Chapter 6: Adrian and I are friends

Chapter 6: Adrian and I are friends

Emily

I walked through the corridors of my apartment with bags and bags of new clothes and shoes, my arms slightly sore from the weight of them my mind was not here though, it was somewhere else entirely, tangled up in thoughts of Cynthia and Adrian, should I even call him Adrian or my boss? The question lingered longer than it should have, I shook my head as if that would clear it, but it did nothing.

What did Miss Veronica mean when she said she was after Adrian? Are they dating? No, she said she was after him, and that means Cynthia is actively going after Adrian, why did I not know about this? the thought sat heavily in my chest

I was confused because I thought we were best friends, and best friends were supposed to know everything about each other, yet here I was, finding out today that there was a man she liked, and now that man was my boss, and not just any boss.

I am Adrian Kingsley’s secretary

Not just any secretary

I will be beside this man for almost twenty four hours a day, and I will only get rest after he rests, does she understand that I will be beside him every day, all day? When she referred me to that company, was she aware that I could actually get the job and not get humiliated the way she probably thought I would?

Well, technically, I was humiliated… just not as much as expected, I sighed as I got to my door and opened it, walking in and trying to take my mind off her and Adrian, but that peace did not last long

“Emily!”

I froze slightly at the sound of her voice, then slowly turned my head to the left and sighed in annoyance, what does she want? She walked up to my door, her eyes immediately scanning me before dropping to the bags beside me, her expression tightened as she folded her arms.

“You have been avoiding me the whole day,” she said.

I just looked at her, my face unreadable,was she even aware that I was tired? Today was my first day walking around in high heels almost the entire day, and it had been a while since I had worn that kind of shoe. My feet were aching, my body felt heavy, and yet here she was, starting something.

“I was busy.”

She pushed past me, her shoulder bumping into mine, and one of my bags slipped from my hand and fell to the floor, I let out a small chuckle, though there was no humor in it, and dropped the rest of the bags myself before closing the door, I turned to look at her, my expression calm but my eyes sharp

“When were you going to tell me about Adrian?” I asked.

I bent down, picked up my bags again, and walked barefoot to the bed, placing them down neatly, she went quiet for a moment, then let out a nervous chuckle.

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

I shook my head slowly

“I saw you getting out of Adrian’s office today, remember?”

She swallowed, her throat moving slightly, and I smiled, though there was nothing sweet about it.

“Adrian and I are friends, nothing much,” she replied.

I nodded as if I understood, even though something in me refused to believe her.

“Mmmh, I did not know,” I said.

She huffed and folded her arms again, clearly annoyed.

“Why am I even answering to you? I am mad because you ignored me the whole day.”

I raised one eyebrow slightly.

“I was busy,” I repeated.

She watched me as I slowly took out my clothes, folding them piece by piece with careful, deliberate movements. I could feel her eyes on me.

“Where did you get those?” she asked, stepping closer.

“Oh, these?” I said lightly. “Adrian bought them for me.”

I smiled as I looked directly at her face, watching every little change in her expression, ever since I had that conversation with Miss Veronica, I had started looking at Cynthia more carefully, I did not know if I was being paranoid or not, but every time I thought about why Veronica would lie to me, I came up with nothing

I could be looking for something that was not there and potentially ruin my friendship over nothing, but I could not shake off the feeling.

“Adrian bought them for you?” she asked, her eyes widening.

I nodded.

“He said he cannot have a secretary looking as poor as I do, so he decided to upgrade my wardrobe,” I said casually.

“Was He with you? Did he choose everything for you?” she asked quickly, almost too quickly, I almost nodded to see her reaction but I didn't

I shook my head, still smiling.

“No, I was with Miss Veronica.” she nodded slowly, like she was processing something, thinking deeply, then she turned and walked toward the door

“Leaving already?” I asked.

She paused and glanced back at me.

“I have an early day tomorrow morning.”

Then she walked out.

The door closed behind her, and I let out a quiet chuckle.

“Yeah right, busy day spending Daddy’s money,” I muttered under my breath.

My eyes widened instantly.

Did I just say that?

__

Cynthia

I stood outside her door after I closed it, staring at it for a moment longer than necessary, my thoughts spinning, what is going on?why does she seem so different?

She felt… cold, distant.

That was not the Emily I knew.

Shaking my head, I pulled out my phone and started walking out of the building, I dialed his number, he answered after the seventh ring... I had counted.

“Adrian, baby,” I said softly, already pouting, I heard him sigh on the other side, and the sound alone made something in my chest tighten.

“How many numbers should I block before you leave me alone?”

His tone was cold, irritated, and it stung more than I wanted to admit, It hurt my feelings, but I was not about to give up.

“Even if you change it, I will find the new number, are you at home? We need to talk.”

There was no answer, he dropped the call?

I let out a soft chuckle and got into my designated car.

“John, please drive to the Kingsley estate.”

He nodded and started driving, I leaned back against the seat, staring ahead as my thoughts grew louder,does Adrian not understand that he and I are meant to be together?

And yet, I felt it creeping in… insecurity.

Emily is beautiful,truly beautiful.

Even without makeup, she has that kind of face people turn to look at twice and I have spent years making sure she never realizes that... Years carefully, subtly, making sure she stayed just a little unsure of herself.

I have spent years sabotaging her success, today, she could have been a successful model or an actress,but I was there, in n the way.

A small smile formed on my lips at the thought, but it quickly faded when another thought replaced it.

She will be working closely with Adrian now,that alone made my chest tighten, I am still hitting myself for suggesting that job for her, because I can feel it, deep in my bones, something shifting, something dangerous.

Things are about to get very nasty from now on

The car slowly came to a stop.

“Miss, we have arrived.”

I looked up

The Kingsley estate stood in front of me, tall and imposing,my heart started beating faster as I stepped out of the car,I walked toward the entrance, my heels clicking against the ground, each step filled with determination

But just as I reached the door, it suddenly opened.

And the moment I saw who was standing there…

My entire body went still.

My breath caught in my throat, my fingers curling slightly at my sides.

No…

That was not possible.