《Love Slave to My Devil CEO Boss R18》


 Chapter 1

    Chapter 1: One-Night Stand with a Mysterious Man


    The end to my normal, poor, and simple life all started when I had a one-night stand with an unknown man. He was unknown to me because I was too drunk and too heartbroken to remember or care who he was.


    ¡°Hmmm...¡±


    My eyelids and body felt so heavy. Is it morning already? I have to go to work today...


    I breathed in deeply as I still kept my eyes tightly shut. It must be morning already and I didn¡¯t want to get up. This bed feels so soft andfortable, I could sleep in it forever.


    Wait...


    I gasped as I bolted up into a sitting position. I knew it...this is not my bed!


    Where am I?


    Squinting my eyes against the sunlight that was pouring in through a crack in the curtain and onto my face, I started to look around. My body still felt tired and heavy from sleep and perhaps all the drinks I hadst night as well.


    .....


    Looking around, it seemed like I was in a very luxurious hotel room, and I was alone. I was sitting on a king size bed in arge room decorated with burgundy wallpaper. The room was luxuriously decorated with a mix of burgundy and gold color tones.


    To my shock, I couldn¡¯t remember how I ended up here no matter how hard I tried to remember. What happened to me? How did I end up here? Where are my friends?


    Thinking too hard began giving me a nagging headache. What time is it now? I need to get to work. As I began getting up, I felt the sheet and nket rub directly on my skin. Pulling up the nket that was covering my body confirmed my worst suspicion.


    Yes, I waspletely naked.


    I closed my eyes as I braced myself for the worst-case scenario. I can¡¯t believe this is happening to me. What happenedst night? Did I sleep with someone?


    I saw my clothes strewn randomly all over the floor as if they were taken off of me in a hurry. I blinked rapidly a few times, willing my hangover to go away so that I could focus on the situation at hand. With the resolve to face the truth, I pull the whole nket away to expose my naked body.


    It aches. There.


    Spreading my legs a little confirmed my worst suspicion. I felt an ache that I was used to experiencing after a night of hot and heavy love making. It was clear thatst night I went all the way with a man that I didn¡¯t even know...and didn¡¯t even remember...


    I didn¡¯t really remember what happenedst night, but my pussy seemed satisfied with the attention it had received and undoubted enjoyed. Reaching my hand down to touch the cleft in between my legs, I found myself still dripping wet from the sessionst night. The warm wetness of my love juices coated my fingers. I looked at the sticky wetness of my love honey and realized that I must have came quite a lotst night. Whoever I slept with did a thorough job of giving it to me...


    I moaned softly as I looked around again at the bed. The state of the bed left little room for imagination of what took ce herest night. I sighed with relief as I spotted a few used condoms in the room. At least, I don¡¯t need to worry much about STDs or unnned pregnancy. We must have done it so many timesst night, judging from the many used condoms, although I couldn¡¯t quite recall exactly what happened.


    ¡°Oh no!¡± I eximed as I saw the time on my mobile screen. If I don¡¯t hurry up, I will bete for work.


    I don¡¯t even have time to return home to change. I should quickly shower and get dressed before heading straight for work. This is such a disaster!


    ¡°Ah...¡± I sighed loudly as I saw the reflection of my naked body in the mirror. Whoever I slept withst night was quite aggressive in his mating session. There were many love marks on my body such as my neck, shoulder, my chest, my tummy, and a few on my thighs and legs. Thankfully most of them wouldn¡¯t be visible if I wore my clothes. I¡¯ll conceal the hickey on my neck with some concealer and make up in case my long hair did not cover itpletely. That should do.


    The love marks on my body brought back hazy memories in bits and pieces of what happenedst night on the bed in this hotel room. Short fragments of memories of what the unknown man didst night to me began flooding back into my mind. He supported me to this hotel room, and I remembered that I kissed him passionately before he started kissing me back. Then, he pushed me down onto the bed and continued kissing me as he began stripping me. When I was naked, he started stripping himself.


    Then he kissed my neck softly before licking it. This mark here was probably from when he sucked on the side of my neck. Then his hands wandered and explored my body. His hands felt warm on my skin as he caressed and kneaded my naked breasts. This mark on my chest was from when he sucked on my breasts teasingly before he started licking my nipple wildly.


    My fingertip stroked my nipple, and a slight stinging pain told me just how sensitive they still were from his rough suckingst night. My nipples were still swollen and a little pink from the loving yet slightly rough attention that they had received from before.


    These marks on my thighs were from his kisses before he started sucking on the sensitive skin of my inner thighs. I wondered if he tasted me there and then I was sure that he probably did. The stinging sensation in between my legs that seemed to throb deeply inside of me was a sure sign that something thick, long, and massive had been inside of my love tunnel. My lower abdomen told me that his cock must have stirred up my insides quite deeply when he thrusted his thick and massive rod into my wet hole.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2: Interview Invitation


    I didn¡¯t know why I hated to admit it but the man fromst night was very good at sex, and it seemed like he knew what he was doing. My wrecked but fully satisfied body and pussy was more than enough proof of that. It didn¡¯t matter though because I won¡¯t ever see that man again and even if I did, I probably won¡¯t recognize him. He probably won¡¯t recognize me either.


    Oh, the joy of one-night stands with no strings attached.


    Although I said that inside of my head, this was the first one-night stand that I¡¯ve had all my life. I cleaned up myself and showered quickly as I tried my best to make it in time for work. Recovering from a hangover is getting more challenging now, I guess I wasn¡¯t getting any younger.


    I took a deep breath as I closed the door firmly behind me, mentally locking up the event ofst night and putting it behind me. I¡¯m definitely not the type to have one-night stands with random guys and in fact, this was the first time that this has happened to me. However, I knew that I couldn¡¯t undo what was done. I will probably never meet that man again, whoever he was. It was time to return back to reality.


    ...


    ¡°Did I make it?¡± I mumbled underneath my breath as I panted.


    After getting off the cab, I literally ran as fast as I could in my high heels to the office. I ced my hands on my knees as I bent down in exhaustion. My slight hangover was giving me a headache and it was clear that I was far from being fit. Finding the time and discipline to work out was so difficult.


    .....


    Looking at my phone, I was right on time. Score!


    ...


    **Around 2 Years Ago**


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about the business world but...this interview is supposed to be a big deal, isn¡¯t it?¡± my mother said as she smiled proudly at me.


    Looking down at the letter that had just been delivered to our small apartment earlier today, her eyes widened as she continued to read the words printed on the page on repeat as if she couldn¡¯t believe her own eyes. I don¡¯t me her, even I couldn¡¯t believe that I had been selected to interview at such arge and well-knownpany.


    ¡°I guess it is, mum...¡± I replied, trying to sound as calm andposed as possible.


    However, on the inside, I was screaming with joy, and it was all I could do to contain myself from jumping up and down in excitement. Even if it was just the first step of getting my foot through the door of thispany, I was thrilled to get a chance to interview at Jessen & Hills, the leading advertising and film productionpany in the country. No, in the world!


    I peered over my mother¡¯s slim shoulder to see the letter that she was holding in her hands. Slowly, my mother turned around and handed me the letter so that I could finally see it for myself. The whole event seemed more real once I felt the invitation letter in my own hand.


    It was just a single piece of paper, but it felt heavy as if it was made of metal instead of just in paper. If I cannd this job, then I can unlock my life and finally be a professional full-time employee and help lift the financial burden of my family.


    ¡°I better go make dinner! Let¡¯s celebrate!¡± my mother cried out excitedly as she headed towards the small kitchen at the back of the room.


    I¡¯ve been working hard my whole life towards this moment. I cannot let this opportunity slip by!


    My name is Karina, Rina for short. As you¡¯ve probably figured out by now, Ie from a very poor family. More urately, my father passed away from illness when I was just a baby leaving my mother as a single mother. My mother and I live in a small town on the outskirts of the city where she worked her whole life taking on various odd jobs around the clock just to make ends meet.


    I spent my entire childhood staying home alone until I could go to a public school near where we lived while my mother went out to work to put food on the table. She worked at any job that would hire her ranging from being a waitress, a gardener, a florist, a babysitter and then progressing upwards when she finallynded a fulltime job as an assistant cook in one of the local restaurants in the small town that we lived in.


    I realized earlier on in life that if we were to survive, I would have to find a way to be less of a burden to my mother as much as possible, especially financially. I learnt that we had to support each other, and I could contribute by being less demanding and doing my best to take care of myself. I hated being a kid, not because I couldn¡¯t wait to grow up into an amazing adult and do all the things that seemed fun that adults could do, but it was because I hated how useless and helpless, I was at that time.


    **knock knock knock**


    Firm knocking sounds on our front door brought me back to the present as I instinctively got up from where I was sitting at our small dining table and headed towards the door. Not many people visited, let alone knew where we lived, so I had a pretty good guess already regarding who was at the door.


    ¡°Hi Auntie Jane. What a pleasant surprise. Want to join us for dinner?¡± I greeted the old and slightly frail looking auntie standing in front of my door wearing her signature red knitted jacket.


    ¡°Congrattions! I¡¯m dropping by because I heard the awesome news from your mum! Congrattions!¡± Auntie Jane eximed excitedly before taking my hands into her thinner ones and squeezing them tight.


    News travels extremely fast in this small town, doesn¡¯t it? I bet my mother gave Auntie Jane a call the moment she disappeared into the kitchen. The speed that gossips and news travels in this small town should never be underestimated.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3: To Survive


    ¡°It¡¯s a little bit too early for that. I haven¡¯t gotten the job yet. Oh, you shoulde in,¡± I replied as I smiled back at her and motioned for her to enter.


    Auntie Jane walked in carrying a bag as she patted my arm on her way in. I closed the door after her and gestured for her to take a seat on the sofa. Our apartment was small so there wasn¡¯t much space to wee guests which was why we hardly ever invited anyone over.


    Auntie Jane was an exception because to my mother she was like an older sister in everyway and to me, she was like my second mother. She helped keep an eye on me when my mother was away working when I was younger since she only lives next door. Auntie Jane lives alone and doesn¡¯t have children of her own, so it was quite natural that we quickly became like family to each other.


    ¡°Dinner is ready!¡± my mother called out from the kitchen with perfect timing.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help!¡± I called back as I hurried into the kitchen to help carry out the tes.


    ¡°Is Jane here yet?¡± my mother asked energetically. It was clear that she was in a splendid mood.


    ¡°Yes. She just got here,¡± I replied smoothly as I helped my mother bring out the food.


    .....


    ¡°Monica! Your food smells so good as always. I¡¯m here to congratte your dear daughter in person! I¡¯m so proud! I¡¯m so happy!¡± Auntie Jane said happily as she pped her hands together.


    Once we were all seated at the dining table, the three of us chatted away while we ate dinner together. It¡¯s moments like these that I think that despite all of life¡¯s hardship that I am actually quite lucky. We were poor but we were happy enough. I have these two wonderful women who I consider family right here with me.


    ¡°Oh, I almost forgot. Here, I brought these shoes over so that you can wear them to your interview. You don¡¯t have formal leather shoes, right?¡± Auntie Jane said as she handed me the shoe box that she had extracted from the bag she was carrying earlier.


    ¡°Oh wow...thank you so much,¡± I replied with a genuine smile.


    She was right. I haven¡¯t figured out what to wear to the interview and I didn¡¯t have proper shoes for the asion. We could have afforded something but, as always, budget this month was sort of tight.


    ¡°They¡¯re not new or anything but they¡¯re mine and still in pretty good condition. You should try them on. I think we¡¯re about the same size...¡± Auntie Jane said.


    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll try them on. They should fit well, no worries. You¡¯re a lifesaver as always!¡± I said with a bright smile.


    Now I just need to find some appropriate work attire. Something like a simple white shirt with ck skirt and a matching suit would do.


    Honestly, since the news of the interview came in, I had been so happy about it that the stress of it all hadn¡¯t really sunk in. However, now that some time had passed, I realized that there were many things I needed to do to prepare for the interview. I had to get the right clothing, shoes, and make-up on top of preparing for the interview itself.


    I took in a deep breath before stuffing more of my mother¡¯s home-cooked food into my mouth.


    I can do this!


    ...


    Later that night, Iy in my bed with themp on as I read the content of the interview invitation letter in detail. It wasn¡¯t thatte in the night, but my mother had already fallen asleep on her bed on the other side of the room. Tomorrow was another working day for her and getting up early was the norm. I tried to stay as silent as possible to not disturb her much-needed rest.


    The clutched the invitation letter tightly in my hands as I repeated to myself that this was really happening. The opportunity that I had worked so hard for is here right in front of me. If I can just get this job, then I can provide a better life for my mother. Hopefully a life where she could retire and stop working so hard.


    It clearly wasn¡¯t an easy road lined with red rose petals for me to get here up to this point. Since we were poor, I had to work extra hard at life in general. I knew we couldn¡¯t afford the school fees and other expenses rted to me going to school which meant that the only choice I had was to study my ass off so that I could secure a schrship. I was a schrship student all the way through school.


    Being a schrship student meant that I had to maintain my grades and also work for the school as well to support the teachers. I did all of that willingly to lessen the burden on my mother, hoping that one day my efforts would bear fruit that would lead me to a promising career.


    I hardly had time for romance during school at all because, unlike my other friends, I had to work multiple parttime jobs to make ends meet. I would work parttime jobs afterschool and during the weekends. After my parttime jobs, I would study long into the night so that I could keep my grade above the schrship requirements. I believed that if I worked hard and dedicated my effort to it, I would one day be sessful in supporting my mother.


    I started dating a couple of guys during my high school years but none of those rtionships eversted long and the same thing happened in university. I had to work many parttime jobs to make ends meet and didn¡¯t have the time to spend with my boyfriend.


    In the end most of them just broke up with me or cheated on me with another girl that had more time for them. At one point, I started believing that there must be something wrong with me. I can¡¯t seem to keep a guy and I guess my family situation didn¡¯t really help on that front.


    By the time I was in my final year of university, I had been dating and sleeping around with so many guys without any sess in a real rtionship that I finally gave up on the idea of finding the right guy for me entirely. Perhaps, it was because I never had the effort or the intention to focus my utmost attention on those rtionships that led to its failure. However, I couldn¡¯t help it. I needed to put my studies and my family¡¯s financial stability first, so until Inded a fulltime job, my love life just had to take a back seat.


    I didn¡¯t realize it when I fell into a deep and dreamless sleep. When I opened my eyes again, it was already morning. Looking towards my mother¡¯s bed, I found it empty which meant that my mother had already left for work. I stretched and yawn before pping my cheeks with the palms of my hand.


    Focus, Rina! Today¡¯s the day that I go out to scourge the secondhand stores for the perfect suit, skirt and blouse for my job interview. Although, the invitation letter was for an interview, the first screening of the process was a written examination. I must pass it no matter what!


    Regardless, proper business clothing was required because the interview was right after the written examination. I quickly showered, got dressed and headed for the nearby shopping district. It was the weekend, so the shopping streets were busy and filled with people. I quickly headed towards the secondhand clothing store that I had in mind. I knew the owner and have bought clothes from this shop before so hopefully she could help me find what I needed and give me a little discount.


    ¡°Hey, Rina! How are things? Looking for anything specific today?¡± the auntie who ran the store asked me in a cheerful voice. It was amazing how she could be so full of energy at her age.


    ¡°Yes, actually. I have an interviewing up so it¡¯d be great if I could get a suit and a skirt...a white shirt...¡± I replied with a smile.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4: The Big Day


    ¡°Wow! Congrattions! You¡¯re all grown up now...¡± the auntie replied as she patted me on the back.


    ¡°You should save the congrattions for when I get the job,¡± I said as I began looking around the store.


    After trying on a couple of options that the shop owner rmended, I decided on a matching set of ck suit and skirt and a simple white shirt. I quickly paid and thanked the auntie before heading straight for home. The written exam was in two days so between now and then, I must study for it as much as possible.


    ...


    The night before the test and interview, my mother and I kneeled in front of my father¡¯s photograph as we prayed for luck and sess. My father died from illness when I was very young. To be honest, I didn¡¯t remember him very well. Any memories that I had of him were blurry at best, but I could sense that he must have been a good and kind man.


    I got to know my father based on my mother¡¯s words. She always had so many wonderful things to say about him like how he was a very responsible man who really loved and worked hard for his family. She would praise him for always putting us first.


    Dad...please keep on watching over us from above. Please do your best not to worry, mum and I are doing well. We¡¯re both doing our best to be happy. I¡¯ve always worked hard and will continue to work hard to protect my mother. Tomorrow is a big day indeed, so...please wish me luck.


    .....


    I prayed silently as I kneeled next to my mother with closed eyes. My mother said her prayers silently as well. When we were both done, we smiled at each other. For once in quite a while, our eyes were filled with hope for the future.


    If I get the job, I will have to move to live in the city. That would mean leaving my mother behind in this town but hopefully, with the money that I will earn, I can give her a better life. My mother is getting older, and it shows in her ever-increasing backaches and lower stamina, although she tries her best to hide it. I wish that I could work and send her back enough money so that she could finally retire or take on fewer or less intense work.


    That night, after making somest-minute preparations, I went to bed early. Tomorrow, I had to catch the train super early to head into the city where I will take my first written test and then if I pass that, I¡¯ll have the interview in the afternoon.


    I squeezed my eyes tight as Iid on my bed. Tomorrow, will be my day...


    ...


    Finally...I have arrived at what hopefully would be my future workce!


    I stood in front of a beautifully decoratedndscape with trees, bushes, flowers, and a veryrge water fountain. Beyond this was one of the tallest skyscrapers in the city, the headquarters of Jessen & Hills. This ce is the dream workce for countless souls of my generation that have been captured by the art of advertising and film production.


    I bit my lip with a mix of nervousness and excitement as I looked up at the shiny skyscraper looming over me. The building was made almost entirely of shiny silver ss that reflected the light, making the building seemed like a shiny diamond twinkling in the sunlight.


    Everyone who walked by were dressed in smart-looking suit. Everyone looked so well-aplished and qualified. Everyone looked like they belonged here. I looked around until I found a small bench where I hurriedly sat down. I was already dressed in my suit, but I haven¡¯t worn the proper shoes that auntie had lent to me yet. Since I wasn¡¯t used to wearing shoes like these and they were a little on the small side, I had decided to change into them right before entering the building.


    I took off my shoes and slipped on the leather shoes. It hurts a little when I walk but I should be able to manage for the day. I breathed in deeply as I headed for the entrance of the building.


    Here Ie...


    The written interview was conducted in a veryrge auditorium and the tension in the air was suffocating. I knew that this job application waspetitive, but I never thought that there would be this many people here. I pped the sides of my cheek softly to bring my brain into focus.


    I spent the entire morningpleting the written test along with the other candidates, silently in the auditorium. Then came lunch break where we were provided with box lunches. I was too stressed and on edge that I couldn¡¯t taste the food at all as I quickly gulped it down. Next was the interview in the afternoon.


    ...


    ¡°Sir, with all due respect, there is no need for someone like yourself to join in the interview of new recruits. I could understand if you wanted to interview executive-level applicants but...we¡¯re talking about fresh graduates here...¡± an old man said with a shaky voice.


    ¡°Is that all you¡¯ve got to say?¡± another man spoke through the phone, his voice was cold.


    ¡°Umm...yes, Sir,¡± the old man replied in fear.


    ¡°Good. Then noted but my decision stands. I want to participate in some interviews for the fresh graduates,¡± the other man spoke as he smiled on the other end of the line.


    ¡°Sir, the interviews are already going to start this afternoon...¡± the old man said hesitantly. How was he supposed to move all hundreds of interviews? It would be such a disaster...


    ¡°Then move it to tomorrow afternoon instead. You can do that much, right?¡± the younger man said with a clear challenge in his voice.


    ¡°Yes...Sir,¡± the old man was forced to reply. If he couldn¡¯t do ¡®that much¡¯ his job would be at risk for sure...


    ¡°You¡¯re probably wondering why I¡¯m doing this. Well, since I¡¯ll be taking over thepany soon, I want to experience firsthand how ourpany is viewed by the newer generation. After all, they hold the key to our sessful future in their hands,¡± the younger man said matter-of-factly.


    ¡°Yes...Sir. Very well, Sir...¡± the old man replied in resignation.


    ¡°Good. Good luck,¡± the other man said emotionlessly before killing the line.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5: Stranger in a Park


    ¡°Attention please everyone. We are extremely sorry to inform you that the afternoon interview sessions have been cancelled. We apologize for the inconvenience and confusion that this may cause but we have decided to postpone the interview to tomorrow afternoon instead. Please check the board or your email for the time and room for your interview tomorrow. Once again, we apologize for the inconvenience caused,¡± a formal woman voice announced through the speakers.


    Oh...so there won¡¯t be interviews today. I have toe back here again tomorrow in the afternoon for my interview which meant that I am now free for the day. I sighed as I took out my phone and began checking my email based on the announcement just now.


    Here it is. Tomorrow 3PM Room 309. The new time, date and location for my interview.


    Suddenly, I had the whole afternoon free and didn¡¯t know what to do. Just like the other candidates, I left the building for the day. I had plenty of time left before my train ridete in the afternoon. I guess I could change the time of my train ticket if I paid the fee, but I just didn¡¯t feel like it was worth it.


    I might as well find a way to burn a couple of hours now that I was already in the city and that would help me save up on the fee. As I walked pass the beautifulndscape of the garden in front of the building, I was reminded that I saw a public park right next to this building. Well, since this building was huge and so was thend that surrounded it, the park was a few minutes walk away but I had time to kill anyways.


    With no better idea in mind, I started walking towards the park...


    ...


    .....


    By the time I got to the park, my shoes were already killing my feet, literally. I¡¯m so stupid, I forgot to change into my own shoes instead of these ones lent to me by auntie. I looked around the beautiful lush-green park trying to locate a bench where I could sit down and rest my feet and legs.


    The park was beautiful beyond words, but it was also too big as well. The park was covered with lush green grass,rge trees, bushes, and flowers that were in full bloom. The center of the park was a big body of water with wooden bridges built to help people cross the water. There were paths for running and cycling and benches for people to sit down and just enjoy the scenery...or change their shoes in my case.


    I spotted a white wooden bench a little walk away which seemed to be in a perfect spot, under arge tree and quite close to theke side. Since it was early afternoon on a weekday, there were very few people in the park. It seemed the only people free at this time of day were mothers with their babies in strollers and the elderly. I watched as a couple of them walked by, enjoying their peaceful walk and the pleasant weather.


    I enjoyed the sensation of the wind blowing in my hair and face as I reflected on the written exam from this morning. I guess, I didn¡¯t do too badly on it. I wasn¡¯t fully confident, but I think I did a decent job and should be able to pass it. Now all I needed to do was nail the interview tomorrow to get the job offer. There were a couple of questions that I wasn¡¯t sure of the answer to.


    Well, no point thinking about it now. I can¡¯t go back to change what happened in the past, so it was better to focus on the present and the future. I wonder what questions will be asked in the interview tomorrow...


    I was so deep in thought that I didn¡¯t realize that a man had approached me until he had already sat down right next to me on the wooden bench.


    ¡°Good afternoon,¡± the man said, drawing me out of my thoughts.


    I turned around, a little bewildered at how close he was sitting next to me. The man that sat next to me is probably in his early thirties with light brown hair and matching hazel eyes. The look in his eyes was nothing like I had ever seen before.


    His eyes were so full of determination and passion like he had already figured out the goal of his life and was running as fast as he could towards it. I couldn¡¯t quite understand why or how to exin it but something in those eyes captivated and held my attention. It was like, if I continued to stare into them, I would see something great happen...


    ¡°You¡¯re here for an interview at Jessen & Hills?¡± he asked.


    At first, I wondered how he knew and then I realized that I still had the intervieweenyard with thepany¡¯s logo and my name around my neck.


    ¡°Umm...yes...¡± I said, nodding my head slightly as I stered on a friendly smile on my lips.


    I felt a knot of nervousness in my stomach and my heart started beating faster as I became more aware of his presence close to me. I didn¡¯t need to take another look to realize that this man was amazingly attractive looking. Although he was seated, I could tell that he was very tall and had a very fit body underneath the loose and casual clothes that hung from hisrge and muscr frame.


    He was dressed in a simple white t-shirt, light blue jeans, and sneakers. There was nothing to help me indicate who this man was and what he did in his life but for some reason, his presence intimidated me.


    ¡°Hmm...so, how did it go?¡± the man asked as a slight smile curved his beautiful lips. For a split second, I watched his full lips form a smile,pletely mesmerized.


    ¡°...it was ok, I think. Umm...the interview in the afternoon got postponed to tomorrow...so yea...¡± I replied after snapping out of my own thoughts.


    ¡°Oh, right...I forgot about that...¡± the man murmured as if to himself.


    ¡°Sorry...I don¡¯t quite follow...¡± I said softly in confusion.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6: Burning Kiss


    ¡°Oh...it¡¯s nothing,¡± the man said as he shed me a super stunning smile. I wonder if he¡¯s ever been told that he looks like a superstar actor or something along those lines...


    ¡°...I see...¡± I said.


    I didn¡¯t mind chatting to a stranger and he didn¡¯t seem to be a dangerous man or anything but I couldn¡¯t help wondering if there was something he wanted from me. I felt quite ufortable around him and wanted to excuse myself. Maybe I should just head home or walk around the train station instead while I wait for my train ride.


    Before I could get up from the bench, the handsome man spoke up once again.


    ¡°Do you honestly think that you can get a job in one of the toppanies dressed like that?¡± the man asked as he eyed me from head to toe and then up again.


    ¡°...what?¡± I asked, frankly shocked at what I just heard.


    ¡°I said, do you honestly think you can get a job at Jessen & Hills dressed in a cheap looking and outdated suit and a worn-out pair of shoes that seems too small for you? Ever heard of first impressions?¡± the man said, putting emphasis into his every word.


    .....


    I¡¯ve heard of first impressions before, sure, but this guy is clearly not considering what first impressions I am having of him. I hated to admit it but what he said could be partly true; however, he didn¡¯t have to put it that way.


    ¡°I...Thank you for pointing it out but that was quite a rude way of saying it...¡± I snapped at him.


    ¡°Oh...sorry if my honesty offended you,¡± the man replied like it was nothing. I couldn¡¯t tell if his apology was genuine or if he was just teasing me and honestly, I couldn¡¯t care less.


    ¡°Good day, sir...¡± I muttered as I got off from the bench and turned to leave.


    ¡°Pouting about it isn¡¯t going to improve how you look or get you any new clothes, right?¡± the man called from behind me.


    I took in a deep breath as I stopped in my tracks. I closed my eyes and bit my lower lip to stop myself from turning around and shouting my curses at that super rude guy. I¡¯m poor, so obviously, I know best that pouting orining isn¡¯t going to get me the things that I couldn¡¯t afford.


    I sighed and instead of turning around, decided to ignore his insulting words and continue walking forward with my head held high. Being poor isn¡¯t illegal. Not having the best and most expensive clothes isn¡¯t a crime. I didn¡¯t do anything wrong and there is nothing that I should be ashamed of.


    ¡°Wait,¡± I heard him say at the same time that I felt my wrist being grabbed and yanked.


    While stunned at how fast he had caught up to me, my body was spun around to face him once more. I looked up at him, literally, as he towered over me.


    ¡°What...¡± I whispered in shock as our eyes locked.


    ¡°Take this...¡± the man said, his eyes never leaving mine.


    I felt something being thrusted into the open palm of my hand. When I looked down, I gasped...


    I have never seen so much cash in my life! He had ced a thick wad of one-hundred-dor bills in my hand. My eyes widened not in greed but in astonishment. What kind of man would force this much cash on a stranger that he had just met?!


    The answer was simple...a very crazy one!!!


    ¡°No...I can¡¯t take this!¡± I shouted at him in shock.


    ¡°Why not?¡± he asked as he cocked his head slightly to the side as if what I said truly confused him.


    I found his behavior truly insulting and offensive. I might be poor but that didn¡¯t mean that I wanted to benefit from his charity.


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t want it...¡± I said as I stared back at him.


    ¡°But you need it, don¡¯t you?¡± he replied as if what he said was the most obvious thing in the world.


    ¡°...what? I don¡¯t need your charity...¡± I snapped back at him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it. I¡¯m offering you loads of money for free. You know, for free...so why aren¡¯t you happy to take it?¡± he asked, acting genuinely confused at how I was reacting to his proposal.


    ¡°To me, money needs to be earned. I can¡¯t possibly take anyone¡¯s money for free without doing something in return...¡± I said firmly.


    Why doesn¡¯t he get it? I don¡¯t want free money. I want money that came from my honest work and effort. Is the concept of earning money something so hard to understand?


    ¡°Ok, then. I guess, this would do...¡± he said.


    The next thing I knew, I was in his embrace as his strong muscr arms held me, pulling me close to his body. Hisrge manly hands cupped both my cheeks as he tilted my face up and his warm lips crushed firmly against mine.


    This stranger...is kissing me? Why? What is going on...?


    ¡°Mhhmm! Mhmm!¡±


    I made protesting sounds against his mouth while my hands started beating on his rock-hard chest. His strong arms held me tighter, crushing my body against his muchrger frame. I could feel the heat of his body seep into me through our clothes. My heart began beating so fast in my chest that I thought that it would explode into tiny pieces.


    His lips on mine felt hotter and hotter as he continued grinding his lips against mind. He changed the angle of our kiss before I felt the tip of his hot tongue start to probe in between my lips, slowly urging me to open my lips to grant him ess to the depths of my mouth. He trusted his tongue greedily into my wet mouth when my lips slowly rxed and parted, allowing him entry.


    I heard a soft and low moan in my throat when I felt the heat and wetness of his tongue enter my mouth. His wandering tongue explored the cave of my mouth before entwining hungrily with my own tongue. The man grinded his tongue against mine as his lips continued to kiss and suck on mine. Our tongue engaged in a dirty dance that left my body hot and aching.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7: We Meet Again


    He changed the angle of our kiss so that he could thrust his tongue deeper inside of my mouth. I couldn¡¯t stop myself from moaning at the intensity of his kiss. His hands held my head in ce as he continued to seduce my lips. My body felt hot and there was an undeniable ache in my lower abdomen that longed to be fulfilled.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take this kiss in exchange so feel free to take the money,¡± he said after ending our hot kiss.


    ¡°But...my kiss is not for sale!¡± I protested loudly.


    ¡°I enjoyed the kiss, so you¡¯ve earned the money. Good work!¡± He said while smiling seductively at me.


    ¡°Wait!¡± I called after him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not taking my money back, if you don¡¯t need it, you can burn it...¡± the man replied without looking back at me.


    The man never slowed down as his long strides took him further and further away from me. I was wrong, I realized that he was much taller than I initially gave him credit for...and a lot more good looking up close. My body could still feel his body heat where his arms hugged me and where his body touched me. Strangely, my heart was beating very fast, and I found it difficult to think straight.


    .....


    My lips still burned from his intense kiss, and I could still taste him in my mouth.


    I sat down on the nearest bench in the park as I tried to catch my breath and clear my head. The event that just transpired between that stranger and I left me confused and my brain is now a wrecking mess. I sat down and looked at the thick wad of cash in my hand.


    What am I supposed to do with this now? Should I go to the police with it? Will they be able to track down the man and return it?


    ¡®I enjoyed the kiss, so you¡¯ve earned the money...¡¯


    The man¡¯s words rang in my ear as I reyed what he said in my head. I touched my fingers to my lips, still swollen from his aggressive kiss. Hell, I really did earn it. I wasn¡¯t sure if my kiss was worth this much money but...


    I probably don¡¯t need this much money for decent new clothes for my interview tomorrow. If I can just get the job, I swear I¡¯ll track him down and return the money back to him. So, yea, it¡¯ll be like I¡¯m borrowing it from him for now.


    I¡¯m going to get the job no matter what and if getting new clothes will help increase my odds even by just a teeny, tiniest bit, I¡¯m going to get new clothes. There, I¡¯ve decided.


    I still have a couple of hours before my train ride back home. That¡¯s plenty of time to pick out and buy a new outfit for tomorrow¡¯s interview. I shoved the cash into my bag and zipped it. I got up from the bench with renewed energy and determination.


    Thank you, stranger. Your attempt to insult me and hurt my pride, I¡¯m going to turn all that around and use it to my benefit.


    In the end, I never learnt the man¡¯s identity and realized that I never asked him for his name.


    ...


    After a restless night tossing around in bed, the day of the interview had finally arrived. I stood in front of the same building at almost the exact same spot as I stood yesterday. However, today was different. I felt a lot more confident and the presence of the people around me no longer intimidated me.


    After buying myself a new outfit and shoes for the interview, I deposited the rest of the cash into my bank ount for safe keeping. I had no intention of using any more of that money that that man had given me yesterday. If fate would allow us to meet again, perhaps, I would thank him and return all his money back to him.


    I looked at the watch on my wrist that showed me that I should hurry along. My new high heels leather shoes clicking against the floor as I walked, I entered the waiting room where all other interviewees were gathered.


    ¡°Please remain seated and wait until your name is called. You can view your interview room and scheduled time on the monitors around the room,¡± the facilitator announced repeatedly through the microphone.


    I sat down and fiddled with my phone in my hand as I waited nervously for my name to be called. I couldn¡¯t sleep muchst night so I thought quite a lot about the answers I would give during my interview. Although I wasn¡¯tpletely sure what questions were going to be asked, I could guess a few.


    Thispany values inspiration and motivation. Everyone who¡¯s here for an interview obviously knows that if they¡¯ve read the mission statement of thepany. Based on this, I believed that some questions will be asked about my inspiration or motivation to join thepany for sure. I wasn¡¯t sure if the answer that I had prepared would sway the interviewers, but it was an honest one.


    I don¡¯t know about the other candidates sitting in this room but for me, I had a very personal reason why I wanted to join thispany. While other candidates may want to join thispany due to its prestige, high pay, or its leadership position in the industry; however, for me, I simply wanted to join thispany because I believed thispany saved me in one of my most desperate time of need.


    ¡°Miss Karina Miller...¡±


    I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard my name being called through the speakers along the wall of the auditorium. Finally, it¡¯s my turn. I quickly grabbed by bag and followed the other candidates who were also leaving the auditorium. I walked along the hallway, and it wasn¡¯t hard to find the location of my interview.


    I stood in front of the room and checked that it was the right room number before knocking softly but firmly on the door a few times.


    ¡°Come in,¡± a voice called out to me from inside the room.


    Slowly, I opened the door and entered the room. The room was muchrger than I had anticipated and seemed to be a meeting room of some sort with a long table. Three people sat on the other side of the table facing me, two men and a woman.


    When I saw the face of the man sitting in the middle of the interviewer panel, my whole body froze, my eyes widened, and my mouth dropped open in shock.


    What is that man doing here?


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8: His Question


    Is he...my interviewer?


    I blinked rapidly as I tried to clear away my shock. There, sitting in the middle in between the other two interviewer, was the stranger that I had met yesterday at the park. If he¡¯s here, then he must be one of my interviewers. What a funny coincidence...


    This is great, I can return the money to him. It might not be the full amount, but I must return the bulk of it that I had not spent for sure and then for the rest, I¡¯ll pay him back as soon as possible. When I met him, he was wearing casual clothes; however, now he was wearing a formal business suit and his hair was styled differently. Although he looked different, I recognized him almost immediately. I thought he looked very handsome in his casual clothes, but he looks just as stunning or even more so in his pristine and expensive-looking grey suit.


    ¡°Have a seat,¡± he said as he motioned for me to sit down.


    His formal tone somehow disappointed me. Did he not recognize me? Was it because I was dressed in my new suit and my hair is styled a little differently? Based on his passive attitude andck of reaction, it was quite clear that he did not recognize me at all.


    After recovering from my shock, I was somehow able to force my body to walk forward. I sat down in the designated chair as I said polite greetings to my three interviewers. The middle-aged woman on the right was dressed in a very stylish suit and her hair was put up in a stylish bun. Her lips were a dark maroon that matched with her earrings and ne. She eluded a sense of superiority and experience.


    The man on the left was slightly older than the woman and just as well dressed. He wore golden rimmed sses and had apassionate look in his eyes. From the vibe that I was getting from the panelists, it was clear that thispany took the screening of new recruits extremely seriously.


    .....


    ¡°Please start off by introducing yourself...¡± the woman said before offering me a pleasant smile.


    I introduced myself and walked them through my resume. Although I was a new graduate and didn¡¯t have any real work experience, I had experience working part-time that could show that I am a responsible person who took my job seriously. My grades from university were beyond decent even if I do say so myself. However, I was sure that every other candidate that passed the pre-screening round was the same. So...if I¡¯m not able to somehow distinguish myself here then...


    After introducing myself, the woman and the older man took turns asking questions rted to my skills such as leadership, teamwork, and my ns for the future. The questions were standard, and I had responses prepared so everything went smoothly as nned. I tried to answer their questions as honestly as possible with examples from my past experiences to support my point.


    ¡°Why have you chosen to apply to thispany when there are so many others?¡±


    I sat up a little straighter when the man sitting in the center of the panel asked his first question since the whole session had started. To be honest, the question wasn¡¯t unexpected, and I knew my answer without the need to prepare.


    ¡°The reason why I¡¯ve chosen to apply to thispany is because a certainmercial that thispany produced helped save my life...¡± I said passionately.


    Unlike the anxiety that I was feeling inside, my voice came out bright and clear. I started telling the interviewers the story behind my motivation to join thispany.


    ...


    You know how sometimes when everything seems to be going well, you start to think that it¡¯s too good to be true. Then you start thinking that something bad is waiting to happen to you just around the corner. That was exactly how I felt on that day and, needless to say, I was right.


    ¡°I know this is sudden but, I guess it¡¯s better to let you know in advance. We just received news that there isn¡¯t enough budget for schrships next year,¡± my homeroom teacher said solemnly before sighing loudly.


    Oh...I see. There won¡¯t be schrship for students next year because there isn¡¯t enough money. I guess the budget got cut. If there¡¯s no schrship, then how am I supposed to continue going to school?


    ¡°I see...¡± was all that I managed to say.


    ¡°Umm...I know this is tough so...I¡¯ll try to see if there¡¯s something that I can do. I¡¯ll let you know if anything changes...¡± my teacher said as she tried to smile at me encouragingly.


    I knew she was just trying to be kind and do her job. However, deep down I knew that there wasn¡¯t much that she could do. If there was no budget, then that was that. There was no budget.


    ¡°Thank you...for letting me know,¡± I said as I tried my best to smile back at her.


    The conversation ended awkwardly. I waited until I left the room and closed the door behind me before letting out the sigh that I had been suppressing. I stood in the school¡¯s hallway with my back pressed against the wall as I let the words sink in. At this rate, it¡¯s going to be close to impossible for me to continue studying next year. Luckily there was still some time left, perhaps I could get multiple part time jobs and save up some money before the next payment was due.


    I grabbed my backpack from the locker and started on my walk back home with my head hung low. I didn¡¯t know how to tell my mum about this. She would be stressed and devastated, but worst of all she would start ming herself again when none of this was her fault...or anyone¡¯s fault. Perhaps, I shouldn¡¯t even tell her about it. I found myself sighing once again as I continued to walk along the sidewalk towards home.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 9

    9 My Inspiration


    Then, I felt it. A single drop of water on my forehead. I silently wished that this is all just my own imagination ying tricks on me. However, the next wave was an all-out rain pour that left everyone, including myself, scrambling for cover.


    This is just great. I¡¯ve just been told that I¡¯ve lost my schrship for school next year and on top of that it is now pouring like the sky is falling. I hate the rain. The feel of it on my skin, the smell of it in the air, and the sound of it. Everything about it just makes me feel sick.


    Just like the people around me, I found cover at the nearest subway station. It really looks like it¡¯s going to be a long while before the rain would stop. Nothing I can do but to wait it out. As I stood there and wrestled with my own worries and negative thoughts, I felt a warm wetness on my cheek. When I reached up my hand to wipe it away, I realized that I had started crying.


    Shit. This is the worst. While other people proceeded deeper into the station to hide from the rain, I found myself sitting down with my back leaned against the wall close to the station¡¯s entrance. The rain was beating down loudly. I pulled my knees up and hugged it close as I watched the rain fall.


    I couldn¡¯t even begin to describe the stressful and dark thoughts that crossed my mind as I reflected on my troublesome life while I watched the rain fall. I couldn¡¯t understand why life was so harsh¡­


    and so unfair. Sometimes, I just inly hated my life. It was hard to go on living, so why do we even bother¡­


    At that moment, the rain that had been pouring down slowly started to stop. The dark clouds began to part, and some light started shining through. I looked up from the ground for the first time since I started curling myself up into a ball.


    Suddenly, there in front of me, on therge screen stretching across the whole length of the skyscraper opposite the subway station, was a scene of a sun rising. Although it was just on screen, I felt that the rising sun was so captivatingly beautiful. The rich orange, pink and red melted together as the sun slowly lit up the sky at the break of dawn.


    The next scene showed children running freely and then into the warm arms of their mothers. The smiles of their faces were all filled with love and hope for a better future. I watched as the many pairs of mothers and children hugged each other tightly and I felt a warm feeling creep into my heart.


    The final scene showed a chubby little boy¡¯s face in a close shot. I watched as he smiled adorably before winking at me as if he had a secret to tell. I didn¡¯t quite understand why but in that moment, I felt like he was trying to tell me that things will turn out ok¡­if I would just hang on¡­


    The next thing I knew, I had started crying again but now for apletely different reason. In the end, I didn¡¯t even remember what thatmercial was trying to sell to me exactly. However, I remembered every scene from themercial so clearly.


    It might sound like a random and unbelievable thing but sometimes the smallest and most random thing can have such a huge impact on you. That was exactly how I felt when I watched thatmercial. I closed my eyes as I felt the warmth in my heart spreading throughout my body, giving me life.


    The person who made themercial probably never knew how much his or her work had an impact on me. The producer of themercial probably never knew how his or her work saved me that day¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°I want to producemercial and films that can one day move the hearts of people and perhaps even save someone¡­just like thatmercial saved me on that day. This is my motivation and inspiration. I want my work to connect with people and their feelings,¡± I said with conviction.


    I meant every word that I said. Over the years, I have thought about what I wanted to do with my life and my career. Whenever I thought of that, my mind always wandered towards the moment that I first saw thatmercial. It was burned so clearly in my mind that I had looked it up on the inte and found out about thepany that produced it.


    Once I had that information, it was like my mind was made up just like that. Whether it was on the spur of the moment or it was actually well thought out by the subconsciousness of my brain, I didn¡¯t know. However, I had already written down on my career survey form that I wanted to work in advertising and film production. My first and onlypany choice was: Jessen & Hills.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think themercial was a very lousy one if you couldn¡¯t even remember what it was trying to sell?¡± the very handsome stranger in a suit asked quite bluntly after I had finished my story.


    ¡°Umm¡­I think that there are many elements that can make a goodmercial,¡± I replied softly.


    ¡°That might be true...but I bet thatmercial you were talking about was made by a lousy rookie producer who didn¡¯t know what he was doing. What¡¯s the point of amercial if it doesn¡¯t lead to sales for our clients? I mean, they hired us to makemercials to increase their sales in the very first ce, right?¡± the man said beforeughing a little.


    I knew it. This man is so rude, arrogant, and offensive. He hasn¡¯t even seen themercial that I was talking about and yet he¡¯s making so many negativements. Not only that, but he¡¯s also insulting the producer of themercial.


    How can themercial be so bad? I mean, it was produced by Jessen & Hills. This verypany that I am interviewing for. If themercial did not meet thispany¡¯s standards, then why was it released to the public? I wanted to ask him all these questions, but I just held my tongue.


    ¡°Well, she did tell us a very convincing story of her motivation to join thepany¡­¡± the woman said as she shot me a sympathetic nce.


    Thankfully, the topic was dropped. After exchanging a few more words, my interview officially came to an end, and I was asked to leave the room.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 10

    Chapter 10: Returning a Kiss


    It was when I had left the room that I realized that I was boiling with anger. My fists were clenched to my sides, and I was biting my lower lip to control my own rage. How dare he say those rude things?! I mean, I fully respect if someone has a different opinion but that man hasn¡¯t even seen thatmercial before. Themercial was quite old from when I was still a teenager, so it was probably six to seven years old now. I doubt anyone still remembers it...


    I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that my feet automatically took me to the building¡¯s exit. When I got there, I realized that I hadpletely forgotten to return the man¡¯s money. I didn¡¯t have any cash on me but if I could just find him then I could transfer the money back to him.


    Then it hit me. I can¡¯t believe that I didn¡¯t notice this before. I still didn¡¯t know his name. I still didn¡¯t know anything about him at all. His name, his age, his position in thepany...I didn¡¯t know anything! I was too shocked to find him in that room as one of my interviewers and then I was too wrapped up in my interview that I failed to find a way to learn his name.


    If I remembered correctly, the other two interviewers had a name tag on them, and they also had a name te ced in front of them on the table. The name te on the table was clearly for candidates to know who was interviewing them. However, I don¡¯t remember the man in the middle having a name tag attached to his suit or a name te in front of him on the table.


    Great. So, how am I supposed to find him now?


    The only thing I knew for sure was that he worked here. That would make sense since I met him at the park near here. I walked out of the door and then turned around and walked into the building again. I couldn¡¯t make up my mind. I didn¡¯t know how to find him, asking around would just be weird.


    I mean, how would I even begin to ask? Have you seen a very tall guy with brown hair and matching sexy brown eyes? Probably not going to work...


    .....


    On the other hand, I didn¡¯t want to give up now that he was so close. If I could just find him and return the money, then I can move on with my life without having a bunch of that stranger¡¯s cash in my bank ount. I sighed loudly as I came to a reasonable solution.


    The other thing I knew was that I walked to the exit right after leaving the interview room. That meant that he was still in the building. So, if I waited here until he left the building then I would probably run into him eventually. I use the word ¡°probably¡± because unfortunately, the building has more than one exit. There was an exit joined to the parking building.


    It¡¯s worth a shot...I guess. I looked at the watch and figured that if he wasn¡¯t a workaholic and left work at a normal time then I had to wait around 3 hours. I can do that...


    ...


    I waspletely mistaken. After waiting for around 5 hours, the man never appeared. It was already dark out and although the building was still open, there were very few people walking about now. Most people have already clocked out and left the building.


    I started an endless debate with myself if I should just give up and leave too. I mean, it was possible that he had left using the other exit a long time ago. However, there was a possibility that he¡¯s still in this building because he¡¯s working overtime. I¡¯ve waited this long so if I give up now then all that wait was for nothing? Isn¡¯t that just...so sad?


    Then again, there¡¯s that concept of sunk cost and how you shouldn¡¯t base your future decisions on it. In this case, the time I had spent waiting was sort of already my sunk cost. What should I do then?


    ¡°Why are you still here?¡±


    My whole body froze, and my eyes widened when I heard a familiar voice very close to me. I turned around and my suspicion was immediately confirmed. There, standing right in front of me was the man that I had waited for all this time. He really was still at work...


    I looked up at his face as he grinned down at me. Now that he was standing right in front of me, I didn¡¯t know what to say. My words were stuck in my throat and my mouth felt dry.


    ¡°Oh...¡± I said softly as I felt his hand plop down on top of my head.


    ¡°Why are you here thiste?¡± the man asked. I think I sensed some concern in his voice.


    ¡°I...¡± I began saying but his next words cut me off.


    ¡°Were you...perhaps, waiting for me?¡± he asked rhetorically.


    ¡°I...yes. I didn¡¯t know how to find you and I didn¡¯t know your name and...so I...¡± I said without any confidence in my voice. I still found his presence very intimidating.


    What am I saying? I should juste out and ask for his bank ount so that I can transfer back his money to him.


    ¡°So, you really were waiting for me,¡± he said with a satisfied smile.


    ¡°No...it¡¯s not like that...¡± I began protesting hesitantly.


    ¡°Then what is it like?¡± he said without giving me a break.


    ¡°I...want to return the money that you gave me,¡± I managed to say. Finally.


    ¡°Why?¡± he asked bluntly.


    ¡°Because...¡± I said.


    ¡°I told you it was payment for your kiss. You did get some new clothes...¡± he said without letting me finish my sentence.


    ¡°Yea...I did...thank you...¡± I thanked him, meaning it.


    ¡°Seriously though, I gave you so much money, so I was quite disappointed when you didn¡¯t turn up in some fancy branded suit, shoes and bag...¡± he said as he chuckled to himself.


    ¡°This is good enough. No, that¡¯s not the point! Please give me your ount number so that I can return your money,¡± I said with determination.


    ¡°If that¡¯s why you¡¯re still here, then you should leave. I¡¯m not taking that money back, it¡¯s yours now,¡± he said passively.


    ¡°But I told you before, I can¡¯t ept that much money,¡± I continued to argue my case.


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you before that you¡¯ve earned it. I bought your kiss in the park, remember?¡± he reminded me before grinning at me.


    ¡°That¡¯s...¡± I whispered.


    ¡°How about this? If you want to return the money, then I¡¯ll be force to return your kiss...¡± he said as his eyes lit up at his own idea.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked suspiciously.


    ¡°I mean...this...¡± he said in a low and seductive whisper.


    Our eyes locked as his lip inched closer and closer to mine. His hand that grasped my chin was gentle and yet I couldn¡¯t break away from him. I found myself so lost and I felt myself drowning in his captivating eyes. He¡¯s going to kiss me...to return the kiss he bought? That¡¯s...crazy.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11: Congrattions


    ¡°No matter how much I really want to kiss you right now, I¡¯ll still suggest that you keep the money,¡± he said before his hand released my chin as he stood up straight.


    I was stunned into silence. Was he seriously going to kiss me again? I ced my fingertips to my still-trembling lips. Was I...waiting for him to kiss me?


    ¡°Why...?¡± I began asking but a woman¡¯s voice rang out disturbing out conversation.


    ¡°Excuse me!¡±


    An attractive blonde woman with a sparkly wide smile called out to him. Her deep red knee-length dress hugged the beautiful curves of her body as she walked. Her red lipstick matched the color of her dress perfectly. However, she stopped in her tracks when he turned around to face her. I thought that she was about to say something, but she closed her mouth immediately when the man ced his index finger up to his lips. Clearly the message got across because the woman nodded slightly before turning around and leaving the way that she came without saying another word.


    ¡°See you around...¡± the man said before turning sharply on his heels.


    I stood there in silence as I watched the broad back of the tall man walking away from me with his long strides. Still confused as to what just happened, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to call him back. I was also sure that even if I did, he would not turn back around.


    .....


    I wonder what just happened and who that woman was. Was that beautiful woman his girlfriend?


    I heaved a sigh as I walked out of the building and stared up at the dark and starless sky above. That was aplete failure. Not only was I unable to return a cent of his money, but I had also failed in getting information about him. I still didn¡¯t know his bank ount, worst, I didn¡¯t even know his name...


    The only thing I got from our exchange was a burning ache where his fingers had gasped my chin. The only thing my mind seemed to remember well was the beauty of his arrogant smile, the heated look in his eyes as he looked at me and the smell and heat of his body.


    Not like I could use any of that information to find him...


    ...


    ¡°How was the interview?¡± my mother asked excitedly as she ced a bowl of vegetable soup on the table.


    ¡°It went well...I think,¡± I replied, truthfully.


    ¡°Really? Tell me more...¡± she said encouragingly.


    ¡°Well, I think I was able to answer all of their questions and I think I showed that I had motivation and passion to join thepany, so yea...¡± I said before shing her a smile.


    ¡°Thispany, if I¡¯m not wrong, it¡¯s always been your first choice, right? You¡¯re always talking about it...¡± my mother said as she seemed to recall some memories from the past.


    ¡°Yes! This might sound weird but I¡¯m happy that I got a chance to interview there. If I end up not getting the job, I¡¯ll still be happy that I got the opportunity to interview there,¡± I stated proudly.


    ¡°I heard the pay is good too...¡± my mother said wistfully.


    ¡°Yup, you¡¯re right,¡± I said as I smiled back at her.


    Days turned into weeks as I waited with anticipation for the result of my job interview. To be honest, I wasn¡¯t sure if I would get an offer and I wouldn¡¯t say that the odds were in my favor. However, I still had a glimpse of hope that I would be receiving an offer letter.


    Not knowing what to do about it, I prayedte at night before I went to bed every night that I would get the job. If I get the job, maybe I¡¯ll run into that man again, and for sure this time, I¡¯ll return his money back to him.


    A few weeks passed by just like that until the fateful day for my interview result arrived via call.


    I didn¡¯t know what I would do with myself if I had missed that phone call by mistake. Luckily, I was sitting right next to my mobile phone when it started vibrating on the table. When I saw an unrecognized number on the screen, I picked it up immediately. I usually don¡¯t get calls from unknown people and most ended up being telesales people calling to sell things that I didn¡¯t need.


    However, for this call, I had a feeling that it was the call that I had been waiting for.


    ¡°Hello. I am calling from Jessen & Hills. Am I speaking to Miss Karina Miller?¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡± I said, trying to control my excitement.


    ¡°We have very good news. After a verypetitive test, interview process and much consideration, we are pleased to offer you a position at ourpany. We will be emailing you the details of the job contract soon and will invite you toe in to sign the contract with us at headquarters,¡± thedy exined professionally through the phone.


    I was finding it hard to believe what I was hearing as I clutched my mobile phone tightly in my palm, pressing it against the side of my face. This is not a dream, right? This is really happening.


    ¡°Yes...thank you...thank you so much,¡± was all that I could manage to say.


    ¡°Thank you so much and congrattions again. Our HR representative will be in touch with you shortly via email. Have a good day,¡± the woman said before hanging up.


    Once the line disconnected, I stood up and squealed with delight. I was so loud that my mother came running.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Are you ok?¡± she asked with concern clear on her face. She must think that I¡¯m going crazy.


    ¡°Yes! I am more than ok. I did it mum!¡± I cried out excitedly.


    ¡°You did what exactly?¡± my mother asked, confused.


    ¡°I did it mum! I...I got the job! I got the job at Jessen & Hills!¡± I shouted so loudly that I was sure that our neighbors could hear me as well.


    ¡°...the one with the high pay...wow! Really?! WOW!¡± my mother screamed as excitedly.


    ¡°Yeah...really. Wow!¡± I cried back in joy.


    ¡°I¡¯m so happy for you! Big congrats, girl! You did it...this has always been your dream!¡± she said as she beamed at me proudly.


    ¡°Thank you, mum,¡± I said as we hugged each other tightly. I could feel tears sting my eyes as I held her in my arms.


    This job isn¡¯t just for me, and it isn¡¯t my own sess. I had my mother to thank for all the hard work she has put into raising me. This job is going to improve our lives. Hopefully, my mother would be able to retire soon or at least, work less than now.


    ¡°We have to celebrate!¡± my mother dered as she slowly let go of me.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± I asked when I saw my mother get up and grab her bag.


    ¡°Out, of course. I have to go buy some good food so that we can celebrate this properly,¡± My mother said with determination as she turned to head towards the exit.


    ¡°I think the food you just made is more than enough,¡± I said as I pointed to the food she had ced on the table.


    ¡°Nonsense. Today is a special day. You just got your first real job...you¡¯ve grown into a full-fledge adult now and I am so proud of you...¡± my mother said before dabbing at the tears in her eyes.


    Without knowing how else to keep her here, I watched as my mother happily left the house to buy some food for us. I was sure that she would be back with Aunty as well because she couldn¡¯t possibly keep such good news to herself for long.


    I had people that I wanted to share this good news with too as I picked up my phone.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 12

    Chapter 12: The Forbidden Rule


    ¡°Hey girls!¡± I said cheerfully into the group video call with my two best friends.


    Lillian and Jennifer. We¡¯ve been friends since university started and went through university together. Throughout the four years, we helped each other out and worked so hard towards our graduation.


    ¡°Hi hi. I can just tell by how cheerful you are that you have some good news to share. Am I right?¡± Lillian said with a bright smile.


    ¡°Yup yup. Even I can tell that much as well. So...tell us!¡± Jennifer demanded.


    ¡°I got the job!¡± I announced proudly before pping my hands andughing with joy.


    ¡°Oh wow!¡± Lillian cried out happily.


    ¡°Congrattions!!!¡± Jennifer eximed almost at the same time as Lillian as they both heard my good news.


    .....


    Although we all acted so excited, it was a fact that I was thest person out of the three of us thatnded a fulltime job after graduation. Lillian was the first one who got a job as part of the PR team at one of the leading cosmetic and personal carepany. I had to say that the job suited her style so much that I envied her at the time.


    Soon after Jennifer got a job working in a design team for a jewelry and essoriespany. I remembered we went out to celebrate by eating buffet for dinner followed by watching ate-night movie together. Just the three of us. Those were the good times.


    After those two got their job, things got very busy for them, and we saw each other less than before. I missed them but I was happy that they were adjusting well to their new phase of life and their new job. Now, it seems like it was finally my turn.


    ¡°Thank you! Since you¡¯re both ahead on this new-job curve, don¡¯t forget to tell me some tips and tricks. I¡¯m actually quite nervous about this!¡± I admitted truthfully.


    ¡°Sure thing. You can count on us...although I would say that I¡¯m still pretty nervous at work. Everyone is just so much more experienced, you know? My team is also small, so I was the only new joiner in this batch...¡± Jennifer said with a loud sigh.


    ¡°I quite like my job so far. The seniors in my team are so friendly and helpful. I haven¡¯t gotten the hang of everything yet, but I think I¡¯m getting there. Don¡¯t worry, Risa. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll do fine as always,¡± Lillian saidfortingly.


    I chatted with the girls until my mother came back from her food shopping trip. We enjoyed dinner together along with Auntie, who as I had guessed, was brought home by my mother. When dinner was over, I walked Auntie back to her house beforeing back to rejoin my mother.


    That night we prayed in front of my father¡¯s photo and told him the good news. I wondered how he would react and what he would say to me if he was still alive. I don¡¯t remember him at all, so it was difficult for me to imagine his reactions.


    That night I watched as my mother went to sleep with a smile on her face. I¡¯m sure that she was tired from her work but still went out to buy food for us. She was extremely happy, and I felt extremely proud of myself. The day that I would be able to support our family was fast approaching.


    ...


    After signing the job contract, I formally became an employee of Jessen & Hills and today marks the first day of work for me. Today is orientation day. Every new joiner must go through a short 2-day orientation course. The first day HR would go over everything from thepany¡¯s history, rules and regtions, employee benefits and everything else that we needed to know. The second day was reserved for team building activities with the main objective for new joiners to get to know each other.


    I sat in an auditorium with arge stage in front and a projector screen. This was a different auditorium from the one that I was in when I was a candidate. I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised that this building had multiple auditoriums considering its size and state-of-the-art technology.


    Suddenly the lights in the auditorium dimmed and a middle-aged woman walked up on the brightly lit stage. Although she was old, she still radiated activeness and poise. The woman was dressed in a ck business suit with matching skirt that looked expensive, and her hair was swept up in a stylish knot at the back of her head.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, wee to Jessen & Hills. My name is Nina Leslie, and I am the head of Human Resources of thispany. It is an honor to be here to wee all of you here today. Today we will be going over the history of ourpany, our mission and motivation. Then my colleague will take you through the various details that will help you have a smooth transition into thispany,¡± the woman said in a very clear voice. Everything about her was professional yet warm and empathetic.


    ¡°Before that I would like to inform you of an iron-d rule that thispany would like all of its employees to strictly uphold at all times. In thispany, romantic rtionships between employees are strictly forbidden,¡± the woman announced in a very serious tone.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°In this time and age, this rule still exists?¡±


    ¡°I thought thispany was supposed to be modern...¡±


    ¡°No big deal, right? We can always date someone outside thepany...¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the rule a little weird?¡±


    I heard various murmurs from all around me as everyone started expressing their shock and discontent over the no-dating rule. I personally didn¡¯t think that this rule was necessary. If we are supposed to be professional enough, then we should be able to separate our personal from our professional lives. However, I guess I could understand the point of view of thepany. It could be counter productive or cause unnecessary conflict and tension if employees dated each other. Especially, when the rtionship went sour...


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 13

    13 Meeting an Angel


    I actually didn¡¯t care about it much. I¡¯m here to work not to date so the rule, even if it exists, wouldn¡¯t have an impact on me anyways. I guess the people who were overly worried about it wanted to find their soulmate in this ce, not that I med them. Thispany was huge and had many qualified employees; it wasn¡¯t a bad ce to find your significant other.


    The woman on stage cleared her throat and the murmurs in the auditorium came to a halt. Her face was dead serious as she scanned her eyes across the crowd of audiences in front of her.


    ¡°What you understand is correct. Employees in thispany are not allowed to date or have any type of romantic rtionship with another employee. Anyone caught breaking this rule, will face immediate termination. I hope that I have made myself and the rule extremely clear to all of you,¡± the woman said, continuing to stress on her every word.


    Everyone in the crowd, including myself nodded our heads as the situation got serious and tension filled the air. ¡®Immediate termination¡¯ was what she said just now. If anyone were to get caught breaking this rule, they would lose their job immediately. Now that is one hell of a harsh punishment for breaking the rule.


    ¡°Good. That will be all from me. Now, please wee my colleague who will walk you through a brief presentation of ourpany¡¯s history followed by a short video for you all to watch. Thank you once again for your attention and I wish you the best of luck for your future career,¡± the woman said before shing us a smile full of teeth. She bowed slightly before walking off from the stage.


    Her younger colleague came on stage and took over from here. The rest of the session was uneventful, and the information was pretty standard. After a brief lunchbreak where we were shown to thepany¡¯s cafeteria that took up an entire floor. We had lunch there before we continued with the session in the afternoon.


    By the time that it was time to go home, I felt so drained of energy that I thought that I would fall over on my face into a deep slumber. Although the session was useful, it was extremely boring and too long in my opinion. I prayed that the team building session tomorrow would be more fun and interactive. It should be, since we¡¯ve been instructed to wear clothes that were easy to move in because we would be ying some team building games indoors.


    I heard the bell-like sound signaling that the elevator that I had been riding on had arrived on the ground floor where the lobby was. I reached into my bag for my mobile phone but for some reason I couldn¡¯t find it. I stepped aside and began looking through my bag. It¡¯s not here. Did I forget it in the auditorium?


    I clicked my tongue in annoyance at my own forgetfulness. Why did I have to be such a clumsy person and on the first day of work no less. There was nothing that I could do beside returning to the auditorium to find my phone. I just hoped that the auditorium wasn¡¯t locked up yet, otherwise this will turn into a bigger deal than it has to be.


    .....


    I walked as quickly as I could in my heels towards the auditorium once the elevator opened. I was relieved to see that the auditorium didn¡¯t seemed lock. I was about to push the door open with my hand when the door suddenly moved on its own. Since I had shifted my weight to push open the super heavy door, I found myself loosing bnce and falling forward.


    This can¡¯t be happening to me!!!


    I squeezed my eyes closed tightly as I braced my body for the impact of my fall. The only saving grace was that everyone should have left already so no one would be here to witness my downfall, literally.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Huh?


    I slowly opened my eyes at the sound of a man¡¯s voice. His voice sounded so heavenly calm, gentle and kind. It was as if he was talking to an adorable child that needed tender loving care. The face that greeted me so close to my own when I opened my eyes matched my imagination of the owner of such a heavenly calm voice.


    He...looks like an angel...


    My eyes widened as I took in his beautiful angelic features. Very light blue eyes, light blonde hair, slightly tanned skin, full lips that was currently curved into a small smile and straight nose. I have never seen a man so beautiful...


    ¡°Umm...are you ok? Are you hurt anywhere?¡± the man said softly.


    I blinked rapidly as the sound of his voice broke the spell that his angelic features seemed to have casted on me. Finally, the reality of what was happening hit me. The man was still holding my body in his arms as he saved me from falling forward onto my face. I see, so he was the one who suddenly opened the door from the other side.


    ¡°I...I¡¯m fine...I¡¯m so sorry...¡± I managed to say in a stutter when I found my voice.


    ¡°Oh no...not at all. I¡¯m sorry, I think it¡¯s actually my fault for opening the door so suddenly...¡± the man apologized before smiling at me.


    Oh...I¡¯m still in his arms...


    As if he realized this as well, the man slowly loosening the hold he had on my body. We stood facing each other and the atmosphere around us started to feel awkward. Oh hell, Ipletely forgot why I came here in the first ce.


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t know that there was still someone here. I thought that everyone had gone home...¡± I said to break the awkward silence.


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m thest person here. I¡¯m about to head back too. What about you? Why are you here?¡± he asked curiously as he cocked his head slightly to the side. I didn¡¯t know why but I found it so adorable when he did this.


    ¡°Oh...actually, I realized that I¡¯ve forgotten my phone somewhere and I came here looking for it...¡± I said a little shyly.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 14

    14 Fateful Attraction


    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re here then...¡± the man said before he started tough a little.


    I sucked in a breath when his hand reached out and handed me my phone. He found my phone? Wow...what a lucky coincidence.


    ¡°You found my phone? Wow...thank you! You¡¯ve really saved me...¡± I said feeling a mix of surprise and relief.


    It would be such a huge hassle to lose my phone not to mention that I didn¡¯t have spare money to buy a new one. I couldn¡¯t wait to get my first paycheck at the end of the month, seriously.


    ¡°Must have been fate...¡± the man said softly as he smiled so gently at me, his light blue eyes seemed to shine, and I couldn¡¯t look away.


    Before I could stop myself, I startedughing. My reaction confused the man so much that he stared at me, a little take a back by my reaction.


    ¡°Sorry. I just thought that it was a little funny. You see, I thought to myself that it¡¯s such a lucky coincidence that you found my phone...but...you called it fate...¡± I said as myughing came to a stop and I smiled sweetly back at him.


    ¡°I see. My name is Kyle, I just joined thepany today. I¡¯ll be working in the nning department,¡± Kyle introduced himself.


    .....


    So, his name is Kyle, and he just joined thepany just like me.


    ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Karina, Rina for short. I guess we¡¯re in the same batch, I just joined thepany today too. I¡¯ll be in the design department,¡± I introduced myself, suddenly feeling a little shy.


    ¡°So, I guess you were here for the orientation too, right?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yup, that¡¯s right. I didn¡¯t see you though, there were so many people...¡± I replied.


    ¡°I guess. Oh...the no-dating rule the head of HR told us today was quite crazy, isn¡¯t it?¡± he asked with a smallugh.


    ¡°Yeah. I didn¡¯t expect a rule like that in thispany. It seems a little old-fashion, I guess,¡± I replied beforeughing along with him.


    ¡°I think so too. I mean, you can¡¯t really stop people from falling in love, can you?¡± he said, his tone suddenly sounding serious.


    I couldn¡¯t breathe when his pale blue eyes met and held mine. I guess, he was right, you can¡¯t really stop people from falling in love...


    ¡°I guess not...¡± I replied softly as I broke our eye contact and shifted my gaze down to the floor.


    ¡°Can I get your number? Let¡¯s keep in touch. You¡¯re the first person I¡¯ve really spoken to today...¡± Kyle said with a shy smile.


    ¡°Oh...sure...¡± I said as I took out my phone and we exchanged numbers.


    ¡°Cool. Are you heading to the station, or did you drive here?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m taking the train, you?¡± I said.


    ¡°I drove here...so...¡± he replied, looking conflicted.


    I see, so we¡¯re not heading in the same direction.


    ¡°Oh, then I¡¯ll see you tomorrow...¡± I said softly.


    ¡°Umm...I can drive you back...if you want...¡± he said abruptly.


    My eyes widened at his sudden suggestion, and he seemed to notice the abruptness of his suggestion as well.


    ¡°Oh no...it¡¯s ok,¡± I declined politely.


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to sound so forward. We just met and...I didn¡¯t mean it like that...¡± he said, clearly regretting his mistake.


    ¡°No, not at all. I didn¡¯t think you meant anything...like that,¡± I said reassuringly.


    ¡°It¡¯s dark...so what about I just walk you to the station?¡± he suggested brightly.


    ¡°Umm...ok...¡± I replied before smiling a little at him.


    Kyle and I shared small talk about random things andughed all the way together to the subway station that was a short walk away from the office building. I usually didn¡¯t find it easy to talk with guys, but Kyle made it seem so easy. He seemed so kind and open-minded and that helped me rx in his presence. It wasn¡¯t long before I wasfortable around him and the conversation between us flowed smoothly.


    I waved goodbye to him, and we both wished each other good luck when we arrived at the station and had to part ways for the day.


    ¡°Goodbye. Thank you so much for walking me to the station,¡± I thanked him.


    ¡°You¡¯re weed. It¡¯s no trouble at all, don¡¯t worry,¡± I replied with a smile of his own.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you have to walk back alone though,¡± I said teasingly.


    ¡°I told you, it¡¯s no trouble at all. Bye...I¡¯ll see you tomorrow at work,¡± he said.


    ¡°See you...¡± I whispered.


    Slowly and hesitantly, we turned away from each other to head our separate ways.


    ...


    The door closed behind me when I arrived home and a small smile curved my lips as I stood there with my back leaned against the closed door. Just thinking about Kyle had me smiling to myself like a fool. I would be lying if I said that I wasn¡¯t smiling and giggling a little to myself all the way home. It wasn¡¯t like I was in love with him or anything, but his kindness really touched me.


    I walked away from the door as I shook my head softly from side to side as I recalled the strict rule that ourpany had against employees dating each other. That thought gave me pause.


    What on earth am I getting all bothered for. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re dating. He¡¯s...not even interested in me. Why am I getting ahead of myself? We¡¯re just colleagues and that¡¯s it.


    ¡°How was your day at work?¡± my mother asked with a bright smile on her face.


    ¡°It was great. Thepany is so big and there¡¯s so many people, but that¡¯s ok. I¡¯ll do my best,¡± I replied enthusiastically.


    ¡°Don¡¯t overwork yourself,¡± my mother replied.


    I felt a little ufortable about what I wanted to talk to her about next, but I was sure that she saw thising as well.


    ¡°Umm...thepany is quite far away from here, so...¡± I began saying.


    My mother smiled at me and nodded as if she already knew what I was going to say.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 15

    15 The New CEO


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be fine living alone. I have good friends in this neighborhood so there¡¯s nothing for you to worry about. Get a nice new ce close to the office so you don¡¯t have to waste time and moneymuting,¡± my mother said before I could exin anything.


    ¡°Thank you, mother,¡± I thanked her wholeheartedly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me. Thank all the efforts that you put intonding this job. Don¡¯t worry about me and just focus on your career,¡± my mother said encouragingly.


    ¡°I¡¯lle back to visit or you cane visit me,¡± I said with a smile.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll do that. Don¡¯t go to bed toote,¡± she said before she returned my smile.


    ¡°I know. Good night, mother,¡± I wished her goodnight.


    My mother had to start work very early tomorrow and I knew that she needed to go to bed early. I wished her goodnight with a smile. I was always so thankful of how understanding she is. Once I¡¯ve settled into my new life, I¡¯ll take care of her better.


    Now that my mother has gone to bed, I should focus on researching for my new amodation. Although I was hesitant to leave my mother, I knew that she was right. The sooner I move, the better. It would be best if I could find a ce before my orientation ended because I had a feeling that when the real work started, I would be very busy and wasting timemuting might not be a viable option anymore.


    I turned on the television with the intent to passively catch up on some news while I did my research on finding an apartment for rent. The sound from the television filled the quiet room as I began going through some real estate agency websites. There were many options avable across various budget ranges. Of course, I was going for the cheapest options avable. I didn¡¯t mind if the building was old or if there wasn¡¯t an elevator. All I wanted for a decently convenient location that wasn¡¯t so far from the office via some kind of public transportation.


    .....


    My eyes narrowed as I scrolled through the various websites. Suddenly, something on the news caught my attention because I believed the name of mypany was just mentioned. Jessen and Hill¡¯s is a very famouspany and it was always on the news in the business segment and sometimes in the entertainment segment as well. The mention of Jessen and Hill¡¯s caught my attention and I turned towards the television to watch the news on the screen.


    ¡®It has been publicly announced that Jessen and Hill¡¯s will have a new CEO after the current CEO has decided to step down. Mr. Eric Hill, the current CEO of Jessens and Hill¡¯s has announced his retirement from his current position earlier this evening in a press conference. After many years leading thepany, Mr. Hill will be handing his position over to his son, Mr. Ace Hill, as of today,¡± a woman reported politely on the news.


    This is so sudden. I worked for thepany now, but I didn¡¯t hear anything about this before. Mr. Eric Hill is famous for being the co-founder of thepany along with his friend Mr. Jessens. It was unfortunate that Mr. Jessens passed away earlier on from cancer leaving Mr. Hill to take over the management of thepany solely by himself. From then on, thepany truly grew and prospered into what it is today.


    Although I have seen Eric Hill on television multiples times before and knew his face well, the same couldn¡¯t be said about my knowledge of his son. The news reporter continued on and the image on the screen transitioned from Eric Hill to a smoking hot man dressed formally in a smart suit.


    It can¡¯t be...


    Are my eyes ying tricks on me right now because it isn¡¯t very funny...


    I approached the television and brought my face closer to the screen as my eyes narrowed and strained to see the face of the man more clearly.


    It can¡¯t be him...it just can¡¯t be him...


    Dressed in a smart navy suit and looking so confident and as cocky as can be is the man that shoved that thick wad of cash into my hands in the park. Then he kissed me and then I met him again as my interviewer...then we kissed again...


    What is going on? That man is now the CEO of thepany? What¡¯ more, he¡¯s Eric Hill¡¯s son?!


    I gasped before covering my mouth with both hands as my eyes flew open in shock as this new piece of information started setting into my mind. How can this be possible?


    That man was the CEO¡¯s son all along? And now he¡¯s the new CEO?!


    Oh...and I acted like that in front of the CEO. My fingertips traced my lips as I began remembering the feel and taste of his kiss on my lips and his tongue inside my mouth. A shiver ran through my body before it froze in shock.


    I just couldn¡¯t believe that that man is now the CEO of mypany. He did help me, but he was a very twisted man.


    Wait? Does that mean that he kissed me even though he knew about the no dating rule? Or was it fine because all we did was kiss and we were not in a rtionship or anything? Suddenly, my mind was a mess, and I could no longer pay attention to the news reporter who still continued to report on the CEO change.


    I grabbed the remote control and changed channel in search for something lighter so that I wouldn¡¯t go crazy. My fingers changed the channel to an entertainment one. Seeing gossip around celebrities would probably be good for easing my stress and shock right now.


    ¡®Although Mr. Ace Hill has tried to keep himself away from the spotlight, it is evident from various leaks regarding his numerous love affairs with the rich and famous that his efforts hasn¡¯t been all that sessful. Now that he is officially the new CEO of Jessens and Hill¡¯s, we present to you the top ten list of his hot and steamy love affairs with the rich and famous from over the years. Please enjoy!¡± a cheerful young TV host said.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 16

    16 The Devil Boss Arrives


    Various photos which seemed like paparazzi shots of Ace with various beautiful women on his arms or locked in his embrace started showing on the screen as the host began narrating through the list of his ex-girlfriends and others that he¡¯s had an affair with. I recognized some of the famous names from various industries. Movie stars, singers, supermodels, and other socialites.


    A sigh escaped my lips as I turned off the television. Who cares about his love affairs anyways?


    Time to go back and focus on hunting for a new apartment. Time is of the essence here and I didn¡¯t have the time to worry about that crazy yer guy. He¡¯s the CEO of thepany that I work for now, but it didn¡¯t really have anything to do with me. I knew that I was way down there on the corporatedder, and he was way up there so the chances of us ever meeting again or working together was next to non-existent.


    After finding a couple of reliable-looking real estate agencies and noting down their address, I decided to visit them soon to see if they could rmend me a ce that fitted my requirements and budget. After taking a quick shower, I tiptoed into the bedroom before getting into my bed. My mother was already sound asleep by that time.


    That night when Iy alone in my bed, my head was filled with thoughts of Ace and Kyle as the two seemed to fight against each other in taking up the space in my mind. The image of Kyle¡¯s smiling face and the things that he said to me kept entering my head. Even though, I tried to push thoughts about him away from me, I wasn¡¯t exactly sessful in doing so. When I closed my eyes, the scene of us together would pop up and rey itself behind my closed eyelids. Then I would see memory of Ace¡¯s cocky smile and how he forced money on me. I didn¡¯t even know his name until like...just now. It was a while before I finally fell asleep from a mix of exhaustion and confusion.


    ...


    The next day everything seemed a lot more chaotic when I arrived at the office. The chaos started even before I stepped foot inside of the office building. The employees had formed small groups here and there in thepany¡¯s lobby and also in front of thepany¡¯s entrance. Walking past a couple of groups made me quickly realize that they were gossiping frantically about the new CEO.


    That wasn¡¯t surprising since the change in CEO was supposed to be a big news to everyone. However, the content of their gossip caught my attention. Basically, there was a wild mix of the good and the bad. The staff seemed to enjoy sharing their version of gossips with each other because they spoke quite loudly, and I didn¡¯t have any trouble overhearing them.


    ¡°He is the only son of the current CEO and I also heard that he¡¯s a devil at work¡±


    .....


    ¡°Everyone who worked with him before said that he¡¯s super scary to work for. He¡¯s so strict and so mean, although he¡¯s supposed to be very good at what he does,¡±


    ¡°I heard that he used to work abroad in many countries, and he has a good track record of setting up his ownpanies. It¡¯s been a while now since then, so he has finally decided to take over his family business from his father,¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not all. There are loads of rumors surrounding him. Have you heard?¡±


    ¡°I heard that he has a lot of affairs with the people that work with him, especially the beautiful women. He changes his secretary very often. I don¡¯t know how much of those rumors are true, though,¡±


    ¡°I heard that he¡¯s a genius. Apart from his family business, he has a lot of businesses that he created on his own. I heard his father wanted him to take over thispany a long time ago, but he refused, saying that he¡¯d rather start something on his own. And then after establishing so many sessfulpanies, he¡¯s now back to turn thispany around and take it to greater heights!¡±


    ¡°I know that there¡¯s so many rumors about him and it¡¯s pretty scary, but I think we should wait and see how he does. I¡¯m just hoping that the rumors about him being a devil CEO and a devil boss isn¡¯t true,¡±


    I walked along the building¡¯s lobby as these rumors floated around in the air and entered my ear. I didn¡¯t need to make an effort to hear them because the people were talking loud enough for them to be heard. I quickly made my way up the elevator to the auditorium where I would be attending the second day of my orientation.


    Surprisingly, I ran into Kyle right in front of the auditorium. He was leaning casually against the wall, and I wondered if he also heard the rumors from downstairs and the news that thepany had gotten a new CEO. He waved and smiled at me the moment that he spotted me, and I found myself smiling back at him naturally. The way that his beautiful smile lit up his face made me believe that he was such an angel. I approached him with a smile on my face.


    ¡°Good morning. You¡¯re here quite early.¡± I said before I shed him a smile.


    ¡°I could say the same thing about you. Excited for the second day of orientation?¡± Kyle asked.


    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s supposed to be some team activities today, so I¡¯m looking forward to that. Honestly, the lectures yesterday was a little bit boring and a little scary with all the rules and everything,¡± I confessed my honest thoughts.


    ¡°I know, right. Let¡¯s enjoy our orientation together today,¡± Kyle said invitingly.


    I had a feeling that it was going to be a good day already.


    ¡°Sure...¡± I replied with another smile.


    Soon it was time for the orientation to start and we made our way into the auditorium. Kyle invited me to take the seat next to him and that was what I did. The second day of the orientation started right on time with the same middle-aged womening up on stage to make an announcement. Her announcement shocked everyone in the auditorium, including myself.


    ¡°Listen up everyone. As you have probably seen on the news, ourpany has had a change in management. As of today. Mr. Ace Hill will be taking over as thepany¡¯s CEO. And I am delighted to share with you today that Mr. Ace has taken his time to share a word of inspiration with you to mark the start of your journey at thispany. Please put your hands together for Mr. Ace, our new CEO,¡± the woman announced before stepping aside and pping her hands together.


    There was a moment of silence as everyone was stunned by the sudden announcement that the new CEO would be giving a wee speech to the new employees who have just joined thepany. After a moment of stunned silence, the auditorium exploded with the loud sounds of people pping their hands in apud. The spotlight turned on and focused on a man as he walked up on stage and stood behind the podium.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 17

    17 Angel and Devil


    Ace was dressed in a smart all ck suit with a white shirt. Although I was seated quite far from the stage, I still thought that he looked amazingly handsome in that suit. After waiting for the apuse in the auditorium to die down, Ace began delivering his speech. If I had to describe his speech, I would say that it was harsh, straightforward, but strangely very motivating.


    After briefly introducing himself and extending a few polite words of wee to us, Ace began delivering the main message of his speech.


    ¡°Thank you everyone for joining thispany. I understand that each and every one of you may have different reasons for joining thispany, but I hope that everyone will work together towards amon goal that is aligned to thepany¡¯s vision. As the new CEO of thispany, I am determined to take thispany to new heights. And I¡¯m overjoyed that everyone here will be part of the journey. I hope that everyone contributes more than 100% always to their work with fullmitment while adhering strictly to the rules set by thispany. Thank you very much,¡± Ace said with full confidence as he enunciated each word clearly.


    After ending his speech, Ace looked around with am determined look in his eyes at the people sitting in the full auditorium. After seemingly satisfied at what he was seeing, he nodded his head before turning on his heels and to stride off the stage. After that, the second day of our orientation proceeded smoothly and normally as nned. The woman came back up on stage and exined the group activity for team building that we will work on as part of our second day of orientation.


    ¡°At the back of the auditorium, on the furthest side of the wall, there are papers posted with your name. Please look for your name to find out which group you are in and then please find the number of your group to find and form your team members. Each team will have two team leads who will help facilitate the team building game. I hope that you will benefit from this activity that you will know and learn more about the other people who have started this new journey with you. Please enjoy your second day of orientation,¡± she said.


    After the woman ended her instruction and got off the stage, everyone busily got out of their seat and headed towards the various papers posted on the walls in order to look for their name.


    ¡°Shall we go?¡± Kyle asked.


    I nodded my head as I smiled at him. He led the way through the crowd towards the nearest wall with papers posted and our eyes began scanning it to look for our name.


    ¡°I think I found my name,¡± he turned to say to me.


    .....


    ¡°I just found mine too,¡± I replied as my eyes narrowed and focused on my name on the piece of paper.


    To my pleasant surprise, I soon found out that Kyle was in the same team as me.


    ¡°I think we¡¯re on the same team,¡± he said before turning to smile at me.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right about that. Your name is almost next to mine,¡± I said before I returned his smile.


    ...


    ¡°Honestly I¡¯m not very good at this...¡± I admitted a little shyly.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, I¡¯ll help you so don¡¯t worry,¡± Kyle said reassuringly as he took my hand in his.


    His hand felt warm around mine and it gave me a little more strength and confidence in myself. The first half of team building was to form arge circle to carry arge ball in the center of the circle as a group. I honestly wasn¡¯t very good at physical activities and sports so I didn¡¯t feel very confident that I could contribute so much to the group.


    ¡°Just make sure to hold my hand tightly and everything will be fine,¡± Kyle said before giving me a firm nod.


    I smiled and nodded back at him in acknowledgement. With his help and the help of other people in my team, we were able toplete the task wlessly although we didn¡¯t make it as the first group whopleted the task of transporting therge ball from point A to point B. However, we still did decently well, cing somewhere in the middle among the other groups.


    The day went by as we were asked to participate in other simr team building activities. Overall, I thought that the most interested and the best part was that the activities helped us to get to know other people in thepany better. I found out the teams were smartly structured so that new joiners came from a well-bnced mix of departments. That meant that I made friends from different departments; for example, Kyle was from nning, Serena was from creatives, Jamie was from ounting, and Susanna was from operations.


    There were around 10 people on my team including Kyle and myself. After wrapping up the activities for the second day, our group decided to go drinking as a way to celebrate the end of our orientation. Although I had ns to go looking for an apartment at the end of the day, I decided to postpone it because I wanted to join in the party with my newly made friends.


    ¡°Do you have a ce in mind?¡± one of the girls asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with anything,¡± I replied honestly.


    ¡°Would you rather go to a karaoke so that there will be some activity for us to do or do you want to have dinner and just chill out?¡± one of the guys asked.


    Honestly, I was fine with anything, so I left it to the other people in the team to make the decision. I turned to Kyle to see that he was looking at me and I found myself smiling back at him. I wondered what Kyle liked to do. Was he an activities person or would he rather just sit back and chill at the end of a tiring day. In the end, the team decided to go for a rxing dinner and then follow that up with drinks at a nearby bar.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 18

    18 Wanting More of Him


    At the end of the workday, our team headed to a restaurant that one of the members helped to book. The restaurant was quite small, but it served very interesting foods and the atmosphere was one of the best things about the ce. The orange and dim light was the perfect atmosphere for a rxing dinner after a tiring and long day of team building exercises. Everyone was in high spirits and after ordering our food, everyone started chatting immediately.


    For most of the people it was their first fulltime job. Only two people had a fulltime job prior to this one and had moved over from anotherpany. Overall, everyone was extremely excited to get a chance to work for thispany and obviously I shared the same sentiment as everybody else in my team.


    ¡°Is anyone still looking for a ce to stay close to the office?¡± Susanna asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m actually still searching for a ce. My old ce is very far from the office, so I was hoping to find a ce closer,¡± I chimed in.


    ¡°I think I know a few good real estate agencies,¡± Kyle said as he turned to look at me.


    Kyle was sitting next to me, and I wasn¡¯t sure if it was just my own imagination, but I felt like he was sitting a little close, not that I minded.


    ¡°Would you mind showing me the list? I did some researchst night but I¡¯m still not sure whether these agents that I found are trustworthy or not,¡± I said.


    ¡°Sure thing,¡± Kyle replied enthusiastically.


    ¡°Do you already have a ce, Kyle?¡± another member of the team asked.


    .....


    ¡°Yes, I already got a ce,¡± he replied casually.


    It seemed that Kyle was well prepared for starting this new job. He had a ce, and he also had a car. For some reason, I felt like he came from a well-off family, and it showed in everything that he does. His mannerism, the way he carried himself, the clothes that he had on, the fact that he had a car and so on.


    The conversation quickly steered away to more cheerful topics as the people started talking about their potential bosses and what they thought their new bosses were going to be like. That reminded me of the devil CEO rumors that were floating around in the lobby of the building from this morning. From my personal experience of running into Ace a couple of times, it wasn¡¯t hard for me to imagine him being a devil CEO.


    I definitely could see him being very strict, mischievous, and perhaps even on the edge of evil. Despite all that, I didn¡¯t doubt for a moment that he had the skills to really take thispany forward and I was excited and anxious to see what changes he would bring now that he had taken over thispany from his father.


