Chapter 5

"Susan, did you ever spend time in the military?"

I stiffened, not quite sure how to respond. "For a few weeks as a mandatory course for university… Why are you asking?"

"Well, I was just considering transferring you to the security department, considering how you stand at attention so well. Is that fine with you?"

"No, please don't!"

"Then get in here already!"

At that moment, I wanted to call my brother and ask him what had happened to Charles these past few years for him to develop such a sharp tongue.

Sitting at his desk, he casually crossed his legs, long fingers tapping the keyboard as his sharp eyes scanned the screen, his lips curled in a smirk.

"You wrote this quarterly report?"

I felt a little uneasy. "Yes, sir."

"It's pretty well-written..." He nodded.

"Thank you, I'll continue doing my best!"

Then, he looked up at me. "It reminds me of Romeo and Juliet.

"Rewrite this. I want it done before I get off work."

I was heartbroken, but backing down wasn't my speed. It was just a report! No way I'd let it defeat me!

And so, I kept writing until it was 10 at night.

"Are you still not done? It's way past dinner time, I'm hungry…" Charles grumbled, sitting in his luxurious chair, and I felt like I was sitting on needles.

An hour later, the food he ordered finally arrived.

"Come on, eat up! You won't be finishing anytime soon, so what's a few more minutes?"

Please, could someone put a mute button on him?

How could someone be so annoying?!

-

By the time I got home, it was already way past midnight. I barely had the energy to wash up before collapsing onto my bed.

Lately, my time and energy have been so drained by work that I haven't even dreamed in a long time.

Halfway through the night, I heard my phone ringing through my sleepy fog. It was the lawyer I had hired before going abroad. "Miss Stone, Miss Harper has refused to compensate you, but Mr. Carter has agreed to pay it in her stead if you go and meet him in person."

What, so now he wanted to see me? What was he playing at?

"Do I look like I need the money? Tell them that it's a matter of principle, and that I'll sue Lulu for deliberately damaging private property if I don't get any compensation. They'll do what's best for them."

By the time I hung up, I was completely awake.

Feeling parched, I went downstairs to get some water. That’s when I noticed the dining room light was still on.

I nearly screeched out of fright, but it was just Charles sitting there, hard at work.

"Only guilty people are scared of ghosts, you know."

I mentally grumbled, pouring a glass of water for myself and walking over to him.

"Oh, are you modifying my quarterly report?"

He shook his head and sighed. "I do have to show this to the company's shareholders, after all. If I showed them your report as it was, they might've gotten heart attacks over our company's imminent demise."

I wanted to tear him to shreds, but I quickly reminded myself that I was currently living under his roof.

"Fine, do that. I'll go back to bed."

When I turned around, I slipped, landing right in his lap. My lips brushed against his chest, and my upper body pressed against his chest. No matter how you spun it, this compromising position was far too intimate for a man and woman in the dead of night.

To make matters worse, I landed in a terrible spot.

His gaze flickered to my lips, and his breathing grew heavier. I could even hear his heartbeat and smell the fresh scent of aftershave.

"W-Well, I'm glad the water didn't spill!" I quickly found an excuse to stand up, yet his hand was still resting lighting at my waist.

"You know, I never realized people could slip on thin air." He withdrew his hand and turned away, fingers typing quickly on his keyboard.

"Good night, sleep tight! I'm heading back to my room!"

And with that, I bolted back upstairs.