Married with the Broken Hearted CEO novel Chapter 25

Chadwick’s heart was convinced but his mind wasn’t. He can feel that he has crush on his wife, but his thoughts always deny the truth. That is why Chadwick agreed to the journalist offer for the magazine article about him and his wife. Through the one-day date, he will find out if his heart can win over his dedicated mind. 
There is this saying, ‘Don’t allow your mind to tell your heart what to do. The mind gives up early.’ 
Well, Chadwick will see if that’s true. Will his determined mind give up? 
He thought that it would be an easy test. But he doesn’t know that process will be so difficult, just like right now. 
The first course of their date is eating inside an expensive restaurant. Journalist and the photographer are on the side. They are watching the couple while taking down notes and pictures they can use for their articles. Journalist’s expression shows unsatisfactory at the first course of date. Jaymee is just here to observe the two and she is not allowed to tell them what to do because she should write her articles depending on what she had observed. But watching Adira and Chadwick, so far, she can feel the awkwardness between the married couple. 
Didn’t they say that they are so in love with each other? 
Then why are they eating without talking? 
Only the sounds of the cutlery on the plate of steak resonated around the place. Chadwick and Adira were too focused on the delicious red meat in front of them that they probably forgot each other for a moment. So far, that is what the journalist think. 
‘Maybe they are just hungry?’ Jaymee thought. 
But that is not the real case. 
Adira and Chadwick haven’t reconciled yet after the red blanket incident. The night after Chadwick agreed on the one day date, Adira did not come home again and stayed at her office. Therefore, they only met here along with the journalist. Without talking first about their plans, they had to pretend lovers. So, while cutting the meat, Adira is thinking what they would show. 
Jaymee is a professional journalist, who wrote thousands of articles about love and relationships. 
‘If I act like a sweet lover, she can tell that I am only acting,’ Adira believes. 
She looked at Chadwick across her. 
‘So, I can act only if Chadwick will do it first. Because he acts worse than me. Therefore, he should do it voluntarily because he’s the one who agreed on this.’ 
This is the reason why Adira first opposed this set up in her mind. Doing this means they had to act like a real couple.
‘Which will be hard for Chadwick because he hates me,’ Adira thinks. 
She’s confident in her acting skills, but worried about her partner. 
At the same moment, Chadwick lifted his head and looked into her eyes. He was surprised for a moment when he caught Adira staring at him for a long time. Subsiding the shock in his eyes, Chadwick forged a cough. 
“Ahem.”
That is the first sound that came from the married couple. Then next is…
“The steak is so delicious, right my wife?” Chadwick asked Adira with a beam on his lips. 
‘Not that bad,’ Adira thought while watching his acting. 
“Yes,” she replied. Adira smiled sweetly at him, just like what she always does, and added, “That is why I love this place so much. Thank you for bringing me here, honey.” 
“My pleasure, honey.” 
After that, they both looked down to their plates and ate again. 
Jaymee, who’s watching the two, tilted her head. 
‘Is this really how billionaire’s conglomerate date? Quiet and elegant?’ She is starting to doubt herself. 
Rich people have different ways when it comes to dating. Especially in Adira and Chadwick’s case, they are both the CEO of two big companies. But it doesn’t mean that if you are one of them, it is natural to enjoy this kind of set up. 
‘This bore me so much,’ Chadwick thought internally. 
Rather than sitting inside an expensive restaurant, he prefers hanging outside and eat street-food instead.  
How did a son of billionaire like him learn to enjoy that? 
Isa taught him. During their high-school days, Isa showed Chadwick the whole world by letting him enjoy how fun it is to eat outside rather than sitting inside an elegant restaurant. 
Isn’t that the reason why he fell in love with Isa?
‘Why am I thinking of her?’ Chadwick complained to himself. 
He shook his head and reminded himself to focus on today’s event. 
Chadwick diverted his eyes back to Adira. 
‘I need to know if I really like this woman.’ 
The next course of the date is visiting a musical theater.
Based on the research, elites, wealthier and better-educated people preferred music genres such as classical, blued, jazz, opera, choral and musical theatre, a broad palette of preference that sets them apart from the normal people. 
