Fast."