His Signature

[Adrian's office]

"May I come in?", she asked.

"Oh, Zoey." Adrian lifted his gaze to the door. "Yes, you may.", he granted her permission.

"Thank you.", she walked in and shut the door behind her. Her heartbeat went faster as she neared his desk.

"Do you need something, Zoey?", Adrian asked, putting his desktop aside.

She needed something. Something that only he could give her.

"Yes, please. I need your signature on these documents.", she gulped, shoving him the papers.

"It's a contract, and they have nominated our company among the first five.", she explained.

His eyes scanned the first document. "Oh, I see." He averted his gaze to her. "Why the wait? Get me a pen." She nodded and handed over a black pen.

"That reminds me, Zoey." Adrian stopped himself from signing the papers and looked up at her face.

She wondered what he had to say. Perhaps he was playing along with her, she thought. It would terrify her if he knew her motive.

"Yes...?" she stopped to think.

"I want to know the reason that you keep hiding stuffs from me. Can you tell me, please?", he asked.

"I... I'm not hiding anything, I promise.", she stuttered.

"Your dad's sickness? The hospital bills?", he asked, raising his left brow.

She was impatiently waiting to hear the documents.

"You were in the hospital last night?".

She nodded in affirmation. "Yes, I was." It surprised her by how he knew these details.

"Where did you plan on getting such a vast sum of money?", he folded his arms and relaxed his back on his chair.

"I... I don't know.", she lied.

"The deadline is today, remember?", he asked.

It startled her. "Wait. Have you been stalking me?", she asked.

He chuckled, which sent a shiver down her spine. It scared her to think if he had digged out the whole truth.

"No, Zoey. I was only checking up on you. You looked worried the whole week, that's why." He explained.

"Then you traced me down to the hospital?" She asked, seeking ways to clear the air.

"... and cleared the bills." He burst the bubble. Zoey wasn't sure she heard him right.

"I cleared the bills earlier today.", he stated with clarity.

He rendered her speechless as a tear ran down her cheek. "Please, tell me you aren't kidding.", she sobbed.

"Believe me. I wasn't joking when I said I would do anything for your happiness, Zoey...", he paused, and walked over to her with an open arm. She ran into his arms in tears, and he embraced her.

"I will give you a listening ear, a helping hand, and shoulder to lean on. You shouldn't feel scared to tell me anything, Zoey. I don't bite, you know.", he stroke her hair.

Guilt hit her hard. "Why are you being nice to me? I... I don't deserve you.", she sniffed her tears.

"Zoey, please don't say that. Yes, I know you're not the best, neither are you perfect. We all make mistakes, right? What makes you think I won't accept your flaws? I don't know what I feel for you, but I know it's mutual. It's not the right time to discuss this, but I had to." Adrian poured out his heart.

Her teary eyes met his. "Thank you." Only her lips moved.

"Anytime, Zoey. We will leave for the hospital together after work. Your dad is in good health. The doctor will discharge him this evening." Adrian said. Her mind was at peace.

"I'm grateful once again." Zoey said.

"Er, sorry. I want to use the bathroom." She said, turning to leave.

"Wait, a second. I want to sign the documents and hand them over to you. I wouldn't like to make you stress yourself", Adrian said, picking up the pen from his desk.

She needed to stop him.