CHAPTER ONE

Leila Baker let out a deep breath as soon as Gavin Hasters walked out of the office. The air around her still held the faint trace of his cologne, a deep, musky fragrance that spoke of sophistication and wealth. She realized her hands were trembling slightly, and she clasped them together to steady herself. It wasn’t just his looks, it was more of the way his perfect eyes stood out in their blue shade, and the way he kept touching his jaw unconsciously and the way he licked his lips like three times while he was in the office and the way his perfectly chiseled chest looked in the clothes he wore. The list could go on and on. Although she could not deny how stunning he was, it was the commanding presence he exuded. Her cheeks felt hot all of a sudden and she had to pinch herself to bring her back to reality. How could she have a crush on her boss.

She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to process her first encounter with her boss. “Get it together, Leila,” she muttered to herself.

Frank returned minutes later, balancing a pizza box and a coffee in one hand, his phone in the other. “You okay? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

Frank was her closest work mate in the entire building of the company ranging with more than 500 workers in each field. She was on the top floor since she was the secretary to the president of the company. Frank was the secretary to the vice- president, Armstrong Stone in the floor below. Rumor has it that he was gay and currently hitting it off with the vice president and that was how he got the job but she didn’t read too much into the whole thing. It wasn’t really her business. And besides, a rumor is just baseless information.

Leila straightened in her chair and forced a smile. “The boss was here.”

Frank raised an eyebrow, setting the pizza down on his desk. “Already? Didn’t expect him till later. So, what’s he like?”

Leila hesitated, struggling to find the right words. “Intimidating but… polite. And ridiculously good-looking.”

Frank let out a low whistle. “Ah, so you’ve met and experienced the famous Gavin Hasters charm. Don’t let it fool you, though. He’s all business when it counts.”

Leila nodded and turned back to her computer, refocusing on her task. But no matter how much she tried, her thoughts kept drifting back to Gavin, she could not just get him off her mind, the way his voice seemed to linger in the air, and the faint smile that had curved his lips as he left.

Later that afternoon, Leila finished organizing Gavin’s schedule and sent him a polite message with the details. She reread it twice to make sure it was professional but not overly stiff, then hit send.

The reply came almost immediately.

Gavin: Thanks. Looks good. Let’s discuss tomorrow morning at 9.

Leila couldn’t help but smile at how quickly he responded. Despite Frank’s warnings, Gavin didn’t seem so bad. If anything, he came across as efficient and straightforward. He seemed like the perfect boss.

The day passed uneventfully until just before 5 p.m., when Frank leaned over her desk, grinning mischievously.

“Hey, guess what?” he said, waving his phone.

Leila glanced at him warily. “What now?”

“I just saw something on social media that might interest you. Our dear boss Gavin Hasters is trending.”

Her stomach flipped. “Trending? Why?”

Frank pulled up a photo on his phone and slid it over to her. It was a glossy picture of Gavin standing arm-in-arm with a stunning brunette at what appeared to be an upscale event. The headline beneath it read: “Power Couple Alert! Gavin Hasters and Socialite Adele Cooper Announce Their Engagement.”

Leila froze, her eyes glued to the screen. “Engaged?” she whispered.

“Yep,” Frank said, taking back his phone. “Happened while he was on vacation, apparently. Adele Cooper, she’s some big-shot philanthropist and fashion mogul. They’ve been dating for a while, but I didn’t think he’d actually pop the question.”

Leila leaned back in her chair, her mind racing. It wasn’t like she had any claim to Gavin. Heck, she’d just met the man, after all but something about the news unsettled her. Maybe it was how casual and charismatic he’d been with her earlier, or the way his presence calmed her amidst the storm raging internally. Now, knowing he was engaged, it felt like a sharp reminder that he was completely out of reach.

“You okay?” Frank asked, his tone softer now.

Leila plastered on a smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s not like it’s any of my business.”

Frank shrugged. “True. Just don’t let it get to you. Gavin’s personal life doesn’t affect us. He’s a socialite and we’re just commoners. You get want I mean?”

Leila forced a laugh and returned to her work, but she couldn’t push the image of Adele and Gavin off her mind.

That evening, as she prepared to leave, Leila found herself lingering in the office longer than usual. The building was quiet now, with most of her coworkers already gone. She glanced at her phone, debating whether to G****e more about Gavin and his fiancée.

“No,” she muttered to herself, shaking her head. “Bad idea.”

Still, curiosity tugged at her. It wasn’t just about him being her boss, she could not just place the whole thing about the man. He was strikingly handsome, and now, apparently, engaged to one of the most glamorous women in the city. She was jealous

As she stepped out of the office, she resolved to keep things strictly professional. Gavin Hasters was her boss and nothing more. Whatever thing she was feeling for her boss had to be stopped.