CHAPTER 1

At 6 p.m. on Friday evening, Lerisa Jonah rose from her office chair, finished with her work for the day.

She was Anthony Gregson’s secretary, so she stepped away from her desk and picked up the black handbag that rested on it, ready to go home.

Lerisa is a fair-complexioned young lady of twenty-four, wearing a yellow shirt, a black pencil skirt, and black shoes. She wondered why she hadn’t seen Anthony step out of his office. She knew he usually closed by 5 p.m. and left before the company’s normal closing hour of 6 p.m.

She made her way toward Anthony’s office door to find out what was delaying her boss, as the time was after six and most of the staff were already leaving.

Approaching the door, Lerisa knocked and heard him respond, “Come in.”

She pushed the door slightly open and stepped inside, where she saw him seated on his executive chair, staring at a red ring box in his hands like a man mesmerized by a treasure.

Lerisa’s heart dropped the moment she saw the beautiful, sparkling diamond ring. She knew at that instant that Anthony was in a very serious relationship with Clara Harry, and that he would soon propose to her.

Lerisa felt like crying out, for she was secretly in love with Anthony but could never tell him the truth—she wasn’t brave enough.

Her yellow face turned red with sadness, and she stared downward to hide the sorrowful look spreading across it like a shadow.

Anthony was so busy admiring the diamond ring in the box that he didn’t shift his gaze to look at Lerisa.

They were childhood best friends, bound by their fathers’ closeness in the past. Lerisa’s father had been Anthony’s father’s former assistant, supporting him in building the shoe company that was now Anthony’s own.

Lerisa knew Clara Harry was a cheat, utterly undeserving of a man like Anthony. She had seen Clara flirting with different men behind Anthony’s back, more times than she could count, but she couldn’t bring herself to advise him to stop dating her.

Lerisa had witnessed Clara visiting Anthony in his office and had even caught them kissing—a sight that made her heart sink in her chest, heavy as a stone dropped in deep water.

Anthony, a handsome thirty-year-old black man, wore a black suit with an inner red shirt and black shoes. His short mustache and beard enhanced his looks, making him appear as charming as a leading man in a classic film.

Anthony finally looked at Lerisa’s face and saw her staring downward. He wondered what she wanted, having seen her already that day. He had forgotten the company had closed, absorbed as he was in admiring the ring he had bought, intending to propose to Clara the following day.

Anthony asked, “What do you want, Lerisa?”

“I… I…” Lerisa spluttered, unable to say why she was in Anthony's office, her voice cracking like thin ice under pressure.

Lerisa had come to tell Anthony she was going home, but he didn’t look up at her face again, busy admiring the diamond ring and wondering if Clara would like it.

Anthony asked her, “How do you see this ring, Lerisa? Remember I invited you and the rest of our staff to my birthday party tomorrow at my family’s house. Well, I want to propose to Clara then. But I don’t know if she will accept this beautiful diamond ring I bought for her and ordered from abroad. I do love Clara. What do you think? Do you think she will love this ring and accept it? I bought it to prove my love to her.”

Lerisa’s heart broke even more at Anthony’s foolish question. She saw him smiling sweetly at the ring as he continued looking downward. She replied, “I thought you had closed, Sir. That’s why I’m here, to collect the office key from you. But it seems you’re not yet ready to go home.”

Anthony immediately noticed the sadness in Lerisa’s voice, as sharp as a minor chord in a quiet room. He shut the red ring box, stood up from his seat, and walked over to her, asking, “What’s wrong, Lerisa?”

Lerisa turned her back on Anthony as hot tears streamed freely down her face. She couldn’t tell him the truth—that she loved him. Anthony only saw her as a sister, even though they shared no blood.

“What’s wrong, Lerisa?” Anthony finally reached her, swirling her around to face him.

Lerisa felt the sparks, but Anthony ignored them and looked intently at her face.

“Tell me, what’s wrong with you?” he asked again, his voice stern, and Lerisa shuddered in his hold but shook her head to indicate nothing.

She lied, “Nothing, Sir. I only came to tell you I’m going home, that the company has closed for the day, and to collect the office key from you.”

“Sir?” Anthony’s eyes squinted in pain at her. “How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me sir, Lerisa? You’re like a sister to me, not just a staff here.”

Lerisa shuddered; she hated it when Anthony reminded her she was like a sister to him.

Just then, Anthony’s office door pushed open, and his office assistant, Mark Terry, stepped inside.

Mark looked surprised to see Anthony holding Lerisa’s arms firmly, drawing her close to his chest. Anthony didn’t glance at him but remained focused on Lerisa’s face.

‘Do they want to kiss?’ Mark wondered, but he quickly composed his expression and apologized, “I’m sorry, boss.”