MY CEO BESTIE AND ME

Lerisa Jonah stood up from her office chair, having finished her office work for the day.

She worked as Anthony Gregson's secretary, so she stood up from her seat and picked up her black handbag from her desk, ready to go home.

Lerisa was a fair-complexioned young lady, 24 years old, wearing a yellow shirt, black pencil skirt, and black shoes. She wondered why she hadn't seen Anthony leaving his office.

She knew that Anthony usually finished work by 5 pm and left the company before 6 pm, which was the company's normal closing hour.

She made her way toward Anthony's office door to find out what was delaying her boss, as it was already after 6 pm, and most of the staff had already gone home.

Approaching Anthony's office door, Lerisa knocked and heard him respond, "Come in."

She pushed his office door slightly open and stepped into his office, seeing him seated in his chair, staring at a red ring box in his hands.

Lerisa's heart dropped the moment she saw the beautiful, sparkling diamond ring in Anthony's hand.

She knew at that moment that Anthony was in a very serious relationship with Clara Harry and would soon propose to her.

Lerisa felt like crying out, as she was also secretly in love with Anthony, but she wasn't brave enough to tell him the truth.

Her face turned red with sadness, and she stared downward to hide her saddened expression.

Anthony was busy admiring the diamond ring in the box and didn't shift his gaze to look at Lerisa.

They were childhood best friends, due to their fathers' closeness in the past. Lerisa's father had been Anthony's father's former assistant, supporting him in building the shoe company, which was now Anthony's.

Lerisa knew that Clara Harry was a cheat and didn't deserve a man like Anthony. She had seen Clara flirting with different men behind Anthony's back, but she couldn't advise Anthony to stop dating her.

Lerisa had witnessed Clara visiting Anthony in his office and caught them kissing, which made her heart sink, knowing that Anthony was seriously in love with Clara.

Anthony was a 30-year-old Black man. He wore a black suit with a red shirt underneath and black shoes, which made him look handsome.

He had a short mustache and beard that enhanced his looks and made him look charming.

Anthony finally looked at Lerisa's face and saw her staring downward in his office. He wondered what she wanted, as he had already seen her earlier in the day.

He had forgotten that the company had closed, as he was busy admiring the ring he had bought, intending to propose to Clara the following day.

Anthony asked her, "What do you want, Lerisa?"

"I… I…" Lerisa spluttered, unable to say why she was in his office, sounding heartbroken at the sight of the lovely ring.

She had come to tell Anthony that she was going home, but he didn't look up at her face again. He was busy admiring the diamond ring and wondering if Clara would like it.

Anthony asked her, "What do you think of this ring, Lerisa? Remember that I invited you and the rest of our staff to attend my birthday party tomorrow at my family's house? Well, I want to propose to Clara tomorrow, but I don't know if she will accept this beautiful diamond ring that I bought for her and ordered from abroad. I do love Clara. What do you think, Lerisa? Do you think that Clara will love this ring and accept it? I bought it to prove my love to her."

Lerisa's heart broke even more at Anthony's question.

She saw him smiling sweetly at the ring. As he continued looking downward at the ring, she replied, "I thought you had closed, Sir. That's why I'm here to collect the office key from you, but it seems like you're not ready to go home yet."

Anthony immediately noticed the sadness in Lerisa's voice.

He shut the ring box and stood up from his office chair, walking out to meet her and asking, "What's wrong, Lerisa?"

Lerisa turned her back on Anthony, as hot tears streamed down her eyes.

She couldn't tell him the truth, that she was in love with him. Anthony only saw her as a sister, even though they were unrelated.

"What's wrong, Lerisa?" Anthony approached Lerisa and turned her around to face him.

She felt the sparks, but he ignored them and looked intently at her face.

"Tell me, what's wrong with you?" Anthony asked again in a stern voice, and Lerisa shuddered in his hold, but shook her head to indicate nothing.

She lied to him, "Nothing, Sir. I only came here to tell you that I'm going home. The company has closed for the day, and to collect the office key from you."

"Sir?" Anthony asked, staring at Lerisa's face coldly, his eyes squinting in pain.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me sir? You're like a sister to me, and not just a staff member here," Anthony said, and Lerisa shuddered, hating for him to always remind her that she was like a sister to him.

Just then, Anthony's office door swung open, and his office assistant, Mark Terry, stepped into his office to see him.

Mark looked surprised to see Anthony holding Lerisa's arms, close to his chest. Anthony didn't look at him and was busy staring at Lerisa's face.

'Do they want to kiss?' Mark wondered, but he quickly composed himself and apologized, "I'm sorry, boss."