(ARIELLE''S POV)


    I pushed open the door to my office, and as usual, the feeling of anticipation I always receive whenever I arrive in it enveloped me. It was a new day, and I was looking forward to the activities it had in stock.


    But as I strode inside, my eyesnded on what hade to be a familiar sight-a bouquet ofvender flowers sitting on my work desk.


    I let out a deep sigh of resignation, already privy to who it came from.


    "Does he ever give up?" I mumbled under my breath.


    Three days. It had been three relentless days of this floral assault ever since Jared decided that dering his undying love meant bombarding me withvenders, of all things.


    On day one, I''d been caught off guard. Seeing the delicate blooms nestled in a pristine white basket, tied up with a satin ribbon, had frozen me in my tracks. For a split second, I''d almost let myself feel... something. But then Reba had walked in, her face lighting up like Christmas morning.


    "Aren''t you touched?" she''d asked, practically swooning. "Lavenders aren''t easy to get this time of year. Anding from the Almighty Jared Smith? That''s effort."


    I stared at her, utterly speechless in a way. "Touched? Reba, honey, this is a restaurant, not a botanical garden. Do you have any idea how this overpowering fragrance could ruin the dining experience? Not everyone loves flowers."


    She''d blinked at me, clearly unsure whether I was serious or just heartless. Before she could respond, Stephen had strolled in, his sharp eyes instantlynding on the basket.


    "Whoa. Someone''sying it on thick," he''d whistled, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.


    Reba and I had exchanged a nce, then turned to him in unison. "What do you suggest?"


    Stephen had shrugged, his grin widening. "Easy. Let''s make it a win-win. Split the bouquets and give them out to the guests as they leave. Everyone loves free flowers, right?"


    It was one of those moments where you couldn''t help but appreciate the younger mind and the simplicity of a good idea.


    Within minutes, the basket was dismantled, the flowers redistributed, and our guests beaming as they walked out with their fragrant souvenirs.novelbin


    When Jared had walked into the restaurant an hourter, he''d been greeted by the sight of a queue of diners, each clutching a bouquet of his carefully chosenvenders.


    Our eyes met, and he red at me both aggressively and in disbelief. But I averted my gaze, suppressing my smile andpletely ignoring him.


    I''d hoped that little stunt would send a clear message: stop. But apparently, subtlety wasn''t Jared''s strong suit. Because the next morning? Another basket. And now, here we were, round three.


    I strode over to my desk, grabbed the inte, and pressed the button to call Stephen. "Stephen, to my office. Now."


    His voice came through the inte, eager and cheerful as usual. "Yes, boss? What''s up?"


    "Flowers. Again," I said tersely. "Get rid of them, but this time, don''t toss them. Repurpose them or something. Just make sure they''re out of my sight."


    There was a pause before he replied, his toneced with amusement. "Got it. On it."


    When Stephen arrived, he took one look at the basket and smirked. "Man, he''s persistent. You''ve got to give him that."


    "Just take them," I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. "And for the love of all things holy, don''t encourage him."


    Stephen winked, lifting the basket with exaggerated care. "Don''t worry, boss. I''ve got ns for these beauties."


    I sighed, rubbing my temples after he left. This was bing a daily routine, and I wasn''t sure how much more of it I could take.


    Stephen returned a few minutes


    "All done. took it out to the


    backyard and asked some of the et


    staff members to get flower pots and put them in it. Who knows, in a month or two, you could be adding


    "florist," to your list of skills."


    Iughed at his attempt at a joke. "Thank you, Stephen. Please prep things up before Jared arrives for our business ss."


    "Aye, captain!" Stephen hollered and walked off.


    Speaking of the ss, Yesterday''s was more of a practical session with Jared leading three of us-Me, Reba, and Stephen to do research on ourpetitors.


    Today was going to be thest of


    the ss we had, ording to Jared''s itinerary. I flipped through my phone, scanning my schedule onest time to keep myself upied.  en


    The sound of the door swinging open drew my attention, and an inaudible gasp left my lips.


    Jared walked in, and the room


    seemed to pause with him. He was dressed in a sleek ck suit that fit him like it had been sculpted just for him. The grey shirt beneath added a refined contrast, while the slim grey tiepleted the ensemble with understated elegance. His usual slightly tousled hair was styled back with precision, showcasing the sharp lines of his jaw and the


    confident tilt of his chin.


    It was like of all the days, he had to choose today to pay extreme attention to his look.


    The shuffling sounds of Reba and Stephen moving around behind me snapped me out of my thoughts.


    I straightened, locking my gaze on my phone, and forced out a neutral, "Hi," hoping my tone sounded casual despite the flutter of nerves in my chest. Jared''s deep, steady voice filled the space. "Good morning, Arielle."


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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!