Edward’s face turned crimson in an instant. Starting from his ears, the blush spread across his cheeks and crept down to his
collar, making him look like a tomato.
I felt just as awkward, wishing the ground would open up and swallow me whole.
He cleared his throat, his voice stiff as he tried to change the subject.
“I’ll take care of the wound myself. Don’t worry about it.”
After a brief pause, he added, “I’ve already spoken to the driver. He’ll take you home first so that your boyfriend won’t have to
worry.”
Boyfriend?
I froze for a second before realizing he was referring to the excuse I’d used earlier to fend off Liam.
I was just about to explain, then stopped myself. Why did I even feel the need to explain? Especially when…
I stole a glance at him, only to see his expression had returned to normal as if nothing had happened. Even when he mentioned
my supposed boyfriend, he seemed perfectly composed.
It was as though we really were just colleagues, a boss and his subordinate.
And everything he had done just now was nothing more than a gentlemanly act of concern for an employee.
Forget it.
The words caught in my throat, and I eventually gave up, brushing a stray lock of hair behind my ear to mask my discomfort. I
lowered my head and said, “All right, I’ll head back early.”
In doing so, I missed the fleeting, complicated look in his eyes.
Thanks to the quick rescue, the tabby cat was going to be fine. With some care, it would recover fully.
Edward’s scratched arm had also been treated in time. With a vaccine and proper care, it was no longer a concern.
After that day, we both returned to our normal routines. As for the tabby, after some discussion, Edward agreed to temporarily
foster it until a new owner could be found.
The project was hectic in the beginning, and I was swamped with work, frequently pulling overtime. By the time I got home, all I wanted was to collapse and rest, leaving me no energy to dwell on anything else.
Over time, I grew accustomed to Edward’s presence.
Given how close we had been in the past, it wasn’t too difficult to ignore the awkwardness of our history and settle into a relatively comfortable working relationship.
1/3
Chapter 3
+15 BONUS
Lately, the pressure at work had been steadily building. Tensions ran high among the team, and for some reason, Liam was absent almost every day. As a result, handling coordination with the design and engineering departments had fallen to me.
The problem was that I wasn’t the head of our department, so there were limits to my authority. The design team, which focused on achieving better results, kept requesting budget increases. But as someone responsible for cost control, I couldn’t just approve
their requests.