    The food tasted great, and it wasn¡¯t too greasy. There was just a decent amount of spice to it. When dinner came to an end, and everyone was excited to head off to our next destination which was a nearby bar. Apparently one of the girls on the team knew a bartender who worked there, and I didn¡¯t ask for any more details. The bar was small, but it seemed to cater to a very niche clientele. Just like the restaurant, the atmosphere was great for conversing and just chilling out.


    ¡°What would you like for a drink?¡± Kyle asked.


    I turned towards him as he handed me a small drinks menu.


    ¡°I¡¯m actually not very good at ordering these things because I don¡¯t really drink...¡± I replied honestly.


    ¡°Hmm...then what about a cocktail,¡± Kyle suggested as he pointed to a cocktail with a mix of apple juice.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll trust you on this one,¡± I replied before smiling sweetly at him.


    We were seated at the bar and some of the other guys had started walking around. It was gettingte and I knew that I should head back home before my mother started to worry. My house was also far away from here so it would take time for me to get back and I didn¡¯t want to arrive home toote. I nced at my watch and decided that I should leave soon.


    ¡°Do you have to go somewhere?¡± Kyle asked.


    He probably saw me ncing at my watch and wondered if I had to leave in a hurry.


    ¡°Not really, I just don¡¯t want to get homete that¡¯s all,¡± I replied truthfully.


    ¡°You did mention that your ce was far away. Is it that far away?¡± Kyle asked with apparent concern.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s very far. That¡¯s why I¡¯m desperately looking for a new ce, but I¡¯ve got a limited budget, though. So, I don¡¯t think that I can be too picky,¡± I replied while feeling a little shy.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind let¡¯s go see some ces together. I can help you out,¡± Kyle kindly offered.


    ¡°Sure...that would be nice,¡± I readily agreed before I smiled at him.


    Kyle was so kind and moving to the city was new for me, so I was thankful for his guidance. Soon the drinks that we ordered arrived and after clinking our sses together I ced the small cocktail ss to my lips and started sipping. The sweet and aromatic taste of the cocktail entered my mouth and soothe my tongue. It was a pleasantly sweet drink and it wasn¡¯t hard to drink at all unlike the other alcoholic drinks that I¡¯ve experienced before.


    It didn¡¯t take long for me to like the vor.


    ¡°I wondered if we will still get to see each other after we start working for our different departments,¡± Kyle said and for a moment he looked slightly depressed.


    That was a good question. I wasn¡¯t sure what life would be like after we ended our orientation and started working for our respective departments. Kyle and I were going to work in different departments, so I wasn¡¯t sure whether I would be seeing him often anymore. A small aching pain in my chest told me that I wanted to see more of him, and I wondered if he felt the same way. I felt his eyes on my face and when I looked towards him our eyes met.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 19

    19 The Beginning of Many Nights


    His eyes held mine as he stared deeply into my eyes, and I thought that his eyes looked so captivatingly beautiful. In that moment, I felt like we were the only two people in the world and I hadpletely forgotten about the other team members that were around us. It took a lot of will power to break the spell that Kyle seemed to have casted on me as I broke eye contact and began looking around the small bar. I could see that our friends have started to separate into pairs or into smaller groups as they form their own side conversations.


    ¡°I have no idea if we will get to see each other that much anymore...¡± I replied a little regretfully.


    ¡°Do you want to see me more?¡± Kyle asked as he looked straight at me.


    I was surprised that it didn¡¯t take me long to figure out that I also wanted to see Kyle more and that I was a little scared that after we went our separate ways to work for our department, I would never see him again.


    Jessens and Hill¡¯s was a veryrgepany with many thousands of employees so it wasn¡¯t odd that I would be afraid that we wouldn¡¯t be in touch anymore. I would go to my new department and I would make new friends while he would go to his new department and he would also meet new friends there. Suddenly it became very likely that we would never cross paths again after our orientation ended and I had very mixed feelings about that.


    ¡°It would be great if we could keep in touch, you know, even after we start working for our departments,¡± I confessed to him honestly.


    ¡°Me too,¡± he replied seriously.


    At that moment, his hand reached for mine and held it. My eyes widened in slight surprised at how straightforward he was and the implication behind his words. His hand tightened a little around mine. Just as his hand held mine, his eyes held mine as well and I could feel the connection between us.


    I was surprised at my own forwardness. Normally I wouldn¡¯t say these things. So perhaps it was the alcohol in me talking. However, I didn¡¯t think that I drank that much. Although my head felt a little light and hazy, I wasn¡¯t quite sure if I was drunk or not or maybe I was just trying to me the whole thing on the alcohol.


    .....


    After sharing some more light and casual conversation with Kyle, it was like I had fallen under his spell once again. I nced at my watch and found out that it was time that I should head back home. However, now that the time had arrived, I didn¡¯t want to go home at all. I just wanted to stay here and spend more time with Kyle. The way he smiled at me and the way he spoke to me so sweetly told me that he also shared my thoughts.


    ¡°Shall we leave?¡± Kyle asked and I didn¡¯t miss the suggestion or the desire burning in the depths of his eyes.


    ¡°Yes...¡± I replied as I lowered my gaze shyly.


    We stood up from our seat at the bar and began making our way towards the exit. I felt a little tipsy, but I was far from drunk. However, I think the alcohol did make me a little braver and bolder. I watched as Kyle told our other team members that we would be leaving first for the night.


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep in touch after we start working officially,¡± he said before waving goodbye.


    I turned and waved at our other team members too. They smiled and waved back as we said our farewells for the night. Once we left the bar, Kyle¡¯s arm was around my waist as I leaned my body against his. He supported me as we walked, and I was thankful for his support and the warmth of his body against mine. It was useless to deny that I felt very attracted to him.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not drunk, Karina? You can barely walk straight,¡± Kyle asked me with concern as he supported my body.


    ¡°Call me Rina,¡± I purred seductively as I leaned closed to him.


    With his arm around my waist, he supported my body against his as we headed to our next destination for the night: a hotel close to the bar where we had been drinking together.


    My body felt slightly warm from the alcohol, and I was probably slightly tipsy, but it would be a lie if I said that I didn¡¯t feel hot for Kyle as well. It wasn¡¯t even our first date but after a couple of hours flirting at dinner and at the bar afterwards, we were both ready to quickly move on to the next phase.


    I could feel the warmth of his body against mine as well as the hardness of his tall and muscr frame. He smells so nice and there¡¯s something about his pale blue eyes that captivates me every time he looks me in the eyes. I felt myself blushing at my own dirty thoughts.


    I don¡¯t remember the details of how we checked in and arrived at our hotel room, but I clearly remember how aggressively we tore at each other¡¯s clothes the moment that the door to the room closed behind us and we were finally alone. Without a word, Kyle pinned my back against the wall and kissed me so passionately that I lost my breath, and my legs grew weak.


    I kissed him back hungrily as he held my face in between his warm hands. Our tongue thrusting out to meet each other¡¯s as we both tasted one another. It was a very wild and wet kiss that left us both panting for breath. I felt so hungry for him as my desire started to take over.


    ¡°Stick out your tongue, Rina,¡± Kyle instructed in a low sexy voice.


    The fact that he called me by my nickname worked to turn me on even more and I quickly did as he wanted. His tongue grinded against mine as our tongue engaged in a wild and fervent dance. I could taste some of the alcohol on his tongue as we continued to kiss. My hands were on his hard and muscr chest before I started stroking my hands down the in of his well-toned stomach.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 20

    20 Desire Takes Over


    After that, Kyle impatiently tore open the front of my blouse sending the tiny buttons flying to expose my chest to him. He unhooked my bra and peeled the cups from my breasts before he started groping both my breasts. I moaned with ecstasy as his hands kneaded my breasts firmly, my nipples standing erect and rubbing against his hot palms. He kissed me again as I impatiently tore his suit from his body and then his tie and white shirt.


    The sight of his naked upper body was so beautiful and sexy. His muscles were firm and beautifully sculpted, it was clear that he had been working out regrly to maintain his figure. I ran my hands along his hard chest muscles, brushing my fingertips teasingly on his hard nipples causing him to close his eyes and moan softly.


    His moan was so sexy, and it turned me on even more as I felt my body getting hotter for him. I squeezed my thighs together as desires stirred in between my legs. There was a pleasurable ache waiting to be fulfilled in my lower abdomen and I felt a hot wetness gushing out from my love tunnel. I wanted him. I wanted Kyle so badly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Rina but I can¡¯t wait anymore...I need to be inside you now,¡± Kyle panted thickly with lust, and I saw the same need I felt reflected in his eyes.


    I nodded my head a few times in understanding. My pussy throbbed with need for him to fill me as well. I couldn¡¯t wait to feel his cock inside of me. The thought only made my pussy clench and quiver even more as it poured out more wet juices onto my panties.


    ¡°Please take me,¡± I replied bluntly as I grabbed his hips, bringing it closer to grind against mine. I felt the hardness of his erect member through his pants as we grinded our sex together. The hardness of his cock rubbing firmly against my pussy and I couldn¡¯t wait to feel it inside of me.


    ¡°Turn around and put your hands on the wall...I don¡¯t think I can be gentle with you, though,¡± Kyle said as he took out a condom and began tearing it open seductively with his teeth.


    The look of raw passion in his blue eyes as he looked at me told me beyond words how much he wanted me. I stared deeply into his eyes as he slowly tore the pack of condom. A sensual smile formed on my lips before I turned my back towards him and ced my hand on the wall as he had instructed. I bent down and stuck out my hips, thrusting my ass up a little towards him invitingly.


    ¡°Please hurry,¡± I pleaded with my body turned around and bent over with my hands on the wall as he had instructed, pushing my ass upward slightly to grant him easier ess.


    .....


    I felt his impatient hands pull up my skirt until it pooled around my waist,pletely baring my ass to him. Hisrge manly hands stroked my round bottom and squeezed it teasingly before he pulled down my panties in one smooth motion down my legs.


    I kicked it away from my ankle so that it wouldn¡¯t get in our way. I felt his hand sliding up the insides of my thighs and I clenched my wet insides in anticipation of what was surely toe. I closed my eyes and let out a loud moan when his fingers finally found and caressed my flooded opening. Up and down, he caressed my wet slit with his exploring fingers. The repeated motion gave me indescribable pleasure as Kyle continued to stroke the wet slit in between my thighs.


    ¡°You¡¯re already flooded down here...¡± Kyle whispered his observation into my ears seductively as he leaned against my back.


    I felt rather saw the thick head of his cock lodge itself at my sopping wet entrance as he prepared to prate me. My eyes closed as my lips parted slightly while I panted in anticipation of his thrust. I wanted to be one with him so badly.


    ¡°Ahhh! Kyle!¡± I screamed loudly as he entered me in one hard and deep thrust.


    He was huge, much bigger than I had anticipated, and judging from the fact that he was still pushing deeper into my hole, he was also very long and thick. His member felt deliciously satisfying inside of me as it stretched my entrance and stroked my pussy walls. I couldn¡¯t stop myself from moaning as my lust took over in full swing.


    I rocked my hips backwards against his hips to take him in deeper inside of me. Without pausing, Kyle continued to plough hisrge love pole into my wet sopping hole until he was buried all the way inside to the hilt. His enormous cock filled and stretched me and it felt amazing. It felt so good to have his cock buried deep inside of me and he hadn¡¯t even started thrusting yet. After a moment¡¯s pause to allow me to adjust to the shape and size of his cock, Kyle reared his hips back, withdrawing his cock from my love tunnel before he rammed his hot rod back into me again.


    ¡°Ahh! Ah! Ahhh!¡± I let out passionate cries to match the rhythm of his fast and wild thrusting as he pumped his cock in and out of me.


    Kyle¡¯s hips jerks and grinded against my ass as he thrusted wildly into my flooded hole. The sounds of our lovemaking filled the hotel room as he both moaned and cried out in pleasure. Wet sounds of hisrge cock stirring up my melting wet insides echoed throughout the room as our flesh pped hard against each other. Kyle groaned from behind me as his thrusts intensified. My body rocked in rhythm to his wild cock screwing itself deeply into me from behind.


    My pussy clenched tightly around his thick shaft as it squirted even more love juices to coat his cock. I moaned and cried out his name as his thrusts hit me deeper and deeper inside until I felt the impact of his thrusts against my womb with each powerful stroke.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 21

    21 Desperate Passion


    It was fast and intense. His hot hands reached in front of me to squeeze my breasts while he continued to pound hisrge member in and out of my woman hole. I clenched around him to suck him in deeper inside of my cave. I cried out his name when he pinched my nipples simultaneously while his cock hit deep inside of me.


    ¡°Kyle...I¡¯m cumming!¡± I screamed loudly with abandon before the world went white as my orgasm hit me hard.


    ¡°Me too,¡± he panted his reply.


    I felt Kyle¡¯s body tremble as he came after thrusting hard into me a couple of times. He hugged me from behind as we both slid down onto the floor right there in the doorway. We didn¡¯t even make it to the bed in our rush to have each other.


    I never knew that sex could feel this good. I¡¯ve never had sex this satisfying before.


    After catching our breath, we made our way to the bed where we continued to make love all throughout the night. I gave my body to him over and over again until we were both exhausted from our wild coupling. At some point, I must have passed out. When I woke up the next morning, I found myself in Kyle¡¯s loving arms.


    We decided to be a couple immediately when we both woke up the following morning. It just felt so natural that he didn¡¯t even have to ask. We connected well on so many levels and we got along great as well. Kyle was loving, kind, and extremely good looking. He was everything that I was looking for in a man and I was d that he wanted me too. It wasn¡¯t just our character that got along famously well with each other, our bodies were also verypatible in bed...and out of bed...


    ¡°I¡¯m so happy that we met and that we did...what we did...¡± Kyle whispered seductively into my ear and I found myself blushing red at his loving words.


    ¡°Me too...¡± I replied with the only words that I could think of.


    .....


    Everything moved so fast between us, but it felt so right. I blushed a little more as I thought of the passion that we sharedst night. I soon found out that there was nothing to fear at all because there was no awkwardness between us at all when morning arrived. There was just love and ourughter as we enjoyed more of each other¡¯pany. Kyle continued to hold me in his strong arms as I nuzzled my face into his muscr chest. He smells so good and the warmth in his embrace helped me to rx. After cuddling in bed for a while, we both came to the realization that we had to go to work.


    ¡°I wish that I could spend the whole day with you in bed but unfortunately, we both have to go to work...¡± Kyle said regretfully as he shed me a saddened smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s ok. We¡¯ll have a lot more time to spend together in the future,¡± I replied reassuringly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head to work separately,¡± Kyle suggested casually.


    At first his suggestion confused me, but it didn¡¯t take me very long to figure out the reason behind his strange suggestion. It almost slipped my mind that ourpany does not condone dating or any kind of romance between employees. Yet despite that strict rule, Kyle and I had decide to start dating in secret.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. It would be bad if anyone saw us...¡± I said as I watched Kyle get up from the bed.


    In the end, we decided for Kyle to head to the office first and I would follow separately around 15 minutes after. That worked well in my favor because he required a lot less time than I did to get ready for work in the morning.


    ¡°Have a good day at work!¡± I told him enthusiastically.


    Kyle was at the door when he turned back and pulled me into a firm hug before his lips found and captured mine in a sweet kiss that left my heart pounding wildly in my chest. I found myself blushing as I smiled back at him.


    ¡°You sound like a housewife,¡± Kyle teased me.


    Now that he had pointed it out, I guessed I did sound a little like a housewife sending her husband off to work in the morning.


    ¡°Stop teasing me. You should head to work now,¡± I said as I tried to hide my shyness.


    ¡°Take care of yourself, Rina,¡± Kyle said and I could feel the care that he felt for me.


    I waved my hand at him until he exited the room and the door closed firmly behind him. Noticing that I hardly had any time to spare, I quickly gathered myself and began preparing to go to work.


    ...


    Since I didn¡¯t make it home the night before, I discovered with dread that my mother had left many miscalls on my mobile. While on my way to work, I decided to give her a call. This had never really happened before, so I bet that she was super worried about me. I didn¡¯t quite have an excuse prepared when my mother answered the call.


    ¡°Rina?¡± my mother said questioningly through the phone.


    She sounded so worried but relief at the same time.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for disappearing on you. Thepany had an eventst night for new recruits and it ended veryte so I decided to stay over at my friend¡¯s ce,¡± I quickly exined.


    I hated lying to my mother but technically it wasn¡¯t that far from theplete truth. It just didn¡¯t seem necessary for me to tell her that I ended up having sex with a colleague.


    ¡°You should have called. I was so worried about you, you know? I¡¯m d that you¡¯re fine,¡± my mother replied and relief flooded her voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, mum. I¡¯ll see youter tonight when I get home, ok? Sorry but I have to hang up now, I need to work...¡± I said apologetically.


    ¡°Alright then, see you...¡± my mother replied before the line disconnected.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 22

    22 Chasing My Dream


    This was my first official day at work in the designs department. As instructed, I headed to my department and met my mentor there. The stern-lookingdy was waiting for me, and I could tell that she was quite senior in thepany. She led me to the boss¡¯s room to introduce me to my boss. She was the head of my department and also someone that I looked up to very much after having seen many of her work in public and reading many interviews that she gave online and in business journals.


    ¡°Hello, my name is Lauren and I am the head of the design department here at Jessens and Hill¡¯s. It¡¯s a pleasure to have you here with us,¡± my boss said.


    I looked up at thedy who smiled politely at me in awe. I respected her and revered her talent. Apart from thatmercial that changed my life, she is another main reason why I wanted to join thispany. I smiled in return as I thought about how much closer I had gotten to the start of realizing my dreams. From today on, I will get to work with Lauren.


    ¡°I¡¯m Karina Miller. It¡¯s nice to meet you too. Thank you for having me. I look forward to working here,¡± I replied politely.


    She nodded her head in acknowledgement. Before signaling for the older woman to take me to my seat. There was an empty desk and chair prearranged for me. After settling in, I introduced myself to my new colleagues. Two employees were selected to act as my buddies. One was a woman with light blonde hair and very long eyshes.


    ¡°Hi. My name is Katie. It¡¯s nice to meet you. I¡¯ll be your buddy from today. If you have any questions, don¡¯t hesitate to ask me, I¡¯ll help you out,¡± Katie said as she smiled at me.


    I could sense that she was very friendly, and I hoped that we would get along.


    ¡°I¡¯m Karina. It¡¯s nice to meet you too. I look forward to working with you,¡± I replied politely with a friendly smile.


    ¡°My name is Dan. I¡¯ve been here for almost five years now, so if you need any help, don¡¯t hesitate to ask me. I look forward to working with you,¡± Dan said politely.


    .....


    My other buddy who seemed more senior than Katie, introduced himself. He was a tall and thin man with brown hair and a very wide smile. I could feel their genuine generosity to help me out at work, and I felt extremely thankful to have such supportive colleagues.


    ¡°Let me walk you through what we do here at the design department. Although, you¡¯ve probably heard as part of the job description already of what we do, I¡¯d still like to walk you through just to show you the ropes. Well then, if you¡¯ll just head this way,¡± Dan said as he led the way to a small meeting room.


    Katie followed after us. After setting up hisputer, Dan shed some slides on the presentation screen.


    ¡°Here at the design department, we focus mainly on the storyline of advertisements based on the demands of our clients. The process starts out with pitching to our potential client. Ourpany will receive requests from clients such as the scope of what they want their advertisement to be about, their products, so on and so forth. Then, based on the scope outlined by the client, we as the design department, woulde up with storylines and storyboards that we would pitch to the client. Our ideas of what the advertisement should be like,¡± Dan exined.


    ¡°Of course, we are very active in the design of the storyboard, and we are also active in the presentation to the client. If ourpany and our idea is selected for the advertisement, then we would work with the production and the nning team in order to n the production of the advertising. We would also get involved with the execution of the production to make sure that it matches with what we had in mind when we designed the storyboard and the storyline,¡± Katie chimed in.


    Dan continued exining each phase in more detail as he pointed to the associated elements on the presentation slides. Katie sat silently by my side as she also listened in to Dan¡¯s presentation. Frankly, what he described was like a dreame true for me. It was all that I ever wanted to do as my job. Using my creativity and imagination to bring a storyline to life in an advertisement. It was what I had always wanted to do after seeing thatmercial on that fateful day. I wanted people to feel the emotions and the underlying messages in the advertisement that I had designed.


    ¡°Do you have any questions?¡± Dan asked after he had finished exining everything.


    ¡°No questions at all. It¡¯s very clear. Thank you so much, Dan,¡± I replied honestly.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Then let me show you around the office a little more. And I¡¯ll also introduce you to other team members,¡± Katie suggested enthusiastically as she got up from her seat.


    I didn¡¯t get my first project assigned to me on that day, so I spent a lot of time just shadowing Katie and Dan to see what they were doing as part of their daily work. When lunchtime arrived, we went out for lunch together at the cafeteria in the building. Dan had a meeting in the afternoon, and I was allowed to sit in and observe. After that, Dan prepared edits to the storyline based on his client¡¯s feedback. He was working on an advertisement for a chain of fitness gyms.


    ¡°The client told me that they wanted to add a bit more of a healthy angle to the whole storyline, so here I¡¯m adjusting to put in the other services that they provide such as nutritional advice and programs,¡± Dan exined to me, as he pointed to the storyboard, that he had on hisputer.


    ¡°Do you have a meeting with your clients soon?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, the meeting ising up next week. That¡¯s why we¡¯re working so hard. If I could just get the storyboard approved by the client, then we can move on to more in-depth design, nning, and then production,¡± he exined.


    ¡°Good luck. I¡¯m sure that you can do it,¡± I said encouragingly.


    Dan turned to smile at me and nodded.


    ¡°Would you like to join the client meeting next week? If you are still free?¡± he offered.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯m sure that I¡¯ll learn a lot from it,¡± I said, feeling thankful.


    I continued observing Dan working for the rest of the day. He was kind enough to pause here and there to exin to me what he was doing and the importance of what he was doing. Towards the end of the workday, I got a message from Kyle.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 23

    23 Secret Date


    ¡®Are you heading home now?¡¯ read the text.


    My heart skipped a beat when I saw that I had received a text from him. I have been so busy with my work on the first day and so focused that I didn¡¯t realize that we haven¡¯tmunicated since this morning.


    ¡®I just got off work¡¯ I texted back.


    I took the elevator down to the lobby of the building. And just when I arrived on the first floor, my phone started vibrating in the pocket of my suit. I took it out and found that Kyle was calling.


    ¡°Hi Kyle,¡± I said once the line connected.


    ¡°Where are you right now?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m at the office lobby,¡± I replied.


    ¡°I¡¯ll meet you there soon,¡± Kyle said before hanging up.


    I was slightly confused at his sudden appointment, but I was d to meet him, nheless. I could feel my heart beating slightly faster in anticipation of meeting him. After a short while, I spotted Kyle walking out from an elevator. I waved at him to make sure that he saw me. There wasn¡¯t anything for me to worry about on that front because he saw me immediately and approached me.


    .....


    ¡°Sorry, I got off work a littleter,¡± Kyle said apologetically.


    I didn¡¯t see why he had to apologize at all.


    ¡°Are you going to go home now?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°I¡¯m quite free,¡± he replied.


    ¡°I see,¡± I said a little softly.


    ¡°Do you want to go out for dinner?¡± he asked before he showed me a hopeful smile.


    I was personally surprised by his sudden invitation and then I felt like it was me who was acting strangely. I guess it¡¯s normal for my boyfriend to ask me out for dinner, except for the fact that we¡¯re not supposed to be dating and that we were supposed to keep our newly formed rtionship with secret. Overall, I wasn¡¯t yet used to fact that we had started dating. It just seemed too good to be true.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure...¡± I murmured as I looked around nervously.


    Kyle caught on immediately that I was worrying about the ¡®no dating¡¯ rule in ourpany.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we can eat somewhere far from the office so that we don¡¯t run into any of our colleagues,¡± Kyle suggested reassuringly.


    I nodded my head slowly at him. Leaving together from thepany might look suspicious to the other people too, so we decided on a restaurant and a time and then agreed to meet there. Kyle picked a very casual restaurant that was quite far from the office, and I met him there around 40 minutester. When I arrived, Kyle was already seated at the table. He waved at me once I walked in through the door. After ordering our food, Kyle got down to business immediately.


    ¡°I actually invited you out here to discuss about ns for Saturday,¡± he said, getting directly to the point.


    My eyebrows shot up in wonder.


    ¡°You want to meet me on Saturday?¡± I asked, unable to hide the curiosity in my voice.


    ¡°Yes, if you¡¯re free. I thought I could help you pick out an apartment,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Oh, that would be great,¡± I said excitedly.


    ¡°I actually took the liberty to contact a couple of real estate agents and they came up with a couple of options based on your requirements and also your budget,¡± he said before grinning at him.


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s amazing,¡± I said, truly impressed.


    ¡°Here this is the list you can take a look if you¡¯d like,¡± Kyle said as he slid over some papers across the table towards me. I thanked him before picking up the papers and looking through it. There were more than 10 properties on the list. Each with detailed description, location, photographs and rent rates.


    ¡°Wow, this is so detailed¡± Iplemented.


    ¡°I suggest you pick a couple of ces that you¡¯re interested in, and we can go check it out together on Saturday. I have a car so I can drive you around,¡± Kyle suggested helpfully.


    He was right. It would be a lot more convenient for me to travel around these ces if I had a car.


    ¡°Which ces would you pick if you had to choose?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see. I will go with this one because it¡¯s close to a subway station. The rent is a little higher than other ces, but I think the location is worth it. Then also this one, because it¡¯s also close to a bus stop and a grocery store. This one as well has convenient location, although it¡¯s a little pricey,¡± Kyle said as he made a thoughtful face.


    I followed his finger as he pointed out the options that he mentioned. After reading the description and looking at the photos of the options that he had preselected, I nodded my head in agreement. These do look like very sensible options.


    ¡°Let¡¯s check them out together on Saturday. Thank you so much for doing all of this for me. I really do appreciate it,¡± I said before smiling sweetly at him.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem at all,¡± Kyle said with a warm smile.


    I had to acknowledge once again just how kind and caring Kyle was. We had just started dating and he was already doing so much to help me out. After that, we discussed ns for our Saturday. Then I told him that I would rather go home a little early today since I didn¡¯t go homest night. Honestly, I was slightly worried about my mother, and I felt more than a little guilty. Kyle offered to cover for the food, but I refused.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to pay for it. I¡¯ll pay for my share,¡± I offered.


    ¡°You¡¯re my girlfriend now, and this is sort of like a date. So let me cover it,¡± Kyle countered with his own logic.


    I felt a little ufortable, but in the end, I decided to let him take the bill. I can¡¯t even begin to exin how lucky I felt that I had a boyfriend like Kyle, although our rtionships just started, I felt like he was the right man for me. After paying, Kyle took my hand and led me to the front of the restaurant.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 24

    24 Productive Weekend


    ¡°Should I walk you to the closest station? Is not far from here,¡± he offered.


    ¡°That would be nice,¡± I replied with a smile.


    I love the feel of my hand in his as we walked side-by-side. I enjoyed hispany and was conscious of the way that he was holding my hand. We shared small talk and every time he would turn to smile at me, my heart would skip a beat. I was so in love with his smile and probably everything else about him.


    ¡°Thank you for walking me here,¡± I said sweetly when we arrived at the station.


    ¡°Have a safe trip back home,¡± Kyle said before cing arge hand on top of my head.


    That gentle gesture put a smile to my lips, and I felt my heart skipped a beat again. He really knows how to get to my heart. After smiling at him, I boarded the train and was on my way home. I waved to him through the window, and he waved back until I couldn¡¯t see him anymore.


    ...


    Saturday arrived in a blink of an eye. After two days of orientation and three days of working at the design department, the weekends have finally arrived. I was so excited about my first weekend date with Kyle that I couldn¡¯t catch a wink of sleep the night before. I spent almost the whole night tossing and turning in bed and thinking about what outfit I should wear for tomorrow. Although we were just going to visit some apartments to help me pick a new ce for myself, I couldn¡¯t help but look forward to our day tomorrow.


    I hoped that the apartments that we will be visiting would be what I was looking for, and that I¡¯ll end up with a rent contract in my hands by the end of tomorrow. My mother was right,muting from home to work became a challenge. After a week of doing that, I was undoubtedly tired of travelling back and forth across long distances. I guess moving out as soon as possible is probably the right option after all.


    .....


    After a long while tossing and turning in bed, I finally fell asleep. The sound of the rm the next morning woke me up and I bolted upright in bed. Unlike other the mornings where I wouldze around in bed before getting up, I got out of bed immediately and headed for the shower. After that, I rummaged through my closet trying to find the right outfit.


    I thought that I had envisioned the right outfit that I would wear todayst night. But when I tried it out, it just didn¡¯t look right. Maybe this skirt is a little too short. Maybe this shirt makes my chest look t. I tried on a couple of outfits and in the end settled with a dress. It was a light pink dress with flowery patterns. I thought it looked cute and wasn¡¯t too revealing.


    After applying some makeup, I nced at my watch and found out that I should leave right now. If I didn¡¯t leave now, I risked runningte and I didn¡¯t want Kyle to wait. After rushing to get on the train, I somehow managed to arrive at our appointment ce in time. When I arrived at the train station, Kyle was already waiting for me.


    ¡°Did you wait long?¡± I asked breathlessly.


    ¡°Not at all. Actually, I just got here,¡± he replied calmly with a smile.


    I could feel his eyes looking up and down my body, and I hoped that he liked what he was seeing.


    ¡°My car is parked this way,¡± he said invitingly.


    I nced down as I felt something warm epass my hand and found that he had held my hand in his. He smiled at me, and I smiled back as I let him lead me to where he had parked his car. Our first stop was at a real estate agency that Kyle had chosen. When we arrived, we were greeted by a middle-aged man who was supposed to take us to see the apartments that we were interested in.


    ¡°Wee to our agency. So today we¡¯ll be visiting these three ces and hopefully you¡¯ll like one of them,¡± he greeted us with a pleasant smile.


    The three ces that Kyle had helped me shortlist during our dinner were where we were headed today. Just like the man had just said, I hoped that I would like one of them so that I didn¡¯t have to waste more time searching for amodations.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go then, Kyle,¡± I said enthusiastically.


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s,¡± Kyle readily agreed.


    The first apartment that we visited was in a pretty modern building. It was conveniently located close to a subway station and a grocery store as well. However, the room was a little on the small side, but the convenient location probably ovepensated for that.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Kyle asked.


    ¡°I like it. It¡¯s simple and clean. The location is works well too,¡± I replied as I looked around the room.


    ¡°The balcony should let in a lot of sunlight and and air flow,¡± Kyle added.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go see the second apartment,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go,¡± Kyle readily agreed.


    The second apartment building wasn¡¯t that far away from the forest. The location of the second apartment was also great, but it was a walk farther from the closest subway station. Topensate for that, the building was newer and looked cleaner. The room was also slightly bigger. However, the rent was a little higher.


    ¡°Do you like this ce?¡± Kyle asked.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s fine. What do you think?¡± I asked for his opinion.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s going to be living here,¡± he reminded me with a smallugh.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right about that...¡± I mumbled as I looked around the room.


    The room was clean, and it had all the basics. Honestly, I didn¡¯t have a clear preference between the first and the second option.


    ¡°Maybe we should go see the third option now,¡± Kyle suggested.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 25

    25 Kiss Me in the Dark


    I nodded at him in agreement, and we were on our way to the third apartment. The third apartment was probably the best out of all the three options. It was located close to the subway station and had multiple restaurants and grocery stores around it. The building was quite new as it had recently been renovated. Room was slightlyrger than the other two options. The only problem was that the rent of this third apartment was the highest among the three options.


    It was still within my budget but I wondered if I should be saving money for something else other than amodation.


    ¡°Do you like this ce, Kyle?¡± I asked as I wondered what he thought.


    ¡°I like it, but it¡¯s the most expensive option out of all the three,¡± Kyle replied and his thought matched mine perfectly.


    Let me see if I can negotiate with thendlord to bring the rent down a little bit,¡± the man from the agency quickly suggested.


    My eyes widened at his suggestion. If he could help bring the price down a little bit, I think the third option would be what I would go with. I like therge balcony of the room and how the air seemed to flow in. I also liked how the natural light came in as well and it should help save up on lighting.


    ¡°Thank you so much for that. If you could let me know the new rent rate, then I can make my decision,¡± I informed the agent.


    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll be in contact,¡± he replied with a smile.


    ¡°Thank you so much for your time today. So sorry we had to take up your weekend,¡± I said apologetically.


    .....


    ¡°No worries. I always work on Saturdays,¡± he replied casually.


    With that, our tour of the three apartments was over.


    ¡°What should we do next?¡± Kyle asked after we got into his car.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. We do have some spare time before dinner. Is there something or somewhere that you would like to go?¡± I asked.


    I honestly didn¡¯t have anything in mind. It also wasn¡¯t often that I came to the city on my day off so I didn¡¯t quite know what to do. Kyle, who was clearly the city boy, probably had better ideas, so I left it up to him to decide.


    ¡°I¡¯m not very good with dates¡±, he confessed a little timidly.


    ¡°Seriously?!¡± I asked in surprise.


    Kyle looks like ady¡¯s boy. He was very attractive, so I had assumed that he must have had many girlfriends. Perhaps that was the case but he was too shy to admit it.


    ¡°What about a movie?¡± He suggested after a while of thought.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s a great idea, although I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re showing right now,¡± I replied.


    ¡°We can choose together when we get there,¡± Kyle suggested brightly.


    ¡°Where are we going for the movie?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I was thinking of taking you to a mall close by...¡± Kyle replied with his eyes on the road ahead.


    ¡°That sounds great. I haven¡¯t been to a mall in forever,¡± I replied honestly.


    Kyle was right that the mall was nearby. It was only a short 5 minutes¡¯ drive from where we were to the mall. To my surprise, the cinema wasn¡¯t crowded when we arrived. We studied the movie options avable and the showtime on the screen as we stood side-by-side in front of it.


    ¡°What sort of movies do you like?¡± Kyle asked with interest.


    I could feel his eyes on my face. Honestly, I didn¡¯t have a lot of time to watch movies, so I wasn¡¯t sure what type of movies that I liked. Probably something lighthearted like a romance or aedy.


    ¡°I like something lighthearted. Perhaps, like a romance oredy, or abination of both. What about you?¡± I asked, curious to know more about him.


    ¡°I like action movie,¡± he replied without hesitation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind action movies. I just don¡¯t think I could handle thrillers,¡± I said before turning my attention back to the showtimes on the screen.


    ¡°So, what should we go for today?¡± Kyle asked.


    ¡°Good question. What about this one?¡± I suggested as a pointed a finger at a movie¡¯s name.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s a goodpromise between action and romance,¡± Kyle replied with a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s settled then,¡± I said enthusiastically.


    After buying our tickets, we headed to the movie theater. Either the movie wasn¡¯t very popr or people had other things to do on a Saturday because not a lot of people were in the theater with us when the movie started.


    The lights in the theatre dimmed down even further when the movie started and suddenly, it got darker. I could feel Kyle sitting next to me as our arm pressed against each other. He held my hand in his as we enjoyed the movie together. For some reason, I started feeling slightly nervous and I was increasingly aware of his presence close to me. The movie was a good mix of action and love scenes. The sound during the action part was quite loud as the movie tried to show off its sound effects.


    I nced over at Kyle and saw that his eyes were glued on the movie screen. It was great that he was enjoying the movie. The movie wasn¡¯t bad at all, and I started to enjoy it too. After a while of watching the movie together, I could feel Kyle¡¯s hand tightening around mine as heced his fingers with mine. I turned my face to look at him and found him staring at me. My heart skipped a beat before he leaned in and ced a firm kiss on my cheek.


    ¡°Kyle...¡± I whispered his name.


    His face came closer to mine, and it wasn¡¯t long before his lips were on mine. I could feel the heat from his soft lips pressing firmly against my own as he began kissing me. His kiss was undemanding at first; however, the kiss soon turned hot and aggressive. He pulled me into a hug, and I could feel his arm around my waist. His palm pressed up tightly against the small of my back as he pushed me closer against him.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 26

    26 Pleasure from His Fingers


    Our kiss deepened when his tongue thrusted deeply inside my eagerly awaiting mouth. He tasted me as his tongue mingled with mine in a passionate dance. My body started responding to his seductive caresses and actions. He changed the angle of our kiss a couple of times, each time deepening our kiss. He was such a good kisser and I found myself wanting even more of him. His hand slide down from my waist to caress the side of my hip before stroking its way down even further to my thighs.


    I moaned into our heated kiss as our tongue continued to grind hungrily against each other. His other hand cupped my breast over my clothes, and I let out another soft moan of pleasure. My body felt hot with need as desire clouded my brain. I no longer paid any attention to the movie as my attention shifted to the pleasure that Kyle was making me experience.


    ¡°Kyle...maybe we should...stop¡± I whimpered weakly when he finally broke our heated kiss.


    ¡°Shhh...let me y with you some more,¡± Kyle said lustily as his hand began squeezing and kneading my breast.


    It felt so good. He was being a little rough, but I loved how he stimted my breasts and nipples through my clothes. I threw my head back and moaned while feeling thankful for the loud sound effects of the movie. While his hand continued pumping my breasts in turn, his other hand stroked my thighs until my legs felt weak from the pleasure. He kissed my lips again as his hand slipped under the hem of my dress. The heat of his hand against my thigh felt so good and I was eagerly anticipating what was toe next as his hand slowly slid up the inside of my thighs teasingly.


    ¡°Spread your legs...¡± Kyle whispered seductively in my ears.


    His hand nudged my thighs apart as he urged for me to spread my legs for him. I knew that he wanted but I felt slightly embarrassed. I have never done anything like this in public before. Although it was dark and no one could see us clearly, I was still very conscious that we were inside a movie theatre. There weren¡¯t many people around but there were still people. His exploring hand stroked its way up my inner thighs until I felt the pressure of his hand against my crotch.


    My core throbbed with heat, and I knew that I was already wet down there. Kyle pressed his hand skillfully against my love opening through the thin fabric of my panties. My body reacted so strongly to him, and I felt my legs loosening. It wasn¡¯t long before I was willingly parting my legs to wee his touch. I wanted him to touch me more and pleasure my throbbing pussy.


    ¡°You¡¯re so wet. Your panties arepletely soaked here...¡± he whispered teasingly into my ear.


    .....


    His dirty and naughty words filled my senses and turned me on even more than before. His fingers began stroking my wet opening through my panties and I moaned louder in response. He hasn¡¯t touched me directly yet, but it already felt so good. I couldn¡¯t wait for him to touch me there.


    ¡°Ahhh...Kyle...¡± I moaned and whimpered his name.


    ¡°Does doing it in public excite you?¡± he asked seductively.


    I bit my lower lip to stifle my moans of pleasure as I felt his fingers pulling the thin fabric that was covering my sopping wet love hole to the side. I felt the air in the theatre against my wet pussy before it was quickly reced by the heat of his fingers.


    ¡°Ahhh...yes...¡± I moaned from the intense pleasure of his fingers stroking my wet slit.


    His fingers skillfully stroked up and down my wet opening. It felt so good that my hips had started thrusting up and down against his fingers. Although I tried to bite on my lower lip, I couldn¡¯t keep my moans of ecstasy from growing louder and louder.


    ¡°Shh...keep your voice down. You don¡¯t want anyone to see us doing this, right?¡± Kyle whispered into my ear.


    I couldn¡¯t tell if he was being serious or if he was just teasing me for the fun of it. Kyle made matters worse for me by nibbling on my earlobe before licking my ear. He kissed and sucked on my ear before inserting the tip of his tongue into my ear. It tickled but it felt so good. The dirty sound of his sucking and kisses filed my senses as his fingers began stroking me faster down there. His fingers found my swollen clit and began stimting it in circr motions. I cried out his name as my hips moved up and down in abandon, grinding my clit against his fingers.


    ¡°Ahh...Oh...Ahh...¡± I moaned before I had to ce my hand over my mouth to shut myself up.


    Kyle pinched the little nub in between my legs a few times before rolling it in between his fingertips. My core grew hotter in desire, and I felt a gush of hot wetness spurting out from the hole in between my legs. My pussy was getting wetter and wetter as my love juices poured out non-stop.


    ¡°You¡¯re wetting my fingers. Do you want me to fuck you with my fingers?¡± Kyle offered knowingly.


    I didn¡¯t have to reply to him. In the next instant, Kyle screwed two fingers deeply into my sopping wet hole. I screamed into my hand as I closed my eyes tightly. His thick and long fingers stretched my love opening. It felt so good to be stretched and filled. Sensing that I had adjusted to his fingers, Kyle began thrusting his fingers in and out of my hole.


    Just like he had offered, Kyle was fucking my cunt with his fingers. It felt mind-blowingly good. My pussy clenched and spasmed wildly around his fingers as it tried to suck his fingers in even deeper. Kyle moved his fingers in and out of my hole, always thrusting it back at a slightly different angle. It felt so good that I felt like I was about to lose my mind. My hips rocked in rhythm to his fingers pumping fast and deep into my wet hole.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 27

    27 Unstoppable Lust


    His fingers quickly found the pleasure spot deep inside of my hole and started thrusting against it. I could feel my orgasm fast approaching as he brought me closer and closer to my climax. My body writhed from the pleasure. His other hand spread my legs even further apart before I felt his fingers on my swollen and sensitive clit again.


    I moaned louder at the double pleasure that he was feeding me. His fingers continued to pound into my wet hole while his other hand yed with my swollen clit. The pleasure was getting too much for me to take. He¡¯s going to make me cum...


    ¡°Kyle...oh...I can¡¯t...anymore...¡± I whimpered as I began to lose myself.


    I was already oblivious to where we were as my mind and body focused on the pleasure and lust that he was making me feel.


    ¡°Just let go...just cum, Rina,¡± Kyle coaxed into my ear gently.


    His lips covered mine, capturing my cries of ecstasy as my climax imed me. My entire body trembled from the impact of my own orgasm. That felt so good.


    ¡°Should we go back to my ce?¡± he whispered seductively close to my ear.


    It was so unfair of him to invite me over now. He made me crave for him and he knew that I couldn¡¯t wait to have more of him.


    ¡°Ok...¡± I replied as I blushed madly in the darkness of the movie theatre.


    .....


    I quickly adjusted my clothes in the dark before Kyle offered me his hand and pulled me up from my seat. My pussy was still wet and throbbing from his stimtions as he led me out of the movie theatre. We left in the middle of the movie as we hurried back to continue where we left off at Kyle¡¯s ce.


    The ride back to Kyle¡¯s ce felt torturously long. I wasn¡¯t even sure if his ce was even that far away from the mall but our desire to have each other made the ride feel extra-long and painful. Kyle leaned over and ced hisrge hand behind my head before his lips captured mine in a long and passionate kiss. His tongue quickly entering my mouth to taste me. I knew that he was close to his limit as well and we found it hard to keep our hands to ourselves all along the duration of the drive.


    ...


    The door to Kyle¡¯s ce opened and closed with a m when we finally arrived. Without waiting any further, Kyle¡¯s lips crushed mine in a passionate kiss as his arms wrapped themselves around my body and pulled me close against him. I could feel the heat and hardness of his muscr body against my own as I started to melt from his seductive kiss. My desire for him intensified as he continued to grind his tongue against mine.


    ¡°Come here...¡± Kyle ordered in a voice thick with lust as he grabbed my hand.


    Impatiently, he led me towards his sofa, and I knew that we wouldn¡¯t make it to his bedroom at this rate. He pushed me down gently onto his sofa before taking a step back. I turned around to see him tugging impatiently at his belt as he unbuckled it. Then his hands were on his zipper before he quickly freed his engorged manhood from his pants. His thick and erect cock stood up proudly in between his legs and I knew that he couldn¡¯t wait to thrust his hot rod inside of me. My body grew hotter at the thought of taking that massive pole inside of me.


    ¡°Grab the sofa and bend over,¡± Kylemanded.


    Quickly, I arranged my body into the position that he wanted. I knew that he wanted to take me from behind and I wanted him to do that as well. I grabbed the back of the sofa with my hands as I got on my knees and thrusted my ass backwards towards him.


    His hands were automatically on my dress, yanking it up to expose my ass to him before pulling down my panties. Kyle was immediately behind me and then I felt the heat of his thick cock at my love opening. He fitted he swollen head of his massive cock at my wet entrance. I sucked in a deep breath and held it as I braced myself for the impact of his rough entry.


    Kyle let out an animalistic groan before he thrusted his thick shaft forcefully into my wet love hole. His cock was much thicker and longer than his fingers and I felt my hole stretching to amodate his shape and size. He filled me as he drove his cock deeper and deeper into my love tunnel. My pussy clenched around his length as I felt his heat stimte the inner walls of my pussy. It feels so good...


    I closed my eyes and moaned in delight. Kyle couldn¡¯t wait any longer and reared his hips backwards. His cock slid along the walls of my pussy as his cock withdrew from my hole just to pound into me again and again. Faster and harder than even before. His cock reached deeper into my cunt until it hit my womb. I cried out at the mix of pain and pleasure. His cock felt hotter, and I knew that he had gotten even bigger inside of me.


    ¡°It¡¯s so tight...your pussy is clenching so hard on my cock...¡± Kyle groaned.


    I was so turned on that all I could do was scream as we continued to pump his enormous cock into me. His hips pped against mine as his hand held the sides of my hips tighter. His cock stirred my wetness as he continued pounding his member in and out of my hole. My pussy spasmed around his cock as he hit my womb over and over again. Each thrust felt deeper than the previous one, and I wondered if his cock had gotten bigger and longer inside of me again.


    Loud moans and cries of pleasure escaped my lips as Kyle gave it to me harder and faster. My pussy was very sensitive from having climaxed once before and it didn¡¯t take long for me to feel another orgasm creeping up on me. My pussy got wetter and wet lewd sounds erupted from where his cock was beating into my wet hole.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 28

    28 Not Built to Last


    ¡°I¡¯m cumming! Ahhhh!¡± I cried out when my climax suddenly arrived.


    I cried so loudly that I was ashamed of myck of control as my orgasm imed my mind and took over my body. My pussy spasmed wildly around his cock as my entire body trembled. Kyle¡¯s cock pounded into my hole faster and I knew that he was close to his release as well. His groans of pleasure got louder as he raced towards his own release.


    ¡°Rina! Oh...yeah...your pussy feels so good...¡± he groaned.


    After a few forceful thrusts, I felt his body still behind me a moment before his hot release shot deep inside of me. He came inside of me in waves as he nted his seed inside of my love hole. He moaned and I whimpered as he continued to fill me up deep inside. The heat of his release filled my lower


    ...


    **Back to the present**


    The cold wind blew harshly against my face, fluttering my long hair around my face. I didn¡¯t know why Kyle wanted to meet me so suddenly like this. A little before lunch break, I got a text from him to meet him on the rooftop of our office building. It was unusual for him to ask to meet me close to the office, let alone at the office itself, since dating between employees is strictly prohibited in ourpany.


    The punishment for dating in the office was harsh and simple: Immediate job termination. I wasn¡¯t sure who came up with this rule, but this long-standing rule is known to be absolute leading to zero romantic rtionship in the office. Well, at least publicly known romantic rtionships were non-existence.


    Kyle and I have been secretly dating for over two years now. We first met each other in the orientation for new staff at Jessens & Hill¡¯spany, thergest multimedia productionpany in this country. Although we were joining different departments, we met during a group activity and hit it off right away.


    .....


    Kyle is kind, friendly and very handsome with his blond hair and striking light blue eyes. It was love at first sight for both of us as we noticed our chemistry for each other right away. Within days, we kept in touch and went on dates. From there things moved quite fast and we were officially a couple within a few days of meeting.


    I loved everything about Kyle especially his supportive nature and how open and kind he is towards me. My closest friends adore him and envies me for being able to snatch up such a good catch like him. Kyle was also a good cook, and he was outstandingly amazing in bed. This is something I found out on our first date when we went directly to a hotel to spend a passionate night together after having a few drinks. Our attraction to each other was that strong, we couldn¡¯t wait to test each other out in bed.


    ...


    That was around two years ago. I smiled as I thought back on the first night we spent together. The first of the many wild nights that were to follow. It¡¯s been more than two years now since we¡¯ve been dating, and I still get the butterflies when I¡¯m with him. I work in the design department while Kyle works in nning. Our department gets to work with each other sometimes but so far, to our relief, we have never been staffed on the same team.


    Looking down at my phone screen at the message he sent, I wonder what he wanted to talk about so urgently that we needed to meet here during our lunch break. No need to overthink things though, Kyle should be here any moment now.


    ¡°Rina...¡± I heard Kyle¡¯s familiar voice call my name and I immediately turned around to face him.


    ¡°Kyle...it¡¯s unusual for you to call me out here,¡± I greeted him, showing my surprise.


    ¡°It¡¯s cold so...I¡¯ll make this quick,¡± Kyle began before pausing as if considering his words.


    ¡°Ok...¡± I said with a bit of confusion.


    ¡°Rina...let¡¯s break up,¡± Kyle said in a soft voice that I almost didn¡¯t catch what he said.


    I didn¡¯t just hear what I just heard, did I?


    ¡°...What?¡± I replied nkly in shock.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Rina. I think we should end our rtionship here,¡± Kyle said as he gently took my hand in his.


    ¡°What? Why?¡± I asked in shock.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Rina,¡± Kyle repeated his apology but didn¡¯t answer any of my questions.


    ¡°If there¡¯s something that you want me to fix, I would dly do it. Please, Kyle,¡± I said truthfully, my voice shaking as tears threatened to fall from my eyes. I didn¡¯t want to cry...not right now in front of Kyle.


    Kyle went silent and I could tell that his decision was firm. For some reason, Kyle wanted to break up with me. I surely did not see thising. At all.


    ¡°Ok...¡± I whispered in defeat. If he truly wanted to end this, there was nothing more I could do or say.


    I nodded at him and pretended that I was fine. However, my face felt numb, and it took all that I had to keep myself from breaking down right then and there. I wish that he would just walk away now that he was done saying what he wanted to say. I just want to be left alone right now.


    ¡°Thank you for everything...let¡¯s keep in touch,¡± Kyle said vaguely.


    Such nice and pretty words but with no real intention behind them. He didn¡¯t want to keep in touch, and to be honest, neither did I. Hanging around my ex was not really my thing and I never believed in a friendship after a breakup either. At least, that sort of rtionship never worked out for me.


    ¡°Yeah...¡± I also replied vaguely while wishing with all my heart that he would just shut up and leave. The wind that was howling all around me suddenly felt a hundred times colder than before. Although he was standing directly in front of me, I have never felt so alone as I did in that moment.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 29

    29 The Devil¡¯s Kiss


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you around,¡± Kyle mumbled as he turned to walk away.


    He didn¡¯t turn around to look back at me at all and I was d that he didn¡¯t because I didn¡¯t want him to see the tears that were now slowly trickling down my face. I watched him leave in silence as the world around me started crumbling down. Of course, I was the only one who heard the loud crashing sound of my world breaking apart.


    I looked up at the bleak sky and realized that it had started to snow. Who would have thought that the first snow of the season which I always found so beautiful could make me feel so lonely and empty inside like this. Unclenching my hands, I watched as small snowkes fell down onto my cold palms. If Kyle was still with me, we would be watching the first snow of the season together arm in arm. I bit my lower lip as I continued to sob and cry.


    I honestly thought what I shared with Kyle was something special. However, it was clear that I was so wrong about us. Being the fool that I was, I even went as far as to dream of marrying him and starting a family together. I sigh out loud as I leaned on the railing of the rooftop. Look at the precious two years of my young adult life going to waste...


    ¡°Fifteen minutes,¡±


    What?!


    I slowly turned my head to look in shock. There standing not far from me was Ace Hill, the direct descendant of thispany¡¯s founder and current CEO. How long has he been standing there? Howe I didn¡¯t feel his presence at all?


    Oh...no...did he overhear what just happened between Kyle and I?


    Shit...I¡¯m still crying. Did he see me crying?


    .....


    So many questions raced through my mind in that moment as I quickly turned away from him and wiped my tears away in embarrassment. This is not good...of all the people that I had to meet at his moment, I had to meet the Devil CEO.


    If this doesn¡¯t go well, I won¡¯t be losing just by boyfriend today; I¡¯ll lose my job as well. What a day this is turning out to be for me...


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± I said nkly. I didn¡¯t know what else to say and I didn¡¯t get his greeting, if it was even supposed to be a greeting, at all.


    ¡°Fifteen minutes. That¡¯s the time you have left to gather yourself back together before your lunch break is over. Then it¡¯s back to work for you,¡± Ace stated tly.


    Back to work? Which means that I still have my job?


    If he overheard what had urred between Kyle and I, he did notment on it. Perhaps this Devil CEO did have a streak of rare kindness after all. My luck has notpletely run out yet...or so I thought at that time.


    ¡°Thank you, Sir...¡± I replied softly before bowing a little before turning to leave. I must get off this roof top as soon as possible. Being alone with Ace is so scary and so awkward. His presence is just too intimidating.


    Just as I turned to leave, I felt a firm grip on my wrist pulling my body back. My body spun around with the force of his pull, and I twirled right into Ace¡¯s hard chest. Oh wow...I always thought he was tall but now that I was standing so close to him that our bodies were touching, I realized that he was much taller than I had previously thought.


    Looking up timidly at his face, I saw him staring down at me with an amused look. For a moment, I didn¡¯t know how to process this unusual situation as I lost myself in his sexy hazy brown eyes. I felt my lips going dry as we silently stood there staring into each other¡¯s eyes with the white snow falling all around us.


    As if ensnared in a trap, my body felt weak, and I was unable to move. Even when the tip of his long and elegant finger lifted my chin up, tilting my face up towards his. Before, I could respond, his face came closer to mine until I felt his warm lips softly brushing against mine.


    His lips are so soft and warm, it¡¯s making me feel like I¡¯m melting inside. I let out a small moan when he increased the pressure of his lips on mine.


    No, wait! Ace is kissing me?!


    My eyes flew wide open in shock when I finally realized what was going on. This can¡¯t really be happening!


    I ced my hands on his chest as I tried to push him away. This just resulted in his arm wrapping around my waist to keep me from getting away from him. His body is so warm, and I could feel the hardness of his firm frame underneath his suit. I cursed at myself silently for noting on how attractive he is even in this situation.


    ¡°Wait...please...¡± I opened my lips slightly to protest against his demanding kiss.


    Instead of stopping, Ace used that opportunity to slip his hot and wet tongue inside my mouth. I moaned louder as his tongue teased my own. I was moaning loudly now, and the worst thing was that I wasn¡¯t sure if I was moaning in pleasure or in protest as our kiss deepened even further. His tongue teased and thrusted against mine while hisrge hand held my head in ce, preventing me from breaking away from his aggressive kiss.


    The heat and passion of his kiss reminded me of how he kissed me like this around two years ago. Memories of our kiss and of that day when we first met came flooding back into my brain like high tsunami waves. I didn¡¯t want to believe it, but after all this time, I still couldn¡¯t really forget about him. The feel of his seductive lips on mine reminded me of the few incidents when our paths ovepped.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 30

    30 Dealing with Aftershocks


    When he finally stopped kissing me, I was panting and out of breath. My whole body, especially my face felt hot, I was sure that I was blushing like mad. It was so embarrassing; I just wanted to run away and hide myself inside a small hole in the ground...forever...


    Let¡¯s not talk about the ¡®no dating in the office¡¯ policy, the big boss just kissed me in broad daylight.


    I loud p rang out, cutting through the silence around us. The slight sting on my palm made me realize that I had just pped my CEO¡¯s face. Time froze. I wasn¡¯t sure who was more shocked at what had just happened. I blinked rapidly in shock when I realized what I had just done.


    What do I do now? Do I apologize or do I just run out of here? I mean, I¡¯m not really the one at fault here. I stood there as I debated my options when Ace spoke up.


    ¡°Well, I guess I deserved that. Don¡¯te up here ever again. This is my space. If you do, you might have to pay with something more than a kiss next time,¡± Ace stated with a very satisfied grin.


    I didn¡¯t need a warning like that. I would nevere back up here, nor will I ever be alone with him ever again. He was way up there as the CEO, there wouldn¡¯t be any opportunities for me to interact directly with him in work anyways. Thankfully so.


    I need to get away from him...


    Without replying to him, I turned around and ran as fast as I could in my heels towards the rooftop exit and back inside the building. What happened just now both with Kyle and Ace was too much for me to handle and process. I just wanted to forget them both right now.


    ...


    .....


    I need to stay strong. No matter what happens, the show must go on...or so they say. In this case, the work must go on!


    There¡¯s still the second part of the workday left before I was free to go, and I had so much work to do. Wallowing in my grief needed to wait until I got off work. If I can¡¯t seed in my love life, at least I could try to seed in my career and my dream job.


    I had a few minutes left before I have to head to a meeting, and I decided to use that precious time to call up my best friend.


    ¡°Lily...¡± I began when she answered my call.


    ¡°Oh girl, you don¡¯t sound too good. What happened?¡± Lillian asked, catching on to my troubled mood immediately.


    ¡°A few bad things actually...can we go out drinking tonight? Let¡¯s invite Jen as well?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Sure thing, girl. A brand-new bar just opened up at that new luxury hotel. I saw the ads on it, and I really want to go. So, let¡¯s all go together, ok?¡± Lillian agreed gleefully.


    One of the things I loved so much about Lillian was her never ending positive energy and ability to cheer people up. This was something I really needed right now.


    ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s go!¡± I replied happily. Drinking the night away with my friends to forget my troubles would be the best way to end this shitty day.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll text you the address and time. I¡¯ll make the booking, you don¡¯t need to worry about a thing,¡± Lillian assured me in her cheerful voice.


    ¡°Thank you. I owe you one,¡± I thanked her truthfully. I don¡¯t know where I¡¯d be without my friends.


    ¡°Have to work now. Bye! See you!¡± Lillian said before hanging up.


    ...


    Work was finally over for me. It has been a long and emotionally painful day. Work was productive as always, which seemed to be the only thing going right for me right now. I hoped that meeting up with my friends would be the second thing to go right today. I looked around the office that was almost empty since most people have already left work. I did a bit of overtime again today just to wrap a couple of things up so that I was all set for tomorrow and perhaps so that I wouldn¡¯t risk running into Kyle on my way out of the office.


    ¡°My back hurts...¡± I mumbled to myself as I stretched in my chair at my work station.


    Turning my head to the side, I tried to stretch out my neck muscles before stretching my arms. My neck and shoulders felt so stiff from both the stress of work and the overall stress of this eventful day. I looked at the small digital clock on my desk which showed that I had under 30 minutes to meet with my friends at the designated ce. Perfect timing, I should be able to get there on time.


    I took out my pocket mirror and checked my own reflection. I didn¡¯t know that I walked through the office today looking so pale with big dark circles under my eyes. Well, I just got dumped and the CEO caught me dating a colleague. Not that I was dating him anymore since he just broke up with me. I didn¡¯t know which one was worst at the moment or which one I should deal with first. Getting some alcohol into my bloodstream might take priority right now.


    I hated my own reflection right now as it stared back at me. Now that I was single, I guess I couldn¡¯t go around looking like this. As they say, your true love could be anywhere so you should always look your best. I certainly didn¡¯t look by best right now; not that I believed that my true love would be waiting for me at the bar that I was heading to tonight.


    I grabbed my make up bag and headed to the toilet to apply some make up and fix my hair before I left to see my friends. If nothing else, looking a little more decent and less like a corpse, would lessen the worry of my dear friends.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 31

    31 me it on the Alcohol


    ¡°So...he broke up with you just like that?!¡± Lillian eximed loudly, clearly, she was shocked and forgot all about keeping her voice down.


    A few other guests around us stared at our table but I guess I didn¡¯t really mind their judging eyes.


    ¡°Yeah...I still can¡¯t wrap my mind around it. I mean, I totally didn¡¯t see iting...like...at all,¡± I replied before tipping back my shot. I usually hated the taste of alcohol, but right now, I enjoyed how it burned all the way down. I waved my hand gesturing to the overly friendly bartender to get me another drink.


    ¡°Maybe you should slow down on the drinking...¡± Jennifer warned with a look of concern.


    ¡°I¡¯m ok...¡± I brushed off her concern as I eyed my new shot ss.


    ¡°What are you going to do now? Why don¡¯t you try to make up with him?¡± Lillian questioned. She had always been a big fan of Kyle, but then again, who wasn¡¯t a big fan of Kyle?


    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know...the way he said it, it just felt like he didn¡¯t care about me anymore,¡± I said sadly as I recalled Kyle¡¯s face and his tone of voice. It gave me the chills.


    ¡°Well, it certainly isn¡¯t the end of the world. There are plenty of fishes in the sea. Cheers!¡± Jennifer jumped in as she tried to cheer me up.


    I knew that it wasn¡¯t the end of everything, and she was right. Although, after ending my two-year rtionship with Kyle, I was ready to take a break from rtionships for a while. Being single was actually something that I missed. Spending time to focus on myself and my career might be a good thing.


    .....


    ¡°I guess being single right now isn¡¯t bad. I can focus more on my career. I¡¯m progressing well in my job and as you know this job is my dream job so...¡± I said as I smiled back at my friends.


    Clinking our sses together we drowned our drinks for the countless time that night.


    ¡°Enough about my shitty life. When is the big day, Jen?¡± I asked Jennifer.


    I decided not to tell my friends about my weird encounter with the big boss earlier today. That would bring too much drama into this conversation. The drama around my breakup with Kyle was enough to entertain my girls for weeks toe.


    Unlike my currently non-existent love life, Jennifer had been proposed to only two weeks back. Her fianc¨¦, Will, proposed romantically while there were on vacation on a tropical ind. I wasn¡¯t there to witness the real deal, but the photos were amazing. The sunset and the rich blue ocean backdrop made the proposal picture-perfect. Will and Jennifer had been together since our university days so it came as no surprise that they would be getting married, finally.


    ¡°We¡¯re thinking in around two months¡¯ time. It¡¯s a rush to prepare everything but I don¡¯t want to wait any longer. I¡¯ll invite you girls to help me pick out my wedding dress! Of course, you two will be my bridesmaid!¡± Jennifer announced excitedly as she beamed a huge smile at us.


    ¡°Wow! Congrattions. Show me your ring again!¡± I cried out excitedly.


    Jennifer held up her hand and wriggled her finger to show off her solitaire diamond engagement ring. The rock sparkled in the light beautifully. I felt so proud of Jennifer and so happy for her.


    ¡°Knowing you, your wedding is going to be perfect! Have you decided between indoors or outdoors?¡± Lillian asked.


    ¡°Good question,¡± I added as we both looked at Jennifer.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t really decided but I have to decide soon. I¡¯ll keep you girls posted,¡± Jennifer replied as she pped her hands together.


    ¡°Another cheers for Jennifer and her engagement to Will!¡± I cheered as I held up my shot ss.


    After many rounds of drinks, I guess I was feeling a little tipsy.


    **ring ring ring**


    ¡°Oh...that¡¯s mine. Sorry, I have to get this...¡± Lillian said as she stared at her phone screen.


    ¡°Ok...¡± I repliedzily as I ordered another drink. This time a stronger one.


    ...


    I didn¡¯t remember much after that. The next thing I knew, I woke up alone in a luxurious hotel room after what seemed to be a wild and very sexual night with a stranger. My temple throbbed from my hangover, and I knew that I had to drink loads of water to get it out of my system.


    At least today was starting off with a good start. I was notte to work. Now I just need to focus on getting my work done perfectly and my life will somehow return to normal. I tried to be as optimistic as possible while pushing away my thoughts of Kyle. I haven¡¯t heard from him or seen him since he broke up with me. Well, that was to be expected.


    I was partially happy that we haven¡¯t moved in with each other yet, although we did discuss it. If we did, breaking up and moving out would have been veryplicated for both of us. I greeted a colleague as I entered the elevator on my way up to my floor. This was a good distraction to keep my thoughts from wandering off to Kyle. I prayed silently that I wouldn¡¯t run into him at the office. Pretty please.


    ¡°Karina, the department head wants to have a word with you. He dropped by your workstation earlier, but you were in the toilet,¡± Dan informed me as he gestured towards my supervisor¡¯s room.


    ¡°I see. Thank you for letting me know, Dan,¡± I replied before offering him a polite smile. Since showing me the ropes on my first day, we had remained close.


    I wonder what the boss wants so early in the day. Hopefully I didn¡¯t make any mistake in the proposal that I had handed in. That would be a full-blown disaster.


    ¡°Hi Lauren, it¡¯s me,¡± I called out softly after knocking on the door to her office. My supervisor, Lauren, is a middle-aged woman who was well respected in thispany for her many achievements and long tenure with thispany.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 32

    32 Wanted by the CEO


    ¡°Come on in,¡± I heard Lauren¡¯s calm voice call out to me through the door.


    I entered the room, closing the door carefully behind me. Lauren immediately gestured for me to take the seat opposite her. I nodded and did as I was beckoned while offering her a professional smile.


    ¡°Hi Karina. I hope I haven¡¯t been keeping you too busy these days,¡± Lauren greeted me with a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s always a pleasure working on all the projects that you¡¯ve assigned to me,¡± I replied honestly. Lauren was a good supervisor and she cared deeply about the development of the people in her team.


    ¡°I see. Well, this might seem a little sudden but...as of today, we have decided to transfer you to the CEO¡¯s office,¡± Lauren stated in with a bright smile.


    ¡°Sorry? I mean, excuse me?¡± I replied in shock, unable to hide my confusion.


    The CEO¡¯s office was a team thatprises of selected individuals from various departments that would work directly with the CEO. Naturally, only the top talent from each department is selected to join the team and they work on strategically important projects for high-profile clients. The team only consists of a handful of people but are able to deliver top performance for thepany, and naturally, the leader of such a team is none other than the Devil CEO himself.


    Now, she¡¯s saying that I will be joining that team?!


    ¡°You didn¡¯t mishear, Karina. I received the official transfer papers this morning and it clearly states that as of today, you are to transfer to the CEO¡¯s office where you will be working directly for the CEO. Isn¡¯t this great? This is almost like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,¡± Lauren repeated herself more clearly this time while handing me a sheet of paper that contained the official transfer letter.


    .....


    I felt myself feeling dizzy as my eyes started to lose focus from the shock.


    ¡°What role will I have in the new team?¡± I asked the most reasonable question I coulde up with.


    ¡°That is up to the CEO. I¡¯ve heard that the same person can take on different roles when working on different projects. The joy of learning cross-functional work, you know...¡± Lauren stated proudly.


    I felt my mouth hang open. Me? I¡¯m moving to the CEO¡¯s personal team?


    ¡°Wait. I work in design, and I¡¯ve done some production here and there but...I¡¯m not sure that I qualify for such an opportunity...¡± I protested although my voice sounded weak even to my own ears.


    It was going to be challenging enough for me to join the superstar team, I doubt I even had the skill for it. However, working directly with the Devil CEO brought a long throng of other issues. I never thought I would meet the CEO again let alone work as his secretary. He just kissed me on the roof top too!


    Why can¡¯t I get that kiss out of my head? Arghhh!


    ¡°The CEO has specifically requested for you. Apparently, this is a new role he deemed necessary to make future projects more sessful. I honestly don¡¯t know why you¡¯re so hesitant about this. Other people would be jumping up and down with joy right around now. It¡¯s going to be a challenge but you were always up for challenges, right? You¡¯ll learn a lot and I assure that this position will take you much closer to your dreams,¡± Lauren said as her eyes looked at me earnestly.


    I could feel that she truly believed that this opportunity was the right one to assist my professional development. A part of me believed that to be true too, but there were other issues that I couldn¡¯t exactly tell her about.


    ¡°Can I think this over...?¡± I tried my best to negotiate. The atmosphere in the room and the tough look on Lauren¡¯s face told me that it was not an option to decline.


    ¡°You can do the thinking after you¡¯ve had a talk with the CEO. He wants you in his office in precisely five minutes,¡± Lauren said with a grin as she looked at her wristwatch.


    Huh?! I have to meet Ace in f-five minutes?


    ¡°Ok...¡± was all I managed to say in a whisper.


    Internally, I wasn¡¯t feeling ¡®ok¡¯ with any of this at all.


    ...


    How did I end up here?!


    I stood in front of arge dark brown wooden door with the silver metallic letters spelling out ¡®CEO Office¡¯. Behind this door is Ace¡¯s work room and the man himself. I gulped as I closed my eyes to control my nerves and to stop my legs from shaking.


    Recalling our first andst encounter on the rooftop, I could help having a sense of dread. He didn¡¯t call me here regarding that event, did he?


    Well, unfortunately, there¡¯s only one way to find out.


    **Knock Knock**


    ¡°Hello, Sir. This is Karina here,¡± I called out in a soft voice after knocking softly on his door. I was surprised at how normal and professional my voice managed to sound even when I was trembling and so nervous inside.


    ¡°Come in,¡± Ace replied curtly.


    This is it. My future at thispany is hanging by a thread right now...


    ¡°Good morning, Sir,¡± I greeted him politely when I entered his office, closing the door softly behind me. His two bodyguards moved to station themselves right outside his door.


    The tension in the atmosphere is driving me crazy and for some reason Ace has not said a word. What do I do? Do I sit?


    I stood there in the middle of his room hesitantly as I shuffled from one foot to the other. The fact that he had not said a word since I arrived here made me feel more nervous than ever before. I wondered for the hundredth time why he had called me here. There was no logical reason why the CEO of such argepany would have anything to talk to me about. His hazel brown eyes settled on me and I felt even more ufortable. His eyes travelled up from my chest to the top of my head before returning to my chest and then descending down until it reached my feet before making its way up again to my face. The atmosphere felt very tense and suddenly I felt very cold.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 33

    33 His Personal Secretary


    ¡°Take a seat,¡± hemanded, as he gestured with his eyes to the seat located opposite side of his work desk where he was seated. I walked on shaky legs before I hesitantly took the seat as Ace had indicated. Ace was silent again, and I held my breath as I waited patiently for him to say what he had to say. For some reason, I knew that it wasn¡¯t good news.


    ¡°I won¡¯t beat around the bush,¡± he said as his eyes narrowed slightly at me. He felt like a wolf ready to prance on its prey. That prey, unfortunately, was me.


    The fact that he paused for effect only made me more curious about what he had to say to me. After a few seconds of silence, he continued.


    ¡°I want you to be my personal secretary,¡± he stated emotionlessly.


    My mouth hung open as my eyes widened in shock. Did I hear him correctly just now? I heard his words, but I couldn¡¯t understand them. Did he just ask me to be his secretary? I didn¡¯t know how to respond, and I couldn¡¯t wipe the look of pure shock from my face either.


    He stared at me with an amused look on his face before he chuckled softly. I knew that he found my reaction entertaining, but I did not find his suggestion funny at all.


    ¡°...Excuse me?¡± I managed to say in a faint whisper.


    Aceughed a little louder before repeating his same words ofmand.


    ¡°You heard me right. I want you to be my personal secretary,¡± he said sternly, and I did not miss the extra stress he put on the word ¡®personal¡¯.


    .....


    The way he spoke, and his tone of voice told me that he was serious. The first question that popped into my mind was: why me?


    ¡°Why, I wonder?¡± he said with an amused look on his face as his magnificent brown eyes narrowed at me. It was like he could read my mind or perhaps everything that I was thinking showed inly on my face. I had a feeling that he didn¡¯t want to answer my unasked question, nor did he have the responsibility to.


    The Devil¡¯s CEO¡¯smand was absolute, and I knew that as well as everyone else in thepany. When I joined thepany, I never dreamt that I would end up working as the Devil CEO¡¯s secretary. I had two problems regarding this proposal of his. Firstly, I wanted to work in advertising. I want to design storyboards that would appeal to the audience. That was my dream and bing a secretary worked against leading me to my goal. The second reason was in and simple. I didn¡¯t really want to work every single day with this man. The problem right in front of me was clear, but I didn¡¯t have a clear solution to it.


    How can I possibly turn down his proposal? The fact was that it wasn¡¯t really a proposal. It was amand to be obeyed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any experience working as a secretary, so I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m the right person for the job...¡± I voiced my excuse softly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve chosen you. So, you must be perfect for the job,¡± Ace stated confidently, brushing all my excuses to the side.


    I felt so nervous and intimidated that I couldn¡¯t meet his eyes any longer, and my gaze dropped to my hands that were clenched tightly on my ownp. What can I possibly say to make him change his mind?


    This might put an end to my career at thispany, but I had no choice but to say it.


    ¡°What if I said that I don¡¯t want to be your secretary?¡± I asked in a very soft voice.


    I was surprised to see his lips curl up in the little smile. Although I was serious and scared, he seemed truly entertained by my reactions.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what you want, you will be my secretary,¡± he stated without a care in the world.


    Something snapped inside of me at his words and arrogant attitude, and my words escaped my lips before I could process them through my brain.


    ¡°So, what I want doesn¡¯t matter to you at all?¡± I snapped at him.


    I knew that he was the big boss, but I didn¡¯t agree with his method of forcing people to do things against their will. I gasped in shock after I said those words, thinking that it must have offended him. However, those words seemed to have theplete exact opposite effect on him because his smile only widened. Then he startedughing loudly.


    Well, I was confused as to what he found so funny about what I had just said. He covered his mouth with his hand as he continued tough before he put up his other hand as if to excuse his sudden outburst. The way his face transformed when heughed made him look years younger although he wasn¡¯t that old to begin with.


    ¡°Then...tell me what I can do to make you want to be my secretary?¡± Ace asked with an amused glint in his eyes.


    His questions really caught me off guard. I never considered that he would ask me something like this. Now that I considered his words, I wasn¡¯t sure what I wanted or what he could do to make me want to take up this job offer.


    ¡°Honestly, I want to designmercials and that is why I joined thispany. I think I told you as much during my interview...if you still remember...¡± I confessed, honestly.


    I doubt that he would remember something so trivial as an interview that he attended years ago. So much time had passed, and I didn¡¯t think that I was a particrly memorable candidate.


    ¡°I remember what you said,¡± he replied and I was forced to believe him.


    ¡°Then...¡± I mumbled as relief flooded my body.


    If he remembers and if he understands then...


    However, before I could say anymore his words cut in quite bluntly.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 34

    34 Already Moving On


    ¡°That is exactly why I want you to be my secretary. You¡¯ll get to work on more challenging projects, and you¡¯ll work alongside me. My team and I handle all the first tiers and the most challenging projects in thispany. If you work as my secretary, I¡¯ll put you on all those projects so that you can learn. You can flourish while you watch and learn with the best of the best. There are many things that I want to teach you, Karina,¡± he said it all like a promise.


    Once again, the passion and determination behind his words touched me. I cursed myself silently when my heart skipped a beat when he called me by my name. Just like the many speeches that I¡¯ve heard him deliver, I was captivated by his words and the earnest emotions behind them.


    There are many things that he wanted to teach me. It wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t find his suggestion tempting. I knew that it was a rare opportunity to work alongside someone as superior as he was. However, I still had my doubts, and I was very scared of him. But then again, it wasn¡¯t like I honestly had a choice.


    ¡°May I have some time to think about this?¡± I asked hopefully.


    ¡°No, you may not...but I¡¯ll give you one day to mentally prepare for it. Tomorrow you will start working as my secretary,¡± he said in all seriousness.


    He shed me a very charming smile and it was clear that he thought that he had offered me more than enough mercy already. I was frankly dumbstruck, and I didn¡¯t know what else to say. Slowly, I stood up from my seat because I knew that our conversation was over. The only thing I could say to him was...


    ¡°Yes, Sir,¡± I whispered.


    I could feel his eyes on me as I turned to leave. His heated gaze burnt into my back as I walked away and out of his personal office. When I was far enough away from Ace¡¯s office, I let out such a long and loud sigh that I was sure that my exhaustion and depression could be felt by everyone in the building. From our entire conversation, I probably agreed with him on one thing only: I needed this entire day and this entire evening and this entire night to mentally prepare myself for my new job of working as his personal secretary.


    ...


    .....


    Although I wanted to mentally prepare myself for my new job tomorrow, I found myself tossing and turning in bed, unable to catch a wink of sleep. I was stressed, anxious, and very scared of what would happen tomorrow. I¡¯ve never worked as someone secretary before, and honestly, I didn¡¯t know what to do. I was scared of losing my job if I failed at this job that he had given me. There were bills that needed to be paid and I wanted to send money back to my mother. That meant that failing wasn¡¯t an option for me. I sat up in bed with renewed determination. I¡¯m going to do my best and survive this job no matter what.


    My mind went back to my initial motivation. Themercial that I saw that changed my life that day. One day I¡¯m going to make amercial, so touching that I would inspire and change the lives of the viewers who watches it too. With that thought in mind, Iid back down on the bed and closed my eyes and prayed that tomorrow would be a productive day that would lead me closer to achieving my dream.


    Morning came and I had no idea that something truly shocking would be waiting for me when I arrived at the office. Since I had received an e-mailst night that I would be required to move from my current department to the CEO¡¯s office, I decided to go to work early. I knew that I needed time to clear away my desk and also say farewell to the people in my department. I didn¡¯t have that many things on my desk and it didn¡¯t take so long to clear it and pack it all up into a small box.


    With that box in my arm, I began making my way towards the CEO¡¯s office. While waiting for the elevator, I heard the sound of people whispering rapidly to each other and quickly realized that they were gossiping. My initial reaction was to ignore them while thinking that they should be doing some productive work rather than gossiping about other people like this.


    ¡°I heard Kyle from the nning department is getting married next weekend,¡± a woman whispered to her colleague.


    ¡°Really?! You mean that hot, Kyle, that we all admire?¡± the other woman replied, clearly shocked at what she had just heard.


    ¡°He¡¯s getting married. But I thought he didn¡¯t even have a girlfriend...¡± another woman whispered back.


    Kyle only broke up a few days ago...so what does it mean that he¡¯s going to get married this weekend?


    My hands clenched tightly at the box that I was holding in my arms as I listened in to the conversation that thedies were having. I couldn¡¯t believe what I was hearing and I didn¡¯t want to believe that it was true. Obviously, these two women didn¡¯t know that Kyle and I have been dating for two years and that we broke up very recently. I didn¡¯t want to hear anything more of what they had to say but I was still waiting for the elevator to arrive.


    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s true and it¡¯s not just some rumor?¡± the woman asked suspiciously.


    That was exactly what I was wondering. Is this true or was it just some weird and untrue rumor that was spreading around?


    ¡°I¡¯m quite certain. I heard it from my friend that¡¯s working in the nning department. Apparently, Kyle invited some of his colleagues and also his boss to his wedding as well. There¡¯s no mistake about it, he is definitely getting married this weekend,¡± the woman replied with certainty.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 35

    35 Cheater


    My head felt light, and it felt like I was ready to faint right there at that moment. I told myself over and over again that Kyle broke up with me for his own personal reason. That was the lie that I had been telling myself so that I could get through the pain of our breakup. My heart was still far from healed and I couldn¡¯t say for certain that I waspletely over him. Afterall, it had only been a few days since we broke up, how was I supposed to erase all memories of the two years that we shared together?


    Even thought, Kyle never got around to telling me the real reason why he decided to end our rtionship, I never expected that it would be because he was going to get married to someone else. I mean, people don¡¯t break up with their girlfriend to get another girlfriend and then marry her within a week¡¯s time, right?


    That only left one possibility and it was the one that I dreaded the most: All this time that we were together, Kyle had been cheating on me with another woman. Judging from the situation, I wasn¡¯t sure if he was cheating on me with her or cheating on her with me. Does it even matter?


    Both alternatives were just as bad as the other. If the rumors that these wonderful counter-productivedies were discussing were true, then he had decided to choose her over me. Hence, he dumped me so that he could marry her with a peace of mind. Who cares what Karina would think and feel anyways, right?


    Thankfully, the elevator arrived so that I could snap out of my ominous thoughts. After I quickly stepped in, the elevator door slid closed. I closed my eyes and let out a huge sigh. I was shocked beyond words and my chest still felt tight. Without knowing the exact reason why, I started praying for the rumors to be false.


    Deep down, I probably still wanted to believe that Kyle truly loved me and that our rtionship was real. I wanted to believe that what we had was real even if it didn¡¯tst. Since the CEO¡¯s office was located at the top floor of the building, the elevator made many stops on my way up. Once again, the elevator¡¯s door opened at a floor. And someone needed to step out so I took a step away from the door and then I stepped deeper into the elevator so that other people coulde in.


    I wasn¡¯t paying attention and didn¡¯t realize that this floor was the nning department floor. It was already toote by the time that I realized it. The person standing in front of the elevator, along with his colleagues was none other than Kyle. If he was shocked to see me, he didn¡¯t show it at all. He acted so natural that it made me feel like I didn¡¯t exist.


    Of course, we were not supposed to know each other at work or be close enough to exchange words of greeting. Although, I knew that I couldn¡¯t stop the piercing pain that shot through my chest. Without a word of greeting to me, he stepped inside the elevator with his colleagues.


    ¡°Thanks for inviting us to your wedding this weekend,¡± one of his colleagues spoke up in a cheerful voice.


    .....


    ¡°You¡¯re like one of my best friends, so of course you¡¯re invited,¡± Kyle replied casually as his friend patted his shoulder in congrattion.


    ¡°I¡¯m so d that you and Emily are finally getting hitched. You¡¯ve been dating for many years now since university, right?¡± His other colleague asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I think it¡¯s finally time that we make things formal,¡± Kyle replied with a bright smile.


    Since university?!


    But I met and started dating Kyle when we started working. This is the worst; he was already with her when he started hitting on me. An unbearable pain shot through my chest, and it started to feel harder to breathe as I realized that I was never his only one right from the start. He always had someone else that he cared about more than me, and in the end, he had chosen that person over me. He was two-timing me right from the start and I waspletely fooled by his perfect-guy act.


    Their conversation went on as if I didn¡¯t exist in that small elevator. Each of their passing word made me feel small and insignificant as I tried to hide in the corner of that elevator. I wondered when they would just get out.


    ¡°Let us treat you to dinner to celebrate your uing wedding,¡± his friends suggested.


    ¡°Yeah, man, we¡¯re so happy for you,¡± his other friend chimed in.


    Finally, the elevator came to a stop at their designated floor and the three men got out. It was as if everything moved in slow motion as I watched Kyle and his friends exit the elevator. Through the entire elevator ride, not once did Kyle nce my way. Then the elevator door slowly closed and I was the only one left in the elevator.


    I was too shocked that I didn¡¯t know how to feel anymore at that point. The elevator arrived at the topmost floor of the building, where the CEO¡¯s office was located, and I stepped out. The sound of the elevator door closing behind me filled my ears but my legs refused to move. I don¡¯t know how long I stood there with that random box of my random stuff in my arms right in front of the elevator.


    In that moment, I just felt so empty inside like I didn¡¯t know why I existed. I just felt so lost. I didn¡¯t know why I came here in the first ce, and I had no idea what I¡¯d wanted to do next. At that moment, the man that I least wanted to see appeared right in front of me.


    ¡°How long you nning to stand there?¡± he asked coldly.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 36

    36 The Devil¡¯s Comfort


    I heard him, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to answer. Before I knew it, my lips were quivering uncontrobly and then warm, wet tears spilled over my eyes and rolled down both my cheeks. I have never felt like this before, and I didn¡¯t even realize that I had started crying until the tears streamed down my face. At first, I thought I was simply sad and upset; however, those emotions didn¡¯t adequately exin what I was feeling.


    The heart burning sensation inside my chest resembled more of anger and the tight knot in my stomach felt like a grudge that would never fade. I felt like I was ready to explode from the inside out. I felt Ace¡¯s eyes on me as he looked at me curiously. I watched as he cocked his head slightly to one side in wonder.


    I must have looked like such a mess. It was my first day working for him and here I am, standing right in front of him in tears. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t ask me what was wrong because I didn¡¯t know what I would have told him if he did. Slowly, he approached me until he stood directly in front of me. My unfocused eyes watched through my own tears as his hand slowly approach my face. Then I felt the warm heat of the pad of his thumb as he slowly wiped away the tears from my left cheek and then my right.


    ¡°Stop crying ande with me,¡± he said tly.


    I looked up at his face, blurred through my tears, as I wondered how the touch of someone so cold could feel so warm and gentle like this. Although I knew that he had ordered me to follow him, my feet felt like they had grown roots and were glued to the spot. Ace¡¯s hand left my face before he sighed once again. Then I felt the warmth of his hand as he took my hand into his and held it firmly. Before I could protest or say anything, he had turned around and began walking away while pulling me along with him.


    The movement snapped me out of my misery a little and I was reminded once again that I was crying in front of the CEO like a dumb fool who couldn¡¯t control herself and her emotions, and perhaps, at that moment that was exactly what I was. I wiped the tears from my eyes with the back of my hand before my eyes fell to where are hands were connected while my mind wondered what kind of man Ace Hill was really like.


    A part of me still felt that I shouldn¡¯t get any closer to him but another part of me couldn¡¯t stop my own curiosity from running wild.


    Fly too close to the sun and you¡¯ll get burnt, Karina...


    I was conscious of Ace¡¯s hand holding mine as I followed obediently behind him. He half-led and half-dragged me along a very long hallway that I knew led to his personal office. Luck was on my side because we didn¡¯t run into anyone on the way there. This was Ace¡¯s private floor, so it wasn¡¯t surprising that not a lot of people passed by here. No one should be here except for people working in his team and those that had meetings with him. My eyes travelled along the hallway decorated in the modern luxury style before my eyes quickly went to the broad back of the man walking right in front of me.


    .....


    Ace opened the door to his office and pulled me in after him without saying a word.


    ¡°Do you need to cry some more?¡± he asked emotionlessly.


    ¡°Umm...no...that¡¯s ok...¡± I replied hesitantly, my voiceing out so small and squeaky.


    Surprisingly, Ace didn¡¯t ask me why I was crying. If he was someone else, I would probably have thought that he was just being considerate by not prying into my personal life. However, because he had witnessed that unsightly scene of Kyle dumping me on the building¡¯s rooftop, he probably had a very good guess of why I was so upset. It wasn¡¯t like he knew all of it. I doubted that he knew about Kyle two-timing me and the fact that he was about to marry another girl very soon.


    ¡°Take a seat...¡± Ace said as he gestured for me to take a seat on the dark grey leather sofa that was in his office.


