The drive back to Alexander's penthouse was silent and thick with unspoken accusations. Adrian drove with meticulous care, focused entirely on the road, denying Alexander any opportunity for physical contact or verbal sparring. He maintained the blank, compliant face of the perfect secretary.
Chloe sat behind them, quietly observing. It wasn't time for her to speak, but she would, soon.
Alexander, meanwhile, kept glancing at Adrian, feeling an intense, frustrating sense of displacement. Adrian's cold professionalism felt like a more effective retaliation than his tears or anger ever could have been. The rage Alexander had felt in the parking lot had curdled into a heavy, unsettling anxiety.
He had expected Adrian to be flustered by Chloe's theatrics. He expected a reaction. Instead, Adrian was a machine, efficient and impenetrable.
'Was I really that unattractive? Did those insults really kill every trace of the crush I thought Adrian had?'
