Chapter 18: Adrain
1241 Words
There was absolutely no reason for me to be smiling in the middle of a board meeting.Yet there I was.One of my executives was presenting quarterly projections, graphs filled the enormous screen behind him, and everyone around the table wore expressions of careful concentration.
I heard every word.
I understood every figure.
But somewhere in the back of my mind…
Jude.
Always Jude.
It had become a dangerous habit.
Not that I had any intention of breaking it.
“…and that’s why we recommend delaying the expansion until the fourth quarter.”
“Approved,” I answered automatically.
The room fell silent.
The presenter blinked.
“You… agree, sir?”
“I said approved.”
His shoulders visibly relaxed.
“Thank you, sir.”
The meeting resumed, but I barely noticed.
Instead, I glanced at my watch.
Half past eleven.
Jude was probably out of the theater by now.
Either reading a patient chart or doing rounds he’d insisted were “far superior” to my business board meetings wandering through the hospital , stopping to look at every patient of his as if he’d never seen one before.
The thought alone tugged a smile from me.
I had built companies worth fortunes.
Negotiated contracts that had taken months to finalise.
Faced competitors who thought they could outmanoeuvre me.
None of those victories compared to hearing Jude laugh.
That laugh…
It had become my favourite sound.
I never grew tired of it.
Never would.
The meeting finally ended, and my assistant stepped into my office carrying a sleek black garment bag.
“It arrived this morning, sir.”
Perfect.
I stood and unzipped the cover carefully.
The charcoal suit inside was immaculate.
Every stitch had been hand-finished.
The fabric caught the light with understated elegance.
Exactly what I’d requested.
Beside it hung another garment bag.
Smaller.
More precious.
Jude’s.
My fingers brushed over the protective cover almost reverently.
I could already picture him wearing it.
The deep forest green would bring out the warmth in his eyes, while the tailored fit would make him look every bit as graceful as he naturally was.
The designer had done remarkable work.
Not that Jude needed expensive clothes to take my breath away.
He could have shown up wearing one of my oversized jumpers and I’d still spend the evening staring at him.
I closed my eyes for a brief moment.
God…
He was beautiful.
Not simply because of his face.
Although heaven certainly hadn’t been stingy there.
It was the kindness he carried without realising it.
The way he thanked every member of staff by name.
The way he smiled at children before they smiled at him.
The way he apologised to furniture whenever he accidentally bumped into it.
Who apologised to a coffee table?
Apparently Jude did.
I laughed quietly to myself.
How had one man become the centre of my entire world?
A knock interrupted my thoughts.
“The tailor requested confirmation that both suits should be delivered to the residence this afternoon.”
“Yes.”
I didn’t hesitate.
“Make sure they’re steamed before delivery.”
“Of course, sir.”
“And tell security to take them directly upstairs.”
“Right away.”
The assistant disappeared.
Once the door closed again, I reached for my phone.
I stared at Jude’s contact photo longer than I cared to admit.
It wasn’t even a particularly flattering picture.
His hair had been windswept.
He’d been laughing so hard his eyes were nearly closed.
I’d taken it during one of our walks.
It remained my favourite photograph.
I pressed call.
The phone rang twice.
“Hello?”
There it was.
That voice.
Warm enough to soften even the longest workday.
“Hello, sweetheart.”
A tiny laugh drifted through the speaker.
“You sound suspiciously cheerful.”
“I always sound cheerful when I’m calling you.”
“Liar.”
“I’ve never lied to you.”
“You once told me you weren’t buying dessert.”
“I wasn’t.”
“You came home with three cakes.”
“I was persuaded.”
“You walked into the bakery on purpose.”
“They were very persuasive cakes.”
His laughter filled the line.
I leaned back in my chair, closing my eyes just to enjoy it.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Reading charts .”
“In your office ?”
“…Maybe.”
“I knew it.”
“You couldn’t possibly know that.”
“I know you.”
There was a soft pause.
“You really do.”
“I wanted to remind you about tonight.”
“I haven’t forgotten.”
“I know.”
“But I wanted an excuse to hear your voice.”
Another silence.
Longer this time.
“You are unbelievably sweet,” he murmured.
“Only with you.”
My gaze drifted to the garment bags again.
“The suits will be delivered home this afternoon.”
“They’re finished already?”
“They’re perfect.”
“You’ve seen them?”
“I may have.”
“You definitely have.”
“I wanted to make sure everything was exactly right.”
“You didn’t have to do all that.”
“I wanted to.”
Because he deserved every thoughtful gesture.
Every kindness.
Every effort.
“I don’t care what I’m wearing,” Jude said softly.
“I just want to be there with you.”
My heart stumbled.
He said things like that so casually.
As if he had any idea what they did to me.
“As long as you’re beside me,” I replied, “the rest of the room disappears anyway.”
He laughed again.
“I think you’re biased.”
“I know I am.”
“I’ve never claimed otherwise.”
After another few minutes of teasing each other, we finally ended the call.
The office felt strangely quiet.
I looked out across the city through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Thousands of people moved below.
Each with their own lives.
Their own loves.
Their own dreams.
And somehow…
Mine had led me to Jude.
My omega.
Mine—not as something I owned, but as the person who had freely chosen to trust me with his heart.
The thought settled warmly in my chest.
I would spend the rest of my life earning that trust.
Protecting it.
Treasuring it.
Tonight, every eye in that ballroom would inevitably find him.
How could they not?
Jude had a quiet sort of beauty that drew people in without trying.
Some would admire him.
Some would envy me.
A small, undeniably possessive part of me already disliked the thought of strangers lingering too long.
Not because I doubted Jude.
Never him.
Because I knew what everyone else would see.
The gentle smile.
The quiet confidence he’d grown into.
The kindness that seemed to radiate from him.
They would notice what I’d fallen in love with.
And I’d have to resist the childish urge to slip an arm around his waist simply to remind the world that when the evening ended…
He would be coming home with me.
I smiled to myself.
Jealous?
Perhaps a little.
Hopelessly in love?
Without question.
I reached for my laptop, determined to finish the last of my work before the evening.
Because once I saw Jude in that suit…
I already knew I’d struggle to think about anything else.
- Writer