    Ace¡¯s office was huge now that I had time to pay attention to it. It was clearly designed so that he could host business meetings in various forms. There was the standardrge working desk that made him look like a royal king inmand when he sat on his chair. Then there was the sofa set that I was currently sitting on that could seat around ten people with a coffee table in the middle. To the other end of the room was a meeting room separated by a ss partition. I was certain that there were more rooms but that was all that I could see from where I was seated.


    Ace plopped down onto the sofa opposite me and he seemed very rxed and at home while I started to feel nervous in his presence. To my utmost surprise, I hadpletely stopped crying. Although I was extremely upset until just now, my tears have all but dried up. As I became more aware of the fact that I was alone with Ace in his office and how unusual this setting was, the feeling of nervousness quickly reced the sorrow that I felt.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to ask if you¡¯re ok or not because you¡¯re obviously not ok, but I can¡¯t have my personal secretary crying on her first day of work either...¡± Ace said with a lop-sided grin as his hazel eyes fell on my face.


    Right, I¡¯m supposed to be working and this is working hours. It was entirely my fault for failing to control my emotions like this. For the first time, I personally understood from first-hand experience why thepany put the ¡®no dating between employee¡¯ rule in ce. It was to avoid shitty messes like these that would harm productivity.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 37

    37 A Second Chance


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry about this. This will never happen again...I promise...¡± I apologized desperately.


    Not only did I break the rule of dating another colleague, but the CEO caught me and now I was an emotional mess right in front of him. How did the career that I tried so hard to build lead me here?


    Ace looked at me with passive eyes as if my apology did not reach him at all. His hazel brown eyes were cold, and he looked unimpressed and unmoved by my apology. He probably didn¡¯t believe a single word that I had just said, and I couldn¡¯t find it in me to me him either.


    I never thought that I would have to ever ask something like this, but it was better to get this over and done with directly...


    ¡°Sorry but...am I going to be fired?¡± I asked directly while I dreaded his answer.


    Unlike my apology from earlier, my question got his attention immediately and Ace¡¯s eyes widened at me. He was probably shocked at the directness of my question. His brown eyes stared at me, and it took a lot of courage from my courage bank to keep myself from averting my gaze.


    It was probably just a few second that his eyes held mine, but it felt like a long year had passed by the time that Ace¡¯s lips curved into a little smile that quickly widened before he began chuckling. Apparently, Ace found something about this situation very funny while I couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine what it could be.


    ¡°Umm...I¡¯m not sure...what you find so funny...¡± I mumbled as felt heat rush to my cheek.


    ¡°You. You and your thoughts are funny,¡± Ace said as he tried desperately to hold in hisughter.


    .....


    I had to admire his efforts, but I had to say that he wasn¡¯t very sessful about it. After a moment of trying to hold it in, Ace gave uppletely and he beganughing loudly as a result. I stared at him with mixed emotions as he continued tough.


    ¡°Honestly, I haven¡¯tughed like that in a very long time...¡± Ace said after he somehow managed to return to his calm self again.


    ¡°Aha...¡± I mumbled as I waited for him to exin himself.


    I was still amazed by how much his face seemed to change when heughed. It never failed to intrigue and captivate me every time that the cold emotionless mask that he had on would transform into another expression.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been offering you a new role as my personal secretary and here you are asking if I¡¯m going to fire you. How does that even line up?¡± he said as he looked pointedly at me.


    Now that he put it that way, I guess it really didn¡¯t make any sense. Wait, then that means that he still wants me to work here, right?


    ¡°Are you sure? I mean, what about the rule against workce rtionships?¡± I asked, still shocked at where this was going.


    He¡¯s supposed to be the Devil CEO so why is he offering me a chance like this?


    ¡°Oh, that rule? Well, quite honestly, I never gave two fucks about that. That¡¯s just a rule that my father made up which I never really understood in the first ce. When I turned up here people were so strung up on it that I thought that it would be amusing to keep this stupid traditional rule in ce,¡± Ace said as it if was all just a big joke to him.


    Did he just say ¡®fuck¡¯ just now? And with such a straight face? Is this how he normally is?


    Thenguage aside, he just told me that he didn¡¯t care at all about that rule, right?


    ¡°But...¡± I murmured as another wave of shock washed over me.


    For a moment, I had no idea who or what I was dealing with anymore. No matter what, I couldn¡¯t seem to wrap my head around him. Ace continued staring at my face and it made me feel more anxious under his gaze.


    Why did he have to be so attractive? The longshes framing his hazel brown eyes as he stared at me made my heart skip a few beats. I should wrap up this conversation so that I can get my ass out of here.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about breaking that rule so much. No one knows about it apart from you and him, right?¡± Ace asked casually.


    Well, actually, Ace technically knew about it too but perhaps it wasn¡¯t a wise move to remind him of that fact right now.


    ¡°Oh, I guess I do know about it too...having been there when it ended...¡± Ace said with a merciless chuckle.


    I winced visibly at his words. The funny thing was I wasn¡¯t sure if I winced because he had stepped on my old wound or if I was getting slightly pissed off at this overly handsome and sexy man sitting right opposite me.


    ¡°Right...¡± I muttered, not knowing what else to say.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it. By the way, I have a secret to tell you. I promise that it¡¯ll make you feel better about this whole shitty situation that you¡¯re in,¡± Ace drawled seductively as he leaned towards me from across the table.


    My entire instinct told me that I shouldn¡¯t hear what he was about to tell me; however, the way that he looked at me made it hard for me to look away. Did he have this effect on everyone or was it just me?


    ¡°Don¡¯t scoot over,¡± Ace said as he got up from his seat and approached where I was sitting on the sofa.


    Did he just tell me not to scoot over? Like stay where I am now even when he¡¯s so close?


    While my body froze in ce, Ace sat down next to me on the leather sofa. He was so close that our thighs were basically touching. I tried my best to angle my body away so that my shoulder wouldn¡¯t touch him but that only result in Ace cing an arm around my shoulder. I gasped as he pulled me closer against his body.


    ¡°If you move too far away, how am I supposed to whisper my top secret into your little ear?¡± Ace asked teasingly.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 38

    38 Be His Girlfriend


    No...he¡¯s...too close...


    His arm around my shoulder tightened around me as he pulled my body against his. My eyes widened in shock when I felt the warmth of his breath against my cheek. I didn¡¯t even dare turn my face around to face him, knowing full well how close he was to me right now.


    ¡°You see...I¡¯ve broken that golden rule before too...¡± he whispered directly into my ear.


    His lips were so close to my ear that I could almost feel them brushing against my ear lobe. My body froze, I waspletely stunned at his words.


    Ace broke that rule too?!


    I scooted away from him, and his arm willingly let me go. After putting enough space between us on the sofa, I turned to face him with my eyes still widened in shock. The way he said those words did not at all imply that he was engaged or is currently engaged in a proper rtionship with simply one employee. Just how many girls has he been fooling around with in thispany since he took over as CEO...or even before that?


    ¡°I thought letting you know my little dirty secret would make you feel better. They say that you¡¯ll feel better if you know that you¡¯re not the only one going through something, you know...like you feel like you can share the suffering with someone else. Did I get that wrong?¡± Ace said, clearly intrigued.


    I waspletely speechless as I stared at Ace¡¯s slightly curious face. Did he honestly think that telling me that would make me feel better about the fact that I broke the rule? Because he broke it too? What kind of logic was that?


    ¡°No...please...¡± I said as I shook my head at him.


    .....


    I didn¡¯t want him to tell me anymore. I absolutely did not want any more details and I definitely did not need to know who that lucky or unlucky girl or girls was that he was involved with.


    ¡°You look even more panicked and upset than before. I guess what they say isn¡¯t true then...¡± Ace said with a ¡®oh that¡¯s too bad¡¯ look on his face.


    After recovering from my shock, my thoughts were on the future of my career. Losing my job wasn¡¯t an option that was on my table. I thought of my mother and how devastated she would be if she learnt that I was fired, worse, if she learnt about the true reason behind it. Then there was that sensitive issue of money and providing for my family. I gulped. The solution to this whole problem was clear and I just needed to stomach it and face it straight on: I need to be this man¡¯s personal secretary.


    ¡°So, what should I do with that Kyle guy?¡± Ace asked as he looked at me with a devilish grin on his face.


    Oh no...


    ¡°Please don¡¯t fire him!¡± I cried out so loudly that I was shocked by my own actions.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Ace said with an amused grin on his face.


    ¡°Kyle...he¡¯s high dedicated to his job. He works hard and his colleagues love him. He¡¯s very good at what he does...honestly!¡± I pleaded desperately.


    I didn¡¯t realize it until those words had escaped my lips in my desperate attempt to persuade Ace from firing Kyle from his job. I gasped before I bit on my lower lip when I realized that I had automatically defended Kyle even after all the cruel things that he did to me.


    ¡°I have to say...you¡¯re one peculiar girl...¡± Ace said, and I had to agree that he was at least partly right.


    ¡°That¡¯s...¡± I opened my mouth to try to exin but then closed it again when I realized that I didn¡¯t have much to say for myself.


    ¡°So, what do you want to do about this guy?¡± Ace asked curiously.


    What I wanted to do? Well, honestly...


    ¡°I¡¯m going to ask him to tell me the truth to my face and then I¡¯m going to give him a piece of my mind...¡± I stated heatedly as my emotions started taking over again.


    ¡°And then?¡± Ace urged with interest.


    ¡°...I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s over between us anyways. He broke up with me, you know that. You were there...and...he¡¯s getting married this weekend,¡± I said before pursing my lips into a thin line.


    Somehow, I found myself telling Ace everything so easily as if he was my trusted confidant. Voicing it out loud didn¡¯t hurt me as much as I thought that it would, in fact, it made me feel slightly better.


    ¡°Do you still love him?¡± Ace asked as his eyes stared deeply into mine.


    He¡¯s so handsome and his eyes feel like they¡¯re hiding so many mysteries.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know...¡± I admitted truthfully.


    I would be lying if I said that I hadpletely gotten over Kyle, but it wasn¡¯t like I felt the same before I learnt that he had been lying to me all along either.


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste another tear on a bastard like him, Karina,¡± Ace said, and his tone was serious.


    ¡°I know that but...¡± I replied softly...but it wasn¡¯t that easy to do, otherwise, I would have just forgotten about him and all the time that we shared already.


    Moving on is something that I had to do and fast.


    ¡°I have the perfect proposal for you,¡± Ace said as his face lit up like a great idea had sudden entered his head.


    ¡°...and what would that be?¡± I asked although I tried to pretend that I wasn¡¯t that curious.


    Something told me that he was up to no good and so was his idea...


    ¡°Be my girlfriend,¡± Ace said as his hands grabbed my shoulder and turned my upper body to face him directly.


    His hands held my shoulders very firmly and I found myself staring deeply into his eyes as my mouth hung open. Did I hear him right just now?


    He just asked me to be his personal secretary and now he¡¯s asking me to be his girlfriend? What is wrong with this man...


    ¡°...huh?¡± was all that I managed to say.


    ¡°Why do you look so shocked?¡± Ace asked before his lips curled up into a very charming smile that showed me his perfect and white teeth.


    He¡¯s got a very captivating smile for sure, and his white teeth contrasted so well with his tan skin.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 39

    39 The Truth About that Night


    ¡°Well...you just asked me to be your girlfriend...¡± I replied, stillpletely confused.


    I bet my life that he isn¡¯t being serious with any of this. He¡¯s just ying me and I¡¯m letting him y me...like a fool once again...


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be jumping up and down with joy?¡± Ace asked as if he truly expected me to do exactly that.


    ¡°Umm...no?¡± I replied as I red back at him.


    ¡°You¡¯re a funny girl,¡± hements while I already lost count how many times he¡¯s told me that today.


    ¡°What?¡± I said, still in disbelief.


    ¡°Were youte to work yesterday morning?¡± he asked sternly.


    I cocked my head to the side in wonder. Why is he asking me that? Is he trying to get me into trouble...doesn¡¯t seem likely...


    ¡°No...I was on time...¡± I replied while wondering why he was asking me this now.


    .....


    ¡°I see. So, you managed to make it on time. I had my doubts, seeing that you were sleeping very soundly...¡± Ace said as he seemed to recall something from his memories.


    Wait!


    He saw me sleeping. What does that mean? How is that even possible?


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± I said in pure confusion.


    What did he say just now? I must have misheard or misunderstood.


    Ace cocked his head to the side in wonder as if he was mocking me. Then his hazel eyes narrowed at me dangerously. It was like what I said made him slightly angry, but I couldn¡¯t understand why.


    ¡°Do you really don¡¯t remember or are you pretending not to?¡± he asked with a hint of annoyance as his eyes captured mine and held it.


    I found myself staring deeply into his eyes as if captivated by what I saw in them. He¡¯s so handsome and very attractive...and...


    ¡°I have no idea what you could be referring to...¡± I replied honestly.


    ¡°I see. If that¡¯s the case then, I have no choice but to remind you...¡± Ace said in a seductive drawl.


    ¡°Remind me? Of what...exactly?¡± I mumbled softly as I started to get a bad feeling about all this.


    ¡°Of what happened that night...¡± Ace whispered mysteriously.


    ¡°That night...?¡± I murmured nkly.


    I was more confused than before and while I was trying to dig up memories of what he could possibly be talking about, Ace had gotten close to me again on the sofa. I could feel his eyes on my face as if he was wishing that I would remember.


    ¡°Do you remember?¡± Ace asked again and his voice was low and so seductive.


    My eyes flew to my hand when I felt the heat of his hand taking mine into his. I watched as if under some spell as he slowly lifted my hand to his lips. My body froze in ce as my breath caught in my throat. Instead of kissing my hand, the wet warmth of his mouth engulfed my ring finger before he started sucking softly on it teasingly.


    ¡°Sir...¡± I cried out, but my voice sounded like a sweet purr instead.


    ¡°Call me Ace when we¡¯re alone...¡± Ace demanded before my finger disappeared into his warm and wet mouth again.


    Shocked, at both what he was doing and how I was reacting to him, I tried to pull my hand away, but it was no use. His grip around my hand only tightened as he began licking my fingertip with the tip of his wet tongue. His mouth felt so warm and the sensations of his tongue stroking my fingertips felt...strangely pleasurable...


    ¡°Do you remember...what happened that night...between us?¡± he asked as his hazel eyes stared at from face.


    ¡°Between us...?¡± I said as my mind tried to deny the only possibility that I coulde up with.


    It can¡¯t be...can it?


    I slept with a man that I didn¡¯t know, and I didn¡¯t remember. Then I woke up the hotel room, my body a mess...


    ¡°Yes, allow me to fill you in about what really happened that night. I¡¯ll make you remember so that you¡¯ll never forget it ever again...¡± Ace whispered seductively.


    With one final flick of his tongue along the length of my finger, Ace removed my finger from his mouth. Before I could react, he yanked on my hand hard, pulling my entire body towards him. It all happened so fast and before I could understand what was truly going on, his warm lips were against mine. Ace crushed his lips against mine in a very passionate and demanding kiss.


    My eyes widened in shock as he continued to kiss me. I made protesting sounds against his kiss that sounded more than moans even to my own ears. Then I felt it, the wet and warm sensation of the tip of his tongue probing my lips open. His smell of his perfume overwhelmed my senses as he wrapped his arms around my body and held me against his hard andrge frame.


    Slowly, my eyes drifted close as my lips parted slightly for him. Ace¡¯s tongue plunge into the depth of my mouth with hesitation. I moaned as a sense of bliss filled my mind. Ace¡¯s tongue found mine and started teasing it expertly. His kiss felt so good, and soon, I was responding to his kiss.


    What is wrong with me? Even though, I knew that this was so wrong, I just couldn¡¯t stop myself. His kiss tasted and felt familiar, and my body responded quickly to him like it knew what it was supposed to do.


    Ace grinded his tongue against mine as he savored my taste. I felt my entire body going weak in his arms before I began moaning again into our wet and hot kiss. He sucked on my lips before changing the angle of our kiss to kiss me even deeper than before. My body started to feel hot as his hand began stroking the curve of my back and waist.


    ¡°That night, you were so drunk that I had to take you to a hotel room. You were alone and I had no idea where you lived...¡± Ace said after he broke our kiss.


    My mind was in a daze from the pleasure of the kisses that we had just shared. I wasn¡¯t even sure what he was talking about. Ace shot me a slightly disapproving look like a parent scolding their naughty child.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 40

    40 Reliving a Steamy Memory


    ¡°When we entered the room, you wouldn¡¯t let go of me. You begged me to stay and when you thought that I wouldn¡¯t, you started kissing me...¡± Ace said before he smirked at me.


    I did...that? Really?


    ¡°When I kissed you back, you melted in my arms and begged me to touch you...¡± Ace continued as his eyes looked at me with intense desire.


    Was that the way he looked at me that night as well?


    As if to illustrate what happened that night, his hands stroked its way from my waist up to my chest. I held my breath in anticipation until hisrge manly hands cupped my breasts firmly and began groping it.


    ¡°When I massaged your breasts, you cried out as you begged for me to touch you more...¡± Ace continued with his story of that night.


    ¡°Ahhh...¡± I moaned loudly when his hand began massaging my breasts through my clothes.


    My nipples felt tight, and I knew that they must be as hard as rocks from his caresses. He¡¯s driving me crazy already and all he¡¯s doing is grope me on top of my clothes. I couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine the pleasure from his touch if he were to touch my breasts and my nipples directly.


    ¡°Yes...just like that...¡± Ace said with satisfaction as he looked down at my face.


    .....


    Did I really do everything like he said? I couldn¡¯t remember anything, but his touch truly turned me on and the more he touched me, the louder that I moaned, the more I started to believe in his words about that night.


    His fingers expertly unbuttoned the small buttons of my shirt before his hand slipped inside. I moaned his name when his hand reached behind me to unhook my bra. The cups fell away and my breasts spilled out into his awaiting hands. The heat from his hand seeped into my cool skin as hisrge hand cupped my breasts directly.


    I whimpered weakly as my body started writhing from the seductive pleasure of his touch. Ace massaged my breasts a little rougher than before and I moaned like I was going mad from lust. I closed my eyes and bit on my lower lip before another lewd moan escaped from me. His fingers captured my swollen nipples and began tugging on them before his lips captured mine in a wet and deep kiss.


    His tongue probed my mouth invitingly and I parted my lips without hesitation to grant him ess. My tongue danced wildly with his as I moaned passionately into our wet kiss. Ace¡¯s fingertips rolled my nipples between then before squeezing on the sensitive peaks. He was so good at what he was doing, and I was practically melting at his touch. My body craved for more pleasure, and I began thrusting my breasts against his hands as if begging for him to touch me more.


    By the time that Ace broke our fervent kiss, my mind was intoxicated by my need and desire for him. I have never felt like this before. The pleasure that he made me feel was so intense that I felt like I was going to cry from it. Ace looked down at my erotic face as he watched my every reaction to his lewd touches. I panted and moaned his name, and he smiled adoringly down at me as he enjoyed my reactions.


    ¡°I touched you like this, and you cried out from the pleasure. Your breasts and nipples truly are sensitive,¡± Ace said as his fingers pinched my nipples roughly and repeatedly.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahh! Ahhh! Ace...¡± I cried out exactly as he had predicted as his fingers worked their magic on my erect nipples.


    Ace pulled my body back against his before burying his face in the side of my neck. He inhaled deeply as if taking in my scent before he sighed in bliss. His lips started kissing the sensitive skin on the side of my neck softly before he started nibbling on it. All the while his hand busily kneaded my breasts, making me cry out from the mix of slight pain and immense pleasure. I looked down to see hisrge hand squeezing my soft womanly flesh as my breasts changed shape in his hands.


    One of his hands slid down from my breasts along the in of my stomach before proceeded down even further to my waist. I sucked in a breath and held it in anticipation of where his hand was headed. His hand moved too slow for my preference but soon I felt his hand on my thigh.


    ¡°You begged for me to touch you...everywhere. You were so desperate that you started undressing yourself. You pulled your skirt up like this...¡± Ace said with a hint of amusement in his voice.


    His hand stroked my thigh for a moment longer before he started pulling up my skirt. Slowly, inch by inch, he revealed my thighs until my entire lower body was exposed. He pulled my skirt up all the way and pooled it around my waist. I blushed in embarrassment when I felt his eyes on my pussy that was now covered only in thin light pinkcy underwear.


    Hisrge hand cupped my pussy through my panties and my hips bucked, thrusting my pussy upwards into his hand. I cried out when his fingers pressed up against my opening through the thin fabric of my panties.


    ¡°It¡¯spletely soaked through, just like that night...¡± Ace said teasingly into my ear as his fingers started pushing and stroking my wet open through my panties.


    ¡°Ahhh...Ace...¡± I moaned and called out his name as my head thrashed from side to side against his hard and muscr chest.


    I knew that he wasn¡¯t lying to me right now. My core throbbed with desire and my pussy clenched wildly in anticipation of his direct touch. The pleasurable ache in my lower abdomen that had been developing for a while now, told me that my pussy was already wet. The more he stroked me there, the wetter I got. When his skillful fingers found the and twirled the sensitive little seed in between my legs, I cried out at the same time that hot wetness gushed out of my pussy hole.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 41

    41 Lusty Affair in His Office


    ¡°When I touched you here...you were so wet. Your pussy dripping with your juices...¡± Ace continued with his story of that night.


    By that time, I didn¡¯t care anymore if his words were true or not and I wasn¡¯t interested in knowing more about that night. All I cared about was the pleasure that he was making me feel right now and how I could possibly make him give more to me. My hips moved against his hand invitingly, grinding my pussy against his hand and fingers.


    I wanted nothing more than to have him touch me there directly and soon my wish was fulfilled. Ace pulled the fabric covering my hole to the side before running his fingers along the length of my wet slit. I moaned so loudly as I lifted my hips upwards. Ace began stroking my wet pussy folds and I cried out his name.


    ¡°You¡¯re so wet, maybe even wetter than that night,¡± Ace teased.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tease me...anymore...¡± I pleaded softly before more lewd moans escaped my lips.


    Ace chuckled next to my ear before his fingers plunged firmly inside my hole, stretching me and then filling me up deep inside.


    ¡°Ahhhh! Ahhhhh!¡± I cried out as Ace continued ramming his fingers inside of my wet hole.


    His fingers are so long and so thick and they were stretching my insides. Ace moved his fingers around inside of me and I felt the pleasure of his touch all along my pussy walls. My legs went weak as he felt inside of me as if searching for my pleasure spot.


    ¡°When I thrust against your sensitive spot here, your pussy clenches so tightly around my fingers...¡± Ace said knowingly.


    .....


    His fingers thrusted sharply against my sensitive spot, and I screamed. I hoped that no one was here to hear me because I could no longer hold in my voice. Ace was driving me crazy with need and the proof of my lust was pouring out in streams in between my legs, wetting my thighs in the process as he started fingering my pussy fast and hard.


    ¡°Your hips wouldn¡¯t stop moving against my hand. Your pussy clenched around my fingers as you begged me to finger you faster and harder...¡± Ace recounted the event from his memories.


    His hand moved roughly against my pussy, shoving his thick and long fingers in and out of my hole. His fingers beat inside of me repeatedly and my hips moved wildly, riding his fingers for more pleasure. My pussy clenched non-stop around his fingers as it tried to suck his fingers in even deeper inside of me.


    ¡°Ahh...Ahhh!¡± I moaned loudly.


    ¡°You¡¯re so loud even though you¡¯re in your boss¡¯s office...¡± Ace whispered into my ear before his tongue snaked out to lick my earlobe.


    His fingers continued fucking my love hole relentlessly. It didn¡¯t seem like he was going to stop, and I didn¡¯t want him to. However, my body was almost at its limit. His fingers rammed against my pleasure spot driving me closer and closer to the edge. I could feel my orgasm fast approaching. I wanted to cum. I wanted him to make me cum.


    ¡°Oh...Ace...¡± I moaned and whimpered.


    ¡°About to cum already?¡± Ace asked knowingly.


    I couldn¡¯t speak anymore so I just nodded my head against his chest before I buried my face there in embarrassment. He¡¯s going to make me cum...


    ¡°Don¡¯t hide your face. I want to see your face when you cum from my fingers...¡± Ace demanded strictly.


    I came crying out his name before my mind wentpletely nk. My orgasm shook my entire body as it writhed from pure pleasure on Ace¡¯sp. He held me and kissed my hair as I tried to deal with the devastating effects of my orgasm. It felt unbelievably good. It made me forget all my troubles and stress just like a potent and addictive drug.


    **Knock Knock Knock**


    Suddenly, someone knocked on the door to Ace¡¯s room. My body froze as I started to panic. I opened my eyes, and I was greeted with the sight of Ace¡¯s office. That¡¯s right, we were in his office, and I let him do all that to me while we were still in his office!


    The realization made me want to die from shame. Ace, on the other hand, seemed rxed as his fingers slowly slid out of my wet pussy hole.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Ace called loudly to whoever was on the other side of the door.


    ¡°Sir, you have a meeting with the CEO of Quantflex in five minutes,¡± the man politely informed.


    Quantflex must be one of thepany¡¯s top clients. They are one of the biggest techpanies dealing with ounting and financial services.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there,¡± Ace replied calmly.


    Ace reached out for some tissue from the coffee table before he started leisurely wiping my juices off of his hand and finger.


    I was too embarrassed about what had happened between us for me to say anything. It wasn¡¯t just about today, if Ace wasn¡¯t lying, then I went all the way with him when I was drunk too. I could still recall the marks on my body and the ache in my pussy when I woke up in that hotel room.


    The man I had sex with that night, was Ace...


    I still didn¡¯t want to believe it.


    ¡°Sorry, sweetie, but as you just heard, I have a meeting to go to. I would love if you could apany me but, I don¡¯t think that you¡¯re quite ready for that right now...¡± Ace said as he stared down at the disarray state that my clothes were in.


    My hand quickly flew to cover my naked breasts while I pulled down my skirt with the other. Aceughed softly at my overly dyed reaction to cover myself before he stood up from the sofa.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush, I¡¯ll make sure that you remember everything that happened between us that night. Have a good day at work, Karina. I look forward to hearing some good news from you,¡± Ace said with mocking politeness.


    His hand reached out to ruffle my hair yfully before he walked past me and out of the room. I squeezed my eyes closed tightly as I felt head rush to my cheeks. Aceughed a little before I heard the door opening and then closing after him.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 42

    42 Once in a Lifetime Opportunity


    It came as no surprise to me that I couldn¡¯t go to sleep at all that night and that was because I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Ace and what he did to me. I had no idea how long I had been standing here under the shower as warm water sshed on my body from above. Although it had been many hours since then, I could still feel his touch on every single part of my body that he had caressed. My eyes closed blissfully before a soft sigh escaped my lips as I recalled both his tender and his rough touches.


    I can¡¯t believe I let him touch me like that. He¡¯s the CEO of thepany that I work for, so it was still hard for me to imagine that we did that and we also did it in his office of all ces. He made me cum so hard...it felt too good...


    I covered my face with my hands as embarrassment washed over me in waves and I knew that I was blushing. Although there was clearly no one else there to witness my embarrassed reaction, I felt shy towards myself. If what Ace said was true, then the things that he did to me today didn¡¯t evenpare to what we did together that night at the hotel.


    ¡°Arghhhhhh!¡± I let out a frustrated scream as my hands pulled on my hair.


    Of all the men in this world, why did I have to have a one-night stand with my CEO?!


    After another long while of standing under the warm water, I realized that nothing good woulde of me just wasting my time and standing there. I better get out before my skin starts to shrivel off of my meat and bones.


    ¡®Project Alpha Kick-off¡¯


    That was the message that popped up on the notification on my phone. It was already evening but someone was still busy at work and had sent a meeting appointment in my calendar for a meeting right at the start of tomorrow¡¯s working day.


    ¡®Alpha project¡¯


    .....


    What on earth is that? Regardless, it sounded very important. While drying my hair with a towel with one hand, I used my other hand to click and scroll into the content of the meeting invitation. I gasped in shock when my eyesnded on the list of meeting attendees.


    ¡°Oh My God...¡± I whispered more in amazement than in shock.


    Ace was the chairperson of the meeting but that wasn¡¯t what I was gawking at. The other meeting participants were the top talents that I have always dreamt of working with. This is Jeremy, the rising star of the creative department. Many of hismercials were nominated for awards and he¡¯s still so young too. He must be around my age or even younger!


    Richard is rumored to be the next head of nning. Another genius in thepany that I have always admired for his spot-on and cost-efficient nning for production and marketing. He¡¯s also rumored to be a mathematical genius. If that was the case, I was sure that he must be the best looking one out there. He was tall and super-hot. It ismon knowledge that many women in thepany have their sights set on him despite the ¡®no dating¡¯ rule. Julianna, the star of the marketing team that works more closely with Ace than the current head of marketing. She was hand-picked by Ace himself and then he somehow snatched her from one of ourpetitorpanies.


    My eyes must have been as wide and round as saucers as I stared at the list. There were other famous people in thepany in the list. This really was the dream teamprising of the top talent just like my manager had told me. She wasn¡¯t lying at all. It had always been a distant dream of mine to work with some of these amazing people so I couldn¡¯t quite believe it that I would get the chance to work with all of them all at once on this project.


    Is this even real?


    I pped my cheek so hard that it stung. Although it was painful, a wide smile formed on my lips when I got the confirmation that this must be reality.


    ¡®If you work as my secretary, I¡¯ll put you on all those projects so that you can learn. You can flourish while you watch and learn with the best of the best,¡¯


    Ace¡¯s convincing words came back to me, and I could hear his voice bouncing around in my mind. I guess he wasn¡¯t lying at all when he said that I would learn from the best of the best. The names of the people on this list were truly the ¡®best of the best¡¯ not just in thispany but probably in the entire industry as well.


    My heart was beating so fast as I clutched my phone tightly in my hand with a mix of nervousness and excitement. This was a rare opportunity that I would probably stumble upon once in a lifetime; however, it didn¡¯t take me long to realize that it was an opportunity that I shouldn¡¯t take. I plopped down weakly on my bed as I stared regretfully at the meeting invitation on my phone screen.


    The timing of everything was just too perfect that it was suspicious. After I supposedly had a one-night stand with Ace, I was invited to join the CEO office where only the most talented are picked out to join. Then I was invited to Ace¡¯s office where he offered me a new role as his personal secretary.


    I rolled onto my back and stared up at the in white ceiling above my head before my brows knitted into a frown. No matter how or no matter who looked at this, it was obvious that I only got this position because I slept with the CEO. If I didn¡¯t have sex with him that night none of these opportunities would have been showered on me and I would be stuck working in my old role, which wasn¡¯t acking opportunity at all. I was proud of my role and what I was doing as well as the colleagues that I worked with.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 43

    43 Sleeping My Way Up


    Even if everyone else doesn¡¯t know that I slept with Ace, the fact that I knew was bad enough for me. I knew that there were people who took these shortcuts in life to climb up the corporatedder but ¡®sleeping my way¡¯ up wasn¡¯t how I wanted to progress in my career. I wanted to get up there with my own merits and achievements. I threw my phone onto the bed before I sighed loudly.


    The reason that I wanted to make it up there wasn¡¯t that I could be up there, but it was because I wanted to have the skills and the opportunity to put my creative ideas out there to touch the hearts of people with my work in various forms of media. Sleeping my way up wouldn¡¯t give me the skills required to achieve my dreams even if I ended up making it up there.


    Plus, without the real skills, how long can I keep fooling geniuses like Jeremy, Richard, Julianna and the other on the team for?


    I closed my eyes and turned onto my stomach before burying my face into my pillow. The answer to that was simple: I can¡¯t fool them when I can¡¯t even fool myself.


    When tomorrowes, I¡¯ll find a chance to tell Ace that I¡¯ve decided to turn down the role of his personal secretary and all that came with it. Come what may. Even if I have to lose my job, I¡¯ll take it that I¡¯m just paying for all the sins that I¡¯ve umted for the past two years of secretly dating Kyle.


    Kyle...that rtionship was aplete and utter failure as well...


    ...


    Unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t able to get a hold of Ace before the meeting in the morning started for Project Alpha. Catching him after the meeting seemed like the only sure way for me to get to meet him so I decided to join the meeting. The meeting was held in one of therge meeting rooms on Ace¡¯s floor on the other side of the floor, away from where his office was.


    When I walked in, everyone was already seated. Although I was five minutes early, the other people were already seated at the meeting table. Ace was nowhere in sight, though. The other people had their eyes on me while no one said anything. Jeremy was the only one who nodded at me in slight acknowledgement that I was present in the room. Despite their slightly cold attitude towards me, none of them look surprised that I was joining.


    .....


    ¡°Excuse me...¡± I whispered softly as I sat down on an empty seat.


    The atmosphere was full of tension, and it felt very suffocating to me as I nced around at all the superstars seated at the table. I felt like a fangirl stuck in the presence of her favorite celebrities. My chest felt so tight, and I didn¡¯t know how to react at all. The other¡¯s stared at theirptop screen,pletely absorbed in their work.


    The sound of the meeting room door opening broke the silence. Every got up from their seat and started greeting Ace as he strode confidently into the room.


    ¡°Morning, everyone. I apologize for the early morning meeting...¡± Ace said before he took his seat at the head of the table.


    Ace nced over at me, and a small smile curved his beautiful lips. He didn¡¯t say anything to me, and the meeting started immediately.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got a new project on our hands. Project Alpha is just a simple code name that I came up with. We¡¯ll stick with that unless anyone has a sexier name because it doesn¡¯t really matter. Jumping in, Julianna will take us through the requirements as this is a project that came in through our marketing team,¡± Ace said as he gestured with his hand for Julianna to take the center stage.


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± Julianna said enthusiastically as she stood up from her seat.


    Everyone¡¯s eyes, including mine, were on therge presentation screen as Julianna stood next to it and began walking us through the details of the project.


    ¡°Once again, this year, the Ashford Creativepetition is upon us. As all of you are probably already aware, the Ashford Award is awarded to the best advertisement that will be used to support a non-profit organization of the Ashford Foundation¡¯s choice. Although the non-profit organization that the foundation chooses to support changes every year, the theme of thepetition remains the same. The Ashford Award will be rewarded to themercial that best represents the goal of the foundation and the non-profit organization and attracts the most PR and attention from the general public to support the cause,¡± Julianna exined in her clear voice as she flipped through the slides of her presentation.


    Everyone nodded along with her in understanding. She was right, everyone in the industry and also some out of it, knows about the Ashford Foundation and thepetition that they hold every year. However, probably only those involved in the industry and its clients will know the true meaning behind thepetition and what it really means in the business world.


    ¡°Thispetition isn¡¯t just about supporting a good cause. For advertising and mediapanies like ours, it is thepetition that decides who will dominate the market this year. Every year since the founding of thispany, we have participated in thepetition with the intent to win. It ismon for the winner of thispetition to be referred to as the best advertisingpany. Of course, that also means that clients will flock to us if we win this. After all, our clients are following very closely on the progress and result of thispetition,¡± Julianna went on to exin the true meaning behind thispetition.


    I¡¯ve heard of thispetition before and the fact that Jesses & Hills participates every year. Of course, thepany has managed to win thepetition for most of the years since its founding and that is partly how thepany has cemented its position as the best advertisingpany. I have never been involved in a project of this scale that has the pride of thepany riding on it before. This was just huge...


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 44

    44 Project Alpha


    Note: None of thepanies and organizations in this novel are real and does not intend to refer or reference any real existing organizations. This is purely a work of fiction.


    It goes without saying that if we were to lose thispetition, then our market share will probably be eaten up by ourpetitors, especially whoever happens to emerge as the winner. This was the unspoken truth that everyone in the room understood including myself.


    ¡°Now, this is what you¡¯ve all been waiting for. The theme and the non-profit organization that we¡¯re supposed to be creating ourmercial for,¡± Julianna said before she paused for effect.


    When she pressed the clicker button to go to the next slide, people gasped before low murmurs started filling up the room. I had a very simr reaction to the other people in the room. This is just...brutal...


    I winced and closed my eyes for a moment to collect myself before I gather my strength to look up at the screen again. Julianna had started ying a video clip that showcased dogs in very poorly managed and unhygienic cages before the clip quickly went on to show dogs being butchered with a knife. Then scene that proceeded to show the skinning process and then how the meat was then disyed and sold in wet markets.


    ¡°Dog meat trade...¡± I whispered to myself in shock.


    ¡°Just as you¡¯ve probably surmised from the video just now, the theme for this year¡¯spetition is raising awareness to end the dog meat trade globally. The non-profit organization that the foundation has chosen to support is W.R.E, which is the leading organization advocating for animal rights. In recent years, this organization has been focused on leading efforts to end the dog meat trade and the one of the key levers that they have identified as important to the cause is to raise public awareness regarding the issue and that is where wee in,¡± Julianna exined smoothly and wlessly.


    Even her presentation skills were wless, no wonder she is the star from the marketing department. After that Julianna went through the expected output which was amercial that would help raise awareness regarding the issue as well as raise donations to support the cause. Once Julianna returned to her seat after wrapping up her presentation, everyone¡¯s attention turned to Ace to see what he had to say.


    ¡°It¡¯s an interesting theme for sure and it¡¯s going to be a challenging one with public opinion on both sides of the fence and a bunch of people who are just sitting on the fence. Plus, I don¡¯t think that we can achieve anything without interacting with the dogs, so that¡¯s going to be fun for sure. Needless to say, we¡¯re going to have to do everything to win this...without fail...¡± Ace said determinedly as he stared at his fellow colleagues.


    .....


    I gulped at the intensity of his re and the fire of determination that burned within them. He¡¯s so serious, passionate, and motivated about this that it made me start to feel the same way. I felt his energy and his feelings in every cell of my body, and I was certain that the other people seated at the meeting table felt the same way.


    ¡°Some tasks have been assigned as disyed on the screen. Just think about how you would approach this and give it your best...¡± Ace said very calmly yet encouragingly before the meeting came to an official close.


    Still slightly stunned from the unexpected weight of the project just now, the real purpose of me being here almost slipped my mine. Ace was already making his way out of the door. If I don¡¯t follow him now, I¡¯m going to lose him...


    Quickly, I got out of my seat and ran out of the door. I could feel the eyes of the other people on my back, but I didn¡¯t have the time to care much about that right now. I need to catch up to Ace no matter what.


    ¡°Excuse me!¡± I called after him in the hallway.


    Judging from the direction that he was headed; I could guess that he was making his way back to his office on the other side of the floor. At the sound of my voice, Ace halted in his steps before he turned around to face me.


    ¡°Rina...¡± Ace said my name softly with a curious look on his face.


    The way my nickname rolled of his tongue sounded so seductive. Wait...


    I shook my head slightly to clear my head while Ace continued to look at me curiously. I had so many things that I wanted to talk to him about.


    ¡°We¡¯re in public...please don¡¯t call my name like that...¡± I mumbled aint.


    ¡°Why not? Other people can call you by your pet name but I can¡¯t?¡± Ace said with a hint of irritation in his voice.


    This isn¡¯t what I needed to talk to him about at all. What am I doing?


    ¡°Umm...never mind that for now. I need to talk to you...¡± I said before I got sidetracked again.


    ¡°For now...huh?¡± Ace said before he chuckled at me.


    Shit. If I don¡¯t concentrate, I¡¯ll get throw off topic again. I didn¡¯te here to talk to him about his usage of my nickname while we are in public.


    ¡°Sir, I really need to talk to you...¡± I began again.


    ¡°I get it. Come with me to my office, I don¡¯t like talking in the hallway...¡± Ace said curtly.


    Without another word, he turned on his heels and continued walking down the hallway. Why is he walking so fast? My heels cked against the floor as I tried my best to keep up with him.


    ...


    Once we were inside his office, Ace gestured for me to take the seat opposite his at his worktable before he locked the door behind us. The clicking sound of the lock made me feel slightly panicked but Ace seemed as calm and collected as ever as he took his seat behind his table and rested his chin on his fist.


    His hazel eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at me from across the table. For a moment, I wondered what he saw when he looked at me.


    ¡°The thing is...¡± I began saying.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 45

    45 Turning Him Down


    ¡°Have you decided?¡± Ace asked before I could even finish my sentence.


    I guess I didn¡¯t even need to say it. Ace already knew what I was here to talk about.


    I couldn¡¯t help but wonder which part of his request was referring to? The bing his secretary part of bing his girlfriend part?


    Regardless of which part he was referring to, my answer was the same.


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry but I can¡¯t ept the role of being your personal secretary nor taking a ce in the CEO¡¯s Office team,¡± I stated firmly.


    ¡°...and why is that?¡± Ace asked as he lifted his brows at me in wonder.


    Because I got this opportunity because I slept with you and if I continue being around you then I¡¯ll probably...


    I didn¡¯t let myself finish that thought, fully aware that we were in the same room that we got extremely intimate very recently. Honestly, I didn¡¯t even dare let my eyes travel to the sofa where he yed with me until I cried out loudly from the pleasure. My body trembled slightly at the thought before Ipletely shut it away.


    ¡°Well...I...¡± I said in a small voice before I hesitated to go on.


    .....


    How do I tell him that I didn¡¯t want to sleep my way up?


    ¡°What is it?¡± Ace asked, urging me to go on with a hint of impatience in his voice.


    He¡¯s the CEO so he probably doesn¡¯t have all day to spend with me here while I struggled to get my words out.


    ¡°The thing is...I...¡± I began again but couldn¡¯t quite go on.


    Ace cocked his head to the side as his eyes narrowed dangerously at me. I had a feeling that he would kill me if I failed the third time at spitting it out. The so-called three strike rule or something...


    ¡°Well, this might sound very strange but, I can¡¯t ept this position because I don¡¯t want to sleep my way up the corporatedder. I really want this position, but it doesn¡¯t mean anything to me if I didn¡¯t rightfully earn it,¡± I said in one breath before I lost my nerve again.


    After spitting that out, I felt a brief moment of relief. However, that didn¡¯tst long. One look at Ace and I regretted the things that I had just said. It was clear from the way he looked at me that he didn¡¯t like what he had just heard, and he seemed more disappointed than angry. After a few seconds of staring at me, he heaved a loud and long sigh.


    ¡°What makes you think that?¡± he asked calmly as he leaned back in his chair.


    His eyes never left my face and I felt small and extremely intimidated by his unwavering stare. My throat felt so dry, and I wasn¡¯t sure how to answer his question.


    ¡°Well, you offered me this job because we had that one-night stand...that night at the hotel...right?¡± I asked in return.


    Ace did not immediately deny it but neither did he confirm my doubt. He just stared at me with a look ofplete disbelief on his face before he shook his head from side to side slowly.


    ¡°What a ridiculous thing to say about yourself...¡± Ace said, and he clearly sounded extremely disappointed.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± I asked, confused at what he was getting at.


    ¡°How can you say something like that about yourself? How much do you have to look down on yourself and your self-worth for you to say something like that, Rina?¡± Ace asked before he grinned disapprovingly at me.


    Me? Look down on myself?


    What does he even mean by that? It¡¯s precisely because I don¡¯t want to look down on myself or have anyone else look down on me that I¡¯m refusing his offer. Which part of that doesn¡¯t he understand?


    ¡°I don¡¯t get what you¡¯re saying at all...I¡¯m sorry...¡± I said while trying to sound polite.


    ¡°Don¡¯t sell yourself short, Karina,¡± Ace said curtly.


    ¡°I¡¯m turning this position down precisely because I don¡¯t want to do that. I don¡¯t people to misunderstand that I got to join the team because I spent the night with you...¡± I tried desperately to exin.


    ¡°And who told you that that was the reason why you were chosen to join the team?¡± Ace asked with an amused look on his face.


    The way he was looking at me made me feel like a young child who doesn¡¯t understand the way of the world. I may be younger but I¡¯m not dumb...


    ¡°No one did but I heard about the new role after I spent the night with you so...¡± I mumbled softly.


    ¡°So, you assumed that I offered you this position simply because I slept with you once?¡± Ace asked as if what I said was the most ridiculous thing on earth.


    Not sure what else to say, I just nodded my head once. Ace stared at me before his lips curved into a smile that soon turned intoughter. I watched in confusion as Ace startedughing louder and louder as if I had just told him the best joke ever.


    ¡°You think...excuse me...you think that I gave you this important job because I slept with you once? Really? You know, I told you not to look down on yourself, but do you honestly think that your sex was good enough to make me enlist you into thispany¡¯s dream team?¡± Ace asked as he shook his head.


    I stared at Ace nkly as he continued tough some more at me.


    ¡°Such confidence...¡± he scoffed at me beforeughing some more.


    ¡°Then...you didn¡¯t offer me the role because...of that?¡± I asked in a soft whisper.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you take me for but, there¡¯s no way I would do something like that...¡± Ace said before he turned around in his chair and opened a drawer.


    I watched as he pulled out a folder and began flipping through it as if looking for something. When he found what he was looking for, he turned around to face me once again before cing a piece of paper on the table.


    ¡°What is this?¡± I asked softly.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, then why don¡¯t you take a look at this¡± Ace replied calmly.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 46

    46 Good Sex Isn¡¯t Enough


    Ace pushed over the piece of paper across the table my way. I picked the paper up and began reading it.


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not supposed to show you this. It¡¯s supposed to be kept confidential, especially from you, but I¡¯ll make an exception this once,¡± Ace exined sternly.


    ¡®I would like to kindly request for your consideration to promote Miss Karina Miller to join the CEO¡¯s office as a representative of the Design Department. Despite having only a few years of experience with the firm, Karina has shown outstanding dedication and talent in her job...¡¯


    I felt tears form in my eyes as I continued reading the one-page letter of rmendation that Ace had given to me. Honestly, I had no idea that my manager would do something like this for me. When she told me about the opportunity, she never said anything about the fact that she rmended me.


    ¡°Lauren has a keen eye for talent, and she is a very honest and straightforward colleague of mine. If she wasn¡¯t truly convinced of your talent and capabilities, she would never have rmended you for this role,¡± Ace said sternly after he had surmised that I had finished reading the letter.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know anything about this...¡± I admitted in a whisper while still in shock.


    ¡°I guessed as much. Lauren doesn¡¯t like to take much credit, so she probably told you that I demanded to have you as my secretary or something along those lines. It¡¯s not entirely untrue, though. Although I assigned you to this role based partly on her rmendation, I was the one who made the final decision,¡± Ace exined honestly.


    I was stunned speechless. Never did I think that Lauren would request for Ace to promote me like this. She never mentioned anything to me, and I didn¡¯t think I qualified to join the CEO¡¯s office either. Suddenly, I started feeling extremely guilty for using Ace. It was all a misunderstanding that I arrived to all alone in my own head. I blinked rapidly as I tried to take in deep breaths to calm myself and to prevent my tears from falling.


    ¡°Here is the boring paperwork that I filled out to request for your transfer from Lauren¡¯s department to the CEO¡¯s office. In case you still don¡¯t believe me, you can see the date of the document here,¡± Ace said as he slid over another piece of paper my way.


    .....


    It wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t believe him at that point. I could feel that Ace probably didn¡¯t have any real reason to lie to me. My eyes fell down to the date on the document that he showed me before my eyes widened in surprise. The date on the document was a few days before the night that I slept with Ace. So that means...


    ¡°It¡¯s true that I enjoyed sleeping with you more than enough to make me want to do it again, but I would never choose someone for such an important job simply because I wanted to fuck her,¡± Ace said before he smiled charmingly at me.


    ¡°I...¡± I murmured before I realized that I didn¡¯t have anything more to say.


    ¡°That is not how things work at thispany and that is definitely not how I operated. I am extremely disappointed that you did not know that. Not only did you underestimate your own abilities and your worth, you offended Lauren¡¯s judge of talent, and you insulted my leadership and my professionalism,¡± Ace reprimanded me sternly.


    He really was the CEO. I felt so scared of him, but I knew that what he said was spot on true.


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, Sir...¡± I apologized as I tried to keep myself from crying from the shame.


    ¡°I despise cocky and arrogant people, but you should never be too humble either,¡± Ace said as if he was teaching me an important lesson.


    ¡°I will remember that...¡± I mumbled softly in response.


    I stared into the face of the man who was probably the most cocky and arrogant person that I knew. What he said to me felt quite ironicing out of his mouth.


    ¡°The day when you¡¯re as good as me, you can start getting all cocky,¡± Ace said as if he could tell what I was thinking with ease.


    ¡°Yes, Sir...¡± I replied.


    ¡°Well, now that that is out of the way. Do you still have any reason to refuse the position?¡± Ace asked with a bright smile on his lips.


    Suddenly, it felt like all that difficult talk between us never happened and I found myself feeling extremely relief about it.


    Well...


    ¡°No, Sir...¡± I replied in defeat.


    In the end, I couldn¡¯te up with another reason to turn down the opportunity. If I had to bepletely honest, I probably wanted to take this leap of faith and embark on a challenging journey just to see where it would lead me. Hopefully, it would lead me closer to achieving my dream. After suddenly being dumped by Kyle, all my dreams of sharing a loving future with him was shattered into countless pieces. If I didn¡¯t have anything left, then I had to hang on to my dream and my career tightly with both hands even if it meant that I had to deal with this wicked yet charming devil in front of me.


    ¡°Excellent. I look forward to working with you, Karina...¡± Ace said with utmost satisfaction.


    That being all said and done, I had somehow epted to work as Ace¡¯s secretary. However, I didn¡¯t have any experience at working a job like this and I didn¡¯t quite understand what the role entailed. I¡¯ve only seen other secretaries do basic tasks to support their boss, but it was clear that Ace seemed to have something at least slightly different in mind.


    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not quite sure what I have to do as your secretary...¡± I admitted quite shyly.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. You¡¯ll do everything that I ask you to. You¡¯ll go everywhere that I go. Just stay by my side and learn...¡± Ace said like it was supposed to be obvious.


    He doesn¡¯t mean that literally, right?


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 47

    47 Sealed with a Kiss


    ¡°I see...¡± I mumbled with a small nod of my head.


    ¡°Any other questions?¡± Ace asked.


    ¡°About project Alpha, what are your expectations of me?¡± I asked.


    I would be a big liar if I said that I didn¡¯t want to work on such an important and challenging project like this one. It was a well-known honor to be staffed on this project and the final of thepetition is live broadcasted on television. It became a tradition for employees of thepany to stay upte at night on that day to watch thepetition live together at the office while cheering ourpany on. If we won, then everyone would drink together to celebrate until sunrise. If we loss, people drank the night away anyways as a way to deal with their disappointment.


    ¡°Help me, Karina. Give it your best shot and do what you¡¯re best at. ording to Lauren, you¡¯re supposed to be talented in design, right? Imagine, think and create...¡± Ace said before he smiled brightly at me.


    His smile felt mysterious, charming, and extremely arrogant at the same time. Ace always brimmed with confidence, and he seemed to have everything under control all the time. I began wondering what it would be like to work closely with him. One thing was for sure, if all those geniuses in the meeting room looked up to him and was eager to work for him, then Ace must be the real deal.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what was in store for me in the future, but I knew one thing for certain: I didn¡¯t want to let Lauren down. I wanted to show Ace and the world that the faith that Lauren ced in me wasn¡¯t misced.


    ¡°Thank you for choosing me. I¡¯ll work hard and I¡¯ll try my best not to disappoint you,¡± I said with renewed determination.


    ¡°Excellent. We¡¯ll start right away,¡± Ace said without bothering to hide his excitement.


    .....


    Ace jumped out of his seat energetically before rounding the table to stand right at my side. I stood up from my seat when he extended his hand towards me for a professional handshake. Since we¡¯ll be working together from now on, I hoped that we would get along and I look forward to learning so much from him. Slowly, I reached out my hand and ced it in his. His muchrger hand grasped mine firmly as he shook it while his captivating eyes smiled at me along with his beautiful lips.


    A few seconds past, was it just me or was he holding onto my hand a little too long? I tried to pull my hand back while keeping a polite smile stered on my face but that only made Ace gripped my hand tighter. My eyes widened in shock when I realized that he wasn¡¯t willing to let go of my hand.


    ¡°Umm...Sir...¡± I murmured as I tried to pull my hand back again.


    Instead of letting go, Ace pulled on my hand, and I soon found my body pressed up against his from the force of his pull. Instinctively, I looked up at his face in astonishment. Ace smirked down at me before I felt the heat of his lips crushing down against mine. His arm wrapped around my body before hisrge hand held the back of my head to keep me from escaping from his demanding kiss. His warm and soft lips kissed me seductively and I was overwhelmed by his presence, the heat of his body against mine, and his intoxicating smell.


    His kiss felt so pleasurable and slowly, my eyes drifted closed. Ace probed my lips open with the wet tip of his teasing tongue before he thrusted his tongue deeply into the depth of my mouth. He let out a low groan as our kiss deepened while I moaned softly into our kiss. His tongue sought out mine and engaged it in a fervent dance. I could taste him as he tasted and began devouring my mouth. His arm tightened around my body and pulled me closer, pressing the length of our bodies tightly together.


    He¡¯s so warm. I can feel his body heat seeping into my skin through my clothes. Ace kissed me from another angle, and I found myself moaning even more into our heated kiss. I need to stop this. I need to stop him, but my body and my will felt so weak. My body wouldn¡¯t listen to me as my lips and tongue began kissing him back in abandon.


    This is so wrong...


    When Ace finally broke our kiss, I was panting for air from the intensity of our steamy kiss. My mind was a chaotic daze and I had to blink rapidly to clear my mind and return to the reality in front of me. Ace still held me against him as he looked down into my face. The raw desire swimming in his eyes scared me but the excitement that I felt when he held and kissed me scared me even more.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not really insulted. You see...I¡¯m not that professional on matters not strictly rted to work...¡± Ace said with a smallugh.


    His head dipped down again, and I turned my face to the side before he could capture my lips in another wild series of kisses.


    ¡°Wait, Sir!¡± I protested as I tried to push against his hard chest. He¡¯s so muscr...


    ¡°Call me Ace when we¡¯re alone...¡± Ace whispered in a seductive drawl.


    ¡°Umm...¡± I murmured, not sure how I was supposed to react to that.


    ¡°And I¡¯ll call you Rina,¡± Ace readily suggested.


    ¡°Karina is fine...¡± I said firmly.


    ¡°Why are you acting so distant? You did tell me to call you Rina before...¡± Ace said with a mocking smile.


    ¡°When?¡± I asked in a stunned whisper.


    ¡°...that night,¡± Ace said before he smiled mischievously at me.


    I hated the fact that he seemed to remember everything so clearly from that night while I couldn¡¯t remember anything but vague fragments that were so scattered and disconnected. I felt heat rise from my neck up to my cheeks and then all over my face as I blushed madly. Did I really tell him that when we spent the night together?


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 48

    48 A Demanding Devil


    ¡°What about being my girlfriend? Have you decided on that yet?¡± Ace asked with me still locked in his arms.


    ¡°I am definitely not taking that position!¡± I refused loudly as I pushed hard against his chest in an attempt to free myself.


    Ace looked at me with widened eyes in surprise before his expression quickly turned into a sorrowful sulking one.


    ¡°Why would you turn me down? I really can¡¯t understand a girl like you,¡± Ace said with genuine confusion.


    He¡¯s the CEO and my boss, of course, I would turn him down. There¡¯s also a ¡®no dating¡¯ policy in thispany. Plus, I wasn¡¯t in love with him...or anything...


    What makes him think that I¡¯ll say yes just like that?


    ¡°You¡¯re my boss...¡± I mumbled to remind both him and myself.


    ¡°You¡¯re right about that but I¡¯m absolutely certain that you¡¯ll fall in love with me very soon...if you haven¡¯t already...¡± Ace said as he stared deeply into my eyes.


    Where does this man get his confidence from?


    .....


    I just sighed in defeat. Not wanting to discuss this topic any further, I decided to change the flow of our conversation by asking him a question that had been on my mind for a while.


    ¡°I thought that you already had a secretary...¡± I said questioningly.


    My mind quickly recalled the beautiful blonde woman who I had seen walking around thepany very often. The first time that I saw her was when I first joined thepany and was waiting for Ace. I found outter that that gorgeousdy in the red dress was actually his secretary. Did she quit already?


    ¡°Oh, you mean udia? She had to quit recently due to health issues. It really was quite unfortunate. I really enjoyed working with her and we got along very well with each other,¡± Ace exined with some regret in his voice.


    ¡°I see. I hope she gets better soon,¡± I replied.


    So, she quite because of...health issues...


    ¡°I hope so too,¡± Ace replied casually.


    Seeing that it wasn¡¯t my ce to really ask anymore questions, I decided to drop that topic there.


    ¡°I¡¯ve synced your calendar up with mine so you can see my calendar. What is on my calendar is basically what should be on yours as well because you¡¯re supposed to be with me always,¡± Ace exined professionally.


    I took out my phone and saw that he was right. My work calendar had been synced with his and I could see his schedule. Now, let me see his schedule for today...


    My eyes widened at the endless list of meetings that seemed to run on well into the night. Is this what the CEO calendar looks like?


    Oh my...


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. There¡¯s a meeting in that room over there in less than five minutes...¡± Ace said before he headed straight for our next destination.


    ...


    I spent the day following Ace around like a little puppy at his heels. True to his words from before, wherever he went, I followed. Ace had many back-to-back meetings and all of them were grueling, stressful and demanding. At least, that was clearly the case for the other people who attended the meeting with him. As for Ace, he treated every meeting like a walk in the park with a warm and weing breeze. I learnt first-handed how Ace earned the title of the ¡®Devil CEO¡¯.


    ¡°Why?¡± Ace asked from where he was seated at the head of the long meeting table.


    I sat on a chair to the side as I looked on at Ace before my gaze shifted to the thin middle-aged man who was visibly shaking where he stood in front of the presentation screen. This was the third time that Ace had asked the same question to the man. His question was simple, but it demanded so much.


    ¡°The client was unsatisfied with the shooting location, so we had to make somest-minute changes,¡± the man replied softly.


    Ace¡¯s eyes narrowed at the man, and I held my breath because I had a very good guess of what he was about to ask next.


    ¡°Why?¡± Ace asked again with his eyes glued menacingly at the man.


    I winced when Ace spoke that word. Now was the third time that he had asked the same question and it seemed like no matter what the answer was, Ace was going to ask that same question over and over again. I felt so lucky that I wasn¡¯t that man right now. No one should have to go something so mentally stressful as this. The atmosphere in the room was stifling and no dared to speak a word or make a sound.


    ¡°Perhaps the client changed their mind or...we didn¡¯t present the right options for them to choose from at the start...¡± the man said admittingly.


    There was a pause, and I held my breath while I prayed that this grilling session woulde to an end soon before the poor man peed his pants. He was a senior project lead, and it was clear that his project was struggling badly. After shooting the entiremercial, the client rejected the first demo and demanded for an entire revamp by changing the location which meant that everything had to be redone. Changing the location didn¡¯t just mean re-filming the whole thing, it meant tweaking the design, story boards and everything else. It was an unfortunate and a massive and costly mess.


    ¡°Why?¡± Ace asked, his eyes never leaving the man.


    I bit my lower lip and winced as if in pain along with the other people seated at the table. We all tried to hide our reactions and silenced our depressing sighs. This time the man seemed to run out answers, either that or he figured out that none of his answers would satisfy Ace. I could understand himpletely, if I were in his position...I shivered just at the thought of it and didn¡¯t dare to imagine that scenario any further.


    Ace flipped over some papers in the file that was in front of him before dumping it down with hard smack back onto the table. Apparently, he wasn¡¯t pleased with what he had seen on the pages.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 49

    49 Everywhere With Him


    ¡°Send this project over to the CEO¡¯s office. The team will fix it. You see, apart from dealing with key projects we also fix the shitty messes when other teams can¡¯t even deal with their regr projects,¡± Ace spat without hiding his utter disappointment.


    He shook his head like he deserved to see and hear something better than the presentation just now. Without another word, he got up from his seat and the others quickly did the same. Ace walked out of the room without looking back while the others bowed respectfully. With that, the meeting came to a close. Ace didn¡¯t even wait for me, so it was my responsibility to try to keep up with him. When we were outside in the hallway, I kept my distance from him because I was simply scared and extremely intimidated by him.


    The Devil CEO...


    After a few meetings that went exactly like that and ended in a very simr fashion, I finally understood why he had that title. I knew that Ace was scary when he got serious, but I never knew that he was this scary. Ace still seemed like he was in a bad mood which wasn¡¯t good news for me because I sort of have to talk to him right now.


    ¡°Umm...next up is dinner with a client at the Everly Pavilion hotel. Finally, it¡¯s thest thing on today¡¯s schedule,¡± I told him in a small voice.


    Ace sighed as he stopped walking, and I took that as a sign that he was waiting for me to catch up to his side.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± he said, surprisingly calmly when I stood at his side.


    ¡°Should I get you a drink?¡± I offered.


    ¡°No need,¡± he declined immediately.


    .....


    Finally, the day is over for me. I¡¯ll send Ace off to have dinner with the client and then I can head back to my apartment for some much-needed rest. Today had been such a long day and my feet are killing me already. Why did I have to wear these heels today of all days? I bet there are blisters on the back of my heels and I didn¡¯t even walk that much. I walked Ace to the front of the building where his driver was waiting for him along with the usual ck Bentley that he uses.


    ¡°Enjoy dinner,¡± I said politely as I waved to him.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ace asked in a low voice as his eyes narrowed suspiciously at me.


    My body froze at this gaze. Did I do something wrong just now?


    ¡°Umm...sending you off to dinner with the client?¡± I responded.


    ¡°I can see that. I¡¯m asking because it doesn¡¯t make sense for you to send me off when you¡¯re supposed to join me for dinner,¡± Ace said pointedly.


    ¡°Me? I have to go to dinner with you as well?¡± I asked, surprised at this sudden turn of events.


    Ace looked at me like I was dumb and blind before he shook his head and sighed.


    ¡°You will do everything that I say and go wherever I go. Work doesn¡¯t end straight on the clock if you¡¯re my secretary. What kind of secretary goes off to rest while her boss is still working?¡± Aceined before he grabbed my wrist.


    Before I could apologize or make any excuse for myself, Ace had dragged me with him into the back seat of the huge ck Bentley.


    Cleary, as far as Ace was concerned, work was still far from over.


    ...


    Luckily, I read up on the client¡¯s profile a little, so I had a pretty decent idea of who we were meeting. The client and hispany were also famous so it wasn¡¯t a surprise that he could book a dinner time with Ace. Jim Langley, current CEO of one of thergest fashion outlets on the continent. Hispany specializes in running outlet for designer products across manyrge outlets in various countries on this continent. Hispany experienced rapid growth as a result of one of the marketing campaigns that ourpany helped him with in the past. Since then, he¡¯s been one of our loyal clients.


    ¡°Ace! So happy that you could make it,¡± Jim said with a beaming smile as he stood up from his seat and shook Ace¡¯s hand firmly.


    ¡°Happy to meet you. It¡¯s been too long,¡± Ace said warmly.


    ¡°And this beautifuldy with you is?¡± Jim asked as his eyes fell on me.


    ¡°This is Karina, she¡¯s my personal secretary,¡± Ace replied as he introduced me.


    ¡°A pleasure to meet you. I¡¯m Karina,¡± I introduced myself politely.


    ¡°I see. Wee. I¡¯m sure Ace can take on more projects now with you helping him out,¡± Jim said followed by augh before he gestured with his hand for us to take a seat.


    Soon a man joined us, and Jim quickly introduced him as the new head of marketing for hispany. The man was probably in histe forties.


    ¡°This is Johnny. He just joined us as head of marketing. I wanted to introduce him to you so that we can work together more in the future. We are thinking of rebranding the look and feel of our outlets very soon, and of course, we would like to work with Jesses and Hill¡¯s on that,¡± Jim said.


    ¡°Sounds like an interesting project. Rebranding is one of the things that we do best. As always, I¡¯ll be happy to help out and I¡¯m always thankful for the trust that you ce in us,¡± Ace said politely but I could tell that he meant every word that he said as well.


    ¡°Excellent. Well, we don¡¯t need to discuss the details now, but Johnny here will definitely be in touch with yourpany soon to work on this,¡± Jim said with a satisfied smile.


    The meeting that followed was more rxed and it seemed more like a catch up between friends rather than a serious business talk. Of course, business was discussed, and some thoughts were suggested by both sides on what the project could mean and the various directions that the project could take.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 50

    50 Driving Me Home


    ¡°At first, I thought the luxurious branding of the outlet worked well but now we¡¯re not so sure. After adding in more trendy brands that cater to the younger adult poption, we fear the current branding might seem too old fashioned for the younger generation,¡± Johnny chimed in with his view.


    The conversation went on as we switched from food to drinking some wine. Of course, I drank very moderately to make sure that I didn¡¯t get anywhere near drunk or even tipsy. Just staring at alcohol nowadays gave me a bad feeling and I couldn¡¯t help but recall the disaster that had just taken ce when I overdrank that one night. It was just that one night, but I ended up sleeping with Ace. No more drinking for tonight!


    I ced my wine ss down firmly and pushed it out of the way. Ace was sitting right next to me and it would be another disaster if I added alcohol into my blood stream. I should never mix the ingredients of disaster together to create another disaster again.


    By the time that the dinner with the client finally came to an end, it was already quitete in the evening. The driver drove us back to the office just as Ace instructed.


    ¡°How are you getting home?¡± Ace asked once we arrived at the office.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll take the train,¡± I replied with a small smile.


    ¡°Thiste?¡± Ace asked as his eyes widened at me.


    I take the train even when it¡¯ste at night all the time. It wasn¡¯t like I had much of a choice because I didn¡¯t have a car and taxis were expensive and may potentially be more dangerous than the train for a woman travelling alone.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty safe...¡± I said before smiling a little at him.


    .....


    ¡°I¡¯ll drive you,¡± Ace stated decisively without asking for my preference.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to do that...¡± I quickly countered.


    ¡°Come along,¡± Ace said casually as he took my hand in his and held it firmly.


    ¡°Wait...Sir...¡± I said but Ace didn¡¯t listen.


    ¡°Call me Ace. There¡¯s no one else here,¡± he reminded me as he dragged me along after him.


    ¡°I can go back by myself. There¡¯s no need for you to drive me back,¡± I repeated once again.


    ¡°I want to drive you back,¡± Ace said as if that reason alone should suffice.


    Right...


    Not knowing what else to say to change his mind, I just nodded my head once in acknowledgement. The next thing I knew, Ace had dragged me to the parking lot where his car was parked. The parking lot was empty since everyone had left the office already at this time of night. The wind blew and my hair fluttered all around my face.


    It was a little surprising at first when I found out that Ace drove himself instead of having a driver to drive for him all the time both during work and off of work but when I saw his car, Ipletely understood why having a driver wouldn¡¯t work out.


    Ace¡¯s car was one of those fancy and ultra-expensive Ferrari supercars. Thankfully it wasn¡¯t bright red because that wouldn¡¯t suit his image at all. Instead, Ace had opted for a metallic gunmetal color which I thought suited his devilish self perfectly. The devil could substitute his chariot for this Ferrari in the modern day, easy.


    ¡°What¡¯s your address?¡± he asked casually.


    I told him my address and he inputted it in the GPS navigator while I buckled my seatbelt. When he saw that I was done we were on our way. It waste and the traffic was light around the business district where our office was, but I felt that that wasn¡¯t enough reason to justify the high speed at which Ace was speeding.


    ¡°Umm...do you always drive this fast?¡± I asked to soften myint.


    ¡°Too fast for you?¡± he asked as he turned to smile devilishly my way.


    My heart skipped a beat, and it wasn¡¯t from the fear of speeding along an empty road.


    ¡°Maybe you should keep your eyes on the road...¡± I managed to say to cover up my own embarrassment.


    Despite the high price tag of the car, the car¡¯s interior was small and that made me even more conscious of how close Ace is to me right now. I took in a deep breath and turned to look out the window just so that I could keep my eyes off Ace.


    ¡°How was your first day as my secretary?¡± he asked.


    Although he did not stress on the word, I felt a strange yet pleasant feeling when he called me his secretary. Karina, get a hold of yourself please or you¡¯re going to end up in a bigger mess than the one you got into with Kyle, I warned myself over and over again.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m still not great at the job but I¡¯m starting to understand what I have to do. Hopefully, I¡¯ll be more useful to you soon and I think it¡¯s good that I¡¯m learning and getting to see many new things,¡± I replied humbly.


    ¡°Interesting. I think you¡¯re doing well,¡± Ace replied.


    ¡°Really?¡± I said excitedly, before I could stop myself.


    Suddenly, I found myself smiling just at that slightpliment that he offered. Why do I feel like a puppy waiting for my master to pet my head afterpleting a good deed?


    ¡°Yup. I like having you around,¡± Ace replied with a smallugh before he turned to smile charmingly my way.


    The effect that his smile had on my poor heart made me look away instantly before he could see the blush creeping up my cheeks. Unfortunately, the car had to make a stop at a red light and that meant that Ace had a moment of free time from driving.


    ¡°Do you have a fever; your face is all red...¡± Ace said with clear concern in his voice as he leaned from his seat over towards me.


    ¡°Umm...¡± I murmured in a panic.


    He¡¯s so close and the car is so small that I can¡¯t evade him.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 51

    51 Teasing Words and a Goodnight Kiss


    ¡°I think you might have a fever...¡± Ace said.


    I felt my face turning beet red when I felt the gentleness of his palm against my forehead. Ace¡¯s face was directly in front of mine as he stared into my eyes with concern. He ced his other hand on his forehead as if topare our temperature. My heart had started beating much faster than before and the sound of my thundering heart beat felt deafening to my own ears. My heart was beating so fast and loud that I was scared that Ace would hear it.


    ¡°I...I¡¯m ok. I don¡¯t feel sick at all...¡± I said as I tried to remove his hand from my forehead.


    He¡¯s too close and he¡¯s touching me...


    I felt even more blood rush to my face and my head started to feel dizzy. Ace hazel eyes stared closely at my face. When will the light turn green?


    ¡°Let me know if you¡¯re sick. I can drive you to the hospital,¡± Ace said before he retreated back to his seat.


    That was so not good for my poor heart.


    ¡°Ok...¡± I murmured in reply.


    Thankfully, we arrived at my apartment building without further incidents. Ace parked his car right in front of the building.


    .....


    ¡°Thank you for driving me...¡± I thanked him politely.


    I wanted to add that there was no need for him to do this next time, but I knew that he wouldn¡¯t listen to my objections anyways.


    ¡°No problem at all. I¡¯m happy to drive you,¡± he replied with a cheerful smile.


    It was amazing how he seemed to have so much energy after such a long day. Ace didn¡¯t seem tired, and he didn¡¯t seem stressed out at all. Perhaps for him, working like this was normal. I returned his smile before getting out of the car.


    To my surprise, when I got out of the car, Ace also got out with me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll walk you,¡± he offered like it was supposed to be the norm.


    He¡¯s going to walk me to my room?


    ¡°Umm...¡± I mumbled as I thought of a polite way to get him back in his car.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Ace said as he ced hisrge hand at the small of my back and began pushing me forward.


    I found myself being swept up with the flow and once again, I was doing everything that Ace wanted me to do. Confused and without a better idea of what I should do, I ended up walking with Ace all the way to the door of my room.


    ¡°I should go inside now...¡± I said softly as if to remind myself that I should quickly retreat to the safety of my own room.


    ¡°Do you live alone?¡± Ace asked casually.


    ¡°Yes...¡± I replied honestly.


    Back when Kyle and I were still together, he woulde over sometimes to spend the night, but we never got anywhere close to moving in together. Now that I think of it, Kyle would onlye over after our dates or after work to have sex and sleep over on some nights during the weekdays. It was rare for him toe over during weekends. He cited his family for his reasons, but based on my new discovery, he probably had other reasons as well.


    Ace is going to be so shocked when he sees the state of my apartment. Although I made more money now than when I first started working, I never moved out of the same apartment that Kyle had helped me pick out. The ce was just convenient, and I had gotten used to living there. Plus, thendy was nice and helpful to me. Most importantly, I hated packing and moving the most. It was just too much of a pain. For all of those reasons or valid excuses, I never moved out to get a nicer orrger apartment.


    Wait! What am I thinking...it¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to invite him inside and it¡¯s also not like he¡¯s going to force himself in either, right?


    ¡°I know that it¡¯s already quitete but, you should go to sleep as early as you can. The schedule is very packed tomorrow in case you haven¡¯t realized,¡± Ace said with a slight warning before he grinned at me.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re busy everyday...¡± I replied while feeling a little shy.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Work is fun...and it¡¯s more fun now that you¡¯re with me,¡± Ace said with a smile before winking at me.


    My eyes widened in amazement when Ace admitted that he enjoyed his work. Just like before I could feel his determination andmitment to his work. I stared at his face in admiration before he stared back at me.


    ¡°Oh...¡± I murmured, stunned at his words and his overly attractive face.


    ¡°Goodnight,¡± Ace said before turning to leave.


    Although I was partly relieved that he was finally leaving, a small part of me felt a little depressed and a tightness pulled at my chest. It was a feeling that I couldn¡¯t quite understand.


    ¡°Good...¡± I started to say goodnight, but I never got topletely the word.


    I felt the hardness of the door to my room against my back as he backed me into it with hisrge frame, trapping me between him and the door. His lips were on mine as his hand cupped the side of my face. His heated kiss swallowed all the words that I wanted to say as his soft lips began seducing mine. Stunned by the suddenness of his pleasurable attack, my body froze in ce as his lips continued to explore mine.


    The tip of his wet tongue probed my lips, seeking for entry into the depths of my mouth. I found myself moaning softly into his seductive kiss as my lips slowly parted to wee the invasion of his exploring tongue. Ace thrusted his tongue firmly into my mouth as he groaned softly into our kiss. His tongue found mine immediately and began grinding against it.


    His fingers slipped from my cheek down to hold my chin to angle my face where he wanted it as he changed the angle of our kiss to kiss me even deeper than before.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 52

    52 If He Got Serious


    His tongue swirled in my mouth as he seemed to explore every nook and cranny. I could taste him and a bit of the wine that we had at dinner. It was such a sweet taste that I couldn¡¯t get enough of.


    My tongue moved against his fervently as I started moaning louder. I kissed him back as I felt the heat of my own desire flooding and clouding my mind. Ace is such a skillful kisser. His kisses felt so satisfying and so blissful. His hand slipped in between us and began caressing the side of my waist before he sucked on my lower lip.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I called his name to stop him, but my voice came out in a small breathless whimper as I panted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say my name like that. You¡¯re such a mean girl...¡± Ace said mockingly but he did back away a little to give me some room.


    Is he holding back for my sake?


    ¡°This is a strange condition that you have. When I kiss you and touch you, your face gets redder and hotter...¡± Ace said teasingly as he reached a hand towards my face.


    He tranced two fingers along my cheek, and I felt even more heat rush to my face at his touch. My face felt like it was on fire, and I knew that my face was red.


    ¡°Don¡¯t y around me with...¡± I whispered as I averted my eyes from his.


    ¡°Hmm? Then you wouldn¡¯t mind if I got serious about you, right?¡± Ace asked but I felt like it wasn¡¯t truly a question.


    .....


    What does he even mean by that? Get serious with me...


    What would I do if he got serious...?


    With that he ced hisrge hand on top of my head and patted it softly a few times as he smiled down at me. He¡¯s so tall and his smile is so captivating. How can someone like him really be interested in me?


    The answer was simple: he probably wasn¡¯t interested, and he was just toying with me at his own convenience.


    ¡°You should head back,¡± I said curtly as I looked away and pressed my back harder against the door to my room.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow at work,¡± Ace said passively.


    Then he was gone. I watched his back as he walked away before I closed my eyes and let out a sigh. Why do I have a feeling that dealing with him would be more difficult than any challenges that I may have to face at work?


    After entering my room, I leaned my back against the closed door as I closed my eyes and concentrated on steadying my breathing and my rapid heart rate.


    I knew that I needed to keep my distance from him but in the end, we still ended up kissing. The heat of his lips on mine, the taste of his tongue inside my mouth, and the warmth of his hand on my body, I could still feel all of those sensations even though he was no longer here. I should have known that of all the transportation options that I had at my disposal; a ride alone with Ace in his car must have been the most dangerous option.


    After calming myself, I sat myself down onto the sofa to rest a little before I took a shower. My eyes scanned the small room of my apartment before focusing on a few items that belonged to Kyle. Since I had been busy and too emotionally devastated since he dumped me, I haven¡¯t gotten around to sorting and dealing with the various things that Kyle left behind in my room.


    Even though, I knew that it would serve him right if I just threw everything out, I couldn¡¯t help but think that he may need some of the things that he left in my room.


    Arghhh! Why am I still being so nice to him after all of the cruel things that he did to me?


    He might never contact me again and he might nevere to pick up his things, but it still felt wrong for me to simply throw all his stuff away. I got up from the sofa and wandered around only to find that there were a lot of Kyle¡¯s belongings in my room. Everything from daily essentials to clothes and electronic gadgets. All of them strewn around the room in random ces. Over the two years that we¡¯ve been together, I guess I shouldn¡¯t be too surprised that his stuff in my room had umted.


    With a silent sigh, I took out arge cardboard box and began cing some of Kyle¡¯s things into the box, starting with random things that I could find. It¡¯s going to take time topletely find and stuff all his things into the box but better to start now thanter. I took a marker and wrote his name inrge bold text on the box.


    Picking up each item made me think of Kyle and the associated memory that we had with that item. Even though, I knew that it wasn¡¯t the object¡¯s fault, I began hating each object that I picked up. After cing a couple of things in the box, I was too emotionally exhausted to continued. I bit on my lower lip to keep my tears from spilling over. It hasn¡¯t been that long since we broke up and my wounds were still quite fresh that a little stimtion left it bleeding all over again. I shoved the box in a corner and decided to leave it at this for tonight.


    Tomorrow is going to be a better day, Karina.


    ...


    I woke up on Saturday morning feeling very empty inside. The first few days working as Ace secretary passed by smoothly and I had been assigned the task of preparing reports to summarize on the topics rted to the dog meat trade. The purpose was for me to share in next week¡¯s meeting more information about the topic so that the entire team would have a better understanding before proceeding to work on their respective parts. I was so invested in the project that I nned to work the weekend on the research as well.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 53

    53 In for a Surprise


    That was the main objective but the hidden agenda that I tried to keep suppressed and hidden away in the corner of my mind was because I needed something to keep my mind off the fact that Kyle is supposed to be getting married today. Of course, I wasn¡¯t invited to his wedding, and I had no idea where he was getting married. Not that it mattered, I wouldn¡¯t turn up anyways even if he did invite me. We were not supposed to have a close rtionship at all in the eyes of others who knew us.


    That was the curse of our forbidden and secret rtionship.


    In an attempt to avoid thinking of that any further, I focused on my research as I sat in front of myptop and typed away. Collecting information about what the dog meat trade was and how it worked wasn¡¯t difficult. What was more challenging was looking into the various viewpoints that people had regarding the controversial topic. Of course, people in the west were clearly opposed to it because dogs were considered ¡®a man¡¯s best friend¡¯. The idea of consuming dogs as food was just unthinkable to many people and I had to say that that applied to me also. To me, dogs were pets to be taken care of and loved. Dog wasn¡¯t food for me.


    However, there were still many people who did not share this belief which is probably why the trade still exists to this day in many countries around the world. There are many cultures where dogs are considered as a normal source of meat for consumption simr to pigs, chickens and cows. Simr to how there are chicken and other livestock farms, there are farms that raise dogs for meat. However, the conditions of those farms and some shady activities associated to the sources of the dogs still exists.


    After more reading, I became genuinely interested in the topic and I could see even clearer why many people and foundations are working to put a stop to this meat trade. That doesn¡¯t mean that the line was simple to draw, and the topic was definitely a wild mix of various shades of grey rather than just ck and white.


    So how are we supposed to get people to support ending this trade?


    I paused to stretch my arms above my head before leaning by head back on the headrest of my seat. My eyes stared up nkly at the white ceiling of my room.


    Kyle is probably getting married in some church right now...


    I closed my eyes to rest them. Staring at theputer for a few hours was starting to take a toll on my eyes already. When I closed my eyes, my mind automatically conjured up a beautiful and romantic scene of Kyle exchanging marriage vow with a beautiful woman that I have never seen before. They both smiled at each other before leaning in for a kiss. Kyle wore a formal white tuxedo that perfectlyplimented the white dress worn by his happy bride.


    .....


    They look so happy and so well-suited to each other...


    **ring ring ring**


    Huh?


    My eyes snapped open, and that image was gone when the sound of my phone ringing brought me back quickly to reality. Who could it be?


    Maybe it¡¯s mum. She might be wondering if I¡¯m going back home to see her this weekend. My hand grabbed my phone and connected the line without bothering to check who was the caller. It was probably my mum or some telesale spam because there was on one else now that I have broken up with Kyle.


    ¡°Hello...¡± I saidzily.


    ¡°Sorry to call you on a weekend but...I sort of need your help right now...¡± a man¡¯s voice said in a seductive drawl.


    Ace?!


    My eyes widened in shock as a hand flew to cover my open mouth. I removed my phone from my ear and checked the caller ID. It really is Ace...


    He needs help?


    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem. What do you need help with?¡± I asked in a panic, sensing that it was urgent.


    Did something happen to him or something?


    I stood up from my seat in a panic as I gripped my phone tighter in my hand.


    ¡°Where are you right now?¡± Ace asked through the phone.


    ¡°I¡¯m at my ce...¡± I replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Perfect timing! Can youe out to your balcony for a bit?¡± Ace asked and I could feel his relief.


    ¡°Sure...but...why?¡± I asked in slight confusion as I slowly approached the exit to my balcony.


    Do I need to be on the balcony to help him with whatever he needed help with?


    I stepped out onto the balcony of my room while still confused with what Ace really wanted. He seemed troubled and whatever problem he was encountering must be quite serious for him to call me on a Saturday like this. He must have felt guilty for it too because he did apologize first thing in our call.


    ¡°Rina!¡±


    That¡¯ can¡¯t be...


    ¡°Ace...?¡± I gasped in surprise when I looked down from my balcony towards the front of the building.


    What is Ace doing here?!


    Ace was standing there in front of yet another eye-catching sportscar as he waved a hand at me. He seemed perfectly fine, and he was even smiling so...


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± I asked through the phone as I took a step by from the balcony railing.


    ¡°I already told you. I need your help...¡± he replied casually.


    ¡°What do you need help with?¡± I asked, suspiciously.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t youe and meet me down here first? Or are you still in your pajamas?¡± Ace asked teasingly.


    No, I wasn¡¯t in my pajamas but that didn¡¯t mean that I was in my office clothes either. I was in a simple t-shirt and jeans because it was a Saturday. Ace wasn¡¯t in his suit either and I guess this might be the first time that I saw him in casual clothes in real life. The loose white shirt that he had on along with his light blue jeansplimented his tan skin quite well.


    ¡°Umm...ok...¡± I mumbled, too confused that I didn¡¯t quite know what to react.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 54

    54 Sweet for the Heart


    The line clicked dead and that was when reality sank in that Ace was standing right in front of my building and I¡¯m supposed to go see him.


    Oh, my goodness! Where is my lipstick?!


    Before I realized how illogical and crazy my actions were, I was already in front of the mirror in the entry way of my room with a lipstick in my hand. Why did I have to look so pale today of all days?


    Because I had nned to stay in all day, I didn¡¯t have a trace of make up on and with the many things that had happened over the course of a few days, my skin didn¡¯t retain any of its usual healthy glow. I applied some pink tone lipstick to my lips before reaching for my blush powder.


    I don¡¯t have time for this. Ace is waiting downstairs!


    After checking that I no longer looked like a corpse, I headed out of my room and down to where Ace was waiting. I cursed myself silently at how much I cared about what he thought about appearance. It¡¯s supposed to be normal for me to want to look at least presentable in front of my boss, right?


    ¡°Ace...umm...sorry for the wait,¡± I said.


    Great, I had gotten used to calling him Ace already. I¡¯m such a well-disciplined littledy.


    ¡°No worries,¡± Ace replied with a rxed smile as he approached me.


    .....


    ¡°Umm...what can I help you with?¡± I asked with worry as I looked up at his face.


    ¡°Oh that. You see...I identally ended up buying too many doughnuts so I thought that you could help me eat some?¡± Ace said as he thrusted arge box of doughnuts my way.


    My eyes nced down at the colorful and veryrge box of doughnuts in his hands. How can someone make a mistake of buying this many?


    ¡°What?¡± I said in disbelief.


    Ace smiled at me innocently like he couldn¡¯t understand why I was looking so confused.


    ¡°I¡¯m on a diet. Sorry that I can¡¯t help you out with this. Have a good weekend,¡± I said before smiling tightly at him.


    Enough with the jokes already. I wasn¡¯t in the best of moods. I had a lot of work to do to prove myself to the superstar colleagues on my new team. Today was a Saturday and Kyle is getting married to the woman of his dreams right now while I¡¯m standing here with barely any make up on because my boss mistakenly bought too many doughnuts and decided to turn up to my ce so that I could help him eat it!!!


    What is wrong with my life right now?!


    I shook my head at the ridiculousness of everything that had happened to me over the past week before I turned on my heels and started heading back into the building.


    ¡°Wait, Rina!¡± Ace called after me.


    ¡°Please...just go home...¡± I said, sounding tired and depressed.


    Ace seemed surprised at my sudden change in mood but that didn¡¯t make him back down at all.


    ¡°You¡¯re working now, right? I have some work to do on the project too. Want to work on it together?¡± he suggested brightly.


    What are we now? Study buddies?


    ¡°How did you know that I was working?¡± I asked, curiously.


    ¡°It was a guess, but I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if someone as hardworking as you would work the weekends at a project this big,¡± Ace said with a smile.


    ¡°You should go home. I can work just fine by myself, and you shouldn¡¯t have said that you needed help. I was honestly worried...¡± I mumbled myints.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t lying. I really do need your help. If you let me help you with your work, you¡¯ll end up helping me because it¡¯s my project, right?¡± Ace said as he tried to convince me.


    ¡°The work will turn out fine so you can head back,¡± I said, standing my ground.


    My room is small and although it wasn¡¯t in a messy state, I didn¡¯t feel like inviting Ace in no matter what he says. I had made up my mind and my decision was firm...or so I thought...


    Ace looked down at me with sorrowful expression as his eyes pleaded with me. What kind of trick is this?


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whispered his name as he continued to stare at me with those hazel puppy eyes.


    After a while, Ace beganughing softly to himself while I didn¡¯t quite understand what he wasughing about. He did seem really relieved about something, though.


    ¡°You look quite fine now,¡± Ace said before he reached out and stroked my hair.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I reaffirmed, although I didn¡¯t know what he was talking about.


    Was it because I looked unwell before?


