Chapter 21

How absurd. The whole company was watching me—I was definitely not going with Yoel!I slipped out of the lobby on the first floor and rounded to the back door of the office. Just as I was about to make my escape, a familiar black Bentley silently pulled up in front of me.The window rolled down, revealing Yoel's face, which clearly showed he had expected this."Dear examiner, you're running pretty fast," he said with a faint smile.I opened the passenger door and climbed in. "Mr. Gilmore, what was that in the conference room this afternoon? Do you still want to make it past probation?""I saw you didn't turn the page, so I gave you a hand," he said, turning on the engine with an innocent look. "You're really going to dock me for that?"I buckled my seatbelt. "Of course! Do you realize that by tomorrow, the office gossip will have shifted from 'Will I get fired?' to 'Are you and I secretly dating?'"He chuckled softly. "Isn't that better? If it's officially out, we won't have to

Chapter 22

Yoel picked up another tomato. "This one's shape is good, but the color isn't even. It might not have gotten enough sun, which could affect the lycopene content."I couldn't hold back any longer. I grabbed a tomato from the pile beside me and waved it in front of him. "Mr. Gilmore, you don't need to conduct a full inspection for grocery shopping. Look at this one—the tiny star on the bottom, a fresh green stem, firm and springy to the touch. This one's perfect—sweet, juicy, and full of flavor."He glanced from the tomato to me, and for a moment, his eyes suddenly brightened as if he'd just had a revelation.And just like that, the whole vibe of the trip was completely derailed."Why is this onion crying?" he asked."It's not crying. You just tear up when you peel it," I explained."Then let's get one that won't make anyone cry.""That doesn't exist," I replied.As he pushed the cart, I walked beside him, acting like a walking produce encyclopedia, answering his questions abou

Chapter 23

Just as I was about to blurt out some excuse about a "coincidence" or a "chance encounter", Yoel beat me to it. He casually rested his hand on the cart and said, "Mr. Stone, out shopping today too?""Yeah," Jeremiah stammered. "My wife told me to pick up some eggs."Yoel gave a small nod. "I see."Then he leaned over as if it were nothing and flicked an imaginary thread from my hair. "I'm just helping to pick up a few essentials for my family."The word "family" hit Jeremiah and me like twin torpedoes.The basket of eggs in Jeremiah's hands clattered to the floor with a crash. Several rolled out, and a few cracked, splattering yolk everywhere.I froze, utterly petrified from head to toe.Yoel seemed completely unfazed by the chaos. He leaned in gently and said, "Let's check out. We shouldn't hold up Mr. Stone from buying his eggs."With that, he pushed the cart past the dumbfounded Jeremiah and the chaos on the floor, heading toward the checkout. I followed mechanically, feelin

Chapter 24

Yoel slipped into slippers and pulled a brand-new pair of pink bunny slippers from the shoe cabinet, handing them to me. The fluffy pink was the only bright color in the otherwise monochrome room, standing out boldly."Your size," he said simply.I looked down at them, and a small part of me softened. He even remembered this about me.The kitchen was bigger than my living room at home, with shiny utensils lined up like soldiers waiting for inspection. Yoel put on a gray apron and handed me a matching pink one. Standing there side by side, we looked like a pair of overly serious, couple-themed trash cans ready for duty.He pulled out his phone, opened a recipe, and studied it with the intensity of someone reviewing a corporate quarterly report."Step one, peel the tomatoes." He dropped them into boiling water, fished them out with chopsticks, and carefully scored each with a small knife. It didn't look like cooking—it looked like performing a delicate surgery.I couldn't bear wa

Chapter 25

"It's not about work," Yoel said. He walked over, set a blue folder on the coffee table in front of me, and looked more serious than I had ever seen him. "It's a proposal."I picked up the folder, confused. On the cover, in bold print, a single line read, "Proposal for Establishing a Long-Term and Exclusive Lifelong Strategic Partnership with Ms. Nova Grayson."My hand trembled, and I almost dropped the folder.I took a deep breath and opened to the first page."Project Name: Spending the Rest of My Life with Nova""Project Initiator: Yoel""Core Objective: Convert status from 'trial boyfriend' to official partner and maintain a steadily increasing happiness index for both parties over the next 50 years."Below that, there was a detailed SWOT analysis, a risk assessment, and a five-year plan. In the Weaknesses section, he had written everything clearly."No. 1: Overly logical, completely lacking in romance.""No. 2: Had once caused emotional pain because of work.""No. 3: D

Chapter 26

He smiled, stood up, and scooped me off the couch, holding me tightly in his arms. "Thank you, darling.""Who are you calling darling?" I punched him lightly and buried my face in the hollow of his neck, nuzzling against the comforting scent of cedar on him."You," he whispered as he bent to kiss my forehead. Outside, the night stretched quietly, dotted with the warm glow of countless lights.My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw a message from Jeremiah."Nova, I've figured it out! Mr. Gilmore is definitely after you! Don't worry, I'll keep it a secret. By the way, can you help me apply for the company's family shopping perk?"I held out my phone to Yoel. He glanced at the screen, smiled quietly, then picked it up and wrote, "Mr. Stone, the company doesn't provide that benefit. I hope you will take care of my family from now on."He handed my phone back, took my hand, and entwined our fingers."Let's go, darling. There's one very important thing left to do.