Secret Crush Seduction, page 15
“Come on, Adelaide.” He ran his hand through his already tousled hair. “You’re not being fair. I’m trying to do my job.”
“Fine. Do your job. But you can wait an hour, because I’ll be leaving first. I have work to do.”
She grabbed her crumpled clothes and got dressed in the bathroom. She was too furious to bother washing her hair, so she put it up in a loose knot at the top of her head. She buttoned her blazer, hoping it hid her lost shirt buttons sufficiently. When she came out, Michael was pacing the bedroom with worry written across his face.
“Adelaide,” he said, coming toward her with his hand outstretched.
“Keep your hands off of me,” she snapped, stepping out of his reach. The man had told her he loved her last night, and now he was pretending nothing happened. Her grandmother was important. Her dreams were important. But so was love. Love was very important.
“I know. I know what you want to talk about. But it has to wait. Right now we need to stop this catastrophe from happening, then we can talk,” Michael said, a hint of desperation in his voice.
“What’s half an hour going to change? We need to talk now.”
“It’s still early enough in the morning when not a lot of people would see us. We need to leave as soon as possible.”
“Fine. I’m leaving.”
“Not like that,” Michael pleaded, jumping into the elevator with her. “Don’t leave angry. I’m only doing this to protect you.”
“Do me a favor, and don’t,” she snapped, and stepped out of the elevator when the doors opened in the lobby.
“Adelaide. You can’t leave like this.”
She kept walking and had stepped out through the exit when Michael gripped her arm. She jerked her arm free. “Why ever not?”
He didn’t have a chance to respond before a handful of paparazzi surrounded them, snapping picture after picture.
* * *
After everything she’d accomplished, he’d done this to her. Two days before the event. He’d broken her heart, ruined her reputation and jeopardized her career. He’d done this.
He put his arm around her, tucking her head into his chest, and hurried her to his car. Quickly settling her into the passenger seat, Michael jumped into the driver’s seat and drove away from the flashing cameras.
“Goddammit,” he yelled, pounding his hand on the wheel. “I’m sorry, Adelaide. But I’ll take care of it. I won’t let anything harm you.”
“Actually, I can take care of this on my own,” she said in a cold, poised voice. “I have the interview with the morning show scheduled for tomorrow. I’ll take a moment to defuse any rumors. Those pictures cannot affect the fashion show.”
“But they could ambush you on live TV.”
“I can handle it,” she snapped. “You need to stop underestimating me.”
“That’s not—”
“I can’t do this right now. Please take me home.”
“Not the office?”
“And what? Are you going to face Grandmother on your own?” He shut his mouth. He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten about Mrs. Song. She should’ve been on the top of his list for troubleshooting. He was so worried for Adelaide that he wasn’t thinking straight, and that wasn’t helping anyone, especially her. “Her schedule is open this morning, so she should be home.”
“Okay. I’ll take you home.”
“It’s nice to finally agree on something.” She was fuming, and he couldn’t blame her.
They drove to Pacific Palisades in stilted silence, and Michael’s mind was spinning with how they would explain themselves to Mrs. Song.
“We need to figure out what we’re telling your grandmother,” he said, breaking the silence with a businesslike tone.
They couldn’t let their emotion overtake them right now. They had to come up with a plausible explanation to convince Mrs. Song that Adelaide was dedicated to the fashion show and not up to her old ways. This morning shouldn’t reflect negatively on the hard work she’d put in so far.
“We’re telling her the truth,” she said, still looking out the window.
“Excuse me?” He must’ve misheard her. They couldn’t admit to breaking her trust. Not now.
“You heard me. Lying by omission is one thing, but I’m not going to lie to my grandmother’s face.”
“You can’t do that. Think about what’s at stake.”
“I know exactly what’s at stake. I never lost sight of it for a second. But with what happened, I have to own up to it and trust Grandmother to understand why we did what we did.”
Michael gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. Why we did what we did. Why indeed? To satiate our physical needs? Hell, no. It was love. It was always love. But he couldn’t admit that to Adelaide in front of Mrs. Song. He couldn’t allow them to enter into a battle of wills over him. He wasn’t worth it. He refused to allow this to happen just days before the fashion show.
Adelaide seemed to take his silence for acquiescence and didn’t argue further, but Michael knew exactly what he had to do.
She let herself out of the car when he parked, and he followed her into the house. Liliana met them at the door, but her smile slid off her face as soon as she saw their expressions. “Mrs. Song is in the study.”
“Thank you,” Michael said quietly, and followed Adelaide down the hallway.
Adelaide knocked on the door without hesitation, determination etched into her face.
“Come in,” Mrs. Song said from behind the door. When the two of them walked in, her eyes rounded ever so slightly. “What are you two doing here at this hour? I trust there are no problems with the fashion show.”
“No, there are no problems with the show. We came because we have something to tell you. Michael and I’ve been seeing each other,” Adelaide said without preamble.
When she took a breath to continue, Michael cut in. “But it’s over now. Spending so much time together the last few months brought up some emotions we mistook for love. We’re past it and have been fully focused on the fashion show.”
