Leo looked at Adrian with those wide glassy eyes that didn't seem to understand what Adrian just asked. Leo's lips parted slightly and after a moment's pause again. He shook his head, indicating they had never met before.
Adrian nodded, though the doubt in his chest didn't fade. Something about the young man's presence stirred a faint, almost forgotten memory, one he couldn't quite reach at the moment.
Still, he said nothing more about it. Instead, he watched Leo fidget. His slender fingers tugged nervously at the hem of his outfit, as if he could somehow hide himself inside it. The movement appeared very small and timid. He didn't meet Adrian's eyes once and looked out of place.
Adrian leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. The way Leo kept shifting in those clothes made it painfully clear he wasn't comfortable in them. Adrian had attended enough corporate parties and charity events to know people who could wear revealing outfits and still command a room with confidence.
But this one…this mute boy with his trembling lashes, he wasn't one of them.
Even when Adrian had first seen his photo, there was a fragility there that wasn't an act. Now, in person, it was even more pronounced.
He didn't choose those clothes. Adrian could tell. No one who looked this uneasy would deliberately dress that way to meet a potential spouse.
Adrian sighed inwardly. Whatever the reason, it wasn't his concern. He wasn't marrying Leo for his comfort or his story. He needed convenience not attachment. And Leo's personal tragedies didn't fall under his responsibilities.
Still, his eyes lingered a bit longer than intended on Leo who looked thinner and delicate than his photographs. There were faint bruises on his arms, barely visible under the sleeve line, and a greenish mark on his knee.
Adrian didn't want to notice but it was hard to ignore. When Leo tucked his hands close to his lap and lowered his gaze, Adrian saw a tiny tremor ripple through his shoulders. It made an unpleasant twist in his chest.
Adrian cleared his throat and reached for a blank sheet of paper and a pen and extended them toward Leo. "Here."
Lei jerked his head up and looked at the paper and pen with a startled gaze, not knowing what he was supposed to do with them. Understanding the meaning behind his eye Adrian explained.
"I want you to write down any demands you have for this marriage. Anything you expect or want me to consider. We'll review them together and see what can be agreed upon and what not."
Leo didn't move to take them right away. His fingers twitched before he finally reached out hesitantly as though touching the pen required permission.
He took it very gently, his hand brushing Adrian's for the briefest second, and found that Adrian's skin was cold.
Even after taking the pen and the paper he stayed still, staring at the page.
Adrian waited but Leo didn't begin to write. Leo's eyes darted from the paper to Adrian, then back down again. He fidgeted with the pen cap, his other hand tugging at his outfit once more.
A muscle in Adrian's jaw ticked at this idleness. He despised those who heeded orders slowly. So Leo's sluggishness ignited impatience that clenched his teeth and honed his directives.
"For God's sake…" The sigh escaped before he could stop it, and Leo immediately flinched. His eyes widened like a child caught doing something wrong.
Adrian noticed the shaking and found it hard to ignore. He straightened and forced his tone softer. "Relax. I wasn't…angry. Just don't strain yourself. Sit somewhere comfortable if it's uncomfortable to face me."
He gestured toward the sofa near the window. "You can sit and write there."
Leo hesitated again, glancing from Adrian to the sofa, as if unsure whether he was actually allowed to move.
"Go on," Adrian said gently this time. "It's fine."
After a moment, Leo stood but his movements were still slow and careful like someone walking on thin glass. He crossed the room and sat on the edge of the sofa.
Adrian watched him for a long moment. The room was cool due to the air conditioning running at the setting Adrian preferred. But as he watched Leo's shoulders shivering, he realized it was too much for him.
Adrian picked up his phone and pressed the intercom. "Aaron?"
"Yes, sir?" came the reply.
"Bring some light snacks. And a blanket."
There was a brief silence. "Right away, sir."
Adrian ended the call to study the boy across from him. Leo looked so small on that wide sofa. His hands shook slightly as he held the pen over the blank page. He hadn't written a single word yet.
"Leo?" Adrian said after a moment and Leo lifted his head after hearing his name. He felt relieved when he didn't hear the scolding or angry tone.
"Take your time. You don't have to rush. Just write whatever comes to your mind. Even if it's small. I'd like to know what you want."
Leo's eyes widened slightly, as if he couldn't believe Adrian had said that. Slowly, he looked down again, and his lashes hid his expression.
Adrian watched his shoulders move with each shaky breath he took. He didn't know why he was doing this, why he was bothering to reassure him. This marriage wasn't supposed to mean anything personal. Yet, something about Leo's silence…about the way he seemed to shrink into himself…it felt wrong to ignore.
When Aaron came in carrying a tray with tea, biscuits, and a folded blanket, Leo looked even more panicked, like he was bothering them.
