THE ENGAGEMENT
842 Words
Three weeks.
That was all the time Maya had to get used to the idea that she was going to become Mrs. Vale.
She still couldn't say it without feeling strange.
At work, things had become even stranger.
People watched her.
Some congratulated her.
Others whispered whenever she walked past.
Maya tried to ignore all of it.
She had a job to do.
The Manhattan project wasn't going to investigate itself.
She sat at her desk reviewing the latest financial reports when Adrian appeared beside her.
“Still working?”
She looked up.
“Unlike some people.”
“I've been in meetings since seven.”
“Poor CEO.”
He gave her a look.
“Come with me.”
“Where?”
“Lunch.”
“I have work.”
“So do I.”
“Then why are we going to lunch?”
“Because my fiancée is apparently supposed to eat.”
Maya stared at him.
“You're becoming annoying.”
“I've always been annoying.”
She smiled.
“Fair.”
---
The restaurant was quiet and elegant.
Maya looked around.
“Do we really need to do this?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“People need to see us together.”
She sighed.
“Right. The secret relationship.”
Adrian looked at her.
“Exactly.”
Their food arrived.
For several minutes, they ate quietly.
Then Adrian asked, “What do you actually want?”
Maya looked up.
“What do you mean?”
“After all this.”
She thought about it.
“My own business.”
“What kind?”
“Marketing and communications.”
Adrian nodded.
“You've mentioned it before.”
“You remembered?”
“Yes.”
She smiled slightly.
“I'm surprised.”
“Why?”
“You don't seem like someone who listens.”
“I listen when it's important.”
Maya lowered her eyes.
For some reason, that answer made her uncomfortable.
She changed the subject.
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“What did you want before Vale International?”
Adrian was quiet.
“No idea.”
“You never had a dream?”
“I had one.”
“What was it?”
He looked out the window.
“To build something my own way.”
Maya studied him.
“You did.”
“Not completely.”
“Why?”
“Because sometimes owning something isn't the same as controlling it.”
She didn't ask him to explain.
She understood enough.
---
After lunch, they returned to the office.
Maya went back to the Manhattan project.
She noticed something strange almost immediately.
A payment she'd flagged two weeks earlier had been corrected.
The suspicious supplier account was no longer showing the unusual transaction.
She frowned.
Someone had changed the records.
Again.
She checked the access history.
Her eyes narrowed.
The changes had been made by someone from the finance department.
But she couldn't tell who.
She printed the report.
Then Adrian appeared.
“What happened?”
She handed him the papers.
“Someone changed the records.”
His expression hardened.
“When?”
“Last night.”
“Can you trace it?”
“Not yet.”
He looked at her.
“Don't investigate this alone.”
Maya frowned.
“I can handle it.”
“I know.”
“Then why—”
“Because I don't want you taking unnecessary risks.”
She went quiet.
There was something different in his voice.
It wasn't the CEO speaking to an employee.
It was Adrian speaking to her.
Maya looked away.
“Fine.”
He took the papers.
“We'll look at it together.”
---
That evening, they attended a charity event.
Maya wore a simple black dress.
Adrian wore a dark suit.
The moment they entered, cameras turned toward them.
Adrian offered his arm.
Maya took it.
“Remember,” he whispered.
“Smile?”
“Exactly.”
She smiled.
He leaned closer.
“You look beautiful.”
Maya froze for half a second.
That wasn't in the script.
She looked at him.
“Was that necessary?”
“No.”
“Then why say it?”
Adrian's eyes remained on hers.
“I don't know.”
Before she could respond, someone called his name.
They turned toward the cameras.
Maya smiled again.
But this time, she couldn't stop thinking about what he'd said.
---
Later that night, they stood outside the venue.
The cameras were gone.
The crowd had disappeared.
For a moment, it was just the two of them.
Adrian looked at her.
“You okay?”
“Yes.”
“You've been quiet.”
“Just tired.”
He nodded.
Then he held out his hand.
“Come on.”
Maya looked at it.
“Where?”
“Home.”
She hesitated.
Then took his hand.
Neither of them noticed the photographer across the street.
He lifted his camera.
Captured the moment.
And smiled.
Because the photograph didn't look like a contract.
It looked like love.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD