Married to the CEO

Elena It was only six in the evening when my phone suddenly rang while I was busy organizing some documents on my desk. I glanced at the screen. Dad. I immediately answered the call. “Hello, Dad?” “Where are you, sweetheart?” “I’m just at home. Why?” “Get dressed. We’re having dinner at seven.” I frowned. “Dinner? Tonight?” “Yes. And don’t ask too many questions. Just get ready.” I smiled faintly. There was something strange about his voice. I couldn’t explain it, but it sounded like there was something he didn’t want to tell me. “Is Mom coming too?” “Yes.” “Okay. Where?” “Laurenté.” I glanced at the clock. Laurenté. It was one of our business restaurants in the city. The kind of place where businessmen, investors, and people accustomed to fine dining and private rooms usually had dinner. “Dad, do we really have to go there?” “Just come. And dress nicely.” I sighed. “Okay.” “See you later, sweetheart.” “See you.” After the call ended, I stared at my phone for a long moment. Something was strange. And more importantly— Why did I have to dress up? --- 7:18 P.M. When I arrived at Laurenté, a waiter immediately approached me. “Good evening , maam elena ” I gave a warm smile to a waiter . “Good evening too , My parents are already here? .” He immediately nodded. “Yes maam elena, Please follow me.” As we walked toward the private dining room, I became more nervous. When the door opened, I immediately saw Mom and Dad. But they weren’t alone. I stopped. There were two people sitting on the other side of the long table. A man and a woman. And the moment I saw who the man was, everything seemed to slow down. Adrian Lewis . He was wearing a black suit, simple yet perfectly tailored. He sat straight in his chair, a glass of wine in his hand. He hadn’t changed. Still cold. Still quiet. Still confident. And most of all— Still devastatingly handsome. The same face I had spent years trying to forget. The problem was… I had never really forgotten him. I had known him for years. And I had loved him for just as long. But he didn’t know that. And I had no intention of telling him. “Elena.” I turned toward Dad. “Come here. Sit down.” I forced a smile before walking toward them. “Good evening.” The Lewises stood. “Hello, Elena,” the woman greeted with a smile. “Mrs. Lewis.” “You’ve grown so much. It feels like only yesterday when you were little and always following Adrian around.” I glanced at Adrian. Our eyes met for only a second. Then he looked away. “Hello,” he greeted coldly. One word. One simple greeting. Yet somehow, it was enough to remind me just how far apart we were. “Hi,” I replied quietly. I sat beside Mom. Adrian was seated on the opposite side of the table. We weren’t sitting next to each other. And perhaps… That was for the best. --- Dinner began like an ordinary family gathering. Our parents talked about business. Investments. Company expansion. The partnership between Lewis Tech International Group and my family’s company , The Laurent International Holdings. Lewis Tech. International Group was one of the largest technology companies in the country. And Adrian was its current CEO. He was young compared to most CEOs I knew, but he had quickly expanded the company since taking over its leadership. I simply listened. Every now and then, Adrian answered questions from our parents. Professional. Direct. Emotionless. Until Dad suddenly placed his spoon down. “Actually, there’s another reason why we asked you both to come tonight.” The entire table fell silent. I looked at Dad. Adrian leaned back slightly in his chair. “What do you mean?” he asked. Our parents exchanged glances. Then Mrs. Lewis smiled. “There’s something we need to discuss about the two of you.” Adrian frowned. “What?” Dad looked at us. “We’ve already discussed it with the Lewises.” A strange feeling settled in my chest. “Sweetheart,” Mom said gently, “we know this is sudden.” She paused. “But we want you and Adrian to get married.” It felt as if all the sound around me disappeared. I looked at Adrian. And for the first time that evening, I saw his expression truly change. He was no longer calm. No longer cold. He was angry. “Excuse me?” His voice was low and heavy. “Did you just say you want us to get married?” “Yes,” his father answered. Adrian let out a short laugh, but there was no amusement in it. “I’m not agreeing to this.” “Adrian—” “No.” His answer was immediate. “I never agreed to any arrangement like this. You can’t just decide who I’m going to marry.” I sat quietly. I didn’t know where to look. But deep inside, a small part of my heart couldn’t stop itself from hoping. Me. They wanted me to be his wife. The man I had loved for so long. But as I watched the anger in his eyes, that tiny spark of happiness inside my chest slowly disappeared. “Adrian,” his mother said calmly, “we’re not saying you have to love Elena right away.” “I don’t love her.” I lowered my gaze. It felt like someone had poured ice-cold water over my entire body. I knew he didn’t love me. I had known that before . But hearing it directly from the man I loved… It hurts in a completely different way. I forced myself to remain calm. His father continued. “This isn’t simply a personal decision. You know how much both families have invested in each other.” “I understand the business,” Adrian replied. “But that doesn’t mean I have to sacrifice my personal life.” “This isn’t a sacrifice,” Dad said. “For you, maybe not.” Adrian stared at his parents. “But for me, this is my life.” Silence filled the room. Mom took a deep breath before speaking. “Elena, sweetheart…” I immediately looked at her. “We’re not going to force you to speak if you don’t want to. But we want to know how you feel about this.” Everyone looked at me. Including Adrian. For the first time that night, he looked directly into my eyes. My heart pounded. But I didn’t smile. I didn’t tell them the truth. Because how could I tell them that for years, he had been the one person I could never get out of my heart? How could I admit that even though I knew he didn’t love me, there was still a tiny part of me hoping that maybe, someday, he would finally see me? So I chose silence. “I’m okay with it,” I said softly. Adrian immediately looked at me as if he hadn’t expected that answer. “You’re okay with it?” I nodded. “Yes.” “Do you even know what you’re saying?” His question was direct. I gave him a faint smile. “I do.” “You don’t have to agree just because our parents want this.” “I’m not agreeing because they want me to.” I paused. “But I’m not going to oppose it either.” His brows furrowed. “Why?” I didn’t answer immediately. Because the real answer was— Because it’s you. Because I had wanted you for so long. Because even though I knew you would never love me, I wanted at least one chance for you to see me as something more than the daughter of your family’s business partner. But I didn’t say any of that. Instead, I calmly said— “Because I believe that if there’s a decision we have to face, it’s better to face it properly instead of making a decision simply because we’re angry.” He fell silent. He stared at me for several seconds. Then he looked away. “It’s not that simple.” “I know.” “I have a life outside the company.” “I know.” “There are things I don’t want to lose.” His last words hurt. But I didn’t ask what he meant. Because I already knew. There was another woman. And I didn’t know yet that she would become the greatest obstacle between us. Adrian’s father cleared his throat. “We’re not asking you to love each other right now.” “Then what do you want?” Adrian asked. “A chance.” Everyone fell silent. “Give this marriage a chance.” I looked at Adrian. He didn’t answer. I remained silent. That night, I had no idea what would happen to us. I didn’t know if he would really become my husband. I didn’t know if I could live with a man who didn’t love me. And most of all— I didn’t know how painful it would be to love someone who, from the very beginning, had already chosen another woman. But there was one thing I knew. That night, the marriage I had never asked for began— but it was also the marriage I had secretly dreamed of for years.