    ¡°This is for you. They say sweet stuff helps...¡± Ace said as he thrusted therge box of doughnuts into my hands.


    After shing me one of his super attractive smiles, Ace turned to leave which just left me even more confused than before. Sweet stuff helps with what...?


    ¡°Are you leaving now?¡± I asked before I wanted to kick myself for sounding so disappointed.


    ¡°Unless you would like me to stay...¡± Ace said teasingly.


    ¡°Umm...no. I¡¯ll see you at the office on Monday. Don¡¯t worry about the work, I¡¯ll get it done on time for sure,¡± I replied with some confidence.


    ¡°d to hear that,¡± Ace said before he turned to leave.


    I watched as Ace nimbly got into this sportscar and then drove off. My eyes stared down at therge box of doughnuts in my hand before quickly realizing that I could never finish it off my myself. Since I just got dumped getting back into shape by going on a diet and working out was what I should do. I also had to try to stay healthy, so I don¡¯t get sick. There was so much to be done at work that it would be bad if I had to miss days at work.


    I cocked my head to the side in wonder. Now, what was that all about?


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 55

    55 Harsh Gossip and Moving On


    Maybe it was because of Ace¡¯s unexpected visit to my apartment that made me forget all about Kyle and his wedding that weekend. After Ace left, I ended up chewing on one of the doughnuts that he bought while continuing with my research on the topic of dog meat trade. By the end of the day, I hadpiled a very good list of resources regarding the facts about the trade as well as many angles of the public¡¯s opinion of it.


    Although I wasn¡¯t sure if Ace did that intentionally or not, but his visit did provide enough distraction for me to stop thinking about Kyle and his betrayal. After spending the whole of Sunday submerging myself in my research, I hadpletelye to terms with Kyle moving on and realized that I should be doing the same. Kyle probably didn¡¯t need my well wishes but I decided to wish him the best with his new phase in life with his wife.


    That night I slept deeply and without dreams as I prepared myself for some grueling work on Monday. Kyle had clearly moved on and although I haven¡¯t made any real progress in my love life, I was determined to get a move on with my professional career. I¡¯m going to show everyone what I can do on this project.


    Monday arrived and soon after I stepped into the lobby of the office building, I quickly found that Ace¡¯s unintentional efforts in diverting my attention from Kyle¡¯s wedding didn¡¯t truly work. Despite the many great things that I admired about thispany, there were some cultural things that truly got on my nerves. One of those things was the exceptional talent of many employees of thispany in gossiping about everything especially their colleagues.


    ¡°You know that Kyle from nning got married the past weekend, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I stalked all social media channels just to get a glimpse at some photos from his wedding...¡±


    ¡°I heard his bride is a real beauty. I bet her family is rich,¡±


    ¡°Kyle¡¯s family is well-off too. They¡¯re probably a match made in heaven,¡±


    ¡°Look at this photo here! I got my friend from the nning department to send it over. He was there at the wedding,¡±


    .....


    I never realized until we broke up that Kyle was such a celebrity figure in our office. Perhaps, I did realize it, but I just ignored it while thinking that it was nothing but a burden to our secret rtionship. The more that people paid attention to Kyle and the more that they swarmed around him, the more we had to be careful to keep our rtionship hidden. I sighed and closed my eyes momentarily to calm my muddled mind.


    There¡¯s nothing for you to hide anymore, Karina. Well, perhaps the fact that you had a one-night stand with the Devil CEO...


    Just imagine if that were to get out.


    I stepped into the elevator while I prayed that I wouldn¡¯t run into Kyle. One of these days, I¡¯m going to bepletely fine about running into him and facing him; however, that day wasn¡¯t going to be today. I moved deeper inside the elevator as more people came in while trying to make myself as small as possible. Despite my efforts to keep Kyle and his wedding off my mind, I kept on thinking of the reason why he had to lie to me.


    How much of our rtionship was a lie? Was everything simply just a lie?


    All those times when he was kind to me. All those times that he supported me when I was going through a hard time whether in life or at work. Was everything just lies?


    When he held me and told me that he loved me. Was that just a convenient lie that he told just so that he could use me and sleep with me?


    He¡¯s so popr, though. Wouldn¡¯t it be easier for him to grab one-night stand lovers with the other girls?


    Just like always, by the time that the elevator arrived at the CEO¡¯s floor, I was the only one left standing all alone and extremely confused in the elevator. The sound of the elevator¡¯s arrival and the door sliding open snapped me out of my dark thoughts along with a sting of a headache.


    Enough of this, Karina.


    There¡¯s so much work for you to do and you¡¯re going to have to do extremely well to earn and keep your ce on this team of crazy genius A-listers!


    ...


    ¡°Start...¡± Ace said dispassionately from his seat at the head of the meeting table.


    This is it. I stood in front of therge projector screen with everyone¡¯s eyes on me as I was about to deliver my first ever presentation as a member of the CEO¡¯s office. After wrecking my brain and sacrificing sleep over the weekend, my presentation was ready...hopefully.


    ¡°Hello everyone. In my presentation, I will provide some contextual information on the dog meat trade as well as highlight somemon public opinions of the trade. First of all, what exactly is the dog meat trade and how does it work?¡± I began my presentation while trying my best to keep my voice from shaking from my nervousness.


    I haven¡¯t worked for that long but over the years that I¡¯ve been at Jesses and Hill¡¯s, I¡¯ve had the opportunity to present in various business meetings and also in front of clients. However, the tension and pressure of this meeting was on an entirely different level all together and it was just an internal meeting without external stakeholders involved. I didn¡¯t dare think of how stressful this project would be at the pitching stage and when the clients got involved.


    My past experiences and learning saved me, and I was somehow able to push to the end of my presentation while maintaining the attention and focus of my audiences. I thanked Lauren and her training and guidance silently in my head when my presentation came to a close. There was a brief moment of silence as everyone seemed to absorb in the information.


    Suddenly, a hand shot up into the air.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 56

    56 Complete Disaster


    Jeremy had his hand in the air and a small smile on his lips. I don¡¯t know why but I felt slightly relieved that it was Jeremy who had his hand up. He seemed kind and still young so perhaps I thought that he would go easy on me.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I said to wee his question.


    ¡°I think your presentation overall isn¡¯t bad but it¡¯s not very useful especially for me on the creative side. I understand the various public opinions as you¡¯ve factually presented it but there seems to be no information on the implications of those opinions or the degree of how strong each belief is which just makes it hard for us to figure out which opinion, we should be catering to in our advertisement...¡± Jeremy stated with a slight frown between his brows.


    I...


    Frankly, I was shocked by his words. He just told me that my presentation wasn¡¯t really useful to him, and it made me wonder if the other people thought the same. Did I just waste my time on this and also waste everyone¡¯s time?


    ¡°I understand. Let me do more research and add that part in,¡± I quickly said.


    ¡°Thanks. That would be very helpful,¡± Jeremy said before returning his attention to hisptop screen.


    At least, I had to appreciate the fact that he was being honest with his opinion of my work. I should take it as an opportunity for me to learn and improve myself even further.


    ¡°There¡¯s not enough math and statistics in there which is also probably what Jeremy was getting at as well. Not that I expected someone from design to shove in some numbers into their presentation. We¡¯ll deal with that on our side to get a better view of the problem quantitatively. Is that fine with you, Mr. Hill?¡± Richard spoke up emotionlessly.


    .....


    Did he just say ¡®someone from design¡¯?


    Sure, at the design department we rarely deal withrge data sets, and we don¡¯t delve intoplicated modelling of numbers to form scenarios but that doesn¡¯t mean that we don¡¯t look at numbers at all. When we try to understand the market or the problem to assist with our design decisions, we do research and look at statistics too.


    I stered a professional smile on my face as I tried to tell myself that it was my fault for not adding in the elements that Richard mentioned and that he probably didn¡¯t mean it as a disrespectful personal attack against me or the design department.


    ¡°Agreed. Anyone else have any questions?¡± Ace asked curtly.


    His hazel eyes felt cold and extremely frightening as he looked around the room before his eyes rested on me. I recalled how he smiled and looked at me when he turned up in front of my apartment building on the weekend with arge box of doughnuts that he had ¡®mistakenly¡¯ bought and I just couldn¡¯t believe that that man was the same one as the one staring at me right now.


    ¡°I have a question. From the various public opinions that you¡¯ve presented about, which one do you think we should consider using for our project?¡± Ace asked as his eyes seemed to pierce me.


    That...is a very good question and one that I didn¡¯t have an answer to. What am I supposed to say to that? The opinions were very different and very split on this very controversial topic. Personally, I didn¡¯t know what I believed, and I wasn¡¯t sure which angle would be more interesting or appealing for the advertisement.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not...so sure...¡± I replied softly.


    I could feel everyone¡¯s eyes on me as they looked at me with a mix of surprise and then disappointment. Ace on the other hand showed no emotions at all as he continued to stare at me. His attitude felt so cold.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t thought about it, or do you normally don¡¯t think when you work?¡± Ace asked monotonously.


    My mouth dropped open in shock at his words as my body froze in ce. I bit on my lower lip hard as my frustration and embarrassment started taking over. What did he just say? Did he just use me of not using my brain?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sir. I will think about it,¡± I managed to say after recovering from my shock.


    ¡°Next...¡± Ace said with a dismissal wave of his hand.


    Richard got up from his seat to present his part of the project. With a cold re from Richard, I returned to my seat at the table. The rest of the meeting felt like a blur to me as I sat there while feelingpletely out of ce.


    ...


    ¡°Sir, you have a meeting with the head of the nning and the head of the ounting department now,¡± I informed Ace softly after the meeting had ended.


    The meeting for project Alpha turned out to be a disaster for me. I would be lying if I said that I didn¡¯t feel defeated and very lost inside as I stered on a professional smile to inform Ace of his next meeting for the day. On top of trying to y a role in project Alpha, I also needed to work at Ace¡¯s personal secretary.


    Ace stopped in the hallway before he turned to face me. He stilled looked as stern and serious as he did during the meeting, and it made me feel uneasy to be alone with him.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to follow me around today. Please concentrate on improving the quality of your work based on the feedback that you received from the meeting. Come to my office at the end of the day and I¡¯ll help to review your progress,¡± Ace said tly before he turned and walked away.


    ¡°Yes, Sir...¡± I whispered after him although he probably didn¡¯t hear me.


    I headed to my work desk in the CEO¡¯s office where the other team members were already hard at work. No one paid me any attention and I thought that that was for the best. Everyone paid attention to their work and was undoubtedly producing some amazing results. I sat down in my chair at my desk before pulling up my presentation deck on myptop screen.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 57

    57 The CEO¡¯s Favorite


    ¡°I don¡¯t particrly care if the CEO favors her or not as long as she can do her job properly!¡± Richard¡¯s loud voice sounded in the office.


    ¡°Shhhh...don¡¯t be so loud. She¡¯s going to hear you,¡± another member of the team hissed.


    ¡°What? I¡¯m saying thing as it is. What is the problem? I don¡¯t care about any rumors. If her work is good enough to meet the team¡¯s standards then it doesn¡¯t matter what kind of rtionship she has with the boss,¡± Richard said as loudly as before.


    ¡°Rumors are just rumors. Now stop it, both of you!¡± Julianna snapped loudly.


    There are rumors...


    The three of them turned to look awkwardly around the room before their eyes rested on me. Then as if they had seen a ghost, they quickly looked away before pretending that nothing ever happened.


    I see, so they were talking about me. Who else could it be? I¡¯m probably the only one whose work doesn¡¯t yet meet the standard of this A-list Team. Although what they said was technically true, it still hurt me to hear it said like that. The implication that they thought that I got to join this team because the CEO ¡®favors¡¯ me was also clear. I didn¡¯t have to ask for more details on what they meant by the CEO¡¯s ¡®favor¡¯.


    My fingers continued typing at the keyboard, but my mind was far from focused on the work in front of me. I knew that a day like this woulde; however, I never thought that it woulde so soon. Anticipating this, I even told Ace before that I didn¡¯t want to take this role because I didn¡¯t want to sleep my way up. I don¡¯t think Ace has ever shown any action that would make people think that he favors me apart from appointing me to be his secretary. It¡¯s normal for the CEO and senior managers to have a secretary so I didn¡¯t see anything wrong with that.


    I can¡¯t concentrate and I¡¯m supposed to fix this before the end of the day so that I would have something that was at least passable to show Ace. I licked my dry lips as the tension in the room started to get to me. The sound of the other people typing on their keyboard, the sounds of people talking to each other in hushed whispers, the sound of someone stirring tea in their cup with a small metal spoon. Everything felt so loud, and it was driving me crazy.


    .....


    Suddenly, I shot up from my seat and people turned to look my way at the loud sound that I had made. It was probably my own imagination, but I had never felt this alienated before.


    ¡°Excuse me...¡± I whispered before quickly walking out of the room.


    ¡°I told you to keep it down...¡± someone hissed behind my back.


    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault. If she can¡¯t take it, she can just leave...¡± someone else replied. I thought that it must have been Richard.


    ¡°We already have someone to do design anyways...¡± a woman spoke up without a care.


    ¡°Dating between employees is strictly forbidden...¡± another voice stated while sounding very bored.


    ¡°Stop it. The CEO isn¡¯t dating her. Why would he date her of all people?¡± another woman snapped, clearly annoyed.


    I made my way away from the door before I would pick up more of what they were saying about me. If that was their idea of whispering, then I had to say that we had very different understanding of the meaning of the word.


    Thinking that drinking something sweet could help with my depressed feelings, I headed for the vending machine. After buying a can of drink, I stood in front of the machine in a daze. I had no idea how long I stood there for. It was like everything had gone nk and I felt very empty inside. The sound of people talking made me realize that someone wasing this way and that meant that this resting area wouldn¡¯t be so private anymore. With a resigned sigh, I left the break area and headed where I thought that I could be alone.


    This ce didn¡¯t hold any dear memories for me at all but regardless of that I had somehow ended up here. I looked at the view of the city from high up on the roof top opening of the building. Thest time I was here, I walked up those stairs thinking that I had a loving boyfriend, a perfect rtionship, and the prospect of getting married in the near future. A short whileter, I walked down the same flight of stairs as a single and heart broken woman with her entire career at risk.


    I tipped the can back and felt the sweetness of the drink fill my mouth. It was windy and my hair pped wildly around my face. Surprisingly, this ce helped me to calm down and I could be alone. The view was amazing too. I closed my eyes for a moment as I took in deep breaths.


    ¡°Enjoying yourself?¡±


    I jumped and almost screamed in shock at the sound of someone speaking very close to me.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    My eyes widened when I turned to see Ace just standing there casually. He looked at me and began stretching as I stared back at him in pure shock.


    When did he get here? Why is he here?


    ¡°Ace? Why are you here?¡± I asked in surprise.


    Ace looked like he had just woken up. Oh...please don¡¯t tell me...


    ¡°Wait...¡± I said as I tried to wrap my head around what was going on.


    He¡¯s not supposed to be here. I know that he¡¯s not supposed to be here.


    I took out my phone and opened Ace¡¯s calendar that was synced to my phone. If I¡¯m not wrong, which I didn¡¯t think that I was, Ace is supposed to be in a meeting right now. So, why is he here?


    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be in a meeting right now!¡± I eximed in shock as I pointed to the meeting slot on my phone screen and showed it to him.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 58

    58 Sweet Punishment


    Ace didn¡¯t even take a nce at it, and it was as if he already knew what I was talking about.


    ¡°You¡¯re skipping out on the meeting? Why? You¡¯re fifteen minuteste but...please go now. It¡¯s better than not turning up at all!¡± I urged him loudly as I reached out for his arm and began pulling on it.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going. Don¡¯t you have work to do? Leave me alone...¡± Ace said gruffly.


    ¡°What were you doing here?¡± I asked to confirm my suspicion.


    ¡°I was taking a nap...¡± Ace confessed without any sign of guilt.


    The Devil CEO was skipping out on his meetings and napping here?!


    What am I dealing with...?


    ¡°You can¡¯t just take a nap here!¡± I snapped.


    Why is he taking a nap here of all ces?


    .....


    Come to think of it, when I met him here on the day that Kyle broke up with me, Ace was also taking a nap here...


    ¡°Nevermind me. Why are you here? I¡¯m sure that you have work to do, or did you manage to finish that presentation already?¡± Ace asked as he arched a brow at me.


    ¡°Well...¡± I murmured while trying to avoid his inquisitive gaze.


    Ace gave me a look that told me that he knew that something was wrong. I bit my lower lip as I feared that he would ask me about it.


    ¡°Do you remember what I told you thest time that you came here?¡± Ace asked as his eyes narrowed slightly at me.


    What he said...


    ¡®Don¡¯te up here ever again. This is my space. If you do, you might have to pay with something more than a kiss next time,¡¯


    Oh no...why didn¡¯t I remember his warning until just now.


    ¡°Wait!¡± I cried out but it was toote.


    I gasped when I felt Ace¡¯s grip on my wrist before he pulled me against him. His hazel eyes looked down at me with unmistakable desire. I¡¯ve seen that look in his eyes before when he touched and kissed me in his office. The mes of desire burning in the depth of his eyes was unmistakable.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whimpered his name.


    His arm snaked around my waist, pulling me even closer to him. As if that was even possible, my body was already pressed up tightly against his and I could feel his body heat on mine. I knew that I should apologize for invading his space, but my lips wouldn¡¯t move, and I couldn¡¯t make a sound.


    ¡°Should I show you my nap room?¡± Ace proposed cheerfully.


    ¡°Ahh! Ace...¡± I let out a yelp when he suddenly lifted me up into his arms with ease.


    I wasn¡¯t that light but the way he carried me made me feel like I was weightless. After recovering from the shock of him suddenly lifting me up into his arms, it struck me that he mentioned something about his ¡®nap room¡¯? What was that?


    My body tensed in his arms when I thought that I wasn¡¯t sure if I wanted to find out. Ace strode with firm steps leading us away from the railing of the rooftop.


    ¡°There¡¯s a room here?¡± I said in surprise.


    To the side of the rooftop was a wall and after rounding the corner of that wall there was a door. I never knew that there was a room here but then again, this was my second time up here on the rooftop. Apparently, this was Ace¡¯s favorite spot and he seemed toe here often for his naps.


    ¡°When I don¡¯t want to work, Ie and hide here,¡± Ace confessed without any guilt.


    I looked up at his face in surprise. Frankly, I was shocked. What he was telling me and what I was seeing absolutely did not match with his image of being the Devil CEO at all. What kind of CEO hides away from his work here?


    Ace opened the door and carried me into the room before closing and locking the door behind us. The room was small, and I figured that it must have been designed to be a storage room. Based on what I saw inside the room, it was clear that the room had been transformed from a storage room into Ace¡¯s nap room for real. There was a small table and a chair in the room along with a long sofa with a pillow on it.


    Aceid me down on the sofa and I was suddenly enveloped by his smell. I took in a deep breath and the smell of Ace¡¯s perfume filled my senses. Ace definitely took his nap here on his sofa because it smelled so much of him. I had no idea why I was thinking of that rather than focusing on the fact that Ace had gotten on top of me.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whispered his name as I felt his body weight on me.


    Ace looked down at me like he was eying his pray from above as he straddled my hips. He¡¯s going to eat me...


    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten quite good at calling my name,¡± Aceplimented me with a satisfied grin.


    I let out a cry when he leaned down and buried his face in the side of my neck. His warm breath tickled the sensitive skin on the side of my neck before he kissed me there. His lips trailed soft kisses along my tender skin while I moaned and arched my neck to the side.


    I knew that we shouldn¡¯t be doing this, but his seductive kisses felt so good. His kisses became bolder before his lips started sucking on my neck. The sound of him sucking my neck filled the room along with my soft moans and whimpers of pleasure. When I tried to struggle, he captured my wrists in hisrge hand and pinned them above my head with ease.


    ¡°Stay still...I¡¯ll take you on a trip to heaven...¡± Ace whispered as his light brown eyes captured mine.


    His lips returned to the side of my neck and this time he licked me there. The hot wetness of his tongue sliding up and down the length of my neck made my body tremble and shiver all over. He groaned softly right into my ear and the sound of his lust turned me on even more.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 59

    59 Drowning in Desire


    I moaned when he slipped his tongue into my ear and began licking it. Lewd wet sounds echoed loudly in my ear while his hand started roving along my body.


    ¡°Ahhhh...¡± I moaned even louder at the sensation of hisrge manly hand on my breasts.


    Ace groped my breasts and massaged them over my clothes as he continued to lick and suck on my earlobe. I quickly felt my legs going weak at his passionate attack. By that time, I had lost myself in my own desires and had forgot all about struggling against him. It was amazing how he could seduce me so easily like this and I found myself giving in to him without any restraints.


    Ace sat up and looked down at me as I struggled to catch my breath. His hands were on the button at the front of my white shirt as he began unbuttoning them without any rush at all. His eyes watched me before he smiled at me. His smile looked so sexy, and I felt myself drawn to his smile. Ace bent down above me before he fitted his lips to mine. His lips crushed down quite roughly on mine before his tongue probed my lips opened. I moaned into his mouth after he thrusted his tongue firmly deep into my mouth.


    His taste filled my mouth as his tongue grinded hungrily against mine. I closed my eyes in bliss as I began kissing him back with urgency. His hands caressed my breasts before I felt him peeling my shirt away from my chest. Ace broke our kiss so that he could stare down at my breasts as his hands peeled away the cups of my bra.


    He took in a sharp breath at the sight of my naked breasts, and I knew that he liked what he was seeing. Ace caressed my breasts yfully with his fingers before hisrge palms cupped them. I cried out when his manly hands squeezed my breasts a little roughly. It felt so good, I nced down to watch his hands on my soft womanly flesh. The stimtion of his hands made my nipple stand up and harden.


    My breathing came in short bursts as I panted from the heat that was quickly building up inside of me. My lower abdomen throbbed with heat as desire swirled in my tummy.


    Ace captured the peaks of my breasts in between his fingertips. I cried out when he began rolling my nipples in between his fingertips. Then he tugged on them roughly, making me scream at the intense pleasure coursing through my body from the tips of my erect nipple.


    ¡°Your breasts are so beautiful, Rina. They¡¯re so soft but your nipples are so hard...¡± Ace whispered lustily with his eyes on my breasts as his hands continued to toy with my hardened nipples.


    .....


    As if he could tell from my reaction that I was enjoying his attention, his fingers pinched my nipples faster and harder while I cried out in ecstasy and shook my head from side to side.


    ¡°Ace! Ahhh...Ahhh...¡± I cried out his name before all I could do was moan.


    My body felt like it was in heat and the burning ache in my lower abdomen quickly melted as hot wetness that seeped out from the wet slit in between my thighs. My pussy throbbed with a need that I knew that only Ace could fulfil. The pleasure that he gave me further intensified when he dipped his head down towards my chest. I felt a hot and wet sensation engulf my nipple and realized that Ace had begun sucking and teasing on my nipple with his skillful mouth and tongue.


    ¡°It tastes good too...¡± Ace said before my nipple disappeared into his mouth again.


    The tip of his tonguepped at my hardened peak while my body squirmed beneath him. Lust and desire clouded my brain as I whimpered his name repeatedly as if I was begging him for more pleasure. I wanted to feel him touch me more. I felt another rush of hot wetness gush out from between my legs as my pussy clenched and quivered with desperate need.


    Ace finally let go out my nipple. His eyes locked with mine as his hands slowly travelled down my body. His hands tugged up my skirt to reveal my thighs as he bit his lower lip in such a sexy way that swayed my heart.


    ¡°Lift your hips...that¡¯s it. Spread your legs for me, Rina,¡± Ace urged in a voice so warm and gentle that it made me feel like I was under his spell.


    After pulling up my skirt to expose my lower body to him, Ace¡¯s hands began caressing my thighs. His touch felt amazing on my bare skin. My body trembled in anticipation as his hands caressed their way up my inner thighs.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whimpered his name.


    My voice sounded full of yearning as if I couldn¡¯t wait for him to have his way with me. I moaned softly when his hands finally cupped the mold of my pussy through my panties. Heat rushed to my face when I realized that I must have soaked my panties all the way with my love juices. I was so turned on at that point that my pussy was flooded with my love honey, and I was certain that Ace could feel the wet heat of my desire against the palm of his hand as well.


    ¡°You get wet very fast...¡± Ace said with a smallugh after he took in a sharp breath.


    His hand pressed up against my wet opening through the thin fabric of my panties and I cried out. My hips began thrusting upwards against his hand, as I offered him my pussy. I wanted him to touch me there so badly that I wanted to cry out for him to quickly touch me. My body clearly remembered the pleasure of his touch when he made me cum so hard in his office.


    Ace hooked a finger under the waistband of my panties before slowly pulling the unnecessary garment down my legs. His eyes locked with mine and I found myself staring back at him as I bit my lower lip and moaned seductively. It wasn¡¯t long before my panties werepletely removed from my legs and Ace¡¯s hands were parting my thighs firmly wide open.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 60

    60 A Glimpse of Heaven


    ¡°Ahh...¡± I moaned as I felt my pussy opening being stretched open.


    Ace bent my legs and spread them widely apart. Unlike when we were in his office, he could see everything in this position as he sat in between my legs. Suddenly, a huge wave of embarrassment overcame me, and I couldn¡¯t take it anymore.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t look!¡± I cried out at the same time that I reached my hands down to cover my pussy to shield it from his intense gaze.


    ¡°Why? Your pussy is so attractive. Let me see it, Rina...¡± Ace coaxed as his hand gently started peeling my hand away from my love opening.


    ¡°No...please. It¡¯s so...embarrassing...¡± I pleaded in a small voice.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be embarrassed about. I know, what about I show you my cock. Will that make you feel less embarrassed?¡± Ace suggested with a yful smile.


    His cock?


    I blushed a deeper shade of red as my face became unbearably hot. Now that he had said it, I couldn¡¯t stop myself from picturing his cock and how massive it must be. This is not good, now I¡¯m yearning for his cock more than anything.


    ¡°No...please...¡± I pleaded again.


    .....


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to see it? I¡¯m always told that my size is very impressive by thedies...¡± Ace said with a smallugh.


    I knew that he was teasing me, and he seemed to be enjoying himself so much at my expense. His hand pulled my hands away from my pussy and soon my hands were reced by his. A lustful moan of pleasure escaped my lips as I threw my head back and enjoyed the sensation of his fingers running up and down the length of my flooded slit.


    ¡°You¡¯re flooded down here, Rina,¡± Ace teased as he stroked his fingers along my pussy folds faster.


    The way he said my name turned me on so much more than he would ever know. My pussy clenched greedily as he continued to stroke me there. When his fingers brushed slightly against my ultra-sensitive little nub, I cried out like I was possessed. Ace applied more pleasure as his fingertips swirled around my clit faster and faster while I moaned louder than before.


    ¡°You taste so sweet...¡± Ace said.


    I watched as Ace seductively licked my juices from his fingers before his fingers disappeared into his mouth. He sucked on his fingers as he stared deeply into my eyes. I couldn¡¯t believe what I was seeing. Ace is...eating my juices...


    ¡°I need more,¡± Ace groaned.


    He gripped my thighs with his hand and parted them further apart before he buried his face in between my legs. I screamed when I felt his tongue on my clit. He flicked my sensitive nub with the tip of his tongue and I gripped his hair tightly in my hands as ecstasy flooded my body in endless waves. Just when I thought that things couldn¡¯t heat up anymore than this, I felt a sudden piercing sensation in my love tunnel.


    ¡°Ace! Ahhh! Ahhhh!¡± I screamed as my hips bucked upwards.


    Ace had thrusted his fingers into my hole while his tongue continued to pleasure my swollen clit. I pulled on his hair as a way for me to deal with the lust and pleasure that he was making me feel. His thick and long fingers stretched and filled my hole before he began moving them in and out of my hole. The powerful thrusts of his fingers deep inside of my hole felt so good and it made feel like I was about to lose my mind.


    ¡°Please...Ace...¡± I pleaded in a choked-up voice.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if I was begging for him to stop or for him to finger me faster. The double pleasure from him sucking on my clit and fingering my hole was almost too much for me to handle. I¡¯m going to cum. He¡¯s going to make me cum very very soon. I closed my eyes as my body writhed, thrusting my hips up and down towards his hand and face.


    Loud wet lewd sounds echoed in the room along with my cries of pleasure as his fingers delved in and out of my wet hole. My insides got stirred up by his fingers fast and hard as he screwed his fingers faster and harder into me. When his fingers curled up and felt along the upper walls of my pussy, I knew that he would soon find my pleasure spot.


    I cried out his name loudly when his fingers began thrusting against my G-spot. Ace sucked on my clit harder, and I felt my entire body unravelling at his lewd stimtions. My pussy got wetter as my pussy walls clenched tightly around his fingers.


    ¡°I¡¯m...going to...¡± I whimpered as I felt my orgasm fast approaching.


    After a few hard and rough strokes of his fingers inside of my love hole, I climax spectacrly. I cried out Ace¡¯s name as my body spasmed uncontrobly from the pure bliss of my orgasm. I¡¯ve never felt this good before and we haven¡¯t even gone all the way yet. While Iy there trying to catch my breath, Ace slowly slid his fingers out of me and then I felt his weight close to me.


    Slowly, I opened my eyes to see his hazel brown eyes watching me closely as he leaned his head in his hand. He watched me with a smug smile on his face and I started to blush from embarrassment. My throat had already started to hurt, a great reminder of how loud he made me scream in my ecstasy.


    ¡°Did you catch a glimpse of heaven?¡± Ace asked mockingly as he whispered in my ear.


    I felt my face burn hotter at his words, but I did end up nodding my head a little in response to his question.


    ...


    ¡°Grab your things ande to my office, I¡¯ll help you out with your work...¡± Ace said as he shrugged on his suit.


    My eyes widened in surprise. Ace is going to help me?


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 61

    61 Tender Kisses and Confused Emotions


    I could barely sit up on the long sofa, but Ace was already on his feet. My hands quickly moved to put back on my scattered pieces of clothing. Starting off with pulling my bra down to cover my breasts and buttoning my shirt. Then I reached for my panties and began pulling it on.


    ¡°Thank you...¡± I thanked him softly.


    Ace was already heading for the door, but he did stop in his tracks at my words.


    ¡°I don¡¯t work for free,¡± Ace said before he turned back and winked at me.


    While I followed Ace back to his office, I wondered how he could find the time to help me out with my work. Isn¡¯t he supposed to have back-to-back meetings in the afternoon as well?


    I pulled out my phone and checked his calendar and wasn¡¯t surprised that he had so many meetings lined up. Don¡¯t tell me that he¡¯s nning to skip out on all of these meetings just to help me out with my work. This is going to be a big disaster and a huge inconvenience for so many people.


    ¡°Ace, I think you should go to your meetings as nned,¡± I quickly suggested before I lost my nerve.


    ¡°Why?¡± Ace asked like he had no clue what I was talking about.


    ¡°You can¡¯t skip out on so many meetings. There are people waiting for you. They need your help and your guidance, so you need to turn up,¡± I exined as I tried to keep up with his long strides.


    .....


    Suddenly, Ace¡¯s phone started vibrating. He looked at his phone screen before clicking his tongue in clear annoyance. Despite his attitude, he still decided to answer the call.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me...No, I won¡¯t be attending today. I¡¯m sick...¡± Ace said before coughing the fakest cough I had ever heard in my life.


    After that he just hung up casually before he turned and offered me his hand. I stared back at him with my mouth hanging open.


    ¡°W-Why did you do that?¡± I asked in shock.


    ¡°Do what?¡± he asked,pletely guiltless.


    ¡°Lie and tell them that you¡¯re sick...¡± I replied, still stunned.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t lying. I¡¯m sick, you just have no idea...¡± he replied before waving for me to follow him.


    He¡¯s not sick. He¡¯s so healthy that it¡¯s starting to bother me.


    Time flew by so fast when I was working with Ace. Before I knew it, it was already dark outside when I looked out the window of his office. Because his office was high up in the building, the view that I could see of the outside world looked spectacr. Especially now that it was dark, the lights in the city were on which just made view look that much more magical. The mix of various shining lights in the distance made me feel like I was gazing out into a field of stars.


    ¡°Like the view?¡± Ace asked when he caught me admiring the view beyond his window.


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s beautiful...¡± I replied before turning around to smile at him.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯m too used to seeing it that I don¡¯t realize how beautiful it really is anymore,¡± Ace said dryly.


    ¡°That sounds a little depressing,¡± I mumbled, and he smiled back at me.


    ¡°Should we call it a day?¡± Ace suggested.


    We worked for many hours already. After Ace reviewed my work and gave me guidance here and there, I had a much better picture of what I needed to achieve and what exactly I needed to do to get there. That alone was much more helpful than I ever imagined. I quickly found out that Ace was a very good coach and although he was extremely strict and demanding, I knew that he was doing it all for my own good. The instructions that he gave were clear and how he exined things made it easier for me to understand.


    ¡°I guess so. I¡¯m almost done so I can easily wrap this up when I get home,¡± I replied with a cheerful smile.


    ¡°Close your eyes...¡± Ace said as he came to stand right next to me.


    I looked up from where I was sitting to stare at his face in confusion. Why does he want me to close my eyes?


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked in wonder.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind if you keep them open,¡± Ace said carefreely.


    My body froze when I felt his hand on my shoulders before his face came extremely close. My eyes widened more in disbelief when I felt his warm lips on mine. I could see his longshes very close to my face. His kiss was soft and very gentle. It was very different from the way that he had kissed me before or when he kissed me while we were...doing it.


    Slowly, my eyes drifted closed just like he had wanted. His kiss was patient and even bordered loving. It was a kiss that left me feeling every confused and conflicted inside. My emotions became a big mess as he began kissing me softly from various angles. It was a while before his tongue probed my mouth so softly before I naturally parted my lips to wee his entry into the depth of my mouth. I moaned softly into our sweet kiss and Ace cupped the side of my face with hisrge and warm hand as our kiss deepened. Just like all the times that he touched me before, I found myself yearning greedily for more of him.


    The sound of Ace¡¯s mobile phone ringing interrupted our series of fervent and longing kisses. I hated how disappointed I was when his lips left mine before Ace took out his phone and quickly excused himself. The call must be very important for him to react the way that he did.


    I was tired and my brain was quite fried, but I felt very fulfilled. Unlike my presentation from before, I felt like I had a lot more meaningful information packed in along with my thoughts on the issues. Just when Ace disappeared into a meeting room, my phone started vibrating. I nce down to see that I had received messages from my colleague back at the design department.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 62

    62 Emotional Misunderstanding


    We had a chat group that I shared with various other girl friends in the office. Usually, we never discussed anything serious, so the group was filled with gossip and girl talk. I found reading through it a good way to relieve stress whenever I¡¯m going through a tough patch at work. I never paid serious attention to what went on in the group but the notification that appeared on my phone screen caught my attention.


    ¡®Girls! I got some super rare photos from Kyle¡¯s wedding!¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m so jealous of his bride! I want a husband like Kyle too...¡¯


    ¡®We can all dream on. Let¡¯s go drinking soon,¡¯


    ¡®Work has been so busy these days. Binge on these photos first,¡¯


    ¡®Yeah. We can dream of our dream wedding...¡¯


    My phone vibrated in session as the girls typed in their responses in the chat group. Then my phone continued to vibrate as various photos of Kyle¡¯s wedding were sent into the chat. The steamy session that I had with Ace in his ¡®nap room¡¯ helped me forget all about Kyle and his betrayal but this little reminder brought back all the negative emotions that I had been desperately holding back. I stared down at my phone as I debated with myself about what I should do.


    Seeing the photos wasn¡¯t going to make me feel any better but if I didn¡¯t face it head on, then it¡¯s probably going to take a very long time for me to move on andpletely let go and forget Kyle and the rtionship that we had. What should I do?


    I was munching on my lower lip as my mind debated with my heart on what to do next. One thing was clear to me, I can¡¯t keep relying on Ace¡¯sfort as a way for me to escape reality anymore. Although it wasn¡¯t nned or intentional, I had sex with Ace to forget about Kyle. Then I ended up letting him do all those lewd things to me simply because I enjoyed and couldn¡¯t resist his touch. In the end, I¡¯m probably no better than Kyle. Just like he was using me all along, I¡¯m using Ace and the pleasure that he can give me to help make me forget. I¡¯m so disgusting...


    .....


    If I can¡¯t forget about Kyle, I¡¯ll just keep on using Ace. That is just not eptable to me...


    Before I could change my mind, my finger tapped on the notification to open it. An image of Kyle standing next to his bride showed up on my screen. For a moment, I was stunned. It just felt so unreal to me. Hearing people gossiping about it and seeing a photo of him at his wedding felt extremely very different. The photo rammed home the message that Kyle had indeed moved on to marry someone else.


    Because our rtionship had to be kept a secret from everyone, even my closest friends at work doesn¡¯t know that I used to date Kyle. She even sent me photos of Kyle and his bride smiling together in their wedding attires. He sure looked very happy smiling in the photo so brightly with his new bride. I wondered if he ever smiled like that when he was with me.


    He looked extremely happy in the photo and so did his bride. My chest started feeling slightly tight and it felt a little harder to breath. There was a slight stinging sensation at the back of my eyes, but my lips curved into a slight smile as I reminisce on the first time that we met and thest time that we spoke as a couple.


    It was good while itsted, right...Kyle?


    The future will be very different for us now. Kyle has moved on to his new phase in life without me in it while I...


    Suddenly, when I thought about my future the first thought that came to me wasn¡¯t thoughts of my career, my new role, or achieving my dreams. The first thing that entered my head was an image of Ace¡¯s attractive face as he stared down at me with the fire of desire smoldering intensely in the depths of his amber eyes.


    Ace. Whenever I thought of him, I feel a feeling that I don¡¯t quite understand. Undeniably, I realized that I was drawn to him; however, he also scared me but even then, I just didn¡¯t want to run away from him.


    I shook my head in my confusion. This is ridiculous, I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m feeling anymore...


    Focus on your work, Karina!


    It was clear at that point that I hadpletely underestimated the standard and expectation of working as part of the CEO¡¯s office. Ace probably knew this and was trying to help me out, yet I¡¯m thinking of irrelevant things. I should focus more on my work.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    I was too wrapped up in my thoughts to realize that Ace had returned from his phone call and was now standing right behind me.


    ¡°Umm...it¡¯s nothing...¡± I mumbled as I quickly put my phone away when I realized that the screen still showed a picture of Kyle and his bride.


    Ace, didn¡¯t see that just now, right?


    I watched his face to gauge his reaction, but he seemed the same as always. Relieved that I must be over thinking things, I returned my focus to the work that was in front of me. So far, I was making very good progress thanks to Ace¡¯s guidance.


    ¡°Really?¡± Ace asked as he stared down at me.


    Suddenly, my throat felt very dry, and I wasn¡¯t sure if I could answer him. Ace¡¯s eyes held mine and I started shrinking back. Once again, I found his presence intimidating and right now the air around him had changed. It was like he had just transformed into his devil form right in front of my eyes although nothing about this appearance had visibly changed apart from the merciless look in his eyes.


    I nodded to signal that I was really fine. Ace didn¡¯t say anything, but I winced and looked away when he ced his hands t on the desk before leaning down until his face was at my level, capturing me between his arms and the table behind me.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 63

    63 Undressing Him


    Suddenly, I felt very cornered, and I was forced to stare deeply into his amber eyes. After a moment of staring deeply into each other¡¯s eyes, Ace was the one who looked away first while letting out a long sigh of disappointment.


    ¡°I thought you got over him already. I feel like all my efforts have been wasted after I spent the entire nightforting you, and then some more on the following days,¡± Ace said with a mix of disappointment and concern.


    ¡°I...it¡¯s not what you think!¡± I quickly denied.


    So, he did see the photo on my phone just now. I didn¡¯t know why I felt that way but suddenly, I felt extremely guilty for looking at Kyle¡¯s photo and it didn¡¯t help that Ace also had to see it.


    ¡°What am I thinking?¡± Ace asked as he cocked his head to the side.


    Ace waited patiently as his eyes narrowed at me while I struggled toe up with an answer.


    ¡°That I¡¯m still not over Kyle...¡± I mumbled softly.


    ¡°So, are you? Over him...¡± Ace asked softly as his face moved even closer to mine.


    He¡¯s so close that we might as well be kissing right now. I couldn¡¯t bear to meet his eyes anymore, so I had to look away. The truth was that I wasn¡¯t sure if I waspletely over Kyle. I didn¡¯t feel the same way about him anymore and I probably had started to get over him, but I couldn¡¯t justpletely forget about him immediately.


    .....


    ¡°I...¡± I started saying before I realized that it would sound so ridiculous if I said that I¡¯m working on getting over Kyle.


    I looked up from the floor to see a clear look of disappointment and displeasure on Ace¡¯s face. My face felt numb as I started feeling guilty for how I was feeling. Why did things have to turn out this way? I wished I didn¡¯t decide to open up that photo.


    Why is Ace mad and why do I feel so hurt seeing him like this?


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whispered his name in a small voice.


    I wanted to apologize but I wasn¡¯t sure what I would be apologizing for, and I was certain that he didn¡¯t want to hear an apology from me either.


    I didn¡¯t have to think or worry for much longer because when Ace lifted my chin with his fingers and crushed his lips against mine, I closed my eyes and concentrated purely on the bliss of his kiss. His warm and soft lips molded against mine as he pressed his lips roughly against my lips. He kissed me over and over from various angles before the wet tip of his tongue snaked out to lick and tease my lips.


    ¡°Open your mouth for me, Rina,¡± Acemanded in a voice thick with desire.


    I did exactly as he instructed, and Ace thrusted his tongue deftly into my mouth. A soft moan escaped me as his tongue grinded against mine in a passionate dance. Just like before, Ace ignited a fire inside of me that burned so hot in my core. I began kissing him back fervently, grinding my tongue against his to taste even more of him.


    Ace¡¯srge hand cupped the side of my face as he deepened our kiss. By the time that he removed his tongue from my mouth, I was a panting mess.


    ¡°I guess that one night wasn¡¯t enough. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll fuck you as many times as it takes for you to forget all about him...¡± Ace whispered seductively into my ear before I felt the hot and wet heat of his mouth sucking and licking on my earlobe.


    ¡°Ahhh...¡± I moaned at the lewd and wet sounds that filled my ear and invaded my senses.


    Ace nibbled on my ear before he pulled me up by my arms and I found myself up on my unsteady feet. The look of pure desire in his eyes shocked and excited me at the same time as his arms circled my body and he began lifting me up. I felt the hardness of the tabletop against my ass when he sat me down on top of the table.


    Hisrge hands nudged my knees apart and soon he was standing in between my spread legs. Ace bent his head down and captured my lips in a heated kiss as if to continue from where we just left off. I kissed him back as my body felt like it was burning from his kiss. My core throbbed with need and desire. Just like before, I forgot about everything when I was kissing Ace and he was touching me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer so that I could kiss him even deeper than before.


    Ace is such a good kisser. I felt like my entire body was melting from his kisses and it was such an addictive feeling.


    It wasn¡¯t long before just kissing wasn¡¯t enough for both of us, and we started to explore each other¡¯s bodies with our hands. Frantically, we began stripping each other of our clothes. My hands pulled desperately at Ace¡¯s suit before he helped me shrug it off. Ace buried his face in the side of my neck as his hand expertly unbuttoned the small buttons in front of my shirt. I moaned as he kissed and sucked on the side of my neck.


    I ran my hands along the front of his hard chest, feeling his rip muscles against the palm of my hands through his shirt. Ace parted my shirt to the side to reveal my body to him as he lifted his head to stare down at my heaving chest. His heated gaze on my body turned me on even more and I wanted to remove his shirt so that I could touch his torso directly. Boldly, I pulled him closer before my hands busied itself with hastily unbuttoning his shirt. Ace watched my desperate struggle with a small smile on his lips.


    ¡°Ahhhh...¡± I moaned in satisfaction as I pressed my hands t against the muscles of his chest.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 64

    64 Teasing the Beast


    Finally, I had Ace¡¯s shirt open at the front and I could feel him directly with my hands. His body felt much warmer to the touch now that I could touch his bare skin directly. I closed my eyes and relished in the feel of his muscles moving under the palm of my hands as he breathed in and out. Slowly, I traced my hand down from his chest to the beautifully formed muscles of his stomach. His six pack is so beautiful, I thought to myself as I admired his beautiful body as if it was a rare sculpture of art.


    ¡°If you stare too much, I¡¯m going to start feeling shy...¡± Ace said teasingly.


    ¡°You? Shy?¡± I replied in pure disbelief before I smiled up teasingly at him.


    I could never imagine someone like Ace feeling shy about anything at all. Why would he have to feel shy about this body? It¡¯s so beautiful...


    Ace took in a sharp breath as my hand progressed further down his abdominals. My eyes were already on my nned next destination as my hand slipped even further down.


    ¡°My turn,¡± Ace said as he grabbed my exploring hands in his.


    ¡°Ahh!¡± I let out a cry when he pinned me beneath him on the table.


    I stared up into his captivating eyes as he pinned my body beneath him. Without waiting for me to recover from my surprise, Ace¡¯s hands were already on my breasts, squeezing and teasing them through the cups of my bra. Loud lewd moans escaped my lips as the pleasure of his touch made my mind feel numb with desire. I felt the slightly cold air on the bare skin of my breasts after Ace peeled away the cups of my bra to reveal my soft flesh. His gaze burned into my tits before his hand cupped them.


    ¡°Ahhh...hmmm...¡± I moaned and whimpered as his hands began moving against my soft womanly flesh.


    .....


    ¡°I love ying with your tits,¡± Ace groaned as his hand massaged my breasts rougher than before.


    I cried out at the intense pleasure of his touch as my hardened nipples pushed against the palm of his hands. My body writhed on the table, thrusting my chest shamelessly upward to invite him to touch and y with my breasts more.


    ¡°Ahh! Ace...¡± I cried out before I ce the back of my hand against my mouth to block out the loud lewd sounds that I was making.


    Ace buried his face in between my breasts and breathed in my scent deeply. His hand continued to pump one of my breasts as he dipped his head low to take my erect nipple into his mouth. The warm and wet sensation around my nipple as he sucked hard on it drove me crazy with lust. I ran my fingers through his hair as I lifted my chest off the table, thrusting my breasts towards his face. Ace sucked me harder, and I cried out his name passionately before trying to moan in my lusty moans.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hold your moans in. I want to hear them...¡± Acemanded.


    My core felt so hot as it throbbed with my desire for him as my pussy clenched desperately. Ace sucked on my nipple loudly as his fingers teased and pinched my other peak. The pleasure that surged through my body made my pussy quiver with desire as it got wetter and wetter for him. My voice started to sound hoarse from all the moaning and screaming that I had been doing.


    Ace lifted his head and stared down at me with intense desire. I knew that we had the same thought in our minds. We couldn¡¯t get enough of each other and the way his hands moved desperately as he pushed me up further onto the desk and grabbed my knees to spread my legs told me beyond words how much he desired me. His desire only worked to turn me on even more and I knew that I had soaked my panties again with my love juices. It was unbelievable how much I wanted him even after he made me cum earlier in the day.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to fuck you now. Are you ready?¡± Ace asked needlessly.


    I was too embarrassed to say anything, so I just nodded at him. In reality, I couldn¡¯t wait to feel him inside of me either. Ace pulled my skirt up before roughly pulling down my panties and swiftly removing it from my legs. The unwanted little piece of garment fell on the floor before Ace¡¯s hands quickly went to his belt. I bit my lower lip in anticipation as my eyes were glued to his crotch and therge bulge that had formed there.


    Just like Ace had offered before, I wanted to see his cock. So badly.


    ¡°Want to undress me?¡± Ace offered as he grinned down at me.


    He looked so mischievous, and I knew that I was ying with a very hot and dangerous fire, but I just couldn¡¯t resist him.


    Ace reached out a hand towards me and I willingly ced my hand into his. He pulled me up into a sitting position so that I could work on freeing his virile cock. Since we¡¯vee this far, there was no need to hide away my desire for him any longer. My hands hurriedly unbuckled his belt before zipping the zipper of his pants.


    ¡°You¡¯re very efficient at this...¡± Aceplimented teasingly.


    I gasped when I finally freed his cock from its restraint. His cock was much bigger, longer and thicker than I had ever imagined. I gulped, shocked and very amazed at the size and dimension of his cock. Ace¡¯s thick rod stood up proudly in between his legs and I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off of it. It looks so thick and so hard.


    ¡°Want to touch it?¡± Ace asked invitingly when he caught me staring at his cock.


    I looked up at his face briefly before I nodded my head slowly. Yes, I wanted to touch it. The veins on the surface of his cock bulged clearly and his cock twitched a little under my gaze as if it also wanted me to touch it. Slowly, I reached out my hand towards his cock. The heat of his hard love stick grazed my fingertip as I slowly stroked my fingertips along his massive length. I heard Ace take in a sharp breath before he moaned softly as I continued to softly stroke his gigantic member.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 65

    65 He¡¯s an XXL


    Ace closed his eyes as if in bliss and I knew that I was doing him right. Feeling a little bolder than before, I wrapped my fingers around the thick girth of his hot rod. His cock felt hot in my hand. I began stroking his cock up and down slowly yet firmly while I looked up at Ace to gauge his reaction. Ace stared down at me with intense desire in his eyes as I continued to pump his cock in my hand.


    ¡°Rina...¡± Ace groaned my name softly as his hips began moving, thrusting his cock into my hand.


    I felt so proud that I could make him feel good too. The look of lust on his face turned me on and I began pumping my hand faster up and down his cock. His cock felt hotter in my hand, and I could feel him getting even bigger than longer than before. Just how big can his cock get?


    If I tried to put this massive beast inside me, will it even fit?


    ¡°Stop, Rina...¡± Acemanded suddenly as he grabbed my wrist.


    I looked up at him in surprise as I wondered if I had done something wrong to displease him. That shouldn¡¯t be the case, though. From what I could see, he seemed to be enjoying my loving attention.


    ¡°Did I...do something wrong?¡± I asked in a small voice as worry flooded my mind.


    ¡°Not at all. It felt too good...¡± Ace replied with a gentle smile.


    I stared at him as my heart skipped a few beats. His gentle voice and how he just smiled at me, it was all very new to me. It was like I was seeing another side of Ace that I had never seen before, and I found myself even more attracted to him. If we spend more time together, would he show me his other expressions like just now?


    .....


    ¡°Can you put this on me?¡± Ace requested as he handed me a condom.


    Oh...right. We should put this on before we...


    In the heat of the moment, I had to admit that I hadpletely forgotten about protection. I blushed slightly before I nodded. My hand reached for the condom and took it from his hand before my eyes stared at therge XXL text on the package of the condom that he handed me before I smiled weakly up at him. Is this thing really going to fit inside of my dear littly pussy hole?


    I truly appreciated the care that he put into making sure that our sex would be safe. It would be a problem if I got pregnant now and I wasn¡¯t on the pills either. However, it felt a little strange that he was asking me to put it on his cock. I didn¡¯t have a lot of experience putting a condom on a man because most of my lovers would do it themselves, but we can all learn, right?


    Ace watched as I tore open the condom back before positioning it over the engorge head of his cock. I knew that he was very big but to have to use XXL sized condom is just on another level entirely. Carefully, I rolled the rubber down the long length of his cock.


    ¡°Good girl,¡± Aceplimented in a deeply satisfied voice.


    Before I could respond to him, Ace pushed me down onto the table and got on top of me. The gentle and smiling Ace was gone now and in his ce was a version of Ace that raging with lust and desire. He kissed my lips roughly as his hand rove all over my body, squeezing my breasts, caressing the curves of my waist and hips before settling on caressing my inner thighs.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to fuck you now. Are you ready, Rina?¡± Ace asked needlessly.


    Ace quickly lifted my legs up and parted them widely apart. I moaned softly when I felt my pussy being stretched before my love juices started leaking out of my hole.


    ¡°Rina...¡± he called my name as if he wanted my full and undivided attention.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whispered his name as I stared back deeply into his amber eyes.


    The thick head of his cock lodged itself between my trembling pussy lips and I knew that Ace was ready to take me. He was massive and I knew that it would hurt even though I was nowhere near being a virgin anymore. I took in a deep breath before breathing out slowly while I tried to rx my pussy to amodate his entry.


    Ace reared his hips back and then his thick and hot cock stretched my opening before prating deeply into my wet hole. I cried out at the pain of his entry. Although I had prepared myself for this, it still hurt. He¡¯s so big and so hard. Ace must have sensed my difort because he stilled above me as he looked down at my face.


    ¡°You¡¯re very tight...Rina...¡± Ace groaned.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡± I whimpered.


    Ace stroked my hair before he smiled down encouragingly at me. His cock twitched inside of me, and my pussy clenched harder around his enormous shaft as the pain slowly started to subside. I don¡¯t think my pussy was extra tight, but his cock was just abnormallyrge.


    ¡°You¡¯re...very big...¡± I mumbled softly with a hint ofint in my voice.


    ¡°Your body will get used to it after I do you a few times,¡± Ace said with a devilish smirk.


    His mischievous expression made my heart skip a beat again. It was just so like him to be thinking of the next time even though we¡¯re still in the middle of doing it. It was clear that Ace didn¡¯t intend for this to be ourst time indulging in this lusty pleasure between us while I wasn¡¯t sure what I wanted for the future.


    I nodded my head slowly at him to tell him that I felt fine now. It didn¡¯t hurt anymore, and it seemed like my pussy had somehow adjusted to his massive thickness. However, the problem wasn¡¯t over yet. Ace was only halfway in and there was so much more of his cock that I still had to take inside of me. Ace reared back his hips and his cock slid out of my hole a little before he thrusted sharply forward.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 66

    66 Height of Passion


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± I cried out loudly at the mix of pain and pleasure.


    His gigantic member pounded deeply into my hole until he managed to bury his entire length into my wet pussy hole. He stretched and filled me uppletely. I felt so full of Ace. Soon the pain faded, and I felt so much pleasure that I thought that I would climax on the spot. My pussy walls wrapped around his thick girth in deep satisfaction.


    ¡°Are you ok?¡± Ace asked with concern.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m fine...so...¡± I said before trailing off.


    I wanted him to start moving. I wanted him to fuck my hole with his thick cock.


    Ace¡¯s hands gripped my thighs and then parted them wider. He moved his hips closer to mine, screwing his cock even deeper inside of me while I moaned my pleasure. Ace then gripped the sides of my hips, and I knew that he was ready to give it to me fast and hard.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahh! Ahh! Ahhh!¡± I cried out loudly at the intense pleasure of his thick cock pumping wildly in and out of my hole.


    My pussy clenched hungrily around his thick grith as if it couldn¡¯t get enough of him pounding against my pleasure spots.


    ¡°Seems like your pussy still remembers my cock very well from that night,¡± Ace groaned before he smirked down at me.


    .....


    That night...


    ...


    **That Night** Ace¡¯s point of view.


    When I left the office to attend aunch party at one of the new luxury hotels that had just opened in the city, I never imagined that I would run into her there and definitely not in the state that she was in. At first, I told myself that it wasn¡¯t my problem and that I should just leave her there. Since she was seated at a table for four, I knew that she wasn¡¯t out drinking and getting drunk all alone. She probably had some friends with her, but I couldn¡¯t see them around anymore.


    ¡°Ace!¡±


    I turned at the call of my name to see an old friend heading my way. The moment that I took my eyes off of her, I realized just how worried about her I really was. After putting on a presentable smile, I chatted casually with my friend. We shared small talk that had no significance and I nodded along to his story while my eyes wandered to the young woman sitting alone with a shot ss in her hand. She tipped her head back and gulped down another shot and I found myself wincing.


    ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll see you around for sure,¡± I said as I patted my friend¡¯s shoulder.


    It was time that our nonconsequential conversation came to an end. I looked around as I wondered where all her friends had gone off to. While I hesitated about what to do if anything, my choice was robbed from me when the girl somehow lost her bnce. I watched in shock as her body slowly slipped from the chair that she was sitting on.


    ¡°Karina...¡± I called her name close to her ear.


    I was surprised at how close we were until I realized that I was holding her body in my arms to break her fall. A loud sigh escaped my lips as I closed my eyes in defeat. I had no idea why I should help her, but somehow, I did. Maybe it was because I knew why she was out drinking tonight or maybe it was because I sympathized with her, honestly, I didn¡¯t know, and I didn¡¯t understand myself. While cursing at something as ridiculous as fate, I found myself lifting her body up into my arms with ease.


    Surprisingly, her body felt light in my arms. Karina had her eyes closed when I looked down at her face but the fact that she was murmuring something told me that she wasn¡¯t sleeping. I need to get her home...somehow...


    ¡°Karina. Karina...where do you live?¡± I asked her after calling her name a couple of times.


    She might as well be dead with how unresponsive she was at that moment. I rolled my eyes as I carried her away from all the prying eyes looking at us. A staff member was helpful enough when I asked him for a private room at the bar for her to rest to sober up a bit while I try to figure out where she lived so that I could send her home.


    After cing her on a sofa, I took out her phone thinking that I could call her friend or anyone on her recently called list. There¡¯s got to be someone who can tell me where she lives or someone besides her rotten ex-boyfriend who cane and pick her up. I picked up her phone and cursed loudly when I couldn¡¯t unlock it. I even tried scanning her thumb but apparently, she didn¡¯t set up that biometric function. How am I supposed to know how to unlock her phone?


    ¡°Karina! Ka...ri...na!¡± I called her name loudly.


    She was as silent and as lifeless as a doll. Well, she can sort herself out when she wakes up. It was all her fault anyways that she ended up like this. I was about to walk out the door but a loud thumping sound of something hitting the floor made me turn around.


    I reached a hand up to scratch my head in a mix of confusion and amazement at the sight of Karinaying on the floor next to the sofa. How did she manage to roll off? Karina stirred and wailed like she was in pain before quieting down.


    ¡°Hell...¡± I cursed underneath my breath.


    The next thing I knew, her body was in my arms again and I was walking out of the door.


    ...


    After checking into one of the suite rooms of the hotel, I carried Karina into the room. The door closed behind us and locked automatically. Karina still had her eyes closed and seemed unconscious, so it came as a rather big surprise when she refused to let go of my suit when I tried to puty her down on the bed.


    ¡°My name is Karina...¡± Karina slurred before smiling at me.


    Oh, please...


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 67

    67 Seducing the Devil


    ¡°I know who you are. Stop it, you¡¯re so drunk so just go to sleep,¡± I said curtly as I tried to pry her hands from his chest.


    ¡°You can...call me Rina,¡± Karina purred before pulling at the front of my shirt with her hands.


    It seemed that the effects of the alcohol in her bloodstream made her unusually bold. Karina¡¯s hands started caressing my chest before moving upwards until she had her arm hooked around my neck. I stared at her in dismay and disbelief at the wanton act that she could put on while drunk.


    ¡°Kiss...¡± Karina whispered as she pulled me down towards her while puckering her lips up for a kiss.


    At first, I thought that she was unconscious but apparently that was no longer the case. I stared down at her face to see that her eyes were opened, and she was staring up right at my face. She parted her lips and licked her lower lip seductively before biting on it teasingly. Is she really...that drunk?


    Karina continued pleading for me to kiss her as her arms tried to pull me down on top of her. When that didn¡¯t seem to work in her favor, she lifted her body up and boldly pressed her lips against mine. Her kiss was a chaste one and that confused me a little. Curious, I waited to see what she would do next while I ced a silent wager in my head that she would drop dead and fall asleep.


    My bet was off. Way off.


    I felt her fingers running through my hair as the tip of her tongue snaked out to lick my lips teasingly. Her eyes were still opened, and I didn¡¯t hesitate to keep mine opened as I watched her kiss and lick my lips. She tasted of alcohol, but I didn¡¯t mind.


    I was too curious to see what she was going to do. Although I knew that I should push her away and leave her to sleep until morning, I couldn¡¯t push her away. Maybe that was where I started to lose my good judgement or my self-control...or both.


    .....


    ¡°Ahhh...Mhhmmm...¡± she moaned softly against my lips before she slipped the tip of her wet tongue between my lips.


    I parted my lips and her tongue thrusted right into my mouth and met mine. She tasted of sweet cocktail. Her hands moved from my hair to cup the side of my face as she boldly deepened our kiss. I let her explore my mouth with her tongue as she grinded her tongue against mine.


    She was not bad at this at all. Throughout it all, her eyes remained opened as she watched me intently and I did the same. I wondered if she would remember anything when morning came.


    ¡°Mhhmmm...¡± she moaned louder when I began kissing her back.


    She reacted to my kiss by kissing me back more fervently. Our tongues dancing wildly together before I changed the angle of our kiss over and over again until she was breathless. I broke our kiss to let her get enough oxygen. Her lips were swollen a beautiful pink from the passionate kisses that we shared. While watching her pant with her lips swollen and parted, I realized that she is indeed very attractive in her own way.


    ¡°Karina...¡± I called her name again to see if she would snap out of it.


    ¡°Call me Rina...¡± she slurred before smiling so carefreely at me that my heart skipped a beat all on its own.


    She looked even younger when she smiled, and she was already very young. She started giggling as if someone had told her one of the funniest jokes and then her hands started stripping off her zer before she began unbuttoning the buttons of her shirt. She was quite good at autopiloting and I watched in amusement as her fingers expertly unbuttoned her shirt. She was fast.


    ¡°Ahhh...¡± she let out of sigh of relief as she stripped her zer and shirt right off.


    My eyes widened before I started chuckling. Things no longer seemed that amusing to me when my eyesnded on her breasts that were covered in just her bra. Karinaid on the white sheet of the bed with her eyes closed. I breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, she¡¯d fallen asleep just like she was supposed to.


    Once again, I was very wrong. Karina sat up and quickly unhooked her bra and removed it from her arms. Frankly, I was stunned at how fast she moved and then her bra went flying to the other side of the room. I couldn¡¯t hold in myugh when I saw her throw her bra away. When I looked back at her, I caught her leaning closer to me on the bed. My eyes drifted downwards from her face to her now naked breasts. Her breasts were very shapely, they looked soft, and her nipples had hardened.


    She was undoubtedly very aroused.


    ¡°Karina...what are you doing?¡± I asked calmly when she reached for my hand and entwined her fingers with mine seductively.


    She stared deeply into my eyes before she smiled a little shyly. My lips curved into a little smile on its own, and I couldn¡¯t resist wanting to see what she was going to do next. Unlike her shy smile, her next move was bold. I sucked in a breath when I felt the softness of her womanly flesh fill the palm of my hand after she had guided my hand to her breast. Her hand ovepped mine and urged for me to squeeze and fondle her soft breast as she began moaning from pleasure.


    Her breasts were the exact sized that I liked and soon I found myself groping and massaging both her breasts with my hands while she moaned and cried out. Her reactions were sexy and adorable at the same time. It was clear that she was enjoying the attention that I was giving her. Her body writhed as she thrusted her chest upwards invitingly. Naturally, her lewd moans and the feel of her breasts filling my hands turned me on as well.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 68

    68 Partners in Desire


    I squeezed her breasts a little faster and rougher and she cried out louder. My loins throbbed with desire as my cock got hard. I could feel my member growing harder and bigger in my pants as I continued to pleasure her breasts before pinching and ying with her hardened nipples.


    ¡°Ahhh! Yes!¡± she cried out when I pinched her nipples hard.


    She was enjoying herself a little too much for someone who was supposed to be drunk. Although I knew that she was reacting like this because she had lost all control over her body and her desires, I couldn¡¯t resist giving her what she so badly wanted. Then there was also the fact that she was currently heartbroken. This was probably the way that she wanted and needed to beforted right now, I thought as I watched her bite on lower lip before letting out another lewd moan.


    Her hands started caressing my arms before she lowered her hand to pull up her skirt. She lifted her hips off the bed and in one swift moment, she pulled up her skirt to reveal her thighs and hercy panties. My body froze in shock while Karina swiftly removed her panties from her legs. Then she spread her legs and my eyes were naturally drawn to her pussy like moths to a me.


    My loins tightened and my cock throbbed with even more desire for her as my eyes stared at her pussy. Karina moaned softly and I immediately imagined her moaning and crying out my name as her body writhed under mine, thrusting her hips wantonly against mine as I thrusted my hard cock fast and hard into her wet hole.


    That thought was extremely dangerous and so were my undeniable desire for her. When I carried her to this room, I never thought that we would get this far. Neither did I imagine that Karina would be this sexy in bed. She really was a temptation that was hard to deny.


    I took in a deep breath as I fought with my internal demons for self-control. I¡¯m an experienced man with excellent self-control, I told myself as I tore my eyes from the cleft in between her legs and forced myself to stand up from the bed.


    ¡°Stay...don¡¯t go...¡± she whimpered pleadingly.


    I nced down in disbelief to find her arms around my waist. The slight pressure of her head against my back made me notice just how tightly she was hugging me from behind as she begged repeatedly for me to stay. What am I supposed to do?


    .....


    Slowly, I turned around in her arms and she stared up at me. I could see desire and longing swimming in the depths of her eyes as her eyes met mine. Suddenly, nothing mattered anymore. Everything will sort itself out when morning came.


    ¡°Ahhhhh...¡± Karina moaned in extreme satisfaction as I climbed onto the bed and got on top of her.


    I kissed her and she kissed me back in wild abandon. Her lips tasted so sweet and my desire for her intoxicated my mind. I kissed her over and over again like it would never be enough as my hands pumped her breasts roughly. She moaned her desire into my mouth as I traced my hands along the curves of her body. When my hands reached the hot wet mess in between her legs, she cried out and thrusted her hips upwards invitingly, pushing her flooded pussy against my fingers.


    ¡°You¡¯re so wet, Rina...¡± I whispered seductively into her ear while using the nickname that she had begged me to call her by.


    I stroked her opening a couple of times, feeling her juices coat my fingers. Her juices were warm and very slippery. I thrusted my middle finger inside of her hole and that made her moan loudly. Her hips instinctively began thrusting up and down as her pussy clenched around my finger. I could tell that she felt good, and I started thrusting my finger in and out of her hole. My finger slipped in and out of her easily thanks to her slimy juices.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if I can add another finger inside...¡± I muttered to myself before thrusting another finger into her.


    ¡°Ahhh! So...good...¡± she murmured as her hips bucked.


    Her pussy clenched tightly around my fingers before she began spreading her legs even wider apart. Her insides felt very wet and so warm that it almost felt hot. I began fingering her harder and faster as I enjoyed the sight of her body going wild from the pleasure that I was giving her. Her reactions were extremely sexy and beautiful at the same time. I never thought that she would be such a passionate girl.


    I crooked my finger and felt around the top of her pussy walls and soon found her g-spot. When I thrusted my fingers against it she cried out loudly. Her pussy immediately got wetter, and I felt the wetness gushing out to wet my fingers. She should be more than ready for my cock now.


    Slowly, I slip my fingers out of her love hole before I pulled off my suit and shirt. Then my hands worked hastily to remove my belt and my pants until my thick and erect cock was freed. ying around with her aroused me and my cock was already so hard that it was getting a little painful. Just like her, I also needed my pleasure and my satisfaction.


    I tore opened a condom and rolled it swiftly down the length of my shaft. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t burden her with anything like unwanted pregnancy and other risks that coulde from unprotected sex. She would probably be surprised enough already when she wakes up tomorrow morning. If she woke up early enough, I¡¯ll be here tofort and exin things to her but if not...then...


    ¡°Rina...I¡¯m going to fuck you now. Are you ready?¡± I asked in case she would jump up and deny my advances.


    Obviously, that didn¡¯t happen.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 69

    69 Just Can¡¯t Get Enough


    I parted her thighs apart with my hands as I positioned myself in between her legs. Karina moaned softly as I caressed her thighs. My cock twitched with excitement, and I realized that I couldn¡¯t wait to bury my entire length into her wet pussy. I grabbed my cock and positioned its thick head at her wet opening. She¡¯s so small and her pussy felt so tight when I fingered her earlier and all I did was insert in two fingers. Although she was very wet, it would probably hurt her to take in a man of my size.


    I thrusted my hips forward and the tip of my cock plunged into her hole. She whimpered softly as her pussy tensed around my intruding cock. I stopped as I waited for her to rx and get used to my size. The heat of her pussy around the head of my cock felt so pleasurable and I couldn¡¯t wait to be inside her. I reared my hips back a little and thrusted harder into her, burying my cock even deeper into her hole. She cried out as she spread her legs even wider. Her hips began moving desperately, grinding her opening against my cock. It seemed like I wasn¡¯t the only one who wanted to fully enjoy this.


    ¡°Rina...Rina...¡± I groaned her name as I thrusted my cock deeper and deeper into her tight hole.


    She was small and very tight. I had a hard time pushing my huge and thick cock inside of her but inch by inch she took my cock in until I was buried inside her to the hilt. Her pussy quivered and clenched around my cock. It felt good to be inside her and I couldn¡¯t wait to move; however, I waited until her pussy walls rxed around my cock.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahhh! Ahhhh!¡± Rina cried out each time that I rammed my cock inside of her wet hole.


    I groaned as I began thrusting harder and faster into her tight cunt. Her pussy clenched and I felt her pussy walls rubbing along the entire length of my shaft as I continued to pound into her small body. It didn¡¯t take long for our body to move perfectly in sync to one another.


    I moaned her name when I noticed howpatible our bodies were as we enjoyed each other. Her hips lifted off the bed to meet my thrusts halfway, burying my cock even deeper into her hole with each thrust. The head of my cock thrusted against her womb, making her cry out.


    Her erotic face and lewd moans turned me on even more and I felt my cock growing bigger inside of her hole. I fucked her faster and harder. Her pussy felt amazing around my cock as she insides got wetter and hotter.


    My hips jerked my cock in and out of her hole. Her moans got wilder and louder and I knew that she was fast approaching her climax. I pounded my cock harder inside of her and she came screaming loudly, her pussy spasming wildly around my member. Her erotic face when she orgasmed captivated my attention and my cock stirred with an even more intense desire than before.


    .....


    I screwed my cock deeply into her hole as I lifted her ass off the bed so that I could pound my cock deeper into her tight hole. She started moaning again as I gave it to her faster and harder. The heat of her wetness surrounded my cock and that drove me closer and closer to my release.


    ¡°Rina...¡± I groaned her name when I finally came.


    It was a good thing that I had a condom on. After relishing in the pleasure of my orgasm, I slowly withdrew my hard cock from her hole. Rina came a lot too; I could see the milky release from her climax on the tip of the condom that I had on. I removed the condom from my cock and waited for my little friend to calm down.


    Rina had a satisfied smile on her lips as she was undoubtedly floating around in the joy of her intense orgasm from just now. After a short while, my cock only got harder. I looked at Rina before cing my hand in between her legs. Rina moaned with need when my fingers petted her swollen clit. She cried out when I pinched that little sensitive nub, and her hips began thrusting upwards. My lips curved into smirk.


    She wanted more and I was more than willing to give it to her. I¡¯ll make love to her andfort her until she falls asleep from exhaustion and then when she wakes up, she can start fresh and new.


    Carefully, I flipped her body onto her stomach and lifted her hips upwards, thrusting her ass towards me. My fingers parted her pussy lips as I admired the beautiful color of her pussy folds. Thankfully, I had many condoms on me. Better be prepared. I tore open one and slid it onto my rock-hard dick.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Rina...but once isn¡¯t enough for me...¡± I apologized to her half teasingly as I lodged the head of my cock at her opening.


    Rina moaned softly when she felt my cock press up against her pussy and her hips began moving, rotating her pussy, and grinding it against the head of my cock. I couldn¡¯t wait longer. I reared my hips back and screwed my cock hard and deep into her hole from behind while she cried out at the intensity of my thrust and my thickness suddenly stretching her love hole.


    Her pussy immediately clenched around my cock as if to wee me. Her pussy was flooded, and her juices had started leaking out of her hole and onto her inner thighs. I found that to be such a turn on. My lips called her name while she moaned her lust as our body mated wildly. That night, I made her cum over and over again from my cock in various positions until she fell asleep in my arms.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 70

    70 Irresistible Possessiveness


    ¡°Karina...Karina, if you don¡¯t wake up, you¡¯re going to bete for work...¡± I called out to her.


    I walked out of the shower and headed for the bed. Reaching my hand down, I shook her naked shoulder. She didn¡¯t even stir. This is what happens when you go out drinking on a weekday and you can¡¯t hold your drink properly. Just as I had decidedst night, if she didn¡¯t wake up early then she¡¯s going to have to wake up all alone.


    After silently getting dress, I looked down at her sleeping face onest time. The next time we meet, you¡¯re going to be my personal secretary. I hope that you¡¯ll behave and be a good and sexy girl. Without saying anything else to her, I bent down and ced a soft kiss on her forehead.


    I could forgive her if she turns upte for work today...


    ...


    **Back to the present**


    Ace reared his hip back, withdrawing his entire cock out of me just to plunge it in over and over again. Each thrust was harder and deeper than thest and I cried out as ecstasy robbed me from my ability to think about anything but the man who was giving me so much pleasure.


    ¡°Your pussy is so tight...¡± Ace groaned before ramming his cock all the way into me again.


    ¡°Your cock...is so big...Ahhh! Ace...it¡¯s so deep...¡± I cried out in between my lewd moans.


    .....


    His thick cock stimted the walls of my pussy as he thrusted in and out of my hole. My pussy got so wet and lewd wet sounds of his cock beating into the wetness in between my legs echoed all around his office. The loud squelching sounds that erupted from my pussy along with our moans and groans of pleasure turned me on even more.


    My hips thrusted wantonly upwards to meet his wild thrusts halfway, making his cock hit me even harder and deeper inside. Ace groaned as he exerted himself while I tried my best to keep my body from breaking from his intense thrusting. His cock hit against my womb with each thrust that made my legs feel weak.


    ¡°Your pussy is clenching hard around my cock. Do you like it here?¡± Ace asked seductively.


    His cock hit the pleasure spot deep inside of my love tunnel and my pussy automatically clenched hard around his cock. It felt so good that I can¡¯t even begin to describe the lustful pleasure washing over my entire body in waves in rhythm to his cock thrusting deeply into my cunt. My pussy spasmed around his cock as it greedily tried to suck his thick rod in further into my hole.


    ¡°It¡¯s...so deep...so good...¡± I whimpered weakly.


    I let go of all control as I moaned like I was in heat. Sex with Ace felt so good. I never knew that being filled by him could feel so satisfying. It was as if my words turned him on even more than before, his movements became rougher and more demanding.


    ¡°No...don¡¯t...Ahh...I¡¯m...I¡¯m gonna cum!¡± I cried out as I lost myself to the pleasure of his hard and fast thrusts.


    I cried out his name as my climax took over mepletely. My mind felt like it had shattered into a million tiny shards as my body spasmed uncontrobly. Ace continued pumping his cock wildly into my cunt and I knew that he was also close to his limit.


    ¡°Rina!¡± Ace yelled my name in a low animalistic growl when his climax hit him.


    I felt his cock thrust one final deep thrust into my cunt before he stilled above me. Ace threw his head back and let out another growl as his cock twitched wildly inside of me. Hey down on top of me as he stroked the side of my face lovingly with hisrge hand. He ced a soft kiss on my temple before he hugged me tightly in his arms. After catching our breath, Ace got up and slowly withdrew his cock from my pussy. I moaned softly at the feel of his cock sliding out of my quivering hole. His exit was apanied by my own wetness leaking out of my love hole. He made me cum so much...


    Slowly, I opened my eyeszily to see Ace looking intently at my face. While I felt heat rush to my cheek in embarrassment at what we had just done, Ace had an unreadable look in his eyes. For the life of me, I couldn¡¯t tell what he was thinking, and it seemed like he was at least slightly conflicted with himself. Hisrge hand approached me before stroking my hair softly and tenderly. I closed my eyes again and enjoyed thefort of his loving gesture. Although I couldn¡¯t see him, I knew that his eyes were on my face as he continued observing me.


    ¡°No one is allowed to break your heart, except for me...¡± Ace whispered possessively into my ear.


    The warmth of his breath tickled my ear just like the possessiveness behind his words affected my heart. My eyes opened and met his before he smiled down at me. I didn¡¯t know what to say in response to his words, so I was thankful that he started kissing me. Unable to fully understand or voice my own mixed feelings, I kissed him back instead.


    I knew that I¡¯ve just crossed the line and did something that I truly shouldn¡¯t have. This was different from when we did it back in the hotel because back then we were both probably drunk to a certain degree. This time, I was absolutely sober, and I couldn¡¯t use intoxication as a convenient excuse. It never ceased to amaze me how I didn¡¯t feel an ounce of regret for my actions. Instead, I enjoyed the safety of his strong arms around me as I let himfort me and my tired and slightly broken spirit.


    I never truly understood until the moment that I felt his thick cock inside of me why people say that the most irresistible things are exactly the things that you can¡¯t truly have.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 71

    71 Insecurities and Surprises


    Ace drove me back to my ce again that night and he insisted on walking me right to my door. I was slightly worried about him demanding that I let him into my room; however, that didn¡¯t happen. Surprisingly, Ace offered me a smile and a small peck on my cheek before he was on his way. It might have been my own imagination, but it seemed like he was in a hurry to leave. Given that it was alreadyte at night, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if he was tired or if he still had something to clear up for the day. The work of a CEO still amazed me. Despite how he acts around me, Ace had a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders.


    ¡°Ahhh...¡± I moaned softly in the warm shower.


    Standing under the warm shower felt rxing and it was just what I needed. Because Ace went to the trouble of reminding me of the pleasure that we shared that night at the hotel, I found myself remembering the shower that I had the morning after. My body still felt sensitive from his wild lovemaking. My pussy throbbed and my insides felt slightly sore. Hopefully, the tenderness would subside when I wake up tomorrow morning.


    I let out another moan when I pressed my fingers against my opening, still wet and slimy from the juices of my release. My fingers stroked my pussy lips and I thought of Ace touching me there and then inserting his thick and longer fingers inside of my hole. My nipples hardened immediately at the thought.


    What is wrong with me? We just did it...and I¡¯m already thinking of him...


    Forcing my mind away from Ace and his seductively teasing smile, I quickly cleaned myself and got out of the shower. There is so much work that I have to do and so many things that I needed to improve on in time for my next presentation to the team. Thankfully, I managed to make a lot of progress before being distracted by photos from Kyle¡¯s wedding and then...


    My body shivered from the thought, and it wasn¡¯t from fear. I should go to bed before my own thoughts drive me crazy. Sleep didn¡¯te as easy as I had hoped. Even after a long while of having the lights off and my eyes closed, I still tossed and turned in bed restlessly. I could see Ace and I could hear his voice whispering to me like he was a ghost that had decided to haunt me and my dreams.


    I covered my face with my hands as if that would help me to hide away. Things between Ace and I didn¡¯t start normally, and it was moving way too fast. I think I probably made the same mistake with Kyle as well when we first started dating. Looking back maybe everything about us was wrong from the start right until the end, except for the good sex.


    Perhaps I was just trying to fool myself that we were a loving couple even when we rarely did anything together because we were too worried about our rtionship being exposed. For me, I was scared because I was afraid of losing my job if anyone from our workce found out. For him, he was probably more afraid of his real girlfriend finding out. Looking back, our rtionship was nothing more than meeting up for heated sex and going out on secret dates that ended up in very steamy sessions at random hotels.


    .....


    ¡®Fuck buddies¡¯ is what they call something like that, right?


    That¡¯s it. We were probably just fuck buddies. The fact that he already had a girlfriend that he intended to marry only made it worst.


    Ace...are we just ¡®fuck buddies¡¯ too now?


    That night I fell asleep with very mixed and troubling thoughts in my mind. I ended up getting some sleep sometimete into the night purely thanks to exhaustion.


    ...


    The rm went off and I was thankful to wake up because my dreams were dark and haunting at best. They were the exact representation of my insecurities, and I hated what I saw in my slumber. After turning off my rm, I instantly got out of bed and headed for the shower. I stared at the dark circles under my eyes before sighing loudly. It was quite obvious what I needed to do so why was I so hesitant to do it?


    After getting dressed, I started with my make up while making sure to apply abundant concealer to hide the dark circles under my eyes. I didn¡¯t want to look outstandingly beautiful, I just wanted to look presentable. After applying some lipstick on my lips, I sighed once again.


    ¡°Rtionships based on sex don¡¯tst. You know that...Karina...¡± I reminded myself as I stared at my own reflection in the mirror.


    The girl that stared back at me looked too stubborn for her own good. I knew that I had to stop giving in to Ace¡¯s advances and that nothing good would evere from me sleeping with him. My resolve felt firm, and it felt like I had everything figured out for now, but I truly doubt if the same would apply when I felt his tempting caresses on my body and the warmth of his seductive kisses on my lips.


    I need to stay away from Ace...but how do I do that?


    ¡°Arghhhh...¡± I growled from my own frustration.


    Why did the bad have to feel so good?


    My hand covered my lips as if to shield them from Ace¡¯s lips...or my own desires...


    **Ring Ring Ring**


    The doorbell?


    Suddenly, the doorbell rang and that meant that someone was standing right in front of my door. It was unusual for anyone to turn up to my ce. I didn¡¯t have that many friends living in the city to start off with and I couldn¡¯t think of anyone who would turn up this early in the morning.


    My tummy did a tiny flip and that told me that something was not right. While I was hesitating about what to do in front of my mirror, the doorbell rang again.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 72

    72 First Trip with Him


    ¡°Coming!¡± I called out before getting up from my seat.


    This better be something good and productive...


    It wasn¡¯t like I had any mortal enemies that were out to get me but I was still very cautious of opening my doors to strangers, so I decided to check through the peephole first.


    I gasped before I ced both my hands over my mouth to stop myself from screaming from shock as my body froze right in front of the door. After closing my eyes and quickly counting to three, I opened them again and peeped through the hole just to make sure that I wasn¡¯t dreaming or hallucinating.


    ¡°Rina!¡±


    His familiar voice called my name quite loudly and that alone was enough proof that I wasn¡¯t dreaming up this whole thing.


    Ace is really standing right outside my door. Why is he here? It¡¯s so early in the morning?


    I don¡¯t have enough make up on and I have dark circles under my eyes. What am I going to do?!


    ¡°I know that you¡¯re in there...¡± Ace said, sounding very impatient.


    .....


    This is my room, and he is the one intruding so why do I feel like I¡¯m in the wrong here? Plus, why does he sound like a debt collector?


    Everything is fine, I have concealers under my eyes. I sighed when I realized that I did care what I looked like in front of Ace after all...


    ¡°Good morning. No, that¡¯s not what I meant. Why are you here?¡± I asked after quickly correcting myself.


    ¡°Picking you up. Why else?¡± Ace replied like it was supposed to be obvious.


    He¡¯s escorted me back to my ce a couple of times before, but this was the first time that he¡¯s picking me up. He never mentioned anything about thisst night when he dropped me off, though.


    ¡°Umm...I can go to the office by myself. There¡¯s no need for you to pick me up. I already feel bad that you have to drive me back here almost every night after work...¡± I said while still feeling very confused.


    ¡°I feel like we¡¯ve had this conversation before and I dislike repetitions of boring things. Are you ready to leave?¡± Ace asked afterining.


    ¡°...Yes,¡± I replied after recovering from my slight astonishment.


    ¡°Good,¡± He said with satisfaction.


    ¡°Wait! Let me grab my handbag and my phone!¡± I cried out before quickly heading back inside.


    ¡°Quickly...¡± Ace said sternly.


    I felt his eyes following my every moment as I moved around my small apartment to grab my phone before stuffing it into my handbag. Ace pulled on my arm, and I was out of the room so fast that I was confused once again as to what was going on. Ace didn¡¯t say anything or exined anything even when we had gotten into his car.


    ¡°Hold on! Weren¡¯t we supposed to take a turn there to head to the office?¡± I asked as my eyes widened and stared down the road that we should have taken.


    Ace kept on driving as hepletely ignored my question and panic. In fact, he really stepped on it, and it felt like we were going faster than before.


    ¡°Ace? This isn¡¯t the way to the office...¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°Who says we¡¯re going to the office?¡± Ace asked like I was the one who had it all wrong.


    We¡¯re not...


    ¡°We¡¯re not going to the office?! Then...where are we going?¡± I asked in a loud cry.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see soon. Can you just rx a little, please?¡± Ace said with a mocking pleading voice before he started chuckling at me.


    ...


    The moment that Ace started driving us out of the city center, I knew that it was strange, but I never thought that we would end up at this ce of all ces. The nes looked quite big now that they were flying low. For some reason that I couldn¡¯tprehend, we ended up at the airport together bright and early in the morning.


    Some staff were there to greet Ace and take care of his car when we arrived. It still felt like everything wasn¡¯t real even when I had gotten out of Ace¡¯s car.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. What are you spacing out for?¡± Ace asked with a smallugh as he took my hand into his again.


    ¡°Are we here to pick up someone? Is someonending here soon?¡± I asked, daring to have hope that this wasn¡¯t what I thought it was.


    ¡°Are you stupid or are you just ying with me?¡± Ace asked with slightly narrowed eyes.


    Neither.


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor to assist your today, Mr. Hill. Please follow me this way. Your flight is waiting for you,¡± a man in a ck suit said politely before gesturing for us to follow him.


    ¡°We¡¯re flying?¡± I asked in whisper.


    ¡°You just figured it out?¡± Ace replied sarcastically before he started tough softly to himself.


    His hand around me tightened as if he thought that I would turn and run away. Honesty, that thought did enter my mind for a split of a second, so he wasn¡¯t entirely wrong.


    Where are we going and so suddenly?


    Now that I knew that we were flying, so many worries filled my mind. He didn¡¯t tell me anything about this beforehand and because of that I didn¡¯t prepare anything.


    ¡°Wait...Ace...¡± I said in a small voice as I tried to get his attention.


    ¡°Keep walking. Let¡¯s not bete,¡± Ace said sternly as he continued to pull me after him.


    It wasn¡¯t long before we arrived at our flight. My eyes lingered over the private ne. Why am I even surprised?


    CEO or not, Ace is extremely wealthy, so I guess he doesn¡¯t fly on normal economy ss flights like I normally do. However, now isn¡¯t the time to be amazed at the little luxurious spin on our surprise trip. There was a slight issue...


    ¡°Wait! I don¡¯t have my passport with me,¡± I voiced my concern as I tugged on Ace¡¯s hand in mine.


    Ace turned and smiled charmingly at me.


    ¡°I have your passport with me,¡± he announced proudly.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 73

    73 Somewhere Only He Knows


    ¡°Huh? How can you have something like that?¡± I asked in shock.


    What amazed me more than the private jet was the fact that Ace never failed to amaze and surprise me over and over again.