Adelaide gazed at him with heartbreak in her eyes. Damn it. Her look tore him with guilt and regret like physical pain. But he couldn’t stop now. He had to be strong for both of them.
“What is this all about?” Mrs. Song said with quiet command. It was clear she expected them to tell her everything this instant.
“We were seen coming out of Garrett’s penthouse this morning, and there are going to be pictures,” Adelaide said boldly.
“We were working on last-minute preparations for the event,” he interrupted once more. “But the media is going to try to spin it into something entirely different.”
“You two were careless enough to let this happen two days before the fashion show?” Mrs. Song demanded, her voice rising.
“Call it last-minute nerves. Preoccupation with D-Day.” He kept his tone even and professional. After all, this was a business discussion. “Whatever the reason, we made a mistake, but we will fix the situation, Mrs. Song.”
“Is this true, Adelaide?”
“Yes, Hal-muh-nee. We made a mistake,” she said to avoid lying outright to her grandmother, and glared at him with eyes filled with resentment. He’d pushed her into a corner, smothering her efforts to tell the truth. Her shoulders dropped imperceptibly, but her disappointment was palpable. Michael felt a fissure opening up in the center of his heart. “I’m going to handle this situation, and pull off the fashion show without a hitch. I won’t disappoint you.”
“This is not the time for arguments or division in our family. What happened has happened. I trust you to correct the situation,” Mrs. Song said, to Adelaide and Michael’s shock. “You can do this. You must do this. Your position at Hansol still depends on the success of the fashion show. I won’t be an obstacle in your way, but I’m not holding your hand through this. You are a Song. Show me what you’re made of.”
Thank God. Adelaide still has a chance. Her dream is alive and well. But the cracks in his heart still grew and spread to the outer edges. It was a miracle it didn’t crumble all together.
“I’m sorry about this mess, but nothing is going to derail the show,” Adelaide said with absolute conviction. “Your trust in me won’t be misplaced, Grandmother.”
But Michael knew Adelaide’s trust in him was destroyed for good.
Fifteen
“Michael and I are old friends. Actually, we’re closer to family than friends. We don’t do it as often as before, but we sometimes fight like siblings do. That’s all that scene was in front of the Ritz. We were both exhausted from the fashion show rehearsal—which was amazing. The tickets for the event are sold out, but we’ll be streaming live and allowing viewers to bid online in an auction for some of the designs.” Adelaide clapped her hands over her chest to show her enthusiasm for the television audience. She was indeed excited about the event. It was just that she had a gaping hole where her heart used to be, and she had to lay it on thick to cover how dead she felt inside. “But what was I talking about? Oh, of course. My fight with Michael. Long story short we had a disagreement over something, and it blew into the biggest fight we’ve ever had.”
“Would you call it a lovers’ spat?” the morning show host asked with a teasing grin.
“There’s no love lost between us. I’ll tell you that much.” She gave the host an exaggerated wink. “I’m so embarrassed at how immature that sounds, but lack of sleep and stress can make a person do some silly stuff. Once we pull off the best damn fashion show and auction tomorrow, I’m sure we’ll go back to being easy friends.”
“The air practically crackles when you talk about the fashion show. Could you give us your best pitch before we go to commercial?”
“This world is beautiful because of its diversity. This fashion show will celebrate those differences. My greatest hope is for the event to illustrate that acceptance of all diversity showcases the best of humanity.”
The cameras cut out to a round of applause, and Adelaide was able to leave the studio with a triumphant smile on her face. Her personal life might’ve been a wreck, but she was a Song and she wouldn’t let anything, even a broken heart, interfere with the charity event and the cause so worthy of her and the designers’ efforts.
While she’d thought all the hard work was done, the last-minute preparations kept her up all night. Not that she would’ve been able to sleep otherwise. Every cell in her body hurt. Breathing hurt. Existing hurt. Working didn’t ease the pain, but it distracted her from the most painful thing of all: reliving her argument with Michael. Hearing his words on a loop.
Emotions we mistook for love... We’re past it...
She knew it wasn’t true, and that was what hurt her the most. He didn’t trust her with his love. With his heart. He thought she would crumble and fall at the first sign of hardship, and he was afraid of holding her up for the rest of their life. A burden he had to carry, along with the secret he held so tightly to himself.
The rest of the day rushed by with Adelaide packing extra supplies just in case. When she bought ten rolls of duct tape thinking it would come in handy, Adelaide accepted that she was panicking. And she wasn’t the only one. Her anxious designers texted her with last minute questions until her cell phone overheated.
Before she could properly absorb what was happening, it was time for the fashion show to begin. Adelaide wore an edgy white tux sans tie that she’d designed as her contribution to the collection. It fit so well and allowed such great range of movement that she almost forgot she was in formal wear.
Michael came, but he stayed away from her except to say hello and wish her luck. Perhaps, it was for the best. She wouldn’t have been able to concentrate on the proceedings 100 percent with him so near. Soon the cocktail reception came to a close, and she escorted her grandmother and the VIPs to their seats, adrenaline coursing through her veins. This is it.
