CHAPTER 55: 55: UNDER HIS COMMAND

Morning sunlight streamed through the penthouse windows, soft and golden, but to Adrian, it felt like a spotlight. Every sound—the clink of glass, the hum of the elevator, the slow footsteps—was too loud.

He’d barely slept. Every time he closed his eyes, Alexander’s face and words echoed in his head.

"God, I barely made it out alive," he murmured as he stepped into his room.

He shuddered.

He had escaped Alexander’s mansion when he was sure no one would stop him. He made sure Alexander was sleeping before he snuck out of the mansion.

"I scaled through last night, I’d scale through today, too."

Adrian adjusted his tie in front of the mirror, forcing his trembling hands to stay still. He needed to be perfect—calm, precise, unreadable. His disguise had survived worse situations before.

But last night... something felt different. Alexander had changed.

The man who once looked at him with indifference now looked at him like a puzzle he intended to solve.

"Fuck... the tasks weren’t done... what do I tell him?" He bit his lip as he stared at his reflection in the mirror.

He heard the elevator chime in the living room and froze.

"Shit, he’s back," Adrian cleared his throat, fixed his tie, and smoothed out his shirt.

It was time to be a professional secretary.

He didn’t wait for Alexander to meet, him, he quickly grabbed his backpack and left the room.

He walked toward the living room the moment Alexander stepped out of the door, immaculate as always, his expression cool and unreadable. Only his eyes betrayed him—sharp, dark, and too steady.

"Good morning, Mr. Devereux " Adrian greeted with practised calmness.

"Good morning, Mr. Cole," Alexander said smoothly, his eyes raking Adrian’s body.

He loosened his tie and extended his hand to Adrian, "Fix my tie, Mr. Cole," he ordered calmly.

"Sir?" Adrian asked, his voice low and slightly shaky.

"You heard me, Mr. Cole. Fix me tie," Alexander repeated, eyes steady and watchful.

Adrian gulped, "Yes, sir." He said and walked toward Alexander.

He stopped a foot away from his boss and took the tie from him, "Sir... you have to bend a little..." He spoke quietly.

"Get closer, Mr. Cole," Alexander said without moving.

Adrian sucked the side of his bottom lip between his teeth as he slowly stepped forward, closing the distance between them.

Alexander lowered his head, his breath fanning the side of Adrian’s face, "Hurry, Mr. Cole. We’re running late..." he whispered.

Adrian’s fingers trembled as he placed them around Alexander’s neck, his eyes focused on his hand.

"Yes, boss," he murmured.

Alexander smirked, watching Adrian’s attempt at appearing unbothered.

"You’re up early. Efficient as always." Alexander’s lips curved slightly. "My mother was very fond of you yesterday. Said you were polite, humble... and handsome."

Adrian froze mid-motion, his pulse leaping.

Adrian blinked, unsure how to respond. "That’s... quite a compliment, sir."

Alexander tilted his head. "Strange thing, isn’t it? She said the same thing about my wife once."

Adrian cleared his throat, "That’s... really nice..." he muttered.

"Oh, it is," Alexander agreed softly, his hand lifting to cover around Adrian’s on his neck. "You two could almost pass for siblings. The same tone, the same soft voice..." He paused deliberately. "...the same hands... almost," he chuckled.

Adrian stepped back line he’d been shocked, "Ah, yes... almost." He murmured, darting his eyes around the room.

"I take after my mother’s looks... a little feminine," Adrian gripped the handle of his backpack, "Shall we go now?" He asked, trying to avoid the scrutiny from Alexander.

"Sure." Alexander nodded and pointed to the door, "After you, Mr. Cole, we have a lot to discuss at the office."

Adrian walked toward the door, his heart pounding a frantic rhythm against his ribs. The conversation had been calculated, designed to destabilise him using the very memory Alexander had invoked the day before: the comparison to his wife’s hands.

Alexander had been watching for the crack in Adrian’s professional facade, and Adrian knew he had nearly given it away when the CEO’s warm hand covered his own on the tie. The comparison to his wife, the mention of the soft voice and the hands—it was a move designed to make Adrian hyper-aware of the volatile intimacy simmering beneath their business relationship and the bordering risk of exposure.

’Get out. Get out now.’

Adrian reached the door and stepped through, not daring to look back at the man who could dismantle his composure with a single touch or a casual, loaded compliment.