    ¡°The office got one made for you for business purposes, right? Remember?¡± Ace asked as he waved a passport book in front of me.


    Shit. I totally forgot about that. How loosely does thepany manage these documents? Ace can get his hands on anything so easily...


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± I asked once again.


    ¡°Get on and I¡¯ll tell you,¡± Ace said teasingly before winking at me.


    ¡°What if I told you that I don¡¯t want to go?¡± I asked as I refused to follow him.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t believe you even if you did. Get on, you¡¯ll want to go where I¡¯m about to take you,¡± Ace said with certainty.


    Where is he going to take me? Just where is this flight bound for?


    .....


    While I was still debating my very limited options to myself, Ace heaved an impatient sigh before turning to face me directly.


    ¡°Rina, if you don¡¯t get on the ne on the count of three, I¡¯m going to carry you...¡± Ace said slowly and very clearly.


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding...¡± I muttered although I knew that he was far from joking.


    ¡°Three...¡± Ace started counting.


    My eyes widened in shock as his light hazel brown eyes stared down at my face. Shit, I really don¡¯t have a choice about this do I?


    ¡°Two...¡± Ace counted down again.


    ¡°Arghhh! Ok...¡± I cried out in defeat.


    Once again, I found myself dancing to Ace¡¯s tune like his favorite little puppet.


    ...


    After getting on the ne, I sat in a veryfortable leather seat next to Ace and we were on our way somewhere I didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°So...can you please tell me where we¡¯re going now?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Sure, since the ne has taken off, I can tell you where we¡¯re going,¡± Ace replied teasingly.


    I arched a brow at him in disbelief. Was he that scared that I would get off if the ne was still on the ground?


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± I demanded for an answer.


    ¡°The country with the biggest dog meat trade,¡± Ace stated with a serious face.


    Oh...wow...


    ¡°Wow...really?!¡± I eximed in excitement as the reality of this sunk in.


    ¡°Yes, really. How else are we going toe up with anything real if we haven¡¯t seen, felt, or experienced anything real?¡± Ace said before turning to grin at me.


    ¡°So, this is a business trip...¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Are you disappointed, Rina? Did you think that perhaps this was a date or a honeymoon trip for us?¡± Ace asked teasingly before he chuckled.


    No, I...did not think that...


    ¡°You should have told me in advance. You nned this ahead, right? You could have told me...¡± Iined as I pouted.


    Aceughed a little at my reaction.


    ¡°If I told you then it wouldn¡¯t be a surprise...¡± Ace replied casually.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t pack anything at all. Also, I¡¯m your secretary so if you wanted to arrange a trip, you should have told me. I could have done it...¡± I continued toin while Ace continued tough at me.


    He seemed to be in a good mood and although he had literally just hijacked me on a ne to a foreign country, I still couldn¡¯t truly find it in me to be mad at him. The way heughed made him look younger and the sound of hisughter tugged at my heart. Soon, I felt warm and strange inside like I was feeling happy for no reason at all. Before I knew it, I was smiling a little. Maybe I was happy that he decided to take me along on this trip with him.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be so fun. Let¡¯s learn a lot of new things together. I want us to have some solid ideas on how to approach the storyline by the end of the trip. We can¡¯t afford to lose to the other teams,¡± Ace said before smiling brightly at me.


    ¡°Lose to the other team? What do you mean?¡± I asked, confused.


    ¡°Oh, right. I guess I haven¡¯t told you about this either,¡± Ace said in sudden realization.


    He never tells me any of the important things. I just wanted to roll my eyes at him.


    ¡°Care to exin, please?¡± I demanded before pursing my lips into a thin line.


    ¡°This is something we do very often when we start on a new project in the CEO¡¯s office. We form small teams of 2-3 people, and wepete toe up with the best idea for the storyline. Of course, it doesn¡¯t have to be the whole story line and it doesn¡¯t have to be anywhere as detailed as the final version, but it must be good enough to lead the direction of the work going forward,¡± Ace exined.


    ¡°Really? So, the other people are also going on trips?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°Some of them are, I supposed. Not all of them. Everyone is either paired up or in a small group now and some of them are visiting some dog meat farms and markets. Others have other ways to get ideas, it¡¯s all up to what they decide as a team,¡± Ace replied casually.


    ¡°Are we going to visit the farms and the markets too?¡± I asked, my excitement truly taking over.


    After doing so much research on the topic, I was more than interested and invested. I was eager to learn more, and I had to agree with Ace that nothing would beat seeing and experiencing the real thing.


    ¡°Of course. Why else are we flying over there?¡± Ace replied before chuckling.


    He reached hisrge hand out and patted the top of my head before stroking my hair softly. In the short amount of time that I¡¯ve worked with him, he¡¯s done that quite a lot.


    ¡°I¡¯m not your dog...¡± I muttered softly.


    ¡°Who says that I think that you¡¯re my dog?¡± Ace asked teasingly before he beganughing a little.


    I am definitely not his dog!


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 74

    74 Flying With Him


    His hand didn¡¯t stop caressing my hair yfully. Ace was really in a good mood and his positivity was starting to rub off on me. Suddenly, Ace took a lock of my hair and ced it against his lips. I watched as he kissed my hair tenderly as my heart skipped a beat and my chest clenched tightly.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whispered his name softly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t do this to my dog...¡± Ace mumbled as his eyes lingered on the lock of my hair that he held between his fingers.


    ¡°Or this...¡± Ace whispered.


    My body froze when I felt the heat his hand on the side of my neck before he started stroking the side of my neck tenderly with the tips of his fingers. His face came closer to mine, and I soon felt the heat of his lips on my cheek. His kiss was soft and more yful than demanding. I felt heat rush to my face, and I knew that I had started to blush wildly.


    ¡°Or this...¡± Ace whispered again.


    This time his lips approached mine. He¡¯s going to kiss me...


    ¡°Please...no more...¡± I protested in a breathless whisper as I tried my best to push him away.


    I can¡¯t do this anymore. Any more of his teasing attention and I¡¯m really going to lose control. I just decided this morning that I¡¯ll try to keep my distance from him and look where I ended up. Despite the difficulty that I had to go through to steel my resolve, I found myself on a private jet all alone with Ace on the way on a trip that had no one else but us.


    .....


    I must be going crazy...


    ¡°You¡¯re right. We can have some more funter on. After all, this trip is a whole three days!¡± Ace dered happily.


    ¡°Three days?!¡± I cried out in shock.


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t tell you?¡± Ace said innocently before he smiled at me.


    ¡°You never tell me anything...¡± I muttered before sighing depressingly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. I¡¯ll make sure to tell you next time, ok?¡± Ace cooed like he was talking to a baby.


    I didn¡¯t know what to say to him anymore. Words won¡¯t change anything. Since I¡¯m on this trip with him anyways, I might as well make the most of it. Strictly speaking, there was nothing wrong with this trip. We are going there to get some work done so this is a business trip and nothing more.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be quite a long flight. I suggest you get some sleep. Want a nket?¡± Ace asked with a caring smile.


    It¡¯s so unfair when he smiles and acts all caring like that. It makes me feel so confused inside.


    ¡°No, thank you...¡± I replied before turning the other way.


    ...


    The announcement from our pilot telling us that we are about tond woke me up from my sleep. I didn¡¯t even remember when I had fallen asleep. ncing over to where Ace was sitting, I found out that he was already awake and as alert as ever.


    ¡°Had a good rest?¡± Ace asked before smiling over at me.


    ¡°Yeah...¡± I murmured softly in reply.


    I did manage to catch some sleep during the flight. Itpensated very well for theck of good sleep from the night before. I still felt slightly sleeping and dizzy but the excitement that I felt as I looked forward to the trip made me feel so pumped up.


    ¡°You look so excited...¡± Ace stated his observation with a teasing smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s because I am,¡± I admitted honestly before returning his smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m excited too. This trip with you is going to be fun...¡± Ace stated with certainty.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if we were looking forward to the same type of fun, but I was willing to let that slide for now. Afternding at the airport, Ace rented a car so that we could drive around. To my surprise, Ace seemed to have everything nned out already.


    ¡°When did you have time to work on all this?¡± I asked in amazement after getting into the passenger seat of the car.


    Ace was driving and I was his only passenger. It was a pleasant surprise that Ace seemed to know where we were going and what we had to do right off the bat.


    ¡°I¡¯m efficient at my work,¡± he replied confidently.


    ¡°Aha...¡± I murmured without knowing what to say.


    Says the guy who sneaks off to take naps and skip out on meetings at work.


    ¡°Let¡¯s check in at the hotel first. We¡¯ll be meeting our local guide there. As you¡¯ve probably figured out already, most people don¡¯t speak English here so we¡¯re going to need a local guide who can take us around and also act as a trantor,¡± Ace exined wlessly.


    ¡°You¡¯re right about that. Wow, you really have everything thought out...¡± I said in admiration.


    I can¡¯t believe the CEO of such argepany actually went to all the trouble of nning and preparing all of this.


    ¡°The dog meat trade business is a very local business with many small operators and markets. To really get to know how it works, we need a local to take us there,¡± Ace continued to exin as he kept his eyes on the road.


    ¡°Umm...I might need to stop over to buy some things,¡± I said a little shyly.


    ¡°We can do that. That¡¯s not a problem. There are somethings that I got the hotel to prepare for you already, though. You can take a look at those first and then we can go buy whatever that you need,¡± Ace replied casually.


    ¡°Thank you for doing all this,¡± I thanked him wholeheartedly.


    ¡°No worries. Let¡¯s just enjoy the trip together,¡± Ace replied carefreely.


    It was quite a long ride to the hotel because the airport was located quite far from the city center. From the private jet to this overly luxurious hotel, I had a feeling that this trip was eating up quite a lot of thepany¡¯s budget. Ace looked extremely at home when we arrived at the hotel and the concierge politely greeted us. We arrived early in the afternoon so I hoped that we could get some work done today even if we didn¡¯t have the whole day.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 75

    75 His Maniptive Scheme


    ¡°Let¡¯s check in first,¡± Ace said as he offered me his hand.


    I looked down at his open palmed as I hesitated. Since when did it be the norm for us to hold hands?


    Ace gave me a confused look and I found myself slipping my hand into his muchrger one. He gave my hand aforting little squeeze before he led me after him into the hotel lobby. My eyes fell on where our hands were joined as I wondered if he would hold my hand all the time during this trip, and perhaps, even after that? Do I want that?


    ¡°There¡¯s only one room?¡± I asked in total disbelief.


    ¡°Yes, there is no mistake. Only one suite room is booked,¡± the receptionist repeated before shing me a polite smile.


    Did thepany suddenly run out of budget or something?


    I looked usingly at Ace who just shrugged his shoulders before smiling sweetly and innocently my way.


    He nned all this. I should have known...


    ¡°Is there another room avable?¡± I asked hopefully.


    .....


    The beautiful woman just shook her head before apologizing in a soft voice. She¡¯s got to be kidding me!


    ¡°It¡¯s ok. I guess I can stay in some random business hotel nearby...¡± I said as I started taking out my phone to find a hotel near here.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need another room. She¡¯ll sleep with me,¡± Ace told the receptionist before wrapping his arm around my shoulder.


    She woman looked at Ace and before her eyes shifted to me and then she smiled as if shepletely understood and was d that the issue had been resolved.


    ¡°No...this isn¡¯t...¡± I began correcting the misunderstanding immediately.


    He gave her the wrong idea about us. This is insane...


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Rina...¡± Ace drawled seductively as he pulled me along towards the hotel elevators.


    My mind was a mess during the entire elevator ride as I tried to figure out my next move. Ace was just too maniptive for me to deal with. The way he manipted me so easily into doing things the way that he wanted was simply scaring me out of my wits.


    We arrived at the room and Ace tapped the keycard before pushing the door opened. I bit my lower lip as I tried toe up with some excuse that would get me out of this situation. I could imagine a long list of scenarios that might take ce if I slept in the same room as Ace and in none of those scenarios did I manage to make it through the night with my chastity intact.


    ¡°Come in,¡± Ace invited me into the room before him.


    I took a few steps into the room before I heard the door closing behind us. The suite was a very fancy one and must have costed a lot. The entire ce was decorated in various shades of blue that was pleasant to the eyes with modern luxurious furnishing.


    There was a living room with a sofa and a dining area. There was also a work desk and an adjoining bathroom. The other door was opened, and I could see the bedroom through there. Everything was great apart from the fact that there was only one bedroom.


    My eyes immediately zoomed in on the sofa and my mind was immediately made up. You, my dear sofa, will be my bed starting from tonight.


    ¡°The things that I ordered for you are in the bedroom. You should take a look so that we can buy the other things that you still need,¡± Ace said as he pointed towards the bedroom.


    ¡°Ok...thank you...¡± I replied softly.


    I entered the bedroom and while I was looking through the very extensive pile of things that Ace had prepared, I could hear him talking on the phone. From what he was saying, I figured out that he must be talking to our local guide. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised at how thoroughly Ace had gotten the hotel to prepare things for me. I lifted up a new set of underwear as I stared at it in awe.


    I had no idea if I should feel relieved or freaked out when I looked at the tag on the bra and found out that he had gotten even my bra size right. Did he figure that out when he touched my breasts? Is that amon skill for men?


    I didn¡¯t think so. I had to admit that having underwear was better than not having any.


    ¡°Rest and freshen up, Rina. We¡¯re meeting our guide in 15 minutes at the hotel lobby,¡± Ace called out to inform me.


    ¡°Alright!¡± I quickly replied.


    ...


    ¡°Hello. My name is Rung and I will be your guide for the next few days,¡± our local guide politely introduced himself.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Karina and this is my boss, Ace...¡± I said professionally.


    ¡°Nice to meet you and thank you for agreeing to help us,¡± Ace said kindly.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure. During our trip, I will try my best to exin everything and trante everything for you,¡± Rung told us reassuringly.


    Being always full of mysteries and secrets, Ace had not told me where exactly we were headed for today with our local guide. Now that the guide was here, he was the one who drove us around. ording to him some of the local roads could be tricky especially during peak hours, so he preferred to be the one driving. Ace and I sat at the back as Rung navigated the heavy traffic of the city center.


    ¡°Where are we headed?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°One of thergest wet markets in the city. Because we don¡¯t have much time today, all we can do is visit the market which is close to the city. The other ces that Ace wants to visit is quite far from here,¡± the guide exined.


    I nodded my head in understanding. It went without saying that the wet marketing that we were going to visit sold dog meat. The traffic was quite bad as the guide had anticipated but soon, we arrived at the market. My feelings about seeing the real selling and buying of dog meat was very mixed. On one hand, I wanted to see the real thing and experience the vibe of the market. On the other hand, I was simply frightened and slightly disturbed.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 76

    76 Down to Business


    ¡°I want to interview the sellers and some of the buyers as well, can you help me out with the trantions?¡± Ace inquired enthusiastically.


    ¡°Of course, it is my job to do so,¡± Rung replied followed by augh.


    ¡°Come this way. I will take you to the section that specializes in dog meat. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve heard but, dog meat isn¡¯t eaten by every single person in this country. I, personally, don¡¯t eat it but of course there are many that do. It¡¯s a matter of preference, you know...¡± Rung exined as he led the way through the throng of people.


    As it turned out, the wet market was very big and had many sections. ording to Rung¡¯s exnation, dog meat was sold in a small section in the market because of the niche market that it caters to. It wasn¡¯t asmon as poultry, pork, and beef.


    ¡°There are specialized restaurants that sells it. Usually, it isn¡¯t sold randomly or mixed with other meat...¡± Rung exined further when we arrived at the dedicated stores.


    ¡°So, all these stores here sell dog meat?¡± Ace asked to rify.


    ¡°Yes, all of them from here to over there...¡± Rung replied while pointing his index finger to the end of the area.


    ¡°That¡¯s more than I thought...¡± I mumbled to myself.


    ¡°The market is much livelier in the morning when there are more buyers buting now is also good because if the store is too busy the store owner will not have time to talk to you,¡± Rung said as he led us closer to one of thergest stores.


    .....


    ¡°Can we take photos?¡± Ace asked.


    ¡°Of course. Nothing to worry about,¡± Rung replied casually.


    I gulped when we got close enough for us to see the meat that was on disy. The meat that was chopped up resembled any other type of meat that I¡¯ve seen disyed in the meat sections of supermarkets. However, there were other more wholesome versions of the meat that basically looked like a dog that had just been skinned. I closed my eyes momentarily to collect myself. To me, it was a disturbing and difficult sight to take in.


    Rung began making small talk in the localnguage with the store owner while Ace and I just looked on. Both of us didn¡¯t speak the localnguage and had to rely heavily on Rung. After a short while of chatting, Rung gave up the thumb up sign that it was fine for us to interview the middle-ageddy who owned the store.


    ¡°Why do people eat dogs when there are other types of meat avable?¡± Ace began asking.


    Rung quickly tranted Ace¡¯s question into the localnguage to the shopkeeper. She nodded her head to show that she understood before she replied to Rung.


    ¡°She says that it¡¯s part of their culture. Many people believe that there are health benefits from eating dogs that other meat cannot provide. Some just prefer the taste,¡± Rung tranted smoothly.


    ¡°Is that beliefmon only for the older generations or for the newer generation as well? Is the demand for dog meat dropping over the years?¡± Ace asked.


    Once again, Rung tranted Ace¡¯s questions and the shopkeeper replied in their localnguage. I took out a voice recorder and a notepad and began taking notes so that I wouldn¡¯t forget even the smallest detail.


    ¡°She says that younger people don¡¯t eat dogs anymore because it doesn¡¯t conform with the culture from the West. Old traditions are starting to fade. She says that even her kids want her to stop selling dog meat. They want her to switch to sell other more normal types of meat or just quit and retire. She says that she doesn¡¯t want to do that because she still has old and long-standing customers to serve,¡± Rung tranted again.


    ¡°What does she think about people from the West or other cultures being very against the dog meat trade?¡± Ace asked curiously.


    ¡°She says that it¡¯s not her problem. She doesn¡¯t care what other people think. Cultures are different. There are things that she doesn¡¯t like about other countries¡¯ cultures too, but she tries to understand them. She thinks eating dog is the same as other cultural traditions, it should be preserved and passed on. She says the people who like it should get to eat it and people who don¡¯t like it can just eat something else,¡± Rung tranted bluntly.


    ¡°What are her thoughts on hical dog farms? Does she think that it ismon or if there¡¯s a solution for that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°She says that she doesn¡¯t source her product from those types of farms. There are many farms that operate professionally just like chicken farms, and she doesn¡¯t see any issues with that. Of course, she thinks that hical and illegal farms should be shut down. She thinks that those hical farms that people see in the news are overrepresented. Most dog meat farms don¡¯t look like that,¡± Rung tranted while listening to the shopkeeper¡¯s response.


    After a few more questions we moved on to another stall where we asked the shop owner simr questions and got very simr responses. After interviewing a handful of shop owners, we switched and started interviewing the buyers instead. It was clear that the buyers of dog meat were from the older generation. Most were probably around my mum¡¯s age, and we didn¡¯t find any young buyers in the teenage range at all.


    I had many pages filled with notes by the time that we decided to call it a day. Before we turned to leave Ace called my name to catch my attention.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked as I turned back to face him.


    ¡°Do you want to try eating it, Rina?¡± Ace asked quite seriously.


    I blinked my eyes rapidly at his surprising and unexpected question. Since this project started, I had considered many things such as my point of view regarding the matter, but not once have I thought about trying dog meat.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m fine, thanks...¡± I quickly declined.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 77

    77 Like a Couple


    ¡°Really? We¡¯re here now so I¡¯m sure that Rung can take us to a restaurant that serves dog meat. Right, Rung?¡± Ace suggested with a smile.


    ¡°Yes, I can. It¡¯s not that hard to find to be honest,¡± Rung replied with a nod of his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I mean, if you want to you can go ahead and try it but I personally wouldn¡¯t...¡± I stood my ground.


    ¡°If you say so. Let¡¯s head back to the hotel then,¡± Ace said before he reached for my hand.


    Rung led the way out of the market to where he had parked the car. It was getting quite cold now that the sun had set. It was about time that we leave because most stalls in the market had already started packing up.


    ¡°Your hand is a little cold. Are you feeling cold?¡± Ace turned to ask me with concern in his voice.


    I did feel a little cold. This was my own fault for not checking the weather forecast and underestimating that this country could be so cold.


    ¡°A little...but I¡¯m fine...thanks,¡± I replied before smiling a little at him.


    Ace yanked softly on my hand before gently cing my hand into the pocket of his jacket along with his hand as his hand continued to hold mine. It felt very warm and the blush that inched up from my neck to my cheek also helped to warm me up.


    .....


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry back to the car,¡± Ace told me casually before I could protest or pull my hand away.


    ...


    We made it back to the hotel and parted ways with Rung after thanking him. He would be here to pick us up in the morning. Tomorrow, we had ns to visit a few dog meat farms. Things were starting to get very real on this project and I found myself feeling excited although slightly scared. I was certain that seeing the poor animals in poor conditions in real life would have a bigger impact on me than seeing the same content in photos of videos.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry. Let¡¯s have dinner...¡± Ace saidzily as we stood next to each other in the hotel¡¯s lobby.


    ¡°Sounds like a n,¡± I replied in agreement.


    ¡°Local food somewhere outside or hotel food? There¡¯s a roof top restaurant that¡¯s got a nice view,¡± Ace presented the options.


    ¡°Local food,¡± I replied without hesitation.


    ¡°Ok, My Lady,¡± Ace readily agreed.


    Despite my original worries of being alone with Ace on this trip, I found Ace surprisingly easy to be around. The Ace that was walking casually at my side on the side of the road as he held my hand in his felt like an entirely different person from the devil CEO that everyone was used to at the office. Perhaps the fact that he wasn¡¯t in his business suit helped with softening his image somewhat. However, the real change was his character and the air about him.


    Ever since this trip started or even perhaps before that, whenever we were alone Ace would show me a different side to him. He was kinder, more cheerful, and more rxed. Of course, he still retained his slightly twisted sense of humor and his love of teasing me in both versions of himself. Everything about him was new, refreshing and it excited me to no end.


    Walking around the night street with Ace in the slightly cold weather made me feel like we were really a couple on a night stroll together through the busy street of the city. Many couples walked around holding hands with each other just like us. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if that was how the other people saw us when they saw us together like this.


    ¡°Rina!¡± Ace yelled my name suddenly.


    I let out a small cry when I felt my body being yanked forcefully to the side before my bodynded against something hard yet very warm. Ace¡¯s chest was against the side of my face when I opened my eyes after recovering from the shock. I quickly realized that he had his arms around me and was hugging me tightly after pulling me into his warm embrace.


    ¡°Watch where you¡¯re going. A motorcycle almost hit you. Did you see that?¡± Aceined loudly with intense worry in his eyes.


    His brow furrowed into a frown as he stared down at me with worry. I did realize the motorcycle whizzing by after he had pulled me into his embrace. He was right, I was probably spacing out just thinking about him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Thank you for saving me...¡± I said in a small voice.


    ¡°Be more careful next time. What are you going to do if I¡¯m not here with you?¡± Ace continued to reprimand me.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re here so...¡± I replied before smiling sheepishly at him.


    Ace just shook his head at me as if in disbelief. I wasn¡¯t sure if he was scared of me getting hit by a motorcycle or if he just wanted to hold me close, but I spent the rest of the walk being wrapped in Ace¡¯s strong arms as he hugged me close to him from behind. The position made walking feel quite strange but the warm of his body against my back more thanpensated for the additional difficulty.


    We chose a local restaurant that wasn¡¯t too far from the hotel and enjoyed a rxing meal of the local cuisine. Ace seemed wrap up in his own thoughts as we ate the food together in silence. I tried to read up on the notes that I had taken during our trip to the market, but it was a real challenge to keep my eyes from straying towards Ace¡¯s face.


    ¡°Umm...what are you thinking of?¡± I asked softly.


    Ace¡¯s hazel eyes shifted to look at me before he smiled. I admired the beauty of his teasing smile while I waited for him to answer my question.


    ¡°I was thinking about the various point of view that the sellers and buyers told us today,¡± Ace replied simply.


    ¡°Same here. Actually, I¡¯ve got many points down here in my notes,¡± I said as I gestured to my open notebook.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 78

    78 His Mischievous n


    ¡°Don¡¯t just study the facts or people¡¯s opinions, try to form your own opinions and think of an angle that would be appealing to the audience too,¡± Ace advised sternly.


    ¡°You¡¯re right...¡± I whispered with a firm nod of my head.


    He was probably right that I tend to get wrapped up in what other people thought rather than focusing on how I felt about things. We needed toe up with an angle and storyline from this trip, so I had to keep that in mind as well. It was clear that Ace was way more focused on the work than I was, and he probably had some ideas on the storyline proposal already. On the other hand, my mind was still pretty much nk.


    The only thing thatforted me was that the trip had just started. There are still a couple more days for me to put my thoughts together and hopefully by then, my creative juices would help my braine up with some unique and appealing ideas.


    ...


    When we made it back to the hotel, I was more determined to get some work done rather than tired. The warning that Ace gave me seemed to have triggered a boast of energy. However, the moment that we walked into the hotel and Ace gave my hand a slight squeeze, I was reminded that we would be spending the night together in the same room. Suddenly, I felt extremely uneasy.


    I¡¯m going to sleep on the sofa...no matter what he says...


    To my surprise, Ace tugged on my hand and led me in the opposite direction of where the elevators to our room were.


    ¡°Ace...where are we going?¡± I asked as I was dragged after him.


    .....


    ¡°A ce where we can rx and do some thinking,¡± Ace replied before he turned and winked at me.


    Starstruck by his superstar smile, I found myself following him without asking any questions. A ce where we can rx, and think must be some kind of business meeting room that the hotel had avable for private bookings. Ace must have nned ahead again and booked us one of those so that we could go through our notes for the day more seriously to wrap up the first day of our trip. He¡¯s such a hardworking man. There¡¯s so much that I still need to learn from him.


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Ace announced proudly as he dragged me through a pair of double doors.


    The sign that greeted me was one that I definitely did not expect. My mouth dropped opened and for a moment, I was at a loss for words.


    Why did he bring us here?


    ¡°I thought you wanted to talk about work...?¡± I asked in pure confusion after I had managed to recover the usage of my tongue.


    ¡°We are going to talk about work...among other things...¡± Ace replied,pletely unfazed.


    I looked up at therge sign above our head again before I shook my head at the image that was immediately conjured up in my mind.


    No...there¡¯s no way that we¡¯re going in there.


    ¡®Private Jacuzzi and Sauna¡¯ read the sign above our head.


    I cocked my head to the side, still in disbelief. Was this what he had in mind all along? Of course, that was the case because he had a booking for it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you in the hotel room,¡± I quickly said as I began taking a step back in retreat.


    ¡°Where are you going? Come on in...¡± Ace encouraged invitingly as his hand tightened around mine and began pulling on my arm.


    ¡°This is crazy...I am not going in there!¡± I eximed in shock.


    ¡°Yes, you are. I¡¯ve got the ced booked out so there¡¯s no need for you to act so shy,¡± Ace said calmly.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point!¡± I quickly countered.


    ¡°Stop struggling, or I¡¯ll just carry you, strip you, and dump you in,¡± Ace said as he smiled mischievously at me.


    I could tell that he was serious and that made me pull back harder against his hold on my hand.


    ¡°No...wait! Please let me go back to the hotel room...¡± I pleaded.


    ¡°If you¡¯re too loud the staff wille running,¡± Ace warned yfully.


    ¡°Ace...please...¡± I whimpered weakly.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll carry you like a princess...¡± Ace suggested like that was the brightest idea in the world.


    Ace lifted me up into his arms with ease, and just like he had just stated so proudly, he carried me princess style deeper into the jacuzzi zone of the hotel. Now that we were inside, I was thankful that it truly seemed like we were the only ones there. Considering howte it was into the evening, that didn¡¯t reallye as a surprise to me. Ace ced me down on my feet in the dressing room and his hand were immediately on my clothes. My eyes widened in shock when I realized that he was going to strip me.


    ¡°No...don¡¯t...¡± I protested as his hands began stripping me of my clothes.


    ¡°I told you that if you¡¯re not going to take off your clothes yourself, then I¡¯m going to strip you. Would you rather go in with your clothes on? That would be an interesting sight to behold as well,¡± Ace mocked me mercilessly as hisrge hands continued to tug and pull on my clothes.


    He¡¯s just unbelievable. His hands were insistent and very impatient as he pulled each article of clothing off of my body. It wasn¡¯t like I could really struggle against him. His hand jerked and tore at my shirt as buttons went flying in his impatience to get me naked. How did things turn out this way?


    When Ace seeded in parting the fabric of my shirt from my body, he pulled me closer to him before he buried his face in the side of my neck. His warm lip kissed my sensitive skin before sucking softly on it while I tried to turn my face away to escape him. Ace wrapped an arm around my waist to prevent my escape as he began sucking harder on the side of my neck.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whimpered his name in a breathless whisper.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 79

    79 Irresistible Seduction


    ¡°Hmm...¡± Ace moaned softly before the tip of his tongue began licking my neck.


    ¡°No...I¡¯m so...sweaty...¡± I protested as I tried to push him away from me.


    ¡°You always smell and taste good,¡± Ace whispered huskily when his lips left my neck for a moment.


    As if he wanted to get that point across, he boldly licked my neck before trailing small kisses down to my cor bone. When his tongue snaked out to lick and tease my corbone, I moaned as my breathing quickened. His hands reached behind my back to unsp my bra and his hands skillfully removed it from my arms and body.


    ¡°Ace...please...¡± I protested in a weak voice.


    I hated myself and how weak I was against his art of seduction. I hated how my voice came out sounding so sweet and breathless like I was begging him for more rather than pleading for him to stop what he was doing to me.


    ¡°No...please...I¡¯m so dirty right now...¡± I protested in embarrassment.


    Ace didn¡¯t heed my warning and buried his face in between my breasts before his hands cupped them and began massaging them. I threw my head back and moaned from the intense pleasure of his hot manly hands squeezing my naked breasts. The way he massaged them made my body writhed from unbelievable bliss. My nipples hardened immediately as he rubbed them against his palm while his hand continued to pump my breasts.


    ¡°I love ying with your tits. You smell good, Rina...¡± Ace coaxed seductively with his face buried in between my breasts.


    .....


    I felt the wet heat of his tongue run a line alone the sensitive skin in between my tits and I cried out. My cry echoed throughout the dressing room and my body froze in shock. I didn¡¯t think that I cried out that loudly, but the small, enclosed room made my cry that much more lewd and loud as it echoed back at me.


    ¡°Ace...Ahhh...¡± I moaned while I tried to lower my volume.


    It was extremely difficult considering that it was the only way that I could think of to keep myself sane amidst the pleasure that Ace was making me feel. When his fingertips pinched my hardened nipples at the same time, I cried out as I felt like I was going to lose my mindpletely.


    ¡°Your moans are so sexy. This feels good, doesn¡¯t it, Rina?¡± Ace teased me.


    I let out a choked-up cry when his mouth engulfed one of my nipples before the tip of his tongue beganpping against my swollen nipple. He twirled his tongue skillfully in circr motions against my nipple while I cradled his head and ran my fingers through his hair. My legs started to go weak from the stimtion as his hand continued to pump my other breast.


    ¡°Ahhh...oh...please...¡± I moaned even louder when he began sucking hard on my swollen nipple.


    The current of pure pleasure pulsating through my body from the perk that he was sucking felt unbearable. My body throbbed with need as my juices squirted out of my pussy hole onto my underwear. He¡¯s making me so wet for him again. I could no longer control the reactions of my body as it began writhing against hisrge and hard frame.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get you out of your clothes before you sink to your feet,¡± Ace said after his lips left my nipples.


    I was a panting mess by that time, and I was d that he realized that I could hardly stand up on my own two feet anymore. My breath came out in short gasped as I stared up at his handsome face. Ace looked down at me with desire clear in his eyes before his lips smirked mischievously at me.


    ¡°You nned this...¡± I whispered usingly.


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Ace replied lightly without a care as his hand dipped down and began unbuttoning my pants.


    ...


    ¡°Get in here, Rina...¡± Ace said before he grinned at me.


    Ace¡¯s hand approached me as he stretched his arm out to offer me his hand. I stared down at Ace from where I was standing next to the Jacuzzi while I hesitated to get in with him. After sucking and ying with my breasts until he was satisfied, Ace quickly stripped me and then himself before he dragged me after him to the private jacuzzi that he had booked in advance. I always admired Ace for how well prepared he was for everything, but this was just too much for me to take.


    What was running through his head when he nned this trip that made him include a dip in the jacuzzi with me as hispanion?


    I just had no idea what goes on in his head anymore, and as always, I had a very difficult time in dealing with him.


    Naked with nothing but a very small towel to cover the front of my body form my breasts down to the top of my thighs, I stood awkwardly on the side of the jacuzzi. Ace looked up at me invitingly as he waited for me to take his hand. Without hesitation, Ace got into the jacuzzi and began to rx. His wet dark hair only made him look sexier and so did the small beads of water that stuck onto his muscr arm and chest.


    ¡°Come, Rina...¡± Ace repeated, and I snapped out of my daze.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think...¡± I murmured as I averted my gaze from his intense gaze.


    ¡°Are you still shy?¡± Ace asked with an amused chuckle.


    Of course, I was, although I didn¡¯t want to openly admit it. The heat that rushed to my face although I wasn¡¯t yet in the warm water probably gave me away because Ace continued tough at me.


    ¡°Give me your hand, Rina. If you don¡¯t get in soon, we¡¯ll be here all night...¡± Ace said in such a gentle voice that I felt extremely swayed.


    It didn¡¯t seem like Ace would have it any other way. With a resigned sigh, I slowly ced my hand into his muchrger one and he helped me get into the jacuzzi with him.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 80

    80 Hot and Wet Pleasure


    The jacuzzi was quiterge and was probably made for a small group of people instead of just the two of us but that meant that we had more room to move around. I wished that I could say that that meant that I had private room to myself away from Ace because that wasn¡¯t the case at all.


    Naked and in the water, I tried to use the water to hide my nakedness from him while Ace kept staring at me with an amused look on his face. He probably thought that my reaction was funny or entertaining to watch. Although he¡¯s seen me naked before, I still didn¡¯t feelfortable to just hang around together with him in my naked form and the fact that he was also stark naked wasn¡¯t helping my poor little heart at all.


    ¡°Why are you hiding so far way over there?¡± Ace askedzily.


    His arms reached for me and soon I found myself settling back against him. The heat from his body along my back as he pressed my body back into his made me very aware of how close he was to me. I could feel his warm breath against the back and side of my neck as I sat with my back to him in between his legs. His arms wrapped around my waist as he whispered my name tenderly into my ear. My body trembled at the sweetness of his husky voice close to my ear.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whispered his name although I wasn¡¯t sure what I wanted to say.


    ¡°Your skin is so soft and fine...I really like touching you...¡± Aceplimented my skin as his hands began stroking my arms.


    A soft whimpered escaped my lips when his hands changed its destination of his soft strokes to my waist and then the in of my stomach instead. I sucked in a breath as he caressed my tummy before his hand dipped lower and began stroking my thighs. My body started feeling hot and it wasn¡¯t because of the warm water that I was sitting in.


    ¡°Ace...please don¡¯t...¡± I protested softly before I moaned.


    Just as hisrge hands were teasing the soft skin of my thighs, his lips began kissing and teasing my earlobe. My body shivered at the sensation of his soft and warm lips yfully kissing and then nibbling on my earlobe. When his tongue snaked out and licked my ear, I let out a small cry that echoed loudly in the small room. My body writhed in his arms as his hands began its journey upwards along the insides of my thighs.


    .....


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whimpered.


    ¡°Shhh...just rx, Rina...¡± Ace coaxed seductively into my ear.


    ¡°Ahhh...please...¡± I moaned before pleading to him.


    My impassioned voice giving away the desire that I felt for him as my core burned with the heat of my own need. His fingers slowly stroked their way up my inner thigh as my hips began moving about under the warm water. The temperature of the water seemed to make me feel even more sensitive than usual and I could feel his touch so much more on my skin.


    ¡°Spread your legs for me, Rina...¡± Ace whispered lustily into my ear.


    Hisrge hand helped spread my thighs wide apart as I whimpered softly at the sensation of my pussy lips being stretched open wide. After spreading my legs his hands went back to resume their torturously pleasurable caresses against the sensitive flesh of my upper inner thighs. I moaned as I imagined the pleasure of his touch against my most sensitive feminine spot. Leaning back my head against his broad shoulder, I closed my eyes and moaned passionately.


    ¡°Ahh...Ahhh...¡± I moaned lewdly before I bit down hard on my lower lip to keep my moans to myself.


    Ace¡¯s fingers finally arrived at their destined destination and began stroking the heat between my widely spread legs. I was certain that my love opening was flooded with my juices as my pussy continued to clench and spasm non-stop. His fingers stroking the folds of my pussy felt so good and rxing.


    ¡°It¡¯s very slippery here. Did you get wet, Rina?¡± Ace asked before he started kissing the side of my neck.


    ¡°Ahhh! Not...there...¡± I moaned loudly when his fingers found the swollen sensitive seed in between my legs and began stroking it.


    His fingertips stroked my hardened clit in circr motions while I moaned my pleasure. My hips began moving lewdly as it thrusted up and down, pushing my pussy against his yful hand. I grinded my clit against his fingers harder and harder for more pleasure.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take it slow, Rina. We have the whole night...¡± Ace whispered suggestively as his fingers on my clit slowed.


    ¡°Ahhh...Ace...¡± I whimpered sweetly as the pleasure of his touch slowly flooded my entire being.


    His slow and gentle petting of my clit felt so delicious. It was like a pleasure that was soft and easy to handle; however, it soon became addictive to feel him softly caressing me there. My body slowly rxed against his as I let my body and mind enjoy the joy of his touch.


    ¡°What do you think are the most useful things that we learnt today that could be used for themercial storyboard?¡± Ace asked me as his fingers continued to move against my swollen clit.


    My mind was in a haze and work was thest thing on my mind right now. I moaned as my mind struggled to focus on the question that he had just asked me. Unlike me, Ace seemed fully in control of his desire, and he didn¡¯t seem bothered about our intimacy at all. That¡¯s right, he did mention that we should discuss work when we came back to the hotel.


    Is this his idea of ate-night work meeting?


    ¡°I don¡¯t...know...¡± I managed to reply in a strangled voice.


    I could barely think straight let alone think of any ideas for the storyboard. What he was demanding of me felt so unreasonable. His fingers wouldn¡¯t stops stimting my clit. I could feel my pussy getting wetter and hotter from his seductive caresses. My hips began moving again, thrusting a little to rub my clit against his fingers.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 81

    81 Another Lusty Attempt


    ¡°Concentrate and think, Rina. Tell me something that you found interesting from today¡¯s interviews,¡± Ace prompted again, and I could tell that he was being serious about this.


    How does he expect me to be able to answer him while he¡¯s doing these lewd things to me?


    ¡°I...I think...Ahh...¡± I began saying before passionate moans overtook my words.


    ¡°You¡¯re very sensitive...¡± Ace said with satisfaction.


    His other hand moved to cup and massage my breast as he continued to pet my clit with his other hand. I could feel his eyes staring down at my face as he watched my face contort into a mask of ecstasy.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try again, Rina. Tell me about what you thought of today¡¯s interviews,¡± Ace asked me again and he tried to get me to focus on his words.


    ¡°I...I think...that people value...culture...¡± I managed to spit out in between my wild pants.


    My body felt so unbearably hot, and it was a small miracle that I haven¡¯t fainted already. The way Ace touched my body made me feel too good that my mind could no longer function as lust and desire clouded my mind. I began moaning louder as my passion started to take over, my hips thrusting sharply upwards against his hand. I wanted to feel his fingers beating fast and hard into my wet hole until he made me cum from his fingers and then...


    ¡°The heat has probably gotten to you. Maybe I should get you out now,¡± Ace said with some concern in his voice.


    .....


    His hand left my pussy and I almost screamed out in frustration as my pleasure was robbed from me. I wanted him to continue touching me there. Actually, I wanted him to do more than touch my clit. As his hand withdrew from my pussy, the pleasure started to quickly recede as I whimpered from disappointment as if I was heartbroken.


    Ace¡¯s hands were on the side of my hips before he supported and lifted me up until I sat on the side of the jacuzzi with only my legs dipping into the water. It felt cooler to be up from the warm water but it wasn¡¯t too cold. My mind started to clear a little as I took in deep breaths. Maybe Ace was right, the heat may have gotten to me a little too much. That and the pleasure that he was making me experience from his seductive touches.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try again, shall we? You should feel better now. So, tell me, what caught your interest that may work as an angle for our storyboard...¡± Ace prompted once again as he stared up into my face.


    The sight of Ace¡¯s handsome face and captivating golden brown eyes staring up at me while he was still in the water of the jacuzzi looked so irresistibly sexy that for a moment I was lost in the depth of his amber eyes. I was even more speechless than before as I struggled to find the words.


    ¡°I...I think...showing different beliefs may not be a bad thing...¡± I managed to say in a whisper.


    ¡°Umm...what else?¡± Ace prompted further.


    I sucked in a rapid breath when I felt the heat of his hand on my knees and then he was slowly parting my legs. I moaned his name when I looked down to find him in between my widely spread legs.


    ¡°What else, Rina?¡± Ace repeated his question as he smirked up devilishly at me.


    Why did he have to be this hot and sexy?


    ¡°Umm...¡± I murmured as I tried to tear my eyes and my thoughts away from his sexy face.


    His teasing hands began stroking my inner thighs and that made it even harder for me to focus. By that time, I had already figured out that he was doing all of this intentionally to tease and torture me. I hated to admit it, but it was working extremely well. My pussy started to throb with my desire for him again as I felt myself getting wetter and wetter with each of his seductive caresses along the length of my inner thighs.


    ¡°Ahhh...Ace...¡± I whimpered before I had to throw my head back and moan.


    My fingers dug into the hard floor as I used my arm to support my body upright. The pleasure coursing through my body in waves drove me crazy. My pussy clenched at the sensation of Ace¡¯s sucking on my swollen clit. After crying out my pleasure, I managed to nce down to witness Ace burying his face in between my widely spread legs as he continued sucking on my hardened clit.


    ¡°Ahh! Ace...no...please...¡± I pleaded for him to stop.


    The pleasure of his lips sucking and licking on my sensitive seed felt overwhelming and it felt like I was ready to cum at any second. I was quickly losing control of my body and mind as my hips began thrusting upwards, shoving my pussy tantalizingly towards his lips. Hisrge hand caressed my waist before running down its curve to rest at the side of my hips.


    His tongue snaked out and licked my swollen bud in circr motions as I cried out his name loudly. My lewd panting and moans echoed all around us and it made me feel so naughty. His hand tightened against the side of my hips before he reached under my ass to cup my buttocks in hisrge hands.


    ¡°Ahhh! Ace...Ahhh...¡± I moaned even louder as desire corrupted my brain.


    My body heated up as the me of my desires burnt brightly in my throbbing core. The pleasurable ache in my lower abdomen intensified and I wanted him inside of me to satisfy my need. My pussy got wetter and wetter as he continued to lick and tease my clit.


    ¡°Your pussy got so wet. Do you like it when I lick you?¡± Ace asked seductively as his hazel eyes stared up at my face.


    I couldn¡¯t answer him even if I wanted to. So much pleasure flooded my body that I could no longer form coherent words. Only moans of pleasure left my lips as I begged him for even more pleasure. Ace smirked up at me before he buried his face in between my legs again.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 82

    82 Sweet Surrender


    This time, his skillful tonguepped at the juices that have leaked out of my love opening. He ran his tongue expertly along the wet slit in between my legs, making me moan even louder. I couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, I wanted more of him.


    My hands reached down and cupped his head before I tried to push him closer to me. My fingers ran through his dark and wet hair as I thrusted my pussy towards his face invitingly. Ace must have sensed that I needed more because in the next instance, I felt his hot and wet tongue thrusting boldly into my wet hole.


    ¡°Oh...Ahhh!¡± I cried out with a mix of surprise and pure bliss.


    I couldn¡¯t believe what was happening but the pleasure from his tongue wiggling inside of my love hole told me that Ace had really prated my cunt with his tongue. His tongue was inside of me...


    Before I could get over my shock, Ace¡¯s hands began lifting my hips up a little to angle my pussy the way that he wanted it. I felt the texture of his hot tongue rubbing against my pussy walls as he began thrusting his tongue in and out of my sopping wet hole. My hips jerked at the sensation of his tongue pleasuring my love hole. It felt so good and unlike anything that I had ever experienced before. The heat of his tongue inside of my hole turned me on so much.


    My legs felt weak, and it felt like my insides had melted and turned into much. I felt so weak and defenseless as Ipletely surrendered myself over to him. Ace had me in the palm of his hand and I didn¡¯t want to be anywhere else. When his tongue began thrusting faster in and out of my hole before wriggling around inside of me, I moaned louder than before. Then I had to throw my head back to cry out with my eyes squeezed tightly shut as I tried desperately to deal with the intense pleasure.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to...cum...¡± I managed to confess in between my ecstatic moans.


    Ace didn¡¯t respond to me in words because his tongue was busy fucking my wet hole while his lips were busy sucking on my love juices. However, I knew that he heard me when he pressed a finger firmly against my sensitive clit before he proceeded to stroke and then pinch on it. Thebination of pleasure sent me over the edge, and I came screaming his name as I dug my fingers into his hair.


    My entire body spasmed and trembled uncontrobly as my pussy clenched around his intruding tongue before I squirted my juices into his awaiting mouth. It was so hot and so sexy that I was turned on by what we were doing. I lost myselfpletely to my lust and desires as I whimpered like a bitch in heat. Ace sucked on my pussy before licking my juices with his enticing tongue.


    .....


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whimpered his name weakly when I felt his tongue gently sliding out of my hole.


    He lifted his face from my legs before he looked up at me as if to see how I was doing. I was still recovering from the aftermath of my extremely intense climax. My ragged breath made my chest rise up and down and my mind was still lost and unfocused. When I nced down at Ace, I found him staring up at me with a look of pure amusement on his face as he studied my reactions closely. His tongue slowly snaked out of his mouth to lick his lips and I blushed immediately when I recalled the pleasure that his tongue had just given me.


    I felt so embarrassed that I wasn¡¯t sure how to face him anymore. Although my legs felt weak, I tried my best to get up. It was frankly amazing that I could get up and stand on my own two feel. My wetness poured out of my hole and began trickling down my inner thighs when I stood up and a small moan left my lips. My pussy felt so sensitive from just having climaxed and every step that I took forward made my pussy quiver deep inside.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Ace asked leisurely from behind me.


    I heard the sound of sshing water and then footsteps which made me realized that Ace must have gotten out of the water. It wasn¡¯t long before I felt his presence close behind me, but I didn¡¯t dare turn to face him. Heat rose to my cheeks, and I began blushing wildly again. Although it wasn¡¯t my first time doing something like that, it was my first time doing it in a ce like that. Maybe it was because of that or maybe it was because it was Ace, but I just felt so embarrassed that I wanted to dig a hole and hide away somewhere.


    ¡°I¡¯m going back...¡± I muttered before quickly walking away.


    ¡°Wait...Rina...¡± Ace called after me gently.


    ¡°No...please...¡± I murmured as I continued walking.


    I felt Ace¡¯s presence next to me when he caught up with me, but I wouldn¡¯t meet his gaze even though I could tell that his magnificent hazel eyes were watching my face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t walk away from me, Rina,¡± Ace warned sternly.


    I looked up from the floor to find him standing right in front of me, blocking my escape with his body.


    ¡°I just want to go back to the room now...¡± I mumbled as I tried to walk past him.


    Not surprisingly, Ace wouldn¡¯t let me get away from him that easily. His hand reached out at astonishing speed to grab my wrist.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you there,¡± he said coldly before he began pulling me after him out of the room.


    ...


    I found myself sitting on the sofa back in our hotel suite room with nothing, but a white robe wrapped around my body. Ace had gone off somewhere after leading me there. My body and mind felt like a mess as I sat there absentmindedly just staring at the carpeted floor in between my feet.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 83

    83 Lost in Him


    ¡°This is for you...¡± I heard Ace¡¯s voice whispering softly as he crouched down in front of me.


    His face came into my field of vision before I felt something cold and wet against my cheek. ncing to the side, I could see that he had pressed a can of cold fruit juice against my cheek.


    ¡°Thank you...¡± I murmured when he ced the cold can into my hands.


    ¡°Feeling better?¡± he asked in a voice so gentle that my heart clenched hard in my chest.


    I just nodded my head at him as I tried to avoid his gaze. What is wrong with me? I just...couldn¡¯t understand myself.


    ¡°No...I don¡¯t know...sorry...¡± I murmured as if close to tears.


    Why am I so confused?


    He was so rough with me and then he¡¯s so kind and gentle with me. It made me feel so confused and I didn¡¯t know how I should be feeling anymore. Ace...he¡¯s so hard for me to understand. He does all that to me and I melt just at his touch. He gave me so much pleasure that I cried out and begged him for more. He seduced me and I found myself willingly dancing to his tune. Then I get mad at him for reasons that I don¡¯t even understand. What do I want from him? What do I want from myself?


    When he smiles at me and when he apologizes, I can¡¯t find it in me to get mad at him at all. Perhaps, it was precisely because of that that I was upset and mad at myself instead.


    .....


    ¡°You should go to bed. It¡¯ste,¡± Ace said calmly.


    Before I could react, Ace had scooped me up into his arms again. It was amazing how he had so much energy to handle me so effortlessly. Without another word, Ace carried me into the bedroom and ced me gently onto the bed. My body froze when my back hit the bed as I thought of Ace getting into bed with me and what may follow.


    To my surprise, instead of getting on the bed with me, Ace just turned and headed for the bedroom door. I propped myself up into a sitting position on the bed as I stared at his back.


    ¡°Ace?¡± I called out his name questioningly before I could stop myself.


    ¡°Hmm...¡± Ace made a sound in response.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± I asked softly.


    ¡°Nowhere. I¡¯m going to sleep on the couch outside. Good night,¡± Ace replied curtly.


    The door closed behind him, and I was the only one left in the bedroom. After blinking my eyes rapidly a few times in surprise at Ace¡¯s sudden departure, I began preparing for bed. It had been a long day and I could use some rest. Catching up on sleep was definitely one of the things on my top priority list of things to do. I switched off the lights andid on the king-sized bed with my eyes closed as I tried to rx and go to sleep.


    ...


    I must have fallen asleep sometime after turning off the lights because I found myself in dreand. It was strange how I knew that I was dreaming and how the body just goes along with the mind as it dreams about strange or random things. The dream that I was seeing was definitely one of those random dreams. Just like many dreams that I¡¯ve had recently, I saw Ace in my dream. I¡¯ve been seeing him so often in my dreams now that it no longer surprised me.


    Ace sat in the middle of a grass field, and it was bright and sunny. The weather seemed perfect for a pic, and for some reason, Ace had a puppy on hisp and he was ying with it. I watched from where I was standing as Ace began stroking the puppy¡¯s head as the puppy wagged its tail happily. I had no idea why I was dreaming about this but in my dream, I could feel my overwhelming happiness and joy.


    Suddenly, the sunny blue sky turned dark and rain clouds started taking over. It didn¡¯t take long for it to rain and then it poured. The wind turned harsh, and the roar of thunder resonated all around us. Huge raindrops fell onto me and soaked my clothes. The puppy started to panic from the loud sound of thunder. After struggling, the puppy freed itself and began running away. Ace got up and ran towards me with a worried look on his face. Suddenly, I could feel his panic and I got scared of losing the puppy.


    Although I knew that it was nothing more than a dream, the tightness in my chest felt real as I struggled to contain my worries. Ace began saying something, but the sound of the rain drowned out his voice and I couldn¡¯t hear what he was saying at all. Suddenly, pain shot through my head like I was starting to have a migraine.


    ¡°Ace...¡±


    The next thing I knew, my eyes had already sprung opened and I was staring into the darkness right in front of me. The bedroom was dark and silent. My eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness and soon I could make out some outlines. I sighed softly to myself when I realized that I must have had that dream because I was worrying about Ace. He gave up the bed so that I could get my rest which meant that he had to sleep on the sofa. I wonder how he¡¯s doing right now. Is he sleeping well?


    The digital clock next to the bed showed that it was around 3AM which meant that I didn¡¯t sleep for that long. It waste in the night but there were many hours left before morning would arrive. Although I knew that I should try my best to go to sleep, my worry for Ace took over and I had to admit that I probably won¡¯t be able to fall asleep.


    Karina...what are you doing? Why am I doing this?


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 84

    84 Me as His Body Pillow


    Regardless of what my mind thought, my body had already started moving on its own as my arms threw the nket off my body before I swung my legs off the side of the bed. I was on my feet and making my way towards the door in no time at all. I tiptoed towards the door, afraid to make any sound that might wake Ace up.


    He might be sleeping. Actually, I hoped that he was sound asleep. If I can just see that he¡¯s alright, then I can probably go back to sleep with a peace of mind.


    Careful not to make any loud noises, I slowly opened the bedroom door and made my way into the adjoining living room where Ace was sleeping on the sofa. Thankfully, the floor was carpeted and that helped to soften the sounds of my footsteps. It was quite dark in the living room but not as dark as in the bedroom thanks to some light shining in through the curtains to the side of the room.


    The room was so silent that all I could hear was the sound of my own heart racing inside my chest. I was so nervous, and my nerves were all on edge as I inched closer to the sofa where Ace was sleeping. My eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and I could make out the outlines of everything pretty well. The closer I got to the sofa, the louder my heartbeat rang in my ears. When I came to stand right beside the sofa, I could see Ace sleeping on it with a nket over his body.


    I couldn¡¯t really make out the details of his face because it was too dark for that but from how still and silent he was, I came to the conclusion that he must be sleeping. Relief flooded my body as I slowly breathed out a breath that I hadn¡¯t realized that I had been anxiously holding. Suddenly, I felt a little less guilty about taking up his offer to take the bed.


    Ace must have led a pampered and sheltered life as suited to someone born in such a wealthy family so I wasn¡¯t sure if he could fall asleep on a sofa like this. I guess I was worried for nothing. Unlike me, I can fall asleep anywhere at all. With the living standards that I had growing up, the less fussy I was, the better.


    Now that I¡¯ve seen for myself that Ace seems to be sleeping soundly, I was relieved and ready to make my way back to bed to get some sleep myself. Just when I turned around to leave, I felt something warm around my wrist.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± I cried out quite loudly in my surprise and panic.


    Reflexively, I began yanking my wrist back as I tried to get free.


    .....


    ¡°You really love to invade my sleeping space, don¡¯t you?¡± Ace asked sleepily.


    Did I wake him?


    It was then that it registered on my brain that the warmth and pressure that I felt around my wrist must be Ace¡¯s hand gripping it.


    ¡°Ace...I¡¯m sorry...did I wake you?¡± I asked in a regrettable breathless whisper.


    Instead of replying to my question, Ace yanked on my arm, and I found myself losing my bnce before I fell onto him. Everything happened so fast, that I wasn¡¯t sure if I had fallen or if he had pulled me on top of him. Perhaps it was abination of both of those things. His strong arms wrapped around my body as I felt the heat of his body against the length of mine.


    I felt the hardness of his muscr body against mine as his arms hugged me tightly to him. My body stiffened in shock at the suddenness of his surprise attack. How did I end up sleeping on him again?


    ¡°Ace...¡± I called his name and was even more surprised when my voice came out as a soft whimper.


    ¡°You truly love to sneak up on me when I¡¯m sleeping, don¡¯t you?¡± Ace teased as his hands began stroking my back sensually.


    He was probably referring to the time when I invaded the rooftop which he considered his private sleeping space. This was very different, though. I just wanted to check that he was alright.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that. I was just...¡± I began exining before I realized how ridiculous my reason would sound.


    ¡°You were just what?¡± he asked as his hands began stroking the side of my waist.


    Surprisingly, I found his gentle caresses calming andforting rather than disturbing and my body slowly began to rx on top of him.


    ¡°I was afraid that you wouldn¡¯t be able to fall asleep on the couch like this...so...¡± I replied before trailing of shyly.


    ¡°So, you were worried about me. Is that it?¡± Ace asked as if he wanted to make sure that he understood me correctly.


    ¡°Well...I guess...¡± I was forced to admit in a small voice.


    I could sense Ace smiling although I couldn¡¯t see his face that clearly.


    ¡°I always sleep better with a body pillow. They don¡¯t seem to have one here so what do you say about being my body pillow for the night?¡± Ace suggested.


    ¡°Huh? What?¡± I said in disbelief.


    ¡°I¡¯ll sleep so much better if I can hold you like this,¡± Ace murmured in a seductive drawl.


    ¡°Ace...wait...¡± I mumbled.


    Ace shifted his body to the side slightly before he positioned me down onto the sofa next to him. He turned to his side and wrapped his arms around me. I felt his warm breath against my neck as he snuggled his face there and began breathing in my scent deeply. Ace moaned softly as his arms tightened around my body. My body froze at his sudden change in position and how tightly he was holding me. I could feel his body heat everywhere along the length of our touching bodies.


    As if we were not yet close enough with our bodies pressed up against each other, Ace lifted his leg and ced it over my hips to hug me even closer against him. My eyes widened when I realized that he truly intended to use me as his human body pillow for the night.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 85

    85 Inviting Him to Bed


    I blushed wildly in the darkness at my own thought that it felt sofortable to snuggle with him like this. Ace sighed softly and the way that his hand softly stroked the back of my head told me that he was enjoying this as well.


    After a while ofying like that silently, I felt like I was about to drift off into sleep. Won¡¯t we wake up with muscles aches or backpain if we slept the remaining of the night like this on the sofa in this position?


    It didn¡¯t seem like Ace was willing to let me go at all. A shameful thought urred me and I spent a few minutes debating to myself on what to do with it.


    If we¡¯re going to be sleeping pressed up against each other like this for the remining of the night anyways, we might as well...


    My train of thought was interrupted when Ace began cing small tender kisses against my neck before he trailed those kisses upwards to my cheek. His kisses were more yful than seductive, and I reacted by squirming in his arms.


    ¡°Can you really fall asleep like this?¡± I asked in wonder.


    ¡°I can...¡± Ace replied with certainty.


    If we¡¯re going to be sleeping together anyways then...I can¡¯t believe that I¡¯m really going to say this.


    ¡°Should we...go to the bed?¡± I asked very softly and very hesitantly.


    .....


    Ace¡¯s lips froze on my neck, and I could tell that he was surprised by my unexpected invitation. I wasn¡¯t sure if Ace was taking this the wrong way or not but just to make sure that he didn¡¯tpletely misunderstand my intention...


    ¡°No! I don¡¯t mean it like that...¡± I quickly rified before he got any funny ideas about my proposal.


    ¡°Like what?¡± Ace teased as if he had no idea what I was talking about.


    I sighed and decided to just shut up before I got myself into any more trouble. To my surprise, Ace let go of me and sat up on the sofa.


    ¡°Come, Rina...let¡¯s go to the bed,¡± Ace urged in a seductive drawl as he reached for my hands.


    Ace pulled me up to my feet with ease while I ended up slightly disorientated from being suddenly pulled to my feet. Without waiting any further, Ace led me back to the bedroom.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I called his name in slight protest.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t do anything to you...tonight...¡± Ace promised casually.


    Everything would have worked out fine if he hadn¡¯t added the word ¡®tonight¡¯ to the end of that phrase.


    Ace snuggled closer to me on the bed, and I could feel his heat against my back along with his soft breath against my ear. His scent enveloped me along with his strong arms as he hugged me against is body. How our bodies fitted well together felt so natural andfortable and it wasn¡¯t long before my eyelids started to feel very heavy.


    True to his words of promise, Ace didn¡¯t try anything else with me that night and I ended up sleeping very well in his arms until morning came along with the start of another day with him.


    ...


    Rung was there to greet us at the hotel lobby at the appointed time. Ace chatted to him in such a friendly way that made it look like they had known each other for years instead of having met only yesterday. I was pleasantly surprised at how down-to-earth and casual Ace could be. It was a stark difference to the impression that I had of him before I got to spend time with him. He seemed cold, arrogant, and extremely distant when I knew him as just the CEO of thepany that I work for.


    Now that I see him chatting andughing along with Rung¡¯s jokes, he seemed so much more human. I couldn¡¯t keep my eyes off of him as his face transformed into various animated expressions. The way he was dressed also added to the casual feel about him that I wasn¡¯t at all used to. Instead of his formal business suit attire that he normally wore at the office, Ace had a simple white long-sleeve shirt on with a pair of basic light blue jeans. Despite the cold that usually set in closer to sunset, Ace didn¡¯t seem bothered by the cold and had the sleeves of his shirt rolled up around his elbow.


    ¡°Rina?¡± Ace called my name questioningly.


    I blinked my eyes rapidly when I realized that my name had been called. My mind snapped back to reality from spacing out and thinking too much about Ace. I offered him a small smile to show him that he had my attention now.


    ¡°We should be arriving soon. Don¡¯t forget anything in the car, ok? We might have to walk a little to the farm,¡± Ace informed me casually.


    ¡°Right...ok...¡± I replied.


    Quickly, I checked that I had everything that we would need. Ace and Rung had helped to provide most of everything including pens, notebook, a voice recorder, and other items that we may need to record our visit to the farm.


    I had to say that I walked in quite mentally prepared for what I was about to see. After watching multiple videos of dog meat farms in poor and unhygienic conditions, I thought that I had formted quite a clear picture of what we were about to see.


    After walking a couple of minutes down a slightly narrow road from where Rung had parked the car, we arrived at the front gates of what was supposed to be the first dog meat farm for our visit for the day. Rung told us that he had arranged for our visit beforehand, so the farm was expecting us. The farm didn¡¯t look big, and it was clear from how run-down the facility was that it was a locally run small business. Just standing in front of the gates, I could smell the animals and their excretion.


    ¡°You, ok?¡± Ace asked softly as he reached for my hand and held it softly in his.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 86

    86 Leaning On Him


    ¡°...Yes, of course,¡± I replied as I tried to keep my voice from shaking.


    We haven¡¯t even gone inside yet so I knew that this was nothing. Being a dog and animal lover did not work in my favor at all for this case because it made me feel more sensitive to what I was about to see than normal. However, this was work and don¡¯t people say that understanding the problem is the first step to solving it?


    Suddenly, a man with grey hair approached the gate. Rung quickly greeted the man in their localnguage and the manughed carefreely as he unlocked the gates for us and weed us in. Ace and I both smiled at the man in greeting before we were led inside. There was a small unkept yard between the gate and the main building. The ce seemed to resemble more of a single-story warehouse than a building and it was clear that that was where the dogs were being kept.


    Rung continued conversing with the man who I assumed was the owner of the farm before he turned to smile at us reassuringly. We knew that he would soon trante things to us, so we spent the time just looking around the ce. The sounds of dogs barking filled our ears even before we entered the warehouse. I flinched at the thought of just imagining how many dogs were kept in there.


    The owner opened the door to the warehouse, and I found myself inside a dog meat farm for the first time of my life. The scene in front of me gave me goosebumps and a sense of depression like I have never felt before in my life. Countless dogs were locked up in crowded cages that seemed too small for them to share. Endless rows of cages lined the warehouse, and many were stacked on top of each other to ensure that the warehouse could fit as many cages and dogs as possible. The smell was something that I knew I would not forget for a long time even though I truly wanted to. There were many staff walking around the ce busy with their work of feeding, cleaning, and other activities that I couldn¡¯t quiteprehend.


    ¡°So, this is where they keep the dogs. I asked him and most of the dogs are captured and sold here while they also raise some just for sale. Every week or twice a week, an agent wille with a truck to pick up the dogs. They sell it live, none of the dogs are butchered here,¡± Rung exined as he waved with his hand for us to follow him deeper into the warehouse.


    I felt like I had seen more than enough from where I was standing and my feet felt rooted to the ground as I hesitated to take a single step forward. Ace must have sensed my extreme difort before he gave my hand aforting squeeze.


    ¡°Rina...you don¡¯t have to go in if you don¡¯t want to. Do you want to wait outside?¡± Ace asked as he bent down until his face was at my level.


    I could see the care in his hazel brown eyes as his brows drew together in concern for me. Honesty, I didn¡¯t want to take another step forward into that ce at all. However, I also knew that that was no good. I came all the way here, I can¡¯t exactly back out now just because I was taken aback by seeing the harsh reality in front of me.


    .....


    ¡°Can you wait a moment please, Rung. I¡¯ll take Rina back outside...¡± Ace turned to tell Rung.


    I probably looked like such a fool and a coward. This is for work. I came here exactly for this. If I don¡¯t do this, how are we going to produce an award-winningmercial. Pain shot through my lower lip, and I realized that I had started chewing hard on my lip.


    ¡°No! I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll go in with you,¡± I told him while trying to keep my voice from shaking from fear.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ace asked.


    ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s go...¡± I replied before I could change my mind.


    Ace seemed hesitant but decided to lead me inside after taking my hand into this. His warm hand around mine feltforting and I appreciated his presence close to me. Without realizing it at first, I had probably started relying on Ace as a source of emotional support. Rung was already in the center of the warehouse conversing animatedly with the farm¡¯s owner. He seemed to be enjoying this trip and this job of his a lot.


    ¡°This way guys!¡± Rung called out to us as he waved a hand above his head.


    ¡°Anything interesting?¡± Ace asked in wonder.


    I pressed my body close to Ace as I tried to control my own fears. This isn¡¯t the time to freak out, I told myself repeatedly. The dogs in the cages barked loudly at us as their eyes stared and red at us. It took a lot of self-control to keep my mind from wandering into the dark thoughts that these dogs will soon turn into meat. The thought made my body shiver. Ace must have sensed my fear because he wrapped an arm around my waist and started stroking the side of my waist.


    I turned to smile at him a little to ensure him that I was fine. Rung continued talking to the farm owner for a little while longer before turning to address us and I knew that our briefing was about to start.


    ¡°Alright. So, there are around 500-ish dogs kept here. Every week or so they sell around half of those. A trader wille to collect the dogs via trucks and then they will be led to a butchery sight where the animals are processed. The meat is then distributed to various local markets across the countries based on orders,¡± Rung exined without going into the gory details.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 87

    87 Controversial Feelings


    Ace followed up with many questions while I concentrated on operating the voice recorder. The dogs were barking loudly so I wasn¡¯t sure if we would be able to hear the words properly or not over the sound of the dogs barking. I felt extremely ufortable with the dogs staring at us and couldn¡¯t wait to get out of there.


    ¡°Follow us this way. He¡¯ll show us around the farm a little more,¡± Rung told us.


    We proceeded to follow the farm¡¯s owner out the door on the other side of the warehouse from where we had entered. The back door led out to a yard where they were muchrger cages that were now empty outside.


    ¡°These cages are for storing temporary stock before the traderse to pick them up,¡± Rung exined before going into more details of the pickup and delivery schedule.


    ¡°Can you ask him what the farm owner thinks of this business? Is the demand for dog meat growing or shrinking? What does he think of people¡¯s opinion of this business?¡± Ace asked curiously.


    Now that we were outside of the warehouse and I could no longer see the dogs, I felt slightly better. The fresh air outside really helped although the smell of the animals was still heavy in the air. Rung tranted Ace¡¯s questions for the farm owner. The man nodded before answering the questions.


    ¡°He says that he thinks that there is nothing wrong with what he is doing. He thinks that dog meat farms are normal just like chicken farms. There are many local chicken and pig farms that are run with simr standards to his farm so he doesn¡¯t understand the issues at all. Demand has been the same for him because his farm is small, so he doesn¡¯t have any problem selling all his dogs,¡± Rung tranted before continuing to listen a little more to the farm owner.


    ¡°What did he say just now?¡± Ace prompted.


    ¡°He says that he knows that younger generations that love dogs think that this is barbaric. He isn¡¯t bothered by that thought. He says that as long as there is demand for dog meat, someone has to provide it. If it isn¡¯t him, it¡¯ll end up being someone else in the business,¡± Rung replied with his trantion.


    .....


    ¡°Right. Thank you. Let¡¯s go on to the next farm,¡± Ace said before he turned to bow in thanks to the farm owner.


    I did the same to show my appreciation and the man smiled back at me kindly. After interacting with the farm owner, I had to say that he was kind and gentle just like any nice uncle that you would run into. Even though he is involved in a business that is viewed as cruel, he is still very much human. The picture of the people behind this trade being evil didn¡¯t quite fit what I was seeing for myself.


    After wrapping up our work at the first farm, we headed to the second farm for the day.


    ...


    In the end, we managed to visit 4 farms. The schedule was really packed but we somehow made it through. Ace was very strategic with the farms that he got Rung to contact and take us to. There was a good mix of various farm sizes ranging from small local farms ran by one sole owner and some staff such as the first one that we visited torger farms that resembled more or a formal industry with many employees and operating at much arger scale.


    It was amazing to see how big the dog meat trade really is in this country and how normal the people who worked in these farms thought that it was. It didn¡¯t seem like everyone who worked in these farms consumed dog meat, but they viewed it as normal for some people to have the preference. By the time we got back into the car to head back to the hotel, I had started developing very mixed feelings about the subjectpared to before.


    What I saw at the farms still felt as shocking as ever. As time passed by and we visited more farms, I got a little used to seeing the animals and how they were treated and kept in cages; however, that didn¡¯t mean that it became any easier for me to swallow. Sitting in the car next to Ace made me realize just how tired and drained I was from the trip, and it wasn¡¯t mainly physical, I felt drained emotionally.


    ¡°You look tired. Let¡¯s call it a day and rx back at the hotel,¡± Ace suggested as his fingers stroked the back of my hand gently.


    I watched absentmindedly as his beautiful fingers moved gently on the back of my hand. After looking up at this face, I could see him smiling at me warmly and my heart clenched tightly in my chest. On top of dealing with the work, I had to deal with this attractive man here as well. I need to find a way to get some proper rest, I felt so tired.


    ¡°That would be nice...¡± I replied in agreement.


    Rung quickly excused himself after dropping us off at the hotel lobby. I thanked him and waved as he drove away. I really liked Rung and how helpful he was to us on top of his positive attitude. I doubt that our interviews with the various people would have gone as smoothly as it did if we didn¡¯t have Rung. The topic and questions that we asked were quite controversial so it wouldn¡¯te as a surprise if people might find it offensive. Rung had a genius way ofughing his way through those awkward and difficult patches of conversations from my observations.


    ¡°Let¡¯s rest up a bit and order some room service food,¡± Ace suggested as he led me by the hand towards the elevators.


    I followed after him willingly without much energy to resist. Since the schedule was busy, we didn¡¯t have time to stop for a proper lunch. I didn¡¯t have any issues with the food that Rung got for us, though. However, after seeing what I had seen, I didn¡¯t have much of an appetite and pretty much ended up skipping on having lunch. My body was paying for skipping on a meal very dearly now because I felt so hungry and low on energy. My tummy wouldn¡¯t stop churning around and I prayed that it wouldn¡¯t growl so loud that Ace would hear it. That would be the most embarrassing thing ever.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 88

    88 His Genius Idea


    ¡°Let¡¯s see what food they have on the menu. If there¡¯s nothing that you fancy, we can always go to one of the restaurants in the hotel,¡± Ace told me as he offered me the menu book.


    ¡°Thanks...¡± I thanked him softly as I took the menu from his hand.


    While I was sitting on the sofa in the living room of our hotel suite, Ace took out hisptop before sitting down close to me on the sofa. I nced over to find that he had already started working on something. Suddenly, I felt bad for leisurely choosing food for my dinner while he was busy working.


    ¡°Ace...is there something that I can help out with?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, order some food for yourself and order some for me too,¡± Ace replied without shifting his eyes off theptop¡¯s screen.


    ¡°Umm...Ok...I¡¯ll do that...¡± I mumbled.


    After picking out a few items that should work, I dialed the operator via the hotel phone to ce my orders.


    ¡°Can you list out some insights and potential angles for the storyline please?¡± Ace told me while his eyes still stared at hisptop screen.


    ¡°Yes...I¡¯ll do that,¡± I replied.


    .....


    ¡°Let¡¯s discuss it in 15 minutes, I¡¯ve got some ideas too...¡± Ace said without looking my way.


    He seemed busy. I guess apart from this project it wasn¡¯t unusual for him to have other projects or work on hand. I stood up and took out my notebook and the voice recorder before taking a seat at the table. Soon enough Ace followed me and took the seat next to me before his attention returned to hisptop again.


    We worked side by side in silence. He sorted out his work while I listened through some of the interviews using headphones. It was hard for me to think of any creative angles for the storyboard. Honestly, every time I listened to the interview, I just felt depressed about the topic. Showing a very depressing story probably won¡¯t be good enough to get the message across. There¡¯s also the issue of preserving culture which gave me pause. If we support this cause and campaign for donations to end the dog meat trade, that will mean that we would be choosing to end some traditions and culture, right?


    The worst part was that that tradition and culture wasn¡¯t even ours in the first ce. Did we have the right to do such a thing? Is there a middle path solution somewhere that is eptable by both sides?


    If there is, how do we push for it, and would that lead to a weak messaging in the campaign?


    Let¡¯s say...


    ¡°I¡¯m done. Now, tell me your ideas,¡± Ace ordered as he turned to face me.


    That was fast. Time flew by much faster than I thought when I was deep in thought. Seemed like my time was up and now Ace wanted some answers.


    ¡°Umm...I don¡¯t have anything solid, but I do have some thoughts on this. I think that it might be good if we can find some middle ground...¡± I began exining.


    Ace gave me a curious look and I knew that he didn¡¯t fully understand.


    ¡°What kind of middle ground are you thinking of?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Well, it seemed like all the local people that we interviewed mentioned about traditions and culture, so I was thinking that if we campaign to end all dog meat trade then we would essentially be ending their traditional practices as well...¡± I voiced my concern.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re scared of killing some old customs and traditions?¡± Ace asked.


    ¡°Well, yes. The thing is, we¡¯ll be campaigning to kill customs and traditions that is not ours simply because our values are different. Dogs are purely pets for us but for people of other cultures, dogs can be food. After listening to them, it¡¯s hard to draw the line...I think...¡± I tried my best to exin.


    ¡°If we present a middle ground ofpromise, what would that be?¡± Ace asked with interest.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Maybe something like raising money to improve the conditions and practices in the dog meat farms?¡± I voiced hesitantly.


    ¡°In other words, we¡¯re not campaigning for the end of the trade at all. We¡¯re saying it¡¯s eptable as long as the farms are clean, and the dogs are treated well in the farms?¡± Ace asked to make sure that he understood.


    ¡°Something like that. That¡¯s all that I can think of right now. I know that the message is weak and very confusing...¡± I admitted weakly.


    ¡°I agree. It¡¯s very weak. If I find it confusing, the audience will too. I doubt a messaging as weak as this would lead anyone to donate money to the cause. Most donators will want to end the trade, they probably won¡¯t pay for anything else especially if it seems to suggest that their money will be used to support the continuation of the trade,¡± Ace pointed out sternly.


    Right...I had not really thought about that.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. I¡¯m sorry...¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Everyone that we interviewed seemed to think that the dog meat trade industry is in its sunset phase anyways. New generations are treating dogs as pets even in this country. The tradition of eating dogs hasn¡¯t been widely adopted by the younger generation. Over time, the practice will probably disappear along with the old tradition just like any other old traditions that has lost poprity as time went by,¡± Ace stated his point of view calmly.


    ¡°Do you have any ideas?¡± I asked.


    ¡°What about something that shoots down two birds with one stone?¡± Ace suggested with a smile.


    ¡°Like what?¡± I asked. He certainly had me interested in his proposal already and I haven¡¯t even heard it yet.


    ¡°Ending the dog meat trade and all the animal cruelty associated with it while showing cultural transition of the newer generation embracing change. The change in the role of dogs in society might be a nice note to end on. We can show the natural progression in terms of culture while still sticking to the cause of ending the dog meat trade,¡± Ace suggested before smiling confidently at me.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 89

    89 Seductive Invitation


    ¡°Sounds much better than my idea...¡± I admitted in awe.


    ¡°You like it? That¡¯s great...¡± Ace said with a grin my way.


    ¡°Yeah...I really like it...¡± I mumbled a little shyly.


    ¡°Can I bother you to draw up a strawman storyline and storyboard based on my idea just now?¡± Ace asked.


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll start working on it right away!¡± I agreed excitedly.


    We finally have a direction for this. I truly liked his idea and I bet that so will the audience and themittee. On top of that, I couldn¡¯t help but feel honored to be tasked with drafting a storyline based on his idea.


    ¡°It¡¯ste. You can start tomorrow or something...¡± Ace told me calmly.


    ¡°No. I¡¯ll start right now...¡± I replied before getting up from my seat to grab myptop.


    Better strike the iron when it¡¯s hot.


    .....


    ...


    ¡°Come to bed...Rina...¡± Ace coaxed softly from behind me.


    I shifted in my seat and felt soreness shoot through my shoulders and then the muscles of my back. This must be the result of sitting in front of myptop for hours since my meeting with Ace ended. I felt his strong arms wrap around me from behind before I could turn to face him. He smelled of soap so he must have just showered.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whispered his name in slight surprise at his closeness.


    I could feel his warm breath against my ear and the heat of his body against my back. His words reminded me of the events ofst night and how we spent the night together in bed. Although he didn¡¯t do anything naughty to mest night in bed, the thought still brought a rush of heat to my cheeks.


    ¡°Stop working already. Come to bed...¡± Ace repeated again invitingly.


    I nced at theptop screen in front of me as my iplete work greeted my sight. It wasn¡¯t like I had expected toplete everything tonight, but I had thought that I would make more progress than I did. Unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t the case. Ace¡¯s idea was brilliant, but it was alsoplex and hard for me to capture in a storyline. It required me to think and adapt his idea into a flow that would captivate and engage the audience. That was my job, and I wasn¡¯t sure if I was living up to his expectations of me or not. Without realizing it at first, this task brought with it a lot more pressure on me.


    ¡°I¡¯m nowhere near done, so maybe I should work on it a little more...¡± I said before I let out a small sigh.


    ¡°Why are you such a workaholic? Are you always like this?¡± Ace asked a little teasingly.


    ¡°Well...¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°No need to answer that. I bet you are. Enough working for tonight. This is a direct order from your CEO,¡± Ace ordered in his authoritative voice.


    He¡¯s my CEO alright...


    ¡°If you say so...¡± I replied hesitantly.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if he should be exerting his authority this way, but it still brought a little smile to my lips.


    ¡°Great. Bedtime!¡± Ace dered happily.


    I let out yelp as he spun my chair around. His hand grabbed mine at lightning speed and I found myself up on my feet in no time at all after he had pulled me up to my feet.


    ¡°Umm...¡± I mumbled.


    Since Ace took the sofast night, I thought that it would only be fair if I slept on the sofa tonight. I don¡¯t think that it would bother my sleep at all, so it wasn¡¯t a big deal for me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to bed already...¡± Ace said impatiently.


    ¡°Wait! Let me sleep on the sofa tonight. You can take the bed. There¡¯s no need to worry about me,¡± I quickly told him.


    Ace¡¯s hazel eyes narrowed at me dangerously. Did I say something wrong just now?


    Before I could ask him what I said wrong, Ace shook his head in clear disapproval. I let out another cry when Ace suddenly hoisted my body up into his arms with ease. My eyes widened as I stared up at Ace¡¯s attractive face in shock. He truly never listens to me or any of my protests.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I called his name pleadingly.


    ¡°We slept together in bed alreadyst night. Why can¡¯t we do the same tonight?¡± Ace asked but it didn¡¯t seemed like he was interested in an answer.


    ¡°That¡¯s...I was just scared that you wouldn¡¯t befortable on the sofa. If it¡¯s me, I¡¯ll have no problem sleeping there...¡± I tried my best to exin.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t befortable on the sofa either. Plus, I like sleeping with you,¡± Ace said so casually.


    After walking from the living room into the bedroom and closing the door behind us, Ace ced me gently on the bed. I knew that sleep wasn¡¯t what he had in mind when he got on top of me.


    ¡°Ace!¡± I cried out his name in a panic.


    This is just...so sudden...


    ¡°Shhh...if you scream too loudly, they¡¯ll just think that I¡¯m showing you such a good time...¡± Ace teased before he smirked yfully at me.


    His face is so sexy and the desire dancing in the depth of his eyes looked so hot that I felt like he could melt me with his intense gaze. Ace¡¯s amber eyes seemed to shine like a predator¡¯s in the dim light of the bedroom.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whispered his name before I moaned.


    Ace buried his face in the crook of my neck before his lips began nting small sensual kisses against my sensitive skin. It felt so exciting and so pleasurable that I felt goosebumps form all over my body just form his kiss. His wet tongue slipped out from between his lips andpped at my neck. The warm wetness of his tongue trialed a line down the side of my neck while I moaned his name.


    ¡°Just stay still, Rina. Good girl...I¡¯ll do the rest...¡± Ace whispered seductively into my ear, and I felt my restraints slipping another knot.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 90

    90 Can¡¯t Hold Back


    ¡°Mhmmm...¡± I moaned my protest into his kiss when his lips captured mine.


    He kissed me and my mind immediately grew hazy as desire started building up deep inside of my core. His lips teased mine before his wet tongue thrusted deftly into my mouth and began tasting me. His tongue explored my mouth before engaging my tongue in a passionate dance while I made small whimpering sounds. His hands began exploring the curves of my body starting from my waist before slipping upwards.


    My back arched upwards when hisrge hands found my breasts and began massaging them softly. His touch felt so pleasurable on my womanly flesh. My core started throbbing with need as a pleasurable ache began forming in the pit of my stomach. Once again, my body began reacting to him without reserve and it wasn¡¯t long before I began kissing him back hungrily. I loved the taste of his kisses and his scent as it filled my senses and made me desire him more.


    Ace broke our kiss just enough to pull the white robe that he had onpletely off his body. My eyes fell on his sexy naked form as my eyes took in his well-formed muscles. My hands itched with my desire to run my hands all along the muscles of his naked body. I wanted to touch him...


    ¡°Ahh...Ace...¡± I moaned when his hands began undressing me.


    His tugged and pulled on my clothes roughly and I could sense his impatience and desire for me. I helped him by lifting my arms and my hips off the bed in turn until he hadpletely stripped me. Things were moving fast to match the intense desire that was burning wildly inside us both. I tried to cover my naked breasts with my hands when Iypletely naked under his intense gaze on the bed.


    ¡°Remove your hands, Rina. Let me get my fill of you...¡± Ace urged seductively as his hands started to peel my hands away from my naked womanly mounds.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whimpered his name weakly.


    My core throbbed with the heat of my desire, and I couldn¡¯t wait for him to touch my naked skin directly. Soon, I got my wish. Ace pressed his body on top of mine, and I moaned as I felt the pleasure of his heated skin against my own. His hard muscles pressed up against my softer body. I never knew that the weight of another person on top of me could feel this good. My lips moaned his name repeatedly as his hands began stroking my hips before moving up to cup and grope my breasts again.


    .....


    The twin perks of my breasts hardened to his touch. My nipples grew erect as it stood up to beg for his loving attention. Hisrge hands massaged my breasts while I whimpered and thrusted my chest up against his hands.


    ¡°Ace...Ahhhh!¡± I cried out loudly at the intense pleasure coursing through my body.


    His hot wet lips engulfed my nipple and began sucking hard on them whilepping at the hardened tip with his skillful tongue. I had never felt so much pleasure from my breasts being yed with before. It felt so good that I felt like I could really cum just from him pleasuring my breasts. His lips let go of my swollen nipple before paying the same loving attention to my other nipple while I moaned my lust.


    His hand quickly moved down my body until he began parting my legs wide apart for him. My legs felt weak, and my mind was consumed by lust. I did not hesitate to part my legs open widely for him before thrusting my hips upwards, shoving my pussy up wantonly from the bed invitingly.


    So much for wanting to sleep separately for the night...


    ¡°Sorry, Rina...but I can¡¯t hold back two nights in a row...¡± Ace whispered in a voice dripping with lust.


    ¡°Ahhh...¡± I moaned lewdly.


    His finger caressed up its way until they arrived at the wetness in between my legs. I closed my eyes and moaned as raw pleasure began taking over me at the sensation of his fingers stroking my flooded love entrance. Ace ran his fingertips up and down my wet slit before pinching my swollen and sensitive clit teasingly. He made my hips squirm from the tantalizing pleasure. I thrusted my hips wildly against his fingers as I attempted to rub my clit against his fingers for heightened pleasure.


    ¡°Ahhh...Ace...¡± I moaned his name again.


    His fingers thrusted suddenly and deeply into my wet cunt, and I screamed my pleasure. It felt so good for my pussy to be stretched and filled like this. So satisfying...


    ¡°You¡¯re flooded down here. I guess you can¡¯t hold yourself back either...¡± Ace teased with a chuckle.


    Without giving me any more pleasure from his fingers, he withdrew them out of my hole after making sure that I was adequately wet and ready for his thick cock. I didn¡¯t mind moving onto the main dish right way. I couldn¡¯t wait to feel his hard and gigantic cock ramming all the way into my hole either.


    ¡°Ace...please...¡± I pleaded for his cock to enter me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make you cum till you can¡¯t cum anymore, don¡¯t you worry, Rina,¡± Ace continued teasing me in his deep seductive voice.


    Ace retreated from me, and I opened my eyes wide in confusion. I saw Ace take out a pack of condom and realized that I had forgotten all about that. Thankfully, Ace still had his wits about him because I didn¡¯t have any left on me.


    ¡°Put this on me,¡± Ace instructed as he tossed the condom pack towards me.


    Slowly, I sat up as my hands automatically started tearing at the pack. My eyes fell to the thick and long upstanding pole in between his legs, and I gulped. I can¡¯t believe something so enormous could fit inside of me. My hands shook slightly when I felt his eyes on me. Carefully, I ced the condom at his tip before slowly rolling it down the length of his hot cock.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 91

    91 Two Rounds of Pleasure


    Ace smiled at me with extreme satisfaction before he slowly lowered me back onto my back on the bed. Hisrge hands bent and then spread my legs wildly for him. I whimpered at the sensation of my pussy lips begin stretched opened so widely.


    ¡°Hold your legs open for me, Rina. That¡¯s it...good girl...¡± Ace instructed as he ced my hand on my thighs for me to hold my legs open wide for him.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whimpered his name as embarrassment started taking over me.


