THE QUESTIONS WE COULDN'T ANSWER
936 Words
By Monday morning, everyone knew.
Not about the contract.
About the engagement.
Maya stared at her phone as another notification appeared on her screen.
A photograph of her and Adrian from the charity event had made its way onto several business and entertainment pages.
VALE INTERNATIONAL CEO ADRIAN VALE ENGAGED?
The headline made her sigh.
She had known this would happen eventually, but seeing her face beside Adrian's still felt strange.
Her phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Maya?” her mother's voice came through immediately. “Are you going to explain what I just saw online?”
Maya closed her eyes.
“It's complicated.”
“You're engaged to a man I have never heard you mention before, and you're telling me it's complicated?”
“I was going to tell you.”
“When?”
Maya glanced at the photograph again.
“I don't know.”
Her mother went quiet for a moment.
“Is he good to you?”
The question caught Maya off guard.
She looked toward the window.
Adrian had been distant when they first met. Cold. Controlling. Impossible to read.
But lately, things had changed.
“He's…different from what people think.”
“That wasn't my question.”
Maya smiled faintly.
“I know.”
Before she could say more, another call came through.
Adrian.
“I have to go. I'll call you later.”
She ended the call and answered his.
“Good morning.”
“We need to meet.”
Maya frowned.
“That sounds serious.”
“It is.”
“Did something happen?”
“The board wants us at the headquarters this afternoon.”
Her stomach tightened.
“Why?”
“They've seen the engagement announcement.”
Maya stared at the photograph again.
“And?”
“And now they have questions.”
---
Three hours later, Maya walked into Vale International beside Adrian.
The building seemed even more intimidating than usual.
People looked up as they passed.
Some smiled.
Others whispered.
Maya kept her expression calm.
“Everyone is staring,” she murmured.
“They'll get used to it.”
“You say that like you don't notice.”
“I notice everything.”
She looked at him.
“That's probably your problem.”
For the first time that morning, Adrian smiled.
It was brief, but real.
Then the elevator doors opened.
The smile disappeared.
The boardroom was already occupied.
Richard sat at the far end of the table, his expression unreadable.
“Maya,” he said. “Good to see you again.”
“Richard.”
His eyes moved between them.
“So it's true.”
Adrian took his seat.
“We've already announced the engagement.”
Richard leaned back.
“You understand why the board is interested?”
Maya remained standing for a moment before taking the seat beside Adrian.
“I assume because Adrian is the CEO.”
“Exactly.”
Richard folded his hands.
“Vale International is preparing for several major changes. Investors want stability. The family wants stability. And the board wants to know that Adrian's personal circumstances won't interfere with the company's future.”
Maya almost laughed.
“His personal circumstances?”
Richard looked at her.
“Marriage changes things.”
Adrian's voice was calm.
“Then you have nothing to worry about.”
Richard's gaze sharpened.
“We'll see.”
The meeting continued for nearly an hour.
Most of the questions were about the engagement, the wedding, and the public story they had created.
Eight months together.
A private relationship.
A decision to keep things away from the press.
Everything had been rehearsed.
Everything except one question.
“How did you meet?”
Maya looked at Adrian.
For half a second, neither of them answered.
Then Adrian reached beneath the table and briefly touched her hand.
“We met through mutual friends.”
Maya picked up immediately.
“And neither of us expected anything to come from it.”
Richard studied them.
“Interesting.”
Maya smiled politely.
“Is there a problem?”
“No.”
But his expression said otherwise.
---
That evening, Maya sat across from Adrian at a quiet restaurant in Midtown.
“You almost ruined everything today,” she said.
Adrian raised an eyebrow.
“I answered the question.”
“You forgot our story.”
“I didn't forget.”
“You hesitated.”
“So did you.”
Maya sighed.
“This is why we need to practice.”
“Practice?”
“Our story. We can't keep improvising.”
Adrian leaned back.
“You're taking this very seriously.”
“Because I don't want anyone discovering the truth.”
His expression changed slightly.
“Neither do I.”
For a moment, silence settled between them.
Then Adrian asked, “What do you actually want from this?”
Maya looked at him.
“The contract?”
“No. Your life.”
The question surprised her.
“My own career. My own money. My own choices.”
Adrian nodded.
“And after the contract?”
“I go back to my life.”
Something unreadable crossed his face.
“Of course.”
Maya noticed.
“Why did you ask?”
He looked away.
“I was curious.”
She didn't believe him.
But she didn't push.
Outside the restaurant, Manhattan moved around them in a blur of lights and traffic.
For the first time, Maya wondered whether the biggest problem with their arrangement wasn't convincing everyone else they were a couple.
Maybe it was convincing themselves that they weren't becoming one.
And neither of them was ready to admit it.
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