Chapter 80 Chapter Eighty: Unwanted Friendship

Chapter 80 Chapter Eighty: Unwanted Friendship
(Lior's POV)

I couldn't have been more grateful to Adrian for taking some of the weight off my shoulders. It had been a week since the dietician and caregiver had started taking care of my father, and my head felt lighter because of it.

I still checked on him constantly. I spoke with Maya almost every day, asking about his meals, his medication, his mood, and whether he'd been behaving himself. There was also a doctor's appointment scheduled for the following week that I planned to attend with him. But compared to before, the burden was significantly lighter.

Which meant I should have been more focused at work.

Right?

Apparently not.

I stared at my computer screen, blinking slowly. I couldn't remember what I'd been reading. Again. I rubbed my eyes and leaned back in my chair.

Every morning, lately, I woke up feeling like I hadn't slept at all. I'd tried going to bed earlier. I'd even forced myself to put my phone away and sleep at a reasonable time.

It didn't help.

The sluggishness still followed me into the morning. Sometimes, I'd catch myself dozing off at my desk.

Adrian never scolded me for it. That somehow made me feel even guiltier. If he had yelled at me, at least I'd have had something to complain about. Instead, he'd simply tell me to get some rest.

So I'd started drinking more coffee. A lot more. Unfortunately, coffee had apparently decided it didn't want to work for me anymore.

I glanced at the printer.

I needed to print a document.

I pushed my chair back and was about to stand up when I heard the sound of heels approaching.

I looked up and saw Vivienne Valehart was walking toward me.

I immediately straightened. “Good morning, ma'am.”

“Good morning, Lior.”

She stopped in front of my desk. “Is Adrian in?”

“Yes, ma'am. But he's in a meeting right now.” I glanced at the clock. “It should be over in about ten minutes. You can wait for him.”

She smiled. “I'm not here for your boss. I'm here for you.”

I blinked. “Me?”

“Yes.”

I stared at her. “May I ask why?”

“I want to be friends with you.”

I blinked again. “Friends with me?”

“Yes.” She tilted her head. “What? I'm not worthy of your friendship?”

“No, that's not the case, ma'am. It's just—” I hesitated. “I might disappoint you. I'm nowhere near fit to be friends with you.”

Vivienne's smile widened. “Oh, don't be so polite. It creates distance.”

She pulled out the chair opposite my desk and sat down.

“And don't bring yourself so low. You're the famous Lior.”

I frowned slightly. “Famous?”

“The first and still only Omega to get a work permit.” She smiled. “My daughter is friends with you. She wouldn't stop talking about you. Anne and Aiden are practically fighting for a chance to go out with you.”

I felt my cheeks warm.

“And my husband favors you.” She leaned back. “I figured I should experience the wonder they're all experiencing around you.”

I laughed awkwardly. “You got it wrong, ma'am. My boss doesn't favor me.”

“Oh?”

“He signed my work permit without knowing Omegas weren't allowed to work.”

Vivienne stared at me for a moment.

Then she smiled. “Isn't he such a selfless man?”

I smiled. “Yes, he is.”

“It's good that you know.” She stood up. “Then please, let's be friends. Don't turn me down.”

I didn't know how to refuse her without sounding rude, so I just nodded. “Okay.”

Her face immediately brightened. “We're friends then.” She sounded genuinely pleased, but I could swear there was nothing genuine about her wanting to be friends with me. “Give me a call when you're free so I can invite you to hang out.”

“Of course.”

She smiled and walked into Adrian's office.

I watched her disappear through the door. Then I slowly looked down at my desk. I had absolutely no intention of calling her, I'd already thrown away the number she'd given me so I don't even have her number.

I turned back to my computer.

Several minutes passed. The meeting ended, and Adrian was walking back to his office.

He walked toward my desk.

I knew exactly what he was going to do; he'd lean down, he'd touch my face. Or, if he was feeling particularly shameless, he'd kiss me right there.

So, I quickly grabbed a sheet of paper and wrote:

YOUR WIFE IS HERE

I placed it where he could see it.

Adrian stopped. His eyes moved from the paper to me, then back to the paper.

His expression barely changed. He picked up my pen and wrote underneath my message.

THAT SUCKS. I WANT TO KISS YOU. COME IN AS SOON AS SHE LEAVES.

I glared at him.

He gave me an innocent smile and walked into his office.

I shook my head, biting back a smile. What was wrong with this Alpha?

About ten minutes later, Vivienne finally stepped out.

She smiled at me. “Remember to give me a call.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

She walked away.

I waited until she had disappeared completely before looking toward Adrian's office.

I gave it another five minutes.

Then I stood and walked inside.

The moment I stepped through the door, Adrian reached for me. His arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me against him.

Before I could say anything, his lips found mine.

I kissed him back for a moment before pulling away.

Then I frowned. “Kissing me after you just kissed her?”

Adrian looked amused.

“You should have at least wiped your lips or something. And why are you so hungry? You just kissed your wife, wasn't it enough?”

He chuckled. “I didn't kiss her.”

I stared at him. “Why are you telling me?”

“Because you think I did.”

“She's your wife. You should kiss her.”

Adrian's expression softened. He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. “I'd rather kiss you.”

I rolled my eyes. “You're such an annoying sweet talker.”

He smiled. Then he leaned down, burying his nose brushed against my neck.

I felt him inhale, and I immediately pushed him away.

“Don't scent me. We're at work.”

He looked at me with pleading eyes and my knee immediately felt weak.

“Be professional.” I managed, trying to be firm.

“I can't help it.” He leaned closer again. “Your scent is pulling me in.”

I stared at him. “Such a liar.”

“I'm not lying.”

“How is my scent pulling you in?”

Adrian's brows drew together. “I thought you were doing it on purpose.”

“Doing what?”

“The changes in your scent.”

I frowned. “What changes?”

“It gets so sweet in the morning.” He leaned toward my neck again. “I want to hold you and bury my—”

“Does my scent change in the mornings?” I pushed his face away. “What are you saying? That's not possible.”

He laughed. “You're messing with me.”

“I'm not!”

He pulled me closer again, attempting to scent me.

I pushed him back. “Stop.”

He looked disappointed.

“You can wait until after work, Adrian.”

“I can't.”

He leaned down and sucked a kiss into my scent gland.

I shivered. “Adrian.”

“Baby.” He smiled against my skin.

I pushed his shoulder. “We're at work.”

“Fine.”

He finally pulled back.

I stared at him.

There was something I hadn't told him. His wife had asked me to be her friend, and I didn't know what Adrian would do if I told him. It wasn't like he could simply tell his wife to stop talking to his assistant. That would only make her more suspicious.

Besides, she hadn't done anything wrong. She'd been perfectly pleasant, so there was no reason to involve Adrian.

I'd simply avoid her.

That was probably the safest thing to do.

For some reason, though, I couldn't shake the feeling that becoming friends with Vivienne was going to be much harder to avoid than I expected.

I looked at him again. His eyes were on me, staring like he's about to eat me.