    He could see my pussy very clearly in this position and that was exactly what he was staring at. Ace smirked at me before he guided the thick head of his swollen cock towards my dripping wet entrance. My pussy twitched in anticipation of taking him inside of me. I had gotten so wet that my love juices had begun leaking out of my love hole onto my inner thighs.


    ¡°Rina...¡± Ace called my name.


    I cried out the next moment when he suddenly thrusted his gigantic cock into my wet pussy. The wet sound of his abrupt entry echoed from between our body. My pussy clenched madly around his intruding cock as he filled me uppletely. Ace reared back his hip and pounded into my wetness again, making me cry out his name louder than before.


    It felt crazy good...I wanted him to move faster...


    ¡°Don¡¯t clench around my cock too much...¡± Ace teased from above me.


    My breathing was rough as my hip began thrusting up against his seductively. Ace¡¯s eyes narrowed at me knowingly before he reared his hips back again to thrust deeper and harder into my awaiting cunt. I cried out his name again as I ran my hand over the firm muscles of his back. Ace continued giving it to me fast and hard. His cock thrusting in and out of my hole as I moved my hips to meet his wild thrust halfway. His cock buried itself deeply into my wet hole and gave me so much pleasure. The thick head of his cock slid against my pussy walls as he thrusted his cock in and out of my cunt. I dug my nails into his back in my frenzy as I tried to deal with the mind-shattering pleasure that his cock was making me feel.


    .....


    When his cock rammed hard against my pleasure spot before ramming into my womb, I cried out and scratched his back. Ace chuckled above me at my reaction before he screwed his thick love stick deeper into me. My pussy made wet squelching sound as I squirted more of love juices onto his thick shaft. His cock felt so hot inside of me, and it made me feel so good. The sensation of his cock pounding deeply into my wet mess felt so addictive.


    ¡°More...Ace...¡± I begged him shamelessly.


    ¡°About to cum already?¡± Ace teased.


    I couldn¡¯t reply to him anymore at that point. His wild thrusts and deep thrusts soon sent me over the edge, and I came so hard while screaming his name. Ace continued pounding his cock against my womb as I orgasm spectacrly.


    ¡°Can you take one more round?¡± Ace asked in wonder.


    I felt his cock sliding smoothly out of my hole, my wet juices acting as the perfect lubricant for his cock. My breath came out in short bursts, and I whimpered softly when he flipped my body onto my stomach. Hisrge hand grabbed my ass and positioned my hips upwards towards him. I felt his presence close behind me and I knew what he had in mind. My pussy was still extremely sensitive from my climax, but I also wanted to feel more pleasure from him and give him pleasure as well.


    I moaned when I felt his cock pounding its way back into my wet cunt. This time he took me from behind and the angle of his thrust felt so different from when he took me from the front. He hit a different pleasure spot and I cried out in ecstasy. Ace leaned over me until his face was close to mine. I could feel the heat of his body against my back as he began moving on top of me, ramming his cock in and out of my hole.


    ¡°So good...your pussy feels so good...¡± Ace murmured with utmost satisfaction.


    ¡°Ace! Ahhh! Ahhhh!¡± I cried out in shock at the raw pleasure erupting from my cunt and spreading all over my body like wildfire.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make you feel even better...¡± Ace whispered into my ear.


    His hand traced along my arm until his hand ovepped with mine before heced his fingers with mine. Although his thrusts were rough, I found this gesture so tender and loving that it pulled at my heart and made my chest felt tight. Ace reared back his hips and thrusted into me from a slightly different angle, making me scream out louder at the intensified pleasure. My pussy clenched hungrily around his cock to suck him in even deeper inside of me.


    With a few more deep thrusts against my womb, I came again while whimpering his name. This time Ace seemed to be at his limit as well. He whispered loving words into my ear before he bit down on my earlobe when he finally climaxed. His cock twitched wildly inside my flooded love hole before he stilled on top of me.


    I closed my eyes and floated in the peaceful afterglow of our loving making. It wasn¡¯t like I thought that what we had going on between us was righteous or healthy. However, for just now, please let me enjoy the pleasure of being held in his arms...


    ...


    **Ace¡¯s Point of View**


    My body woke up like clockwork. It had always been like that, and travelling didn¡¯t¡¯ seem to mess up my biological clock. After falling asleep for around 7-8 hours, my body would wake up automatically. I nced over at the woman sleeping close to me with her head pillowed on my shoulder. Unlike me, Rina was still fast asleep. I found myself debating whether I should leave her to sleep peacefully or...


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 92

    92 Burning Up


    The ways my hands and fingers were itching to touch and y with her told me that I was probably leaning towards the second option rather than the first. I must have been quite rough with herst night. After I took her from behind, Rina climaxed again and fell straight into a deep sleep shortly after.


    Before I knew what I was doing, my hand had started caressing her bare shoulder softly. From my experience with her, Rina was a deep sleeper. Perhaps a little too deep. Just like I had anticipated, my caresses drew no reactions from her whatsoever. Slowly, I ran my hand down from her shoulder along her arm. His skin felt quite warm to the touch, and I enjoyed ying with her fine and smooth skin.


    I kissed her cheek softly and she made a small whimpering sound. It was the same sound that I loved to hear. When I caressed her body, she would make a sound just like this. It was a sound that worked to turn me on, and that sound was having the exact same effect on me right now. I felt desire stirring in my loins as my body began pumping blood into my cock.


    My hands moved under the nket to stroke her waist. My caresses were soft and gentle at first before I began feeling bolder. Rina whimpered a little louder, but she did not open her eyes. I began stroking her waist more firmly than before and then I ran my hand down to the curve of her buttocks. My eyes continued observing Rina¡¯s face to gauge her reaction. Her face seemed more flushed than before. Her blush tinting her cheeks a beautiful shade of pink. Her lips seemed slightly swollen and pink as well and I wondered if they were still swollen from my kisses fromst night when I took her.


    I knew well by now that Rina¡¯s body was extremely sensitive and responsive. When I trialed my hands up the front of her body to her breasts, she moaned loudly. I thought that she would wake up at that instant, but she didn¡¯t. Her eyes lids moved a little, but she did not open her eyes. I sighed in satisfaction when my hand covered her breast. Her heart was beating fast, and I could tell that she was excited by my stimtions. Her turned on state worked to turn me on even more and I felt my cock getting harder and thicker for her.


    Her nipples were hard as I took them in between my fingertips and began ying with them in turn. Rina moaned and gasped as if she was having difficult breathing. Her pink parted lips looked so seductive that I couldn¡¯t resist kissing her. My lips captured hers in a passionate kiss. The heat of her lips surprised me, but it was nothingpared to the heat inside of her mouth when I thrusted my tongue firmly into her wet mouth.


    She¡¯s hot...too hot...


    ¡°Rina...¡± I called her name softly.


    She stirred a little but didn¡¯t wake up. Her breathing seemed unsteady, and her face had flushed a deeper shade of pink. That was probably when it dawned on me that something was wrong with her and that her reactions may not have been purely from my seductive touches. I ced my hand against her cheek and then her forehead. I didn¡¯t want to admit it, but it seemed like her body was burning up from fever.


    .....


    ¡°Rina! Rina!¡± I called her name louder this time as I shook her body slightly.


    ¡°Hmm...¡± Rina made a sound before turning her head to the other side.


    A frown formed in between her brows. My lust died a sudden death and in its ce was a sense of guilt like I had never felt before in my life.


    ¡°Call an ambnce please. It¡¯s urgent. I need to take someone to the hospital...¡± I called the lobby without hesitation.


    Rina had a high fever and no matter what I did, she wouldn¡¯t seem to wake up. I took her hand in mine and realized that I was doing it more tofort myself than tofort her. Rina probably didn¡¯t know what was going on anymore although I kept on whispering words offort to her.


    What have I done?


    She was sick and I didn¡¯t even realize it. How long had she been sick? Was it sincest night or even before that? Why didn¡¯t she tell me anything?


    ¡°Rina...¡± I whispered her name.


    For the first time in a very long while, I felt scared.


    ...


    My mind felt hazy. My head and my eyelids felt so heavy, and it felt like I couldn¡¯t lift them even if I tried. I felt very tired, but my mind wouldn¡¯t let me rest. Scenes from the past shed by in front of my eyes even though my eyes were tightly closed. Am I dreaming?


    I saw Ace in my dream but unlike other unrealistic dreams that I¡¯ve had of him in the past, the scene that I saw was one that actually happened in the past. It must have been a few years now since it happened, and it had slipped my mind. I saw Ace sitting on a bench in the park next to our office building. That was where I first met him. Ace didn¡¯t look much different now from what he looked like then. His arrogant and overly confident smile also hasn¡¯t changed.


    Suddenly, he smiled at me, and I felt very funny inside just like I did back then. Then when I looked down at my hands, I found thick wads of bank notes in my hands. Shocked, I began telling him to take the money back, but Ace just smiled at me teasing while he shook his head.


    He got up from the bench and then he bent down and ced a kiss on my lips. That was the first time that we kissed. It didn¡¯t exactly happen like this, but then again, dreams could be random sometimes, right?


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 93

    93 The Devil¡¯s Care


    Now that I think about it, I still have the money that he gave me saved away in a separate ount. How did that slip my mind? With starting a new job and dating Kyle along with other changes that came along with life, I never got around to talking to Ace and returning that money to him. I shamefully realized that I had been using the fact that he is the CEO as a convenient excuse to avoid him, thinking that he is too far away for me to reach.


    With the way things are now between us, Ace is more reachable than ever. I should find the right time to thank him properly for what he did for me and return the money back to him. After all, I never had any intention of using it and it wasn¡¯t a small amount either.


    Ace may not even remember all that happened between us before. To him, I was probably just some random girl that he ran into and took pity on. He teased me and yed around me with for a bit and then he moved on with his life. The money that he gave me was clearly an insignificant amount to him, so he probably doesn¡¯t remember that I still owed him that money. It wasn¡¯t like he expected to get that money back from me. In fact, he didn¡¯t want the money back.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I mumbled.


    I could see light through my eyelids and as my eyelids fluttered sparks of light leaked in. Slowly, I managed to open my eyes. The white ceiling that greeted me felt unfamiliar and so did the smell of the room. Where am I?


    My senses felt dull, and I had trouble moving my limbs the way that I wanted to. My body just felt heavy, and it took a lot of effort to turn my head to the side.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whispered his name.


    I woke up to find Ace sleeping with his head resting on the side of my hospital bed with his hands holding mine. How long had he been sleeping there in such an ufortable-looking position?


    ¡°Why am I...in the hospital?¡± I mumbled to myself nkly.


    .....


    After scanning the hospital room with my eyes, I took in the IV drip attached to my arm and then my eyes fell to Ace¡¯s face. He looked tired and had dark circles under his eyes. Instinctively, I reached my hand toward his face to smooth over his hair.


    ¡°Rina...¡± Ace called my name when he stirred.


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to wake you...¡± I apologized immediately.


    Ace woke up and blinked his eyes at me as if he couldn¡¯t believe that I was in front of him. He really does look tired.


    ¡°Rina. You¡¯re finally awake. How are you feeling? Does it hurt anywhere? Do you have a headache? Are you hungry?¡± Ace fired rapid questions at me one after another.


    He seemed so panic, and I had no idea what brought this on. I started giggling at his reaction and his bewildered face. Honestly, I never thought that there woulde a day that I would get to see the Devil CEO flustered this way.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. I feel a little tired but apart from that I¡¯m fine,¡± I replied before smiling at him reassuringly.


    ¡°Really? I¡¯ll call for the doctor now. Wait a moment,¡± Ace said before quickly turning to press a button on the wall close to us.


    I still had no idea how I ended up in hospital. If I remembered correctly, Ace carried me to bed with himst night and then we ended up having some very rough and steamy sex. It felt good, I definitely remembered that much. After that, I guess I fell asleep, but I don¡¯t seem to remember anything else after that.


    ¡°Why am I in the hospital?¡± I asked, still very confused.


    ¡°You had a fever this morning...¡± Ace told me with a sorrowful look on his face.


    Oh, I had a fever?


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to burden you like that. Sorry for making you worry but I¡¯m fine now. We can get back to work,¡± I quickly said.


    What time is it anyways? This isn¡¯t the time for me to beying in a hospital bed. I¡¯m sure that we had many things nned for today as part of our trip.


    ¡°No. You should rest and don¡¯t worry about working or anything else,¡± Ace replied with a deep frown in between his brows.


    ¡°But...don¡¯t we have so much to do for our research?¡± I quickly protested.


    My words earned me a disapproving re from Ace that effectively shut me up.


    ¡°You should rest. Just sleep in bed here for today and another night...or two...¡± he said sternly.


    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. I¡¯m fine now, plus staying in hospital is expensive you know...¡± I shot back.


    We¡¯re also abroad, I had no idea if the insurance that thepany provided for me covered this.


    ¡°Stop worrying about trivial things like that. Just stay in bed until you feel better!¡± Ace yelled quite loudly at me.


    Why is he so mad? I just thought that we should go back to work.


    Frankly I was shocked at Ace¡¯s outburst, but I didn¡¯t have time to react to it before the door to my hospital room opened and a middle-aged doctor walked in followed by a nurse. After a while of inspecting me, the doctor seemed satisfied with the result.


    ¡°How is she?¡± Ace asked with worry.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing seriously wrong. She probably had a fever because she was tired and didn¡¯t get enough rest for a couple of days. Is that right?¡± the doctor told Ace before turning to ask for my confirmation.


    I guess doctors were the most urate fortune tellers. He was right, I probably haven¡¯t had enough sleep for many nights now ever since before we left on this trip. The cause of my sleepless nights was none other than the hot and handsome man who was sitting next to my hospital bed.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 94

    94 I Miss Him


    ¡°I guess...¡± I replied vaguely before smiling a little.


    ¡°What should we do? Should we let her rest up here for a couple of days?¡± Ace suggested.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not necessary. I¡¯m fine now. I¡¯ve had enough rest,¡± I quickly replied before the doctor could.


    There is no way that I¡¯m going to be stuck in his hospital bed for the next couple of days. I didn¡¯t feel 100% fine, but I wasn¡¯t sick enough to be bedridden in the hospital for days either.


    ¡°I think she¡¯s fine. Maybe resting here for the day would be better just to be on the safe side,¡± the doctor said before smiling kindly at me.


    ¡°Are you sure about that? What if she gets sick again?¡± Ace asked the doctor.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine...¡± I repeated again.


    I appreciated that Ace was worried, but I really didn¡¯t want to spend the night at the hospital. The storyline was also iplete, and I wanted to work on that along with collecting more data on our trip.


    ¡°She should be able to leave the hospital without any issues. Of course, if she has a fever again or if she feels unwell, she can return here for treatment,¡± the doctor replied calmly.


    .....


    ¡°You heard him. Stop trying to keep me here. We should be out collecting information to help with our project instead,¡± I suggested.


    The doctor smiled at us before the nurse told him that he was being called. With a polite farewell to us, the doctor left the room.


    ¡°Stop talking about work and focus on your recovery,¡± Ace snapped at me.


    ¡°Thanks for your concern but I¡¯m not as sick as you think I am,¡± I replied stubbornly.


    ¡°You had a high fever. You wouldn¡¯t even wake up no matter how many times I called your name. You have no idea...¡± Ace beganining before trailing off.


    I had no idea what?


    ¡°What were you going to say?¡± I asked in wonder.


    ¡°Nevermind...¡± Ace muttered before turning away from me.


    In the end, Ace didn¡¯t let me leave the hospital until the morning after. Despite the doctor¡¯s approval for me to leave, Ace kept me at the hospital for one more night to make sure that I was alright. Surprisingly, Ace refused to go back to the hotel and ended up sleeping on the sofa in my hospital room. That was how we spent a strange night at the hospital together on our trip.


    ...


    Right after returning from our trip, I focused all my efforts onpleting the storyboard based on Ace¡¯s idea. Tomorrow, we had a team meeting, and the various mini teams are going to present their own version of the storyline and draft storyboard. I had no idea if our storyboard would be chosen but I was sure that we had a good angle that would be beneficial to the team. Now all I had to do is focus on finishing this.


    Apparently, taking the trip with me took a toll on Ace when he came back. I should have known that he was pushing aside some of his other responsibilities to go on that trip with me. As a result, I have seen very little of Ace since we returned to the office. I could tell from his calendar that I had synced on my phone that he was swamped with meetings from early in the morning tote in the evening. Conference calls with business partners in other time zones did not help his case at all.


    Since I had work to work on as part of Project Alpha, I could no longer attend all his meetings with him. It came as a relief to me when Ace told me that I could skip on the meetings to focus onpleting the storyboard and sharpening up the message of our storyline. Apparently, Ace no longer had a lot of time to devote to project Alpha.


    After a few days of not seeing much of him since we came back, I began worrying and thinking of him more often. I would wonder what he was up to now and how he was doing. Although I knew exactly where he was having his meetings and who he was meeting with, I just couldn¡¯t help but worry about him. The rtionship between the new colleagues in my team and myself had not really improved. Thankfully, I still had friends from my own department who I could have lunch with.


    ¡°Thank you for inviting me out to lunch today, girls. It¡¯s great to catch up,¡± I thanked them wholeheartedly.


    We were walking back to the office building after eating at a nearby restaurant that was popr for their lunch set. The weather was nice, and I wished that I would get toe eat out more often. If only I could make friends with the other people in the CEO¡¯s office, life would be better and lunch breaks would be less lonely. I had not realized it, but I had gotten used to eating lunch and sometimes dinner with Ace. Now that he wasn¡¯t free to join me anymore, I felt quite lonely without him. Of course, I didn¡¯t want to admit this to anyone and not even to myself.


    ¡°Anytime. We thought you were too busy now after you¡¯ve moved over to the new team, so we were afraid to ask you out for lunch. It must be tough over there but do your best,¡± my college told me with a smile.


    ¡°Thanks...¡± I replied before returning her smile.


    She had no idea how tough it was on all fronts: work, colleagues, and most of all, dealing with Ace and our twisted rtionship. I didn¡¯t want to exin that to her or anyone else, though.


    We parted ways at the lobby of the office and just when I turned to head to the elevator, I ran into the one person that I dreaded seeing the most.


    ¡°Rina...¡±


    My body froze when I heard a familiar voice calling my name. Kyle stood right in front of me, and my body froze in ce.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 95

    95 You of All People


    He¡¯s so close, if I just reach my hand out, I could touch him. However, not a single cell in my body wanted to do that at all. Since we broke up, he never got in touch with me and although I haven¡¯t been actively avoiding him, it was probably best for us not toe into contact again.


    Is this just some unlucky coincidence...or...?


    I used to love it when he said my name like that but now it just made my skin crawl in such an unpleasant way that I found myself flinching before I took a step back from him to put some distance between us. Funny enough, we weren¡¯t dating anymore so we didn¡¯t need to keep any of our interactions in public a secret from anyone.


    ¡°Is there something that I can help you with?¡± I replied politely.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to say it here. Come over here with me for a second,¡± Kyle replied before turning and walking away from me.


    I stared at his back as I questioned why I should follow after him just because he told me to do so. One nce at the time and I found that I only had less than 10 minutes before I needed to head back.


    What does he want from me now of all times?


    It was curiosity and nothing else that made me follow him. Kyle stood to the side where there were fewer people walking around as he waited for me to catch up to him.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked immediately when I arrived at his side.


    .....


    ¡°Why are you involved with the CEO of all people?¡± he demanded to know.


    For some reason, I hated how he said the words ¡®of all people¡¯.


    Oh, the audacity of what he just said. Of all the people in thispany, I didn¡¯t want to ever hear this from him.


    ¡°I¡¯m his personal secretary. Of course, I¡¯m involved with him,¡± I replied without a care in the world.


    ¡°Does the secretary have to sleep with her boss? Is that how you operate now?¡± Kyle asked with a look of disgust on his face.


    ¡°At least, I¡¯m not cheating on him with someone else while I¡¯m doing it. Are we done here?¡± I snapped back.


    ¡°You better watch yourself around him,¡± Kyle warned sternly.


    As if I needed any advice from him...


    ¡°Thank you for your concern. Congrattions on your wedding. I hope your wife is well,¡± I replied with a polite smile.


    ¡°Rina...¡± Kyle murmured my name.


    ¡°My name is Karina. Have a nice day. Please don¡¯t ever approach me again...¡± I said to him in fake politeness before looking behind him exaggeratingly as if to check that no one saw us together.


    Before he could say anything, I turned around to walk away from him. Instead of getting away, I walked right into someone. Shocked, I started apologizing immediately.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry...¡± I apologized even before looking at who I had ran into.


    ¡°Did you need something from my personal secretary?¡±


    I froze at the sound of that voice and the fact that he wasn¡¯t addressing me. My body froze and my heart started to race. Slowly, I looked up to confirm my suspicion. Although I knew that Ace was the one, I had just run into, I was still shocked to see his face when I looked up.


    How did he get here?


    His eyes were not focused on me, but a sense of dread welled up deep inside of my stomach. I closed my eyes as I cursed silently in my mind. I felt a pressure around my waist when Ace wrapped his arm around my body possessively. This is going to be a mini disaster at best. Why did he have to catch me talking to Kyle of all people?


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. We¡¯re done talking now. I¡¯m sorry for taking up her time. Have a nice day, Karina,¡± Kyle replied smoothly.


    I turned to see Kyle smiling a little my way before he turned on his heels and left. Ace didn¡¯t say anything more but the way his arm tightened around my waist told me everything that I needed to know about what he was feeling.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I called his name softly while my mind raced to find a usible exnation for the situation that he had just witnessed.


    It wasn¡¯t like I could tell him outright that Kyle called me here to give me a lecture about our illicit rtionship. Just thinking about what Kyle said made my blood boil over in extreme anger. I might have been happy to listen to someone else warn me about Ace but not him. He, of all people, had no right to badmouth Ace or whatever rtionship that I may have with him. It also didn¡¯t bother me that he thought that we were sleeping together. It¡¯s none of his business who I happen to be sleeping with.


    Ace stared down at me with cold eyes before his hand grabbed my wrist tightly and pulled me after him. I looked down at where his hand was gripping me as I struggled to keep up with his long strides. People in the office lobby stared at us and I tried my best to keep my eyes casted down to avoid their judgmental gazes.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I called his name softly.


    If Ace was aware of the gazes of the other people on us, he didn¡¯t act like he cared at all. He never looked back and he never said a word to me until we were together in his private elevator. The silence in the elevator was killing me inside and I knew that I had to say something to exin to him what had just happened. In fact, the truth was, nothing really happened.


    ¡°Nothing happened. Kyle just...wanted to talk a little...¡± I mumbled softly.


    I hated how weak my voice sounded and how vague my words were. Ace didn¡¯t even look my way. I closed my eyes before letting out a sigh, this is going to be much harder than I thought. He¡¯s so mad...


    The elevator door opened when we finally arrived at his floor. Ace stepped out before me without looking back. Before I could stop myself, I reached out a hand towards him to stop him but before my hand reached his back, I pulled back. What am I going to say to him when he turns around?


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 96

    96 Late Night at the Office


    Not knowing what I should do, I left my hand fall back to my side. I stood in front of the elevator cluelessly as I watched Ace walk away from me. The air about him was cold and distant, it just made him feel so unapproachable.


    ¡°If you have time to flirt around with men, you should focus more on your work,¡± Ace spoke up without turning to face me.


    I bit my lower lip as guilt overwhelmed me. My hands clenched tightly at my side as my body trembled from anger. I wasn¡¯t angry at Kyle or Ace, I just angry at myself.


    ...


    The CEO¡¯s office was busy as everyone seemed to be working hard on their draft proposal of the storyboard. After going on their own expedition to seek for the truth, the various teams have gathered to produce their version of the storyboard. We would all present the storyboard together in our next meeting and one of the storylines would be selected. It did ur to me that it was supposed to be a brainstorming session, so there was also the possibility that the final idea would be abination of the ideas from various teams.


    No one spoke to me, and I was thankful for that because I wasn¡¯t in the mood to speak to anyone or deal with any drama. My eyes stared at theputer screen in front of me and the storyboard that was still more than half nk. If I don¡¯t get myself and my thoughts together, I¡¯m going to be here till morning. Even then, if I couldn¡¯t get my ideas together, I may not be done.


    My mind kept conjuring up the image of Ace¡¯s cold eyes and his distant attitude. Then I thought of Kyle and what he said. A loud pping round rang out and then pain shot through my cheeks. A few eyes strayed towards me, and I smiled a little awkwardly in return. I guess not everyone is used to seeing someone p themselves a little roughly on the cheeks before.


    Focus, Karina!


    It was hard for me to concentrate at first but as time went by, I managed to focus. After another hour, I was back in full work mode. After drafting some ideas and drawing sketches out on my notebook, I had a better idea of what scenes I was looking for each part of the storyboard. After finalizing my choices, I began creating a more detailed version on the presentation slides on myptop. Not everything went smoothly, and I had to change things around quite often for things to feel right. It was time consuming, but it felt like I was heading in the right direction.


    .....


    Although this was supposed to be nothing more than a draft to contribute our idea to the team, I still wanted to do my best. Partly, I wanted to redeem myself for my failure at the meeting before. This time, I will get this right and I will no longer be a burden to the team or treated like a free rider. With that thought in mind, I pushed through until I hadpleted the entire storyboard just like I had envisioned it in my head.


    When I looked up from myptop screen again, the entire office was quiet and there was no one around anymore. Did everyone leave already? I didn¡¯t even realize it until just now.


    The clock on the wall told me that it was close to midnight. No wonder no one else was around. I knew that I probably wasn¡¯t the only one who worked thiste given howmitted the other team members are to their job. They probably just chose to take the work home with them. I should have done that, but I was so focused on the work in front of me that I lost all sense of time.


    I absolutely had no regrets about that, though. Since I¡¯ve been here this long, I might as well do onest review to make sure that everything is right for the meeting tomorrow. It was such a shame that I finished sote and there was probably no time for Ace to help review this. That thought made me recall the look on his face when Ist saw him earlier today. Things are not going well at all between us. I sighed loudly when I realized that I¡¯ll have to speak to Ace soon orter and that meant that I had to think of a way to face him and straighten things out with him.


    What is Ace doing right now? He¡¯s probably gone home already.


    I pulled up his calendar onto myptop screen and saw that hisst meeting was supposed to have ended since 9PM. He¡¯s probably home already. Maybe I should just send him an email. If luck is on my side, he might get a chance to take a look at my storyboard before the meeting starts tomorrow. I should have managed to finish this earlier...


    Suddenly, I heard the unexpected sound of the door opening. Shocked, I spun around in my seat, and I found myself faced with an even more shocking sight.


    ¡°Ace...?¡± I managed to whisper his name as my eyes widened in shock.


    I blinked my eyes rapidly while I was half convinced that if I blinked my eyes enough times, the Ace that I was seeing would disappear into thin air like a mirage that never existed. However, Ace did not disappear from my sight. Instead, he strode confidently into the office and approached me.


    Why is Ace here?


    ¡°Somehow, I figured that you would still be here,¡± Ace said confidently.


    ¡°Umm...¡± I murmured without knowing what to say.


    How did he know that I would be here?


    Ace was now standing right next to me behind my desk and without warning, he sat down on my desk and turned to grin at me.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t send me an email with the storyboard yet. So, I figured that you¡¯re probably still working your ass off at it,¡± Ace answered my unasked question with ease.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 97

    97 Pleasured by a Bad Guy


    ¡°Sorry that it took so long...¡± I apologized softly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not mad...about that...¡± he replied before he smiled a little coldly at me.


    I see. So, he¡¯s mad about something else. I didn¡¯t have to be a genius to guess what he was mad about. It felt like my luck had suddenly run out when Ace caught me talking to Kyle. Honestly, I didn¡¯t think that I did anything wrong, but I felt more guilty than ever. I also never expected that Ace would openly admit that he was mad either.


    ¡°Actually, I just finished the storyboard. Do you want to take a look?¡± I asked, while trying to change the subject altogether.


    I moved myptop closer to Ace before opening up the file of my storyboard to show him. Hopefully, seeing the effort of my hard work would make him less angry with me. Just when I thought that Ace would take a look at my work, his hand reached for myptop and pushed the screen down firmly to close it. His hazel eyes stared intently at my face while my mouth dropped open in shock at this sudden action.


    I guess, he doesn¡¯t want to see the storyboard...


    ¡°Did you think that you would get off the hook simply because we¡¯re both busy for the day?¡± Ace asked in a low voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about...before. It¡¯s really not what you think...¡± I mumbled softly.


    ¡°Then you won¡¯t hesitate to tell me what he said to you, right?¡± Ace asked as he leaned closer to me.


    .....


    Subconsciously, I bit down on my lower lip while I hesitated. Kyle didn¡¯t have great things to say about Ace and I was sure that he was just spouting nonsense. Regardless, it wasn¡¯t easy for me toe out and tell Ace to his face what that bastard had said. Meeting Kyle was such a big error on my part.


    ¡°Well?¡± Ace prompted.


    It didn¡¯t seem like he was willing to let this simply slide by. Guess, I no longer had a choice about this but to tell him.


    ¡°He told me that I shouldn¡¯t get involved with you...of all people. He also warned me to watch myself around you...¡± I confessed before pressing my lips into a thin line.


    I did feel slightly better now that I was able to tell Ace everything and be honest with him.


    ¡°He¡¯s not wrong. I¡¯m a very bad guy...¡± Ace admitted very casually.


    I had not expected this reaction or rather such ack of reaction from Ace. I also never expected him to admit being a bad guy so easily either.


    While still stunned by his words, Ace¡¯s hands reached out and captured my chin between his fingers. I had no time to react before his warm lips were crushing down aggressively on mine. He kissed me roughly, while I moaned in protest. His hand held my chin tighter as his lips began moving against mine. I felt the wetness of his tongue probing my mouth open before he thrusted his tongue firmly into the wet depths of my mouth.


    ¡°Mhhmmm...¡± I moaned into his kiss.


    Ace¡¯s lips continued moving against mine as he kissed me from various angles. His tongue slipping into my mouth to explore and taste me. He teased my tongue with his until I began grinding my tongue against his fervently as our kiss got wetter and deeper. I moaned softly into our kiss as his hand reached up to up my cheek. He bit on my lower lip, and I felt a slight stinging pain before he began sucking on it. His kisses felt so good that my mind was soon hazy with the desire that he had ignited deep inside of me.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whimpered his name weakly when he finally broke our kiss.


    I was panting wildly, and it took a lot of effort for me to call out his name. The look of desire that Ace had in his hazel brown eyes as he stared down into my face told me that we were beyond the point of no return at that point. My body felt like it was already burning for him. My core throbbed with desire and my pussy had gotten wet just from his seductive kisses.


    Even though it¡¯ste at night we were still in the office and all the lights were still on.


    ¡°Ace...wait...¡± I whimpered when I felt the hardness of the table against my buttocks.


    ¡°For what?¡± Ace asked teasingly before he silenced me with another passionately wet kiss.


    His tongue entered my mouth again and began teasing mine. Pleasure and desire clouded my mind from his intoxicating kiss. Ace¡¯srge hand started groping and fondling my breasts on top of my clothes while I moaned sweetly into our kiss. As if turned on by my reactions, his caresses got rougher. I could feel his touch even through my shirt and bra.


    As I lost myself in his teasing kiss, his fingers started to undo the buttons in the front of my shirt. One by one, he undid them until I felt the slightly cold air in the office on my naked skin. Ace broke our kiss, and I got lost in his mesmerizing eyes as he stared deeply into mine. His hand pushed my bra upwards to expose my breasts to his exploring hands.


    ¡°Ahhh...Ace...¡± I moaned before I bit down on my lower lip seductively.


    The heat of his hands on my naked tits felt so blissful. I closed my eyes and moaned even louder when he massaged my breasts firmly. Pushing them and pumping them against each other. My nipples grew rock hard as my body began writhing from pleasure, thrusting my tits into hisrge hand as if begging for him to touch me more. The ces where he touched throbbed with desire and burned with need. I wanted him to touch me more. I wanted Ace to touch me everywhere.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahhh!¡± I cried out when his fingers started tugging on the sensitive perks of my erect nipples.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 98

    98 Hot Night at the Office


    I could feel Ace¡¯s hungry gaze on my tits as he yed with them mercilessly. My lewd moans got embarrassingly loud, and I tried to stifle them by cing my hand over my mouth while Ace continued to pinch and roll my nipples in between his skillful fingers.


    ¡°Ace...we¡¯re...in the office...¡± I murmured.


    We¡¯re not just in his office, we¡¯re in the CEO¡¯s office team room. Although it waste at night and no one else was here, all the lights are still on!


    Instead of responding to me, Ace buried his face into my breasts. I cried out when I felt something warm and wet running along the sensitive skin between my breasts. He¡¯s licking me...


    ¡°Naughty girls like you need to be disciplined thoroughly,¡± Ace whispered darkly.


    My legs immediately grew weak as my pussy began throbbing with need. His lips moved to trial soft and sucking kissing against my breasts. My entire body trembled when he took my nipple into the wet heat of his mouth. My fingers clutched desperately at his hair as he began sucking on my hardened peak. It felt so amazingly good. I cried out his name and threw my head back as I thrusted my chest outward towards his seductive mouth.


    Ace sucked harder on my nipple as his fingers kept ying with my other nipple. The pleasure was so intense that my pussy began clenching in rhythm to his sucking. It wasn¡¯t long before I felt my wetness gush out from the hole in between my legs. He made me so wet for him. I wanted him to touch me there...and then take me...


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whimpered his name sweetly.


    When Ace lifted his head from my chest and smirked dangerously at me. He stood up and pulled me up to my feet with ease and then his arms were around my hips. I felt the hardness of my own work desk against my buttocks after he had lifted me up to sit on it. Ace did not waste time before proceeding to the next step of pulling my skirt up. His hands caressed my naked thighs tantalizingly before lifting them up and spreading them widely apart while I whimpered softly.


    .....


    ¡°Ace...maybe...we should stop...¡± I suggested meekly.


    ¡°Even when you¡¯re this wet?¡± Ace asked with his hand pressed against my wetness.


    His manly hand cupped my pussy through my drenched panties as he smirked knowingly at me. I blushed immediately before quickly looking away from him. He chuckled softly at my reaction before his fingers deftly pulled my panties out of the way so that his fingers could caress my wetness directly.


    ¡°Ahhh...Ace...Ahhh...¡± I moaned and threw my head back in ecstasy.


    His fingers found my wet entrance and began stroking it teasingly. He ran his fingers up and down the length of my wet slit, making my pussy throb and clench uncontrobly. He had just started touching me, but my pussy was already getting wetter for him.


    ¡°Your pussy is fucking wet, Rina...¡± Ace teased me with a voice dripping with lust.


    His amber eyes stared right into my face before he smiled mockingly at me. He¡¯s so evil...but his touches feel so pleasurable...


    ¡°Ahhh...¡± I moaned again.


    My hips bucked upwards at the sudden entrance of Ace¡¯s thick and long fingers into my flooded cunt. Ace thrusted his fingers inside of me abruptly and I had to close my eyes to deal with the pleasure as my hands clutched at the side of my desk. His fingers began wriggling inside of me. It felt so strange yet so good as he yed around with my wet insides. I could feel his fingers everywhere inside of me as he felt around my wet hole from various angles. My pussy clenched and twitched around his fingers as it tried to feel more of him and suck his fingers in even deeper.


    ¡°You¡¯re twitching so much inside already. Does doing it in the office turn you on more than usual?¡± Ace continued taunting me with his dirty talk.


    He thrusted his fingers in and out of my love hole fast and hard. I lost all control and screamed loudly. At that moment, I forgot about everything including the fact that he was fingering me right on top of my work desk. I was just working here...not so long ago...and now...


    ¡°Ahhh! Ace...it¡¯s so good...¡± I cried out as lust flooded my brain and all my senses.


    His fingers moved even more roughly inside of me as he thrusted in and out of me. Dirty wet sounds echoed all around us as my pussy got wetter for him. The sounds of his fingers pounded into my wetnessbined with my lusty moans and whimpers echoed around in the office room.


    ¡°Ace...Ahhhh! Ohh...Ahhh!¡± I cried out even louder as I neared my release.


    He¡¯s going to make me cum from his fingers. I can¡¯t hold on anymore...


    ¡°Don¡¯t cum just yet...¡± Ace said with a disapproving shake of his head.


    I whimpered my disappointment when his thick fingers withdrew from my pussy. Ace¡¯s hands moved to pull my panties offpletely after instructing me to lift my ass off the table a little. His hand quickly moved to his own pants, and I watched as he efficiently stripped himself just enough to free his massive and hard cock from its restraints. His thick shaft stood up proudly in between his legs and I could tell that he was already very turned on.


    ¡°You really like to stare at my cock...¡± Ace murmured before he smirked at me.


    His dangerous eyes held mine as he tore at the pack of condom in his hands before quickly slipping it onto his cock.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whispered his name in my need for him.


    ¡°I know you can¡¯t wait. I¡¯ll make you cum with my cock...¡± Ace offered smugly.


    Hisrge hands gripped my thighs and spread them further apart as he positioned himself in between my legs. My pussy quivered in anticipation of receiving his cock deep inside. The heat of his manhood lodge itself between my pussy lips before Ace thrusted his cock sharply into my wet cunt.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 99

    99 Unstoppable Desire


    I cried out loudly before I moaned at the pleasure of his massive thickness stretching my insides. His cock felt very hot inside of me, and my pussy fully enjoyed his presence deep inside.


    ¡°Your pussy feels extra tight today...¡± Ace groaned as he pulled his cock back.


    His cock slid along the sensitive walls of my pussy at his exit before he rammed his cock back all the way into my hole. His thrust was so intense that it left me reeling from the impact of his entry. Ace¡¯s hips began moving faster and harder, thrusting his cock in and out of my sopping wet hole while I moaned. My pussy clenched around his cock as I moved my hips up to wee his thrusts.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahhh! Ace...Ahhh...¡± I moaned heatedly as my body moved in rhythm to his movements.


    His cock hit me deep and hard with each firm stroke. The pleasurable ache in my abdomen became unbearable and so was the heat that burned deep inside of me. His cock hit my pleasure spot over and over again as it rammed against my womb. I couldn¡¯t focus on anything else but the pleasure of his cock beating hard and fast into my wet hole. I wanted more of him as my lust started to take over mepletely.


    ¡°Ace...so deep. Your cock...is so...big...¡± I manage to whimper.


    I spread my legs even wider and thrusted my pussy upwards to swallow his cock into me. His cock diving into my wetness made lewd wet sounds erupt from between our bodies. The lewdness of what we were doing turned me on and I was ashamed to admit that Ace was right, doing it here...with him...like this...really turns me on.


    ¡°You really know how to turn a man on...¡± Ace groaned seductively.


    As if he wanted to reward me, Ace¡¯s hands moved under my buttocks before he lifted my ass up from the table and held it steady. When he had me where he wanted me, his cock pounded faster and even deeper into me. The heightened pleasure almost made me lose my mind right then and there. His cock hit me faster, harder, and deeper inside with each thrust. It started to hurt but I didn¡¯t want him to stop pounding into me.


    .....


    ¡°Ace! I¡¯m cumming! Ahhh...I¡¯m cumming!¡± I screamed loudly when I finally climaxed.


    Ace continued giving it to me fast and hard while I rode out my intense orgasm. His cock felt so amazing inside of me.


    ¡°I love your face when you cum, Rina. Let me see it again...¡± Ace said in a sexy drawl.


    With his cock still buried deep inside my pussy hole, Ace lifted me off the table along with him before he sat down on my chair. His cock pushed all the way into me again when he made me straddle him. Was it just me, or did his cock get hotter and bigger?


    ¡°Don¡¯t hide your face away from me, Rina. Let me see you properly,¡± he whispered seductively to me when I tried to look away.


    This position was even worst. I sat facing him, so it was difficult to hide my face from him. His amber eyes stared directly into mine before he suddenly thrusted his hips upwards. His cock rammed upwards into my cunt, and I automatically cried out at the pleasure that surged through me. My heart was beating so fast, and my pussy felt so sensitive from my climax earlier.


    ¡°Ride my cock, Rina. Let me see your face...¡± Acemanded as his fingers stroked the side of my face.


    His words turned me on so much and I felt like such a naughty and wanton woman when I began riding on his cock just as he hadmanded. I lifted my hips up slowly as I enjoyed the sensation of his cock slowly sliding out of my hole. When his cock had almostpletely exited my wet love tunnel, I sat back down on his cock to draw him inside of me again. Over and over, I pumped my hips up and down the length of his enormous upstanding cock while I moaned heatedly.


    My breasts bounced around as I bounced my hips up and down his cock faster and faster. His hands reached out to y with my soft breasts. When he pinched my nipples, I cried out and my pussy clenched hard around his cock.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, Rina. Ride me faster. I want to cum inside you...¡± Ace urged me.


    His hands continued to y with my breasts as I mmed my hips down onto hisp to take his cock into me faster and harder than before. I angled my body and hips so that his cock would pound against my pleasure spot. Each thrust felt so deliciously good and soon I was moving so wildly on top of him. Desire consumed me and I couldn¡¯t stop ramming my wet pussy down onto his hard cock. Ace watched me with intense satisfaction before his hand reached down to stroke my clit.


    ¡°Ace...no...I...¡± I moaned incoherent words.


    The pleasure was too much for me. He¡¯s going to make me cum again and he hasn¡¯t even moved his hips yet. I knew that he was teasing me and soon I would be showing him the face that he wanted to see when I reached my ultimate release.


    ¡°Let¡¯s cum together, Rina...¡± Ace suggested sweetly.


    His hands stroked the sides of my waist before moving downwards to cup the sides of my hips. I lifted my hips a little and he held me steady. Almost instantly, his hips thrusted upwards and rammed his cock all the way into my eagerlt awaiting pussy hole.


    ¡°Ahhh...¡± I moaned before I closed my eyes in bliss.


    His cock continued thrusting up into my hole as I threw my head back and moaned. Ace shook my body and my breasts and hips moved around. He fucked me faster and harder as he raced towards his own climax.


    ¡°I¡¯m about to cum inside you, Rina...¡± he groaned sexily.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 100

    100 Risky Move


    I wanted to tell him that I was also at my limit, but I couldn¡¯t form the words. After a short moment of feeling his cock pushing against my womb, I came again. I knew that Ace was watching my face as it contorted into a mask of pure ecstasy as my climax hit me, but I didn¡¯t care. Ace pounded his cock fast and hard into me as he sprinted towards his own release. He moaned my name when he finally came.


    ¡°Excuse me! Is someone still here?¡±


    My body froze as I lifted my head up to turn towards the source of the voice just now. Someone is here, I don¡¯t recognize that voice, though.


    ¡°Shh...must be security...¡± Ace whispered calmly.


    Security? As in a security guard?


    That made sense. Who else except for us would be here thiste at the office?


    What do we do now? The guard was right outside the door, and I was sure that the door wasn¡¯t locked.


    ¡°Can you get off my cock, Rina?¡± Ace asked teasingly.


    He didn¡¯t seem bothered by what was happening at all. Noticing that I was still sitting on top of him with his cock inside me, I blushed wildly before slowly lifting my hips off his cock.


    .....


    ¡°Excuse me! The lights are on...¡± the guards yelled again.


    Shit! He¡¯s probably going toe in here to kill the lights.


    ¡°The door isn¡¯t even locked. Did someone forget to lock it...?¡± the guard mumbled to himself, but I could hear him with how silent the office was.


    I heard rather than saw the door open. Ace smirked down at me from above as I hid under my own desk. This is crazy...why did things have to turn out like this?


    Because Ace messed up my clothes so much, there wasn¡¯t enough time for me to fix everything. That meant, that hiding here like this was the only option for me. Ace, on the other hand, just had to zip up his pants.


    Oh, how convenient it is to be a man...


    ¡°Oh, Mr. Hills. I¡¯m so sorry, I didn¡¯t know that you were still here...¡± the guard immediately apologized when he saw Ace.


    ¡°I forgot to grab some files off of my team member and didn¡¯t want to bother him thiste at night, so I decided toe here to sort it out myself. Sorry for making you worry, I¡¯ll be leaving soon,¡± Ace replied smoothly.


    I rolled my eyes at how professional and serious he sounded. The security guard seemed shocked to be having a direct conversation with the Devil CEO and after a few flustered apologies, he wished Ace a pleasant evening and quickly left the room. I heard the sound of the door closing behind him and then I was all alone with Ace once more.


    ¡°You...shouldn¡¯t have don¡¯t that...¡± I muttered darkly.


    ¡°Neither should have you...¡± Ace replied softly.


    The way his eyes looked a me a little sadly told me that he was referring to my meeting with Kyle earlier in the day. I bit on my lower lip. This is so unfair; he knew how to shut me up very well. I had no retort, and I didn¡¯t know how to respond to that.


    ¡°Come on out. No need for you to hide there anymore,¡± Ace said with clear amusement as he stepped away from my desk.


    I crawled out before letting out a sigh of relief. Somehow, we didn¡¯t get caught by the security guard.


    Talking about security...


    ¡°The security cameras...¡± I whispered to myself in shock.


    My eyes immediately scanned the room looking for a security camera. Why didn¡¯t I consider this before?


    There are security cameras almost everywhere in office areas and we just did that!


    ¡°We handle a lot of confidential and high-profile projects here in this room. So, you¡¯re very lucky that we don¡¯t have any security cameras here,¡± Ace whispered into my ear before he nibbled softly on my earlobe.


    Really?


    Although, I was relief of another worry, my heart wouldn¡¯t stop racing. Ace wrapped his arms around me from behind and he started chuckling in my ear. I heaved another sigh. Honesty, I really wanted to hit him.


    ...


    The meeting for Project Alpha finally arrived and I had to say that I felt quite ready and proud for the storyboard that I managed to put together using Ace¡¯s idea as the base. Everyone filed into the meeting room in an orderly fashion and took their regr seats at the long meeting table. Ace seated himself at the head of the table and the meeting was ready to start.


    ¡°Any volunteers?¡± Ace asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll go first,¡± one of the members stood up immediately along with his two other teammates.


    Wow, I guess shyness isn¡¯t a trait that people in this team possessed. Everyone was so bold and very proud of showcasing their work. I thoroughly enjoyed the presentations from the various teams, and I could tell from Ace¡¯s face that many themes presented caught his interest. Just like how we went on our own trip to visit the market and dog meat farms, the other teams had their own way to conduct their own research to gather both information and inspiration.


    Various storylines were presented in many differing ways in captivating storyboards. Although the storyboards were rough and no where as detailed as the final version, it already gave me a good idea of what the teams had in mind. As the presenter described each scene of the storyboard, I could picture a very vividmercial running through my head. It was an amazing experience.


    ¡°My turn now,¡± I said as I stood up from my seat when it was finally my turn.


    Unlike the other people, I didn¡¯t have any other colleagues in my team to help me with the presentation because the boss needed to be the one listening and not presenting in this case. I smiled politely at everyone as I stood in front of the projection screen before I started my presentation. Sweat and tears went into this, so I had to say that I was pretty confident.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 101

    101 His Idea and My Efforts


    ¡°Thank you for your attention. After flying over to visit some wet markets that sell dog meat and visiting various dog meat farms of various sizes, this is the storyline and storyboard that we came up with. We were captivated by the idea of conflicting views of ourmon society to that of the local people, especially the older generation where eating dog meat is still a part of their tradition and culture,¡± I paused a little as I changed the slide.


    I could tell that I still had the attention of everyone in the room and that was a great step forwardpared to my first presentation in this room when I first joined the team. They could hack at my presentation with their killer questionster on, but for now, I wanted toplete telling them the entire story that I had in mind.


    ¡°We still want to push for a clear message to ending the cruelty of the dog meat trade and farming while showing that we¡¯re not actively advocating for the destruction of cultures and traditions. We n to do this by incorporating the real trend that this activity is in fact losing its poprity especially among the younger generation. Naturally, we believe that this tradition would cease to exist anyways as dogs take on another role in society as people¡¯s pets and friends,¡± I exined patiently.


    My exnation earned few nods from the audience and that gave me more confidence to go on. It seemed like Ace¡¯s storyline was heading in the right direction and now I just need to make sure that the storyboard that I had on the slide portrays that storyline well.


    ¡°As for the storyboard that we have in mind, we¡¯ll start by showing footages around the theme of dogs as a man¡¯s best friend before shing to show the conditions in uncontrolled dog meat farms. We believe that the contrast would be quite disturbing and will help capture people¡¯s attention. We will then go on to show the tradition rted to this issue such as scenes from markets and local restaurants before transition to show the downfall of this trend over time by showcasing the newer and younger generation including people around our age, then teenagers and then children with their new rtionship with dogs as apanion rather than food. Then we¡¯ll end with introducing the foundation and instructions on how the viewers can make their donations while keeping that as subtle as possible,¡± I exined beforeing to the end of the storyboard on the presentation slide.


    There was a brief moment of silence as everyone seem to take in my presentation. Ace seemed quite satisfied with my presentation although he did notment on anything.


    ¡°Anyments?¡± Ace asked the other in the room.


    ¡°Is that your idea for the storyline? It¡¯s very like you,¡± Jeremy asked with a smile on his face.


    ¡°You can tell?¡± Ace replied lightly.


    .....


    ¡°Yeah...it¡¯s very...well positioned to resonate with many people,¡± Jeremymented openly.


    I guess after working with Ace for a while the team had gotten used to telling which was his work even without Ace standing up to take credit for it directly. Even I knew that all of Ace¡¯s work had a touch of him and was quite unique from the others. I bet all of his works were sessful because I have never heard of a project that Ace supervised that ended in failure or was not well received by the audience of the public before.


    ¡°That¡¯s my storyline that Karina adapted, and that storyboard is pretty much her independent work based on a few sentences of the storyline that I gave her. Not bad, right?¡± Ace said with a grin.


    ¡°Right...not bad at all,¡± Richard chimed in with a nod.


    I felt like praises were being rained on me from above and suddenly the sun was out and shining. For Richard to say that my story was ¡®not bad¡¯ felt like a hard-earnedpliment. I bit on my lower lip a little to keep myself from smiling like a fool right in front of everyone.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I murmured as I headed back to my seat.


    ¡°Well, that is that. Do we have a consensus already on the storyboard or do we want to put it to the vote?¡± Ace asked as he leaned back casually in his seat.


    ¡°No need. We¡¯ll go ahead with what you and Karina had co-developed. We¡¯ll all do our part now for the detailed design, budgeting and all that. There are many technical things that needs to be sorted out for sure on the filming and production side,¡± Richard said sternly.


    ¡°Great. That¡¯s that then. I¡¯ll leave it up to Karina toe up with a more detailed storyboard. Of course, you¡¯re wee to mash in some other ideas from the other teams as well. I think they¡¯ve got some good ideas for more emotional scenes here and there,¡± Ace suggested before wrapping up the meeting.


    ¡°Ok. Thank you,¡± I replied determinedly.


    Suddenly, I had my work cut out as part of Project Alpha and it was a very big part as well. The storyboard will determine almost everything about this project. It would be a hit or miss and I was determined for thismercial to be a massive hit.


    ...


    I was in Ace¡¯s office when I received a call about his schedule from senior secretary. Every week or so she would give me a call to recap Ace¡¯s schedule especially the parts that required him to interact with external parties.


    ¡°A business trip? Aha...ok...¡± I said as my hand busily jotted down some notes about the uing business trip.


    The secretary gave me additional details about the trip including who Ace was expected to meet as well as some requirements that the client had slotted in.


    ¡°Chase Creatives will also be there?¡± I eximed in absolute surprise.


    Why would the client invite both Ace and someone from our biggestpetitor in the industry to go on the same trip? Is this some kind ofpetition or something?


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 102

    102 Separated by Duty


    ¡°I know. This isn¡¯t going to be easy which is why Ace will probably decide to go on this trip no matter what. We can¡¯t let ourpetitor get a big jump ahead of us, right?¡± the woman said knowingly.


    ¡°Right. I got it...¡± I spoke through the phone.


    ¡°The trip is expected tost a week. You might get even busier with him being away so don¡¯t expect that it¡¯s going to be easy on you,¡± the woman said with a smallugh.


    ¡°Excuse me? A week?¡± I said while unable to hide my shock.


    Ace is going to be gone for a whole week?


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The client will send more details about the trip. I¡¯ll forward it to you right away when I get it so you can brief the CEO about it,¡± the woman instructed.


    ¡°Ok...thank you...¡± I managed to reply vague before the line disconnected.


    Ace...is going to be gone for a week?


    The sudden news left me feeling quite empty inside as I stared at my phone screen with conflicted feelings. It was at that exact moment that I heard the door to his office opened. I knew without seeing him that Ace had entered his office.


    .....


    Perfect timing. I need to tell him about this uing business trip.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I called his name.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he repliedzily.


    Ace seemed so rxed whenever he came into his office. It always amazed me how Ace could handle all his work with ease. He didn¡¯t seem stressed or disturbed by anything at all.


    ¡°Actually, you¡¯re supposed to be on a business trip for a week starting the day after tomorrow,¡± I told him with a small smile.


    ¡°I see...it is what it is,¡± Ace replied before sitting down on the sofa.


    ¡°Umm...the trip also involved Chase Creatives...¡± I told him a little reluctantly.


    Hisck of reaction surprised me. That made me think that perhaps he had heard about it already from another source. However, just like most things at work, he wasn¡¯t particrly excited about anything. The only thing that seemed to perk his interest was when he got involved in leading the design and production of amercial such as Project Alpha. Everything else he could handle wlessly but it was clear that hecked the passion behind it.


    I stood glued to where I was as I stared at Ace and waited for him to say something else or make anyment. Ace just stared at his phone like he was reading something and never said anything else about that business trip. A sinking feeling formed in the pit of my stomach, and I was shocked to realize that I felt disappointed.


    I guess, I can¡¯t tag along with him on this trip after all. Things will probably get busy here with him being away just like the senior secretary had told me. I needed to be here to help deal with that in his absence. Before I fully understood why I felt the way I did, I had started looking forward to going on the business trip with him just like our trip thest time. However, this trip didn¡¯t have anything to do with the project that I was working on, so there was no good reason for him to take me along.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Ace asked casually and I felt his eyes on me.


    ¡°Oh, no. It¡¯s nothing,¡± I quickly denied.


    ¡°Do you want toe along?¡± Ace asked.


    My eyes widened at his words. Can I really go with him?


    ¡°I can?¡± I asked, as hope welled up in my chest.


    Ace grinned at me before looking a little apologetic. That confused me even more than before.


    ¡°Sorry, Rina. I wish that I could take you along with me as well, but I better go alone on this one,¡± Ace replied with an apologetic smile.


    Oh...


    ¡°Good luck for the trip. I¡¯ll send you more details and brief you on itter when I get the details,¡± I told him before quickly retreating out of the room.


    I cursed him silently after the door closed behind me. He was just ying with my mind just now, wasn¡¯t he?


    He¡¯s so evil. He probably knew that I wanted toe along with him, and he was just testing me. Arghh!


    I wanted to rip my hair out in frustration.


    ...


    It felt strange now that Ace was away on a business trip. At first, I didn¡¯t think too much of it and it didn¡¯t impact me in anyway. However, after an entire day went by without him contacting me in anyway, I found eyes shifting towards the screen of my phone more and more often. It got to the point where I could no longer concentrate at work by the end of the day.


    What is he doing right now? Why hasn¡¯t he contacted me at all?


    I stared intensely at the dark screen of my phone as willed for a message or call from Ace to grace the screen. Of course, that didn¡¯t happen, and I found myself feeling even more frustrated than before. On top of worrying about Ace, I had a mountain of work that I needed to do. When the senior secretary warned me about the fact that I might get busier with Ace being away, I didn¡¯t really take her warning to heart.


    Who would have thought that she was more than spot on. Ace being away meant that I had to deal with a bunch of his work as well. There were a bunch of documents that required his approval and signature. It wasn¡¯t like I had the authority to sign those documents in his ce, but it was my job to deliver them to the other managers who needed to sign them in Ace¡¯s ce. That kept me busy for most mornings and after dealing with that I had to focus on grinding out the detailed storyboard for Project Alpha. That was the hardest and the most energy-consuming part.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 103

    103 Unexpected Guest


    It was early in the evening and past working hours already when I lifted my head up from myputer to look around. There were still some people in the office. Richard was still busy working at his desk and so was Julianna. One nce over at my phone and I sighed loudly. Ace had all but disappeared on me. He probably thought nothing of it, but I had developed a stupid stubbornness and had refused to text or call him unless he contacted me first. That decision was so stupid, and it left me feeling so regretful but too prideful to contact him.


    I¡¯m so stupid. What games am I even ying with myself? He¡¯s not even aware of my plight.


    I wanted to work a bit more at the office, but I could no longer concentrate. Quickly, I packed up my stuff and shoved myptop into myputer bag with the intention to pick up on the work when I got back to my apartment. It was quite dark by the time that I left the office.


    The few days after that, I followed the same routine and ended u finishing up my storyboard design work back at my apartment. I worked hardte into the night as I drew and then redrew the storyboard on paper before transferring only the ideas that seemed to work to the presentation on myputer. It was hard work, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It made me feel like I was making progress on my career towards my dream. Although it was hard to keep my eyes from straying to my phone as thoughts of Ace entered my mind, I managed to focus enough on work to get somethings done.


    By the end of the third day, Ace had not contacted me. The only silver lining in all of this was that I had a very proud second draft of the storyline and storyboard. It may need some adjustments and I¡¯ll do that after I get some feedback from Ace when he got back. Apart from that, I just needed to touch things up here and there especially on the transition between the scenes. Overall, I was extremely proud of the work that I had achieved up to that point.


    Just like the days before this, it was dark by the time I arrived back at my apartment. When I arrived at the hallway leading to my apartment, I froze in my tracks. There was someone standing in front of my apartment door. It was a familiar sight that used to bring so much warmth to my chest especially after a long and tiring day at work. However, this sight had turned into somewhat of a source of horror for me now.


    ¡°You came backte,¡± Kyle said as he turned to smile at me.


    I did not return his smile. There¡¯s no way that I could avoid him and why do I have to avoid him?


    He¡¯s the one standing in front of my door. This is my ce, so I had no reason to run and hide. Honestly, I never thought that he woulde back here. I better find a way for him to leave and nevere back. I let out a loud and unsuppressed sigh to show my annoyance. If he keeps turning up to this ce, I¡¯m going to have to find a new apartment and moving was a hassle that I didn¡¯t need right now.


    .....


    ¡°Why are you here? What do you want?¡± I asked when I came to stand right in front of my door.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to pick up my stuff...¡± Kyle replied


    ¡°Oh, after all this time?¡± I asked with raised eyebrows.


    ¡°I left many things here, you know that, right?¡± Kyle asked as he gestured with his eyes for me to open the door.


    I looked at him with unmasked distaste. However, he was right. He did leave a bunch of his stuff here and I was such an angel that I didn¡¯t throw it all away. In fact, I packed up most of it for him into neat boxes while I waited for this day toe.


    ¡°I packed up most of your stuff already. They¡¯re in the brown boxes next to the door,¡± I told him emotionlessly.


    ¡°Did you pack up everything?¡± Kyle asked.


    I wanted to roll my eyes at him and that was exactly what I did. Since this ce was like a second home to him up until recently, I thought that it would be better for him to get the packed boxes and whatever it was that he left here himself. I rather let him into my room alone rather than going in with him. It would probably make my skin crawl or worst for me to be in that same room as him considering the memories that we used to share.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t bother to double check. You can go in to grab the boxes and look around for whatever it is that you¡¯re looking for,¡± I told him with a resigned sigh.


    The sooner that we get this done, the better. I wished that he would just leave along with all of his stuff. There were things that we bought together as well and if he wanted those too, I was more than happy for him to take them all away. I turned and unlocked the door to my apartment for him.


    ¡°Wee...¡± I said sarcastically as I gestured with my hand for him to head right inside.


    I kept my eyes down as Kyle walked past me into my apartment. He didn¡¯t ask me any questions about where anything was, and I was thankful for the fact that he also wanted to end this silently. I stood in the hallway with my eyes focused on an invisible spot on the ground as I waited for Kyle toe back out. Shortly after, he came back out with the brown boxes that I had packed up for him. Then he went back in again, probably to search for anything that I may have missed when packing up his stuff. There was a high probability that I missed out on a couple of things.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 104

    104 Crazy Men


    After a short while, Kyle emerged with a couple more little things in his hand which were his. It seemed like he was done. Just when I thought the storm had passed by peacefully, my phone started vibrating in my hand.


    Ace? Why did he have to call now of all times?


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to get that?¡± Kyle asked with fake concern.


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. You¡¯re done, right? You should leave...and please...nevere back here again. If you think you left anything else, I¡¯ll mail it to you...or something...¡± I told him before heading right into my apartment.


    ¡°You should stop dating him. He¡¯s nothing but trouble, Rina,¡± Kyle warned sternly.


    Even I could tell that he was genuinely concerned. However, maybe he was just acting. Nothing about our rtionship was sincere so I should probably doubt his words now too.


    ¡°We¡¯re not dating. Can you leave now?¡± I shot back without hesitation.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re just sleeping with him without even dating him? Don¡¯t you see how wrong that is? Aren¡¯t you just attracted to him because he¡¯s the CEO?¡± Kyle asked with a raise eyebrow.


    ¡°You dumped me to marry someone else. Don¡¯t you dare tell me what is right or wrong. Stop crossing the line, Kyle. Please don¡¯t evere near me again,¡± I said coldly.


    .....


    ¡°I¡¯m quitting,¡± Kyle said softly.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked in surprise.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving thepany,¡± he repeated solemnly.


    I had no idea why Kyle was leaving thepany and it shocked me. He loves his job and his team so much that it was hard for me to believe that he was leaving; however, his reasons are not any business of mine any longer.


    ¡°Good luck. I hope we never meet again,¡± I told him honestly.


    Before he could say anything else on the subject, I closed the door firmly in his face and locked it. The hardness of the door against my back as I leaned on it brought me some sense offort. He¡¯s gone now, Karina. He¡¯s gone now...


    The phone in my hand was still ringing and I quickly answered Ace¡¯s call. This was the call that I had been waiting for for days but now that it was here, I didn¡¯t want to pick up. I also kept Ace waiting for so long on the line. This is all Kyle¡¯s fault!


    ¡°Ace?¡± I spoke through the phone.


    ¡°Rina...sorry, thing got a little too busy andplicated over here. Sorry for not keeping in touch,¡± Ace sounded so apologetic that I didn¡¯t know how to react.


    If I was mad at him all of that anger evaporated into thin air when I heard his voice. My heart skipped a beat as I gripped my mobile phone tighter in my hand. I had so many things that I wanted to tell him but now that the time came, I was just tongue tied.


    ¡°Rina?¡± Ace called my name questioningly when I didn¡¯t reply to him.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok. Everything is fine here,¡± I managed to say after recovering from my surprise.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. I¡¯m trying to make it back a few days earlier. Being away from you for a week is probably too long,¡± Ace said with a teasingugh.


    ¡°When will you be back?¡± I asked as my chest felt tighter.


    It would be great if Ace coulde back earlier. I had no idea why I felt that way, but I really wanted to see him.


    ¡°In two days probably. How¡¯s the storyboarding along?¡± he asked casually.


    ¡°I just finished it actually. If you don¡¯t mine, can I email it over to you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°That would be great. That way, I can give you feedback right away when I get back,¡± Ace readily agreed.


    I could tell that he was pleased. Whatever trouble that he faced over there must have been resolved because Ace sounded like he was in a good mood.


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll send you an email soon,¡± I said before a small smile formed on my lips.


    Talking to Ace made me feel at ease with myself once again. I guess I hadn¡¯t realized how shaken up I felt when Kyle turned up in front of my door out of the blue like that. Although nothing bad happened, it still left me feeling very ufortable.


    ¡°Do you miss me?¡± Ace asked after a pause.


    ¡°Of course, not...¡± I muttered as I felt my face heat up at his words.


    Aceughed at my response as if he had expected it. Even if I missed him and wanted to see him, I wouldn¡¯t tell him outright like that.


    ¡°I miss you. See you soon, Rina,¡± Ace said cheerfully.


    He sounded much younger when heughs like that. The line disconnected before I could say anything else. I spent the next couple of minutes just staring at my phone with widened eyes. He said that he misses me, right?


    It¡¯s probably not true and he was just saying it to keep on messing around with my head and my heart. Even though I knew this, I couldn¡¯t stop myself from smiling.


    Afterposing myself, I sent Ace an email with thetest storyboard. This better be good enough. I put so much effort into it. The words and illustrations on the storyboard might as well have been draw in my own blood.


    ...


    After calling me that day when Kyle came to pick up his things at my room, Ace disappeared into thin air again. I was left wondering if work got busy for him again on the trip. He did mention that he was working hard so that he could return early. In the end, he never told me when exactly he would be back.


    I sighed as I stared at my phone screen. On top of not giving me a call, he also didn¡¯t reply to my work email either. I wasn¡¯t sure if he had time to take a look at the new storyboard that I sent yet or not. As the hours ticked by, I grew more and more anxious. Without his feedback on the storyboard, I felt lost, and I didn¡¯t quite know how to proceed.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 105

    105 Desperate Need


    Finally, the end of the workday arrived. Once in a while, I could leave the office on time with the other employees. The elevator going down to the lobby was filled with people and it was an experience that I haven¡¯t felt for a while. The elevator used to be so empty when I went home in the evening. I arrived home feeling very empty inside.


    Although I didn¡¯t have any work to work on tonight, I still carried myptop back with me to my apartment just in case. My apartment felt too quiet for my taste when I finally made it back. The missing brown boxes close to the exit only reminded me that Kyle had been in here recently. That thought only worked to worsen my mood. At least, his things were gone from my room now. I walked around the room as I eyed some of the furniture pieces that we picked out together. There were some things that he bought for me and some that we both chipped in to buy.


    Maybe it¡¯s time that I throw those out or donate them. It¡¯s time that Iplete move on and start fresh with my love life. It would be a shame to part with some of the items that I had grown attached too but it was something that I had to do to move on. Buying the recements is going to require some money, though. Perhaps, I could go about it slowly, piece by piece.


    The end of the month was fast approaching, and I couldn¡¯t wait to get my paycheck. It had been a while since I¡¯vest visited my mother and I wondered how she was really doing. I tried my best to call her often but with the many crazy things that had been going on, I didn¡¯t get around to calling her daily like I used to when I first got this job. At least, I could send her some money after I get paid.


    Before I knew it, it had gotten quitete into the night. I quickly showered, washed my hair, and got ready for bed. It was the strangest thing to feel ufortable when work was light, and I had free time. Ironically, when I was swamped with work, I prayed for life to go easier on me. However, now that I didn¡¯t have much to do, I found myself stressing out about being unproductive.


    Thinking about it was going to make me even more depressed so I decided to get into bed so that I could catch up on some sleep. However, just when my assnded onto my bed, the doorbell rang.


    **Ring Ring Ring**


    Seriously, who¡¯s here thiste at night?


    I felt a shiver run through my body when I thought that it might be Kyle again. Coming back home to find him standing in front of my door waiting for me was something that was going to haunt me for a while. If we had broken up in an amicable way, perhaps we could have been friends. However, with how things ended between us, I sincerely wished that we wouldn¡¯t have to talk or interact with each other again.


    .....


    The doorbell rang again while I was lost in my thoughts. The sound of the doorbell snapped me back to reality and I got off the bed. Who could it be?


    ¡°Rina!¡±


    My heart skipped a beat, and I gasped in surprise at the sound of a familiar voice. For a moment, my body froze right in front of the door as I debated with myself whether I had just imagined hearing his voice just now. Perhaps, because I had been looking forward to seeing him and weing him back, my mind had started ying tricks on me.


    ¡°Rina...¡± Ace called my name again.


    ¡°Y-Yes?¡± I answered as I opened the door.


    If my ears and my eyes were not deceiving me then Ace was standing right in front of my door in the flesh.


    ¡°Ace...did you just get back? It¡¯s sote...¡± I said while still not quite convinced that he was really here.


    Before I could finish what I wanted to say, Ace¡¯s lips were crushing forcefully onto mine and all my words were lost in his aggressive and desperate kiss. Stunned at the suddenness of his kiss, I forgot all that I wanted to say to him. Ace¡¯s arms pulled me hard against his body as his lips continued to kiss me hungrily. I could feel the intensity of his need through his demanding kiss. The wet tip of his tongue plunged in between my lips and into the depth of my mouth without hesitation. I whimpered softly as his tongue began engaging mine in a fervent dance.


    Ace kissed me so passionately that he took my breath away. He¡¯s never kissed me this intensely before. It felt like he couldn¡¯t wait to taste me and then it felt like he couldn¡¯t get enough. His hand captured the back of my head and held it in ce as he continued kissing me from various angles. His tongue thrusting firmly and deeply into my mouth to taste me. His other hand stroked my back before dipping down to stroke my waist and the small of my back seductively.


    By the time he broke our kiss, I was panting and struggling to catch my breath. My mind was lost in a daze for a moment before I came to my senses. That was when I realized that we had been kissing wildly in the middle of the hallway. Although it waste at night, it wasn¡¯t impossible for other people to see us. Ace stared at me, and I couldn¡¯t miss the fire of desire burning deep within his gaze. When Ace took a step towards me and his hand cupped the side of my face, I knew that he hasn¡¯t had enough of me yet.


    He needed more and I was starting to desire him as well. His intense desire for me only made me want him even more than before.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 106

    106 epting His Urgent Passion


    After making up my mind that I wanted this, I took a step backwards into my room. Ace followed after me without hesitation. His lips were hot against mine again and I quickly parted my lips invitation for his tongue to thrust into my mouth. I pulled Ace into my room while he continued kissing me. Ace kicked the door close behind him before his full attention returned to deepening our heated kiss.


    Our tongues mingled in an ardent dance as his hands began boldly caressing the curves of my body. I knew that it was the right decision to allow him into my room. Ace might not have hesitated to touch me like this even if we were still standing in the hallway. His hand caressed my waist before moving downwards to cup my buttocks directly. He moaned into our kiss as his hands began massaging and squeezing my ass.


    I moaned and whimpered into our wet kiss as I felt my legs grow weak beneath me. Ace¡¯s hands pulled my hips up against his. The hard outline of his erect cock brushed against my pussy through our clothes. Since I was in my short night gown, I didn¡¯t have that much on to begin with. Ace broke our kiss before his eyes travelled down my body to take in my curves. I felt heat rise to my cheeks as I blushed in response to his heated gaze.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whispered his name softly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say my name like that, I¡¯m more than turned on already...¡± Ace muttered before his hands pulled my hips against his again.


    His hardness grinded against my pussy through the thincy fabric of the underwear that I had on. I could feel his thick cock brushing against my clit and the pleasure made me moan loudly. My hips began moving to grind my pussy against the hard outline of his cock as my desire for him started to take over.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to fuck you, Rina...¡± Ace admitted boldly.


    With that said, he lifted me up into his arms princess-style while I let out a cry of surprise. Ace carried me to my bed and dumped me on there. I felt the softness of the mattress against my back and then Ace was on top of me.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± I moaned loudly when he buried his face into the side of my neck and began sucking and kissing on my sensitive skin.


    .....


    He sucked hard on my skin and the slight stinging sensation told me that he was going to leave a mark. The pleasure felt too amazing for me to care about any love marks that he would leave on my neck or anywhere else on my body. My hands moved to cradle his head before I ran my fingers through his soft dark hair.


    He sucked on my skin again and I whimpered. Ace¡¯s wet tongue traced a line down the side of my neck and my body trembled with pure pleasure. My core throbbed so hard that I thought that I was about to cum just from his seductive caresses. A pleasurable ache formed in my lower abdomen as my pussy quivered with desire.


    Ace lifted his face from my neck and sat up just enough for him to quickly unbutton his shirt and then swiftly removing it from his body. I stared in admiration at his well-built and muscr body. The way his muscles moved as he stripped off his shirt looked so sexy that it made my lower belly swirl with my lust for him.


    His hand quickly moved to unbuckle his belt before he quickly stripped the rest of his clothes and threw them down on the floor next to my bed. From his impatient actions and the wild desire in his eyes, I knew that Ace was truly at his limit. He needed to take me now.


    When his cock sprang free from his pants and boxers, I gasped at the sheer size and length of his erect cock. That was more than enough proof for me that Ace couldn¡¯t wait to move on to the next phase. My pussy twitched with my desire to feel his cock inside of me. By that time, my pussy was more than wet enough for him. My love juices had leaked out of my love hole to wet and soak my panties.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait anymore, Rina. I need you now,¡± Ace said as his eyes stared down at me.


    I didn¡¯t know what to say to him, so I just nodded my head in eptance. Ace smiled a little at me and I could tell that he was pleased and then he was on top of me again. This time his hands quickly pulled up my night gown to expose my thighs and my waist to him. Suddenly, there was only my thincey underwear that separated us.


    Ace¡¯s hands grabbed my thighs before spreading them widely apart while I moaned softly. I could feel his eyes on my pussy before his hand peeled away the thin fabric covering my love entrance. I moaned softly as Ace quickly positioned his thick cock at my entrance.


    ¡°Ahh...Ace...¡± I moaned lustily.


    The heat of his massive cock at my opening made me want to feel him inside of me. I was so wet for him, and Ace was more than ready to take me. His cock twitched against my pussy lips, and I could sense his urgency.


    ¡°Bear with me, Rina...¡± Ace whispered.


    ¡°Ahhh! Ahhhh! Ace! Ahhh!¡± I screamed loudly as my hips bucked upwards.


    Ace thrusted his cock all the way into my wet cunt in one single thrust that made me cry out at thebination of pain and pleasure that surged through my body. His cock felt bigger and hotter than normal, and my pussy struggled to amodate his size and sudden entrance. Ace began moving his cock in and out of my hole immediately after burying himself all the way to the hilt at his first entrance. He reared his hips back to withdraw his cockpletely from my hole before thrusting forward to pound his hot rod back into my wet hole.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 107

    107 Stopping Halfway


    Over and over again, he thrusted his cock into my wet pussy while I cried out with every thrust that hit me deep inside. The pain quickly transformed into a mind-shattering pleasure that was hard for my body to control and deal with. I cried out and moaned in pure bliss and ecstasy as his cock continued to fuck my wet hole. It felt like his cock had gotten even thicker and longer inside of my love tunnel and suddenly, he was hitting a pleasure spot that was even deeper than thest time.


    I cried out his name as my hips began thrusting up from the bed to meet his wild thrusts halfway, ramming his cock even deeper and harder into my flooded love hole. Ace¡¯s movements were fast and merciless. He has never taken me this urgently before. His low growls and groans of pleasure echoed around my bedroom along with my cries of pleasure as he rode me.


    ¡°Your pussy is so tight, Rina...¡± Ace groan on top of me.


    His hips continued beating his cock into my hole while I cried out from the unbelievable pleasure. Ace lifted one of my legs upwards and ced it on his shoulder. My hips got lifted up from the bed and suddenly, Ace¡¯s thrust felt much deeper than before. The thick head of his cock rammed into my womb with each of his powerful thrust. Pleasure exploded inside of my body, and I felt my pussy squirt out more love juice onto his hard dick.


    ¡°Ace! It¡¯s so good...Ahhh!¡± I cried out before more lewd moans escaped my lips.


    Lewd wet sounds echoed all around us as his cock continued pounding into my wetness and messing up my insides. Each thrust felt so good that it made me feel like I was on the verge of cumming all the time.


    ¡°I¡¯m cumming! I¡¯m cumming, Ace!¡± I yelled loudly before my mind wentpletely white.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what happened while I rode out the effects of my mind-numbing orgasm. My body felt like it was floating. I never knew that it felt so glorious to climax like this. When my mind came to, everything felt very hazy. I saw Ace on top of me and he was still moving inside of me.


    ¡°Ahhh...¡± I moaned.


    .....


    The feelings came flooding back and I could feel the ecstatic bliss from his hard cock pounding against my womb and pleasure spot. Ace groaned on top of me, and I could tell that he was also close to his limit. I wrapped my legs around his hips and my arms around his back.


    Ace¡¯s cock twitched inside of me, and I knew that he was very close to his release. I smiled up at him as I waited for him to cum. Suddenly, Ace still on top of me while my eyes widened at him in confusion.


    Why did he stop?


    ¡°I¡¯m not wearing a condom...¡± Ace confessed as he stilled above me.


    Since we were so rushed earlier, I hadn¡¯t realized that we just did it raw. No wonder his cock felt hot inside of me. As for the condom, I didn¡¯t have one. Since breaking up with Kyle I had decided to throw everything away and I never got around to restocking on condoms because I didn¡¯t think that it would be necessary. Now that I thought of it, Ace always had a condom on him whenever we did it.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok...it¡¯s a safe day,¡± I told him reassuringly as I stroked my fingertips slowly along his muscr back before sliding lower to stroke his strong and muscr arms.


    ¡°We should stop here for today,¡± Ace said decisively as he started pulling back from me.


    ¡°Wait...I¡¯ll be ok...so...please...¡± I said softly as I pleaded to him with my eyes.


    It was true that it was a safe day, but most importantly, I wanted to make him cum just like he had made me feel so good. It felt like I would go insane if he wouldn¡¯t continue.


    ¡°We can¡¯t do it. It¡¯s too risky for you...¡± Ace muttered decisively as he shook his head from side to side.


    I knew that he was trying to control himself and I admired him so much for his ability to think so logically even at a time like this. Ace heaved a sigh and slowly disentangled my arms from his body. I let my arms fall to the side and then Ace slowly withdrew his cock from my pussy. I moaned softly as sadness filled me up inside when he removed his cock entirely from my wet cunt.


    ¡°Wait, Ace...¡± I called to him as I sat up.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s better to stop here for today. I wanted to see you so much that I forgot to prepare things. It¡¯s my fault...¡± Ace said with a small smile.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I murmured his name.


    ¡°I just wanted to surprise you that I¡¯m back earlier. I didn¡¯t n on...you know...¡± Ace exined before trialing off.


    I knew exactly what he was trying to say. His words and his honestly tugged at my heart and that made me want to satisfy him even more. If he wouldn¡¯t cum inside of me then...what about...


    ¡°Can you...sit still for a bit?¡± I asked shyly.


    Ace cocked his head to the side as his hazel eyes watched me with a mix of confusion and curiosity. Regardless, Ace decided to do as I had requested.


    Slowly, Iy down a little on my stomach before bending my head down towards his cock. I was sure that Ace knew what I was going to do by that time, but if he hated it, he didn¡¯t quite have the time to stop me. I reached out my hand to hold his cock gently before I opened my mouth and engulfed the bulging head of his cock. His strong scent and manly taste filled my mouth.


    I ran my tongue around in circr motions on the head of his cock. His taste filled my mouth as Ipped further at the small hole at the tip of his cock while Ace moaned. I felt his hand at the back of my head and knew that he was enjoying the attention that I was paying to his swollen member.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 108

    108 For His Satisfaction


    ¡°Rina...¡± Ace moaned my name.


    His cock twitched in my hand as I began sucking softly on the tip of his cock. My hand pumped up and down his length while my mouth sucked harder and faster on its thick head. Ace¡¯s hand pushed down on my head as he silently urged me to take more of him into my mouth. Slowly, I lowered my head down onto his enormous love stick. Inch by inch, his cock entered my mouth. Ace moaned my name as I started bobbing my head up and down. His cock slid in and out of my mouth.


    ¡°Rina...your mouth feels amazing...¡± Ace moaned in delight.


    His hands held my head in ce before his hips thrusted up from the bed, ramming his cock into my mouth. I moaned loudly as I closed my eyes tightly shut. Ace began thrusting his hips faster as he fucked my mouth with his thick cock. His moans got louder, and his hips began moving faster. The taste of his precum filled my mouth and I knew that it wouldn¡¯t be much longer before he would cum.


    I felt strangely excited at the thought of Ace shooting his load into my mouth. His cock twitched wildly inside of my mouth, and I knew that I wouldn¡¯t have to wait much longer before I could taste his cum.


    ¡°Rina...oh...Rina...¡± Ace moaned my name.


    His hips thrusted fast and hard into my mouth a couple more times and then I felt the heat of his release erupting into my mouth. Ace shot loads of his cum into my mouth as I whimpered and willingly took it all in. His male essence filled my mouth and my senses while I waited patiently for him to empty his load into me.


    Sensing that he was done, I slowly lifted my head up from his cock. His cock slolwy slid out of my mouth. I could feel Ace¡¯s eyes on my face. I smiled a little at him before I tipped my head back and swallowed his cum without hesitation. That was a lot of cum...


    ¡°You¡¯re so sexy, Rina. Did you just swallow my cum?¡± Ace said with clear surprise.


    .....


    I nodded.


    At least he seemed impress. I smiled a little proudly at him. After all, I couldn¡¯t let him go unsatisfied after he had given me so much pleasure. Plus, I knew that he worked very hard just to make it back earlier than nned. I was too shy to thank him directly with words, but at least, I could reward him with my actions.


    Honestly, I felt slightly guilty. I never ended up telling Ace that Kyle turned up to see me here at my ce. Although I knew that I didn¡¯t owe Ace an exnation for what happened, I still felt guilty about it. I also didn¡¯t know how to bring it up to him. He would probably feel angry just like the many times before whenever Kyle entered the picture. In the end, I decided against telling him.


    When Ace turned up at my door, I didn¡¯t hesitate to allow him inside. A part of me missed him so much and I was so excited that he had returned that I wanted to spend time with him. When he kissed me, I wanted more of him, and I couldn¡¯t wait to have him. However, there was also another hidden agenda. Since Kyle was in this room, I wanted to use Ace¡¯s presence to erase all traces of him from both this room and my mind. I didn¡¯t want to recall anymore loving or hateful memories that I shared with Kyle. I wanted Ace in this room with me more than anything.


    ¡°Umm...Ace...¡± I called his name hesitantly as weid on the bed side by side.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Ace asked as he stroked my hair absentmindedly.


    He might turn me down but...I decided to ask him anyways...


    ¡°My room is very small and a little messy but...would you...like to stay the night?¡± I asked in a small voice.


    ¡°May I?¡± Ace asked after looking at me with widened eyes.


    I guess my sudden invitation surprised him. Well, it surprised me as well. Truthfully, I didn¡¯t want Ace to leave. I didn¡¯t want to sleep alone tonight.


    ¡°...Yes,¡± I replied clearly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what bought about this sudden change of heart but I¡¯m thankful for it. You better not forget about tonight. You can¡¯t use alcohol as an excuse anymore,¡± Ace warned with mocking sternness.


    ¡°I won¡¯t...¡± I replied with a shy smile.


    ¡°I won¡¯t forgive you if you do,¡± Ace replied curtly but then he smiled at me.


    ...


    Morning came much faster than I would have liked. I spent the night in Ace¡¯s warm embrace. Everything felt so perfect that it felt unreal. I didn¡¯t want the night toe to an end. However, my wish wasn¡¯t granted, and soon enough, morning arrived to disturb our rest.


    ¡°I think this scene should go before this one. It¡¯s better to be sequential when showing age transition. On top of that, the message will be stronger if you portray the scenes as going through the life stages of one person rather than different people at each stage in life,¡± Acemented with his eyes focused on theputer screen.


    Iid in bed on my side next to Ace with myptop opened. Although his eyes were on the storyboard that I was showing him, his hand continued to stroke my naked back under the nket leisurely. The warmth of his hand on my naked skin felt soothing and it was a real struggle not to fall asleep while being petted this way. We were naked and, on the bed, and never in my wildest dreams did I imagine getting feedback on my work from Ace this way.


    ¡°I see. Instead of a different kid, teenager, adult, and an elderly person, if we portray the same person then we can better capture the flow of time...¡± I murmured in agreement.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 109

    109 Getting Real


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a choice you must make between showing one person through various stages of life or to show different people in each stage. The former, as you said, shows the flow of time much better. Thetter, provides a better sense of inclusivity because you can show people of different genders, race, and demographics,¡± Ace continued to exin.


    ¡°In this case, we should probably go with your suggestion to capture the flow of time,¡± I said decisively.


    ¡°Correct. If I were you, I¡¯d do that,¡± Ace replied without hesitation.


    ¡°Thank you, Ace. Oh...and wee back,¡± I said before showing him one of my best smiles.


    Ace smiled back as his hand reached out to pat the top of my head gently.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to be back...¡± Ace saidzily.


    ...


    Time surely flew by and the first pitch presentation where the contestingpanies would present their story board to themittee was already in two weeks¡¯ time. We had less than 10 working days to put everything together. Having a great storyline and an appealing storyboard was one thing. Having an outstanding pitch presentation to showcase those two elements was an entirely different matter altogether.


    ¡°Should we invest and have a samplemercial made just to give themittee members a taste of the real thing?¡± Jeremy suggested.


    .....


    ¡°It¡¯s not umon forpanies to do that. Ourpetitors may have something along those lines to show,¡± Richard quickly agreed.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be difficult to arrange for something like that in two weeks¡¯ time but it¡¯s not entirely impossible,¡± Ace stated as his face looked thoughtful.


    Shooting a mockupmercial was difficult and also costs a lot of money. There were also risks associated with this investment. Just like most investments, it was high risk and high return. If we got it right and themittee members are impressed by it, then we¡¯re definitely going to score some bonus points. However, if they hated it then the damage might be beyond control.


    I nced over at Ace¡¯s thoughtful face as he seemed to be contemting the pros and cons of having the mockupmercial.


    ¡°Unless something is terribly wrong with our storyboard, I doubt we¡¯ll get knocked out from the first rounds of presentation. It¡¯s probably better to invest in the mockup for theter rounds when we¡¯re much surer on the storyboard and all the details. Presenting something half-ass might backfire especially right now when we don¡¯t have all the details of the scenes in ce,¡± Ace stated his decision with solid reasoning.


    Everyone, including myself, nodded in agreement and that was how the meeting came to an end. Everyone got up from their seat and headed for the door immediately. I could tell that the project had entered another phase and that demanded even more effort and concentration from all team members. I better work hard on my part too. We can¡¯t mess up this first pitch presentation no matter what.


    ¡°Rina...¡± Ace called my name.


    His voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I blinked my eyes rapidly to clear my mind before turning to smile a little at him.


    ¡°You looked so stressed just now. Is everything ok?¡± Ace asked with apparent concern.


    I guess I must have looked very worried as I thought about the work just now. There was certainly more pressure to get everything right now that the presentation was just around the corner. This was also my first time getting involved in a such an important project like this and the pressure was clearly getting to me.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I was just thinking about the uing presentation,¡± I replied.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to stress about it. With the storyboard that we have, everything should be a breeze,¡± Ace said with confidence.


