Hidden messages
1036 Words
By Monday morning, Lena already felt exhausted.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
Ever since the gala, every interaction with Adrian had become painfully controlled. Short conversations. Professional tones. Careful distance.
As if both of them were desperately trying to erase what happened in that hallway.
But it wasn’t working.
At least not for her.
Lena stepped into the elevator with a cup of coffee in one hand and her tablet in the other. Two employees from accounting stood nearby whispering quietly.
The moment they noticed her, they stopped talking.
Lena frowned slightly.
Maybe she was imagining things.
The elevator doors opened on the executive floor.
As she walked toward her desk, she noticed something unusual immediately.
A white envelope sat neatly in the center of her keyboard.
No name.
No stamp.
Nothing.
Her heartbeat slowed uneasily.
Lena looked around the office floor, but everyone seemed busy with work.
Carefully, she opened it.
Inside was a single piece of paper.
Stay away from him.
Her fingers tightened around the note instantly.
Cold unease spread through her chest.
“Good morning.”
Lena quickly flipped the paper over as her coworker Mia approached with a bright smile.
“You look pale,” Mia said. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” Lena answered too quickly. “Just tired.”
Mia eyed her suspiciously but eventually shrugged before walking away.
The moment she left, Lena looked back down at the message.
Stay away from him.
No signature.
No explanation.
But she already knew exactly who “him” was.
Adrian.
Her stomach twisted.
Maybe it was a joke.
Or office gossip getting out of control.
Still, she folded the paper carefully and slipped it into her drawer.
Trying to ignore the growing feeling that someone was watching her.
Around noon, Lena entered Adrian’s office carrying several files.
He barely looked up from his laptop.
“Leave the contracts there.”
His voice was distant again.
Professional.
Lena hated how much it bothered her.
As she placed the files down, Adrian finally noticed her expression.
“What happened?”
“Nothing.”
His eyes narrowed immediately. “Lena.”
She hesitated before quietly pulling the folded note from her pocket and handing it to him.
Adrian unfolded it slowly.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop instantly.
“Where did you get this?”
“It was on my desk this morning.”
A dangerous look entered his eyes.
“Did anyone see it?”
“I don’t think so.”
Adrian stood abruptly and walked toward the office windows, jaw tight.
“This is exactly what I was trying to prevent.”
Lena crossed her arms defensively. “I didn’t ask anyone to send threatening notes.”
“I know.”
His voice softened slightly.
But tension still filled the room.
Adrian turned back toward her. “From now on, if anything strange happens, you tell me immediately.”
Lena frowned. “You’re acting like this is serious.”
“It is serious.”
The intensity in his voice startled her.
For a moment, Adrian looked less like a CEO and more like a man genuinely afraid something was spiraling out of control.
Then his expression hardened again.
“You should go back to work.”
Dismissed.
Lena nodded quietly and left.
But her chest felt heavier now.
Because Adrian didn’t seem surprised by the note.
He seemed worried.
The rest of the day only became stranger.
Conversations stopped whenever Lena walked past groups of employees.
People stared longer than usual.
One woman in marketing even smirked knowingly at her during lunch.
By evening, Lena’s nerves were stretched thin.
As she organized documents at her desk, Mia suddenly leaned against the cubicle wall.
“Okay,” Mia whispered dramatically. “What’s going on between you and Mr. Vale?”
Lena nearly dropped her papers.
“What?”
“Oh, come on,” Mia said. “People are talking.”
Her pulse quickened instantly. “Talking about what?”
“That he’s obsessed with you.”
Lena forced out a laugh. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Maybe.” Mia tilted her head. “But I’ve worked here three years, and Adrian Vale has never looked at anyone the way he looks at you.”
Lena’s throat tightened.
Before she could answer, Adrian’s office door opened across the floor.
His gaze landed directly on her.
And stayed there.
Mia slowly raised an eyebrow.
“Oh,” she murmured. “That’s definitely not helping.”
Lena quickly gathered her files and escaped toward the records room before anyone noticed her blushing.
Inside the quiet storage room, she exhaled shakily.
This was getting dangerous.
Too dangerous.
A few minutes later, the door opened again.
Lena looked up sharply.
Adrian stepped inside.
“What are you doing here?” she whispered.
“You disappeared.”
“That’s because people are talking about us.”
His expression darkened. “Let them talk.”
Lena stared at him in disbelief. “You said this could ruin everything.”
“It could.”
“Then why are you here?”
The question hung heavily between them.
Adrian walked closer slowly.
Too close.
“You really want an answer to that?” he asked quietly.
Lena’s heartbeat thundered painfully.
Because she already knew.
Adrian stopped directly in front of her.
For one reckless moment, it felt like the gala hallway all over again.
Then footsteps sounded outside the records room.
Both of them instantly stepped apart.
Reality crashing back.
Adrian ran a frustrated hand through his hair before speaking coldly again.
“This conversation is over.”
And just like that, the walls returned.
He walked out without another word.
Leaving Lena standing there alone.
Confused.
Hurt.
And wanting him anyway.
Later that night, after most employees had gone home, Lena returned to her desk to grab her bag.
The office floor was nearly empty now.
But something immediately caught her attention.
Another envelope.
Waiting silently on her chair.
Fear crawled up her spine.
Slowly, Lena picked it up.
Her hands trembled as she opened it.
Then her entire body froze.
Inside was a photograph.
A clear photograph of Adrian kissing her in the empty hallway at the gala.
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