Echoes Of A CEO's Hidden Love

The Rumors

(*5 years later)

My thoughts drifted back to the avocado toast in front of me, but I no longer had the appetite for it. Adrian didn’t even know I don’t like avocado toast anymore.I asked Mary to take care of it, then grabbed my bag and headed to work.

After that argument, Adrian was nice to me at first, careful not to bring up that day. But as time passed, His true nature was revealed. He often stayed out late and didn’t bother hiding his closeness with other women in front of me. We both knew our relationship was a mess, but we kept up the pretense of affection. I don't know why he suddenly acted so strange last night.

When I arrived at the office, everyone treated me with their usual indifference. The only person who greeted me was a new employee. I gave her a smile before heading to my desk to start working.

I stayed busy all morning, finishing several tasks efficiently. Needing a break, I decided to get some coffee and headed to the tea room. As I passed by the lounge, I overheard some colleagues talking.

“Eleanor? Why? She seems nice,” said the new colleague who had greeted me earlier.

“I heard she’s a kept woman, living in that rich guy’s house,” another voice responded, dripping with disdain.

“That guy is rich. He’s the heir of FT Enterprise, with chain stores all over the world,” another added. “He has plenty of women... my friend saw him hugging one in a club last week…”

“By the way, Eleanor’s father’s company used to be famous... Gracewood Technologies, wasn’t it? The one that got taken over by his brother after his death.”

“Maybe she’s not used to hardship and gave up her self-respect to live a cushy life.”

“What’s the point? She still started from the bottom here. Maybe her sugar daddy doesn’t care about her... she’s just a woman who sold herself for money.”

“Bang!” I pushed open the door to the lounge, making a loud noise. Everyone inside was startled. “Is that enough? You sound like you know my life better than I do. Some things even I don’t know. Is there anything new you can tell me?”

I knew my relationship with Adrian was a mess, but I was definitely not the person they made me out to be. I know what I’m doing for my career. None of them could have known that starting from the bottom of the company was my choice—hiding strengths is a strategic decision, not a sign of weakness. Adrian couldn’t give me the love and respect I once craved, but he could at least help me achieve my goals—there were things I needed to accomplish.

The colleagues inside all blushed. One of them, with whom I’d never had a good relationship, said, “...Did we say something wrong? Who doesn’t know that the luxury car that picks you up after work belongs to Adrian Finch? And my friend did see him being intimate with other women in the nightclub. If you say you are not being kept by him, who will believe you?”

It was difficult for me to explain, “That’s because…”

“Eleanor, can I have a word with you?” My supervisor Jessica suddenly appeared. “Everyone else should return to their seats. The break is over. Why are you still gathering here?”

Everyone dispersed, and I followed Jessica into her office.

“Don’t worry, Eleanor,” Jessica quickly started. “I don’t believe the rumors. I know your character. I’m sorry for what you’ve been through. It must have been tough. But don’t let those rumors get to you.”

I was stunned for a moment, deeply moved by her trust in me. “Thank you, Jessica.” Jessica had always been a strict supervisor. I thought she would blame me for the rumors affecting the work atmosphere, but I didn’t expect her to actually comfort me.

“You’ve been a valuable member of our team. I know you’ve finished most of your current tasks, so I’m going to give you an important project. Do you think you can handle it?”

She handed me a stack of documents. As I read through them, my eyes widened. The project was similar to one my father had envisioned. If it succeeded, it would bring me one step closer to the technology my father had dreamed of.

I quickly accepted the project, and we discussed several key aspects of it. One important part stood out: to secure the resources our company lacked and to expand into future markets, I would need to find suitable partners and investors.

As I considered potential candidates, one company came to mind. They seemed like a good fit, but I quickly dismissed the idea. They had never invested in technology before, and besides, I hadn’t seen that person in years. He probably didn’t even remember me.