โค๏ธ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ 6: ๐ป๐๐ ๐ฑ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐๐๐๐ โค๏ธ
496 Words
Vanessa stood at the end of the hallway, watching Adrian and Aria.
Her perfectly polished nails dug into her handbag as jealousy burned inside her.
"Who does she think she is?" Vanessa muttered.
She had spent years trying to win Adrian's heart, yet he had never looked at her the way he looked at Aria.
The thought alone made her furious.
---
Aria was about to leave for lunch when Clara rushed over.
"Miss Aria."
"Yes?"
"Mr. Knight would like you to have lunch with him."
Aria blinked in surprise.
"With... him?"
Clara nodded.
"He said it's to discuss work."
Aria sighed.
"Why does everything involving him attract attention?"
She followed Clara to the executive dining room.
As soon as she walked in, every conversation stopped.
Employees whispered among themselves.
"She's having lunch with the CEO."
"They've only known each other for a few days."
"I wonder what's going on."
Ignoring the whispers, Aria sat across from Adrian.
"You know everyone's staring at us, right?" she asked.
Adrian calmly sipped his coffee.
"I've noticed."
"And it doesn't bother you?"
"No."
"It bothers me."
A faint smile crossed his face.
"You'll get used to it."
---
Just as their meals arrived, Vanessa entered the dining room.
She walked confidently toward their table.
Without asking, she pulled out a chair and sat beside Adrian.
"Adrian," she said sweetly, "I thought we were having lunch together."
"We didn't make plans," Adrian replied.
Vanessa ignored him and turned to Aria.
"I hope you're not getting the wrong idea."
Aria frowned.
"What idea?"
Vanessa smiled, but there was no warmth in it.
"That you're important."
The room fell silent.
Aria slowly placed her fork on the table.
"I'm here because Mr. Knight invited me to discuss work."
Vanessa leaned closer.
"Girls like you always say that."
Before Aria could respond, Adrian spoke.
"That's enough."
His voice was calm, but firm.
Vanessa stared at him in disbelief.
"You... you're defending her?"
"I'm asking you to show my employee some respect."
Vanessa's face turned pale.
Without another word, she stood up and stormed out of the dining room.
The employees immediately pretended not to have witnessed the confrontation.
Aria let out a quiet sigh.
"I think she hates me."
Adrian looked at her.
"She's upset."
"There's a difference."
He chuckled softly.
"You're right."
---
That evening, Aria packed her bag and left the office.
As she walked toward the bus stop, she noticed a black SUV slowly following her.
Her heartbeat quickened.
She turned down another street.
The SUV followed.
Fear crept into her chest.
Suddenly, it stopped beside her.
The window rolled down.
It wasn't Adrian.
It was a stranger.
The man smiled coldly.
"Miss Aria Collins?"
She took a cautious step back.
"...Yes?"
"My boss would like to meet you."
"I don't know your boss."
"You don't have a choice."
The rear door of the SUV swung open.
Aria's eyes widened as two men stepped out.
โก๏ธ ๐ป๐ ๐ฉ๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
... โก๏ธ
- Writer
