Friday. A torrential downpour. Cows seek shelter, horses head for the stables, but the corporate drones… we find a way to get to the office, no matter what. I slid into the office right on time, swiping my keycard just as the boss, Kellan, walked by. He shot me a look of displeasure. It was probably my dripping umbrella, dirtying his pristine marble floors. I managed to survive until quitting time, only for my supervisor to announce mandatory overtime. Seething with resentment, I turned my head and saw him standing right behind me. Kellan’s face was a perfect mask of indifference. [Yes! A few more hours with Lily.] Who said that? 1 It was bizarre. The office was dead silent, yet I’d clearly heard a man’s voice. Just a moment ago, I was ranting to my coworker, Jenna. “This soulless corporation is always demanding overtime. If they didn’t pay so well, I’d have quit ages ago.” “I know, right?” she whispered back. “And why is it always you? You’re always the first one to finish your work.” It was true. I clocked more overtime than anyone else in the company. My supervisor called it “the burden of competence,” always giving me this strange, meaningful look. “I was supposed to see a movie with a friend tonight,” I grumbled. “So much for that.” Jenna ignored me, her eyes widening as she frantically signaled at something behind me. I knew that look. The boss was on patrol. I spun around to find Kellan Sterling standing there, tall and immaculate in his tailored suit. And he was looking at me. Again. I was pretty sure Kellan hated me. If I spoke too loudly in the office, he’d stare. If I shared snacks with a coworker, he’d stare. If I even thought about sneaking out early, he’d materialize with a look of stern disapproval. I’d often wondered, if he despised me so much, why did he even hire me? To make it worse, he was the reason for most of my overtime, summoning me to his office for the most trivial matters. I swear, I made more trips to the CEO’s office in a day than a delivery boy. I was convinced he was singling me out. Just like now, standing silently behind me like some corporate specter. “There are some minor details in that proposal that need to be reviewed,” he said, his tone flat, his eyes sweeping over me. “You’ll need to stay. We’ll go over them together.” You blood-sucking capitalist. It’s Friday night. Who in their right mind wants to slave away for you? No. This time, I would fight back! I know my rights! “Mr. Sterling, I have plans this evening. Does this proposal absolutely have to be reviewed right now?” I thought I sounded firm and resolute, but my voice came out with the unmistakable, pathetic whine of a wage slave. “Yes. I appreciate your trouble. I’ll see to it that your bonus is doubled this month.” My eyes lit up like a pinball machine. For the money… I forgive you. And right then, I heard it again: [Yes! A few more hours with Lily.] What the hell? It was his voice. Lily? Who’s Lily? I scanned the office. There was no one named… oh, wait. My name is Lily. Lily Graham. I glanced back at the boss. He still had that same stone-faced expression, as if that little burst of cheerful excitement had nothing to do with him. Maybe I was just hearing things. [Lily’s looking at me!] [Is there something wrong with my outfit today? The stylist picked this one out. It should be fine.] It wasn't a hallucination. I looked at him again. [She’s looking at me again. Her eyes are so round. Like a little kitten.] Hearing that, my carefully composed expression started to crack. I was about to lose my mind. 2 By eight o’clock, the office was a ghost town. It was just me and Kellan. I was meticulously presenting the proposal I’d submitted a few days ago. On the surface, Kellan was the picture of professionalism. But his inner monologue was a different story. [Lily’s voice is so nice to listen to.] [She’s so brilliant. How does she come up with such amazing proposals?] [Aw, she’s done talking. I wish I could listen to her speak a little longer.] Now it was my turn to be expressionless. Ever since I’d started hearing his thoughts this afternoon, I’d realized Kellan was not the prim and proper man he appeared to be. He seemed to have some… indescribable feelings for me. At lunch, he’d deliberately gotten the exact same meal as me. [Yes! Eating the same thing as Lily.] During meetings, he’d always sit directly across from me. [Wow, I can look at Lily the whole time. My eyes feel so much better.] When I’d hugged Jenna goodbye at the end of the day, he’d been watching from the sidelines, his gaze dark and heavy. [Sob. Lily has never hugged me.] It was settled. Kellan Sterling had a crush on me. “Mr. Sterling, I’ve finished my presentation. Do you have any further comments?” “No further comments. We’ll make the changes you suggested. Your ideas are excellent.” He maintained his elite, business-like facade, giving no hint of the thoughts swirling in his head. “In that case, may I leave now?” The clock on the wall was nearing nine. Kellan glanced at it, a shadow of disappointment crossing his features. [How did it get so late? I barely got any time with Lily.] [Now I have to wait until next week to see her again.] I tensed. Don’t you dare try to keep me here longer, Kellan! I’ve had enough! “You may,” he said. I let out a breath of relief. Thank God, he was still human. Just then, a loud clap of thunder rattled the windows, and the rain started pouring down again. My heart sank. The universe itself was conspiring to make my life difficult. [It’s raining! This is my chance! I can offer to drive Lily home!] His voice was practically bouncing with excitement. “Lily,” he said, his voice smooth and professional. “Let me give you a ride home. It’s raining, and you were working late for the company’s benefit. It’s only right that I see you get home safely.” Under the office lights, his eyes seemed deep and dark, but I could have sworn I saw a flicker of thrilled excitement in them. I rolled my eyes internally. What a sanctimonious liar. But hey, a free ride is a free ride. A cab from here would cost me at least twenty bucks. “Well, thank you, Mr. Sterling.” “Of course. Let’s go.” [Yes! I get to go home with Lily today!] I nearly tripped over my own feet. Just what exactly was he imagining? 