"Set it there," Adrian told him, nodding toward the table beside Leo.
Aaron placed it carefully and gave him a small, encouraging smile before leaving.
When they were alone again, Adrian stood and walked toward him, and set the blanket on the backrest near his shoulders.
"If you're cold, use this."
Leo didn't move to take it. What if he were being tested as his family tests him? Would he get beaten for taking it?
"I'm not going to get angry if you do," Adrian added quietly as if he could hear his thoughts.
That seemed to make Leo glance up. His lips parted, as if he wanted to say something but of course, he couldn't. So instead, he nodded and took the blanket. He tightened the blanket around himself, tucking it under his arms and wrapping it as if it could shield him from everything, the cold air, Adrian's stare, and the trembling inside him.
For the first time that day, his skin wasn't prickling with shame. The man across the sofa had treated him well but that scared him more than anything.
No one treated him kindly without wanting something ever.
He kept his head low, sneaking a glance at the coffee table. There were delicate pastries, both colorful and soft-looking. Cream-filled rolls, little round cakes dusted with powdered sugar. He hadn't tasted sweets in years. His siblings got them when his parents went out. For him, there were leftovers. Cold rice with spoiled curry. They never gave him any meat. And if there were no leftovers, he went to bed with a burning stomach, pretending the ache wasn't there.
Maybe this man was really testing him as well. Maybe if he reached for one, Adrian would sneer and tell him he wasn't fit to eat such things. His mother used to do that, put things in front of him and wait for him to reach. When he did, she'd slap him and call him a beggar.
So he stayed frozen, his fingers clenching the blanket tighter. But then he made the mistake of glancing up and their eyes met.
Adrian's eyes were dark and cold but not cruel. They looked…curious but the weight of his gaze made Leo's stomach twist. He dropped his eyes at once and felt like he'd done something wrong. He shouldn't have drooled on the sweets.
Adrian didn't say anything and the silence grew heavy. Suddenly, he stood and walked back to his desk. Leo let out a sigh of relief. He swallowed hard and decided to focus on what he came here for. He lowered the blanket a bit, placed the paper on the low table, and started writing slowly. He wasn't good at writing, and his spelling was worse.
It's because he had never gone to school after kindergarten, and that was when he used to live in an orphanage.
He only learned a few things by stealing his siblings' books and reading them under the blanket at night. His mother caught him once and beat him so hard he couldn't move his fingers for two days.
Still, he wrote the demands Adrian asked him for.
1. Two meals a day.
2. A proper place to sleep.
He hesitated before writing the last one. His hand hovered over the page for a long time. Then, with a deep breath, he wrote.
3. Four pairs of clothes every year.
His heart thudded. It sounded greedy. So greedy. Adrian said he could ask for anything, but Leo didn't trust that. He'd seen kindness used as bait too many times to believe him.
He stared at the paper until the letters blurred. Clutching it tightly to his chest, he rose. His knees wobbled as he walked to Adrian's desk.
Adrian was sitting with his elbows resting on the armrest. When he saw Leo approaching, he straightened a little. Leo placed the sheet on his desk and quickly stepped back, lowering his head again.
Adrian sighed, the kind that sounded tired rather than annoyed. "I'll look over these demands and think about them. If I agree, I'll contact you."
Leo blinked. Contact him? His hands fidgeted with the blanket again. Can't he just get an answer right now?
"Leave your number with my assistant. I'll call you tomorrow."
His number? His stomach dropped. He didn't have a phone. He'd never owned one. He didn't even know how to use one.
When he didn't respond, Adrian's brows furrowed slightly. "You do have a phone, don't you?"
Leo shook his head quickly.
Adrian's expression flickered with surprise. "You don't?"
Leo lowered his head again, ashamed. His fingers twisted the edge of the blanket until his knuckles turned white.
Adrian was silent for a long time before speaking quietly. "Alright. I'll contact your mother then."
Leo nodded weakly. Adrian looked at him again, as if wanting to say something more, but stopped himself. "My assistant will escort you out."
Leo slowly set the blanket aside. It felt strange to leave it, it had been warm and soft. For a second, he almost wanted to take it with him, but he didn't dare.
He bowed his head slightly in gratitude and turned to leave.
As he stepped out of the office, he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. The assistant appeared and quietly led him through the corridor. People stared again with their sharp and judging eyes. He kept his gaze fixed on the floor.
When they reached the elevator, he risked a glance back through the glass wall. He could still see Adrian inside, sitting behind that large desk, the paper with his demands lying in front of him.
He just hoped…Adrian wouldn't laugh at it. Or tear it up. Or reject him altogether.
Because if he did and this marriage won't happen, Leo would have nowhere to go. No food and no place to sleep.
This was his only chance, his only way out of that house.
And he just prayed that Mr. Hale wasn't like the others.