CEO By Day, Mine By Night

Adriana’s POV

Adriana’s heart fluttered as she pulled up in front of Carlos’ duplex. Butterflies rattled her stomach, and the memories from the last time they had seen each other made her weak to her knees. It had been two weeks, and they were both busy and caught up with work and show business.

Sometimes, the siren-eyed woman wondered if her fans knew how hard it was to keep up with reality — the reality that she was now engaged with Carlos. She had the man she had always dreamed of, the only one who could give Prince Charming a run for his money.

Adriana sucked in a sharp breath and exited the car. She clutched a silver Louis Vuitton package. The last time they had met, Carlos proposed but she hadn't given anything in return, so this was her chance to surprise him.

The woman’s hand reached for the spare key she had and tried to unlock the door, but it didn't budge; she frowned. Carlos rarely locked the front door from the inside, and even if he did, her spare keys always worked.

Had he changed the keys?

Why?

Adriana did not have time to sort out her thoughts because hushed voices cut through them. She frowned as the familiar echoes traveled through her ears. She could recognize those voices anywhere.

Her heart sank to her stomach as she registered them. There was a masculine voice, undeniably Carlos, and the feminine voice was Rachel, her childhood friend. They had walked into showbiz together, but she never got the same attention and acceptance Adriana had received.

Neither of their voices would have been an issue, if not for the soft moans and noises that followed. Adriana yanked on the door handle desperately as her stomach churned.

“Car–” She tried to call out, but Rachel's voice cut her short.

“So tell me,” Adriana imagined the blondie with her smug grin, “Who is better in bed, me or that plain Jane?” A soft snicker and shuffling followed.

“Rachel,” Carlos' husky voice came through, and a tear rolled down Adriana’s cheek; she stumbled back.

“You know I don’t like it when you compete with her, Adriana is one of a kind, but you oh-oh-oh…”

The sound of moans filled Adriana's ears, and she almost lost her balance; she held onto the door handle to keep her feet on the ground.

“You are the only one I want,” Adriana imagined his curled-up lips and hypnotic eyes locked with Rachel, and she doubled over and threw up her breakfast.

When she had regained her composure, she glanced up and locked eyes with the window. In her distress, she had moved away from the door, and now, she had a clear view of the reality she was refusing to accept.

Her fiancé and her best friend — rolling in the sheets together.

“T-this can’t—” A sob almost escaped her lips, but Adriana bit hard on her bottom lip and tightened her fist.

No!

She refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing her in pain. She was Adriana Thello, not some random high school girl who got her heart broken.

They had to pay for it, for hurting her like this—betraying her trust. It sickened her to her stomach that she had spoken to Rachel about her suspicions that Carlos was having an affair before he proposed. The blondie had even offered to help her find the woman; they probably laughed at her back and planned the engagement to throw her off.

The brown-haired woman wiped the fresh tears that tried to roll down her flushed cheeks. She fumbled with her burkini bag for a few seconds to find her phone because of her clouded vision. Once it was within her grasp, she discarded the bag and held up the phone to video the spectacle.

No one would gaslight her into believing she heard things, and the world had to know… They had to know that Carlos Vinyl was a piece of trash, and Rachel Monroe was a few inches behind.

Once she was done with the video, she sent it to Carlos and one of the journalists who had been obsessed with him. Then, she sent him another text informing him that they were done and that he shouldn’t try to find her.

Adriana ran her hands through her short hair and stumbled back to her car. She got in and sped down the road for hours before she parked in the middle of nowhere, and it hit her.

Everything was over.

Her dreams of marrying Carlos and starting a family, her plans of retiring with Rachel so they could finally put their architectural degree to good work. Everyone knew about their engagement; the press, media, family, and their friends — How could she ever face the world again?

Adriana needed time. She needed space. Her lungs closed for a moment, and her grip on the steering tightened as she struggled to breathe. Dark spots appeared in her vision, and she slapped herself across the face multiple times to focus again. Tears leaked from her eyes, and her bottom lip quivered.

The woman’s fingers trembled as she reached for her phone again and called the only person she felt confident enough to face,

“Taylor,” was the only word she trusted her voice to say without cracking.

“Oh my Gosh! Oh my Gosh!” The woman on the other line shrieked. “Ria! Is that you? We’ve been looking for you for hours! Everyone is worried! Your parents are throwing up a storm and… And Carlos is devastated.”

Devastated? Adriana couldn’t bring herself to laugh at the absurdity.

“I’m fine.” Her voice sounded hoarse, and she hoped her manager, Taylor, had not noticed. The last thing she wanted was to be caught crying over a man who cheated on her. “I need some time off—”

“What do you mean?” The woman on the other end of the line responded sharply. “We have interviews lined up and photo shoots and press releases, just come back an—”

“Cancel it!” Adriana roared. “Cancel all of it! I don’t want it—”

“What?! This is what we have been planning for months! This is your dream—”

“Well, some dreams don’t come true!” Adriana retorted in a high-pitched tone. Her dream had been to marry Carlos, and that was ruined. “I’m leaving Mexico. Don’t look for me. Ever.” She spat and ended the call.

For the first time in her life, since she bagged that architectural degree for her parents, got pushed into the limelight because of her pretty face—Adriana felt in control.

And this newfound control would change EVERYTHING.