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Lahat ng Kabanata ng My Boss, My Nextdoor Neighbor And Me: Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

117 Kabanata

031

SHAYLE I had a rough day. Like, really rough. The kind of day where every tiny thing felt like it was created to piss me off. Maybe it was because of the way it started but it was really terrible.By the time the clock hit five, my brain had checked out hours ago. Luckily, Lucien was out of meetings and didn’t have any last-minute fires for me to put out, so I actually got to leave early for once. Miracles really did exist.Laureen was already leaving when we ran into each other and I told her I was about to leave too. So we decided to leave together. She decided to follow me back to my office so I can get my things.We barely talked on our way to the elevator, mostly because my head was pounding from the long day and I just wanted silence. When we reached the hallway leading to my office, she waved and said she’d wait for me after grabbing something from the vending machine.I nodded and walked to my office. When I was done packing my stuff, I turned to close my door, and almost

032

SHAYLE “Did Alina tell you all this you’re spewing? Because she’s obviously lying. She was the one who framed me, and I saved her ass from getting fired.”Carlos laughed, a sound that scraped through my nerves. “There it is. The real Shayle finally showing her true colours. Four fucking years together and I never knew who you really were.”He shook his head slowly, his tone dripping with disbelief. “The moment we broke up, you changed your look, started seducing men at work, and now you’re turning bitter and ruthless toward your own sister?”My jaw locked. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”He took a few steps closer, his finger pointing accusingly at me. “You think I don’t? I transferred to another department just so it wouldn’t be awkward for you. I was trying to make things easier, Shayle. But if I’d known you’d try to ruin my girlfriend the moment I left, I would’ve stayed.”My chest tightened. My heart was slamming against my ribs, not just from anger but from the st

033

SHAYLEI was taken aback by his words. “You’re going to tell people I’m your girlfriend? Why would you do that?” My voice came out quieter than I intended, and I could already feel my face heat up.Kieran’s lips curved into a faint grin. “So men would stay the hell away from you. It’s enough that every single one of them will have their eyes glued to you tonight.”I laughed nervously. “Whatever. You know you’re the one who’s going to get all the attention, not me.”He chuckled lowly, shaking his head. “Am I hearing you mock me or are you really that unaware of how gorgeous you look tonight?”I froze for a second, trying to form a comeback, but nothing came out. My throat went dry, and all I could think of was the way his voice dipped when he said gorgeous. How is he so good with that smooth mouth of his. I quickly turned away.“Let’s just go,” I muttered, brushing past him.We walked down the hall together, our steps echoing softly. As we stepped outside, he opened the car door

034

SHAYLE I felt like a ray of sunshine on my way to Lucien’s house the next morning. I didn’t even know why I was smiling this much, but I was. The moment I stepped out of the cab and walked through the front gate, every bodyguard I met got a warm greeting from me.“Good morning!” I waved.He blinked, clearly confused. “Uh… good morning, Miss Shayle.”I walked a few more steps, my heels clicking against the tiled path. “Morning, Dean! Morning, Eric!”They exchanged looks like I had just been possessed by something holy. I could practically hear their thoughts; what the hell happened to her? Maybe they thought I won a lottery. Or maybe they thought I’d finally lost it.But I didn’t care. For the first time in a while, my chest felt light. I wanted to hum, skip, maybe even dance if I could. I was happy, and it showed all over my face.When I got inside, I waited downstairs like usual, organizing some of the files Lucien left on the table. Every time I shifted a paper or adjusted a pen

035

SHAYLE I think I forgot how to breathe in that small moment. Everything around me blurred for a second, and my pulse kicked against my ribs like it was trying to run away from my chest. But I didn’t stop walking. I forced myself to keep moving until I finally reached where they stood, pretending I didn’t notice the stares or the fact that Lucien’s eyes had been on me a second too long.I turned quickly toward the field, pretending to focus on the ongoing game. Two teams were already swinging rackets across the tennis court, the sound of the ball bouncing was rhythmic. Tennis. God. I don’t think I’ve ever touched a racket in my life. There had to be something easier, right?Lauren’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “Wait, are you the same Shayle who walked into the dressing room with me just now?”I turned toward her, trying not to look self-conscious. “Uh… yes?”She blinked, then dramatically placed a hand over her chest. “Since when the hell were you this hot? I mean, holy

