All Chapters of A Daydream: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

I started to act completely recklessly. My dignity was already in pieces, so I figured I might as well go all in.Yoel listened quietly, and the faint coldness he usually wore had completely melted away, replaced by something almost indulgent, dangerously pampering."Alright, consider it settled," he said, nodding seriously. "Compensation for emotional distress? Take any property I own. For the nights you stayed up? A month of paid leave. As for the two pounds you lost…"He paused, letting his gaze roam over me, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips."I'll deal with it myself. I'll personally feed it back to you."The handful of coworkers left in the office gasped in unison.By now, shame was written all over my face. I abandoned all resistance, slumping in my chair in total surrender."Let's go," he said, holding out his hand—not as a command, but as an invitation.I glared at him, refusing to budge.The next second, he bypassed the desk and took my wrist, catc

"Then why won't you meet me?" I asked the most crucial question. "You knew it was me all along, didn't you? Back when you worked at Riverview Tower, you avoided me. You thought I was just some employee beneath you."He shook his head firmly. "No, it's not that. I was scared."He stood up, circled the desk, and walked toward me step by step. I instinctively took a step back, but my back hit the cold door behind me. There was nowhere to retreat."Nova, you're under my eyes every single day. I watch you frown at your computer, gossip with your colleagues about the cafeteria, quietly celebrate when a proposal passes," he said from above.His voice was low and husky, carrying a pull I couldn't resist."You don't even realize it, but in every meeting, my eyes are always on you. I watch the way you lean over your notes, the way you bite your pen while thinking, and the little panic you try to hide when I call on you," he said softly. "To me, no matter what name you go by, you're always

Yoel's throat bobbed, and the tips of his ears turned red again. "I did that so you could finish earlier and get more rest."What a refreshingly original excuse."What about postponing the proposal, upgrading the cafeteria meals, and doubling the bonuses? Were those for me too?" I asked, leaning forward."Yes," he said calmly. "You said the cafeteria food was terrible and that you wanted to quit. I panicked. I couldn't give you a direct raise. That would have been too obvious, so I had to keep you another way."His completely unapologetic abuse of company resources left me speechless. All those company perks I had secretly celebrated back then were his doing alone, and the entire company had benefited because of me.I leaned back into the soft chair and looked at him. "One last question. About you finacee…"He jerked his head up, and his gaze was tense with anxiety. I said slowly, "How could one sentence from me destroy it all? Didn't your fiancee try to hold you accountable?"

I brought it up on purpose just to see Yoel's reaction.Yoel's expression froze for a moment, then even his usually firm jaw softened. His eyes showed a mix of helplessness and the faint indignation of someone wrongly accused. "I won't.""That's not so certain, considering you're a billionaire by day," I said, pouting slightly as I snatched the phone from his hand. I swiped a few times and typed "best burger joint near the office" into the search bar.He stared at the screen, at the simple storefronts and the prices under ten dollars per burger, and fell into a long silence.I expected him to protest or at least show some distaste. After all, having a billionaire CEO eat at a casual burger place would seem absurd in any story.Instead, he looked up seriously and asked, "Do we need to wait in line there?"I froze for a moment before laughing. "Not really. Come on, I'll show you a taste of everyday life."15 minutes later, we sat in a corner booth at a small, bustling burger joint

"He talked with you all afternoon?" Jeremiah clearly didn't believe it.Just as I was still trying to figure out how to explain it, the secretary, Irene, walked past in high heels with a cup of coffee in hand. She gave me a knowing look before drifting over."What's wrong with talking all afternoon?" She rolled her eyes at Jeremiah. "Nova is capable and gorgeous. Mr. Gilmore has a good eye and decided to give her some one-on-one guidance. That's called focused training, got it?"Jeremiah was left speechless by her rebuttal. Irene then leaned in close to my ear and whispered so only the two of us could hear, "Well done, Nova. You really kept that hidden. The door to the executive office was locked yesterday. I knocked forever, but no one answered. Be honest. How intense was the situation?"My face burned red in an instant, like a boiled shrimp.Before I could explain myself, a stir broke out at the office entrance. Yoel had arrived.He wore a dark gray suit that day, no glasses,