    I knew that the storyboard that we had was definitely above standard for sure. It was unique and had a message that should resonate with many people. However, something just made me feel uneasy about all this. Not knowing what it was, I decided that it must have just been my nerves.


    ¡°How about we go out for dinner? Just you and me...¡± Ace suggested invitingly.


    ¡°Umm...I have work to do so...¡± I mumbled hesitantly.


    ¡°You can save it for tomorrow. Juste along,¡± Ace said insistently.


    Dinner with Ace...


    I nodded my head a little in agreement and Ace rewarded me with such a charming smile that made me think that I definitely made the right decision.


    ...


    Ace surely picked the right day to invite me out for dinner with him. Today was one of those rare days when Ace¡¯s meetings don¡¯t runte into the night. However, Ace¡¯s final meeting of the day wasn¡¯t in the office. He had to attend a meeting at one of the client¡¯s headquarters and because of that, I was told to wait for him right at the building entrance for his return.


    After clearing up my work for the day, I immediately headed to the spot where Ace was supposed to pick me up. I was anxious and I didn¡¯t want to keep him waiting. As a result of that, I arrived at our appointment ce early. I didn¡¯t mind getting there a little earlier, though.


    It was the end of the working day and many people walked by on their way home while I stood and waited for Ace¡¯s arrival. Without anything to do while I waited, my mind began to wander. Not surprisingly, my mind finally settled on thinking about Ace and the rtionship between us.


    The project was making good progress and that was definitely a plus. Everything seemed to be progressing well and that applied to my rtionship with Ace as well. Although he had asked me to be his ¡®girlfriend¡¯ multiple times, I had never said yes. Honestly, I was still confused about my feelings towards him. I did enjoy having sex with him, but I wasn¡¯t sure if I was in love with him. To make matters worse, I was quite certain that he wasn¡¯t in love with me.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 110

    110 His Wife


    One of these days, he¡¯s going to get bored of me and then what we have woulde to an unsightly end. Before I knew it, my thoughts started getting dark and very insecure. When Ace first asked me to be his girlfriend, I thought that it was the most ridiculous thing ever and I hated the idea. However, now I wasn¡¯t sure what I wanted. Maybe there was a part of me that wanted something more with him. Do I want to be his girlfriend for real?


    I found my own feelings confusing but that wasn¡¯t the only problem. One of the main reasons that stopped me from epting his proposal to be his girlfriend was because I highly doubted that he was even serious about it. No matter how I looked at it, he was just ying around with my head and my heart.


    It¡¯s probably best for me not to get too attached to him or get too serious about this. It was an easy thing to think and say, however, the pain and tightness in my chest told me that it was something very hard to achieve action-wise.


    ¡°Excuse me...¡±


    The polite and sweet sound of a woman¡¯s voice spoke up from right in front of me. I must have been too absorbed in my thoughts of Ace that I hadn¡¯t realized her presence standing in front of me. My eyes immediately went to her face, and I was met with her polite smile. An ufortable nagging feeling at the back of my mind told me that I had seen her somewhere before, but I had no idea where. Her voice did not sound familiar at all.


    ¡°Hello. How can I help you?¡± I asked politely.


    She¡¯s here in front of our office building so perhaps she¡¯s a client or a potential client here to contact someone here. Her sophisticated and expensive-looking dress did not give the vibe of an officedy, but you never know...


    ¡°Are you Karina?¡± the woman asked.


    She knows my name?


    .....


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Karina. Karina Miller,¡± I replied while trying my best to sound polite.


    I was curious as to how she knew who I was and what she wanted from me. Something told me that she wasn¡¯t looking for me to make amercial for her.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look half bad...¡± the woman said as her eyes travelled slowly from my face down my body to my feet and then back again.


    Her words and the way that she looked at me shocked me beyond words. After confirming who I was, the polite mask that she was wearing immediately dispersed and in its ce was a look of pure disgust.


    Her eyes as she seemed to appraise everything about me from my looks to the clothes that I was wearing told me that she was far from impressed.


    Who is this woman?


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± I managed to say after recovering from my shock.


    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know what Kyle saw in you, but I hope that you will stay away from him from now on...¡± the woman said without bothering to introduce herself.


    I was beginning to see what this was about, and I had a pretty good idea now who this woman is. No wonder she looked a little familiar. I haven¡¯t seen or met her in person before, but I had seen photos of her. That¡¯s right, her hair style might be different now and her make-up was lighter, but this woman is definitely the one I saw in Kyle¡¯s wedding photos.


    ¡°I see. You¡¯re Kyle¡¯s wife. What¡¯s your name again?¡± I asked before shing her an innocent smile.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what my name is. I¡¯m not here to associate myself with you,¡± she spat with clear contempt.


    Well, I¡¯ve slept with her boyfriend and then her fianc¨¦ more than a couple of times so I canpletely understand where she wasing from. I debated with myself if I should let her know that any offences were not intentional. Just like her, I had no idea that he was two-timing both of us. It felt very strange that I found everything so amusing now. Perhaps that was a solid proof that I was very over what had happened between Kyle and me.


    However, for this rudedy here, it seemed like she was far from getting over that. Honestly, I was surprised that she found out. Did Kyle confess...or...


    ¡°I see. So why are you here? You did trouble yourself to seek me out. You¡¯re not simply here to pick your husband up from work, right?¡± I asked without backing away.


    Kyle and I broke up already. He left me for her. The two of them got married. Everything is over and done with, so why is she even here?


    ¡°I am here to tell you that I know each and every little thing that you¡¯ve been doing behind my back. How dare you try to seduce my husband? He chose me and he married me. He used you, got bored of you, and then threw you away. You should learn your ce!¡± the nameless woman lectured me through gritted teeth.


    Her eyes stared daggers at me, and I could tell that she was beyond angry. Not knowing what to do, I just took in a deep breath and let out a sigh. I had no idea what she was going on about.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. In the end, he chose you. You two got married. Congrattions, by the way. It was a shame that I wasn¡¯t invite to your wedding. The photos turned out great. If you¡¯re worried about Kyle and me, you don¡¯t need to be. It¡¯s all over for us for real. If that is all then...¡± I exined as calmly as I could.


    Kyle and I didn¡¯t have a future together anymore. Neither did I want a future with him. It hurt so much at first that I thought that I wouldn¡¯t be able to recover. However, time did seem to heal everything. Time and...someone else to take up my attention.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 111

    111 Protective Intervention


    I wasn¡¯t the sore loser type. The desperate and insecure woman who seemed to be going through a fit in front of me was clearly worried about her husband. If I wanted to be a heartless bitch, I could have said some meaningful things to her; however, what good would that do me?


    Nothing. Absolutely nothing.


    ¡°Then why did he go to your room?¡± the woman asked usingly.


    Oh...was she spying on him or did she get someone to keep tabs on him.


    I didn¡¯t want to know. I really didn¡¯t want to know.


    I let out another sigh. Is it even possible to convince someone when their mind is so made-up like this?


    ¡°You¡¯repletely misunderstanding all of this. Kyle came to my room to pick up his things. That¡¯s all. There was probably something that he needed that he left behind in my room. After our...sudden break up, we didn¡¯t really talk or meet up...so...¡± I exined before trailing off with a shrug of my shoulders.


    If it had been up to me, I would have wished for him to never turn up at my door again. However, it seemed like not everything was entirely up to me or within my control. Unfortunately, so.


    ¡°Do you honestly think that I would believe such ame excuse as that? You¡¯re lying. You¡¯re just trying to seduce my husband! You shameless woman!¡± she screamed at me.


    .....


    Suddenly, I became aware that her outburst had attracted the attention of a few people that were walking by. I could see and feel their eyes on us as they seemed to wonder what was going on. If this goes on any longer or if she gets any louder than this, it will be an extremely difficult situation for me. She may not care about making a scene, but this was the front of my office building.


    ¡°Stop it. I already told you that I did no such thing,¡± I told her firmly.


    Her eyes bulged at me as she bit down hard on her lower lip that it turned white as she continued to re at me. People were staring now, and I had to turn to them to smile shyly while nodding and bowing. I mouthed a few apologies and the people started continuing on their way.


    I still had Kyle¡¯s number. Of course, I had no idea if he had changed his number, but I highly doubted it. He never called me, and I never thought of giving him a call either. However, at that moment, I started feeling like I was quickly running out of options.


    Maybe I should give Kyle a call toe here and take care of his wife before things got even more out of control.


    ¡°Elizabeth...¡±


    The woman¡¯s face transformed from her intense look of anger to a look of pure surprise. I turned when I heard the unexpected yet unfamiliar voice of the man behind me.


    ¡°Ace...¡± we both whispered his name at the same time.


    I had no idea who was more surprised to see Ace at that moment. Me or her?


    He called her ¡®Elizabeth¡¯ just now. So, her name must be Elizabeth. I cocked my head a little to the side in curiosity and confusion. The two of them seemed to know each other.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here,¡± Elizabeth said before shing Ace a slightly shy smile.


    Her temperamentpletely changed when her eyesid on Ace. It was amazing how fast the expression on her face could change. It was like all her anger towards me had evaporated into thin air, and suddenly, it seemed like she was in the best of moods. Thisdy, whoever she was, was extremely good at managing the people around her.


    ¡°You should have told me if you had decided to visit mypany,¡± Ace replied with a leveled gaze her way.


    It seemed like there was a hidden meaning in his words, one that I couldn¡¯t quite understand.


    ¡°I¡¯m not here for business so I didn¡¯t want to disturb you...¡± Elizabeth replied with an unshaken smile.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re here for personal reasons?¡± Ace asked although it didn¡¯t seem like a question.


    ¡°You could say that...¡± she murmured.


    I opened my mouth and then closed it again when I realized that I wasn¡¯t sure what to say. What was clear to me was that I didn¡¯t want Ace to find out why thisdy here was paying me a visit. I should have known that keeping Kyle¡¯s visit to my room from Ace was a bad idea. Since absolutely nothing happened between us, maybe I should have told Ace about it. Now that he might find out about Kyle¡¯s visit from someone else, I started to panic. That ¡®someone else¡¯ was none other than Kyle¡¯s wife. Since Ace seemed to know who this ¡®Elizabeth¡¯ person is, he probably knows that she is Kyle¡¯s wife too, right?


    Everything about the situation was driving me insane and I had no idea how to go about handling it. I just stood there with my mouth shut and my feet glued to the floor. When did Ace turn up? How much of our conversation did he overhear?


    When Elizabeth appeared, I forgot that I was supposed to be meeting up with Ace here. I closed my eyes briefly as I bit down on my lower lip in frustration.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about Karina. She¡¯s not the type of person that you¡¯re trying to make her out to be...¡± Ace said calmy yet extremely clearly.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whispered his name in shock.


    Ace stood next to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder before pulling me to his side. I was stunned by his protective actions and words. Did he just...stand up for me? Even when...he knew that I was involved with Kyle before?


    ¡°I do respect you and the work that you do, Ace. But this and that are totally different matters. Why are you trying to defend her?¡± Elizabeth said with clear distaste as she narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Ace and then at me.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 112

    112 Convenient Lie


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who is misunderstanding things. You see, Karina is my girlfriend now. She¡¯s no longer involved with your husband. I can personally guarantee that,¡± Ace stated as his arm tightened around my shoulders.


    What did he just say?!


    Elizabeth¡¯s eyes widened even further as she gasped and covered her open mouth with her hand. Her eyes travelled from Ace to me and then back to Ace again. It was clear that she was struggling to believe that we were dating.


    Well, I didn¡¯t me here. We¡¯re not really dating and I¡¯m not really his girlfriend. I had no idea why Ace said that, but it did seem to work in throwing herpletely off her game.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t have any more questions, then I guess we¡¯re done here. Karina and I have a dinner date together, so if you don¡¯t mind, we¡¯ll excuse ourselves now. Have a good evening,¡± Ace said as his arms dropped to circle my waist.


    With a slight push, he began leading me away with him.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Elizabeth called out quite loudly from behind us.


    We both paused in our steps, and I felt scared of what she was going to say next.


    ¡°I¡¯m expecting great things from you, Ace. I¡¯ll be seeing you soon...¡± Elizabeth directed her words at Ace.


    .....


    ¡°Same goes for me. See you soon, Elizabeth,¡± Ace replied after turning back to face her.


    Elizabeth didn¡¯t say anything more and Ace led me away in silence while I wondered what those parting words between the two of them meant. I nced up at Ace¡¯s stoic face as I pondered how those two knew each other.


    Thankfully, Ace did not mention the incident with Elizabeth at all during our time at dinner. I had so many questions that I wanted to ask him but after weighing out the benefits of fulfilling my curiosity and the risks that Ace might discover that Kyle came to my room, I decided that perhaps letting the whole thing slide by might be the best idea. Elizabeth is Kyle¡¯s wife now and so it didn¡¯t quite matter how she knew Ace. Ace probably knew a lot of people anyways.


    There was one thing that I should still ask him, though.


    ¡°Why did you lie to her?¡± I asked from across the table where we were seated.


    Ace¡¯s eyes continued looking at my face. The way that the candlelight casted shadow and orange warm light on his face made his nose and lips look even more alluring than usual. When his eyes met mine, I could see the sparkle of the candlelight reflected in them like a dancing me. It was a sight that left me momentarily speechless at how attractive he looked.


    ¡°About what?¡± Ace asked like he had no idea what I was talking about.


    ¡°That we¡¯re dating. That...I¡¯m your girlfriend...¡± I replied in a soft mumble.


    ¡°It worked. She shut up and left,¡± Ace replied like it was nothing.


    I had no idea how to feel about his attitude and how easy-going he was about dering that I was his girlfriend. It was a big deal for me, but it seemed like something extremely casual for him.


    ¡°Still, you shouldn¡¯t have lied to her. This can lead to so many misunderstandings,¡± Iined at once.


    ¡°I have the perfect solution for that,¡± Ace said after a short while of thought.


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked hopefully.


    ¡°Date me,¡± Ace stated without hesitation.


    ¡°...What?¡± I eximed in disbelief.


    How can he say that so casually and with such as emotionless face?


    ¡°If you be my girlfriend for real, then I wouldn¡¯t be lying to her and there would be no misunderstandings...just the right understanding,¡± Ace exined like it was supposed to be a no-brainer solution.


    Me dating Ace for real would present a throng of other problems. He¡¯s my boss and we¡¯re not supposed to be dating!


    ...


    **Around Two Weeks Later **


    After that dinner, Ace and I both got extremely busy with work. In the end, I never got around to formally agreeing to be his girlfriend. I wasn¡¯t even sure if he was even serious about it when he suggested that I should just date him for real. It wasn¡¯t the first time that he asked me to be his girlfriend and it wasn¡¯t the first time that I thought that he was just toying with me.


    Either he really was just ying around with me like he had probably yed around with his countless past lovers before or I was just being extremely paranoid and insecure. Regardless, I didn¡¯t dare ask him about it and I didn¡¯t dare get my hopes up that he would get serious about someone like me. Even if he did, there was no way that a longsting rtionship could ever bloom from something that started off as forbidden and wrong like what we had between us.


    Plus, a rtionship that started off with just good sex was bound to be...


    ¡°Karina...¡±


    I snapped out of my thought at the sound of my name being called. After turning around in my chair, I found Julianna standing right behind me. Did she catch me spacing out just now?


    ¡°Yes?¡± I replied before showing her one of my most polite smiles.


    ¡°The final run-through meeting will start soon. Are you prepared?¡± she asked as she stared down at me.


    I have to be. What other choices did I have?


    ¡°Yes, I am ready,¡± I replied determinedly.


    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll go check on other people. The meeting starts in 5 minutes. Don¡¯t bete,¡± she said before she turned on her heels and walked away.


    Julianna was as strict as always. Because this project was something that would directly impact the pride of thepany and the marketing team, I could understand why Julianna was so hung up on it.


    The past few days flew by in a blur ofte night working as a team to get everything together for the first pitch presentation for Project Alpha. Now we only had onest run-through meeting before the real presentation in front of the awardmittee tomorrow.


    Things better go well...


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 113

    113 D-Day


    ¡°I think we are overall very ready for the presentation tomorrow. Just like the other years, we¡¯re given roughly 15 minute to present the storyline and the storyboard. The 15 minutes also includes a couple of minutes to address questions that themittee members may have,¡± Richard exined sternly.


    ¡°We should be fine with what we have. We¡¯ve reiterated on it so many times, I¡¯m honestly quite sick of it. Let¡¯s get tomorrow¡¯s presentation over and done with so we can move on to the next phase. The detailed nning should be exciting and so will the actual production,¡± Ace said with a nod of his head.


    It as true that we reiterated the storyboard many times. Since Ace provided his first round of feedback while we were in my bed together, the storyboard went through minor changes here and there based on his second round of feedbacks and suggestions from the other team members. Somehow, with


    Jeremy¡¯s help, we were able to get everything right at the end. Everyone worked extremely hard on their part.


    Richard was right. We were very ready for the presentation tomorrow.


    Come what may. I was certain that our storyboard would pass with flying colors.


    ¡°Before we end this meeting so we can all get some sleep for the night. Julianna has some updates onst minute logistics for tomorrow¡¯s event,¡± Ace said before gesturing with his hand towards where Julianna was seated.


    She cleared her throat as if she was about to make a very important announcement before she started speaking.


    ¡°The agenda for the meeting tomorrow is the same as always. There will be an opening speech from themittee¡¯s representative and then the presentations from the various contendingpanies will start immediately. For that, I am going to share on the screen the presentation sequence that has been decided for the meeting tomorrow,¡± Julianna announced.


    .....


    All eyes were on the screen and suddenly, it seemed like the pressure in the room had increased substantially. A few secondster, the empty presentation transformed into a table listingpany names in sequence for the presentation tomorrow.


    My eyes immediatelynded on ourpany¡¯s name, and I bet that the other team members did exact same thing. Out of around twentypanies, we were fifth. My eye widened when my eyes shifted to the name of our biggestpetitor in the market and for thispetition: Chase Creatives.


    The name of ourrgestpetitor was just above ourpany¡¯s name. It seemed like we were set to present right after them. I had no idea if this was intentional or not, but it seemed like our work will bepared side-by-side right off the bat.


    ¡°It is what it is...¡± Richer murmured darkly.


    It seemed like it wasn¡¯t just me that had realized that we were schedule to present right after Chase Creatives. I had no idea how much this would impact our presentation or if at all. However, the members in the room seemed to tense up a little at this new piece of information.


    ¡°Rx. The presentation order doesn¡¯t matter. What matters is the quality of what is going to be presented. Have a little more confidence in yourself and your work, will you?¡± Ace spoke up before he smiled with confidence.


    Ace¡¯s words truly felt motivating and reassuring at the same time. I could feel the tension leave my body and the atmosphere in the room lightened a little. It wouldn¡¯t be much longer before we got to see the result of our hard work.


    ¡°Jeremy, can you stay behind for a bit?¡± Ace asked.


    Jeremy didn¡¯t seem surprised to be requested to stay behind and he just nodded his head in acknowledgement. After that the meeting was dismissed and we were all told to call it a day so that we could get adequate rest for the presentation tomorrow.


    ...


    **First Pitch Presentation Day**


    The moment that we got off thepany¡¯s bus, I was awestruck by howrge the venue was. I¡¯ve seen this venue and the inside of it various times before on television, but I had never been here. The other team members did not seem surprised by the sheer size and luxurious feel of the ce. I guess that was to be expected, it wasn¡¯t their first time here at all.


    ¡°Focus...¡± Richard hissed from behind me.


    ¡°Sorry...¡± I whispered back.


    He must have sensed that I was focusing too much on our surroundings rather than the work at hand. It has been decided naturally that Ace would be the one presenting at this meeting. The man in question was nowhere to be seen and I wondered where he was. He¡¯s not going to bete on such an important day, is he?


    Suddenly, I started feeling extremely worried. Ace had insisted that I travel along with the other team members on thepany¡¯s bus after I met up with the other team member at thepany¡¯s headquarters. I¡¯m his secretary and I don¡¯t even know where he physically was right now. Does this mean that I just failed at my job?


    I nced at the watch on my wrist and found that the event was about to start. Even though, it wasn¡¯t our turn to present yet, we were expected to be there at the start of the event in the auditorium hall. Ace knew that, and yet, he¡¯s nowhere in sight.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Stop spacing out,¡± Julianna said as she walked on ahead.


    Everyone started following her into the building before she led us to the auditorium where the meeting was scheduled to take ce. Although it was just the first round of presentations, I could feel the tension skyrocket in the air surrounding us when we entered the auditorium. Julianna seemed to know where our seats were, and she led us immediately to them.


    I stared at the sign that bore ourpany¡¯s name tobel the area of our seats while my mind wondered where Ace was?


    Maybe, I should give him a call. That was what I decided and what I did immediately after pulling out my phone.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 114

    114 Unbelievable


    I waited for the line to connect but it never did. After trying to call him a few more times, I gave up on it. The session was about to start and using the phone wasn¡¯t possible anymore unless I went outside the auditorium. The lights started dimming a little and I was force to send Ace a text message to ask him where he was instead.


    ¡°Do any of you know where Ace is? I can¡¯t get in touch with him...¡± I asked the other team members.


    They gave me nk looks that told me that they had no idea. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder why none of them were panicking right now just like I was.


    ¡°He¡¯ll be here in time for our turn to present. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Richard told me with confidence.


    ¡°Ok...¡± I mumbled in reply.


    If Richard who was usually overly strict said that it was fine, then I had to believe him and have fate that Ace would turn up on time. I knew that he was extremely busy as the CEO of thepany so maybe that was why he didn¡¯t have hours to spare to sit through this entire presentation.


    Suddenly, people started pping their hands as a lone figure walked onto the stage. ording to the program, that must be themittee¡¯s representative. The event formally started with his speech. While everyone¡¯s attention got sucked in by the representative¡¯s speech, I couldn¡¯t stop worrying about Ace.


    The presentations started right after the speech. Each presentation was capped at 15 minutes and the moderator did his job wlessly of facilitating the transition between the presentations. We were in the middle of the third presentation already which meant that there was around 20 minutes left until the start of our presentation. As far as I was aware, Ace had not yet arrived.


    ncing over at my team members, none of them seemed anxious about the fact that Ace had not arrived. The other people were very focused on the presentation, and some were actively taking notes. So far, themittee had not asked any surprising or challenging questions and their feedback had been nothing but encouraging and positive to all the teams. It seemed like everything was progressing well. Since this was just the first round, I guessed that themittee members were going easy on all the teams.


    .....


    I found the storyline and approach of the teams so far quite interesting although they were not very unique from other storylines on the topic that I have seen before from my studies. My attention shifted from my own thoughts to the stage again when the entire audience exploded into loud apud and cheering. It seemed like our biggestpetitor and contender for the year had just made their way up onto the stage.


    Chase Creatives...I wonder what they had in mind.


    ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡±


    ¡°Ace...thank heavens, you¡¯re finally here...I was so worried...¡± I said before letting out a long and relieved sigh.


    Ace casually appeared next to me and took the empty seat on my side that had been left free for him. I had so many things that I wanted to say to him, but I was just too relieved that he made it on time for me to say anything. Ace¡¯s attention wasn¡¯t really focused on me, and I quickly realized that, just like everyone else, his attention was glued to the presentation of Chase Creatives that was just about to start.


    I focused my attention on the presentation of our biggest rival as well. They say you better know your enemies as well as you know yourself and then there was something else about keeping your enemies close to you.


    ¡°Honorablemittee judges,dies, and gentlemen, it is a pleasure to be here today as a representative of Chase Creatives. My name is Elizabeth Chase, and I am the acting CEO of Chase Creatives. Today, I am proud to present to you our take on this campaign...¡± a female voice rang out loud and clear through the speakers.


    Elizabeth...


    It can¡¯t be the same Elizabeth!


    I leaned forward in my seat to get a closer look at her face. She was too far away for me to see clearly but her voice sounded familiar, and her name was exactly the same as the woman that paid me a visit very recently.


    ¡°She¡¯s really got her act together as always...¡± Acemented from next to me.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be...¡± I whispered in shock.


    Ace turned and shed me a smile that told me that he had known all along.


    But how could it possibly be?


    Is he telling me that Elizabeth, Kyle¡¯s wife, is the CEO of our biggest rival?


    ¡°Surprised?¡± Ace asked with a mocking smile with his eyes still looking straight forward at the presentation.


    My mouth hung open and I was speechless. When Kyle got married, I never dreamt that it was to the CEO of ourpany¡¯srgest rival. How small was the world?


    And...why was Kyle working at Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s if he was dating Elizabeth? Wouldn¡¯t it make more sense for him to be working at herpany instead?


    So many questions rushed through my mind, and I had no way to find the answers to them. Ace didn¡¯t seem too concern about this fact and I wondered how long he¡¯d known this. I felt so stupid for not realizing this before when I saw their wedding photo. Maybe it was because I was too focused on Kyle to really focus on his bride or maybe because I didn¡¯t spend that much time looking at the photo simply because it hurt and made me furious at his betrayal. Most of all, I never imagined that there was the slightest possibility that Elizabeth of all people would be Kyle¡¯s bride. That fact, most of all, must have been the reason why I didn¡¯t recognize her.


    Elizabeth was dressed in a pristine and expensive-looking white suit with her hair neatly pulled back into an elegant bun at the back of her head. She looked way more mature than the woman I had met in front of thepany building. The way she was dressed was also extremely different from the princess-like look that she sported when she came to meet me.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 115

    115 Completely Stolen


    Why didn¡¯t I recognize that I had been talking to the CEO of Chase Creatives? Even after I found out her name, I never connected the dots.


    Did the other people know about this already?


    But when my friends from my old department showed me their wedding photos, no one talked about the bride being the CEO of ourrgestpetitor. Did they not recognize her as well?


    Their wedding was probably a very private event, and it was not covered on the news; however, there is no mistake that the woman standing proudly on the stage right now is Kyle¡¯s wife.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look so troubled. Elizabeth just took over as CEO. It¡¯s like her trial period so it hasn¡¯t even been publicly announced yet. Just like me, she¡¯s following in her father¡¯s footsteps,¡± Ace exined as he secretly reached for my hand.


    She¡¯s not that much older than me and she¡¯s already the CEO. If what Ace said is true, then she¡¯s the only daughter of the pervious chairman of Chase Creatives. I stared at the woman who smiled confidently on the stage: Elizabeth Chase.


    Unlike the emotionally shaken woman that I encountered before, this version of Elizabeth truly lived up to her title of CEO. There was nothing that I could do but to control my shock at meeting her again like this. Just like my other team members, I strained my eyes and ears to focus on her presentation. This is the storyline and the storyboard that we¡¯re going up against.


    ¡°We are proud to present the concept of embracing natural changes and shifts in values rted to the dog meat trade as time progresses and newer generations rise up to take the ce of the old...¡± Elizabeth¡¯s voice rang out clearly.


    While providing more details of the key messages and describing each scene in the storyboard, Elizabeth flipped through the presentation slides. After a couple of scenes, a sickening knot formed in the base of my stomach and arge lump formed at the back of my throat as my mouth dropped opened at what I had just heard and seen.


    .....


    What is happening?


    Why is her storyboard almost exactly the same as mine? That aside, the storyline exactly matches with Ace¡¯s idea.


    To say that her storyboard was exactly the same would be a slight exaggeration but to say that Chase Creatives had somehow copied a version of my storyboard was not.


    ¡°We want to show people from various races and age generations and their rtionship with dogs...¡± Elizabeth continued with her presentation.


    Various scenes of people in different age groups and their rtionship with dogs were shed onto the screen as illustrations of the concept.


    My body froze in ce as many thoughts ran through my brain. How did they manage toe up with a storyboard like this?!


    ¡®...the message will be stronger if you portray the scenes as going through the life stages of one person rather than different people at each stage in life,¡¯


    That was Ace¡¯s advice and because of that I tweaked my first version of the storyboard from using different people at each stage in life to using only one person going through the various life stages instead.


    ¡°Interesting...¡± Ace murmured from close to me.


    I turned to see Ace with his eyes still on the presentation screen on the stage. Had he realized that their storyboard is basically the same one as my first version?


    If that is really the case, then everything that we had prepared for will turn out to be the same, all except for the scenes that I had edited based on Ace¡¯s rmendation. Just like me, the other team members had the same reaction and they had started murmuring to each other. The calm atmosphere around us began to turn into one of panic.


    ¡°With that, I would like to direct your attention to a mock-up version of themercial that we have prepared especially for today,¡± Elizabeth presented proudly.


    They even have a mock-up shot and ready to be yed for the audience already?!


    Just as that thought ran through my head, the lights dimmed and the mock-upmercial from Chase Creatives began ying on therge projector screen.


    No. This cannot be happening!


    ¡°Ace...¡± I turned to call him name.


    Ace had a thoughtful look on his face, and I knew that he was figuring out what we needed to do. What can we possibly do in this situation?


    ¡°Someone leaked our storyline and storyboard. This is a first...¡± Richard said as his eyes narrowed suspiciously at me.


    No. I did no such thing!


    I felt the eyes of many team members on me, and I knew that no one was on my side. It wasn¡¯t that surprising. I was the one responsible for the storyboard, so I was the one suspected of the leak. That coupled with the fact that I was the newest member to the team and the one that everyone trusted the least, made me the prime suspect in this case.


    At that time, I didn¡¯t have time to worry about myself. My mind was too preupied with the problem right in front of us. Our presentation starts right after Chase Creatives¡¯s. What are we going to do?


    The concern that was probably in everyone¡¯s mind, but no one was willing to voice out loud was voiced first by none other than Ace.


    ¡°Since our presentation starts after theirs, it doesn¡¯t even matter what the truth is. It will simply look like we¡¯ve copied their idea instead...¡± Ace stated before scoffing at the ridiculousness of the idea.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whispered his name.


    His eyes shifted to mine in the dark and to my surprise, his hand reached for mine and gave it aforting squeeze. Unlike the rest of us, Ace seemed extremely calm and collected in this dire situation.


    ¡°We¡¯ll make it through. It¡¯s just the first round. We can¡¯t fail here,¡± Ace said reassuringly before he nodded at me and the rest of the team members.


    I had no idea what he had in mind, but the meeting was about to start in less than a few minutes.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 116

    116 Weathering the Storm


    ¡°Julianna, can you buy us some time?¡± Ace asked with a smile.


    ¡°Leave it to me. I don¡¯t work in marketing for nothing...¡± Julianna said as she got up from her seat.


    She seemed to believe that she could buy us some time and Ace seem confident enough to leave things on that end in her hands. It was clear by now that we can¡¯t go up there and present the storyboard that we had prepared for this meeting. However, we can¡¯t go up there without anything to present either.


    ¡°Jeremy, you got this, right?¡± Ace asked as he turned to Jeremy.


    That was when I realized that Jeremy had hisptop open and was busy working on something. From where I was seating, I couldn¡¯t see hisptop screen. Richard had his eyes on Jeremy¡¯sptop scream as he nodded his head. Jeremy started exchanging some words with Richard before he turned to Ace and smiled.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got this, Boss,¡± he said,pletely unfazed.


    Rounds of apud thundered all around us and that marked the end of Chase Creatives¡¯ presentation. Now it was our turn.


    ¡°Thank you for everyone¡¯s attention. We will be taking a short 10-minute break before proceeding with the next presentation. Thank you for your patience,¡± the host announced.


    ¡°Wow. She bought us 10 minutes. Julianna is amazing...¡± Ace said with a small chuckle.


    .....


    ¡°This way, Boss...¡± Jeremy called out for Ace to follow him.


    ...


    The past ten minutes must have been the longest ten minutes in my entire life. After Ace and Jeremy disappeared, I was left with the rest of the team members. By that time, I had already figured that somehow this leak must have been my fault. The fact that the person who got her hands on my storyboard sequence was in fact Kyle¡¯s wife only made me feel even more convinced that I was the source of the leak.


    Unfortunately, everyone¡¯s thoughts were correct. Ever since breaking up with him, I wasn¡¯t in contact with Kyle, and I definitely did not talk to him about the work that I had been working on. Even when he talked to me and warned me about Ace, I never told him about Project Alpha. As an employee of thepany and someone working in this industry, he must have heard about thepetition.


    I couldn¡¯t think of a potential leak apart from one event. A loud sigh escaped my lips and I felt multiple pairs of piercing gazes on my face. If Kyle was responsible for the leak, then it must have happened that evening when he came to my ce. Thinking back, I was so rushed to get him to leave that I let him go into my room alone. I didn¡¯t remember things so clearly for that day, but was it possible for him to see my storyboard or get a hold of it somehow while he was acting like he was packing up his things?


    That had to be it because I couldn¡¯t think of anything else.


    A feeling of guilt like I had never felt before consumed me and suddenly, my entire body was trembling. My lower lip shook, and I had to bite down on it while my entire body started feeling very cold. This crisis that we were going through was all because of my carelessness. Ace and the entire team were suffering because of me. That wasn¡¯t the extent to the damage, if we don¡¯t get through this first round what would happen to the reputation of thepany that I admired so much that I wanted to work here no matter what.


    This is all my fault.


    It angered me that Kyle had somehow betrayed me a second time but the anger that I felt towards him paled inparison to the anger that I felt towards myself. How did I let something like this happen?


    All the while that I had been worried and feeling guilty about hiding Kyle¡¯s visit to my room from Ace, I should have been worried about our confidential data leak. I didn¡¯t dare face the people in my team anymore and I was thankful that they did not directly shout or yell at me right there in the auditorium. Although, if they did, I would dly take it. I truly deserved their wraith this time around without a doubt.


    I wanted to crawl into a hole to hide from all the shame so that I could cry in private. However, that wasn¡¯t a realistic option right now.


    ¡°What do you think will happen?¡± a team member spoke up.


    ¡°Ace, Jeremy, and Richard will figure out something for sure,¡± another member answered with confidence.


    Even at a time like this, it was amazing how the other team members had so much fate in Ace and the other members. Somehow, we¡¯re going to get through this, right?


    ¡°Shhh! It¡¯s starting...¡± another member hissed.


    He was right, Ace¡¯s presentation was about to start. Unlike what was nned, Ace took the stage with a smiling Jeremy at his side.


    The presentation progressed so smoothly that I bet that no one in themittee or the audience could tell that something extremely wrong had taken ce behind the scenes. When the first slide of the storyboard was projected, everyone in the team including myself, gasped out loud.


    The storyboard is entirely different...


    When did those two work on this?


    ¡°That¡¯s Ace for you. n B...¡± Julianna spoke up with clear admiration in her voice.


    ¡°Always have a n B...¡± Richard murmured in agreement with a nod of his head.


    Did these people know already that Ace had been working with Jeremy on another storyline and storyboard?


    He didn¡¯t even tell me about it...


    I recalled Ace telling Jeremy to stay behind after the meeting. Did they stay back to revies this backup storyboard together?


    Of course, I was relieved that there was another storyboard that could be used in our proposal that wasn¡¯t basically the same as the one stolen and presented beforehand by ourpetitor, but I just couldn¡¯t stop thinking of why Ace didn¡¯t mention this to me.


    Did he not...trust me?


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 117

    117 Entirely to me


    My eyes were glued to the presentation that was taking ce on the stage. Ace and Jeremy presented very well in sync with one another with Ace adding more vor and thoughts to Jeremy¡¯s description of his storyboard. I had no idea if those two practiced for this or not, but it truly looked like they had rehearsed this more than a handful of times. Either that, or the two of them could pull something like this off at a whim.


    Regardless of the unexpected turn of events, ourpany managed to pass the first round of thepetition and even receiving a fewpliments from some of themittee members. I guess it was a good idea that Ace split the team up into smaller teams to get different angles and to develop various storyline and storyboards for this project. As a result of that there were back up ns and back up storyboards that could be beefed up for the presentation.


    Even though everyone including myself was relief that the presentation went and ended well, we couldn¡¯t simply ignore the fact that Chase Creatives had stolen our original idea and storyboard. The worst part was that there wasn¡¯t any solid proof for us to take any further action with that. At least, that was how I viewed things. I bit on my lower lip as Jeremy and Ace walked off the stage as reality came flooding back to me.


    Now that the presentation was over, my attention reverted to focus on the fact that I was the one responsible for the leak. The result of that was detrimental for the course of this project. Because Ace and Jeremy had presented another storyboard entirely, the one that was stolen could no longer be used by ourpany. Instead, it would be used by Chase Creatives.


    I closed my eyes and let all the terrible feelings bubble to the surface. Ace and I worked so hard on getting the storyline and putting together the storyboard. I really put my sweat and tears into that and now it was all stolen and gone.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here...¡± Julianna said dispassionately as she stood up from her seat.


    The other team members did the same and began walking out. I could feel their intimidating and using stares as they walked past me. After they had gone ahead, I got up from my seat and heaved arge sigh before exiting the auditorium. The presentation was over but none of this was really over. The burning question on everyone¡¯s mind right now is probably who was responsible for the leak and how did it happen. Depending on the circumstances, I realize that this could be considered one of the worst possible crimes in our industry: corporate spying or espionage.


    ...


    When we all arrived back to the office after a silent and suffocating drive, Ace called for a team meeting immediately. It didn¡¯te as a surprise to me. There were matters about Project Alpha¡¯s direction and changes that probably needed to be discuss. On top of that, there was the issue of the confidential information leak.


    .....


    Everyone entered the meeting room, and I was among them. As usual, everyone took their seat at the meeting table. Ace and Jeremy were thest two to make it into the room. Ace took his usual seat at the table. Despite all that had taken ce, Ace seemed extremely calm as if it did not bother him at all.


    ¡°Well, some interesting things happened today...¡± Ace said when he sat down.


    ¡°Excuse me. Before we start the meeting, there is something that I would like to say,¡± Julianna spoke up quite loudly.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Ace said invitingly.


    ¡°Karina does not belong here in this meeting. Please excuse her from this meeting. Until we can clear her suspicion for the storyboard leak, I firmly believe that she should not participate in this meeting or be exposed to anymore confidential information. Please consider my request,¡± Julianna dered boldly as she pointed a finger my way.


    The way that the other team members looked my way with a look filled with contempt and disgust made me certain that everyone probably felt the same way. I guess it shouldn¡¯t surprise me. Julianna was bold and straightforward about it, but she was right. I should not be here until all suspicions around me are cleared.


    ¡°I agree. Karina, please leave the meeting for now,¡± Ace said without hesitation.


    ¡°One more thing,¡± Richard spoke up loudly.


    Ace nodded at Richard for him to go on and that was what he did.


    ¡°I request for a thorough investigation to get to the bottom about the source of the recent confidential information leak,¡± Richard stated sternly.


    ¡°Approved. I was nning to do exactly that without your request. Thispany does have protocols to deal with these matters and I believe that all of you are aware of that already,¡± Ace replied calmly and smoothly.


    All eyes were on me as I stood up from my seat. I nodded a little to excuse myself in silence. I could still feel everyone¡¯s re burning into my back as I walked out of the room and closed the meeting room door firmly behind me.


    Well, that was aplete disaster, wasn¡¯t it?


    Not knowing where to go and what to do, I decided to take a walk to clear my head a little. I knew that sooner orter, I had to talk to Ace directly about this to clear up all the misunderstandings and to also owe up to the mistake that I made. After all, intentional or not, I am the one responsible for this mess.


    Once again, I was forced to realize that my job and my entire career was at risk. I fully admit that it was my fault for being careless and that all of this happened because of me; however, for what it¡¯s worth, I just wanted Ace to know that it wasn¡¯t intentional. I didn¡¯t n any of this. Most of all, I would never betray him or thepany that I admire so much.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 118

    118 Time to Confess


    My brain was too consumed with my troubled thoughts that I didn¡¯t even pay attention to where I was going. When I realized it, my feet had somehow taken me to the park next to the office building. It has been years since I¡¯ve been to this park. In fact, now that I think about it, I probably never came back to this part intentionally after that day that I met Ace. I looked down at the same bench that I had been sitting on that fateful day that we first met.


    While feeling slightly confused as to how I ended up here, I sat down on the bench. It seemed liked I¡¯ve made so much progress in life since thest time that I sat down here with blisters on my feet from wearing shoes of the wrong size. Back then, I didn¡¯t have anything except for the love and support from my mother. I was hungry for life and desperate to get a job. From then till now, I got a job, I got a boyfriend, and I got to work on many projects that felt like a dreame true for me. My financial situation improved a little and my mother didn¡¯t have to work as hard as before.


    However, now that I was back here, I realized that I¡¯ve lost, or I was about to lose, the many things that I¡¯ve gained. Maybe after running in circles, I¡¯ve returned to the same ce as I was a few years ago. My boyfriend dumped me, and our rtionship wasn¡¯t even real or sincere to begin with. I still had a job but who knew if I would still have one after thepany exposes my rtion to the recent confidential information leakage.


    It would suck to lose my dream job now. I didn¡¯t have a lot of money saved up either. If I got fired, I guess finding another job in this industry would virtually be impossible. My mother would be so shocked, and I would feel so ashamed to tell her. I didn¡¯t even tell her about the mini scandal that happened between Kyle and me because I didn¡¯t want to worry her.


    Leaning back against the back of the bench, I tipped my head back and looked straight up at the sky. I¡¯m so troubled right now, so howe you¡¯re still so clear and blue?


    If I leave thispany, I probably won¡¯t get to see Ace anymore either...and I haven¡¯t even returned his money to him.


    Honestly, I had no idea how long I sat there while I wrestled with my thoughts on that bench in the park. It was early in the afternoon on a weekday, and no one walked by at all. That just made me feel like I was alone in the world more than ever before. By the time that my phone vibrated in my hands, I had already made up my mind on what I wanted and needed to do about this unfortunate situation that I had found myself in.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I said once the line connected.


    I knew without looking at the phone screen that the call was from Ace and that his meeting with the team must be over. Immediately, I got up from the bench and began my walk to the exit of the park.


    .....


    ¡°Where are you right now?¡± Ace asked and I could feel the worry in his tone.


    For him to be worried about me even after what I had done just made me feel even more guilty than before and my chest started to feel tight. I bit on my lower lip to keep my tears back.


    ¡°I¡¯m close to the office. I¡¯ll be back in a few minutes. Should I meet you in your office?¡± I asked while trying to sound normal.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ace replied curtly.


    Before I could say anything else the line disconnected. I stopped in my tracks and looked up at the small little birds flying by, the tree branches swaying in the wind, and the clear and cloudless blue sky. The world is going to keep on turning regardless of what happens to me and maybe that was the way that it was supposed to be.


    ...


    Did I feel this nervous and scared the first time that I came to Ace¡¯s office?


    I stood in front of the door to Ace¡¯s office as I tried my best to gather my courage to face what was waiting for me beyond this door. Ace¡¯sck of reaction made it hard for me to gauge his feelings; however, my best guess was that he was extremely angry. I mean, what else could it be?


    ¡°Sorry that I¡¯mte...¡± I apologized softly when I entered his office.


    I had a feeling that I would be apologizing countless of times before this session between us came to an end. Ace was seated behind his desk, and I was reminded once again that he was in fact the CEO of thisrgepany. Without the need for him to tell me what to do, I took the seat opposite from his desk.


    ¡°Let¡¯s cut to the chase. Tell me exactly what happened, and don¡¯t you dare lie to me,¡± Ace said as his hazel brown eyes stared intently at me from across the table.


    Although I had chosen my words already for how I was going to confess this whole thing to him, when the time came, panic started to take over and a huge lump formed in my throat. My tongue was tied, and my mind became nk. For a moment, I struggled to find the words as my mind attempted to recall the words that I had prepared. Ace stared at me in silence as he waited for me to get it out.


    ¡°The truth is...I believe that I am the source of the leak. I didn¡¯t do it intentionally!¡± I burst out saying.


    Ace didn¡¯t seem surprised at my words and his eyes urged me to go on without him making any kind ofment.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 119

    119 Trust in Me


    ¡°When I figured out that Elizabeth, Kyle¡¯s wife, is in fact Elizabeth Chase of Chase Creatives, I realized that the leak must have been from me. You see...while you were away on your recent business trip, Kyle came to see me at my apartment. I didn¡¯t want him to be there but when I got home, he was already there right in front of my door waiting for me...¡± I confessed truthfully.


    ¡°And?¡± Ace prompted for me to go on.


    ¡°And...he told me that he was just there to pick up his stuff. I didn¡¯t think much of it at the time. Honesty, I was just too worried about being in the same room as him, so I just let him go in to grab the things that I¡¯ve packed for him. He wasn¡¯t in there for that long, but I guess during that time...he probably stole the idea that I had for the storyboard...¡± I continued with my spection.


    ¡°I see...¡± I muttered sternly.


    ¡°It is my fault. I¡¯m not here to make any excuses for myself. It¡¯s my fault for leaving papers with confidential informationying around like that. I should have been more careful, but I never thought that it would lead to something like this...¡± I said as guilt and regret flooded my chest.


    Ace looked at me with cold and emotionless eyes. The Devil CEO was back, and I couldn¡¯t read him at all. He was sitting so close to me, but he felt like he was so far away. Somewhere that I could no longer reach. It was then that I fully realized that I didn¡¯t quite care what other people thought of me as long as Ace would just believe me. I wanted him to believe that I didn¡¯t have any bad intentions and that I would never betray him or thepany that I work for.


    ¡°We¡¯re having this conversation because I am your direct supervisor right now; however, as per protocols, this will go to the disciplinary board of thepany. They¡¯ll decide how to handle this...¡± Ace stated matter-of-factly.


    I knew well that this issue was no small matter and so this piece of news did not surprise me at all. At first, I thought that I would be more scared of facing the disciplinary board. Among the staff and based on historical cases that were handled there, no one emerged without a job termination. Some even emerged with a fewwsuits attached to their name.


    I guess getting off with just losing my job is going to be the bare minimum...


    .....


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with that. I know the procedure quite well so I think I know what to expect in this case...¡± I said.


    ¡°Good then,¡± Ace replied with a tight smile.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I called his name softly to get his attention.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I...I¡¯m very sorry. I just want you to believe me that I really didn¡¯t intend for something like this to happen. I¡¯m sorry that I kept Kyle¡¯s visit from you. I honestly just didn¡¯t want you to get mad at me and nothing happened between Kyle and me. I¡¯m extremely sorry for disappointing you...¡± I apologize as my voice shook with intense emotions.


    Ace was silent for a moment, but he kept his eyes on me. His intense gaze made me feel extremely exposed and vulnerable; however, I tried my best to hold his gaze to show him that I was being honest. I had never felt this guilty before in my life. I had never been this scared of disappointing someone and letting someone down. Ace gave me a once in a lifetime opportunity in my dream career, but I ruined it all and caused so much trouble for him, the team, and thepany.


    ¡°I believe you,¡± Ace said as he looked straight at me.


    I blinked my eyes rapidly as I failed to process his direct words. Of course, I heard what he had just said but...wasn¡¯t this a little too easy?


    ¡°...Really?¡± I asked in unfeigned surprised when I had recovered from my initial shock.


    Ace just nodded at me before he offered me a little smile. It might have just been me or the dire situation that I was in that made his little smile feel like it was filled with so much trust and so much warmth. I bit on my lower lip as tears stung the back of my eyes.


    Emotions so intense that it was hard to describe rushed into my chest as I felt extremely thankful for his kind words and the unshaken belief that he seemed to still have in me. It was beyond what I could have dared to hope for to still have him believe in me and that I didn¡¯t have a hand in selling out our secret.


    I didn¡¯t betray him or anyone. I never will.


    ¡°Thank you...for believing in me...¡± I said as my voice shook with emotion.


    I made the fatal mistaking of blinking my eyes which led torge drops of tears to roll down my cheeks. Ace just watched me in silence as I openly began to sob and cry right in front of him. I was thankful that he did not make an effort tofort me because that would have just made me feel even guiltier than I already felt. Instead, Ace gave me some time to cry and let it all out as he waited for me patiently to collect myself.


    When it seemed like I was emotionally stable enough, Ace smiled at me before he went on to tell me what was going to happen next. I had already braced myself for what was toe and so I was pleasantly surprised at theck of extremity of the changes that would be put in ce for the time being.


    ¡°I have no other choice but to take you off Project Alpha for now. Unless things change, you should consider this change permanent. That being said, until the disciplinary boardpletes their investigation on your case and a decision is made, you will continue to work as my secretary. That would be all. Any questions?¡± Ace exined formally.


    ¡°No. None at all. Thank you very much and I am extremely sorry for all the inconveniences and damage that I have caused,¡± I said politely.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 120

    120 Recovery Dinner


    ¡°Well, now that that is out of the way, want to go out for dinner with me tonight?¡± Ace asked in such a cheerful voice that my eyes snapped up from the tightly clenched hands on myp to his face.


    His sudden invitation caught me by surprise. It seemed like the formal part of this chat was over and now Ace had reverted into the version that he was usually like when we were alone.


    ¡°Umm...¡± I murmured hesitantly.


    I had no idea how to react to that.


    ¡°This is for you...¡± Ace said as he passed me a couple of tissue after pulling it out from the box on his desk.


    ¡°Thank you...¡± I thanked him while taking the tissues from his hand.


    Realizing that my face was probably still a mess, I quickly dabbed at the tears in my eyes and the tear stains on my cheeks. Ace watched me with a look of pure sympathy and a strong feeling of guilt flooded my chest again. Now that I was at it, I decided to blow my nose as well.


    The loud sound that my nose made brought out a chuckle from Ace. I nced over at his smiling andughing face and a small smile formed on my lips.


    Yes, the situation was detrimental, and I may not have this job for long; however, it wasn¡¯t the worst of the worst yet. After all, Ace seemed to believe in me, and he was still willing to stay by my side.


    .....


    ¡°Let¡¯s...go out for dinner...¡± I said softly yet decisively.


    ¡°Let¡¯s skip work and then go out for dinner,¡± Ace dered with a satisfied grin on his beautiful lips.


    Now it was my time to giggle a little. Overall, I felt extremely beaten, sorrowful, and remorseful. However, Ace¡¯s presence did cheer me up a little.


    ¡°Cheer up, Rina. It¡¯s very far from the end of the world. It¡¯s shit but these shitty things can happen to the best of us,¡± Ace saidfortingly.


    I looked down and nodded my head when I felt the warmth and weight of hisrge hand on the top of my head. There was no need for me to look at him to tell what kind of face Ace was making at that moment.


    Thank you, Ace...


    ...


    The private and well-hidden restaurant that Ace took me to was a very surprising change. Needless to say, I have never heard of or seen this restaurant before and I doubt that it was within the price range that my sry could afford. A middle-aged man who introduced himself as the manager of the ce greeted us warmly. The way that Ace chatted with the man told me that this wasn¡¯t his first time here.


    The restaurant resembled more of a house than a proper restaurant. After entering the house that was decorated in the cowboy theme, we were led to the second floor. I let him take my hand and lead me up the narrow flight of stairs that led to the second floor of the house. Unlike the first floor that had many tables and a bar, the second floor only had a single table. Clearly, privacy came at a cost.


    ¡°I likeing here. It¡¯s very peaceful and quiet...on the second floor...¡± Ace said before shing a smile at me.


    I could see that. The second floor had a single private room and that was where we were. It was peaceful and very quiet with us being the only ones there. To match with the theme of the decoration, the ce served steak as the main dish.


    ¡°Some wine?¡± Ace asked.


    I smiled at him and nodded.


    Ace went ahead and ordered for us after asking me for my preferences. We were left alone once again and that was when I started asking Ace the questions that were on my mind.


    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m impressed that you and Jeremy had a spare storyboard...¡± I said to start the conversation.


    ¡°We always have it. It¡¯s not everyday that ideas will get stolen in such a brazen manner like what happened today but there are other reasons why we may need a backup storyboard,¡± Ace replied smoothly.


    ¡°I see...¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Themittee or the client may hate the storyboard that we presented so having a backup that is different can help save the day and turn the meeting around. Sometimes, it can y a big role in determining whether we get to keep the contract or not. Jeremy is a pro at creating storyboards in a short amount of time. It may not be 100% like the main one but it¡¯s definitely presentable,¡± Ace exined matter-of-factly.


    Having a n B is probably one of the reasons why Ace does so well in his career and his rtionship with his clients.


    ¡°It really did save the day today...¡± I said in agreement.


    I sipped the red wine in silence. Drinking wasn¡¯t really for me, and I had learnt that the hard way but a ss of wine shouldn¡¯t hurt. I really needed something to lift my spirits up after all that took ce today. For the life of me, I still couldn¡¯t believe that Elizabeth, the woman that Kyle married, is the brand-new CEO of Chase Creatives. If what Ace said about her family background is true then she¡¯s not just the CEO, she¡¯s the heir to Chase Creatives.


    ¡®I¡¯m quitting...I¡¯m leaving thepany,¡¯


    Kyle did tell me that he was leaving thepany when he came over to my ce. I cursed him silently as anger started to boil up inside of me again. He should have just told me that he had married the heir to our biggestpetitor and that was why he had to quit his job. Plus, he just couldn¡¯t quit without taking my idea over to sell it to the other side just to please his wife.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look so down or you¡¯re going to make the food taste bad,¡± Ace warned yfully.


    I was too wrapped up in my thoughts to realize that a waiter had turned up to the side of our table.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 121

    121 Worries and Rain


    The waiter ced arge te of steak in front of me and I knew instinctively that Ace had over ordered for me. There was no way that I could eat this much meat all in one meal.


    ¡°Thank you...¡± I thanked the waiter politely and he offered me a friendly smile in return.


    We discontinued our conversation until we were left alone again. I didn¡¯t intend to look down, but I guess my efforts to look perky didn¡¯t lead to a sessful result.


    ¡°What are you worried about?¡± Ace asked.


    Everything. That was my honest answer. Everything from my own guilt to worrying about losing my job to not being able to send money home to my mother. I was worried about everything and from so many different angles. However, it wasn¡¯t like I could tell Ace all of that. I knew well enough that Ace was doing his best to help me. I mean, he could have fired on the spot after I outright confessed that I was the source of the leak, intentionally or not.


    ¡°Many things, but it is what it is. We all have to learn to live with reality, right?¡± I replied while trying to sound brave.


    When I put a small piece of steak into my mouth, I realized that the good and expensive meat was wasted on me. With my current state of mind, I could hardly taste anything at all.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that you know this already but just be honest when you talk to the disciplinary board. They¡¯re a bunch of old people but they¡¯re not unfair,¡± Ace advised.


    ¡°I fully intend to. It¡¯s just as I told you before, I¡¯m not going to make any excuses for myself. It was my fault, and they have the right to punish me however they see fit...¡± I replied.


    .....


    Maybe moving back to live with my mother and finding a job nearby to home might not be too bad. With the experience that I have working at such arge and well-knownpany, some smallpany around there might take me in even if I had a tainted employment history. I could discount on my current sry if they couldn¡¯t afford to hire me. Living with my mother would help me save on the rent and it would probablypensate each other.


    ¡°What are you thinking about? It looks like your mind is everywhere but here,¡± Ace asked with an amused smile on his lips.


    ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m...very distracted with my own thoughts...¡± I replied truthfully.


    ¡°I think I know how you feel, and this might sound like I¡¯m not taking your side but...¡± Ace began saying before he paused to think of the right words.


    ¡°What?¡± I urged him as my curiosity started taking over.


    ¡°Never mind. It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯ll tell you when the timing is right...¡± Ace replied before attacking the steak in front of him.


    I let it slide by without asking him any further questions on that matter. There was probably a right time for everything.


    ...


    Of all the days that it had to storm, it had to be today. After finishing our dinner, I took up Ace¡¯s offer to drive me back to my ce. I was too tired and too depressed to even protest or suggest that I take the cab. In the end, I just let him do whatever that he wanted to do.


    Luck was partly on our side in the sense that it didn¡¯t start raining before we got into the car. However, less than 5 minutes after we were on the road, it started to rain. The light shower of rain quickly turned into a full-on storm. The sound ofrge rain drops beating down on the car echoed quite loudly in the car. The wind and the rain made it hard to see as well.


    Does it usually rain this time of year? Is this an off-season typhoon?


    ¡°Guess this is what we get for not checking the weather forecast,¡± Ace said with a small chuckle.


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of checking it if we can¡¯t change the weather...¡± I muttered in response.


    The rain made me feel worst about my situation and, most of all, myself.


    ¡°Stop sounding so grumpy and sad,¡± Ace teased as he reached out his hand and patted the top of my head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡± I whispered.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing for you to be sorry for. I just don¡¯t want you to stress unnecessarily,¡± Ace replied lightly.


    ¡°Yeah...¡± I murmured.


    Although I tried my best to smile back at him, my inner thoughts were dark and disturbed. If Ace wasn¡¯t with me right now, I had no idea what I would be doing. Drinking alone at some random bar to drown my sorrows, probably. I felt even worst and more lost than when Kyle randomly dumped me out of nowhere. Nothing could everpare to the pain, anger, frustration, and guilt that I felt right at that moment.


    Because of the rain, it took much longer than normal for us to arrive at my apartment building. Thankfully, there were some free parking spaces in front of the building. However, that meant that we had to run into the building in the rain.


    ¡°You can send me off here. It¡¯s raining so...¡± I began saying.


    ¡°Why do you think I¡¯m scared of some rain? I¡¯m not a cat, you know...¡± Ace replied back teasingly.


    Before I could stop him, he opened the door and got out of the car.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I murmured his name as my eyes widened in shock.


    Ace quickly came to my side of the car and then the door at my side opened.


    ¡°Get out. Don¡¯t just sit there while I get wet...¡± Ace continued teasing me as he offered me hisrge hand.


    ¡°T-Thank you...¡± I managed to say before cing my hand in his.


    Together we ran into the building. With the heavy rain, our clothes were both quite wet by the time that we made it into the building. Ace shook his head from side to side and ran his fingers through his wet hair. He looks a little...like a dog...


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 122

    122 Impassioned Comforting


    ¡°Let¡¯s go...¡± Ace muttered impatiently as he tugged on my hand for me to follow after him.


    It felt strange for Ace to be the one leading me to my own room, but it felt strangely pleasant as well. His hand around mine felt warm and it reminded me of how much I didn¡¯t want to be alone right now.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that we would get this wet. You should take a warm bath and go to sleep. Don¡¯t over think things, ok?¡± Ace instructed as he smiled at me.


    Ace waited until I unlocked the door and opened it before he waved goodbye to me. I was a grown and independent woman, I told myself silently in my head as I watch Ace turn and walk away.


    ¡°Ace!¡± I called out to him quite loudly before I could stop myself.


    It was when I felt something warm and wet against my cheek did, I realize that I had wrapped my arms around him and had pressed the side of my face against his back.


    What did I...just do?


    ¡°Rina...¡± Ace whispered my name as he turned his head to look at me.


    Suddenly, I felt too embarrassed at my forward action that I didn¡¯t dare meet his eyes. Instead, I buried my face into his back and hugged him even tighter than before.


    .....


    ¡°Please...stay...¡± I murmured into his back.


    ...


    The door of my room closed behind us with a loud m. I didn¡¯t see the door close because all I could see was Ace¡¯s face right in front of mine. It wasn¡¯t long before I tasted his lips on mine again along with the warmth of his embrace. Ace¡¯s arms circled my waist and pulled me hard against his body as his lips sought for mine.


    ¡°Ahh...Ace...¡± I moaned in sweet surrender into our heated kiss.


    His lips captured mine and I parted my lips invitingly for his wet tongue to enter my mouth. I moaned softly at the feel of his tongue invading the depths of my mouth. His kiss melted me and made me feel so warm inside. His arms around my body as he stroked my backforted me and pushed all my fears back. I was such a fool not to know how much I didn¡¯t want to be alone tonight until I was hugging him to me and begging for him to stay the night with me with both my words and my actions.


    Ace kissed me sweetly before his kiss got more demanding and aggressive. His tongue teased mine before engaging my tongue in a passionate dance that left me yearning for even more of him. I whimpered weakly into our kiss as he groaned with passion. His manly hands started exploring the curves of my body before he pushed me against the wall.


    His lips crushed down on top of mine in a kiss so rough and so desperate that it made my heart skip a beat. I parted my lips seductively before thrusting out my tongue to meet his. Ace¡¯s hands stroked the sides of my waist before slipping up to cup my breasts boldly and firmly. I moaned into our ardent kiss from the pleasure of his hands ying around with my sensitive tits.


    Although my clothes were wet, I didn¡¯t feel cold at all. Instead, my body felt so hot from my desire for him. My core throbbed and a pleasurable knot started forming in the pit of my stomach. Ace continued kissing me and I kissed him back as roughly as he was giving it to me. His hand squeezed my breasts firmly as my hands began tugging at his clothes. I wanted to run my hands along his naked body. I wanted to touch him directly.


    His clothes were also wet. Ace paused his attention on my breasts just long enough to partially grant my wish by shrugging off his suit. I pulled on his tie before offering up my lips to him seductively. Ace took my lips in another passionate kiss without hesitation. His kisses felt so good. He¡¯s such a good kisser.


    I could spend my entire life just kissing him and that would be satisfying enough for me.


    ¡°Your shirt is see-through...it¡¯s so sexy, Rina...¡± Ace said when he finally broke our kiss.


    I was panting by that time and my chest heaving up and down in my wet see-through white shirt must have been a sexy sight for Ace. His hazel eyes stared down at my chest before his hands pulled roughly at the front of my shirt.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whispered his name as desire flooded my brain and senses.


    Ace¡¯s hands were impatient as he tugged and pulled on the front of my shirt. Some buttons were unbuttoned while some were sent flying. I didn¡¯t care about anything else anymore when I felt his heated breath against the naked skin of my chest.


    ¡°Ahhh...Ace...¡± I moaned as I cupped the back of his head with my hand.


    I thrusted my chest seductively towards his face as he buried his face in between my breasts. His warm breath tickled my sensitive skin but that was nothingpared to the wet heat of his tongue. Ace licked the skin in between my breasts and louder moans escaped from my lips. Trapping me between the wall and hisrge and tall frame, Ace continued to lick and kiss my breasts while I cried out louder and louder from the intense pleasure.


    His hand cupped my right breast and squeezed it roughly as his hot mouth moved to suck on my swollen nipple. I cried out his name as my fingers clenched around his dark hair. Ace sucked on my nipple mercilessly as his fingers started skillfully ying with the other one. My pussy throbbed with need as more love honey leaked out of my hole to wet my panties. My core pulsated with need as the heat building up inside of me became unbearable.


    ¡°Ace...please...¡± I pleaded him for more pleasure.


    When I wanted Ace to stay the night with me, I wasn¡¯t sure what I had in mind. However, the pleasure that he was making me feel proved to be a very effective cure to the stress and other horrible feelings that I had been feeling for the whole day.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 123

    123 Desperate Need for Him


    With each blissful caress, he slowly made me forget all my pain and suffering. As my desire and need for him flooded my brain and chased out other thoughts, I felt so alive and so free. I wanted him to make me his and I wanted to make him mine.


    ¡°Tell me what you want me to do to you, Rina...¡± Ace coaxed seductively close to my ear.


    ¡°I want to touch you...please...take off your shirt...¡± I pleaded in a small voice.


    Despite my shyness, my hands reached out boldly towards his chest and began unbuttoning the buttons of his shirt. Ace chuckled a little at me before his hands went to help me strip his upper body. His tie and his shirt quickly fell to the floor, and I had him in my arms again.


    I was so pleased that he was spoiling me. Ace probably knew that this was the way that I wanted and needed him tofort me. I couldn¡¯t wait for him to continueforting me all night long until I forgot everything even if it was just for tonight. I sighed with pure bliss as I ran my hands along his muscr back. The sensation of his muscles flexing and rxing against the palm of my hands felt wonderful. His skin was warm, and he felt so alive. I hugged him closer and pressed my breasts up against him.


    When I pressed my cheek against his chest, Ace¡¯srge hand stroked my hairfortingly. I closed my eyes in bliss and breathed in his familiar scent as the sound of his strong heartbeat filled my ears.


    ¡°Feeling better?¡± Ace asked needlessly.


    I nodded my head against his lips as a smile formed on my lips. It felt like an eternity had passed since thest time that I smiled from my heart like this.


    ¡°What else do you want, Rina?¡± Ace asked again.


    .....


    ¡°Touch me...¡± I begged in between I pants and lewd moans.


    I lifted my head and stared directly into his eyes. The desire that burnt in the depth of his eyes turned me on even more and I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if there was a simr fire burning in my eyes and if he could see it too when he stared into my eyes.


    ¡°Where? Where do you want me to touch you, Rina?¡± Ace asked in a voice so sexy that I wanted to scream for him to take me right then and there.


    ¡°Here...touch me...here...¡± I demanded.


    Boldly, I took his hand and guided it under my skirt and between my legs. Ace smiled at me, and I could tell that he was proud of my forwardness. His other hand helped pull my skirt up my thighs before his eyes rested on the deep redcey panties that I had on.


    ¡°Let me take this off...¡± Ace said as he hooked his fingers into the stic waistband of my panties.


    I nodded my head once in approval and soon my panties were off my legs. After kicking them stepping out of my panties and kicking it softly away, my attention returned to Ace just in time for me to receive his rough kiss. He crushed his lips firmly on top of mine and I began kissing him back with maddening passion. Our tongue entangled in a passionate dance as I boldly guided his hand back to the wetness in between my legs.


    I moaned into our wet kiss when I felt his fingers against my wet slit. Ace expertly found my swollen pleasure nub and began stroking and pushing against it with his fingertips. My hips began moving, thrusting my pussy greedily against his hand as I parted my legs even wider apart. My love juices squirted out of my pussy hole and wetted my thigh as his touch continued to turn me on. My core throbbed with need for him, and my pussy wouldn¡¯t stop quivering from his touch.


    ¡°Ahhh...Ace...¡± I moaned in pure bliss after breaking our kiss.


    Ace had thrusted his thick and long fingers into my pussy hole before he began wriggling them inside of me. Ace¡¯s fingers felt along my wet pussy walls as I clenched hard around him.


    ¡°Yes...so good...¡± I moaned my satisfaction.


    His thick and long fingers began pumping in and out of my hole as my pussy made wet lewd sounds. My wetness leaked out onto my inner thighs as he continued pounding his thick fingers into my hot wetness. The way his finger rammed against my pleasure spot made my entire lower body feel weak and I couldn¡¯t stop moaning and screaming his name loudly.


    ¡°Your neighbors are going to hear...¡± Ace teased.


    I knew that they would but there wasn¡¯t anything that I could do about it. Even if I tried to cover my mouth, I still ended up screaming quite loudly to deal with the maddening pleasure that was coursing through my body in endless waves.


    It wasn¡¯t long after he found my g-spot and began thrusting fast and hard against it that I climaxed intensely from his fingers. My pussy clenched around his intruding fingers so hard as it tried to feel even more of him. When Ace removed his fingers from my hole, my wet nectar dripped out onto my thighs while I panted and whimpered his name.


    My hands reached for his belt and began fumbling with it in my desperation to free his cock from its restraint. Ace chuckled at me from above and I could tell that he had his eyes on me.


    ¡°Can¡¯t wait?¡± Ace asked teasingly.


    I was panting hard as my fingers worked hard to unbuckle his belt before I began unzipping his pants. Ace removed my hand from the front of his pants before he began undressing himself. He must have thought that I was useless at what I was doing. I was thankful to Ace for stepping in to provide me some must-needed assistance. Now that Ace was on the job, I leaned my back against the slightly cold wall as I struggled to catch my breath.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 124

    124 Rough and Raw Loving


    Ace took out a condom before he removed his clothespletely. It seemed like Ace came very prepared today; however, I was about to surprise him with hopefully some pleasing news.


    ¡°Ace...I¡¯m on the pills so...you don¡¯t have to use that...¡± I admitted to him shyly.


    What am I saying? When did I get so bold about this?


    Since we almost had to stop halfway before and I had to finish him off in my mouth, I felt a little guilty. Plus, I wanted to feel him...directly...


    ¡°Really? Thank you, Rina. I really can¡¯t wait to do you raw...¡± Ace thanked me after a moment of surprise.


    Me, too. I couldn¡¯t wait to feel his hot and raw cock inside of me.


    His fingers reached out and held my chin before he ced a soft and sweet kiss onto my lips as if to thank me for the favor that I had just done for him and for us. I whimpered as Ace back me up against the wall. His cock was thick and very erect, and I knew that he was ready take me already.


    Ace¡¯srge hand lifted my left thigh up and spread it to the side. I moaned as I felt my pussy hole stretch open. Ace positioned the thick head of his cock at my entrance, and I felt his heat against my wet slit for a moment before Ace firmly thrusted his cock deeply into my eager pussy hole.


    ¡°Ahhhh! Yes...¡± I cried out in pure bliss as the feel of his cock stretching my opening and filling up my wet insides.


    .....


    His hands were under my ass and soon he was lifting me up while I moaned softly in sweet surrender. Ace lifted me up with ease as I wrapped my arms around his neck for support.


    ¡°Wrap your legs around me...¡± Acemanded in a voice thick with lust.


    I did as I was told and wrapped my legs around his hips just like my arms were wrapped around his neck. Suddenly, it felt like his cock was even deeper inside of me and the angle of his pration felt so amazingly pleasurable. Ace¡¯srge hands grabbed my ass as he began thrusting his cock in and out of my wet pussy.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahh! Oh...Ahhh!¡± I moaned passionately with each of his deep and hard thrusts into me.


    Ace¡¯s cock pounded harder and faster into me as he shook my body to meet his thrusts. It felt so good that I had to dig my nails into his back in my desperate attempt to hang on as endless surges of pleasure flooded my entire body and robbed my mind of the ability to think. His cock felt so hot and hard inside of me and I could feel him so much more now that he wasn¡¯t wearing a condom.


    ¡°Your pussy feels so good, Rina...¡± Ace groaned before his hips began pumping his cock even faster into my wet tunnel.


    I cried out his name as I clenched my pussy hard around his thick manhood. Ace groaned my name passionately as we continued our wild mating. My pussy quivered around his cock as it seemed to hit me even deeper inside. His cock must have gotten thicker and longer again inside of me. When his cock pounded against my sensitive spot, I cried out loudly.


    ¡°Ace...I¡¯m cumming!¡± I cried out as my orgasm suddenly took over me.


    I could no longer handle the strong pleasure that invaded my body. It didn¡¯t take long for his thrusts to drive me over the edge, and I climaxed spectacrly. My body trembled as I hugged him close to me, pressing my heaving breasts against his chest. Ace¡¯s hand reached up to stroke my hair lovingly as I rode out the aftereffects of my mind-shattering climax.


    With his cock still buried deep inside of me, Ace walked us over to the bed. The sensation of his cock moving inside of my hole with each step that he took made me yearn for more of his wild loving. Ace slowly ced me onto my back on the bed as he got on top of me.


    ¡°I want to cum inside you, Rina...¡± Ace admitted as his hazel eyes stared down at me with untamed passion.


    I didn¡¯t know what to say so I just nodded my head at him. As if pleased that he had gotten my permission, Ace grabbed my thighs and spread them widely apart before he reared his hips back and pounded his gigantic cock back all the way into my wet pussy.


    ¡°Ahhh! Oh...it¡¯s so deep!¡± I cried out at his sudden and rough entrance.


    Ace growled loudly as he began thrusting his cock forcefully in and out of my hole. His cock hit my womb with each powerful stroke that left me reeling from the impact. I cried out his name until my voice sounded hoarse and I couldn¡¯t cry out anymore. He¡¯s going to make me cum again...and very soon...


    I could already feel my orgasm building up inside of me as it threatened to tear me apart from the inside out. Ace lifted my right leg up and ced it on his shoulder before he began pumping his cock faster and faster into my wet heat. I knew that he was already close to his release and so was I.


    ¡°Let¡¯s cum together, Rina...¡± Ace urged.


    ¡°Ahh! Ace...I¡¯m going to cum...already...¡± I confessed shamelessly.


    I could barely hang on anymore...


    ¡°Just cum, Rina...¡± Ace growled.


    After a few more hard thrusts against my womb, I climaxed again as my pussy clenched hard around the thick girth of his cock. Ace thrusted fast and hard into me as he sprinted towards his own release.


    ¡°Ahh! Rina...Rina!¡± he cried out my name when he finally came.


    The hot heat of his seed flooded my insides as his cock twitched around inside of my tight love hole. My pussy clenched around him as it worked hard to squeeze out his cum hungrily. I sighed in bliss as I felt his heat fill me up deep inside. It made me feel strangely happy as Ace hugged me and kissed my forehead softly. I closed my eyes as my lips curved up into a smile.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 125

    125 Loving Support


    ¡°Are you feeling better?¡± Ace asked as his brown eyes stared at my face with a worried look.


    Is it morning...already?


    I didn¡¯t remember much of what happenedst night after Ace made wild love to me. After dinner, I invited Ace to spend the night with me and he ended up making love to me as a way tofort me. A blush crept into my face as I thought of how I had begged him to love me. We also did it raw...


    It was great. Much better than I imagined possible.


    Although my body felt heavy and well-used and my mind was sleepy, overall, I felt much better than I did yesterday. My troubles were far from over and I knew that the worst was yet toe; however, the world looked a little more colorful than it did yesterday. I probably had Ace to thank for that.


    ¡°Yes, thank you...¡± I thanked him with all my heart.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I had to take you off Project Alpha for the time being,¡± Ace said with clear regret.


    ¡°Oh no, you don¡¯t have to be sorry for anything. If anyone has to be sorry, it should be me. After everything is over and done with, please give me the chance to properly apologize to everyone in the CEO¡¯s office,¡± I said softly before mustering a smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look so down. You¡¯re still my personal secretary,¡± Ace said before winking at me.


    .....


    That¡¯s true...but I wonder how long I can even keep that position. If the disciplinary board deems me as deceitful then I probably won¡¯t have a ce in thispany anymore, much less as Ace¡¯s secretary.


    ¡°Sorry...¡± I whispered.


    ¡°You just keep apologizing. What are you ¡®sorry¡¯ for this time?¡± Ace asked teasingly.


    ¡°For...using you...tofort me...¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that for you anytime...¡± Ace said followed by a softugh.


    He wrapped his arms tighter around me before he ced aforting kiss on my forehead. His gentle and loving gesture brought a smile of my lips and a bit of optimism to my mind.


    I had never thought this way before, but at that moment, I was certain that I would be so sad when I finally have to say my final goodbye to him. Even though I knew that that day woulde sooner orter between us, I never thought that it woulde this soon or quite like this.


    ...


    Despite Ace¡¯s suggestion for me to take a few days off from work to let things cool off, I only took one day off work to get myself together. I knew well what Ace was worried about, but I didn¡¯t feel like running away from it was going to solve my problem or make me feel the slightest bit better about myself. I returned to work with the full expectation that the news and rumors surrounding the information leak and my involvement would have spread all around the office like wildfire.


    That was why it came as a surprise to me when everything seemed very normal at the office when I arrived there. Everyone seemed to be progressing with work normally. There were no groups of people gathered together to share gossip. It felt like no one knew about what had just happened yesterday and that felt like a small miracle for me.


    The next surprise arrived when I got a simple text from Ace telling me that he would not be in the office for the entire morning. He didn¡¯t say where he was going or when he woulde back to the office, but I assumed that it would be early in the afternoon. I sent him a reply asking him where he was, but I never got a reply even after waiting for more than an hour.


    Since I was taken off Project Alpha and Ace wasn¡¯t in the office, I didn¡¯t have much to do with my time. I didn¡¯t have ess to the CEO¡¯s office where I used to work anymore, and I didn¡¯t feel like I would be weed there. As a result, I ended up grabbing a drink from the vending machine in the break area before I found myself in Ace¡¯s napping area. He might actually punish me again if he found out that I came up here. At least, I wasn¡¯t disturbing his nap since I knew that he wasn¡¯t even in this building.


    I wondered where he went off to as I tipped the can back and gulped down some sweet and fruity-tasting soda drink. The sugar made me feel better and I closed my eyes before letting out a sigh. Ace had some meetings scheduled for this morning, but he decided to skip out on all of those and went off somewhere instead.


    Where on earth did he go off to?


    The view from the top of the building was truly breathtaking. Even in the state of mind that I was in, I could still appreciate the beauty of the city¡¯s skyline. Perhaps, my depression wasn¡¯t as bad as I thought that it was. I took another sip of the drink from the can.


    I hoped that the disciplinary board would schedule a meeting with me soon. There probably won¡¯t be any good news there, but at least, it would give me some rity about my future. Regardless, I was prepared for the worst.


    Now, how should I tell my mother that I lost the dream job that I had so desperately been chasing after for all these years?


    She would probably be disappointed in me. I¡¯m sorry, mum...


    Normally, I would have cried but no tears came to my eyes. I just felt a little numb inside and that was all.


    Karina, at least you¡¯re growing up a little...


    The sound of my phone vibrating snapped me out of my thoughts, and I answered the call without checking the caller ID. Something told me that it was Ace and that I wasn¡¯t wrong.


    ¡°Where are you?¡± Ace asked immediately once the line connected.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 126

    126 Party Invitation


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve invaded your private napping space...¡± I admitted jokingly.


    ¡°You shall be thoroughly punished...¡± Ace teased darkly.


    Aceughed teasingly and I began smiling like a fool.


    ¡°Are you in your office?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Come,¡± Ace replied in short before the line disconnected.


    ...


    After spending hours bracing myself for the bad news that was toe, I found myself extremely surprised by the news that Ace brought to me.


    ¡°Where did you go off to all morning? You missed out on quite a few meetings...¡± I inquired.


    ¡°Nowhere...¡± Ace replied.


    .....


    In other words, it was none of my business. I pressed my lips into a thin line, but Ace didn¡¯t go on exin anything to me. Instead, he changed the topicpletely.


    ¡°There¡¯s a partying up that I want you to attend with me,¡± Ace informed me casually.


    ¡°A party?¡± I repeated curiously.


    ¡°There¡¯s a boring red-carpet eventing up at one of our client¡¯s productunch event. That being said, it¡¯s not a standard productunch event...¡± Ace exined a little.


    ¡°And...you want me toe along?¡± I asked to make sure that I understood this properly.


    Did my job as his secretary include this in the package as well?


    ¡°Of course. Why else would I bother inviting you if I didn¡¯t want you there with me?¡± Ace replied sarcastically.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that it¡¯s a good idea...¡± I murmured.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Ace asked with an amuse smile on his lips.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know...it might be strange for your secretary to turn up...¡± I voiced my concern softly.


    ¡°It¡¯spletely fine,¡± Ace replied dismissively.


    ¡°People might get the wrong idea about us,¡± I continued protesting.


    He¡¯s got to see how strange this was, right?


    People don¡¯t really appear at public events escorted by their secretary, right?


    ¡°Or the right one,¡± Ace replied before shing me a charming smile.


    ¡°Can I not go?¡± I asked while still daring to harbor some hope.


    ¡°No. You¡¯reing along. This is the invitation,¡± Ace said as he handed over an boratevender-colored envelop to me.


    I opened the enveloped and pulled out the even more borately designed invitation card. After scanning the card with my eyes, I figured that it was theunch of a luxury jewelry line. I recognized the brand, and it was true that ourpany made theunchmercial for them as well as numerous other campaigns for other brands in their conglomerate in the past. My eyes zoomed in at the detail of the party set up and schedule before my eyes widened.


    ¡°We need to dance? Like ballroom dancing?¡± I asked in disbelief.


    ¡°Of course. It¡¯s even stated in the invitation...¡± Ace replied like he already knew.


    Did he invite me so that I would be his dance partner?


    Suddenly the task at hand became even moreplicated. On top of that...


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you don¡¯t know how to dance...¡± Ace guessed as he arched a brow at me.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t know how to dance.


    ¡°Is it supposed to be amon skill in our line of work?¡± I retorted.


    Of course, I had no idea how to dance. Not surprisingly, with the way that we were struggling financially, I never had a chance to take any of those extra sses to learn fancy things like ballroom dancing. It also never crossed my mind that I would need to dance like that in my life.


    ¡°Maybe I shouldn¡¯t go after all,¡± I told him.


    ¡°Time to learn,¡± Ace interjected abruptly.


    ¡°Huh?¡± I gasped in disbelief.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get you a teacher so don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll get it down in no time at all,¡± Ace said encouragingly as he smiled a little mischievously at me.


    ¡°No, please. That is absolutely not necessary,¡± I stated firmly.


    With everything that was going on, I had to learn how to dance now of all times?


    ¡°So, you would prefer that I taught you myself?¡± Ace asked with an innocent smile on his lips.


    That is not what I meant. At all.


    ...


    A few days passed by as if I was living in a vacuum. Everything felt quite empty and pretty much nothing happened in my life. I didn¡¯t hear anything from Ace or the disciplinary board about the progress of the investigation rted to the information leak. Since Ace didn¡¯t say anything, I decided not to ask. I was sure that the disciplinary board would call for me soon. Right now, all I could do was wait patiently for my judgement.


    The only thing that seemed to be making progress was my enrollment at a prestigious dancing school. I stared up at the dance studio in front of me while I wondered just how far Ace was going to take this. Ace stood at my side before he took my hand and turned to offer me a gleeful smile. At that moment, I felt like a kid being dragged to ballet school against her will. It wasn¡¯t like my mother could afford something like that for me, so I didn¡¯t truly know what it felt like to go to ballet school but that was my best guess.


    ¡°Are you serious...?¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s not much for you to do at work now so you might as well concentrate on this and count it as part of your work,¡± Ace replied smoothly.


    ¡°Aha...¡± I muttered without knowing what else to say in response to that.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a short course but the instructor is supposed to be very gifted at what she does. Good luck, Rina. I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll do great!¡± Ace said encouragingly.


    ¡°Yeah...¡± I muttered.


    Ace dragged me after him into the dance studio without hesitation. I found out quickly from the dance instructor that Ace had enrolled me in a one-week intensive course that would ensure that I could dance presentably by the end of it. I had to say that I didn¡¯t have much talent when it came to dancing; however, this was somehow part of my job now.


    ¡°We¡¯ll start off with the basics today. Please rx and just follow my lead,¡± the instructor said with a smile.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 127

    127 His Dance Partner


    ¡°Ok...¡± I replied softly.


    Everything about the ss was great and the instructor was very patient with me; however, I found it very hard to concentrate even though it was a private ss. The main reason behind that was the fact that Ace was also in the dance studio, and he had his eyes on me the entire time. My body stiffened and it was impossible for me to rx under his gaze. I was extremely conscious of his eyes on my body the entire time and that made me feel very distracted.


    ¡°Should we take a break?¡± the instructor suggested.


    I smiled at her apologetically before nodding my head. She didn¡¯t say it outright, but I could tell that the ss wasn¡¯t progressing well. My instructor could probably sense that I wasn¡¯t focused and had suggested the break. I should use this opportunity to tell Ace that it was fine for him to leave. The truth was, I believed that I could concentrate on the ss better if he was not around.


    Now how do I tell him this without causing a war to break out?


    ¡°How are you doing? Is it hard?¡± Ace asked with an amused chuckle.


    ¡°Well, the thing is...I think that you should go back to work. It must be boring for you to just wait here, right?¡± I suggested before smiling sweetly at him.


    Please get the clue and just...leave...


    ¡°Not at all. It¡¯s fun to watch you do your best,¡± Ace replied without hesitation.


    .....


    ¡°Well...umm...don¡¯t you have work to do? You know Project Alpha and all those management meetings?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Jeremy is doing great with Richard and the rest at managing the next steps for Project Alpha and I¡¯ve got other managers covering the meetings. There¡¯s nothing for you to be worried about. Just focus on your lessons,¡± Ace replied reassuringly.


    That was exactly what I intended to do but he was making that impossible for me.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I called his name as I strengthened my resolve.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he askedzily.


    ¡°The truth is, I can¡¯t concentrate with you here. You¡¯re staring at me...and that makes me feel...distracted and ufortable...¡± I managed to get the words out.


    Ace looked at me with surprise before he seemed thoughtful about my words. After a moment of silence, he heaved a loud sigh of resignation.


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll leave but I¡¯ll be back to pick you up, ok?¡± Ace finally relented.


    ¡°Yes, ok. Thank you...¡± I replied with full relief.


    The rest of the lesson progressed quiet smoothly considering myck of skill and natural gift on this particr subject. At least, with Ace gone, I could concentrate better and slowly but surely my dancing skills started to improve.


    ...


    **Around a weekter**


    With my daily dance sses keeping me busy, I hardly got a chance to go into the office. Looking back, I was thankful for Ace¡¯s effort in keeping me busy so that I wouldn¡¯t go crazy from my own insecurities and giving me an excuse to stay away from thepany. I had no idea how the Project Alpha was progressing but with Ace in the lead, I was sure that things were progressing smoothly onto the second phase. It was such a shame that the storyboard that we co-developed couldn¡¯t be used anymore but I had started to move on from that.


    Only my intensive dance sses kept me busy. The course truly lived up to its name and I had sore muscles for the first few days until my body started to adjust. My teacher was patient with me and truly encouraging and supportive. As a result, I would say that I could dance decently well enough at the end of the course.


    ¡°Today is the final day of the course so there¡¯s a little assessment test for you. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not difficult at all. With all the practice that you¡¯ve done, this should be a breeze,¡± the instructor announced with a smile.


    ¡°Alright...¡± I said.


    ¡°Great. The test is simple. You will dance to a song with a partner while I will assess your dance moves. That¡¯s it,¡± the instructor exined.


    Seemed simple enough. It didn¡¯t differ much from what I¡¯ve been doing during my practice sessions.


    ¡°Ok...¡± I replied with a nod of my head.


    ¡°Great then. We already have your partner here and ready to go,¡± the instructor said as she gestured towards the door of the studio.


    I started having a bad feeling when the door began opening and it didn¡¯t take long for my worst suspicion to take shape in reality.


    ¡°Good afternoon, Rina,¡± Ace said as he walked proudly into the dance studio.


    I should have known. Really, I should have known that something like this was bound to happen sooner orter.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I murmured his name.


    Ace shed me a sweet smile and I knew that he had nned this thing all right from the start. He probably found much pleasure in teasing me like this. If we were going to the party together then it probably made sense that we would be dancing together. However, was that really necessary. Can¡¯t I just...stand to the side?


    It seemed like it was already toote for that now. Ace approached me and his eyes swept down my body from my face down to my feet and then back again.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get you changed,¡± he said.


    ¡°Oh, right. It¡¯s always better to practice in the actual dress that you¡¯ll be wearing especially if you¡¯re new at this. Sometimes the length of the skirt and the weight of the dress can cause difficulties and unexpected situations on the day itself,¡± the instructor quickly agreed.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t have a dress...¡± I murmured.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem because I have it,¡± Ace stated before he beamed a smile at me.


    He has...what?


    ¡°I got a dress tailored especially for you for this party. I¡¯m sure that it would fit and look great on you,¡± Ace announced proudly.