The models showcased the immaculate business attires to the oohs and aahs of the guests. But when they walked the runway in the formal suits and dresses, there was only hushed awe.
Their guests were entranced by the setting, the music and, most of all, the clothes. From everyday business wear to evening wear, these were clothes that people with autism could wear with confidence—without the discomfort that would’ve prevented them from looking and performing their best. Adelaide was so proud of her designers and what they had accomplished.
Adelaide swallowed the emotion clogging her throat, and took the stage to introduce her amazing design team to the pounding applause of their guests.
“May I have your attention please,” Adelaide said into the mic. “It’s time to announce the winner of the design contest. As you guys can guess, it was a tight race. But this designer’s work captured the very spirit of this fashion show. And the winner is... Mona Andrews!”
The applause rang like thunder and her entire design team jumped to their feet shouting and congratulating Mona, who cried happy tears. Adelaide couldn’t have wished for a better outcome.
The auction was a spirited and exciting affair with the guests competing for their favorite pieces. The bid for Mona’s award-winning red suit was cutthroat. Adelaide watched the proceedings come to an end, feeling weightless with elation. They’d done it. She’d done it.
Her design team rushed to her and enveloped her in a group hug. They were a happy, whooping mess of entangled limbs.
“You guys were so amazing, and I’m so proud of you,” she said, untangling herself.
“We had an amazing leader,” Chris said, and the others echoed his sentiment.
“Go and have fun now. You deserve it.” She sent off the design students with more hugs and congratulations.
“Adelaide.” Her grandmother materialized at her side and pulled her into a tight hug. “Congratulations, my heart. I’m so proud of you.”
“Oh, God. Thank you, Hal-muh-nee.” Tears sprang to her eyes.
“The woman who pulled this spectacular event off...that is you. Never doubt who you are. Never doubt what you’re capable of achieving,” Grandmother said with a catch in her voice. “You’re going to be an amazing department head.”
Adelaide was rendered speechless for a moment, and it felt as though her heart had skipped several beats. When she regained her ability to breathe and speak, she gripped her grandmother’s hands in her own trembling ones and said, “I won’t let you down, Hal-muh-nee.”
“I know you won’t.” Tears glistened in her grandmother’s eyes.
“Congratulations, cuz.” Colin wrapped her up in a bear hug.
“Thank you, Colin,” Adelaide said hugging him back.
“Enjoy the moment,” he said. “Hal-muh-nee, may I escort you to your car?”
“Yes, I should be on my way.” Her grandmother squeezed Adelaide’s hand one more time before being led away by Colin.
Adelaide stayed until the last of the guests and staff left. Except for Michael. He stood quietly in shadow against a wall following her with his eyes. Adelaide locked the loft door and turned to face him from across the room.
“Are you finally ready to talk?” she asked in a deceptively calm tone. Inside, she was trembling with fear—afraid of what was to come, the success of the night fading into the background. “What you said to my grandmother, and what I said on the show... Is that what you really want?”
“Adelaide.” Her name was a plea on his lips. But a plea for what? He pushed himself off the wall and drew closer to her. In the light, she could see the pallor of his skin, his drawn and tired expression. “That’s what we agreed to from the beginning. It’s for the best.”
“Despite what I said, we don’t need to end things.” She breathed in and out several times to keep her voice—and panic—from rising. “It’s not that my reputation is suddenly unimportant to me, but being with you won’t harm me. There might be talk in the beginning, but soon they would see that I’m a grown woman in a committed relationship. It’s mature, grown-up and boring. They’ll forget about us in no time.”
“It’s not only the public. What about your grandmother? The show was a huge success tonight. No one could question that. You are going to get that department head position at Hansol. If you oppose your grandmother now, all that could be jeopardized.”
“We’re not talking about a casual affair. Why would Grandmother disapprove of us? You’re just grasping at straws to end this relationship.”
“There are things you don’t understand, but I won’t come between your family and your dream. This has to end now.”
“But that night...you told me you loved me.” She held her breath, praying he wouldn’t deny it.
“I know,” he said simply.
“Then why? Michael, I love you, too. I’ve always loved you.”
“No. You can’t.” He stumbled back, then widened his stance and steadied himself. “I know you had a crush on me when you were a little girl, but that wasn’t love. Even if it was, you’re just confusing the past with the present. The passion we share is extraordinary, but it isn’t love. Please. You can’t love me.”
“Why can’t I love you, Michael?” She took hesitant steps toward him. He retreated before he stopped himself. “Why can’t we be together?”
“Trust me. We can’t be together. You can’t love me.”
“Why do you keep saying that?” She reached him at last and put her hand over his heart. “Let me love you. I don’t need anything from you. If what we have is all you could give me, then it’ll have to be enough. Just don’t push away my love, Michael. It has always been and will always be yours. You deserve to be loved. Let me be the one to do it.”
His eyes grew impossibly wide, and his breathing grew shallow and rapid. Then he shut his eyes and opened lifeless eyes to her. “It’s over, Adelaide.”
