chapter 5

Ivy quickly slammed the door shut, trying to shake the image from her mind. She leaned back against the door, her hand pressing against her chest, as she felt her pulse pounding in her ears.

"What's wrong?" Kim asked as Dario adjusted a bit.

"My secretary just walked in and saw us," he explained. "I don't want to give her the wrong impression."

Kim was taken aback. "What does it matter what she thinks? She's just a secretary."

"We can do this elsewhere, Kim," he replied, looking uncomfortable.

Kim felt offended. "We can't even show a little affection in your office?"

Dario sighed. "It's not that…."

Before he could continue, Kim cut him off.

"Why the hell are you bothered about what your secretary thinks?"

Dario didn't want to raise any suspicions; he desperately tried to devise a believable excuse. He looked into Kim's eyes and said, "I don't care about what anyone thinks; I just want to spend some quality time with you, the both of us."

He leaned in closer, trying to pet her hair and lightly caressing her cheek. "I want to be alone with you, without any distractions or interruptions."

Dario leaned in for a kiss, gently pressing his lips against hers, letting his passion for her flow through the embrace. He nervously pressed his lips against Kim's, as all he could think about was Ivy.

Ivy sat at her desk, staring blankly at her computer screen. Her mind was consumed with thoughts of Dario and the devastating revelation that he had a girlfriend.

She couldn't believe she had been so foolish to think that Dario might have feelings for her. The night they shared felt like a dream, but now she realized it was just a fleeting moment.

As tears threatened to spill down her cheeks, she quickly stood up and rushed to the bathroom. She locked the door behind her and leaned against it, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself.

She grabbed some tissue and dabbed at her eyes, wiping away the evidence of her tears. After a few minutes, she looked in the mirror and winced at seeing her tear-streaked face.

With shaking hands, she applied fresh makeup, trying to mask the hurt she was feeling. "How could I have been so naive." She questioned herself as she used some makeup.

Ivy stepped out of the bathroom, her emotions still raw from the thoughts of Dario and his girlfriend. As she turned to the corner, she collided with Max Carter, Dario's partner and friend, sending both of them stumbling backwards.

"What the hell?" Ivy snaps, her hands on her hips. "Were you not looking where you were going?"

Max holds up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you coming. I think it was more of a mutual collision."

But Ivy wasn't having any of it. "Mutual collision? You were the one who ran into me! Do you have any idea how hard you just pushed me?"

Max tried to apologize again, but Ivy cuts him off. "Forget it; just watch where you're going next time."

She stormed past him, leaving him standing there looking confused and sheepish.

"What a temper," Max murmured as he watched Ivy walk past him.

Ivy walked to her seat, her mind preoccupied with thoughts of leaving early. She started packing her things, shoving papers and pens into her bag. Just as she was about to leave, Sarah hurried over to her desk, panting slightly.

"Ivy! Wait a minute," Sarah said, holding a stack of files. "These are for Dario. Can you make sure he gets them?"

Ivy took the files with a sigh. "I'm leaving. I have a headache, and I need to go home."

Sarah's eyes widened in surprise. "What? But we haven't closed yet."

Ivy's patience started wearing thin. "I'm sorry, Sarah. I can't stay any longer. I have to leave." She grabbed her bag and headed for the door.

As she walked past Dario's office, his door opened, and Kim walked out. Kim shot Ivy a rude look as she passed by.

"Bye, baby." She turned to Dario, waved him bye and kissed him as she walked out of the building.

Ivy patiently waited for Kim to pass before leaving, not wanting to get too close to her. Just as she was about to walk away, Dario grabbed her hands.

"Ivy, wait!"

Ivy gave him a stern look. "Let go of my hand."

"Please, let's meet at my penthouse; I'll explain everything; we can't talk here."

Ivy shook her head as she jacked her hand off his. "That's not my problem." She said as she stormed out of the building.

Ivy walked out of the office building with her head held high, but inside, she felt hurt and disappointed. Dario stood at the door, watching as she left. He had messed up by not telling her about his girlfriend, and now it seemed she wasn't interested in listening to him anymore.

As Ivy got into a cab and headed home, she couldn't help but think about the situation. She was upset with Dario for not being honest with her, and now she wasn't sure if they could work things out.

When she arrived home, she knocked on the door, and Chloe answered, looking surprised to see her. "Ivy, what are you doing home so early?" Chloe asked.

Ivy didn't respond as she took a deep sigh of relief, made a beeline for the fridge, opened a bottle of cold water, and took a long sip.

Chloe appeared in the doorway, a curious look on her face. "Hey, I didn't expect you home so early. What happened?" she asked.

Ivy walked over to the couch and collapsed onto it, feeling exhausted. "Guess who my new boss is?" she said with a hint of disappointment.

Chloe walked into the kitchen and said, "I can't guess; who is it?"

Ivy let out a small laugh. "It's Dario,"

Chloe came out of the kitchen, looking confused. "Who's Dario?"

"It's the guy I met at the club last weekend," Ivy said, looking a little sheepish.

Chloe's eyes widened in shock. "You mean the one you spent the night with?" she asked incredulously.

Ivy nodded. "Yes, that's the one."

Chloe took a deep breath and shook her head. "I can't believe it," she said. "This is crazy."

Ivy sighed. "And there's more. He has a girlfriend," she said, looking down at the floor.

Chloe's expression remained silent for a moment before she finally spoke. "Wow," she said simply.