Chapter 4 His Crush, My Bad Advice

The chauffeur driving us was a chatterbox. He had caught the look on my face, so he grinned and teased, "I bet Ms. Rhodes heard the partner's assistant is ridiculously handsome and is looking forward to meeting him."

I fell silent.

'God, stop making things up. The only one I'm obsessed with is Cassian!' I protested inwardly.

Alas, my guilty conscience kept me from saying a word. Instead, I pretended that nothing had happened as I calmly changed the subject and began briefing Cassian on his schedule for the day.

However, I couldn't help but feel as though the temperature inside the car was plummeting. It was so noticeable that it gradually became harder to overlook. When I finally looked up, I found Cassian watching me with a dark, unreadable expression.

'He hasn't noticed something, has he?'

My heart skipped a beat. However, I continued to play dumb and acted as though everything was perfectly normal.

…

When we arrived at the business engagement, the host had originally seated me beside the handsome assistant so coordinating the event would be more convenient.

To everyone's surprise, Cassian spoke up the moment everyone settled into their seats, his tone calm but firm. "Ms. Rhodes sits beside me."

Everyone at the table immediately pretended they hadn't heard a thing, smiling and chatting as if nothing unusual had happened.

As for me, I was secretly overjoyed. Nevertheless, I remained perfectly composed on the surface. "Yes, Mr. Knox."

After I sat down, Cassian instructed me, "Serve my food tonight. You know what I like to eat, don't you?"

I nodded.

I knew better than anyone regarding his preferences.

So, I diligently picked dishes for him throughout the meal, carefully serving him all his favorites.

Honestly, it felt so satisfying to watch the person I liked eat exactly what I chose for him. There was just something strangely addictive about being able to lord that tiny bit of control over him.

Cassian seemed to be in an unusually good mood during the meeting. He became noticeably more accommodating during the business negotiations. Still, I noticed that he'd glance toward the handsome assistant across the table every so often.

The poor assistant only looked confused as he thought in bafflement, 'Is it just me or… What's Mr. Knox showing off for?'

Once the conversation shifted fully to the partnership itself, I was no longer needed to serve him food. So, my attention drifted elsewhere.

My eyes landed on the handsome assistant's chain necklace resting against his collarbone, and I couldn't help imagining how incredible that necklace would look on Cassian.

Regardless, I was of the opinion that the iron chain I'd bought would probably look even better locked around his ankle.

Just imagining it sent a thrill through me.

"Oh, my God! Mr. Knox, are you okay?"

The sudden cry snapped me back to reality. I looked over and realized the porcelain spoon in Cassian's hand had been crushed into pieces.

'His forearms are so strong… I wonder what it'd be like if they were wrapped around my neck while—No, no! Stop thinking about that!'

I forcibly dragged my thoughts back on track. As I was busy trying to compose myself, I unknowingly made something that looked suspiciously like an eye roll.

"Mr. Knox, I'll get you some iodine."

As my calm, professional-secretary persona was fraying at the edges, I clicked away on my heels without another word. As a result, I never noticed that behind me, Cassian looked as though he were falling apart.

"Are other men really that attractive… while I'm that disgusting to you?" he murmured under his breath. "Heather… baby…"

…

By the time the meeting ended, Cassian was visibly preoccupied. I tried probing him, but couldn't get a single useful answer. So, I decided to harass him with my burner account after I got home that night.

As expected, he ignored every one of my texts.

Instead, he updated his social media.

"Baby… if I locked you away… would you only look at me then?"

'Is he… going to imprison his crush soon?'

Jealousy instantly overwhelmed me, throwing my emotions completely off balance. I opened my burner account and started giving him the worst advice imaginable.

"I bought an incredibly practical iron chain in the past. It's basically the perfect tool for keeping someone captive. Once your crush steps into your house, they're never getting out of it again.

"In exchange for sharing such a great recommendation, won't you be my puppy for one month? Just one month."