Entangled With My Rival CEO

Chapter 11

Alexander looked at the woman, dressed in various layers of clothing and sporting a floppy hat and dark shades, as she walked into the empty restaurant. "You're late," he said.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Cena," she apologized. "I had a little problem on my way here."

"Why are you dressed like a fugitive?" he asked, gesturing towards her outfit.

"Do you know how many threats I've received in the last couple of days? Of course, I had to disguise myself to be able to go out," she explained, her tone annoyed.

"What's with that tone? You brought this upon yourself, not me," he responded without any emotion or pity.

"I know. I know I did this to myself. I underestimated the power of your and Miss Kings' fans, including the public in general." She paused to settle down then continued.

"I didn't think the news of you guys being together would explode like this. But on the bright side, my magazine is doing very well, millions of people are visiting day-in, day-out. It's a huge success for me," she said, still trying to get a perfect sitting position.

"Ahem," she cleared her throat before continuing, "Why are we the only ones in the restaurant, Mr. Cena?"

"I paid for us to be alone. I don't want any public attention," he explained, taking off his sunglasses to reveal his blue eyes.

"Oh," she nodded, glancing around.

"You mentioned that you were unaware that the news of my relationship with Camilla would cause such a stir. May I ask who informed you of our being together?" He queried with curiosity.

Mariah looked at him, momentarily speechless before replying, "I saw the two of you in bed together. That would lead one to assume that you are romantically involved, correct?" She stated, studying his expression closely.

Alexander pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose, indicating slight frustration,"My question is, who informed you of my presence in the hotel room with Camilla that morning?" He retorted.

He was trying to be careful with his words so as not to give away that he was actually not in a relationship with Camilla, or that he was drugged because Mariah was a celebrity newsmonger and he couldn't trust her with such sensitive news.

"Oh, that's what you meant. I actually..." Mariah's voice trailed off.

"Forgive me for asking, but may I inquire as to why you and Miss Kings were keeping your relationship a secret? If the two of you were romantically involved, why did it appear that she had a dislike for you?" she asked, with a hint of curiosity in her tone.

"Can we please stay on topic? That is not the reason for this meeting. My question remains, who provided you with that information?" He responded curtly.

Just as Mariah was about to respond, a waitress approached their table, holding a notepad and pen in her hand. "Excuse me, sir," she said politely. "Would you like to place your order now?"

Alexander glanced at Mariah, who was already scanning the menu. "The lady first," he said.

"I've already had something to eat, but thank you," Mariah said, putting down the menu and smiling. "I'll just have a bottle of cold water."

The waitress turned to Alexander. "And for you, sir?"

"Same," he replied.

"I'll be back with your request shortly," the waitress said before leaving.

As they were left alone once again, Alexander looked at Mariah with a raised eyebrow. "Why are you staring at me that way?" Mariah asked, feeling uncomfortable under his gaze.

"If you had already decided on just ordering a bottle of cold water, why bother looking at the menu?" he finally asked.

Mariah replied truthfully, "I was thinking of bringing my husband here to celebrate our anniversary, which is three months from now. So I was just checking out their dishes. The restaurant is nice and the decorations are great."

Alexander shook his head at her answer, "You are one of a kind, Mrs. Collins," he said, his tone laced with sarcasm.

Mariah let out an uncomfortable laugh, "Why do you say that?" she asked, her hands nervously fidgeting on the table.

Alexander's gaze was intense as he replied, "There's a real possibility that you could be facing a significant fine for privacy invasion, or even jail time. And yet, here you are discussing your upcoming wedding anniversary. It's a bit concerning." He emphasized his point by keeping his eyes locked on hers as he spoke.

The air between them grew thick with tension before the waitress returned with their bottled water, breaking the momentary silence.

"Here you are, sir and ma'am," she said, placing the bottles and cups on the table before walking away again.

Mariah quickly grabbed a bottle and poured herself a full glass, drinking it down in one go. Alexander noticed her distress and asked, "Feeling better now?"

"Yeah, I am," Mariah replied, her voice shaky. "You reminded me of the lawsuit that Miss. Kings filed against me."

"I received the letter this morning and I have to admit, I was shaken. In all my years of working in this industry, I've never been summoned to court," she said, her fingers drumming nervously on the table.

"I don't mind paying for the damages I caused or apologizing publicly, I'm just concerned about how it will affect my magazine," Mariah said, running her fingers through her long red hair, tucking it behind her ear.

Alexander leaned forward in his chair, "Tell me who your source is and I'll make Camilla drop the lawsuit she has against you," he offered.

Mariah was taken aback, "What?" she asked, her head tilting to one side in confusion.