Ckspter 8

The next morning, I was at my desk, trying everything possible to focus on my work when my phone buzzed.

Ethan Reynolds.

I nearly choked on my coffee.

No. Absolutely not. This can’t real.

I stared hard at the screen as if I could change the words that were displayed on it before I answered

“Marry me.”

I froze.

The words hit me like a ton of bricks. Wait a second, did he just ...?

My fingers tightened around my phone, almost snapping it in half. “I’m sorry, WHAT?!”

Silence. Then, with his usual maddening calm:

“I said, marry me.”

My chair screeched as I bolted upright. “M-Marry—” I choked, knocking my coffee dangerously close to my laptop.

Connor, my coworker, peeked over the cubicle. “Harper, you good?”

I let out a maniacal laugh. “Sure am! why do you ask?” I flashed him a shaky thumbs-up before whispering into the phone, “Hold that for a minute.”

I scrambled out of my chair, my heart beating at an unusual rate as I sped-walked down the hallway. Maybe if I moved fast enough, I could escape this reality.

“So, uh… did you really just say marriage?” I asked, ducking into an empty conference room.

“Yes. Marry. Me.” His tone was infuriatingly level. “Do I need to repeat myself?”

“Yes! No—actually, no! I heard you just fine, I just—” I squeezed my eyes shut, gripping my phone. “You don’t just—propose to someone over the goddamn phone! That’s not how this works!”

“That depends.” His voice was cool, unbothered. “Are you rejecting my proposal, then?”

“What—YES, I’m rejecting it!”

The sound of the elevator dinging nearby had me automatically turning my head.

A sleek, black SUV had pulled up in front of the building, and stepping out of it, looking as devastatingly sharp as ever, was the one person I did'nt need right now, Ethan Reynolds.

I paled.

Oh, no.

“It’s just easier to talk on the phone, ” I blurted out as I clutched the at the door handle for dear life.

“You’re sure about that?”

“Yes! Completely sure!” My voice cracked.

Too late.

Through the glass doors, I watched employees pop up like meerkats as Ethan breezed in through the lobby, giving the kind of presence that made people scramble out of his way.

“Good morning, Mr. Reynolds!” came greetings from all over the place.

He barely nodded. His piercing blue eyes scanned the room, and I did the only thing I could think of—

I ducked behind a potted plant.

“I can’t meet,” I whispered, pressing my back against the oversized fig tree like it was a life raft. “I’m incredibly busy. So much work. Stacks of it.”

“Seven p.m.,” he said smoothly. “Same place as the last date.”

I swallowed hard. “I… can’t.”

His tone cooled. “Because you’re busy? Or because you’re afraid?”

I glared at the plant leaves. Smug bastard.

“I don’t even like men!” I blurted. “I’m totally into women now. Women only.”

There was a brief silence.

Then, in a tone that was both of mockery and of pity, he muttered, “I see. Well, you have my deepest sympathies, then.”

I am going to die.

“Okay! Goodbye now!” I wheezed, slamming the call before I could humiliate myself any further.

I shut my eyes and exhaled. Did I seriously just say that?

The fig rustled as I sagged against it, praying the universe would open up and swallow me whole.

Ethan’s POV

VRRTTT VRRTTTT—

Call declined.

I stared at my phone, my jaw tightening. She’s actually ignoring me.

I redialed.

VRRTTT VRRTTTT—

Call declined.

A slow exhale left my lips, controlled and measured. Inside, my patience was thinning. I stepped into my office, shutting the glass doors behind me with a quiet click, giving me a break from the bustling office floor.

Across the office, David glanced up from his laptop, a smirk forming at his lips. “Trouble in paradise?”

I didn’t answer. Instead, I loosened my tie with one hand, dialing again.

VRRTTT VRRTTTT—

David took a slow sip of his coffee, watching me like I was the best entertainment he’d had all week.

Then—

Call declined.

I set my phone down with just a little more force than necessary.

David smirked. “I take it the proposal didn’t go as planned?”

I shot him a look. “No, that’s not it”

David leaned back in his chair, unfazed. “Right. Because you always look like you’re plotting someone’s murder before noon.”

I didn’t respond. Instead, I tapped a pen against my desk, my mind replaying the conversation with Harper. ‘I don’t even like men’.

A slow, humorless smirk formed. Liar.

David sighed dramatically. “This isn’t about Howard’s latest scheme, is it?”

Silence.

David shook his head. Knew it. “Is this about a certain fiery brunette who—let me guess—won’t answer your calls?”

I set the pen down with a soft click, finally meeting David’s gaze. “She’s being ridiculous.”

David’s brows lifted. “You proposed to her over the phone.”

“I gave her a solution,” I corrected.

David’s lips twitched. “That’s what we’re calling marriage now?”

I dragged a hand down my face, inhaling slowly. “She’ll call back.”

“You sure?”

A muscle ticked in my jaw. “She doesn’t have a choice.”

David let out a low chuckle. “I see. So we’ve moved straight to ‘inevitable fate,’ huh?”

I stood abruptly, adjusting his cufflinks. “Call the chairman.”

David blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Tell him to set a wedding date.”

David let out a slow, incredulous laugh. “You’re serious.”

I met his gaze, unwavering. “Completely.”

David ran a hand through his hair. “You know, most guys try flowers first.”

“She’ll come around,” I said smoothly, already reaching for his phone again.

And this time? She wouldn’t have the chance to decline.