Fake Date, Real Fate Chapter 56: She Wasn’t Supposed to Matter

ADRIEN’S POV

She walked past without a single glance.

Not a flicker of emotion. Not the rage from earlier, not the fire she’d burned with in my office. Just... cold detachnt. Controlled. Poised. Distant.

The kind of distance that scread louder than anything she’d shouted at before.

And yet, her scent lingered in the air—faint notes of vanilla, a bit of rose, like the quiet after a storm. And I stood there, by the door of my office, trying to pretend like I hadn’t just lost the only ground I thought I had gained with her.

"Miss Miller?" the words were out of my mouth before I had the chance to stop myself.

She paused. Tilted her head slightly. Didn’t turn.

"Yes?" Her voice was clipped, almost bored.

I swallowed down whatever this thing in my chest was. "Let’s just pick up from where we left off with the Johnson proposal. Nine AM?"

She finally turned. Just a bit. Enough for to see her face—carefully blank. A wall. One I had put there.

"Nine AM," she repeated. "Okay."

And then she was gone.

The lobby emptied too fast after that. Her absence felt bigger than it should. I stood for a few seconds more, then turned back to my office.

You handled that brilliantly, Adrien.

The apology had been real. The regret, too. But what was it worth if it ca too late?

I ran my hand through my hair grabbed my phone off the top drawer.

"Caron," I said once he picked up. "Are you still in the office?"

"Yeah, why?"

"et downstairs. Garage."

He didn’t ask questions. Just said "On my way," and hung up.

I put on my jacket and locked the office door behind .

I stood by my car, hands shoved deep into my pockets, the cool air in the parking level doing nothing to cool the ss in my head. My jaw was tight, my thoughts louder than they should be. That kiss—her reaction—every second of it played on repeat. And not in the way I wanted.

It was just a kiss.

It didn’t an anything.

She didn’t an anything.

Except... she did.

And that sohow pissed off even more.

Caron walked into the garage a few monts later, rolling up his sleeves and looked around before spotting leaning against the side of my car.

"You called out like soone just embezzled half the company," he said, walking over. "You good?"

"Get in." I muttered, unlocking the car.

He raised a brow but didn’t argue. Once inside, I didn’t start the engine. I just sat there.

"We argued," I said finally. "In the elevator. Things got heated."

Caron nodded slowly. "Okay..."

"And I kissed her."

That got him. He turned fully in his seat, blinking. "You what?"

"I didn’t plan to," I said sharply. "It just happened. Heat of the mont. I was angry. She was angry. She said sothing—doesn’t matter what—and I lost my damn head for a second."

I leand my head back and pinched the bridge of my nose.

"It was just a kiss. It doesn’t change anything."

Caron exhaled slowly. "Right. And I’m sure she took it well."

"She was furious," I muttered. "Told off in the office. Walked out like I was nothing. Like I didn’t exist."

"Well, considering you’re her boss..."

I shot him a warning glare.

He raised his hands. "Okay, okay. No lectures. But Adrien... co on. A kiss in the middle of an argunt? You really expect her to not lose it?"

"She’s not innocent in all this," I fired back. "She’s manipulative. She probably chard on purpose, in order to get under my skin."

Caron was quiet.

"I an, think about it," I continued, voice colder now. "she acts sweet, and feisty, and is always so... humble. But that may just be her angle, and this is just part of so elaborate ga. Hell, maybe even that guy from earlier is part of it."

"The guy from earlier?" Caron repeated carefully.

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, unwilling to offer a response.

"You really think she’s conning you?" he asked.

"She’s a gold digger, Cam," I said flatly. "We both know it. The second I drop my guard, she’ll take whatever she can it is she can take and disappear for good. That’s what won like her do."

He looked at for a long mont. "And yet... you kissed her."

No way to answer that without sounding stupid. I didn’t have an answer. Not one I could put into words without sounding ridiculous.

"It was... a mistake," I finally ground out, staring straight ahead at the concrete wall of the parking level. "A stupid mistake I made out of frustration."

"Frustration? Or sothing else?" Caron pressed gently. He wasn’t being accusatory, just... observant. And that made it worse.

"It was just frustration," I insisted, my voice tight. "She pushes my buttons like no one else. Gets under my skin. And in that mont... I just reacted. To shut her up, maybe to even... god, I don’t even know what I was trying to do."

My grip tightened on the steering wheel, my knuckles white. The silence stretched between us, heavy and awkward.

"Look," Caron said after a mont, his tone softening.