But not all research is right. 
Chadwick had a hard time keeping his eyes open while watching the musical theatre. Meanwhile, Adira, who’s sitting beside him, had her keen eyes staring at the stage.
Chadwick glanced at his wife and praised her for focusing at the show, which he thinks is very boring. 
‘It is more fun to go and watch in the cinema, like what Isa and I always do,’ Chadwick trusted. 
Third course, the two went to a paint gallery to look at paintings together. Chadwick enjoys art. But he would rather go to the arcades an play games, just like what he and Isa do when they were hanging out together. 
During this date, Chadwick realized that his ideal type and dates are still go with Isa. It is his mind who told him so. However, even if he preferred doing things that he did with Isa and he’s so bored at today’s date, Chadwick cannot take his eyes off his wife. 
Actions speak louder what his mind thinks. 
He told himself that he was not enjoying it. But whenever he looks at Adira’s face, a part of him says that it is still worth trying to go out together. However, this isn’t enough for Chadwick to be 100% sure of his feelings. 
“So, this is it,” Adira murmured while looking at the abstract painting with unconventional shapes, colors of blue and hue, and lines within the piece. 
Chadwick, who is already staring at his wife, waited for the next words she’ll say.
Jaymee, the journalist who’s watching over them, is standing far so she won’t hear what the two are talking right now. In fact, she’s getting a bit bored while accompanying Chadwick and Adira on this date. She doubted that maybe, she choice the wrong couple to do the article with her.
‘This date is not fun at all,’ Jaymee thought. She sighed as she stared at the couple who’s talking to each other. ‘Probably, they are talking about the paintings,’ she guessed. However…
“This is the date that everyone is looking forward to,” Adira said to Chadwick.
Adira took a deep breath before she set her eyes from the painting she cannot understand, to her husband whom she cannot understand too. 
“To be honest, this is my first date.” 
Chadwick’s knees weakened at his wife’s words. He felt his heart jump out of his chest, rolled for a few times and went back inside his cage. He did not expect that this date would be Adira’s first. 
‘And I feel worse because I only use this date as my way to prove my feelings,’ Chadwick thought internally. 
Chadwick experienced a lot of dates with Isa. Although they were just friendly dates, at least, he had so much fun hanging out together with the person you love. 
How about Adira? 
She was forced to come here and to date a husband who always pushes her away. 
‘But we still did things that she enjoys,’ Chadwick defended. 
“Why did you not date before?” he responded. 
“Well, I have no time to date,” Adira replied. 
During her young age, Adira only focused on studying. After she graduated, she practiced how to handle business. She was so busy at work that she does not have time to attend blind dates or have any interest towards any guy she had met. That is why she turned 31 without experiencing the excitement of a blooming spring.  
“Didn’t your father set you up to a lot of blind dates before?” Chadwick asked, crossing his arms. “Because for people like us, it is normal to be set up in a blind date even without our consents.” 
“My father did that. But I did not attend.” 
“That sounds really like you, Adira.” 
“I will take that as compliment, Chadwick.” 
“So, since this is your first date, what can you say?” 
“If I will keep being honest, then…” 
The two looked at each other. 
“I would say that it is so BORING.” 
Chadwick’s eyes widened. 
At last! 
He thought it was only him who thinks that this kind of date is so boring. Chadwick was wrong when he said that Adira enjoys the normal dates every conglomerate people do. 
“From eating steak, watching musical theatre and visiting a paint gallery, it felt like I came here with you for business,” Adira added. She mimicked Chadwick by crossing her arms too and said, “What’s next Mr. McElroy? Play a golf?” 
The two of them only got married for business purposes. Then, is it okay to date as if they are also in a business deal. After all, their relationship is nothing but a fake.
“The next date,” Chadwick said. 
Suddenly, he grabbed Adira’s wrist. Jaymee saw the sudden development between the two and went wide awake. 
“I will decide where to go,” he said, before he pulled Adira out of the gallery. 
The business-like date is over. And it is now time to have some fun.