    As if on cue, there was a knock on the studio¡¯s door and a slightly plump woman popped her head in. With a nod from Ace, she entered the studio and quickly delivered the dress that Ace had mentioned.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 128

    128 Following His Lead


    ¡°Here you go, this is for you,¡± Ace said as offered me the dress.


    ¡°Thank you...I guess...¡± I mumbled in thanks.


    The dress turned out to be a perfect fit. Too perfect that it was quite scary. I turned around to check out my own reflection in the mirror. The deep burgundy dress that Ace got tailored for me hugged my figure perfectly and outlines my curves. Thankfully, the skirt wasn¡¯t too long and moving about wasn¡¯t too difficult. Dancing in this might require some additional practice, though.


    ¡°You look good in the dress,¡± Acemented when I came to stand in front of him.


    ¡°You mean, the dress looks good on me?¡± I offered a correction.


    He shook his head and smiled at me.


    ¡°You look beautiful,¡± Ace replied as his brown eyes held mine.


    The instructor cleared her throat to get our attention and I ended up blushing while Ace just offered her a smile.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start. We don¡¯t have all day...¡± my instructor said teasingly.


    .....


    ¡°May I have this dance?¡± Ace asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes.


    What else can I say?


    ¡°Yes...¡± I replied and ced my hand into his outstretched hand.


    The music yed and I suddenly began feeling very nervous. I¡¯m really going to dance with Ace.


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill me...¡± I whispered as I stared up at his face.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Ace whispered back teasingly.


    ¡°If I step on your feet, please don¡¯t kill me...¡± I pleaded with a shy smile.


    ¡°I have other ways to punish you, don¡¯t worry...¡± Ace whispered close to my ear so that is words were for me only.


    A tremor ran through my body at his seductive words while Ace smirked down at me. It didn¡¯t take me long to figure out that Ace was extremely skilled at dancing. Dancing with Ace turned out to be surprisingly easy. He took the lead and all I had to do was follow his lead. It was just as my instructor had told me before, if my partner was skilled, he would lead me.


    Ace twirled me around before pulling me back into his arms. His hand on the small of my back made me feel very close to him. The music continued ying and soon I found myself lost in the magic and the rhythm of his dance. I felt Ace¡¯s eyes on me and when I looked up, our eyes met. He offered me an encouraging smile that told me that I was doing well, and I found myself smiling back at him so naturally.


    The skirt of the dressplimented the dance quite well and because it wasn¡¯t too long, I managed to move around without any trouble.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite good at this,¡± Ace praised me openly.


    ¡°Thanks to your lead,¡± I replied humbly.


    The music came to an end and so did our dance. I survived to the end without stepping on Ace¡¯s foot. That achievement alone made me feel very proud of myself. My instructor pped loudly for us, and it was clear that I had passed my little test.


    ¡°That was amazing. You two look like a match made in heaven,¡± she said before smiling brightly at us.


    ¡°No, we¡¯re...¡± I began protesting but decided to m my mouth shut when Ace shot me a warning look.


    ¡°Thank you. It¡¯s all thanks to you for teaching Rina over this past week,¡± Ace thanked her politely.


    ¡°Not at all. She¡¯s a very good student. I hope you enjoy your party,¡± she replied.


    That marked the end of my intensive dance course. I wouldn¡¯t go as far as to say that dancing was for me, but I did enjoy my time at the dance school and picking up a new skill wasn¡¯t a bad thing.


    ...


    The day of the event had finally arrived. It was a Saturday with perfect weather. Ace picked me up at my ce at around 6PM because the event was scheduled to start at 7PM. Precisely because this party was also for business, I knew that Ace didn¡¯t want to turn upte. That meant that I couldn¡¯t cause any dys. I made sure that I was dressed and ready to go right on the dot.


    ¡°You look even prettier than usual today,¡± Aceplimented me as his eyes scanned my body.


    ¡°Thanks...¡± I replied with a shy smile.


    Thankfully my looks seemed to have passed Ace¡¯s standards. I spent hours in front of the mirror trying to get my make up right after turning down his suggestion to hire make up artists. The red lipstick that I had on went quite well with the color of the dress and I thought that I looked quite decent and presentable.


    ¡°What am I supposed to do during the event?¡± I asked when we were sitting together in the back of his long and ck limousine.


    ¡°Not much. Just stay by my side, dance with me, and keep me well entertained,¡± Ace replied cheerfully.


    He seemed to be in a very good mood despite the fact that he wasn¡¯t quite looking forward to this event.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like not much...¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Comining already?¡± Ace asked teasingly.


    ¡°Umm...no...¡± I replied softly.


    It was nothing new for Ace to be demanding. I should have known that already from my past personal experience in dealing with him.


    Although I tried to not think about it, the fact that I had not heard anything about the investigation bothered me and it was always there at the back of my mind. I nced over at Ace as I debated with myself if I should ask him about it again or if I would get a different response from the times before.


    ¡°Ace, when will the disciplinary board call for me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Are you that eager to talk to them?¡± Ace asked in return.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that but...without any progress, it just keeps me hanging...and I get worried sometimes about what¡¯s going to happen,¡± I replied as I tried to find the best words to exin my thoughts.


    ¡°Who knows? Maybe nothing is going to happen...¡± Ace replied casually.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± I asked.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 129

    129 Why He Invited Me


    ¡°Just like I said. Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯re working hard to investigate the issue,¡± Ace said before he took my hand in his.


    To my surprise, he kissed the back of my hand tenderly. The softness and warmth of his lips against the back of my hand made my heart skip a beat, and for a moment, I forgot what I wanted to say.


    ¡°But how can they investigate the issue without talking to me about it?¡± I asked in wonder.


    ¡°They¡¯ll call for you when they are ready. This is a sensitive issue so they¡¯re being extra careful and detailed about it,¡± Ace replied smoothly.


    ¡°I see...¡± I murmured.


    Shortly after, we arrived at the event and Ace helped me out of the car amidst therge crowd of reporters and cameramen that have gathered to greet us on the red carpet. Ace smiled and was very calm, probably because he was used to this. The same couldn¡¯t be said about how I was feeling inside. I stood next to Ace and stered a smile on my lips as we got our photos taken together. I wasn¡¯t even sure if it was fine for us to have our photos taken together like this.


    This is for work. I reminded myself repeatedly.


    Ace was immediately weed by the host of the event who was also one of our prominent clients. Since I¡¯ve never been to this kind of event before, I felt out of ce. I smiled politely at our client as the two men greeted each other warmly.


    ¡°This is my secretary, Karina,¡± Ace introduced me as he wrapped his arm around my waist.


    .....


    My body immediately stiffened but I managed to smile at our client. The middle-aged man with thinning light brown hair smiled at me.


    ¡°Wee to the party. d that you could make it,¡± he said.


    ¡°Thank you for inviting us. It¡¯s always an honor to be a part of your sess,¡± Ace replied professionally.


    ¡°Of course. I do look forward to working with yourpany again very soon in the future,¡± the client replied followed by a boomingugh.


    I soon found out after the host left us alone about the real reason why Ace had me escort him to this event. Ace kept his hand on the small of my back as he escorted me inside therge venue where the main event was taking ce. The event space inside was decorated with colorful flowers all around the open dance floor where many couples were already engaged in their dances. There was a band that yed many ssical waltzes. Big screens showed themercials that were produced by ourpany.


    ¡°They all look so good up on the big screen...¡± Imented in awe.


    Ace¡¯s eyes followed my gaze.


    ¡°The color tone turned out much better than we had anticipated. Hopefully theunch of this brand does well,¡± Ace replied.


    Jewelry disy cases lined all around the side of the venue where attendees could take a look at them while on break from the dancing. Overall, I thought that it was a very spectacr set up; however, it really wasn¡¯t something for me.


    Since stepping in the main venue, I could feel many pairs of eyes on us and although I tried to ignore it at first, I began to feel a little nervous. It didn¡¯t take long for me to realize that we couldn¡¯t avoid those gazes forever and that the real deal was just about to start.


    ¡°Excuse me, Mr. Hills. I¡¯m risse, if case you don¡¯t recall...¡± a woman with very light wavy blond hair greeted Ace sweetly.


    She stood in front of us in her pale pink dress as she smiled beautifully at Ace. It was clear to me that in her line of vision, I didn¡¯t exist.


    ¡°Good evening to you,¡± Ace replied politely.


    ¡°I was wondering if...¡± risse began saying in her sweet voice.


    ¡°I am very sorry, but my partner isn¡¯t feeling so well. I¡¯ll have to stick to her side tonight,¡± Ace replied with regret in his voice.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine. I hope you have an enjoyable evening. I¡¯ll see you next time,¡± risse replied before shing Ace another smile.


    Around a minuteter, a very simr incident took ce with another woman. She came up to offer Ace her valuablepany and he turned her down citing that he was already with me. A couple of minutester, we were onto our third woman for the evening. This time Ace told her that he¡¯s here strictly for work and that I, as his secretary, was keeping an eye on him. After the fourth woman turned up, I stopped counting.


    ¡°Let¡¯s dance...¡± Ace said invitingly as he tugged on my hand.


    I let him lead me towards the dancefloor. ncing back, I could see many women with their eyes on us. Something tells me that this isn¡¯t going to end in a very pretty way.


    ¡°You just want to get away, don¡¯t you?¡± I asked knowingly.


    Ace wrapped his arm around my waist and took my hand as he waltzed me around to the music. Thanks to my instructor, I could manage my dance quite easily now even with the dress on and Ace was a magical dancing partner.


    ¡°Guess you¡¯ve already figured that out...¡± Ace admitted with a chuckle.


    ¡°Is that...you know...normal?¡± I asked curiously.


    I recalled the many gossips and news that I¡¯ve seen about him and his various affairs and I didn¡¯t know why I was still surprised that something like that happened.


    ¡°Unfortunately, it is. It really gets in the way of business...¡± Ace replied while sounding bored.


    ¡°Aha...¡± I murmured in reply.


    ¡°Thank you for saving me so many times so far tonight,¡± Ace thanked me with a charming smile.


    His smile made my heart skipped a beat and I had to look away so that he wouldn¡¯t catch me blushing at his words. Sometimes the things he says is really bad for my heart.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. You can thank yourself for saving yourself,¡± I replied.


    Ace justughed at myeback. I didn¡¯t find it very funny, though. Even though he told me right off the bat that this event was for work, I might have harbored some hope that he was inviting me because he wanted to. He even sent me to dance ss, and thanks to that, I could now dance decently well. I honestly never thought that Ace invited me here to use me as a shield against other women.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 130

    130 Shocking Truth


    ¡°Is this why you invited me here tonight?¡± the words slipped from my lips before I could hold them back.


    ¡°If I said yes, would you get mad?¡± he answered my question with one of his own.


    Good question. Maybe, I would feel slightly mad if I haven¡¯t started feeling exactly that already.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know...¡± I muttered.


    ¡°You¡¯re very funny,¡± Ace said before smiling a very wide smile at me.


    He startedughing and I found my anger quickly disappearing. It was probably impossible for me to get mad at Ace no matter what he does.


    ¡°The song just ended...¡± I told him when the song ended.


    The other couples bowed and curtsied politely to each other while Ace wouldn¡¯t let go of me.


    ¡°Ace?¡± I called his name softly and questioningly.


    .....


    ¡°Let¡¯s go for another song,¡± Ace suggested.


    ¡°Umm...¡± I murmured hesitantly.


    The next song started, and I found myself dancing with Ace again. He pulled me up closer to him as I pressed my hand against his chest. His arm circled my waist and kept me closer to him. I have never danced this close to any one before. Our body was basically pressed against each other.


    ¡°You¡¯re getting much better at this. I guess you really are a fast learner,¡± Aceplimented me.


    I blushed from his words and then he suddenly pressed his forehead to me. My body stiffened in surprise at his sudden action. Is he going to kiss me? Right here?


    There¡¯re so many people around and I was sure that many people were watching us. Ace chuckled at my reaction while I was thankful that he didn¡¯t kiss me here right in the middle of the dancefloor. The second song came to an end and this time, Ace let me go.


    ¡°Come with me for a bit,¡± Ace instructed as he led me by the hand off the dancefloor.


    Ace nced at his watch for a moment before leading me to the side of the venue. We approached a sealed off area, but the security guard seemed to recognize Ace immediately. The guard nodded politely to us before granting us ess.


    It seemed like there was a private party in the middle of the party that was going on. Ace seemed to already know where he wanted to go. I let him pull me after him and soon we arrived at a room tucked away that wasbelled simply as ¡°VVIP 3¡±.


    ¡°Why are we here?¡± I asked the burning question on my mind.


    Hopefully, he doesn¡¯t have that on his mind right now...


    I shook my head to clear my head of that thought. What am I even thinking? Of course, it¡¯s not going to be something like that. This is a business event of one of our prominent clients.


    ¡°Come in and you¡¯ll find out,¡± Ace replied with a hint of impatience in his voice.


    I didn¡¯t have to ask him any more questions before Ace pulled me into the room after him. The door closed firmly behind us and then Ace locked it.


    ¡°Wee. You¡¯re right on time,¡±


    A familiar voice spoke up and my eyes immediately flew to the woman sitting on the sofa. She grinned my way as she gestured for us to take a seat.


    ¡°Elizabeth...¡± I whispered her name in pure shock.


    Why is she here?


    Did Ace bring me here to see her? Why?


    Thest time that we met directly, she gave me a big piece of her mind about my affair with her fianc¨¦. Then when we met again indirectly at themittee meeting, she was presenting the storyboard that Kyle had stolen from me.


    How dare she appear in front of us like this?


    ¡°You would have been pissed if we turned upte, right?¡± Ace said teasingly as he sat down.


    I flopped down onto the sofa next to Ace as I stared at Elizabeth. How can she act so rxed like this after stealing our storyboard like that?


    I nced over at Ace as I demanded with my eyes for him to exin to me what was really going on. Why are we here to meet with Elizabeth?


    ¡°Just listen to her for a bit. Listening doesn¡¯t hurt, right?¡± Ace said to me before hisrge hand patted my back.


    What could she possibly have to say? Is she just going to apologize for stealing our storyboard just like that?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for stealing your storyboard,¡± Elizabeth said without batting an eysh.


    ¡°Excuse me?!¡± I eximed immediately in my shock.


    ¡°Well, you might not believe me, but let me tell you the truth from my perspective,¡± Elizabeth said calmly before she took in a deep breath and paused.


    ¡°Aha...¡± I murmured as I waited for her to go on.


    This was just so unexpected, and I had to say that she was very good at attracting people¡¯s attention. She definitely captured my entire attention for sure.


    ¡°I was not aware that the storyboard that I presented to themittee was stolen. I¡¯m Elizabeth Chase, the sole heir to Chase Creatives. I would never steal anyone else¡¯s idea let alone present it in such a public domain. I truly apologize for the trouble that we¡¯ve caused to you and to Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s,¡± Elizabeth apologized as her brows drew together.


    ¡°When you told me the truth, I asked to meet with Elizabeth to discuss this matter. She was shocked and did some real work on her end to investigate the truth from her side, especially from her husband,¡± Ace exined sternly.


    I see. So, Ace did all that...


    ¡°Honestly, I was shocked when Ace came to confront me about it. At first, I didn¡¯t want to believe Kyle would resort to something so low. In a way it is my fault that he had to resort to something as desperate as this. The truth is my father isn¡¯t a big fan of our marriage. In fact, my father had never been a big fan of my rtionship with Kyle from the start. In his eyes, Kyle wasn¡¯t good enough and he always had ns for me to marry someone else. Someone that he considered more worthy of me and of Chase Creatives. I was stubborn and ended up marrying Kyle anyways,¡± Elizabeth exined with a sad look on her face.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 131

    131 Our Resolution


    I could feel her pain and her stress; however, I couldn¡¯t truly say that I sympathized with her. Everyone had their own problems and mine happened toe with putting enough food on the table for me and my mother. So, I didn¡¯t really want to hear about the sorrowful story of a rich heiress and her struggle to marry the love of her life against all odds and all that.


    ¡°Did Kyle admit that he stole that storyboard from me? He came to my room saying that he wanted to pick up his things and then stole that storyboard,¡± I spat usingly.


    Then, this dear Elizabeth person came to me and screamed at me for seducing her husband because of that same incident.


    ¡°At first, I didn¡¯t want to believe it, but Ace presented some proof. On top of that, I felt like the storyline seemed to be something that Ace would havee up with. When I confronted Kyle about it, he finally admitted to it when he was faced with Ace¡¯s evidence. Once again, I am very sorry for everything that happened,¡± Elizabeth apologized regretfully.


    I was speechless. So now that she has apologized, what happens next?


    ¡°Kyle has been working very hard to please my father and our recent wedding just made him more desperate to do so. He thought thating up with a storyboard that would help us win thepetition would help. I never thought that the storyboard that he gave me was stolen,¡± Elizabeth exined.


    ¡°Well, that is that. So now what are we going to do?¡± Ace asked in a light tone.


    Although Ace seemed rxed about it, Elizabeth was tense as her brows drew together in a deep frown. After a pause, she sighed loudly as if she had made her final decision.


    ¡°Chase Creatives will issue a public and formal apology to Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s regarding the truth behind this case. In addition, we will withdraw from the Ashfordpetition this year. Hopefully that will be enough for you, Ace,¡± Elizabeth said in resignation.


    .....


    Really? She would do all that, really?


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with it but I¡¯m not the one who needs to decide. Rina, what do you think?¡± Ace asked me.


    ¡°I...¡± I began saying before I realized that I was still finding it hard to take in all that was going on and its implications.


    Chase Creatives publicly apologizing is going to be a very big deal and it would probably be a news that would shake up the industry. The same could be said about withdrawing from thepetition. If they really withdrew then it would be almost like an automatic win for ourpany. Elizabeth was really sacrificing a lot to apologize for Kyle¡¯s mistakes.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with your proposal. However, I want you to return the storyboard that Ace and I worked on. If possible, I would like ourpany to use that storyboard in thepetition,¡± I stated my preferences firmly.


    Ace¡¯s eyes widened at my proposal, and I could tell that he was at least slightly surprised by my demand. The reason for it was very simple, Ace and I worked so hard together on that storyboard. It¡¯s the first work that Ace and I produced together, and I didn¡¯t want it to go to waste because of something stupid that Kyle did.


    ¡°I understand. I will rify to themittee that the storyboard belongs to Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s. Whether yourpany decides to use that storyboard going forward or not will depend on Ace¡¯s decision,¡± Elizabeth said seriously.


    ¡°We¡¯ll use it. It¡¯s a very good storyboard,¡± Ace said decisively.


    ¡°Thank you, Ace...¡± I quickly thanked him.


    ¡°It is a good storyboard,¡± Elizabeth agreed readily.


    ¡°Send my regards to your father,¡± Ace told her with a slight smile.


    ¡°I will. Have a great evening,¡± Elizabeth said before she got up from her seat.


    Ace and I got up from our seat as well and then we watched silently as Elizabeth exited the room. My legs lost its strength the moment that she disappeared from sight and the door closed behind her. I flopped back down onto my seat.


    Did that really happen just now? I didn¡¯t just dream that all up, right?


    ¡°Ace...is this real?¡± I asked in a breathless whisper.


    That was probably a very stupid question, but I just had to ask it.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s real. That¡¯s Elizabeth for you. She¡¯s always been as straight as an arrow. I can¡¯t say that she¡¯s got great tastes in guys, though,¡± Ace said with a smallugh.


    I had thought this from the first time that Elizabeth showed up. It seemed that Ace and Elizabeth knew each other quite well. I could feel it in the way that they talked and interacted with each other.


    ¡°You seem to know her quite well...¡± I murmured.


    ¡°I do. I know Elizabeth very well, actually,¡± Ace replied casually.


    ¡®Well¡¯ as in how well?


    ¡°She¡¯s your...friend?¡± I took a guess.


    Ace smiled at me before he startedughing softly. I watched him shake his head from side to side.


    ¡°She¡¯s my ex-fianc¨¦e,¡± Ace replied with a smallugh.


    Ex...fianc¨¦e...


    Ex-fianc¨¦e?!


    It was like time stopped. That was just how stunned I was at his words. Did he just say what I think he said? Does he mean what I think he means?


    ¡°What? Really?!¡± I eximed in pure shock.


    ¡°Really...¡± Ace confirmed.


    ¡°You two were dating?¡± I asked in shock.


    ¡°Not quite. Our fathers wanted us to get married. It was Elizabeth¡¯s father that proposed the idea because he wanted to merge ourpanies. I¡¯m not even sure if that would work given the anti-trustws but he was convinced that it would work out,¡± Ace exined in a very rxed manner.


    It felt like he was talking about someone else and that the matter never involved him.


    ¡°Aha...¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Basically, it¡¯s more of a business deal than an engagement. We were both against it from the start. She was still young and then she got into a rtionship with someone else and I...I was just loving my freedom too much to settle down anywhere or with anyone,¡± Ace exined with a carefree shrug.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 132

    132 Truth Comes to Light


    ¡°I see...¡± I mumbled, although I couldn¡¯t quite see anything in that situation.


    ¡°In the end, as you can see, the engagement was dissolved and ourpanies are still rivals with me as the CEO and Elizabeth as the new CEO of herpany,¡± Ace concluded before he smiled at me.


    ¡°Right...¡± I said with a nod of my head.


    ¡°Why are you so speechless? Don¡¯t worry too much. Elizabeth and I have nothing but respect for each other because we work in the same field. She¡¯s still young and has many things to learn, though...¡± Ace said teasingly.


    ¡°Sorry, I honestly never expected this kind of oue. You know, both for Project Alpha and also your rtionship history with her...¡± I admitted honestly.


    ¡°That just sounds very misleading. I never had a rtionship with her,¡± Ace corrected me with an amused smile.


    ¡°Right. Ok...¡± I whispered.


    ¡°You¡¯re clearly still confused. Sleep over it. Let¡¯s head back, I¡¯m bored out of my mind,¡± Ace said.


    He got up from his seat before turning and offering me a hand.


    .....


    ¡°Ok...¡± I replied while still in a daze.


    I slipped my hand into his and the warmth of his hand enveloped mine reassuringly before he pulled me up to my feet.


    ...


    **A few dayster**


    ¡°You¡¯re going to bete to work, Rina...¡± Ace whispered close to me.


    ¡°Hmm...¡± I made a sleepy sound.


    ¡°Rina...¡± Ace drawled seductively.


    ¡°Mhhmmm...¡± I moaned in response as I felt his lips against my cheek.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to miss Elizabeth¡¯s press conference...¡± Ace said followed by a slightly amused chuckle.


    ¡°Press...¡± I murmured with my eyes still closed.


    The press conference!


    My eyes snapped open then I bolted upright in bed. That¡¯s right, today¡¯s the day that Elizabeth will publicly apologize to ourpany. She told Ace in advance, and I was determined to watch the news live on television.


    I nced over at Ace and cocked my head to side in confusion. I see...he spent the night here with mest night. I was still having a hard time getting used to waking up with Ace in my bed, but I had to say that it wasn¡¯t an unpleasant sight or feeling. I offered him a sleepy smile before I stretched.


    ¡°Are you sure that you don¡¯t want to go there in person?¡± Ace asked.


    ¡°Yes, I could use some peace. Just seeing it on TV is already good enough for me,¡± I replied decisively.


    ¡°If you say so...¡± Ace replied.


    Although Elizabeth and herpany had agreed to take responsibility for their part of the mistake, I wasn¡¯t vain enough to think that I was void of all fault. Deep down, I knew that the leak wouldn¡¯t have been possible if I was more careful in taking care of confidential documents and information. I could have prevented the leak regardless of what Kyle¡¯s intentions were if I had paid more attention to the security measures.


    I was careless. It was as simple as that.


    Now that Elizabeth was doing everything to show that she was responsible for her mistakes, I knew that I had to do the same.


    ...


    When we arrived at the office, it was evident that every employee must have heard about Chase Creative¡¯s press conference already although they probably did not know what Elizabeth would announce.


    ¡°Are you sure that this is a good idea?¡± I asked Ace again.


    ¡°Yes. If you¡¯re ready to face things head on, then this will be the best way,¡± Ace replied with confidence.


    Ace had suggested that we watch the press conference live with the other team members of Project Alpha. That way, the truth would be revealed to all at the same time.


    ¡°Ok...if you say so...¡± I replied in a small voice.


    Everyone had their eyes on me when I entered the room. Ace¡¯s presence next to me was the only thing that gave me the strength to stand with my head held high. We arrived at the meeting room just in time. Elizabeth¡¯s press conference was about to start in less than 5 minutes. Therge projector screen was already showing the live broadcast from the venue where Elizabeth was scheduled to make her appearance.


    Ace took his seat and gestured for me to take the seat next to him. I willingly did that before everyone¡¯s gaze moved to therge projector screen where Elizabeth had just walked in. She approached the podium with her head held high. She appeared proud and prideful in her pristine cream-colored dress and matching zer. She smiled confidently and beautifully at the camera. No one could have guessed from how she appeared that she was about to deliver a message that would harm the prospect of herpany, at least for a while.


    At that moment, I truly admired her just nature and proud attitude. Elizabeth smiled for the camera for a while before clearing her throat to signal that she was about to start her speech.


    ¡°As all of you are aware, the Ashford Creativepetition is underway again this year. Chase Creatives along with many otherpanies in our industry ispeting in this prestigiouspetition. Something unfortunate has taken ce very recently in this year¡¯spetition that I would like to bring to the public¡¯s attention. In the first round, the storyline and storyboard presented to themittee by Chase Creatives was unfortunately something that was giarized and stolen from anotherpany,¡± Elizabeth said before she paused for impact.


    Everyone in the room gasped in shock as Elizabeth went on to reveal about the information leak and how the original owner of the storyboard was from Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s. I could feel people¡¯s gazing our way before the volume of their murmurs raised.


    ¡°giarism is a serious crime in our industry. It undermines the creative process and the intellectual property rights on which we base our business. In order to take adequate responsibility for our shameful actions, Chase Creatives will withdrawpletely from thepetition. In addition, we will return the storyline and the storyboard to its rightful owner. I, personally, look forward to what Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s will make out of their interesting and engaging storyboard,¡± Elizabeth said calmly.


    The reporters on the scene started to yell out questions towards Elizabeth as she smiled calmly back at them. Things got quite loud and busy where Elizabeth was. Ace switched off the projector after it was clear that Elizabeth was done saying everything that she had intended to say.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 133

    133 Facing the Consequences


    ¡°Well, as you have just heard, that is how it is...¡± Ace said without much interest.


    ¡°If they truly withdraw, then it wouldn¡¯t be a stretch for us to win thepetition,¡± Richard voiced with certainty.


    ¡°I agree. Plus, we can revert back to using our original storyboard as well,¡± Julianna chimed in.


    Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room had rxed. Things were finally looking up for the team again and the prospect of ourpany winning thepetition seemed realistic.


    ¡°Karina has something to say. Please listen to her,¡± Ace said sternly.


    Everyone quietened down as they waited for me to speak. After Elizabeth¡¯s announcement, it seemed like they were less hostile towards me, but things were very far from normal or how it used to be before this all started. I stood up from my seat as I tried to keep my knees from giving out from under me.


    ¡°First of all, I would like to apologize. I am in fact the source of the leak. However, I would like everyone to know that the leak was never intentional on my part. I understand that that doesn¡¯t make me less guilty or void of responsibility for what has happened. Due to my carelessness, the information regarding our storyboard was leaked to thepetitor and that ced us in an extremely precarious situation. I caused so much damage to this project, this team, and thispany as a whole. For that, I don¡¯t have any excuses for myself,¡± I said as calmly as I could.


    My little speech didn¡¯t go as smoothly as Elizabeth¡¯s, but I was sure that my honesty and the feelings behind my words were as strong if not stronger.


    ¡°Karina is scheduled to meet with the disciplinary boardter this afternoon,¡± Ace informed the team.


    .....


    I nodded along with his words. At least, I wanted everyone to know that I did not intend for this to happen and that I was willing to bear the consequences.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have been careless...¡± Richard muttered.


    ¡°I am so very sorry for the trouble that I¡¯ve caused to all of you...¡± I apologized again.


    ¡°Somehow you helped us get rid of our mainpetitor, so it¡¯s not all bad, right?¡± Jeremy spoke up optimistically.


    It really was like something that Jeremy would say. The others didn¡¯t seem to share in his optimism, though.


    ¡°Not really. I would have preferred to win thispetition with Chase Creatives still in it. Then we can im that we really won,¡± Juliannamented before she heaved a sigh.


    ...


    A few hours after the meeting with other team members, it was time for me to finally face the disciplinarymittee. I gripped my mobile phone tightly in my hand as I tried to brace myself mentally for what was toe. The hardest part would be to break this sad and sudden news to my mother. I had to prepare something to say to ease her worries. I even thought as far as hunting for another job first before telling her that I got fired. Maybe that way I didn¡¯t have to tell her that I lost my job, and I could perhaps phrased it as I got a new job instead.


    The other hard part would be leaving Ace. If I left thispany and no longer worked as his secretary, then that would probably be the end of our rtionship as well. I wouldn¡¯t see him anymore and everything that we had would probably disappear into thin air as well. Perhaps, that was for the best for me and both of us. I closed my eyes tightly before taking in a deep breath before slowly letting it out.


    I would be dreaming if I thought that whatever rtionship I had with Ace wouldst.


    I opened my eyes again and firmly pushed opened the door that would bring me in front of the entire disciplinarymittee. When I started working, I never dreamt that a day woulde when I would have to face them to receive my punishment like this. Life is truly full of unexpected twists and turns.


    ¡°Wee Karina. Please take a seat,¡± a woman who was probably in herte fifties said as she gestured with her think hand for me to a seat.


    There was a single chair positioned in the center of the room facing the panel of the disciplinary board members. I sat down while keeping my eyes casted down humbly.


    ¡°Please tell us exactly what happened,¡± the woman instructed.


    I looked up at the disciplinary board member and I also gasped in surprise when my eyesnded on Ace. He never told me that he was part of the board!


    His hazel eyes were on me, and his lips curved into a small encouraging smile. When our eyes met, I quickly recalled the advice that he gave me on top of telling me to be honest with the board members.


    ¡°Although I told you to bepletely honest with them, you don¡¯t have to tell them every single thing,¡± Ace advised sternly.


    ¡°What do you mean exactly?¡± I asked as my brows drew together.


    ¡°You do realize that if you tell them everything, they¡¯ll find out about your past rtionship with Kyle, right?¡± Ace pointed out as he looked pointedly at me.


    Oh, I didn¡¯t even think of that. With the severity of the situation surrounding the leak of the storyboard, it didn¡¯t immediately dawn on me that if I told the whole story then I would have to expose the fact that Kyle and I were in a rtionship. I mean, why else would he turn up to my apartment room to get his things otherwise?


    Why didn¡¯t I realize this earlier?


    On top of being fired for leaking the information, I could be fired and punished again for having a romantic rtionship with a colleague from the samepany. Suddenly, I felt like I had seriously turned into a criminal.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Why didn¡¯t I think of this earlier...¡± I mumbled in reply.


    ¡°You can be truthful without telling them everything. If I were you, I¡¯ll leave out the part about him visiting your room. Better yet, you can leave out the whole part about Kyle¡¯s involvement,¡± Ace suggested calmly.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 134

    134 Trial and Verdict


    ¡°How do I do that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Elizabeth is willing to publicize the fact that her husband was directly involved in stealing confidential information and she would probably appreciate it if you didn¡¯t mention it to anyone. I guess keeping it vague would be better...¡± Ace advised.


    Oh, right. I did not anticipate how Elizabeth wanted this all to y out.


    This case was aplex one. It was the prime example of how one mistake led to another. How one lie also led to another.


    I stared at Ace and nodded my head softly. Ace was right. During the entire press conference, Elizabeth never mentioned Kyle as the culprit. She just said that herpany was guilty but never highlighted her husband¡¯s involvement. I was starting to wonder what Kyle did that made him deserve a woman like Elizabeth and then I hoped that he would suffer severely for the problems that he¡¯s caused all of us.


    After snapping out of my thoughts, I looked straight at the panel of board members who were eagerly waiting for me to start telling my tale.


    ¡°This all happened because of my negligence to safeguard thepany¡¯s confidential information. As a result of my carelessness, Chase Creatives managed to get their hands on a version of my storyboard that I was working on as part of Project Alpha. My first version of the storyboard was stolen and used in Chase Creatives presentation at the first round of thepetition. Although we had an updated version of the storyboard that we were certain was better than the first iteration, there were too many simrities between the two for us to present the storyboard as nned. That put ourpany at a disadvantage, and we ended up presenting the backup storyboard instead,¡± I summarized what happened.


    ¡°So, you admit that it is your fault that this whole trouble ensued?¡± a man from the panel asked.


    ¡°Yes, Sir. I don¡¯t have any excuse for myself, and I am willing to take on any punishment as you see fit. I am sincerely sorry for all the trouble that I have caused to my colleagues, the project, and thepany,¡± I apologized directly from my heart.


    .....


    ¡°It seems like Chase Creatives just hosted a press conference to address this issue. They seemed to have admitted to their wrongdoings in stealing the storyboard and have withdraw from thepetitionpletely. What do you think of this?¡± a woman asked.


    ¡°After finding out that our storyboard had been stolen, our CEO who also leads Project Alpha got in touch with the CEO of Chase Creatives to address the issue. Due to her proud sense of ethics, Elizabeth Chase did some investigation and found out that the story presented to her was indeed stolen from ourpany. I truly appreciate the fact that she owed up to herpany¡¯s mistake and I am thankful that ourpany can revert back to using our original storyboard. However, that doesn¡¯t mean that I think that I should be cleared of all faults,¡± I replied truthfully.


    ¡°I see. That is all the questions that I have,¡± the woman said.


    The man who asked the first question just nodded. He too seemed to be satisfied without the need to ask any more questions. The other board members also nodded to signal that they didn¡¯t have anything else to ask.


    ¡°Are you saying that you had no ill intentions of leaking the confidential information to ourpetitors and that everything was just an ident?¡± Ace asked.


    His sharp gaze fell on me, and my body froze in ce. I could tell that Ace was serious and his question demanded for the truth.


    ¡°Yes. I swear that I did not intent to leak any information. I am loyal to thispany. It had always been my dream to work here, and it hurts me so much that I have caused damage to thispany¡¯s work and reputation. Everything that happened was an ident based on my poor judgement and negligence,¡± I replied firmly.


    ¡°I see. That is all,¡± Ace replied dismissively.


    ¡°Please give us a few minutes to discuss amongst ourselves. Please wait in front of the room. We will call you in when we have reached a decision,¡± the woman informed me politely.


    ¡°Thank you very much,¡± I said just as politely before excusing myself and exiting the room.


    ...


    The next ¡®few minutes¡¯ that the disciplinary board needed to reach a verdict on my case felt like an eternity for me as I stood in front of the door and waited. There was nothing that I could do but wait. I didn¡¯t even dare pray for a miracle because I believed that no such thing existed, and even if it did, I didn¡¯t want it to be wasted on someone like me. I truly deserved what wasing my way. That was what I truly believed.


    Suddenly, the door opened and the woman from before smiled at me politely before inviting me back into the room. It seemed like the disciplinary board had arrived at a decision and I was also ready to hear it. This is it. My future at thispany rests on this moment and their decision.


    ¡°Miss Miller, a decision has been made on your case,¡± the woman began saying.


    I took in a breath and held it as I pursed my lips tightly into a thin line. I did promise myself that I wouldn¡¯t pray for myself. My heartbeat so loudly in my chest and I wondered if the other people in the room could hear it as well. Instead of going on with the verdict, the woman gestured for Ace to take over.


    Ace is going to delivery the verdict for my case?


    ¡°For this case, the disciplinary board has decided that Miss Mir is in fact at fault for the leak of thepany¡¯s confidential information. However, with evidence and admittance of foul y from thepetingpany, it is believed that Miss Miller did not have any intention of disclosing the confidential information. However, Miss Miller is still guilty of neglecting her duty to dutifully protect thepany¡¯s intellectual property...¡± Ace said as he read from the paper in front of him.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 135

    135 To the Rescue


    It seemed like I was going to lose my job after all. Surprisingly, I didn¡¯t feel devastated. Instead, there was a sense of calm like I could ept it all with wide open arms. I could embrace it...


    ¡°As a result of the above ruling, the board has decided to implement the following disciplinary measures. First, Miss Miller¡¯s promotion will be frozen for one year. Second, she will not be rewarded any bonus for this year end. Third, she will work under strict supervision of her supervisor from now on until she can improve on her duties. Lastly, thepany retains the right to terminate Miss Miller¡¯s employment immediately for any suspect of foul y. That is all,¡± Ace stated firmly.


    ...That¡¯s it?


    I blinked my eyes rapidly as Ace¡¯s words began to sink it. Where is the part about my immediate job termination?


    ¡°If you fine with those terms, then please sign your name here and then you are free to go,¡± the woman instructed as she presented to me a document along with a pen.


    Of course, I was more than fine with the terms. I could still continue working here. That alone was more than enough for me. How did this happen?


    I quickly signed my name at the bottom of the paper before the board would have a chance to change their minds. It was still hard for me to fully grasps the sudden turn in the situation. How did things turn out this way?


    My mind was still in a daze as the woman removed the document away from me. I stared at the faces of the board members who had already started standing up from their seats. It really seemed like everything hade to an end and some board members were already walking out of the door. I bowed respectfully to them while I thanked them silently in my head for their mercy.


    ¡°Ace will work her to death, there¡¯s nothing for us to worry about...¡± a man said to another as they walked past me.


    .....


    He said...what?


    ¡°Don¡¯t you just love the third term of the conditions? I personal put that one in and convinced them to let you stay,¡± Ace whispered to me as he came to stand at my side.


    I turned to him, and my mouth dropped opened. We were the only ones left in the room now and Ace had a very amused and entertained look on his face. I was stunned and speechless as I stared up into his attractive yet mischievous face.


    Oh, right. When the term states ¡®supervisor¡¯, my supervisor is none other than Ace himself.


    ¡°What did you tell them to convince them to keep me here?¡± I asked in a breathless whisper when I finally found my tongue again.


    ¡°Nothing much. I just told them that I¡¯m partially responsible for the situation that you¡¯re in and if they don¡¯t want me to resign as CEO as well then...¡± Ace said before winking at me.


    ¡°You really said that?!¡± I eximed in pure shock.


    ¡°Yup...it¡¯s not easy to find a CEO as good as me it seems...¡± Ace said lightly with a shrug of his shoulders.


    ¡°You¡¯re not serious...¡± I muttered underneath my breath.


    ¡°It¡¯s not hard to get people to forget about irrelevant things, I guess...¡± Ace said carefreely.


    ¡°Should I be thanking you?¡± I asked as if I was talking to myself more than to him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. That¡¯s entirely up to you. Let¡¯s go find something to eat. I¡¯m hungry and I¡¯m bored...¡± Ace said sounding very bored indeed.


    ¡°Aha...¡± I mumbled.


    My mind was still in a mess, and I had difficult believing that this was actually happening. Ace grabbed my hand just like he had done so many times before and dragged me after him and out of the room.


    ¡°Can you cook?¡± he asked as he dragged me along the hallway towards the elevator.


    ¡°No...¡± I replied without hesitation.


    ¡°Boo...¡± Ace said while sounding very depressed.


    ¡°My mother is the one who usually cooks so I never got around to learning how to...¡± I admitted quite frankly.


    Just thinking about my mother made me feel relieved that I didn¡¯t have to break it to her that I lost my job. I breathed out another sigh of relief.


    ¡°Your mother cooks...hmm...¡± Ace mumbled as if he was thinking of something.


    Suddenly I had a very bad feeling about the directions that his thoughts were probably headed.


    ¡°I want to see your mother and eat her homecooked food,¡± Ace demanded.


    ¡°...What?!¡± I eximed in shock.


    How many times will I be shocked by all these sudden developments today?


    ¡°Is she home today? Can we drop by?¡± Ace demanded as he tugged on my hand to get my attention.


    ¡°No. As in, you can¡¯t drop by. Why do you want to see my mother anyways?¡± I asked in sheer disbelief.


    He¡¯s crazy. I should have figured this out a long time ago, but the extent of his craziness still amazed me sometimes.


    ¡°Why not?¡± he asked as he turned to face me.


    Stopping so abruptly in this tracks and turning around made me almost bump into him. I stared up into his face as I tried to figure him out. What is he even thinking?


    First off, my house was far. Secondly...arghhh!


    ¡°My house is far from here. My mother doesn¡¯t live in the city. Most of all, there¡¯s no need for you to see her, you know...¡± I replied defiantly.


    ¡°I thought maybe she might want to thank me for saving her daughter¡¯s job...¡± Ace said before grinning wickedly at me.


    What did he just say?


    ¡°No. You¡¯re not going to see her. That would just be...weird...¡± I refused adamantly.


    The biggest issue was that I wouldn¡¯t even know how to introduce him to my mother. Maybe I can just tell her that he¡¯s my boss, which isn¡¯t a lie at all. However, why would I bring my boss all the way out of the city just to have dinner at my house with my mother? It just doesn¡¯t make any sense. At all.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 136

    136 Another Storm


    Finally, we decided to settle for a safer choice of going out to a newly opened fusion restaurant that I wanted to try. I was relieved that in the end, Ace decided to drop his idea of visiting my mother, at least, for now.


    It would hurt me financial to not get my bonus and promotion, but it was definitely better than losing my job. In a way, I had Ace to really thank for that. I doubted that he would be wiling to take much credit for it, so I didn¡¯t verbalize to him over and over again how thankful I was that he saved my ass this time around. However, I did make a mental note to do something for him in return. As he liked to say, there was a right time for everything.


    That night after dinner, Ace drove me back to my ce. It felt like the calm after a storm had just past. After the dust had settled somewhat about the information leakage, I felt like we had some down time before we needed to jump into working on Project Alpha in full force. Now that we got our storyboard back too, it felt like we were really on track to win thepetition. Everything seemed to be looking up and I bet that even Ace did not foresee what was waiting to greet us right at my apartment.


    Just when one storm had past another one arrived right at my door. Literally.


    ¡°Is something going on?¡± I asked when we arrived close to my apartment building.


    We got close but there was no way for us to get any closer to it. My eyes took in therge crowd of people surrounding my apartment building along with their cars. Who are these people and why are they gathered here?


    ¡°Good question...¡± Ace muttered.


    On closer inspection, I could tell that these people were reporters and cameramen. A sinking feeling filled my stomach. Did something bad happen to something or someone in my building?


    ¡°Did someone...get hurt or something?¡± I asked.


    .....


    ¡°Only one way to find out,¡± Ace replied.


    ¡°You stay here in the car; I¡¯ll step out for a bit to ask them. They can¡¯t just block the entire building entrance like this. I mean, they¡¯re not the police or anything. They¡¯re causing the residents so much trouble...¡± Iined heatedly.


    These people really should learn to respect the other residents living in the building. They had nothing to do with anything, yet they had to suffer. It¡¯s just so unfair!


    ¡°What is going on? I live here and I need to park the car and get to my apartment,¡± I demanded to know.


    The man turned around to see me and then his eyes widened.


    ¡°It¡¯s her! She¡¯s the one in the photos!¡± the man shouted.


    His loud voice quickly caught the attention of the other people gather in front of the building. When they turned around to face me, I realized that they were no normal people. These people had microphones in their hands while some had cameras and video recorders.


    They¡¯re reporters for sure.


    But...why are so many of them here?


    What¡¯s that about me being in the photos? What photos?


    ¡°Miss Karina Miller, please exin what is going on in these photos?¡±


    ¡°Are you and Mr. Hills dating?¡±


    ¡°We heard that you are supposed to just be his secretary so can you please exin these photos?¡±


    The reporters started ganging up on me while they fired their questions at me in rapid session. It was too much for me to handle and frankly, I had no idea what on earth they were talking about. A woman shoved a printed photo into my face and my eyes widened.


    The photo was taken from the recent party that I attended with Ace. For some reason, it looked like Ace held me tightly in his arms while he was kissing me. Did something like that happen?


    Regardless of the truth, the photo made us look extremely like lovers in the middle of a passionate and loving moment. Too shocked to respond to their questions or wrap my mind around what was truly going on, I stood therepletely speechless.


    Suddenly, I felt someone grabbing my wrist and then I was pulled backwards.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whispered his name as I nced up to see his face behind me.


    The reporters went wild when they spotted that Ace was with me. The shes from the cameras were blinding as the cameramen took countless photos of us. Without saying a word to me, Ace pulled me back towards the car. That made me snap out of my shock and quickly followed him back into the car.


    Ace drove the car away from my apartment building while I looked back in disbelief at therge crowd of reporters.


    It became clear that going back to my ce wasn¡¯t a viable option for us with all the reporters there waiting for us. While Ace continued driving, I realized that I didn¡¯t know where we were headed. However, there were more important and pressing questions that I needed to ask him.


    ¡°What was that all about just now?¡± I asked, still confused.


    ¡°Reporters and the paparazzi,¡± Ace replied without looking my way.


    His eyes were focused on the road and that made sense considering the speed at which he was driving.


    ¡°They showed me a photo...¡± I began saying but Ace cut in before I couldplete my sentence.


    ¡°Don¡¯t over think it...¡± Ace warned lightly.


    ¡°But...we look like we were kissing in the photo. It was probably taken during our dance at the party...¡± I said softly as my voice shook slightly.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter...¡± Ace said dismissively.


    ¡°But it does matter! If that gets out...¡± I eximed before trailing off.


    I didn¡¯t even want to imagine what would happen to us if those photos leaked out. Perhaps it was already toote to be worried about that. Just when I thought that life could return back to its usual peace, this just had to explode right in our faces.


    This is all my fault. I should have been more careful when we are together in a public event like that. Why did I let my guard down?


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 137

    137 End of Secrets


    It¡¯s going to be extremely difficult to exin our way out of those photos. Although we didn¡¯t kiss while we dance, the truth probably doesn¡¯t matter. We looked too close and familiar with each other and that wasn¡¯t going to support our case. I should have kept my distance from him. After all, I¡¯m nothing more than his secretary.


    ¡°Spend the night at my ce, Rina,¡± Ace said casually.


    ¡°What?¡± I said in disbelief.


    With everything that was going on, he still wanted to bring me to his ce?


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t do that. Everything is already such a big mess the way that it is,¡± I declined immediately.


    ¡°You can¡¯t go back to your ce tonight. Those reporters are going to be swarming around your ce for a few days if not for weeks,¡± Ace pointed out.


    He¡¯s right. However...


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean that I have to spend the night at your ce. Just drop me off somewhere and I¡¯ll find a hotel,¡± I muttered before sighing.


    ¡°I can¡¯t let you do that. I¡¯m partially responsible for this so you¡¯reing home with me,¡± Ace said decisively.


    .....


    His tone told me that I shouldn¡¯t argue with him; however, I didn¡¯t feel like I had much to lose in that situation. I¡¯ve just survived losing my job over the information leak scandal and now I was under threat of losing my job again for being romantically involved with my boss.


    Oh, my dear life...


    ¡°How do you know that the reporters are not at your ce?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°Because I have a few hideouts and they can¡¯t exactly predict where I¡¯ll spend the night,¡± Ace replied before he turned to grin at me.


    ¡°You sound like a thief on the run...¡± I mumbled.


    When Ace startedughing at myment, I realized that I had spoken my thought out loud. This situation didn¡¯t seem to bother Ace at all and that was probably because he was used to something like this. He must be given all the times that his affairs were captured and disyed for the public to see in gossip news and tabloids.


    ¡°This is crazy. I¡¯m going to end up losing my job for real this time...¡± I muttered, this time intentionally voicing my thoughts.


    ¡°Don¡¯t jump to conclusions. The board will probably demand for some exnations but it¡¯s not like we were caught having sex...¡± Ace replied without much care.


    How can he say something like that so casually?!


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk to you anymore. This is just insane. Pull over please,¡± I said.


    My voice sounded dead tired and that was precisely how I felt.


    ¡°I already told you that we¡¯re going to my ce,¡± Ace responded without stopping the car.


    I felt like I was on the verge of a huge emotional breakdown. This was just all too much. One mess after another. The results of all my mistakes were just catching up to me one after another. It felt endless.


    Suddenly, my phone started ringing. I usually felt overjoyed when my mother gave me a call; however, a tight knot formed in the pit of my belly when I saw her name on my phone screen. A sick feeling in my gut told me that she wasn¡¯t calling about anything good.


    ¡°Mum?¡± I said when the line connected.


    ¡°Where are you right now? Have you seen the news? That¡¯s not really you, is it?¡± my mother asked with clear panic in her voice.


    What on earth is she talking about?


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about. What news?¡± I asked in confusion.


    A split secondter, my entire body felt numb, and my face and hands felt cold. Please, don¡¯t tell me that those photos were already on the news along with misleading information.


    ¡°Please tell me that this isn¡¯t what I think it is. Photos and videos of you are all over the news. They¡¯re saying that you¡¯re having an affair with your CEO which is against thepany¡¯s policy and all that...¡± my mother replied as her voice shook.


    ¡°I¡¯ll call you back,¡± I said before immediately hanging up.


    ¡°It¡¯s all over the news already? That¡¯s fast. They¡¯re getting much better at this...¡± Ace said before he chuckled.


    ¡°There is nothing funny about this! It may be funny for you, but my life is on the verge of ruin here!¡± I yelled at him.


    ¡°Calm down, Rina...¡± Ace said calmly.


    ¡°How am I supposed to be calm? You know, my mother just called to ask if I¡¯m having an affair with my boss!¡± I ended up yelling again.


    Hell, this is such a mess.


    I covered my face with my hands as I prayed for all of this to be just a nightmare. My phone started ringing again and I knew that it must be my mother calling. A sense of shame washed over me when I thought of how I was being such a burden to her by making her worry. Of all the things that she had to find out, she had to learn about my affair with my boss.


    If I was destined to lose my job anyways, then I would have preferred to lose it from allowing Kyle to steal my storyboard. That would have been much easier to exinpared to my affair with Ace. The phone just wouldn¡¯t stop ringing as I tried to figure out how to handle my own mother.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to get that?¡± Ace asked without looking my way.


    ¡°Mum...¡± I said when I answered the call.


    ¡°Karina! Don¡¯t just hang up on me like that. Where are you right now? I am so worried about you!¡± my mother shouted quite loudly in her panic.


    The apparent fear and concern in her voice only made me more guilty about everything. I should have put a stop to the rtionship between Ace and me. I knew that it was just all wrong. Why didn¡¯t I do it?!


    ¡°Mum, I¡¯ll exin about itter...ok?¡± I said in a small voice.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s true? It¡¯s really you in these photos?¡± my mother asked although I guessed that she probably already knew the answer.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 138

    138 Taking Him Home


    ¡°Yes...¡± I replied truthfully. It¡¯s no use to lie about it now.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. What is going on? Please exin to me, Rina!¡± my mother started wailing through the phone.


    I knew that she was extremely upset and confused. My chest felt tight when I imagined my mother crying because of me. Although I tried to make her proud and happy, I¡¯m the one breaking her heart right now. I wiped my tears from my eyes with the back of my hand. Not surprisingly, I had started crying for real. My mother¡¯s tears only triggered mine to flow even more than before.


    ¡°Give me that for a moment,¡± Ace said softly.


    Before I could protest, Ace pulled my phone out of my hand. My eye widened in shock, but it was already toote. I watched through my tears as Ace pressed my phone to his ear.


    ¡°Hello. This is Ace Hills, the CEO of Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s and Karina¡¯s direct supervisor,¡± Ace introduced himself calmly to my mother.


    I couldn¡¯t hear what my mother said to him. Apparently, she had stopped shouting and her voice wasn¡¯t resonating out from the speaker of my phone.


    ¡°Regarding that, since I am with your daughter right now, I would like to apologize and exin it to you in person. If you¡¯ll let me know your address, then we can head over there right now. The truth is the reporters have blocked entry to Karina¡¯s apartment and so we¡¯re in a little trouble about where she¡¯s going to spend the night. Karina is also quite stressed so going home will also be best for her...sure...thank you...¡± Ace spoke calmly to my mother while I stared at him as my mouth hanging open.


    Did he just ask to take me back to our apartment? This cannot be happening.


    .....


    Ace thanked my mother warmly before he handed my phone back to me. Shocked, I snatched my phone back from his hand while my mouth still hung open.


    ¡°I¡¯ll drive you home,¡± Ace said before he turned to smile sweetly at me.


    ¡°Why did you do that?¡± I snapped.


    Things were really getting out of hand this time around.


    ¡°Do what?¡± Ace asked innocently as the car made a U-turn.


    Great, we¡¯re definitely heading to my mother¡¯s ce if we head in this direction.


    ¡°Why did you ask toe over to our apartment? Let¡¯s forget this. Let¡¯s just go to your ce or stay at some random hotel, ok?¡± I suggested desperately.


    Ace just smiled wider as he shook his head from side to side with his eyes on the road. It wasn¡¯t just my imagination; Ace was driving faster now.


    ¡°I just promised your mother toe over and exin everything to her. You don¡¯t expect me to break my promise, do you?¡± Ace asked with a teasing smile.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t funny, Ace!¡± I yelled at him as my anger boiled over.


    It¡¯s bad enough that she had to learn about your illicit rtionship through the news rather than from me. She must be so shocked and now he¡¯s just going to meet her in person. He¡¯s crazy...


    ¡°I¡¯m serious. This is a big matter, and I can understand why your mother is upset. You¡¯re her only daughter after all. As your boss, I should take some responsibility,¡± Ace replied calmly.


    ...


    Had our apartment always been this small?


    Suddenly, with the three of us sitting at the dining table together, the room just felt suffocatingly small and full of tension. Ace looked too big for the ce and so out of ce in his expensive business suit. My mother greeted us at the door with a look of pure shock and slight terror on her face when she came face-to-face with Mr. Ace Hills.


    ¡°My name is Ace. We spoke on the phone just now. Thank you for letting mee over with your daughter,¡± Ace said with a charmingly disarming smile on his face.


    He wasn¡¯t ying fair. Not even with my mother. I felt like hitting him and I had to ball my fists tightly at my side as I stered a hopefully calm looking smile on my face.


    ¡°Oh...yes. Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Diana, Karina¡¯s mother. Oh, pleasee inside...our ce is small but...¡± my mother said as if in a daze.


    Just like that, I found myself sitting next to Ace with my mother on the opposite side of our small dining table. I managed to get Ace to change his mind abouting here earlier but fate was really cruel to me and somehow, we ended up here anyways. My mother¡¯s eyes shifted between Ace and my face nervously as the silence in the room became unbearable.


    ¡°Umm...this is Ace. He¡¯s...my boss...¡± I murmured.


    ¡°I see...¡± my mother muttered.


    I knew that Ace already introduced himself, but I just didn¡¯t know what else to say. The roompsed back into silence, and I knew that I had failed at starting up a conversation.


    ¡°Umm...do you two want something to drink. I can make some tea...or something...¡± I offered as I got up from my seat.


    My mother¡¯s eyes flickered in my direction before she shook her head. I guess there was no escaping for me from this tense situation. What should I say now?


    Thankfully, Ace stepped in to save the day.


    ¡°I apologize for dropping by and disturbing you sote at night. Just like I mentioned on the phone, I thought that it would be better for me to exin in person to you as soon as possible regarding what you¡¯ve seen on the news,¡± Ace said calmly.


    My mother had his eyes on him. She was stressed and very concern, I could tell that much although there were many emotions that shed across her features that I couldn¡¯tpletely read. Without replying to Ace, my mother nodded for him to go on.


    ¡°I apologize for the dy on this and the fact that you had to find out this way, but I would like to confirm that Karina and I, we¡¯re really in a rtionship,¡± Ace announced straightforwardly.


    ...What?


    ¡°Wait...¡± I whispered when I finally found my voice.


    What did he just say to my mother?!


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 139

    139 Request & Promise


    My mother¡¯s eyes widened as her hand flew to cover her mouth. She stared at Ace in shock before she turned to stare at me as if asking me for confirmation as well.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that all the gossip must have blown everything about our rtionship out of proportion. The truth is, we started dating shortly after Karina became my secretary although we knew that it was against thepany¡¯s policy,¡± Ace announced quite proudly.


    In my mind I could hear a cracking sound and the more that Ace spoke, the louder that cracking sound became. I looked around to see my whole world cracking up and then it all came crumbling down around me.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that, mother!¡± I cried out as I stood up from my seat.


    ¡°Sit down, Rina...¡± my mother said sternly.


    Her eyes narrowed at me, and it made me feel like a young girl again. My mother could be very strict sometimes, but she wasn¡¯t unreasonable. Although she was shocked, she was still willing to listen to what Ace had to say. With a resigned sigh, I gave in and slowly sat back down in my seat. My mother¡¯s eyes and attention shifted right back to focus on Ace.


    ¡°Rina¡¯s not exactly wrong and neither am I. Ourpany has a rule in ce that forbids romantic rtionships between employees. I guess you could say that we¡¯re sort of dating but not officially dating because no matter how many times I ask your daughter to be my girlfriend, she has refused...¡± Ace exined so smoothly that I was amazed.


    He smiled charmingly at my mother once again before he turned to smile at me. Well, I had to admit that he wasn¡¯t lying.


    ¡°So...what the news is saying is true? Rina?¡± my mother asked.


    .....


    ¡°Well...yes...¡± I was forced to admit.


    My mother seemed deep in thought for a moment before she looked at both of us as if she had made up her mind about something.


    ¡°Rina, can you leave us a lone for a moment? I want to talk to your boss,¡± my mother requested sternly.


    I could tell that she was serious. With an acknowledging nod, I got up from my seat and headed for the bedroom to give the two of them some privacy. I nced back at Ace with worry, but he just smiled reassuringly at me. With that, I went inside the bedroom and closed the door behind me.


    ...


    After seeing that Karina had made her way into the bedroom, her mother¡¯s eyes focused on the man sitting opposite her at the dining table. She smiled a little at him before she spoke.


    ¡°Thank you foring all this way. I truly appreciate what you¡¯ve done...¡± she said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. It was the least that I could do in this situation,¡± Ace replied honestly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think my daughter told you this so I¡¯m going to tell you now. I raised my daughter on my own and things were not always easy for us. Despite that, I tried my best to love her and take care of her. I¡¯m sure that you can tell already that we don¡¯t share the same background as you do at all. I apologize in advance for saying this, but I¡¯ve seen many disturbing gossips about you. So...if you¡¯re just ying around with my daughter, I would like to beg you to stop,¡± she said with a troubled look on her face.


    Ace listened patiently to the older woman sitting opposite him. He waited for her to go on with what she wanted to say.


    ¡°Karina has been through my hardship already and I don¡¯t want to see her get hurt. So, if you¡¯re not serious about having a proper rtionship with her then, please just leave her alone. Karina has always dreamt of working at yourpany ever since she was in school. I truly don¡¯t want what has happened to ruin her career or take away her dream job from her...¡± she said as tears welled in her eyes.


    Ace looked at the old woman in front of him with sympathy. He could tell that she truly loved her daughter, and he thought that Karina was lucky to have such a loving mother. A warm and loving family wasn¡¯t something that he had, and perhaps in that sense, the older woman was right about him not having the same background as Karina did. Having a splendid financial background did not guarantee happiness and he happened to know that best from personal experience.


    ¡°I understand where you¡¯reing from; however, I really do care for Karina...¡± Ace said without much hesitation.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Karina¡¯s mother said in blunt surprise.


    ¡°I¡¯m serious about dating Karina. As I said, I¡¯ve asked her more than a few times about it, but she¡¯d always turned me down. Just like you, she probably thinks that I¡¯m not serious about her either...¡± Ace said a little sadly.


    ¡°How can you be serious about dating her? Yourpany has a rule prohibiting you two from dating. You¡¯re not just her colleague. You¡¯re her boss and the CEO of thepany...¡± Diana said as her frown deepened between her brows.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m not a big fan of being the CEO but I guess it¡¯s bing very bearable now, thanks to your daughter...¡± Ace said before smiling brightly.


    ¡°Then...¡± the woman mumbled.


    ¡°Words don¡¯t mean much. They say talk is cheap, right? So how about I try to prove just how serious I am about your daughter,¡± Ace said with a confident smile.


    ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand what you mean...¡± Karina¡¯s mother said with a frown between her brows.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make her dreame true. I guarantee it,¡± Ace stated with confidence and determination.


    ¡°Her...dream...?¡± she murmured.


    ...


    This is driving me crazy.


    What are those two talking about? Should I try to eavesdrop on them?


    No, I shouldn¡¯t do that. I agreed to give them some privacy.


    What should I do? My curiosity is killing me.


    I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what my mother was talking to Ace about. She seemed so concern so I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she was telling him off right now.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 140

    140 Staying Over


    Suddenly, I saw a scene of my mother scolding Ace and Ace looking all remorseful. The corners of my lips curved upwards before a smallugh escaped from me.


    That would be so funny...


    ¡°Rina!¡±


    I heard my mother calling my name and knew that they were finally finished with their private conversation. Time for me to return to the living room to face the two of them again. When I sat back down in the chair next to Ace, the atmosphere in the room seemed to have changedpletely. The strain and heavy atmosphere had entirely disappeared.


    ¡°What did you two talk about?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°Nothing much. I just told your mother here how serious I am about you and how you¡¯ve always refused to be my girlfriend,¡± Ace said before he smirked devilishly at me.


    ¡°Why did you tell her that?!¡± I snapped at him.


    I turned in panic to see my mother giggling a little. Whatever Ace said to her, it seemed like she was now more rxed and assured than before. The change in my mother¡¯s reaction and demeanor caught me by surprise. It only made me wonder what happened while I wasn¡¯t in the room with them. Ace just shrugged before he smiled warmly at me.


    ¡°Have you had dinner?¡± my mother asked,pletely shifting the direction of the conversation.


    .....


    ¡°We already ate. Thank you, mum,¡± I quickly replied.


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s a relief...¡± my mother said before smiling encouragingly at me.


    I had no idea what she was relieved about or why she sounded so calm. As far as I was aware, this was just the start to our problems. Now that the news is out and everyone has seen it, I had no idea how big this deal really was. If even my mother has seen it, then without a doubt, all the employees in thepany has seen it.


    Is this really a situation that Ace can patch up?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for disturbing youte at night, Mum. I¡¯ll hide away at a hotel for now, I guess. You should go to sleep now; everything is going to be fine. I¡¯ll keep you updated, ok?¡± I told her before smiling bravely.


    Even if my own worries were killing me, I couldn¡¯t have it show. I didn¡¯t want to make my mother more worried than she already was. I still had that n of moving back here and getting a job at a small localpany in my back pocket. Guess that would be a reality for my life soon.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re here anyways, why don¡¯t you stay over? It¡¯s sote already...¡± my mother suggested seriously.


    ¡°But...¡± I muttered.


    There wasn¡¯t any problem with me staying over but what about Ace? Should I chase him back home?


    ¡°Oh, right. Our ce is so small but if it¡¯s ok with you, I can make room by going to sleep at Auntie Jane¡¯s. She lives in the same building so it¡¯s no hassle,¡± my mother offered before smiling kindly at Ace.


    ¡°Thank you very much. I would love to stay here with Rina. Honestly, earlier we were just discussing abouting over here. No matter what she said, I really wanted toe over to meet you. I apologize again for thete introductions and the fact that you had to find out about our rtionship in that way...¡± Ace said with an apologetic smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I do appreciate your straightforward honesty. Good night. Please take care of my Rina,¡± my mother said as she stood up from her seat.


    I was still struggling to process what was happening when the door closed behind my mother, and she was gone. Ace and I were left alone in the living room of my home. I turned to face him as my mind struggled to fit in the image of the stunningly handsome and well-dressed Ace sitting in the slightly messy and worn-out living room of the apartment that I called my home.


    Everything just looked wrong and out of ce.


    ¡°Your mother is a very kind woman. I can see where you got your determination from, though,¡± Acemented casually.


    ¡°Seriously, what did you tell her and what did she say?¡± I asked.


    Now that my mother was gone, I wished that Ace would tell me more about what they talked about. They did talk for quite a while so I was sure that they spoke about a few things.


    ¡°Not much. It¡¯s just as I told you. She was worried that I¡¯m not serious about our rtionship. So, I told her that you¡¯re the one who¡¯s not serious and that you think that I¡¯m not serious. Although from an action standpoint, I¡¯ve been asking you to be my girlfriend for a long while now. How many times have I said it? 6 or 7 times? Or more?¡± Ace asked as he seemed thoughtful.


    The answer was more. I didn¡¯t want to tell him that, though.


    ¡°Did you really mean it? What you told my mother just now...¡± I asked in a small voice.


    Just like my mother and probably everyone else, how am I supposed to believe that he would be serious about having a rtionship with me. He¡¯s Ace Hills!


    ¡°Of course. Did you think that I was just saying it?¡± Ace asked as he narrowed his eyes at me with clear dissatisfaction.


    ¡°Well, yes...I guess...¡± I mumbled shyly in reply.


    ¡°Hmm...that¡¯s pretty mean of you, don¡¯t you think?¡± Ace asked teasingly.


    However, the way his hazel brown eyes stared at me made me doubt whether he was just teasing me about this or not. Up to that point, the possibility that Ace might really be serious about me never entered my head. It was just a crazy thought that wasn¡¯t possible and so I never considered it. Ace continued to stare at my face, and I started to fidget ufortably on my seat.


    My mother looked so assured too. What did he say to her, exactly?


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 141

    141 Trapped by the Devil


    ¡®Don¡¯t y around with me...¡¯


    ¡®Hmm? Then you wouldn¡¯t mind if I got serious about you, right?¡¯


    I gulped when I recalled his words. We did talk about this, but I honestly never thought...


    It can¡¯t be. What if he¡¯s really serious?


    Precisely because the thought never urred to me, I never thought about what I would do if that really happened or how I would feel. What should I do? What do I want to do?


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether you¡¯re serious or not. As long as you¡¯re my boss, we can¡¯t have a real rtionship,¡± I stated my conclusion matter-of-factly before getting up from my seat.


    To my surprise, Ace didn¡¯t press me on the matter. Once again, too many problematic things were happening at the same time, and I was struggling to keep the pieces of my life together. Although we somehow managed to navigate the issue with Kyle¡¯s information leak, now we had another matter to settle.


    This time things seemed a lot moreplicated. Never mind the seriousness of our rtionship for now, our rtionship may not even have a future. As long as he¡¯s my boss and the CEO, we can¡¯t date, and it was probably very likely that we were on the verge of losing our jobs.


    I nced over at Ace who seemed so rxed and at home just sitting there at our tiny dining table while I wondered why this whole thing didn¡¯t seem to have an effect on him at all.


    .....


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you scared of losing your job?¡± I asked before I could stop myself.


    Ace slowly turned to face me before he smiled brightly.


    ¡°Not at all...¡± he replied firmly.


    The sound of hisughter echoing through the small living room reminded me again that I was dealing with a crazy man.


    ...


    ¡°Are you sure you want to sleep in a ce like this?¡± I asked while arching an eyebrow at him.


    Of course, I was fine with sleeping in my own home and the condition that it was in. I was also used to being poor and sleeping on a narrow bed in the small bedroom that I shared with my mother. Even though I moved for a couple of years now, things did not change much at home. The bedroom was still the way it was and so was my bed. My mother kept it that way for old time¡¯s sake and also for when I would sleep over during my visits to see her.


    Ace¡¯s tall andrge frame only made him stand out in contrast to the tiny bedroom. His rich-boy and bossy CEO attitude clearly didn¡¯t make him a good fit to the ce at all. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he felt ufortable being in a room so small.


    After our non-conclusive conversation in the living room, I decided to call it a night. Life might just magically fix itself when we wake up tomorrow. That was the lie that I fed myself that night. It was strange when Ace stepped out of our shower with my flowery-patterned towel around his waist. The sight of Ace¡¯s beautiful muscr body, his damp hair, and the smile he gave me when he emerged from the shower reminded me that things just might turn out just fine if we were still together.


    With that thought in mind, I dly returned his smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ll sleep wherever you sleep. Is that your bed?¡± Ace asked casually.


    I was speechless as I nodded to tell him that he was right.


    ¡°Great,¡± Ace said and sat down on the narrow single bed.


    Since there was no way that we¡¯re both going to fit on my bed, I was thankful that my mother had willingly given up her bed so that I could use it. Being the considerate mother that she was, she probably foresaw thising.


    ¡°You can take my bed. I¡¯ll sleep here on my mother¡¯s bed. It¡¯s been a long day, let¡¯s get some sleep...¡± I said before sighing.


    Just as I was about to turn and walk away towards my mother¡¯s bed, I felt Ace¡¯s hand on my arm. I turned around to see what he needed and found myself being pulled backwards until Inded onto hisp. My eyes widened and I immediately pushed at his chest as I squirmed on hisp and tried to stand up.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked in a panic.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t listening to me, were you?¡± Ace asked with a note of discontent in his voice.


    ¡°What? I was listening...¡± I said as I tried to unravel his arms from around my body.


    His hold on me only tightened as he held me with ease against his body while I sat on hisp like an obedient little girl. I could feel the heat of his body against mine as his familiar scent filled my nostrils. Just like the many times before that we got close, my heart skipped a beat.


    ¡°I just told you that I¡¯ll sleep wherever you sleep. So, will it be your bed or your mother¡¯s bed?¡± Ace asked before he smirked down at me.


    He¡¯s so evil...


    ¡°This bed is so small; we¡¯re not going to fitfortably...¡± I protested while stuttering.


    ¡°Should we try it out? You can always sleep on top of me...¡± Ace suggested before he smiled seductively at me.


    My heart skipped a beat at his words before my chest tightened. Please don¡¯t tell me that I¡¯m actually excited by that thought?


    I shook my head rapidly from side to side as Ace chuckled at my confused and bewildered reactions. Although I was dressed in my casual pajamas, I was aware that Ace didn¡¯t have anything on except for the flowery-patterned towel around his waist. His hands felt so warm as they began caressing the curves of my body starting from my waist and then dipping lower to caress the sides of my hips.


    ¡°Ahhh...¡± I moaned softly at the pleasure of his seductive touches.


    It didn¡¯t take long for his teasing hands to slide up from my hips along the curve of my waist to y with the in of my stomach.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 142

    142 Passionate Surrender


    I felt the heat of his touch directly on my soft belly after he boldly pulled up my shirt. He ran his fingers up and down the in of my stomach as I moaned. It tickled a little, but it felt so good for him to touch me like this. His touches felt gentle and rxing. He was taking thing slowly and although it wasn¡¯t like him, I found his change in pace intriguing and pleasurable.


    Slowly, his hands moved further upward under my shirt to firmly cup my breasts. Hisrge manly hands on my breasts felt hot. Perhaps my body was slightly cool from the shower that I just had. Regardless of what was the cause, the warmth of his hands on my sensitive womanly flesh helped tofort and rx me. His caresses were unrushed as he whispered tender loving words into my ear. His warm breath tickled my ear before the wetness of the tip of his tongue ran along my earlobe. I moaned his name as my body started writhing on hisp from his patient seduction. His hands started to massage my breasts firmly while I moaned louder than before.


    ¡°Your nipples are already hard. Did I just turn you on?¡± Ace asked teasingly close to my ear.


    His wet tongue entered my ear and began licking it. Lewd wet sucking sounds filled my ear as his hands began pumping my breasts rougher than before. I moaned passionately as my body began to respond to his seductive caresses. My nipples were so taunt and hard that they started to hurt. I was really turned on and I couldn¡¯t hide it from Ace¡¯s observant eyes. His hand pumped my breasts together a few more times before his fingers started paying teasing loving attention to my erect nipples.


    ¡°Ahhh...don¡¯t...please...¡± I moaned and begged him at the same time.


    The pleasure from the twin tight perks that he was ying with robbed my mind of the ability to think. Lust and desire flooded my body in waves as his fingers expertly tugged and pinched at my sensitive nipples. My body felt like it was on fire as he continued to turn me on. My core throbbed with need and desire as my pussy clenched hard.


    ¡°Ace...Ahhh...¡± I called out his name in a weak whimper.


    My legs felt weak as I moaned my passion. Desire swelled in my lower abdomen, and I knew that I was already very wet for him. My pussy quivered and clenched wildly when he pinched hard on my nipples. I cried out at the same time that a hot rush of wetness gushed out of my love opening.


    ¡°I love your moans and when you cry out in pleasure. Don¡¯t hold them in, Rina...let me hear your moans,¡± Ace coaxed seductively into my ear.


    .....


    I tried my best to control the lewd noises that I was making but it was bing increasingly difficult for me to do so. The walls in this building were thin and I was scared that the noises that we were making would disturb the neighbors.


    Ace licked the side of my neck before he started sucking on it. It felt so good that I thought that I was going to go crazy. His hand left my breasts and began its journey down the curves of my body. It wasn¡¯t long before he began caressing my thighs. The very short shorts that I had on did nothing to shield my thighs from his impassioned caress. Ace sucked hard on my neck as his fingertips pinched hard on my nipple and I almost screamed.


    ¡°No, Ace...the walls are thin...the neighbors will...hear...¡± I managed to protest in between my wild moans.


    ¡°With all the sounds you¡¯ve been making, I¡¯m sure that they¡¯ve already had an earful...¡± Ace replied without much care.


    ¡°Ahh...Ahhhh...Ace...¡± I moaned despite my own concerns.


    Doing this with Ace in my home felt so weird. My mother wasn¡¯t here anymore but it still felt like we were doing it in an inappropriate ce. I had never taken a man home before, and I never thought that the first guy that I would spend the night with here would be Ace of all people.


    That thought immediately disappeared from my brain when it waspletely reced by the pleasure of his hand thrusting under the waistline of my shorts to cup my pussy. My hips bucked and I cried out his name. His fingers began moving until he found the wetness in between my thighs and stroked it.


    ¡°Ahhh...Ace...please...¡± I moaned and pleaded for more pleasure.


    I loved it when he touched me there. His fingers knew how to pleasure all of my sensitive spots and I knew that soon I would be melting from his touch. My pussy was already flooded with my juices, and I was ready to take him inside of me. I was eager to feel him inside of me, his fingers and then something much thicker and hotter.


    ¡°Your pussy is flooded, Rina...¡± Ace whispered teasingly.


    His fingers teased my wetness as his words teased me. He ran his fingertips along the wet slit in between my legs as his other hand parted my thighs further apart. I spread my legs wider willingly as my hips thrusted my pussy against his hand invitingly. His touch on my most sensitive part felt so good, and I wanted him to touch me more.


    ¡°Ahh...yes...so good...¡± I moaned when his fingers found my sensitive clit.


    ¡°You love it when I y with this little nub here...¡± Ace said knowingly.


    His fingertips pressed hard against my clit, and I let out a small cry as waves of pleasure flooded my body. He stroked my clit before he began pinching on it. The pleasure made me wild, and I couldn¡¯t stop my body from thrusting my hips up and down against his hand.


    ¡°Hmm...it¡¯s so hot inside...¡± Ace said with satisfaction.


    ¡°Ahhh...¡± I moaned at the sensation of his fingers stretching me.


    Ace thrusted his fingers inside of my wet hole. I was so wet that his fingers buried themselves into me smoothly.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 143

    143 Shameless Addiction


    ¡°It¡¯s so wet inside you but you¡¯re very tight today...¡± Ace murmured seductively.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahhh...¡± I moaned loudly as his fingers moved fast and hard inside of me.


    My pussy clenched hard around his fingers as my body writhed from the pleasure of his fingers sliding along my sensitive pussy walls. It felt much better than normal to feel him inside of me. His fingers stretched me and slowly my pussy began to adjust to his fingers. My pussy made wet squelching sounds as I got even wetter for him.


    ¡°Ace...it feels so good...¡± I admitted weakly.


    Ace fingered my pussy hole harder as his fingers plunged repeatedly against the pleasure spot deep inside of my love hole. His thick and long fingers moving inside of me felt amazingly pleasurable and all I could do was cry out as pleasure robbed my brain of the ability to think. My hips moved wildly, thrusting up and down from the bed as I offered myself to him freely.


    I wanted to feel him closer to me. With the many stressful things that had been going on, I found myself relying so much on Ace, and even now, I was relying on his passionateforting. I wanted him to drown me in this addictive pleasure so that I could forget all of my troubles even if it was for a short while. His presence close to meforted and reassured me. The pleasure that he gave me helped to relieve me of my pain and anxiety.


    ¡°Ace...please...¡± I begged him as my orgasm crept up on me.


    His fingers thrusting against my pleasure spot felt so pleasurable. Ace smiled down charmingly at me as his hazel eyes burned with his own passion. I knew that he wanted to be inside of me just like I wanted to be connected and one with him.


    ¡°Please...I¡¯m going to cum...¡± I whimpered as my hips continued to buck wildly.


    .....


    My pussy clenched hard and spasmed around his fingers uncontrobly. My climax was fast approaching, and Ace seemed to realize that as well because he began pumping his fingers deeper and faster in and out of my sopping went hole. His other hand reached between us and soon I felt the unbelievable jolts of pleasure of his fingertips expertly stimting my swollen clit.


    ¡°Ahhh! No...Ahhh! I can¡¯t...it¡¯s so good!¡± I cried out as I lost myselfpletely to the pleasure of his seductive touches.


    Ace¡¯s fingertips continued to push and swirl around my engorged clit while his other hand pumped his fingers fast and hard in and out of me. I closed my eyes and screamed his name as my wetness gushed out from between my legs onto his fingers. My orgasm hit me suddenly as the pleasure of his fingers ying with my clit and hitting me deep inside became too much for me to take.


    I didn¡¯t need to worry about the neighbors hearing us anymore at this point because I was sure that they heard us loud and clear. It was clearly no wonder to them what we were up to thiste at night.


    I felt the heat of his manly hands caressing along my thighs tantalizingly before he bent and lifted my legs up. My pussy stretched open, and I felt the wetness of my own release pouring out of my love opening and trickling along my ass crack. I came so much it felt like I had wetted the bed. Thankfully, Ace didn¡¯t waste any time in positioning his hips in between my widely spread legs. My pussy trembled in anticipation of taking in his thick and solid cock inside. His fingers felt so good already, but I knew from experience that it was nothingpared to the joy of having his massive love stick deep inside of me.


    I wanted him to pound his cock into me until I went crazy. Since when did I be so addicted to having sex with him? What was scarier was my addiction in having him with me.


    Will I be able to live without him when we finally have to part?


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to fuck you, Rina...¡± Ace proimed bluntly.


    Our eyes met and I smiled sweetly at him. I spread my legs even wider for him and lifted my hips up from the bed a little as I offered up myself to him.


    ¡°Please...Ace...¡± I pleaded again in a sweet voice.


    The fire of desire burning in the depth of his eyes turned me on so much. It was going to be a wild ride, but I wouldn¡¯t want to have it any other way. I wanted him to satisfy me as much as I wanted to satisfy his desires.


    ¡°Ahhh...yeah...¡± I moaned before biting down on my lower lip seductively.


    The heat of his thick swollen cock lodged itself between my pussy lips while I moaned and whimpered. He hasn¡¯t entered me yet, but my pussy was already spasming wildly inside in anticipation of his entry.


    ¡°Yes...¡± I moaned as he started prating me.


    Unlike how he would usually enter me in one strong thrust, Ace slowly sunk his cock into my wet hole. My eyes widened at the sensation of his cock stretching and slowly filling me up. Inch by inch he buried his massive thickness into me. He was moving so slowly but so deliberately, and I could feel his presence so clearly inside of me. It felt so different, and it felt so unbelievably pleasurable.


    We¡¯re bing one.


    ¡°Good girl. Keep taking me inside of you. Take all of me, Rina...¡± Ace urged seductively.


    I nodded as I lifted my hips up to take in even more of his thickness into me. His cock was so thick and long. Countless soft moans escaped my lips as Ace continued thrusting his cock into my wet pussy hole until finally, I felt his entire cock bury itself all the way deeply into my wet pussy.


    ¡°So deep...Ahhh...¡± I moaned with utmost satisfaction as my pussy walls clenched to hug his cock closer and tighter to me.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 144

    144 Intense Passion


    I relished at the pleasure of being stretched and filled by him. He made me feel soplete and the heat of his cock made me feel so warm inside. After letting me enjoy the sensation of uspletely joining for a short moment, Ace reared his hips back before he started pounding his cock in and out of my hole. I cried out as my hips automatically began moving along with his, pumping his cock faster and harder in and out of my pussy hole.


    His name left my lips in an impassioned cry of pleasure and lust as our loving became maddening. His cock felt hotter and even bigger inside of me. I felt him so much deeper inside than before and that made me certain that his cock had expanded inside of my love tunnel. Ace withdrew his cock almost all the way out of my hole before ramming it back inside as I cried out like I had lost my mind.


    ¡°Harder...please...fuck me harder!¡± I cried out boldly as I lifted my hips off the bed.


    Hisrge hand slipped under my ass and cupped my buttocks. Ace kept my hips lifted off the bed before angling my pussy hole where he wanted it.


    ¡°Your pussy keeps on sucking in my cock...¡± Ace groaned as he continued fucking my pussy hole


    His cock plundered into my wet depths. His thrusts borderline savageness as he kept on pumping his thick and gigantic cock into me. My body writhed uncontrobly as the intense heat of my desire burned hot in my throbbing core.


    ¡°I¡¯m cumming! Ace...I¡¯m cumming...¡± I cried out as my climax suddenly took over me.


    I came crying his name as the intensity of my orgasm shook my entire body. My pussy clenched hard around his cock. Ace did not stop pounding his manhood into my wet hole. In fact, he rammed his cock faster into me from various angles while I climaxed off his cock. It felt so good. Sex with Ace was the best. He made me reached even higher heights.


    ¡°Rina...I¡¯m going to cum so much inside you...¡± Ace groaned seductively.


    .....


    I could feel his cock getting hotter inside of me as it began to twitch. The way he pumped his cock in and out of my hole told me that he was close to his release. Ace moaned my name a few times before he growled loudly.


    ¡°Rina...¡± he growled my name one final time at his release.


    ¡°Ahh...Ace...cum inside me...¡± I purred seductively as I wrapped the walls of my pussy around his cock lovingly.


    Ace thrusted his thick rod all the way into my pussy hole a couple more times as he groaned loudly before I felt his cock twitching. A soft moan of satisfaction escaped my lips when I felt his heat fill me up deep inside. His warmth spread all over my lower abdomen as his cock shot his hot raw seed deeply into my womb. I wrapped my arm around his sweaty back as he continued to fill me up with the heat of his release.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Rina. I¡¯m here for you...¡± Ace whispered close to my ear before he ced a soft kiss against my temple.


    I smiled at his calming words and the loving tone in his voice before I nodded my head slightly.


    ......


    Fortunately, the following day was a Saturday and that meant that we didn¡¯t have to head to the office for work. My mother did not rejoin us early in the morning although I knew that she was already up and about. I thanked her silently for her consideration because I didn¡¯t want her to see Ace and I tangled up with each other on my narrow bed.


    Although the weekend managed to save us from having to face the entire workforce hired at Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s, it didn¡¯t save us from the pressure of the Board of Directors. Reality didn¡¯t give us much of a break.


    I woke up the sound of Ace¡¯s phone vibrating. My heavy eyelids and sore body told me two things. One, it was still very early in the morning. Two, we probably had a little too much sexst night.


    ¡°Hello...¡± Ace muttered when he answered the call.


    The call woke me up mentally and my mind tried to focus on what Ace was saying. I couldn¡¯t figure out at first who he was talking to. Ace¡¯s face was an unreadable cold mask and that told me beyond words that the call wasn¡¯t about something good. That was to be expected. Miracles don¡¯t often happen, and life did not fix itself overnight like I had wished for.


    ¡°You want to me go over? Today?¡± Ace asked with unconcealed annoyance.


    It made me even more curious about the identity of the call.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go if I can bring her along. You should meet her,¡± Ace said emotionlessly.


    The way his hazel eyes nced over at me told me that the ¡®her¡¯ that she was referring to was none other than me. Where are we going and who are we going to meet?


    ¡°See you in the afternoon...ok...¡± Ace agreed without much enthusiasm.


    Without saying any more, Ace hung up the phone and tossed his mobile phone on the bed. I opened my mouth to ask him what was going on but before I could voice the words, Ace had already grabbed me and pushed me back down onto the bed. The softness of the mattress pressed against my back and then he was on top of me.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whispered his name with a mix of shock and surprise.


    ¡°I want to fuck you all day today...¡± Ace whispered with his face buried in the side of my neck.


    I also wished that we could spend the entire day in bed in his arms so that I wouldn¡¯t need to face the harsh andplicated reality of my life right now. However, running away from my problems wouldn¡¯t solve them. I was no longer a coward either, so I knew that it would be better for all of us if we faced our troubles head on.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 145

    145 Bold Admittance


    ¡°Wait, Ace. Who was that call from just now?¡± I asked as I tried to push him away from me.


    My hands pressed t against the firm muscles of his chest. His brown eyes looked down at me before his lips curved into a grin.


    ¡°My father,¡± he replied in short.


    ¡°Your father? As in the Chairman?¡± I asked in shock.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. He wants to see me and so I¡¯ve decided to bring you along to our main house,¡± Ace told me casually.


    ¡°Huh? Really?¡± I eximed in disbelief.


    ¡°Yes, but that¡¯s in the afternoon so now until then...¡± Ace said before trailing off.


    When I felt the heat of his breath against the soft skin of my neck, I had a very good idea what he had in mind. His warm and soft lips pressed against my neck as he kissed it tenderly. The tip of his tongue snaked out from between his lips and started licking the side of my neck as a moan escaped my lips.


    His hand moved to caress my naked breast and my nipples hardened immediately at his suggestive caresses. Ace groped my breasts, and I felt my body start to heat up. Desire swelled in my lower abdomen as he continued to turn me on with his bold seductive touches. He massaged my breasts before moving on to y with my hardened nipples.


    .....


    ¡°Ace...wait...¡± I protested weakly with thest straws of sanity that I had left.


    Quickly, I found myself sinking into the hot heat of our desire for each other. Ace kissed my lips to silence my protests. His tongue delved boldly into the wet depths of my mouth. He sucked on my tongue passionately as he tasted me. I moanedzily into our kiss as I wrapped my arms around his back to pull him even closer to me.


    ¡°Let me fuck you, Rina...¡± Ace requested with a teasing smirk on his lips.


    Ace...


    ...


    **Many hourster**


    Is this ce supposed to be a house?


    ording to Ace this ce was his main family estate. Well, he called it a house...but...


    I blinked in slight confusion at the sight before me when I stepped out of the car. