Chapter 6: Cheerful facade

Three hours earlier, Adrian exited his car and strolled into the company with a furious look on his face, exuding a menacing aura that made the employees in the reception instinctively shrink back in fear. On stepping inside the elevator, Adrian shoved his trembling, clenched fists into his pockets, struggling to keep his anger and mostly his frustration under control.

Each breath he took was a battle. He had thought he would see Simona, or whatever her name is; he wanted to see her, but instead, he found only the chilling void of her absence, as if she had never existed at all. With a surge of emotion, he pulled his hand out and punched the unyielding metallic wall of the elevator, a guttural and exasperated groan escaping his lips.

"How dare you, Simona!" he shouted, delivering another blow, his knuckles hurting and staining red against the metallic surface.

“Sir, please, calm—” Michael began, standing nervously behind his boss, but his voice faltered under the weight of Adrian’s frigid glare, which pierced through the tense atmosphere like a knife.

With long strides, Adrian exited the elevator as the doors slid open and headed to his office, dropping himself into his chair as he roughly loosened his tie and passed a hand through his hair.

At that moment, Michael entered the office and placed the file he was holding onto the desk. Adrian grabbed the file and opened it, staring at Simona's photograph before shutting it again, feeling his heart constrict as he gazed at her face. "I miss her,” the word sounds in his head effortlessly. Angry at his own emotions, he stood up abruptly.

“How the hell did this happen in my company?!" Adrian growled as he slammed Simona's file down on his desk angrily, “Three years, three damn years, and none of you knew she was an imposter. I fucking married her; I stayed with her in the same house for a year!”

At Adrian's words, Michael looked at him as he thought inwardly. He was surprised knowing his boss married a woman whom he knew nothing about.

“Sir, please try to remain calm. Our IT team is working on tracking her phone, and it won’t be long before we locate her,” Michael said, hoping to calm down the raging monster in front of him. He couldn't endure any more of his outbursts.

There was a knock at the door, causing Michael to exhale a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He made a hand gesture, beckoning the man outside the door to come in.

“Good afternoon, sir,” the man greeted, his voice steady despite the tension in the air. Adrian, however, remained silent, lost in his own thoughts. Undeterred, the man continued, “This is the madam's current location.” He placed the document he was holding on the polished wood desk in front of Adrian, who reached for it, his heart racing in anticipation. However, his expression turned into a frown when he saw the address—it was his own home.

“What does this mean?” Adrian's voice was low and edged with confusion.

“Sir, that's where we've tracked the madam's phone—in your house.” The words hung heavy in the air. Adrian nodded, dismissing the man with a wave of his hand as his thoughts ran wild in his mind. ‘Has Simona returned to him? Or is she at his house to collect the rest of her belongings since she only took a few of her clothes the day she left? He needs to see her and demand an explanation for why she deceived him about who she was.’

~~~

Thirty minutes later, Adrian's sleek black car glided to a halt at the driveway of his imposing mansion. He exited the car with a sense of urgency and hurriedly made his way into the house.

On stepping inside, a maid dressed in her crisp uniform looked up from her duty and greeted in a polite voice. “Welcome back, sir,” Adrian nodded curtly, his brow furrowed with a sense of unease.

“Where is my wife?” he asked, his voice edged with impatience. However, the maid’s expression shifted to one of confusion as she processed her boss' question but answered.

“Sir, the madam... She left a few weeks ago?” A frown creased Adrian’s forehead at the maid's revelation. Just then, Michael, who entered the room in time to hear the tail end of the conversation, turned to the maid and asked.

“Do you mean the madam hasn’t been here today?”

“Yes, sir,” the maid responded, her voice steady despite the tension that had suddenly filled in the air. After a brief moment, Michael waved the maid off, sensing Adrian's rising storm of emotions.

Adrian, feeling as if the walls were closing in around him, walked over to the plush couch and sank into it, his shoulders slumping under the weight of his thoughts. He ran a hand through his already messy hair, a mix of frustration and confusion etched on his face.

“What is wrong with me?” he muttered to himself, his voice barely above a whisper. “I finally rid myself of her, yet why am I hurting?” The question hung in the air like a heavy fog, a bitter reminder of the turmoil that churned within him. Michael sighed, approached his boss, and sat down next to him. He had opened his mouth to speak when the sound of Adrian's phone ringing interrupted him.

"Here, sir, it's Miss Helena,” Michael said, handing the phone to Adrian, who took the phone with his face nothing like the devastated man a few seconds ago.

“Helena?” Adrian said with a raised eyebrow at Helena's panic voice. “Are you alright?” he asked, his voice filled with worry.

“No, I'm not. Where were you last night? I have been trying to reach you since morning, but you wouldn't answer.” Helena said in a teary voice, but her eyes widened as if realizing something, and she asked in a broken voice. “Are you ignoring me?”

Adrian sighed, realizing why he didn't answer Helena's call. Simona. He is acting like a teenager and not thinking with his mind but heart. What happened with Simona was a mistake; he shouldn't let it hinder his perfect life and lose track.

If Simona had gone through all the trouble of changing her name and approaching him, he should focus on finding her and make her regret ever meeting him.

“Helena, I’m truly sorry; I promise it will never happen again,” Adrian said, his voice calm, hoping to soothe Helena's troubled heart. Helena's lips curled into a soft smile as she replied,

“I love you even more. Guess what?”

“What?” Adrian asked, intrigued.

“I’m coming home in a month,” Helena squealed, her voice bubbling with excitement from the other end of the line, as if the very thought of their reunion filled her with an overwhelming joy.

“Oh, I can't wait to see you, my love.” Adrian said with a hint of sadness on his face and voice. “Take care; we’ll talk soon.”

“Sure, my love,” Helena responded, but as she hung up, her expression darkened. A creeping tension twisted in her gut, and as her finger slid across her phone screen, it left behind yet another crimson bloodstain, a chilling reminder of the hidden turmoil lurking beneath her cheerful facade.