MY CEO BESTIE AND ME

In the L H Group, a luxury five-story building, Lerisa Jonah stood up from her office chair on the third floor as she finished her work for the day.

She worked as Anthony Gregson's secretary, so she rose from her seat, picked up her black handbag from the desk, and headed home.

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

She knew that Anthony usually finished by 5 p.m. and left the company before 6 p.m., the normal closing hour.

Lerisa made her way to Anthony's office door to see what was delaying her boss. It was after 6 p.m., and most of the staff had gone home.

Approaching the door, Lerisa knocked and heard Anthony respond, “Come in.”

She pushed the door slightly open, stepped inside, and saw him seated in his executive 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 that he would soon propose to her.

Lerisa felt like crying out, for she was secretly in love with Anthony, but she couldn't tell him the truth; she wasn't brave enough to do so.

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

Anthony was too busy admiring the diamond ring in the box he held to shift his gaze toward Lerisa.

They were childhood best friends, thanks to their fathers' closeness in the past. When they had worked together, Lerisa's father had been Anthony's father's assistant and had helped build the fashion company, which was now Anthony's own.

Lerisa knew that Clara Harry was a cheat and didn't deserve a man like Anthony. She had seen Clara several times behind his back, flirting with other men, but she couldn't advise him to end the relationship.

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

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

Anthony had a short mustache and beard that enhanced his looks and made him seem charming.

Finally, Anthony looked at Lerisa's face and saw her staring downward. He wondered what she wanted; he had already seen her earlier that day.

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

“What do you want, Lerisa?” Anthony asked.

“I… I…” Lerisa spluttered, unable to explain why she was there; she sounded heartbroken upon seeing that lovely ring.

She had come to tell Anthony she was heading 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, “How do you see this ring, Lerisa? Remember that I invited you and the rest of our staff to 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 she 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 foolish question to her.

She saw him smiling sweetly at the ring as he continued looking down at it. She replied, “I thought you had closed, Sir. That's why I'm here to collect the office key from you. But it seems you're not yet ready to go home.”

Anthony immediately noticed the sadness in Lerisa's voice. He shut the red ring box and stood up from his chair. He walked over to meet her and asked, “What's wrong, Lerisa?”

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

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

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

Lerisa felt the sparks, but Anthony ignored them and looked intently at her face.

“Tell me, what's wrong with you?” he asked again in a stern voice. 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 already going home. The company has closed for the day, and to collect the office key from you.”

“Sir?” Anthony asked again as he continued to stare at Lerisa's face coldly. His eyes squinted in pain.

“How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me sir, Lerisa? You're like a sister to me, and not just a staff member here,” Anthony said. Lerisa shuddered; she hated how he always reminded her that she was like a sister to him.

Anthony's office door pushed open, and his assistant, Mark Terry, stepped inside to see him.

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

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