Chapter 5

"Dang it, Juliette!" Ryan cursed as he remembered he had come to the mall with her. He quickly ran back to the supermarket to get tissues and headed to the restroom she had described to him earlier.

"Pervert! This is the ladies' restroom. What are you doing here?" A cleaning lady at the door stopped him as he was about to enter.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I got carried away because I was in a hurry. Can you check to see if there's any woman in there who needs tissue paper? She asked me to get it for her," Ryan apologized and explained.

"Whatever. Don't you have her number? Call her," the lady said, pushing Ryan aside.

"Rude!" Ryan exclaimed, but the lady ignored him. He called Juliette but she didn't pick up.

He tried calling again, and finally, she answered.

"I'm sorry about the delay. Something happened at the supermarket," Ryan apologized.

Juliette chuckled nervously. "Oh, I see. I thought you were too embarrassed to get them and ran away."

Ryan shook his head. "No, I got them now. I am at the restroom's entrance, but I guess you're already home."

Juliette nodded. "Yeah, I am. I figured it out, but it's a little embarrassing. Let's just say I flushed my panties."

Ryan laughed. "It happens to the best of us. Don't worry about it."

"I didn't want our outing to end like this," Ryan said, walking out of the restroom.

Juliette bit her lip. "Um, I'm actually cooking right now. Would you like to come over and eat with me?"

Ryan's face lit up. "That sounds great. I'll be there soon."

"Great! I'll be expecting you," Juliette replied before ending the call.

As Ryan headed out, he couldn't help but think, "She's adorable."

Ryan arrived at Juliette's house and she warmly welcomed him inside. As Ryan looked around her home, he noticed the stark differences compared to his own luxurious mansion. However, there was something about Juliette's place that made it feel like a haven - cozy and filled with love and happiness. A rush of comfort flooded over him as he surveyed the home's cozy atmosphere.

As she handed Ryan a canned beer, Juliette commented on the size of her home.

Ryan, not wanting to offend, quickly assured her that he found it cute and charming. But Juliette wasn't convinced and made a jab at Ryan's expensive mansion, to which he kindly responded that he found her home comfortable and cozy.

"I'd love to own a place like this someday," Ryan declared, sipping his beer.

"Just a simple space with one lounge, one bathroom, one bedroom, and one kitchen - all designed to my own taste. Just my own safe haven to retreat to when life gets overwhelming."

Juliette shyly offered to make Ryan noodles, but was worried about the power dynamics in their boss-assistant relationship. Ryan put her worries to rest, insisting that he was perfectly comfortable sharing a meal with her. As Juliette left to make dinner, Ryan settled into her plush couch, feeling grateful for the warm hospitality.

Fifteen minutes passed before she emerged and cordially invited Ryan to join her in the dining room. Sitting on the table were two bowls of noodles of varying sizes. Without hesitation, she handed the larger portion to Ryan along with a fork.

"Thank you for the meal," he expressed gratefully before digging in and noisily consuming his noodles.

Throughout the meal, an uncomfortable silence hung between them. When they had finished, Ryan kindly offered to assist with the dishes but his offer was firmly declined.

Not long after, they sat by each other on the sofa in silence.

Breaking the silence, Juliette expressed her concern,

"I just hope you don't fall sick."

Confused, Ryan asked, "Why would I fall sick?"

Juliette pointed out, "You just ate weird noodles in a place like this. It's not like the fancy food you have at expensive restaurants or your own house."

"Don't put yourself down like that, Jules," Ryan countered, moving closer to her.

"Jules?" repeated Juliette incredulously.

Ryan had only referred to her as Jules on two prior occasions, reserving the name for when he wanted to speak informally with her.

Embarrassed, Juliette avoided eye contact and shyly asked,

"Why did you call me Jules?"

Perceived a fragility in her, Ryan encouraged her, saying, "Why so shy? Relax. Let's talk casually."

Feeling uneasy, Juliette responded, "That's even weirder."

Despite her reluctance, Ryan persisted, "Let me make it even weirder."

Nervously glancing at Juliette, he reached out, gently taking her hand in his and giving it a reassuring squeeze. In response, Juliette looked up at him with surprise.

Without a single word, he leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. At first, Juliette was startled, but soon her body eased and she began to reciprocate, their lips moving together as their feelings and desires intensified.

As they parted, panting and catching their breaths, Ryan saw a fiery glimmer in Juliette's gaze. He knew that he'd acted on instinct and that his instincts were right. Already, he was devising their next intimate moment. The two sat, basking in each other's presence, at peace without the need to speak.

"I can't believe this," blushed Juliette.

"We just kissed," she said, still flushed.

"Did you not enjoy it?" asked Ryan.

"I loved it, but why did you do it?" Juliette asked him.

