Chapter - 7 > The Scandal That Never Happened
1050 Words
The bell above the bakery door chimed once more.
Every customer inside Bennett's Bakery turned to look at Adrian.
There he stood—
No designer suit.
No luxury watch on display.
No bodyguards crowding the entrance.
Just a navy sweater, dark jeans, and an awkward expression that looked strangely... human.
Mrs. Henderson narrowed her eyes.
She whispered to Mr. Wilson, "I preferred him when he looked expensive."
Mr. Wilson chuckled.
"I don't."
"He finally looks like someone who knows what bread costs."
Across the room, Maya couldn't help smiling.
"What?"
Adrian asked.
"Nothing."
"No."
She folded her arms.
"You're... different."
"I changed my clothes."
"I noticed."
She tilted her head.
"You almost look approachable."
"Almost?"
"You still have that serious face."
"I've had this face since birth."
A little boy sitting by the window looked at Adrian carefully before raising his hand.
"Mister?"
Adrian crouched down to his eye level.
"Yes?"
"My grandma says people who never smile get wrinkles faster."
The bakery fell silent.
Then laughter exploded around the room.
Even Ethan, who had just walked in carrying his laptop bag, burst into laughter.
Adrian sighed dramatically.
"I walked into an ambush."
Maya walked behind the counter.
"So..."
"The usual?"
Adrian looked confused.
"The usual?"
"A black coffee."
"A blueberry muffin."
"And one argument."
Several customers laughed again.
"I'll take the coffee."
"The muffin?"
"...Fine."
"The argument?"
"I suppose that's unavoidable."
Maya smiled victoriously.
"See?"
"You're learning."
A few minutes later...
Adrian sat at his now unofficial regular table.
He watched Maya move effortlessly around the bakery.
She greeted every customer by name.
She remembered birthdays.
She slipped extra cookies into children's bags when their parents weren't looking.
When an elderly man quietly admitted he'd forgotten his wallet, Maya simply smiled.
"Pay me next time."
The man looked embarrassed.
"I insist."
She shook her head.
"I insist more."
He laughed.
"You're impossible."
"I've been told."
Adrian lowered his coffee cup.
He had seen billion-dollar negotiations.
Hostile takeovers.
Boardroom battles.
Yet somehow...
Watching Maya treat strangers with kindness felt more impressive.
Ethan sat across from him.
"You're staring again."
"I'm observing."
"Same thing."
"It isn't."
"It definitely is."
Adrian ignored him.
Instead, he noticed Maya struggling to lift a fifty-pound sack of flour.
Without thinking, he stood.
"I've got it."
Before Maya could protest, Adrian effortlessly carried the heavy sack into the kitchen.
She blinked.
"You know..."
"What?"
"Rich people usually pay someone else to do that."
"I'm capable."
"I never said you weren't."
She opened the storage room door.
"Thank you."
"It wasn't difficult."
She smiled.
"Still..."
"Thank you."
For a brief second...
Neither of them spoke.
Then...
A loud crash echoed behind them.
They turned.
A tray of freshly baked cookies had tipped over.
Golden cookies rolled across the kitchen floor.
Maya gasped dramatically.
"My children!"
She dropped to her knees, trying to save them.
Adrian looked at the scattered cookies.
Then...
Without hesitation...
The billionaire CEO of Knight Holdings also knelt on the kitchen floor.
Together, they chased runaway cookies beneath shelves and cabinets.
At that exact moment—
Click.
A camera shutter sounded from the half-open back door.
Neither of them noticed.
Outside...
A freelance paparazzo lowered his camera.
His eyes sparkled.
"Jackpot."
He quickly reviewed the photos.
One showed Adrian smiling.
Another showed him kneeling beside Maya.
One looked especially convincing—
Maya laughing while Adrian looked at her with unmistakable warmth.
Without wasting another second, the photographer emailed the images to several entertainment websites.
Two hours later...
Knight Holdings.
Ethan's phone began vibrating nonstop.
Then Adrian's.
Then the office landline.
Then the receptionist's extension.
Confused, Adrian answered his phone.
"Knight."
"Mr. Knight!"
It was the company's public relations director.
"We have a situation."
"What happened?"
"You're trending."
"I usually am."
"Not like this."
She paused dramatically.
"The internet thinks you're dating."
Adrian frowned.
"...Dating whom?"
Before she could answer, Ethan rushed into the office, holding up his tablet.
"You should probably see this."
The headline covered the screen.
BILLIONAIRE ADRIAN KNIGHT SECRETLY DATING A MYSTERY BAKER?
Below it...
Several photos.
Adrian carrying flour.
Adrian smiling.
Adrian kneeling beside Maya.
And the worst one—
Maya looking up at him while laughing.
The angle made them appear completely captivated by each other.
Ethan whistled.
"I'll admit..."
"It looks romantic."
Adrian pinched the bridge of his nose.
"It's completely innocent."
"Try explaining that to the internet."
His phone rang again.
This time...
His grandmother.
He answered reluctantly.
"...Hello?"
Her cheerful voice echoed through the speaker.
"I just saw the pictures."
"They're misleading."
"Mmm."
"We're not dating."
"I didn't ask."
"We're not."
She laughed softly.
"You smiled."
"..."
"You carried flour."
"..."
"You hate carrying anything heavier than a laptop."
"..."
"Interesting."
Before Adrian could defend himself, she ended the call.
Meanwhile...
Back at Bennett's Bakery...
The lunch rush had finally slowed.
Lily burst through the kitchen door waving her phone.
"Maya!"
"What?"
"We're famous!"
"I accidentally burned the croissants again?"
"No!"
She shoved the phone into Maya's hands.
Maya read the headline once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then slowly looked up.
"...What?"
Lily grinned.
"The comments are even better."
Against her better judgment, Maya scrolled.
'She's the first woman who's made Adrian Knight smile.'
'Who is the bakery girl?'
'Please tell me this isn't another publicity relationship.'
'They actually look adorable together.'
Maya's face turned bright red.
"Adorable?"
She looked horrified.
"We're arguing in half these pictures!"
Lily laughed so hard she nearly dropped a tray.
"The camera disagrees."
Before Maya could respond, the bakery door swung open.
Every customer looked toward the entrance.
A stunning woman walked inside.
She wore an elegant cream-colored dress, diamond earrings, and designer heels that probably cost more than Maya's monthly rent.
She removed her sunglasses with practiced grace.
The bakery instantly fell silent.
Her gaze swept across the room before settling on Maya.
"Which one of you..."
she asked coolly,
"...is Maya Bennett?"
Something about her voice sent a chill through the room.
Maya stepped forward.
"I'm Maya."
The woman's perfectly painted lips curved into a smile.
It wasn't friendly.
It was a warning.
"My name is Isabella Moore."
She extended a manicured hand.
"I'm Adrian Knight's former fiancée."
The entire bakery fell into stunned silence.
Mrs. Henderson whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear,
"Oh..."
"The drama has arrived."
- Writer
