Married with the Broken Hearted CEO novel Chapter 69

“Oh my! Oh my! It is so shocking to see you here!” Neil exclaimed with a clap that broke the silence at the cottage. 
He left Secretary Hansel and ran towards Isa. 
“Miss Isa, what a coincidence that you are here.” 
Isa tilted her head in wonder and blinked several times. Neil sent her home quite a lot, but they aren’t that close. 
Flabbergasted, Isa uttered, “Yeah?” 
“Come here come here,” Neil pulled Isa to sit down at the same table with Chadwick and Adira. “Tell us more.” 
Adira and Chadwick looked at the smart secretary who made an action as soon as possible. 
Just weeks ago, there was a rumor of Chadwick cheating on his wife. So even if the employee did not believe the rumor, there might still be a part of them that wonders if it is true. Now that Isa came and showed herself to everyone, saying that she’s a friend, they might discover that she is the woman behind the famous talk. 
That is why Neil acted. He pretended that Isa is really a close friend of the two and that no one should a make big deal out of it. 
“What are you all doing?” Neil asked the employees who were looking at them. “Go drink and eat! And you, James,” he called one of the employees of Wine&Vibe. 
“Y-Yes?” 
“Turn on some music to make the surroundings happy.” 
“A-Alright!” 
“I just came out for a moment, and everything went dull,” Neil murmured before he smiled at Isa and asked her, “Where are we again?” 
With the music on and Neil’s interference, the cottage became lively again. Some who thought that there was something between Isa, Adira and Chadwick, began to forget what they were thinking. They believed that maybe she’s just a close friend of the two. 
From afar, Hansel stared at Neil, who handled the situation well. She praised him for acting professionally as Chadwick’s secretary. Because she, herself, cannot do it. Maybe if her husband did not cheat on her, she might stay composed. 
“About the reason why I am here,” Isa answered Neil. She looked at Adira and Chadwick, who were sitting next to each other, and gave them a sweet smile. “This is my father’s beach resort. I came here to visit and was shocked that two companies rented the resort. When I heard that it is Wine&Vibe and Crimson Meadow, I came to help serving beers with the staff.”
“Ahhhh, that’s why,” Neil said while nodding his head before he checked the bosses’ expression. 
Adira laid a faint grin while Chadwick stared seriously at Isa. 
He wondered what’s going on inside the bosses’ minds now that they have opposite reactions. 
The reason why Adira grinned is because she finally found out the mystery this morning. Nocturne knew about the arranged marriage between her and Chadwick. Then suddenly, Isa appeared out of nowhere. 
‘It is easy to say that the two have connections with each other,’ Adira thinks. ‘The purpose? I guess it’s for me.’
Adira turned her head to her husband. So did Chadwick, who was worrying if Adira would feel bad seeing Isa in this place. 
‘I think this man hasn’t no idea what Isa did behind his back. He’s blinded with love,’ Adira added in her head. ‘But why is he staring at me as if he’s apologetic? He doesn’t need to worry about me at all.’ 
Adira does feel bad about seeing Isa. She thinks it is so unfair to handle a childish woman who lacks affection at the day she should supposed to rest. Nevertheless, what is done is done. The first thing that she had to do was to eat and gain energy for the next insensible things that might happen, besides getting trapped inside the cave.
She pulled her gaze away from her husband and then picked up the cutlery. 
Isa, Neil and Chadwick watched Adira eat happily, not caring about her surroundings. 
Just like what many people say, nothing will beat a hungry person. 
Adira ate roasted chicken, the pork barbecue and the huge shrimp that was sauté with butter. At her sexy figure, no one will imagine how she never gets fat even though she has a huge appetite. 
Even Isa was shocked. 
‘I really hate how she acts like nothing happened on an occasion like this,’ Isa said while biting her lips. 
Yet, Isa calmed herself down. Her goal is to get Chadwick back, and not to irritate an immovable person like Adira. 
After Isa kissed Chadwick on the night of the party, she pretended clueless the next day. She texted Chadwick saying that she was too drunk and she cannot remember anything at all. Luckily, the man who stayed by her side as her friend, believed her lies. 
And so, Isa  thinks she can continue acting innocent around the people who will be awkward at her present. That’s how thick faced she is. Or maybe, she’s just desperate to get back what she thinks is hers. 
“Adira, you’re so pretty today too,” first, she tried to praise Adira. 
Munching, Adira did not look at her and replied a short, “Yes. I know that too.” 
Isa’s lips twitched. Neil bit his lip, trying to suppress the laughs he’s holding back. Meanwhile, the quiet Chadwick was just staring at his hungry wife. 
He doesn’t want this. Chadwick wanted to pull Adira out but there were many people watching. Pulling her out means admitting that he’s wrong, and that he is really cheating with Isa. So, no matter how much he wanted to explain right now, to tell her that he doesn’t know anything about Isa’s visit or that this resort is hers, he kept his silence. Soon, when no one is looking and they are alone, then they will talk. 
“And you Chadwick,” Isa said, and stared at Chadwick. “Why are you not eating? Eat.” Isa got the huge shrimp and placed the plate in front of Chadwick. “This is your favorite, right?” 
Adira stopped munching as she felt the gaze from different directions gathered at their side. 