The drive to the office was handled by Lawrence this morning, thankfully, leaving Adrian free to occupy the passenger seat and pretend to organise his files.

Alexander sat opposite him, steepled fingers resting beneath his chin, studying Adrian with unnerving focus.

"The tasks, Mr. Cole," Alexander finally broke the silence, his voice sharp and businesslike. "I assume the tasks I left for you last night were completed."

Adrian kept his head down, flipping through a calendar. "I apologise, Sir. I was exhausted after yesterday’s events and forgot to perform the administrative duties before I retired." He used professionalism to mask his shortcomings.

He wasn’t going to lie and say he had forgotten them; he was simply claiming exhaustion, which was largely true.

"Exhausted?" Alexander’s tone was dangerously flat. "You defied my instructions, and slept the day off and you dare tell me you were exhausted to do your duties? I seem to be recalling a pattern of insolence, Mr. Cole."

Adrian lifted his head, meeting Alexander’s gaze with the perfect, cool efficiency of his "secretary mask."

"Sir, I assure you, it was an oversight brought on by stress, not insolence," Adrian stated firmly, but respectfully. "I have already processed the most urgent items—the international wire transfer and the confirmation for the 16:00 budget meeting. The rest of the administrative backlog can be completed within the first hour at the office."

He handed a tablet across the seat. "The transfer confirmation is here. I took the liberty of updating your calendar to reflect the immediate need for the marketing team review. It appears there was a critical deadline missed."

Alexander didn’t take the tablet immediately. He simply stared at Adrian, momentarily thrown off balance by the preparedness. Adrian hadn’t merely apologised; he had already corrected the error and provided value, shifting the focus from his failure to his efficiency.

"Very well," Alexander finally conceded, taking the tablet. "Ensure the backlog is cleared. I expect complete focus today. You have a very convincing performance to maintain, Mr. Cole."

"My focus is entirely on my work, Sir," Adrian replied, his voice devoid of any hidden meaning, though his heart hammered a silent defiance and the constant voice in his head that was warning him about some

The moment they arrived at the office, Adrian moved with swift purpose. He dropped his bag, powered up his computer, and was instantly immersed in the work. He was a whirl of efficiency, his fingers flying across the keyboard, silencing phones, and organising documents.

He was the machine Alexander had demanded.

But Alexander wasn’t interested in the machine. He was interested in the human beneath it.

Alexander watched Adrian from his office doorway for a full minute, then walked out, stopping directly in front of Adrian’s desk.

"Mr. Cole," he commanded, his voice low enough to avoid drawing the attention of the few early-bird employees. "Come here."

Adrian frowned internally, but externally, he remained a blank slate. He stood instantly. "Yes, Boss?"

Alexander leaned down, placing his hands on the edge of Adrian’s desk, forcing Adrian to stand close to him. "I didn’t like the tone of that reply."

"Sir?"

"Your tone. It was too neutral. Too... dismissive," Alexander’s eyes held a dangerous glint. "You will use a tone of utmost deference when addressing me. Practice it now."

Adrian’s breath hitched. This wasn’t about work; it was about crushing the last remnants of his personality. He swallowed the bitter taste of defiance.

He lifted his chin, staring straight into Alexander’s intimidating eyes, and repeated the words, infusing his voice with forced reverence:

"Yes, Mr. Devereux. My utmost deference is reserved entirely for you, Sir."

He held the gaze, his body tense but unmoving. He had said the words, but the steel in his eyes delivered a completely different message: ’I may say it, but I don’t mean it.’

Alexander’s jaw tightened. The deference was there, but it felt like a razor-sharp weapon pointed directly at his ego. He took a slow breath and finally straightened.

"Now, Mr. Cole," Alexander said, his voice husky. "Get me that coffee. Black, no sugar. And hurry."

Adrian has successfully deployed the mask of the Perfect Secretary, a role that is proving frustratingly difficult for Alexander to penetrate or control.

"Yes, Mr. Devereux," Alexander responded and slid out from his chair, walking straight without looking back.

"Good morning, boss," Alexander heard a soft voice behind him.

He turned to find Sonia smiling up at him with a like in her hand. Her top is a little too tight, squishing her boob’s together.

"Sonia, do you have a complaint?" Alexander asked in a detached tone.

Sonia cleared her throat, "No, boss, I wanted to show you the outcome of my design for the past two weeks,"

"In my office," he stated and strode away, ignoring the obvious seduction in her eyes.