"Jules, I started to develop feelings for you a few weeks or months ago. At first, I thought it was just crazy infatuation from spending three months together on our last business trip, or maybe because I felt deprived of love, care, affection, and intimacy in my relationship with Anabelle. I'm not entirely sure how I ended up liking you Jules, but I know my feelings are genuine," Ryan explained.

Juliette felt a surge of surprise as she realized she had developed feelings for Ryan, her boss, three months after starting work as one of his assistants. Despite her attraction, she refused to let it interfere with her high-paying job, obtained shortly after graduating from university. She pushed her emotions aside, attempting to focus on work and even tried dating other guys to forget about her feelings for Ryan.

Juliette had done a great job at hiding her feelings until a few days ago when Ryan began showing her unexpected kindness and attentiveness. He had always been a professional boss, never getting too casual or informal with his employees. Juliette had only ever chatted with him informally a few times when they were alone. Now, the man who had always been so composed had suddenly confessed his own feelings to her.

Despite the joy she felt inside, Juliette knew that she needed to think carefully about what to do next. She couldn't risk losing her job by getting involved with her boss, no matter how much she liked him.

"Did you know I liked you?" Juliette asked.

"I had a feeling," Ryan replied.

"And when did you become aware of it?"

"I'm not sure. I guess I've just always known," he said with a confident grin.

"That sounds a bit presumptuous, don't you think?" Juliette questioned skeptically.

"No, not really. I mean, I am a pretty desirable guy. But it's not just about my looks. We've worked together for so long that it's only natural for emotions to develop," Ryan explained.

"I see. So you think it's just because we've spent a lot of time together?"

"Exactly. I've shown you my good side and my bad side, and you still like me. That's how I know it's real," Ryan said sincerely. "I don't see myself falling for anyone else but you."

Juliette asked Ryan outright, "Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?"

Ryan responded, "No, it's too soon, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," Juliette replied. "You've just gotten out of a lengthy relationship, you have a child who probably needs his mother now more than ever - who also happens to be your ex. And to top it off, I work for you and need to be professional at work. Things are likely to get pretty awkward if we rush into anything too fast."

"Let's take it slow," Ryan suggested, leaning in for a kiss. However, Juliette pulled back, avoiding the contact.

"I'm sorry," Juliette said.

"It's pretty late, you should head home now. I need to sleep too," she stated.

"Oh... I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable, that wasn't my intention," Ryan said, rising from his seat to leave.

"Goodnight Ryan, drive safely," Juliette walked him to the door and bid him farewell.

"Goodnight Jules," Ryan replied, leaving as Juliette closed the door.

With her back against the door, Juliette let out a sigh and muttered, "Sometimes, it's best not to act on certain feelings."

*

Adrienne slumped on her couch, the silence of her spacious living room only accentuating the bitter disappointment she was feeling. Her cheat day had gone horribly wrong; her favorite bakery had sold out of her favorite cakes, her order at the burger joint was all messed up, and to top it all off, she had taken a wrong turn while driving, making her spill her soda all over herself. It was enough to ruin her entire day and the cherry on top of all this misery was the housekeeper's question.

"Ma'am, would you like me to go to the supermarket for you?"

Adrienne let out an exasperated sigh. She couldn't deal with this today. Not when everything else was going wrong.

"How many times have I told you guys not to interrupt me when I'm talking, angry or in a bad mood?!" Adrienne snapped at the housekeeper.

The housekeeper apologized, but Adrienne couldn't hear it. She wondered whether she should fire this one too. But then, she remembered that she had already gone through three housekeepers this year and she wasn't in the mood to go through any more hiring processes.

"Are you new here? Where is Lucy?" Adrienne inquired.

At least Lucy knew how to handle her moods.

"Yes, I am new here. Let me call her for you," the housekeeper replied before rushing out to call Lucy.

Finally, Lucy arrived, and Adrienne welcomed her with a scowl.

"Didn't you give her the right orientation? What kind of worker did you employ in my house? Move her to the company's employee's quarters. I want her out of my house," Adrienne snapped at Lucy.

"Ma'am, please calm down. She just resumed work yesterday," Lucy explained.

"At least I'm not firing her. Isn't it the same salary?" Adrienne sneered.

Lucy pleaded with Adrienne to give the new housekeeper a second chance, to no avail. Adrienne grudgingly accepted and dismissed them both.

She collapsed onto her bed and was on the brink of shouting when a knock at her door interrupted her. However, it was just Lucy, holding a package for Adrienne.

Curious, Adrienne asked, "What is it? Who sent it?"

"It's the usual," Lucy replied with a shrug.

"Ah," Adrienne responded with a nod, taking the package from Lucy.

After taking her medication, she made her way to open the package.

Inside, there was a red, revealing dress and matching heels, along with a note. The note read,

"Wear this tonight ~ BOSS."