‘Ahhh f*ck. I am losing my appetite,’ Adira complained silently. She knows that Isa is doing this on purpose. Because she’s a person who’s using Chadwick to satisfy her greed in attention. But she can’t bear seeing her acting shamelessly in front of many people. ‘Calm down, Adira. Let’s not stoop low at this b*tch,’ she keeps on telling this to herself but… 
“Shrimp isn’t Chadwick’s favorite anymore,” Adira replied. She grabbed a glass of water and took a sip. Then she continued, “His favorite is the Bongole Pasta that I cooked for him.” She looked at Chadwick and asked, “Right, honey?”
Chadwick stared at Adira then at Isa. Next, he opened his lips and answered, “Yeah. Since I tasted my wife’s cook, my taste buds changed.” 
Adira smirked while Isa clenched her fists under the table. On the side, Neil punched the air in his imagination and gasped, ‘Madam Adira, one point.’ 
Flustered, Isa chuckled and had no choice but to agree. “Ahhh, is that so? You two are really sweet to each other.”
Isa took a deep breath before she talked again. 
“Ahhh!” she said, clapping her hands. “Do you remember Elliot Hendrix?” she asked Chadwick. “Our classmate in high school. He visited this resort a week ago.” 
Isa’s next plan is to cast Adira out of the conversation. It is to show Adira that she knows Chadwick best than her. However… 
“That Elliot Hendrix?” Adira asked. 
Isa and Chadwick stared as\t Adira, wondering if she really knows who Elliot is. Well, Elliot is a famous athlete so many know him right now. But the way Adira called his name looks like she knows him in person. 
“Elliot Hendrix is your classmate in high school?” Adira murmured. 
“Y-Yeah,” Isa answered. 
“Do you know him?” Chadwick asked. “I mean aside from being a basketball player.” 
As an answered, Adira nodded her head. “Yup. He went to watch my… I mean, let’s say we just… alright. Well, to make it short, Elliot asked me to be his girlfriend when I was in college.” 
“Oh really?!” Neil gasped, covering his mouth. “I am a g-great fan of Elliot! Omg! He asked you to date before?!” 
Chadwick snorted out of jealousy. He stared at his wife and asked, “Really? You dated him before?” 
Adira chuckled. “No. He just asked me, but I rejected him.” 
“Woah! You must be so popular in college!” Neil praised her madam. 
“Well, a bit?” Adira answered with a hand gesture. 
“Are you really sure that Elliot asked you to date?” Chadwick asked her again. “The Elliot I know is a shy guy who cannot talk to woman easily.” 
“Maybe my charm is too much that he forgot to be shy,” Adira teased. “Do you want to know how Elliot confessed to me?” 
“I don’t want,” Chadwick answered then looked away. 
“Me! Me! I wanted to know!” Neil said, raising his hand. But when he saw Chadwick’s glare, he slowly put his hand down. 
“Forget it, that’s from a long time,” Adira added before she slyly grinned at Isa who became an outcast in the end. 
Isa clenched her fists tightly beneath the table before she forced a smile and detached her lips again. 
“Speaking of popularity,” Isa butted in. “Chadwick was pretty popular when we were in high school too.” 
“N-No,” Chadwick denied. 
“That’s given,” Neil defended. “My boss is handsome, so I knew he’s popular too.” 
“Right,” Isa agreed. “A lot of female students wanted to ask Chadwick for a date. But he declined them all. Thinking that, why did you reject everyone before?” 
The smile on Neil’s face disappeared. Chadwick uncrossed his arms while staring at Isa. 
The answer is clear. 
They all knew that Chadwick rejected the girls before because he only loved Isa. So why did Isa have to ask this rhetorical question even if she knew the answer? 
Simply, she wanted to show Adira that for long years, there was only her in Chadwick’s heart.  
‘For a moment you got swayed. But you will come back to me. I know you will come back to me,’ Isa thought while waiting for Chadwick’s answer. 
“I…” Chadwick stuttered. “It is because… I…” 
“Maybe because he liked someone before,” Adira answered the question for her husband. 
Watching on the side, Neil held his breath. 
“But that someone rejected him. My husband told me this story before. That he likes a woman, but that woman likes someone else.” 
Chadwick turned sharply to his wife. He could not remember telling his story to Adira! 
“But the other guy likes another woman too. Then, my husband met me, and we got married,” Adira continued. “What do you think will happen to the woman who my husband liked before?” 
Isa knew what Chadwick wanted to say. That it is the love story between her, Chadwick, Geoffrey and Adira. And she hates it. She despises hearing from Adira about her stepbrother’s unrequited love. 
“The woman might be regretting letting go of my husband. And now…” Adira leaned closer to Isa and whispered something that only her can hear. “She’s begging for his attention. Pitiful.” 
Rage flowed through Isa like lava, and her eyes turned red. As her temper sparked, she battled between keeping her silence or calling her a b*tch who seduced Chadwick. When her fury sprang to life and she was about to make a mistake, Hansel came to their table and called Adira. 
“Ma’am,” Hansel said. 
Adira moved away from Isa and looked at her secretary. “What is it?” 
“There’s a call from the executive at another branch.” 
“Alright,” Adira stood up then looked down at Isa. “I shall take my leave, then. Miss Hansel.” 
“Yes, ma’am?” 
“Please take me some food on the way to my room. My appetite might come back.” 
“Noted, ma’am.” 
Without looking at Chadwick, Adira turned her back and left the cottage. 
When she stepped out of the cottage, she stopped and asked Hansel who’s behind her. 
“Is there really a call from the other branch?” 
“I am sorry, ma’am. But I lied,” Hansel said. 
“Good job. I owe you for that.” Adira flipped her hair and walked towards the villa. 
She did not beat Isa. But her words are enough to shut her mouth.