chapter 9

Ivy sat at her desk, surrounded by a sea of papers and files. It had been a long day at the office, and the hours had passed by quickly. Despite her best efforts, she felt like she had accomplished very little. She rubbed her tired eyes and let out a sigh, knowing that there was still much work to be done.

She began to gather her things, slowly packing them away into her bag. She organized the papers on her desk into neat piles, making sure that everything was in its proper place before she left for the day.

Just as she was about to leave, she heard the door to Dario's office open. She turned to see Max emerging, a huge smile on his face. "Ivy, I was wondering if you're free this evening," he asked, approaching her.

Ivy was taken aback by the suddenness of Max's question, but she quickly recovered and replied, "I am, why do you ask?"

Max leaned against a nearby desk, looking at her with a twinkle in his eye. "I was thinking that after a long day of work, it might be nice to go out and have a drink. What do you say?"

Ivy felt her heart race as Max asked her out for a drink. She had been caught off guard and wasn't quite sure what to say. As she tried to think of a response, she could feel herself stammering. "No problem, I'd love to go for a drink."

Max's face lit up with a smile, "Great, I'll come to pick you up at the train station downtown in an hour."

Ivy smiled as she packed her things and left the office. She felt a sense of excitement about the evening ahead, at least it was a great distraction away from Dario.

As she made her way home, her mind was filled with thoughts of the night ahead. She couldn't wait to see what the evening had in store for her.

She was about to head upstairs to her room, when she was greeted by her roommate, Chloe. Chloe looked at her with a concerned expression and asked, "How are you?"

Ivy smiled as she responded, "I'm fine, I'm going out for a drink with Max in an hour."

"Wait, who's Max?" Chloe asked, a look of confusion on her face.

"Max? He's Dario's partner," Ivy replied, not quite understanding why Chloe was so surprised.

"Dario, your boss at work?" Chloe asked in disbelief. "You're going out for a drink with his friend?"

Ivy could tell that Chloe was still a little taken aback by the fact that she was going out for a drink with Max, who was also her boss's friend. She felt the need to set the record straight.

"Hey, It's not a date or anything like that. I can go out with anyone I want, and it has nothing to do with Dario."

"But what about Dario?" Chloe asked.

"Don't worry about Dario. He's got his own life, and besides, he's got a girlfriend. This is just a friendly drink between me and Max, nothing more. And even if it was more, I'm an adult and I can do what I want."

Ivy trudged up the stairs to her room, her mind heavy with conflicting thoughts. She had just explained to Chloe about Max, but her heart was still consumed with thoughts of Dario.

As she reached her room, she let out a sigh and walked over to her bed. She collapsed onto the soft covers, feeling the fatigue from the day's events wash over her. Despite her best efforts to push Dario from her mind, he still lingered there, taking up precious space in her thoughts.

Ivy rushed into the bathroom, quickly turning on the shower and stripping off her clothes as the warm water started to flow. She let out a sigh of relief as the water hit her skin, washing away the stress and anxiety of the day.

But as she reached for her shampoo, she suddenly remembered the documents she was meant to give to Dario. She swore under her breath and shook her head, berating herself for forgetting such an important task.

She quickly turned off the shower and wrapped a towel around herself, rushing back to her bedroom to grab her office bag. She rummaged through the contents, her heart sinking as she felt the familiar touch of paper.

With a sense of dread, she pulled out the documents and confirmed her worst fears: they were the ones she was meant to give to Dario. She groaned and placed her hands on her head, feeling the frustration and disappointment wash over her.

Ivy quickly took her phone from the nightstand and dialled Dario's number, her heart pounding in her chest. As she waited for him to answer, she wrapped the towel tightly around her body, feeling a chill run down her spine despite the warmth of the room.

Finally, she heard Dario's deep, smooth voice on the other end of the line. "Hello?" he said.

"Dario, it's Ivy," she said, her voice slightly breathless. "I was just wondering if you're still in the office. "I need you to sign some documents."

Dario chuckled. "Sorry, Ivy. I'm already on my way to my penthouse. I'll be there in about 15 minutes. Why don't you meet me there?"

There was a long silence on the other end of the line, and Dario frowned. "Ivy? Are you there?"

Ivy took a deep breath as she responded, "I'm fine, Dario."

"What's wrong, are you scared you won't be able to resist me?" Dario asked.

She responded sharply with a hint of nervousness in her voice which Dario found intriguing. "Of course not, I'll be there in a few minutes." And with that, she cut the call.

Ivy fidgeted with her hair as she made her way to Dario's penthouse, feeling a mix of nerves and frustration. She was looking forward to her date with Max, and now she was headed to Dario's penthouse instead.

It seemed like every time she wanted to do away with Dario, they always ended up in some awkward position, and she wasn't sure if she was ready for that again.

She checked the time on her phone and sighed, wondering if she would be able to make it to her date with Max after she finished up at Dario's. She felt a flicker of disappointment, but she pushed it aside. She had a job to do, and she needed to focus on that right now.

As she stepped into the elevator and made her way up to Dario's penthouse, she took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves.

When she finally arrived at Dario's door, she hesitated for just a moment before knocking. It was now or never. She pushed open the door and stepped inside, ready to get those documents signed and get on with her date