Married with the Broken Hearted CEO novel Chapter 85

There is a prickling sensation in Geoffrey’s nape.
It came from behind.
He turned around and saw Vernon sending him a meaningful stare that says: ‘I am watching you.’ 
While preparing for Adira’s drink, Vernon pointed his peaceful fingers at his eyes then towards Geoffrey’s side. There is tight surveillance at Geoffrey’s back, on which, he thinks not applicable at this moment. As if he will do something to Adira at this place. 
Geoffrey picked up the wine glass and wiped it. He glanced at the woman sitting in front of the counter. 
Her red hair reminds him of the dawn he saw on the beach a few days ago. Under the lightning of the bar, her hair shimmered. Her beautiful face, as always, demands attention. She has been graced with a look that could be of royalty and every time Geoffrey saw her, it made him blank. 
Blank but not empty. 
Adira’s presence tinged him an awe, and he always finds himself hardly working up the courage to greet her. But Geoffrey wasn’t new to this game. It just takes practice and keep calm. At night, instead of watching games, at work instead of working, with his eyes closed so he could see her face, burned into his memory as if it had been there all his life, he rehearsed. And it paid off. He can talk to her at ease, smile at her and even confess. 
Didn’t they get close before and even drink together? 
They played volleyball on the beach too. 
But there’s a reason why every performance requires rehearsal and practice. Because no performer might be able to stand on the stage and perform impromptu. 
“I thought you would never be going to visit this place again, ma’am,” Geoffrey said with lascivious grin on his impeccably groomed face. 
Adira stopped tapping the table with her index finger. She answered, “I did. That’s why I am disappointed in myself. I embarrassed enough so let’s no dig upon my mistake.” 
“It’s okay. Other women said that it is natural to miss seeing my handsome face. So, I understand you.” 
Dumbfounded at his jokes, Adira looked at him. She blinked her eyes. Soon, she chuckled, “You are a great joker.” 
“This is the first time someone said that my face is joke,” Geoffrey said, sighing. 
“You’re welcome,” Adira responded. “Anyway, it is so hard to break a habit. When I am stressed and tired from work, I always come to this place. So, yeah… my feet just walk on their own.” 
“But you look like you are in a good mood. Something happened?” 
“Something happened. My husband and I are finally divorced.” 
The expensive wine glass slipped from Geoffrey’s hands. Thankfully, before the glass hit the floor, Geoffrey caught it. He did not look at Adira with widened eyes or opened mouth. His expression is nonchalant, mainly because he already heard the word from her before. But his actions speak louder than the fake calm mask on his face. 
“Aren’t you going to congratulate me?” Adira asked with a smile. 
Geoffrey placed the glass on the tray. He put his hands on the edge of the counter, leaning half of his weight. He looked down, stepping backward, and when he lifted his eyes again, he moved forward. Then freeze. He stayed in that place looking at smiling woman in front of him. 
“I hate it,” he said with a brittle voice as the first ice of autumn. 
Adira divorced Chadwick, but Geoffrey said he hates it? 
She’s confused. 
Adira did not share this news to see him celebrate. Yet if Geoffrey really likes Adira, he should feel juvenile that the woman he loves is finally untied from her marriage. 
“If you divorced your husband, you should not come here,” Geoffrey added, which added on her confusion. 
“I told you. I did not come here to see you,” she responded. 
Geoffrey nodded. “That’s why I hate it.” 
An accusatory frown painted on her forehead. She pursed her lips. 
“I know that you shared the information because you only wanted to tell the truth. Nothing more. Nothing less,” Geoffrey muttered, “But just a moment ago, didn’t you say that it is your habit to come in this place whenever you are tired and stressed?” 
Adira tilted her head while listening. The conversation is getting clearer and clearer. What Geoffrey wanted to say is that Adira shouldn’t feel sad after divorcing her husband.
That barely processed well in her mind. 
‘Did I just admit that I am sad because of the divorce that’s why I came here?’ She asked herself. 
No. 
Adira does not believe that.
There’s no way she was stressed and emotionally unstable because of her ex-husband. 
“Do I have the chance to change my statement?” Adira inquired, looking straight at his serious stare. 
“Then, you’ll be lying, ma’am,” Geoffrey chuckled, sweeping his blonde hair, before his insightful voice has returned, “However, I can change it for you.”
“How?” 
“I will try my best to break that habit of yours. So, the next time you come here, it is because of me.” 
Adira couldn’t help but laugh at his statement. “You are getting braver and braver. Do you like me that much?” 
“Damn much, Adira. I like you more than you can imagine.” 
A strong feeling that the other person can imagine. Adira saw his eyes that have cascading water on the. They bathed her with intensely drenching contentment, and she was drowned. 
It’s hard to breathe. 
Next, she felt her blood rushing in her ears, and there was a loud pulse pounding in her neck. Oddly, Adira is familiar with this kind of ecstasy. She tried so hard to remember when the first time was, she felt this and recalled her time with Chadwick when they were in the cave. 
‘Is it normal to feel this from different people?’ she pondered. 
