HATED BY MY FIRST LOVE

Chapter 2

Aria’s POV

My chest was still pounding, my breath uneven. Every nerve in me screamed to run, but my feet felt glued to the ground as Adrian Wolfe—my Adrian—walked toward the commotion.

He was taller than I remembered, broader too. His navy suit fit him like it was stitched on his skin, sharp and expensive, showing off every line of strength in his body. His presence was overwhelming, the kind that made everyone stop breathing the moment he entered a room.

Cold. Powerful. Untouchable.

His eyes, those stormy green eyes I once drowned in were darker now, colder. Like ice that could slice you if you got too close.

“What’s going on here?” His voice cut like steel, deep and commanding.

The brunette in the red dress, the one who slapped me, instantly turned sugary sweet. “Baby, this stupid b***h—” she pointed at me like I was dirt under her shoes, “—bumped into me and nearly ruined my designer dress. Do you know how much this costs? She’s clumsy, careless, she—”

“I—I didn’t mean to, I was just—” I tried to speak, but my words tangled in my throat.

“Oh shut up, who asked you to speak”, she says with dagger in her eyes. If eyes could kill, I would have long dead.

Before I could explain further, the HR woman rushed forward, pale with nerves. “I’m so sorry, sir. She’s the new assistant.”

Adrian’s gaze snapped to her. His voice was low but sharp. “You hired a clumsy assistant for me?”

The weight of his stare fell on me. My knees almost buckled under it. His eyes weren’t just cold—they were harsh, unforgiving.

I swallowed hard, forcing out the only words I could manage. “I—I’m sorry, sir. It will never happen again.” My voice shook, trembling like the rest of me.

The brunette smirked and folded her arms. “Better,” she muttered with a smug tilt of her lips.

Heat rushed to my face, not just from the slap but from the humiliation of being belittled in front of everyone.

Adrian straightened, his jaw tight. “Everyone—leave. Now.”

They all started leaving including that brunette.

Now it's the both of us alone.

My heart started beating fast.

“Miss” His voice was sharp “Come to my office.”

I froze. Did he… recognize me? Did he know I was the same Aria he once loved? My legs moved anyway, shaky and heavy, following him down the hallway.

Inside his office, the door closed with a firm click. I stood there, holding my bag tightly to my chest, as he walked around to the other side of his large desk.

He leaned back in his chair, his fingers pressed together, and his eyes fixed on me. His gaze was cold and calculating. "Listen carefully," he said in a sharp tone. "I don't care about your excuses. I won't tolerate carelessness in my company or around me."

I tried to speak, but no words came out. He continued, his voice low but firm.

"I'm a CEO, a public figure, and a professional athlete. Do you know what that means?”

I nodded quickly. “Yes, sir.”

“It means I have a reputation to protect. The last thing I need is my assistant embarrassing me. If something like this happens again, I won’t hesitate to fire you and send you back to wherever you crawled out from. Is that clear?”

The sting of his words hit harder than the slap earlier. Send me back. Like I was trash.

I bit down hard on my trembling lip. “Y-yes, sir.”

“Good.” He leaned back, dismissing me with a flick of his hand. “Get your assignment from HR and start work immediately.”

“Yes, sir,” I whispered, lowering my head before slipping out of his office.

My hands shook. My heart felt like it had cracked in two. Did he really not recognize me? Or was he pretending?

---

Back at HR, I tried to keep my head down. But the whispers had already started.

“Did you see how he looked at her?”

“Poor girl. First day and she already embarrassed herself.”

“She won’t last a week.”

I kept my eyes fixed on the paperwork the HR whose name I found out was Mrs Amelia shoved into my hands. Filing tasks, schedules, errands. Anything to keep me distracted from the stares drilling into my back.

By the time I sat at my desk, my head was buzzing. This place already felt like hell.

I’d barely started when another voice cut across the office. Sharp. Accusing.

“You think you’re clever, don’t you?”

I looked up to see a woman standing there, tall, with dark hair slicked back, eyes narrowed at me like daggers. Her dress screamed money, but her tone dripped with venom.

“I don’t… I don’t understand,” I stammered.

“You really thought you could seduce Adrian Wolfe on your first day?” Her voice was loud enough for the whole office to hear. Heads turned instantly.

My stomach dropped. “What? No! I didn’t—”

“Oh please.” Her lips curled. “Girls like you always think you can claw your way up by sleeping with the boss. Don’t think I don’t see what game you’re playing.”

Gasps echoed around the office. My face burned. What is wrong with people here?

“I’m not—” I shook my head desperately. “I’m not doing that. I swear!”

But her glare only deepened. “Stay away from him. Consider that your only warning.”

She turned on his heel and stormed off, leaving me trembling under a sea of stares and whispers.

I pressed my hands to my desk to stop them from shaking. My chest tightened. This was only my first day and already I was drowning in humiliation.

—

The hours crawled by in silence. I buried myself in the tasks HR gave me, typing, organizing, filing—anything to drown out the whispers.

Finally, as evening settled, I headed toward the elevators with a stack of folders in hand.

The doors slid open. I stepped inside.

And then—of all people—Adrian Wolfe walked in after me.

My stomach lurched.

The doors shut.

The elevator moved a few feet… then jolted violently. The lights started shaking, once, twice… and then went out.

We were stuck.

Silence. Heavy. Suffocating.

I clutched the folders tighter. My chest rose and fell fast. Of all the people I could’ve been trapped with… why him?

I could feel his gaze on me even in the dim emergency light that glowed faintly.

I squeezed my eyes shut. My thoughts spun. All the years. All the pain. All the memories of us. Does he seriously not remember me? I know I didn't want him to recognize me at first but does he seriously not recognize me? No, I know he's just pretending.

I couldn’t take it anymore.

“You know…” My voice was shaky, cracking. “When I look at you, I don’t just see the CEO everyone worships. I see the boy I used to know. The one who swore he’d never hurt me. The one who promised me forever. The one who… still walked away.”

My chest burned with unshed tears. My words tumbled before I could stop them.

“That day ruined everything. Do you even remember?” My voice cracked, the sound raw in the silence.

For the first time, I dared to look at him. His face was unreadable, shadowed, but his eyes—those eyes—were locked on me.

My breath hitched. I summoned every ounce of courage, even as my whole body shook.

“Adrian…” His name broke on my lips, fragile, trembling.

His gaze sharpened.

“Do you… still remember me?”