Chapter 5
Chapter 5
This was Jessica’s second time in the CEO’s office.
The place was spacious and sleek. Aside from a massive desk, there was a full couch set and a private corner for brewing coffee.
“If you’re tired, you can take a nap inside.” Zachary walked toward his desk, tilting his chin in a particular direction.
Jessica looked in the direction he indicated. The adjoining room beside his desk felt homey, nothing like the place she had seen last night. She caught herself, wondering where her mind
had wandered at that moment.
“I’ll stay out here on the couch,” she said, taking a step back.
“Suit yourself.” Zachary returned to his desk, sat down, and began working.
Instead of going into the adjoining room, she chose to sit on the couch and wait. At some point, she dozed off on the couch, worn out from the night before.
Zachary kept working at his desk, reviewing files and paperwork, like he had endless stamina. They did the same thing last night, and he did most of the work-so how was he still full of energy?
When she awoke, it was already 1:00 am. Zachary stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out at the city lights below.
It was obvious that he worked out regularly. His shoulders were broad, his waist trim, and veins stood out on his arms where his sleeves were casually rolled up.
Jessica massaged her stiff neck and let out soft, pained whimpers. The black suit jacket draped over her slipped off when she sat up.
“Aren’t you going to get some rest?” She assumed that he would go to the adjoining room
once he finished his work.
“The elevator’s fixed.”
“Oh.”
“I’ll give you a lift.” He slowly turned around.
“That won’t be necessary. I’ll hail a cab downstairs.” Jessica picked up her bag.
Zachary took his coat and followed her closely from behind.
She felt a little uneasy, thinking that he was like a shadow she couldn’t shake.
Jessica headed outside, but before she could leave the parking lot, a car horn blared behind her. She stepped aside, yet the black car continued to honk at her. So, she turned to look.
“Get in.” The man’s voice was low and magnetic. Behind his frameless glasses, his deep, dark eyes held a chill that made her skin prickle.
Clutching her bag, she hesitated for a moment before hopping into his car.
Just then, a BMW 290 with a license plate swerved sharply and sped out of the underground parking lot, its tires screeching through the quiet. Both of them looked over and watched as the car disappeared into the garage.
Jessica snapped back to her senses and hurriedly tugged at her skirt, which kept riding up nearly to the top of her thighs. She wondered who he had trusted to buy this outfit-it felt ill- fitting.
When she shifted slightly, a button at her chest popped off, revealing the love bites Zachary had left on her the night before. Zachary glanced at it before averting his gaze, his Adam’s apple bobbing with a quiet gulp.
Jessica hurriedly covered her chest, her face turning as red as a tomato. She didn’t dare move anymore. She wished she could shed a few more pounds and be plain and flat like other girls…
Zachary reached into the back seat, took a black suit jacket, and tossed it to her. Jessica caught on to his intentions and slipped it on.
He made a quick stop at a corner shop on the way and bought a flan. Its scent was faint, but she recognized it right away because it was her favorite dessert.
She figured that it must be for a woman at his place, but to her surprise, he handed it straight to her when he returned to his car. “Here,” he said apathetically.
Jessica accepted it. “Thank you.”
Flan was made from milk, eggs, sugar, and vanilla, topped with caramel sauce. Jessica bought one every time she went shopping.
The shop was open until 3:00 am and still had people lining up. She wondered how he knew about this.
Her rental apartment at Edelwise Residences was close to the company.
It was already late at night. Zachary parked beneath her building and watched as she walked into the elevator.
He tilted his head back. In less than a minute, the lights on the 16th floor came on. Then, he started his engine and drove back to his company.
When Jessica stepped out of the elevator, she found a bouquet of yellow tulips and a cup of coffee that had already gone cold on the floor. The scene looked more like something from a
funeral.
Just then, she remembered a saying about how trash belonged in the trash can.
Her brows knitted. She picked up the coffee and tossed it into the nearby bin. Then she looked back at the tulips, clenched her fists, lifted her black high heel, and kicked the bouquet toward
the trash can.
Jessica unlocked her apartment door with her fingerprint and stepped into the tiny home she had missed so much. She took off the oversized coat, slipped into her house slippers, and went
into the bathroom.
After a long soak, she emerged, feeling light and refreshed. It was already 2:00 am.
Jessica powered her phone back on. Fortunately, it was fine.
As soon as it powered on, it chimed nonstop as dozens of messages flooded in. Without checking a single one, she marked them all as read and left them unanswered. But…
Derrick: “I called and texted, but you didn’t answer. I was so worried about you! I picked these flowers this morning. I hope you like them.”
After all these years, he was still as romantic as ever. However, his overflowing affection could easily sweep someone off their feet and keep them hooked. He was always ready to “serve” women for free.
Jessica might have come from a single-parent household, but her mother had strong principles. Under her mother’s influence, she practiced self-restraint and propriety. Even though she and Derrick were already at the point of discussing marriage, they had never gone further than holding hands.
On Independence Day, after the fashion show had ended, she had spotted Derrick, who had hardly ever gone shopping. Jessica had long been aware of his affair with Celine, yet the moment she actually saw them on the street, wrapped up in each other, it still felt like she was swallowing a thousand needles.
Zachary and Joshua had also happened to see it. They had noticed her strained expression and later discussed it, which eventually led to her overexertion at the celebration dinner.
Before she knew it, she had tapped into Zachary’s profile on Facebook. She stared at his profile for a long while before looking at the suit jacket and flan beside her, remembering the outrageous question he had asked her that day. “Do you want to be Mrs. Jones?”
Chapter 5
Her mind went black. No matter how lonely she felt, she didn’t think she could be that desperate. He was a CEO, after all. How could he possibly fall for a regular employee like her?
He wasn’t some charity worker. How could he have zeroed in on her so precisely? She thought
that he must be blind.
Jessica checked her feed again and noticed that her last post had blown up. Everyone was amazed to learn that she had worked overtime at the office.
Then, she spotted a familiar profile picture. It seemed that Zachary had liked her post.
Jessica wondered if he had come downstairs to find her because he had seen her post. However, she believed that it was impossible.
She quietly set her phone aside, cracked open the flan, and took a spoonful, savoring its
wonderful sweetness.
