Chapter Six:Alexander From A Distance
997 Words
Alexander Hayes was a man who knew how to forget.
At least, that was what everyone believed.
He had built an empire because he knew how to separate emotion from logic. He knew how to put something aside when it no longer served a purpose.
A business deal failed?
Move on.
A competitor challenged him?
Find a solution.
Someone disappointed him?
Cut them out.
That was how Alex survived.
That was how he became Alexander Hayes.
But for the past month, there was one thing he had failed to put aside.
Adam.
It was inconvenient.
Unnecessary.
A distraction.
At least, that was what he told himself.
He had only met the man once.
One evening.
One conversation.
One brief touch.
And yet somehow, Adam remained in his thoughts.
Not constantly.
Not enough to interfere with his work.
But enough.
Enough that sometimes, when he walked through his office and saw the painting hanging on his wall, he would stop.
Enough that he would remember the way Adam spoke about his art.
The way his eyes changed when he talked about something he loved.
The way someone who had clearly experienced pain could still look at the world with so much kindness.
Alex didn’t understand it.
He didn’t understand Adam.
And that bothered him.
Because Alexander Hayes understood everything he chose to understand.
People were predictable.
Business was predictable.
Power was predictable.
But Adam?
Adam was different.
He wasn’t chasing success the way everyone else did.
He wasn’t trying to impress anyone.
He wasn’t interested in his money, his name, or his reputation.
Adam simply existed.
And somehow, that was what fascinated Alex the most.
But Alex wasn’t ready to step into Adam’s world.
Not yet.
He wasn’t ready to walk into that gallery again.
He wasn’t ready to introduce himself beyond the brief interaction they had already shared.
He wasn’t ready to answer questions he didn’t even know how to ask himself.
So instead…
He stayed where he was comfortable.
In the shadows.
A few weeks ago, Alex had made a decision.
A simple one.
He wanted to know more about Adam.
Not because he needed anything from him.
Not because he had a plan.
He simply wanted to understand.
So he hired someone.
Someone discreet.
Someone who knew how to observe without interfering.
The instructions were simple.
He wanted updates.
Nothing more.
No contact.
No disruption.
No reason for Adam to know he was being watched.
And every few days, Alex received information.
Small details.
Things that should have meant nothing.
But somehow, they did.
Adam woke up early.
He went to his gallery most mornings.
He spent hours working on paintings.
He visited his favorite cafés.
He met Noah for lunch regularly.
He walked through the city with no urgency, stopping sometimes to admire things that most people ignored.
Adam lived differently.
Like he wasn’t racing against time.
Like life wasn’t something to conquer.
It was something to experience.
Alex found that strange.
Most people he knew were always chasing something.
More money.
More power.
More influence.
Adam seemed content.
And that was rare.
The person he hired never questioned him.
They never asked why a man like Alexander Hayes wanted updates about an artist.
They were paid to do a job.
They did it.
And Alex appreciated that.
There was no curiosity.
No judgment.
Just professionalism.
Sometimes, the updates included pictures.
At first, Alex told himself he didn’t need them.
He only needed information.
But occasionally, he requested them.
A picture of Adam working in his studio.
A picture of him leaving his gallery.
A picture of him laughing with Noah at a café.
And every time, Alex found himself staring longer than he intended.
Because Adam looked different when he wasn’t aware anyone was watching.
He smiled freely.
He laughed loudly.
He wasn’t careful with himself.
He wasn’t calculating every expression.
He wasn’t performing.
He was just Adam.
And Alex realized something that surprised him.
The man was predictable.
Almost like clockwork.
But not in a boring way.
In a comforting way.
Adam had his routines.
His small habits.
His favorite places.
His little moments of happiness.
And somehow, Alex found himself memorizing them.
The time Adam usually arrived at his gallery.
The evenings when he stayed late painting.
The mornings when he stopped for coffee.
The days he spent with his friends.
It should have felt strange.
Maybe even concerning.
But to Alex, it felt like understanding a language he had never spoken before.
He wasn’t trying to make himself known.
He wasn’t trying to enter Adam’s life.
Not yet.
For now, watching from a distance was enough.
Because from a distance, there were no expectations.
No complications.
No questions.
Adam didn’t look at him differently.
Adam didn’t know who he was.
Adam didn’t know the man behind the expensive suits and the carefully controlled reputation.
He only knew him as a customer who bought a painting.
And somehow, Alex liked that.
Because for once, he wasn’t Alexander Hayes.
He wasn’t the businessman.
The heir.
The man everyone feared and respected.
He was simply someone observing a person who had captured his attention.
Someone who painted emotions he had spent his entire life avoiding.
Someone who made him wonder if there was more to life than control.
Alex stood in his penthouse that evening, looking at Adam’s painting hanging on his wall.
A storm.
A person standing through it.
Still surviving.
Still holding onto light.
He stared at it quietly.
For years, he had believed strength meant never needing anyone.
Never being affected.
Never losing control.
But Adam had done something no one else had managed to do.
He had made Alex curious.
And maybe, for now, that was enough.
Maybe he didn’t need to step into the light yet.
Maybe he could remain here.
Watching.
Learning.
Understanding.
Because Alexander Hayes had built an entire empire by knowing when to move.
And when it came to Adam…
He was willing to wait.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD