Memories of the past

Chapter 5

"What are you doing here?" I said, staring at him in shock.

"I remember you. And what do you mean by what am I doing here? This is my home," Adrian replied, standing there shirtless, just as surprised as I was.

I couldn't help but stare at his half-naked body, my face heating up. His chest was broad and muscular, his six-pack perfectly sculpted, veins running down his arms from his workout. My brain screamed for my eyes and legs to move, but they refused.

I finally gathered enough courage and turned away, burning with shame.

Beside me, Sisi’s mouth hung open, her eyes filled with obvious lust as she practically devoured Adrian with her gaze.

"What are you doing? Look away!" I whispered urgently.

"Huh? What? I mean... okay," she said, though she barely shifted her head.

I felt humiliated. Now the Clastus would think I had brought a shameless friend to disgrace us. But honestly, who could blame Sisi? Adrian was... breathtaking.

"Excuse me," Adrian said simply, walking upstairs.

"It’s okay, Camila. It was just a misunderstanding," Mrs. Miranda said warmly, smiling at me.

I nodded silently, while Sisi kept watching Adrian’s retreating figure like she was under a spell.

"Looks like you were prepared for our arrival," Grandpa said, laughing as he gestured toward the long dining table, which was filled with foods I'd only seen celebrities eat on TV.

"Please, let’s eat," Mr. Clastu said, motioning to the seats.

Adrian eventually returned, now wearing a tight black shirt that somehow made him even harder to look away from.

"Are you sure you don’t want to marry him, Camila?" Sisi whispered to me as we ate. "He’s gorgeous. And rich."

"Stop it, Sisi," I whispered back, embarrassed.

"You know," Mrs. Miranda said suddenly, smiling mischievously, "I’d love to get to know you better, Sisi."

She gave a secret wink to Grandpa and Mr. Clastu, signaling them to leave me and Adrian alone.

Sisi beamed and accepted eagerly, clearly thrilled to be liked.

I tried to intervene, but Adrian didn’t seem bothered at all.

I snuck a glance at him as he ate.

"Do you want something?" he asked, finally turning his gaze to me.

"Oh, um... well, boss, I—"

"First of all, don’t call me boss when we’re not at work," he said sharply, though not unkindly.

"Okay... sir," I murmured, staring at my lap, feeling small.

Suddenly his expression softened.

"You really didn’t recognize me until now, huh?" he asked, his voice gentle.

"Well, when I looked into your eyes, I felt like I knew you," I admitted, carefully choosing my words. "But... you were my busy boss. I didn’t think you'd notice a hardworking staff member like me, let alone remember me."

He smiled faintly.

"You haven't changed at all," he said quietly, standing and reaching for my hand. "Come with me, Camila."

His hand was firm and rough, but somehow so warm. Without thinking, I clung tighter as he led me to a room.

"Not even my brother has entered my room before," he said, letting go of my hand. "Look around."

I walked slowly, taking everything in, until I spotted a small picture frame on his bedside table.

I picked it up, and a wave of memories rushed over me: two children smiling, laughing together...

And then the memory of my parents’ funeral hit me like a tidal wave.

"The one day I needed you most, you left, Adrian," I whispered, tears falling freely. "I cried twice that day. I called and called, hoping even if my parents were gone, you’d still come. You promised you'd be there."

I clutched the photo tightly.

Adrian moved closer, pinning me gently against the wall, his face mere inches from mine.

"I never left by choice, Camila," he said, his voice raw. "I tried to come back. I even snuck onto a plane, but my grandfather bought the whole airport just to drag me back. I tried, Camila. I tried everything."

His forehead rested lightly against mine.

"I've kept an eye on you all these years. That's why I hired you—so you could keep moving forward without me dragging you back to old memories."

I could hardly breathe. The boss I had worked for silently for months... was him.

Just as we were about to close the small space between us, Mrs. Miranda’s voice called out:

"Adrian, Camila! Come downstairs. Your brother is here!"

I quickly wiped my tears, muttered an apology, and rushed out of the room, leaving Adrian behind.