Echoes Of A CEO's Hidden Love

The Endless Wait

(Vivian’s POV)

I was furious. How dare Eleanor brush me off like that, acting as if she was Adrian’s true love? Sure, she’d been with him longer, but that didn’t mean she would be by his side forever.

That night at the club, Adrian’s attention was on me, and I knew I had him. Yesterday, with just a little flirting and flattery, I managed to get him to stay with me instead of going home. I could see he wanted me, not her. I even hinted that Adrian and I had spent the night together. I confronted Eleanor, flaunting the necklace Adrian had bought me. I wanted to see her break down, quit, or cry and make a scene in front of Adrian, hoping he’d get tired of her. But instead, she stayed calm, treating me like I was nothing.

Eleanor might think she’s secure in her place, but I knew I would replace her one day.

As she walked out of the café, she acted like she had won. Still fuming, I noticed something under the table. It was a piece of paper she must have missed. Curious, I picked it up and saw it was a draft she’d been working on. I quickly read through it, and a plan formed in my mind. A smile spread across my face as I slipped the paper into my bag.

“Let’s see who Adrian truly prefers,” I said through gritted teeth.

It was just a rough draft, and Eleanor wouldn’t realize she’d lost it, but the information was enough to give me an idea. This could be useful later.

(Eleanor’s POV)

After leaving the café, I returned to the villa, but Adrian still wasn’t home. I wasn’t surprised. After today’s encounter, Vivian was probably trying even harder to keep him by her side.

I composed myself, focusing on the tasks ahead. Jessica’s project was a crucial opportunity to prove myself. If I wanted to reclaim my father’s company and restore its former glory, I needed a breakthrough moment. Immersed in my work, I arranged meetings with three potential companies over the course of the week. All three showed interest in the project.

After a busy and productive week, Adrian, who had been missing for days, suddenly called me. I was about to have lunch at a restaurant when my phone rang. Seeing his name, I realized it had been almost a week since he’d last been home.

“Hey, babe,” a familiar voice greeted me as I answered the call. “Are you home? I need to talk to you about something.”

“Hey, Adrian,” I replied. “I’m not home right now. What’s up? You can tell me over the phone.”

“Well, it’s something I should tell you in person. Let’s meet tonight. I’ll be back at the villa around seven.”

My heart sank a little. I had a meeting with one of the companies early the next morning in City Z, meaning I’d need to travel there tonight. “I can’t tonight,” I said. “I’m leaving on a business trip and won’t be back for three days. How about we meet then?”

There was a brief pause before Adrian spoke again. “Don’t worry about it. Where are you now? I can come to you…we can talk there.” Adrian seemed hesitant. “...I’m not sure if this is the right time, but you should know sooner rather than later.”

“Okay,” I said, feeling uneasy. I sent him the location of the restaurant. “I sent you the address.”

“Got it,” he replied after checking the location. “I’ll be there in about twenty minutes.”

After the call ended, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. What did Adrian want to tell me? Was he going to explain why he had been out of touch? Had he found out about Vivian’s visit and was going to admit his involvement with her? Or maybe, he was finally going to break up with me.

I waited, my eyes constantly scanning the restaurant entrance. As time passed, I tried calling him several times, but my calls went straight to voicemail. After waiting for nearly an hour, just when I thought Adrian wouldn’t show up and was about to leave, I suddenly received a message from him: “The company had something to deal with just now. I have to drop a customer off later. I’ll come to you as soon as I’m done.”

Seeing this, I sat back down and waited again.

However, time passed, and Adrian still didn’t arrive. Suddenly, my phone rang. It was an unknown caller. I picked up, and heard a familiar voice on the other end of the line.

“…drop you off here, Vivian. I really have something to do. I have—”

It was Adrian’s voice.

He was interrupted mid-sentence, and then there were vague rustling sounds and a woman’s soft moans.

“…Adrian, please, just stay with me tonight. I miss you so much…”

More noise came from the phone, and my mind went blank until the voices started talking again. “…Didn’t you just say you still have things to do? Do you want to go…?” “No, there’s nothing more important than you now…”

I came to my senses and immediately hung up. My face was livid. Vivian actually dared to confront me so blatantly. I quickly paid for my meal and left the restaurant—Adrian wouldn’t be coming today. After packing my things, I headed to the airport without hesitation to prepare for my business trip.