ADRIAN

There’s never a dull moment with Brianna. It’s strange; we don’t really get along, but our constant arguments are actually fun. Maybe it’s the way she flares up at every little thing, or just the look of frustration on her face when I push her buttons. Either way, I can’t seem to stop myself.

Since I wasn’t going to work today, I thought I’d pay Manuel a surprise visit at his office. It took about an hour to get there, and as I parked in the lot, I could already picture the look on his face when he saw me walk in unannounced. Manuel wasn’t exactly a fan of surprises—especially during office hours—but that only made it more entertaining for me. I strolled into the building, nodding at the familiar greetings from his employees.

“Good morning, Sir.” “Long time, Sir!” “It’s good to see you again, Sir.”

I responded with a brief nod at each greeting until I got to the elevator. I pressed the button for Manuel’s floor and waited, feeling a little impatient for the surprise to unfold. The sound of elevator music, faint and oddly soothing, didn’t quite match my energy, and I tapped my fingers against my thigh. When the elevator doors finally opened, I stepped out with the confidence of someone who owned the place, though it was Manuel’s company. The string of greetings continued, but I was already tired of replying.

Just outside his office, I spotted Clarice, his personal assistant, seated at her desk. She noticed me heading for the door and stepped in my path, blocking my way with an apologetic yet firm look.

“Good morning, Mr. Adrian.”

“Morning, Clarice. Is Manuel in?” I asked, leaning in slightly.

“Yes, he’s in,” she replied, looking nervously at the door. “But he mentioned he doesn’t want any visitors or disturbances today.”

I raised an eyebrow. “So, I’m just some visitor and a disturbance now?”

“Oh no, Sir,” she said hastily, her cheeks flushing slightly. “I just meant he’s extremely busy at the moment, and he asked me to enforce it.”

“Busy enough to ignore his best friend?” I challenged, crossing my arms and giving her a playful but pointed look. She opened her mouth to respond, but I cut her off.

“You know what, Clarice? I’ll just tell him myself that you’re tired of being his assistant. No need to thank me. I’ll be helping you out within minutes.” I smirked as her eyes widened, and she started to protest, but I breezed past her.

I swung open the office door without knocking, fully intending to catch him off-guard and annoy him a little. He was so focused on his laptop that he didn’t even look up.

“What do you want? I told Clarice I didn’t want to be disturbed,” he said sharply, still not glancing my way.

I stifled a laugh, enjoying how serious he looked. Manuel, the most carefree guy I knew, was actually focused. It felt bizarre, almost unnatural. He looked up when he heard my chuckle, and his frown disappeared.

“Adrian? Why didn’t you just speak up?” he asked, narrowing his eyes with an amused smirk.

“And shouldn’t you be at work? It’s a Wednesday afternoon—you’re usually swamped.”

“Yeah, well, I decided to take the day off and surprise you. So... SURPRISE!” I announced, throwing my hands up dramatically.

He rolled his eyes, running a hand through his hair. “I was in the middle of an important online meeting, you know. Now, I have to reschedule.”

“Oh, come on, it’s not like you haven’t done the same to me a thousand times,” I replied, plopping myself down in the chair across from him.

He muttered something under his breath, but the irritation faded quickly as he leaned back, a reluctant smile tugging at his lips.

“By the way, you might want to fire your assistant,” I said casually.

He raised an eyebrow. “Clarice? Why?”

“She tried to stop me from coming in, acting like I was some kind of random ‘visitor’—and a ‘disturbance’ on top of that.”

Manuel’s eyes narrowed, and he pressed a button on his desk. “Clarice, could you come in here, please?”

Within seconds, she appeared, looking as if she wished she could disappear.

“Yes, Sir?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper, her hands nervously clasped in front of her.

Manuel’s gaze sharpened. “Are you tired of working with me, Clarice?”

She shook her head rapidly. “No, Sir, not at all.”

“Then why did you stop him from entering?”

She stammered slightly, “I was just following your instructions, Sir.”

“You should know better than to treat Adrian like a regular visitor. Do I really have to explain everything?”

Her shoulders slumped slightly as she looked down. “I’m sorry, Sir. It won’t happen again.”

Manuel sighed, waving his hand dismissively. “You’re excused. But let’s make this clear—if it happens again, you’re out. Understood?”

“Yes, Sir,” she replied, then quickly exited.

I looked at him, unimpressed. “You should have just fired her.”

He shook his head. “Clarice does her job well. Firing her over this would be unfair, and I’m not like someone who changes assistants as often as they change clothes.”

I gave him a mock glare. “You’re obviously talking about me.”

He held up his hands, feigning innocence. “I didn’t mention any names.”

He paused, then added, “Speaking of assistants, how’s yours? Fired her yet?”

“Not yet. She hasn’t given me a good reason,” I replied, though, in truth, Brianna had given me plenty. Manuel stared at me, clearly unconvinced.

“Isn’t that new for you? Usually, one minor slip and they’re gone.”

“Like I said, she hasn’t slipped up.”

“Well, that’s surprising. Maybe she’s perfect,” he teased.

“Whatever,” I said, waving him off. “Anyway, I’ve stayed long enough. I need to check on one of my restaurants.”

“Mind if I come with? I’m free, thanks to someone interrupting my schedule.” He smirked as he grabbed his coat.

We walked out of his office together, a strange sense of camaraderie between us. His employees watched us, probably wondering what kind of mischief we were planning.

“Which restaurant are we going to?” he asked as we got into the elevator.

“The one downtown,” I replied.

He laughed, raising an eyebrow. “Isn’t that where we first met your current PA, who landed a kick to your... sensitive area?”

I groaned. “Don’t remind me.”

He laughed even harder, wiping a tear from his eye. “I can’t believe you kept her on after that.”

“I keep her on because she’s effective—not that you’d understand, Mr. Tolerant.”

“Hey,” he shot back with a grin, “I’m more tolerant than you think. But maybe I need to show Clarice some of that ‘change assistants as often as you change clothes’ routine—could spice things up.”

I chuckled, and as we stepped out of the elevator into the parking lot, I could already feel the weight of work lifting. It was good to have a day off, and even better to spend it with someone who knew me better than most.