Chapter 3: We Met Again

Lillian’s POV

Why, oh why was luck so against me? How did he end up becoming my new boss?

Ahh... Would he even consider firing me?

Surely no respectable boss would want to be labeled a womanizer on his very first day in the office. No, being fired was simply not an option. I'd poured too much effort into securing this job. It couldn't slip away now.

Taking a few deep breaths, I attempted to calm my racing thoughts. I was praying like crazy that he wouldn't even notice me, but I'm sweating like I just ran a marathon. Every second felt like an eternity, and the minutes were pure torture.

Throughout the event, I tried my best to evade him, moving stealthily like a thief, desperate to avoid catching his attention. As the banquet drew to a close, I made a mad dash for the exit, hiding behind my long hair.

"Lily, there you are. I've been searching for you," Brandon's voice called out from behind me, causing me to freeze in my tracks.

Crap! Not now! I did not want my boss spotting me!

I couldn't bear the thought of him noticing me.

"Do you need something? I'm feeling a bit under the weather, so I was thinking of leaving early," I hastily fabricated an excuse.

"Yeah, I can see that. You're sweating profusely. Go home, rest up. But hey, I've got some good news for you," Brandon said, smirking like he knew something exciting.

"Really? Tell me," I blurted out, eager to hear some good news for once. Considering the string of bad luck in my life, I was genuinely surprised.

Especially since my troubles began the moment I locked eyes with Ryan Sinclair that night.

"Guess what? Your hard work paid off. You've been promoted. The details are already on your desk," Brandon said with a light chuckle.

"Huh? Promotion... for me? Out of the blue?" I stammered, completely caught off guard.

"Yeah, it's probably because of your event management skills today. Our new boss personally requested your promotion as his special assistant. Congrats, girl," Brandon said, giving me a light pat on the back before wandering off to chat with someone else.

I felt like my head was about to explode. My mind went blank. Promotion, special assistant, new boss... that meant he definitely noticed me!

In a flash, I raced to the elevator and mashed the button like there was no tomorrow. When I got to my floor, I practically stumbled over myself in my rush to reach my desk. There it was, a blue file sitting on my desk along with a promotion letter and an innocent-looking red envelope. With shaking hands, I tore open the envelope and found a familiar note written on a piece of paper.

It was unmistakably my own handwriting…

"Hope this 300 bucks are more than enough for your service. Though you're good-looking, you should learn how to satisfy a woman first to get better payment."

My heart sank. My one-night stand partner had recognized me, and this note was just a taste of the storm brewing with my new boss.

The next morning,

Lillian woke up with a pounding headache, realizing she was almost late for the office. Rushing in, Emilia hurried over to her.

"Is it true? Special assistant, huh?" Emilia asked excitedly.

"Yeah, it's true. Still trying to wrap my head around it," Lillian mumbled, sighing.

"You go, girl! New desk, new office, and always around your smoking hot boss... every girl's dream," Emilia teased, winking.

"Em, seriously, I'm not feeling it. I mean, sure, I wanted to step up my game at work, but this promotion isn't exactly what I had in mind," Lillian explained, frustration clear in her voice.

It was pretty obvious that nobody would expect a newbie like her to be the one seducing the handsome boss and ending up in a steamy night on his bed, thinking he was a prostitute.

"Ah, special assistant to that hunk... I bet he's a real stud in the bedroom. Perfect body, everyone's drooling over him," Emilia swooned, lost in her fantasy.

But while Emilia was lost in her dreamland, Lillian's mind was racing, caught up in a whole different kind of mess.

Why did she leave that note? What was she thinking? If she had just kept quiet, none of this would've happened.

And seriously, how could she be so dense as to mistake a guy like him for a male prostitute?

"Lily... Lily, are you even listening to me?" Emilia snapped her fingers in front of her eyes.

"Um, yeah... I'm here," Lillian mumbled, trying to snap out of her daze. Emilia rolled her eyes at her spaced-out expression.

Just as she was about to respond, her desk phone rang. It was her manager's voice on the other end.

"Lillian, Mr. Sinclair wants you in his office now!"

"Alright..." And Lillian knew she was in deep trouble.

After a couple of minutes, Lillian nervously knocked on the door of his office.

"Come in," Ryan's deep voice sent a shiver down her spine.

It was Lillian's first time stepping into the CEO's office at Luxor Corporation. The room was impeccably decorated, giving off a serious vibe with the occasional rustle of papers.

A familiar masculine scent wafted into her nose as she entered. Ryan was seated behind his desk, his rimless glasses hiding his perfectly golden eyes and giving him a cold, authoritative look. Suddenly, memories of his smile flashed through Lillian's mind, the way he had caught her when she stumbled. She snapped back to reality with a jolt as the sound of papers flipping echoed in the room.

Damn! What was she even thinking? Her cheeks flushed crimson with embarrassment.

Lillian stood there silently as Ryan continued to go through documents without sparing her a glance.

Sighing, Lillian gathered her courage. "You asked for me, Mr. Sinclair."

This time, he lifted his head and met Lillian's gaze with his intense stare.

Maybe he was just really mad, or maybe he had a strict rule about keeping personal stuff out of the office. Either way, Lillian decided to play dumb about that night and the note she couldn't remember writing.

He glared at Lillian from head to toe, his eyes piercing and intense. Then he leaned back in his swivel chair and said in that low, commanding voice of his, "I never thought my office staff could be so cowardly and irresponsible."

It felt like a slap in the face. How could he say that just because she didn't want to confront the stranger she had sex with?

This time, Lillian couldn't hold back. "I'm sorry, I don't get what you mean. As far as I know, this is our first time meeting in a professional setting, Mr. Sinclair. I always keep my personal life separate from work."

Lillian could practically feel his anger boiling over. She kept her eyes glued to the floor, bracing herself for whatever was coming next. Then she heard something hit the table in front of her.

It was the 300 bucks she had left for him at that hotel. Damn!

"Ms. Sterling, as you like to keep your personal and professional lives separate, let me clarify one thing. I don't have a side job entertaining virgin girls, and I'm pretty sure those bills are yours. Take them back and leave," Ryan stated bluntly, sending a shiver down Lillian's spine. It looked like her boss was gearing up to give her a hard time.

Lillian clenched her hand and forced a smile, reminding herself to keep her temper cool if she wanted to save this job.

"Mr. Sinclair, there's been a little misunderstanding..." Lillian began, but Ryan cut her off by tossing another 200 bucks onto the table.

"Consider that your consolation prize. You didn't quite meet my standards, but since it was your first time, I'll let it slide. Let's not make a bigger deal out of a one-night stand. You can go now," Ryan said, his words leaving Lillian dumbfounded.

She couldn't believe he was insulting her like that! He was the one who had seduced her and taken her virginity.

Without a second thought, Lillian left the money on the desk and retorted, "Then allow me to compensate you for wasting your time and covering the hotel bill. You can keep your 'reward' as compensation." With that, she nodded curtly and left the room, catching a glimpse of Ryan seething in anger behind her.

As she closed the door, she heard him mutter under his breath, "Damn it! How dare you!"