The Billionaire's Two-Faced Escort Wife-Chapter 79: Can’t Loose You

Alexander sat behind his desk in his study, his phone held close to his ear.

"Sonia. You will handle the reports and send them to me in an hour. No errors this time," Alexander said and angrily dropped his phone on the table.

"Just let me handle, boss. It’s my job after all," Adrian spoke from the sofa where he sat with his legs folded under him.

"No," Alexander replied simply and continued working, not even sparing Adrian a glance.

It’s been three days since Adrian returned to the penthouse again, three days since Adrian rejected Alexander and asked him to only be professional with him, and three days since Alexander said more than one word to Adrian.

However, even though Alexander barely spoke or looked at him, Adrian still felt like he was being watched all the time.

Angelica was now like a spokesperson who relayed Alexander’s messages to Adrian, and honestly, it made no difference to Adrian since everything would still end up with them staying in the same room.

Alexander would order Angelica to ask Adrian to eat, to shower, to meet Alexander in the study or the living room depending on where he worked from on that day because he needed to ’watch’ Adrian as Doc. Stan had instructed.

"It’s going to take another day before she gets the report done right. If you don’t want me doing it, then you should go to the office –"

"I’m not leaving!" Alexander suddenly snapped, slamming his hands on the table and locking his eyes on Adrian’s across the room.

Adrian paused.

This was the first time Alexander was looking right at him, even though his voice was raised, his eyes were surprisingly calm.

"I can’t leave you," Alexander sighed, dragging his hands over his face.

He really couldn’t leave Adrian. He felt like any moment away from Adrian would lead Adrian yo harm’s way immediately.

He never wanted a repeat of what happened when he nearly lost Adrian.

Alexander massaged his temples, leaning back heavily into his leather chair. The tension in the room was palpable, a thick, uncomfortable shroud woven from unspoken words and strained gazes.

​Adrian uncurled his legs from beneath him and placed his feet flat on the floor, adopting a slightly more formal posture. He observed Alexander, noting the dark circles under his eyes and the perpetually furrowed brow that had become a fixture of the past three days. Alexander looked less like the formidable, ruthless boss and more like a man grappling with exhaustion and fear.

​"It’s just a report, Alexander," Adrian said, his voice measured and calm, a deliberate contrast to Alexander’s sudden outburst. "I’ve done this a hundred times. I can do it in thirty minutes, flawlessly. Sonia is new to this; she’ll take time."

​Alexander let out a ragged breath, the sound of a man fighting an internal battle. "I know you can," he admitted, his eyes still fixed on Adrian, though the anger had completely drained away, replaced by a weary resignation. "But you are not supposed to be working. Doc. Stan was very clear: rest and recovery."

​"And Doc. Stan also said stress is bad for me," Adrian countered gently. "Watching you run yourself ragged, snapping at your staff, and waiting for an intern to fix a mistake I could correct in the time it takes to brew tea—that is stressful. If you want me to rest, then you need to rest too. And having this resolved would allow you to relax."

​Alexander leaned forward again, resting his elbows on the desk, his hands clasped together, fingers steepled beneath his chin. "I appreciate the offer, Adrian, but my answer is still no. You are a liability right now. I need to be here, and you need to be doing nothing strenuous."

​The word ’liability’ stung, but Adrian refused to let it show. "I understand your concern, Alexander," Adrian said, pushing past the offence. "But if your only reason for being locked in this penthouse, neglecting your duties at the main office, is to ’watch’ me, then you are achieving the opposite of what Doc. Stan intended. You’re stressed, which makes me stressed. You’re neglecting your business, which worries me. And you’re treating me like a sick child who can’t be left alone, which... annoys me."

​Alexander’s expression remained unreadable for a moment, then a ghost of a wry smile touched his lips. "I’ll accept ’annoyed’ over ’running out of the building and nearly getting killed’ any day."

​"That was one time, Alexander. And it was a situation you created." Adrian’s tone was sharp now, a flicker of genuine irritation breaking through his calm facade. He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth, seeing Alexander wince, but he didn’t take them back.

​The study fell into a heavy silence again. Alexander closed his eyes, tilting his head back. "I know," he whispered, the admission soft but heavy with regret. "I know I’m the cause of all of this. That’s why I have to be the solution. I can’t risk anything happening to you again. I can’t."