"I get it. Isabella stirred things up the second she walked in here. Challenged you. Got you off balance. That’s probably why you hired her, right? Needed soone like that on the team part from the fact you want to keep an eye on her."

He paused, letting that sink in. "But maybe she got you off balance in ways you didn’t expect."

"There’s nothing else," I said flatly.

"If she’s just a gold digger, Adrien," Caron continued, ignoring my denial, "why do you care so much about her response to your mistake? Why are you down here venting to in the garage like this?"

I turned the key and started the engine, done with the conversation. "I don’t know."

Caron didn’t push. But I felt his stare as we pulled out of the garage.

We were already halfway out of the garage when Caron finally broke the silence again.

"Did you apologize?"

I didn’t answer right away.

"Adrien," he pressed.

"Yes," I said, shortly. "I apologized."

He blinked. "You? You actually said sorry?"

I shot him a sideways glance. "I’m not a complete asshole."

"No, but you’re not exactly famous for admitting when you’re wrong."

I rolled my eyes. "I told her I shouldn’t have done what I did. That it was out of line. I said I was sorry."

"Where?"

"In the office. Right after she packed her stuff."

Caron’s mouth twitched. "Did she say anything back?"

"She said ’okay.’"

That was it. Caron laughed out loud, leaning back against the seat.

"It’s not funny," I growled, gripping the steering wheel tighter.

Caron finally sat straight, wiping tears with his finger. "Oh, it’s hilarious, Adrien. You, Mr. Never-Wrong, on your knees with an apology, and all you get back is ’okay.’ It’s poetry."

"I wasn’t on my knees," I snapped. "I was admitting I was wrong."

"Oh, dude. You are so cooked. That’s not forgiveness. That’s the corporate equivalent of ’Fuck off.’"

I gritted my teeth. "She didn’t walk out screaming."

"Doesn’t an she’s not plotting your downfall."

"Maybe she’s just... processing," I mumbled, hating how weak the words sounded.

Caron snorted. "Yeah, processing how to make your life hell while staying perfectly within HR regulations."

I shot him a look. "Okay, smartass. What do I do then? Huh? What else is there?"

He looked at , amused. "Try being humble. Even if she gets under your skin. Don’t play this power ga with her. You kissed her. You crossed a line. Act like you actually care."

I snorted. "I don’t care."

Caron just stared.

I tapped my fingers impatiently on the steering wheel. "Fine. What do you suggest?"

Caron relaxed in his seat, a sly smile on his face. "Oh, you’re finally asking? Progress."

I glared at him. "Just talk, Cam."

"For starters, stop calling her a gold digger every five seconds. It’s a convenient label, Adrien, but it doesn’t explain why you hired her in the first place, or why you’re sitting here sweating over her reaction to a kiss you supposedly regret."

"Also, besides get under your skin? What makes you so sure she’s a con artist and not just... a woman who’s got her own stuff going on, who maybe didn’t appreciate her boss shoving his tongue down her throat in the middle of an argunt?"

My jaw tightened. "It wasn’t like that."

"It was exactly like that," he countered flatly. "And she shut you down. She put up a wall. She acknowledged your pathetic apology with an ’okay’ and walked off like you were a mildly irritating fly. That’s not how a gold digger reacts, man. That’s how soone draws a line and dares you to cross it again."

He sighed and rubbed his chin."Look, you asked. My suggestion? Back off the power gas. Don’t try to dominate her professionally just because you feel like you lost control personally. Treat her with professional courtesy. Give her space. And if you truly are sorry, show it."

"What kind of show?"

"Get her coffee."

I almost laughed. "You want to show up tomorrow with coffee like I’m begging?"

"Yes. Exactly. Be human for once. Get her sothing small. Say good morning. No glares. No cold comnts. Just... neutral energy, minimum."

"That’s not in my skill set."

"Well, start learning. Because you’ve got bigger things to worry about."

I glnced at him.

He smirked. "You do rember that you two are eting your mother tomorrow, right?"

I groaned.

Caron chuckled. "Yeah, exactly. So if you want her to show up, maybe don’t piss her off. If she cancels on you before that eting, you’re screwed."

I sighed, staring straight ahead as I pulled into traffic. "Unbelievable."

"She’s already doing you a favor by agreeing to et your mom. You ss this up, and I swear—"

"I got it," I said tightly. "I’ll get the damn coffee."

"And...?" Caron prompted, his eyes gleaming.

"And... general not-being-an-asshole-ness," I mumbled.

Caron chuckled softly. "Progress."