Two weeks after Boston, I was buried in the Riverside implementation. Fourteen-hour days, endless meetings, constant coordination with Victoria's team.
Professional. Successful. Exhausting.
And I barely saw Adrian outside of work.
Oh, we passed each other in hallways. Exchanged emails. Sat in the same conference rooms.
But the stolen moments, the late-night dinners, the mornings waking up in his arms those had vanished under the weight of deadlines and deliverables.
Victoria's words haunted me: He'll prioritize the company over everything, including you.
"Earth to Emma." Riley waved a hand in front of my face. We were having lunch at the café across from the office our first real conversation in days. "You look exhausted."
"I am exhausted. Riverside is consuming my life."
"And how's the other thing consuming your life? The tall, brooding CEO thing?"
I pushed salad around my plate. "Busy. We're both busy."
"That's not an answer."
"We haven't… it's been two weeks since we've actually been alone together. Really alone." I set down my fork. "Maybe Victoria was right. Maybe this was always going to be impossible."
"Or maybe you're both just drowning in work and need to actually communicate like adults." Riley's tone was gentle but firm.
"Have you told him you're feeling neglected?"
"He's not neglecting me. He's running a company. I'm running a massive campaign. This is what we signed up for."
"No, you signed up for a relationship. Work is just work." She leaned forward. "Emma, if you want this thing with Adrian to survive, you have to fight for it. Not just accept that work comes first."
Before I could respond, my phone buzzed. Adrian: My office. Now. Emergency.
My stomach dropped. "I have to go."
Adrian's office was chaos. Gerald was there, looking pale. Patricia from the board sat rigid in a chair. And Adrian stood by the window, his entire body radiating controlled fury.
"Close the door," he said without turning.
I did, dread pooling in my gut. "What's wrong?"
Patricia spoke first. "Miss Carter, are you in a romantic relationship with Adrian Hartley?"
The world tilted. "I what?"
"Someone sent an anonymous email to the board this morning." Gerald pulled out his phone, reading: "'Adrian Hartley promoted Emma Carter after spending the night with her. Their relationship continues, compromising professional judgment and company integrity. Attached are photos from their Boston trip.'"
Photos. Oh God.
Patricia turned her tablet toward me. The images were grainy but unmistakable Adrian and me in the private cabin of the jet, his hands on my face, kissing. Another of us in the hotel hallway, standing too close. A third through a restaurant window, holding hands across a table.
"Who sent these?" My voice was barely a whisper.
"The email came from an anonymous account. Untraceable so far." Adrian finally turned, and the look in his eyes was pure ice. "But I have my suspicions."
"Marcus," I breathed.
"Most likely. Though proving it will be difficult." He crossed to stand beside me, a united front. "Patricia, Gerald, I want to be absolutely clear. Yes, Emma and I are involved. That involvement began before her promotion and has continued since. But her promotion was based solely on merit, as we demonstrated at the board meeting two weeks ago."
Patricia's expression was troubled. "Adrian, the optics"
"The optics don't change the facts. Emma earned her position. Our relationship is personal and private, and frankly, none of the board's business."
"It becomes the board's business when it affects company reputation," Gerald interjected. "People will talk. Clients might question her authority."
"Then those people are idiots." Adrian's voice could have cut glass. "Emma just closed a fifty-million-dollar deal with Riverside. She's built a team that's outperforming every metric. Her work speaks for itself."
"Adrian, we're trying to help." Patricia stood. "But you must see the position this puts us in. If word gets out"
"Word is already out. Someone made sure of that by sending it to the board." I found my voice, stepped forward. "So what happens now? Do I get fired for dating my boss? Do we pretend it's not happening? Do I resign to make everyone comfortable?"
"No one is resigning," Adrian snapped.
"Then what's the solution?" I turned to Patricia. "Because I'm not going to apologize for my personal life. I've worked my ass off for this company. I've earned every opportunity I've been given. And yes, I'm dating Adrian. Those two things are separate."
Patricia studied me for a long moment. "You're right. They should be separate. But the reality is, people will conflate them. Your work will be scrutinized more heavily. Your decisions questioned. Your authority undermined."
"Let them try," Adrian said coldly. "Anyone who questions Emma's competence will answer to me."
"That's exactly the problem, Adrian." Gerald spoke up, looking genuinely concerned. "You can't protect her from everything. And the more you defend her, the more people will assume she needs defending because she got her position through your relationship."
The truth of that hit like a physical blow.
Adrian's jaw clenched. "Then what do you suggest?"
Patricia sighed. "Transparency. Make a statement that yes, you're in a relationship, but it's disclosed and managed appropriately. Show that Emma's performance reviews are stellar. Make it clear she was promoted before the relationship became serious."
"We can't lie about the timeline," I said quietly. "We were together the night before my promotion."
The room went silent.
"Well." Gerald rubbed his face. "That complicates things."
"It doesn't complicate anything." Adrian's voice was dangerous. "The timeline doesn't change Emma's qualifications. She deserved that promotion with or without our relationship."
"But you reviewed her file because of the relationship," Patricia pointed out. "You said so yourself at the board meeting that your interest in her made you look at her work."
"My interest made me look. Her work earned the promotion. There's a difference."
"A difference the media won't care about if this leaks publicly." Patricia gathered her things. "I'm going to call the board together for an emergency session. We need to get ahead of this before it becomes a scandal.
Emma, I suggest you prepare a statement about your qualifications and relationship timeline. Adrian, you should do the same."
She left, Gerald following with an apologetic look.
The moment the door closed, Adrian punched the wall. The crack echoed in the silence.
"Adrian"
"This is my fault." His voice was raw. "I should have been more careful. Should have waited longer before promoting you. Should have kept us more hidden."
"So Victoria was right. The company comes first. My career is collateral damage."
"That's not what I meant"
"Isn't it?" I crossed my arms, anger and hurt warring inside me. "We've barely seen each other in two weeks because we're both so buried in work. And now someone's trying to destroy my reputation, and your first instinct is that you should have hidden me better?"
"I'm trying to protect you!"