For Adira, emotions such as these are new. She fell out of love even without starting and she does not know the excitement of liking someone would feel. 
In her situation, age and position, she thought that the idiosyncrasy of yearning affection is too late. Too old. Too tacky. Too uncool. But she guesses, she might be another simple human yearning for love in secret. 
“I have loved you for 12 years,” Geoffrey added after the long silence. “And it is too late for me to back down.” 
“That is so f*cking long,” a familiar voice came unwelcome.
Geoffrey looked at the man who sat beside her. Then, Adira tilted her head only to see her ex-husband. 
“So, the reason why Isa could not get you is because of those 12 years one side love?” Chadwick inquired to Geoffrey, but his eyes remained on his ex-wife. 
“What are you doing here?” Adira asked. 
It’s not been that long since Chadwick and Adira met in court to finalize their divorce yet here he is, sitting beside her in front of the bar counter. Adira concluded that Chadwick possibly followed her in this place. 
‘Is this what you called stalking your ex?’ he thought internally while looking at Chadwick. 
“I am so curious about this favorite place of yours,” Chadwick said. He looked around the exquisite bar, from the silver chandelier, the vintage displays, the old music player and the bar counter. It’s quite nice and relaxing to see, and Chadwick will admit that. However, when his eyes settled to the bartender, he gladly canceled all praises which were about to slip from the tip of his tongue. 
He looked at Geoffrey with eyes as sharp as tiger’s. Then he smirked. 
“But the view here isn’t that pleasant,” Chadwick added. 
Geoffrey replied to Chadwick with a business-like smile. He pointed the exit and said, “If you are not satisfied in this place, the exit is always available for you, Sir.” 
“What a unique worker. Your boss will surely fire you if he hears how you treat your customer.” 
“My boss hates rude customers,” Geoffrey rebuked. 
“Then I will tell him that his employee made me rude.” 
Adira looked alternately at the two men. 
Deja vu. 
She remembered the vacation day and it put her in a foul mood. Nevertheless, Adira came here first, so, if the men will fight, they should do it outside and leave her here with her cold drinks. 
“Anyway, I will give my order,” Chadwick said after the long silence. 
Pissed off, Geoffrey played with his game. “Good day our dear customer. What do you want to order?” 
Chadwick looked at the empty wine glasses. Although he is the CEO of a wine company, he has low alcohol tolerance. However, even if he was so drunk, he would not forget the things he did under the influence of alcohol. When he kissed Adira, when she said that she doesn’t love him and kissing her does not make her feel good, Chadwick remembered all of those. He was in so much pain, and that’s what pushed him to sign the divorce paper. 
Yet, ‘can’t’ and ‘want’ are different. 
He does not want to drink, so he can’t drink many.
However, although he can’t force his way inside Adira’s heart, he wants to have her. 
Keeping his eyes on the glasses, Chadwick opened his lips, “I want to have someone who is very selfish. Someone who said what she wanted and someone who can eat her cereals without milk.” 
Adira’s hands flinched above the table. She knew that Chadwick was describing her. 
“Someone who barged inside my room even though I said to cut it off, someone who dared bit my finger in front of everyone, someone who rushed in the hospital when I got into an accident, someone who will lie about a bottle of non-alcoholic drink and someone who acted as if she does not care about me, when she does. Please, give me that someone.” 
A drink and someone are completely different. A drink is a thing, and someone is a person. Yet, for Chadwick, this is the perfect way to describe a person who made him drown and drunk into these impeccable emotions. 
The bartender on the side formed a tight lip smile as he looked alternately at Chadwick and at Adira. Geoffrey stuffed one hand in his pocket, while the other curled mitts into a menacing missile. 
He can guess what will happen after this.  
‘So that’s why he’s wearing the wedding ring that morning,’ Geoffrey laughed silently, feeling his tight jaw. 
Nevertheless, even though Geoffrey can tell that Chadwick is referring to Adira, he pretended clueless and said, “Sir. I am so sorry. But we don’t have a drink like that. So please stop messing around and just order a proper drink this time. Will you.” 
“I am not messing around,” Chadwick murmured. “The order that I want is very expensive. Maybe priceless. So, how can I joke about that?” 
Slowly, his gaze went to his ex-wife. And when Adira received his eyes, she felt like her beating heart was ripped from her chest. One second beating, the next silent and still.
She watched his blue eyes filled with her reflection and the slight smile on that cowardly mouth.
“I want it so much,” Chadwick’s gruff voice came like the creaking of the gallows-chain. 
The air is cold, then hot. The temperature in her body goes back and forth, and all she knows is that she’s feeling goosebumps on her skin.  
“Adira,” Chadwick called her name, as if he’s treasuring each single letter in that one special word. “ You know that I am talking about you. Right?” 
“...” 
“...” 
A gnawing silence cuts through the air. Their voices were echoing back and forth inside the empty bar, and then suddenly, there’s nothing. The quietness impeded Adira from concentrating on anything else except him; except from that man who is looking into her eyes as if this is the last moment of their lives. 
“I love you, Adira.” 
The silence was pierced with her ex-husband’s confession.