“Are we… going to run into your brother at your
place?”
“What? Did he yell at you?” Sarah’s cheerful
demeanor vanished in an instant.
“No, no…”
“Don’t worry, he hasn’t been home since our
fight about him finding a girlfriend. He has his
own apartment.”
“Oh, good, good.” I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Come on! My housekeeper wants to know if
you have any special requests. She’s amazing,
she can make anything.”
“I’m craving bitter melon and pork rib soup. Had
a little too much barbecue yesterday…”
“Done and done!”
<
Just as I was happily digging into my dinner at
Sarah’s house, Ethan walked in. My spoon froze
mid–air as our eyes met. He gave us a cursory
glance, his expression unreadable, then headed
upstairs. Sarah’s parents were on vacation, and
Ethan was supposedly staying at his apartment,
so we hadn’t expected him.
We exchanged a nervous look and resumed
eating, the lively conversation we were having
about…well, let’s just say it involved attractive
men…died a sudden death.
“I swear, I have no idea why he’s here,” Sarah
whispered.
“Is it too late to run?” I whispered back.
“Nah, the unwelcome guest is the third wheel.
He’s the odd one out.”
We picked up our phones, pretending to be
engrossed in something.
く
Just then, Ethan came back downstairs. “Is it
really necessary to be glued to your phones
during dinner? Have you no manners?” His
voice was as cold as ever. I didn’t dare look up.
Sarah shot back, “Is it really necessary to be
thirty–two and still single? Have you no
manners?”
I snorted. I swear I have a high tolerance for
humor, except when I don’t.
Ethan’s face darkened. He dropped a stack of
papers onto the table, tapping his long fingers
against the surface. His gaze flicked to Sarah,
then landed on me. “Lisa, was it? I need these
documents on my desk by ten tomorrow
morning.”
…” I gave Sarah a pleading look. She didn’t
say anything, but my phone buzzed with two
new messages.
<
10:08
- ))
484
“Sorry, Lisa, babe, I can’t risk another sarcastic
comment. If I do, we’ll have to downgrade our male model budget.”
“Fly, Lisa, fly! Take one for the team!”
CC
39
The next morning, I nervously made my way to Ethan’s office with the documents. Ethan wasn’t there, but a stunningly beautiful woman was lounging on the sofa, scrolling through her phone. This had to be his girlfriend, I thought. No ordinary woman could just hang out in the scowling CEO’s office.
I gave her a friendly smile and placed the files neatly on Ethan’s desk, then turned to leave.
“Excuse me,” the woman called out. “Do you know where Ethan is?”
I shook my head. Not only did I not know, I also
- 11.
really hoped he wouldn’t show up. Since she was using his first name, she was clearly
someone important, possibly the girlfriend. Not wanting to offend anyone in Ethan’s inner
circle, I politely replied, “I just came to drop off these files. I’m not sure where he is. Maybe you should wait a little longer?”
“Alright.”
I nodded, relieved I hadn’t been given the third degree by the potential Mrs. CEO, and quickly
made my escape. But of course, just as I
reached the door, I collided with Ethan.
I clutched my chest, trying to calm my racing heart. I stared at him, speechless. He just stared back, his face a mask of disapproval. The silence was suffocating.
Finally, I blurted out, “Sir, the files are on your
desk. Your girlfriend is waiting inside. If there’s nothing else, I’ll get back to work.”
