Echoes Of A CEO's Hidden Love

Once again, I opened the door of the club. The smell of smoke, alcohol, and strong perfume made me uncomfortable. I squinted, searching the crowd for someone. It wasn’t hard to find him; Adrian was always the brightest star. Before long, I spotted him among a large group of young men and women. Adrian was lazily leaning on a leather sofa, holding a cigarette, with a pretty brunette girl sitting next to him. I walked toward them. The brunette noticed me and moved aside. “Adrian, it’s time to go home,” I said, taking the cigarette from his hand and putting it out. Adrian barely glanced at me, used to my action. He picked up a shot of whiskey from the table and downed it in one gulp. Just then, a girl in a tight dress next to me shouted in a high-pitched voice, “Is this Eleanor Gracewood?” She glanced at me up and down and seemed friendly as she stepped forward to hold my hand, but the contempt in her eyes was hard to miss. “You look so... different, quite special,” she sneered. “No wonder Adrian never brings you around.” Another naive girl trying to get close to Adrian by stepping on me, I thought. “Thanks, I’m just too busy,” I said, forcing a smile and trying to end the conversation. “Hey, what brings you here?” a man in the crowd shouted. “Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you’re not welcome. It’s just that today’s my birthday, so I invited Adrian and some friends to hang out. We're all friends here, so don’t be mad at Adrian.” “Yeah, with so many beauties around, how could she not be mad?” another man laughed, pulling a young girl close and kissing her. “Miss Gracewood, since you’re here, why not have a drink?” the strange girl suggested, handing me a glass with a sly look. The people around us started egging me on, urging me to drink. “No, thanks. I don’t drink alcohol,” I declined, turning back to Adrian. The deafening music in the club, combined with long hours of overtime, was giving me a splitting headache. “Who told you to come pick me up?” Adrian didn’t stand up. He just looked up and asked. “Your mother.” “I knew it,” he said, clearly unhappy with the answer. He looked at the drink in the girl’s hand. “Drink this, and I’ll go home with you.” I stared into his eyes, but he just looked at me indifferently, like an outsider. Gritting my teeth, I remembered his mother’s request and took the drink from the girl’s hand, downing it in one go. The drink was strong, spiked with a heavy dose of alcohol that burned my throat and made my face flush. The room erupted in cheers and mocking laughter as everyone watched. “I’ve finished it. Now you can go home with me, Adrian,” I said. Adrian stood up and walked out without a word. Before he left, I noticed a subtle exchange of glances between him and the strange girl. People around me watched with various expressions, but I didn’t feel frustrated. I simply nodded to everyone and followed Adrian out. We got into the car waiting outside. The silence in the car felt heavy. Adrian sat next to me, his face unreadable in the dim light. The driver took us to Adrian’s private villa. When we were in college, his dad bought him the villa, and his mom hired nannies, a housekeeper, and a driver. This driver was the one who reported Adrian’s movements to his mother. Sometimes, she asked me to pick him up from the club. As the only son of the CEO of FT Enterprise, Adrian had plenty of women around him. Over the past five years, many beautiful girls have come and gone. They were pretty and charming, but I was the one who stayed. To Adrian, I was pretty and obedient. To his parents, I was from a clean background. When we arrived at the villa, I headed to the second bedroom to freshen up, but Adrian followed me instead of going to his own room like I expected. “You saw Selena,” he said. “Yes.” Selena was the pretty brunette sitting next to him in the club. “Are you mad at me?” He searched my eyes, looking for a reaction. I smiled. “No, I’m not mad. I know there’s nothing between you.” “Eleanor,” Adrian’s voice softened as he pressed me against the door, his body close enough for me to smell the faint scent of whiskey on his breath. “We were at the club for a friend’s birthday. I didn’t know she would be there.” I froze for a moment, caught off guard by his closeness. Adrian never explained himself to me. He changed the subject. “So why did you come to pick me up tonight?” “I told you, your mother asked me to.” “Couldn’t you come just because you wanted to?” Adrian tilted his head, his hand moving to stroke my chin. His warm, alcohol-laced breath got closer, making my heart race. “Adrian,” I hesitated, feeling like something was different about him tonight. “...Are you drunk?” The moment shattered. Adrian pulled back, his eyes flashing with annoyance. “Yes, I’m drunk.” With that, he opened the door and walked out.