CHAPTER 25: 25: WOULD YOU BE MY BOYFRIEND?

The elevator descended, but the silence inside was heavier than the descent itself. Adrian stood rigid, clutching his shoulder bag, the harsh reality of Alexander’s decree echoing the rhythm of the humming cables.

No salary.

The finality of the words was a physical blow. The loss was immediate and catastrophic, shredding the thin financial lifeline he had been clinging to.

He was ruined.

He risked a glance at Alexander, whose profile was carved from granite, devoid of any sympathy or recognition of the devastation he had just wrought.

The elevator opened onto the underground garage.

Alexander strode toward his black SUV, Adrian trailing silently like a scolded dog.

"Get in," Alexander commanded, opening the driver’s side door.

Adrian slid into the passenger seat, his movements slow and defeated. As Alexander started the engine, the low growl of the powerful car filled the suffocating silence.

Adrian finally found his voice, the question coming out choked and quiet. "Sir, I... I can’t survive without that salary. I didn’t mean to sleep. I was—"

"I don’t care about your excuses, Mr. Cole," Alexander cut him off, his eyes fixed on the garage exit. "I care about discipline. You created distractions, you encouraged rival CEOs, and you failed to perform a fundamental duty in front of my staff. That is incompetence."

He accelerated, pulling the vehicle out into the evening traffic.

Adrian bit his lip, his fingers anxiously grazing his knees as he tapped his feet.

A lot of things were going through his mind.

He needed to go visit his mother tonight. He needed to become Adrienne tonight — a wife who had tons of explanations to give to her husband, her boss. He needed to be Adrian, a competent secretary, who met every one of his boss’s expectations.

I’m a nutshell, he was tired, drained.

Devereux Autos wasn’t for the weak, and, leading a double life wasn’t for the weak, either.

From his side eye, Alexander could see Adrian’s usual anxiousness getting the better of him. He saw Adrian fidgeting, and his feet tapping the floor of his car.

He hated that he noticed those little details about Adrian, and he hated that a voice in his head was asking him to reconsider.

"You have one chance to redeem yourself," Alexander said, his voice cold and commanding. "The ’survey’ tonight is critically important. You will be professional, you will be silent, and you will forget about Sebastian Vale and Jacob –"

"Jacob?" Adrian cupped his hand over his mouth as he realised that he had interrupted his boss’s speech, his eyes widened as he stared at Alexander’s unreadable face.

He had no memory of speaking to Jacob at the office, why was Alexander bringing him into the conversation?

"You will forget all of the chaotic nonsense that follows you. You will do your job flawlessly tonight. Failure is not an option." Alexander finished without sparing Adrian a glance.

Adrian pressed his spine against the leather seat, the tension making his muscles ache. He could tell that Alexander’s motive was less about work and more about isolating him, exerting total control.

"What do you want me to do tonight... do I get my salary back if I do it right?" Adrian questioned cautiously.

He needed the salary.

The monthly bonus from Alexander to Adrienne was strictly for his mother’s care. While a

Adrian’s salary was for the loan sharks, who almost chopped his head off in front of his apartment.

His stepfather had done it again. He burrowed an alarming sum of money under his name, and now, if he doesn’t pay up, he’ll probably end up in a body bag under the sea.

Alexander chuckled dryly, "You dare to question me?" He glanced at Adrian.

Adrin shook his head, "No, boss. You said I had a chance to redeem myself... I just wanted to know what you meant by the redemption –"

"Would you do anything for your salary?" Alexander cut in, accelerating the car slightly.

Adrian nodded vigorously, "Yes, sir. I’d do anything — my life literally depends on it."

He twisted in his seat to face Alexander, eyes wide with sincerity. "Whatever it is, boss, I’ll—"

"If I asked you to be my boyfriend, would you—"

Alexander’s words were cut off by Adrian’s violent coughing.

"Hey—what the hell?" Alexander frowned, instantly pulling over to the side of the road. He leaned over, unfastened Adrian’s seatbelt, and placed a hand on his back.

"Breathe, Adrian," he said, his tone unexpectedly gentle. "I didn’t mean to kill you with a question. I was just testing you."

Adrian tried to speak between coughs, eyes watering. "You—you can’t just say things like that while I’m breathing, sir!"

A small smirk tugged at Alexander’s lips. "Do you rather hear it from only Sebastian?"

Adrian’s head snapped up, his flushed face looking onto Alexander’s stone face.

"Relax, Mr. Cole. You’re too... reactive. I was just making sure you’re not gay as you said. If you were, I’d have no reason keeping you as my secretary..." Alexander trailed off, a small sigh escaping his lips, "The way you reacted... it confirms you’re not. Fasten your seat belt, we have an unfinished discussion." He said and went back to his wheel, moving the car back on the road.