036

SHAYLELauren gasped beside me, one hand flying to her chest. “He’s got some damn nerve pulling that shit,” she muttered, glaring down at Zeke. Then she turned to me, her face softening. “You can decline if you want to, Shayle. Seriously, you don’t have.”Maddie quickly nodded. “Yeah, girl, you don’t owe anyone a performance. Tell him to fuck off.”Damn right I was going to. I opened my mouth, already halfway ready to raise my hand and decline when the host’s voice boomed again.“Oh, but remember, contestants, if you decline after being chosen, you’ll have to pay a fine!”“What?” I blurted out before I could stop myself. That was just ridiculous!The crowd started murmuring, clearly entertained by my panic. Alina’s high-pitched voice rang above the noise. “Come on, Shayle!” she shouted in her fake sweet tone.And just like that, people started chanting my name. One voice after another until the whole damn place was screaming “Shay-le! Shay-le!”My palms got sweaty. My heartbeat was

037

SHAYLEWhen I opened my eyes, I started coughing so hard I thought my lungs were going to come out. Water spilled out of my mouth, warm and bitter, and my chest burned like I’d swallowed fire. My throat hurt and my whole body trembled as I tried to catch my breath.The first thing I saw when my vision cleared was Lucien. He was right in front of me, kneeling, drenched from head to toe. His hair was slicked back, sticking to his forehead, and his eyes were filled with something I’d never seen before. Fear. Pure fear.But just as quickly as it caught my attention, it was replaced by relief. His chest rose and fell fast as he stared at me, his expression softening like he’d just seen a ghost come back to life.Behind him, Lauren’s face was streaked with tears. Maddie looked like she’d just witnessed an alien abduction. Everyone else around us was frozen in shock, murmuring and panicking. Someone was yelling something about an ambulance.My ears rang, my head spun, and my lungs still f

038

SHAYLE I didn’t understand one bit why he was here even though he already gave his reason; it just didn’t make sense. He stood there, hands shoved deep in his pockets, looking awkward but somehow still confident enough to think he had a right to stand on my doorstep. When he didn’t get an answer from me, he shifted and asked quietly, “Can I at least come in?”What? Was he actually serious?I blinked, trying to wrap my head around the nerve he had. Instead of answering, I stepped outside and shut the door behind me. The last thing I wanted was his energy tainting my home. I crossed my arms and asked, “Why are you really here? Is this another one of Alina’s little schemes? Was she not satisfied enough that she landed me in a hospital?”Carlos looked hurt, and for a second, it made me want to laugh. The audacity to act like the victim here was unbelievable. He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled. “Fine. I know I’ve been a dick to you, I know that. But seeing you almost lose you

039

SHAYLEI didn’t wait for him to circle around that smug logic of his. I spoke right away, my voice sharper.“You never specified that I had to win individually.”“And I never said you could win as a group either.”I folded my arms. “Then we’re both wrong, right?”He nodded slightly, his mouth curving just a little. “Yeah, we are. Which means you can’t leave. If you’re that desperate, find another way around it…or just wait till the three weeks are over.”I stared at him, disbelief coursing through me. “Wow. I never knew you could be this petty.”He didn’t even look affected. He turned toward the glass wall, straightened his cuffs like I hadn’t just spoken. “The trip was impromptu,” he muttered, picking up his phone from the desk. “You don’t need to bring anything. Whatever you’ll need will be provided there. Meet me outside in fifteen minutes.”And just like that, he walked out.I stood there, staring at the door, completely taken aback by everything.Fifteen minutes ago, I was rea

040

SHAYLEI turned to him, still completely amused, and blurted out, “How are you this rich?”Lucien glanced at me like he’d been expecting the question all along.“I mean,” I continued, shaking my head, “I always knew you were wealthy, but not like this. You have a jet, your surname’s on a whole building. What else? You secretly own New York too?”He chuckled softly, that low sound that always made it hard to tell if he was laughing at me or with me.“I kind of own my own business and wealth,” he answered, tone light. “Working at the company as a manager is just so I don’t have to sit at home or go to clubs to waste time.”My mouth opened a bit. I blinked. “So basically, you’re working for fun?”He tilted his head. “Pretty much.”I just stared for a moment, trying to process it. Imagine having so much money that you didn’t work for money but just to pass time. It was ridiculous. It was also… kind of cool.I turned back to the window, the view below still showing the giant letters of his

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