​Adrian softened his gaze. This was the man he’d been avoiding, the man whose intensity he’d feared, but in this moment, all Adrian saw was a broken man trying desperately to hold onto what he valued most.

​"Alexander," Adrian began, slowly rising from the sofa. He walked across the expensive Persian rug toward the desk, stopping a polite distance away. "I am not glass. I don’t need you to hover like a guard dog. What I need is for you to trust me. Trust that I will be responsible. Trust that I know my own body and my own mind better than you or Doc. Stan."

​He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. "And I need you to understand that I’m not running away. I made a mistake before. I won’t make it again. Not because you’re watching, but because I chose to stay... for my job and conscience,"

​Alexander opened his eyes, the deep blue colour holding a mix of pain, relief, and confusion. He looked at Adrian, truly looked at him, taking in the controlled composure, the genuine concern in his eyes.

​"You chose to stay," Alexander echoed, the words sounding foreign on his tongue. "But you also chose... to keep me at a distance."

​Adrian sighed. He had walked himself right into the conversation he had been dreading for three days. "Yes. I did," he confirmed, his voice firm. "And that hasn’t changed. I meant what I said, Alexander. We need to be professional. This is a place of business, not... not whatever we were before."

​"We were not ’professional’ before, Adrian," Alexander stated, a hint of his old demanding self returning. "And we can’t go back to being strangers just because you decided you were uncomfortable. I need you, Adrian. More than just for reports."

​"I know," Adrian said softly. "And I need you too. As a boss, a mentor, and... as the only person who understands my predicament. But I can’t give you what you want, Alexander. Not after everything. The risks are too high for both of us, emotionally."

​Alexander stood abruptly, his chair scraping loudly on the hardwood floor. He rounded the desk and stopped directly in front of Adrian, the proximity overwhelming. Adrian fought the urge to step back, forcing himself to maintain eye contact.

​"Risk? What risk?" Alexander’s voice was low, gravelly. "The risk of you getting hurt? I’m here. I’ll protect you. The risk of me getting hurt? I don’t care. I already am, Adrian. You’ve been cutting me down piece by piece since you came back, and yet I can’t bring myself to let you out of my sight. That’s not professionalism, Adrian. That’s... something else."

​Adrian felt his resolve wavering under the intensity of Alexander’s gaze. "Yes, it is something else," he conceded, his voice barely a whisper. "But I cannot afford to explore that ’something else’ right now. My focus has to be on rebuilding my life, my reputation. I need stability. And you, Alexander, are anything but stable."

​He took a slow, deliberate step back, finally breaking the intense connection between them. "So, for the sake of both of us, let’s stick to the script. I’m your recovering employee, contracted wife, and you’re my overly concerned employer. I will stay here, under your watch, until the doctor clears me. But you need to trust me to take care of the small things. Like fixing a simple report."

​Adrian moved back toward the sofa, picking up the small, ignored remote control. "Let me do the report, and you take a five-minute break. Go look out the window. Call Angelica and tell her to bring you a coffee. Do anything but obsess over Sonia’s work for another hour."

​Alexander watched Adrian, his jaw tight. Adrian was presenting an ultimatum wrapped in a compromise, and Alexander knew he had no choice but to accept the compromise if he wanted Adrian to stay in the room. He couldn’t force Adrian to be close to him emotionally, but he could ensure Adrian’s physical safety, which was currently his primary, overwhelming directive.

​He walked back to his chair, but instead of sitting, he leaned against the edge of the desk. "Fine," Alexander said, the word a reluctant grunt. "You do the report. But I’m watching you. And when you’re done, you are resting. You are not to touch anything else."

​Adrian offered a small, appreciative nod. "Understood. Deal." He moved to the adjacent small work table, pulling his own laptop from his bag—the laptop Alexander had personally retrieved from his room. As he opened it, he felt Alexander’s eyes, the constant, heavy gaze that felt less like an invasion of privacy and more like an anchor, holding him in place.

​Alexander didn’t move. He watched Adrian log in, open the necessary files, and begin typing with rapid, familiar efficiency. It was a simple task, but watching Adrian focus, seeing the competence he had missed these past three days, brought a strange, complex mix of frustration and comfort to Alexander.

​Adrian was rejecting him, building a wall between them, but he was also there, in his penthouse, safe and sound, performing a familiar task with characteristic brilliance. It was a fragile, temporary peace, but Alexander would take it. He had Adrian in his sight, and for now, that was enough.