’It’s certain, Alexander Devereux is after my life!’ Adrian inhaled, appreciating the free flow of air into his lungs.

’If not, why the fuck would he be testing my poor heart?’ He slowly fixed his seat belt, pressing his back against the seat.

"I need to know why you attract trouble like this? Why did you sleep so much today? I would never have retracted your salary if you kept your eyes open," Alexander started, his voice calm and eyes set on the road.

Adrian flinched. He couldn’t reveal the exhaustion from the night spent pretending to be Adrienne, charming Mrs. Devereux, and then rushing to the office.

"I... I was dealing with a personal emergency, sir. I’m the breadwinner of my entire family, and after my office work, I get only less than three hours of sleep at home," Adrian whispered desperately, grasping for the only plausible lie that kept the Adrienne disguise intact. "And since you’ve removed my salary, you’ve removed my only means of dealing with that issue. The problem will only get worse, sir. You need to reconsider. My family depends on me to pay off a huge debt." He lowered his head slightly, bowing to the inevitable humiliation of begging his ruthless boss.

Alexander didn’t look at him, but his grip on the steering wheel tightened until his knuckles were white.

There was a new defiance in Adrian’s voice—the persistence—was grating, yet strangely compelling. It was the only part of Adrian that never backed down, the part that reminded him of his wife.

Adrienne was just as hotheaded as Adrian, if not more.

He knew Adrian was right. The salary loss would likely trigger the collapse of the fragile life Adrian was holding together, which might ultimately jeopardise his efficiency.

He kept driving, his expression unreadable as he absorbed the unexpected human vulnerability.

Adrian’s account was delivered with a raw, desperate sincerity that Alexander recognised as fact. He had dealt with desperate people his whole career, but never one of his own employees.

He processed the information: Adrian was operating on less than three hours of sleep, and running a crippling debt. It explained the clumsiness, the exhaustion, and the panic. It explained everything, except why he constantly felt an intense, irrational urge to protect the clumsy man sitting next to him.

"Fine," Alexander finally snapped, the word sharp and final. "I never go back on my word. You still have no salary. But you can get a loan." He stated.

Adrian almost collapsed in his chair.

A loan to pay a loan?

Was he ever going to be free from debt?

But he didn’t have a choice.

Adrian drew a shaky breath, turning his body slightly toward the imposing man in the driver’s seat. "What’s the detail, Boss?" He asked tiredly.

"You will convince a new business partner to trust me. If you succeed in making her choose me as her one and only car dealer, then, I’ll give you a loan... with no interest. It will be taken from your salary until it’s completed," Alexander informed in a serious tone.

Adrian was quiet for a while. He wanted to ask why Alexander thought he’d be the best to convince a rich tycoon to partner with them. But he simply nodded, "Yes, boss. When do I-"

"Tonight. We’ll be meeting with her at my production company," Alexander filled in.

"Yes, boss," Adrian stared out the window, his chest tight.

He had bought back his hope. He had secured the chance at the loan, but Alexander’s expectation of "flawless" work was a near impossibility under Adrian’s exhausted circumstances.

He could only hope that he wouldn’t fail himself tonight.

It was a week till payday and a month until Adrienne’s payday. Even if he wanted to pay the loan sharks from Adrienne’s pocket, he couldn’t because he had already promised the loan sharks to give them some money by next week.

Alexander’s loan was the only hope he had, so he couldn’t afford not to please whoever that rich businesswoman was.

The hum of the expensive car was the only sound for several minutes, the silence pressing down on Adrian until he felt he might spontaneously combust from the tension.

Alexander glanced at him, his blue eyes cold and unimpressed. "You will fix your posture, your attitude, and your damn stammering. Are we clear Mr. Cole? I want no mistakes tonight." He bit out, angry.

Adrian rubbed his temples, where the headache from Chloe’s attack pulsed relentlessly. "Yes, boss." He replied quietly.

Alexander was quiet for a few minutes as he drove the car through a metal gate, "Now, put your head back on your work. We are here."

They had arrived at a sprawling, modern facility—the Devereux Motors production plant.

The mission was about to start, and Adrian was now bound to Alexander by a crushing debt, a non-existent wife’s chaos, and the promise of absolute obedience.

How will Adrian manage? Would he survive? How would he navigate his injured state and not let the pounding headache affect the task?

Alexander stepped out of the car first, his voice calm but edged. "Remember, Mr. Cole... fail me tonight, and the next thing I take won’t just be your salary."

Adrian froze, fingers tightening around his bag.

He didn’t know what scared him more—the threat... or the part of him that wanted to find out what Alexander meant.