3 I slept in the next day. When I woke up, I saw a missed call from my parents. I didn’t need to guess what it was about. It was the same old story: find a boyfriend, get married, settle down. Sometimes, I found them ridiculous. When I was a child, they were ashamed I was a girl, telling anyone who would listen what a burden I was. Now, every other sentence was about how they were only “thinking of my own good,” constantly fretting over my future. My phone buzzed with a new message. My mom, again. She’d sent me a contact card. [This is your aunt’s son. He went to a top university, has a great career, he’s loyal, family-oriented. You should meet him. If you could marry him, you’d be set for life.] It was followed by a series of long voice messages, undoubtedly more lectures. Whatever. I’ll add him and then make it clear I’m not interested later. Just then, another notification popped up. The avatar was a cartoon cat. The contact name was Apex. A smile spread across my face. This was my gaming buddy. We’d known each other for three years, and his skills were insane. He was the only reason I’d ever managed to rank up. [Whatcha doin?] he messaged, along with a gif of a spinning kitten. [Dealing with my family’s marriage pressure. It’s so annoying.] We were close, but this was the first time I’d ever shared anything personal with him. For some reason, I felt like he’d understand. [You don’t want to get married?] [I don’t want to marry some ugly, broke, scheming man.] My mom had a habit of setting me up with the sons of her friends and relatives. Not a single one of them had been normal. He seemed to be typing for a long time on his end. Finally, a single message came through: [I’m not.] Huh? What was that supposed to mean? I ignored it and continued my rant: [And I think someone at my company likes me. I always thought he hated me. It’s a really weird feeling.] This time, the silence on his end was even longer. [Who is it?] Why did that sound so intense? [You don’t think I’m just making it up?] I asked, deflecting his question. After all, mind-reading sounded completely insane. [You’re an amazing person. It’s normal for someone to like you.] [Hahaha, you’re so smooth. You must have had a lot of girlfriends.] I was surprised. The usually cool and distant Apex was being quite the charmer. [No. I don’t have a girlfriend.] Whoa. A guy with his skills and personality was single? For some reason, hearing that made me happy. So, I sent Apex an invitation for a duo queue. He happily accepted. 4 Monday. Back to being a corporate drone. I dragged my lifeless body to the office, once again running into Kellan as I was clocking in. I instinctively tried to duck away, but his inner monologue caught me. [Sniffle. I finally get to see Lily again. Two days without seeing her felt like an eternity.] [Lily’s wearing a skirt today. Her legs are so beautiful. I want to kiss them.] [Why is Lily glaring at me? Did I do something to upset her?] Pervert! I cursed him in my head. How could Kellan be so cool and composed on the outside, but so shameless on the inside? He was shattering my image of the elite, untouchable CEO. Throughout the day, I felt his eyes on me. Little details that I’d previously ignored now made sense. Kellan would deliberately walk past my desk on his way to the break room. During meetings, when asking for suggestions, his gaze would land on me first. The afternoon tea that was delivered to the office was my favorite blueberry scone. I thought back to why I’d believed he was targeting me. It all started after that one presentation where I accidentally projected my laptop screen for the whole conference room to see. Displayed in giant letters was my private chat with Apex, complaining about the constant overtime and how I just wanted to play games. I remember several managers snickering, and Kellan, sitting in the center, looked absolutely furious. After that, he started appearing everywhere, always assigning me overtime, always calling on me for tasks. But the truth was… he was just trying to get my attention? Creating opportunities to be around me? Oh, my God. What kind of man pursues a woman like that? If I weren’t so greedy for that bonus money, I would have quit long ago! Jenna was secretly messaging me. “Lily, I think Mr. Sterling has been paying a lot of attention to the guys in our department today.” “Why would he do that?” “I don’t know. I heard from the team lead that he specifically asked which ones were single.” “Don’t try to guess what the boss is thinking. You’ll never figure it out.” Actually, I could. For instance, right now, Kellan was thinking: [Lily and Jenna are standing so close. When will Lily ever stand that close to me?] I swear, this man was a lovesick fool. [No, I can’t stand it. I’m too jealous. I have to call her over.] “Lily, my office. Now.” I rolled my eyes and went in. “There’s a business gala this Friday. You’ll be my date.” “Don’t you have a secretary for that?” I said, my usual sycophantic tone completely gone. Kellan glanced at me. “They’re all busy.” And I’m not? “I’ll have accounting triple your overtime pay for the night.” “Of course, Mr. Sterling,” I replied, plastering on a fake, professional smile. [Another chance to spend more time with Lily this week.] [That gown will look stunning on her. I can’t wait.] [I wonder if people will think she’s my girlfriend.] That last thought was tinged with a hopeful excitement. Seriously? I wanted to shake him. A man with his resources, and he’s resorting to a secret crush? What did I do to deserve this?
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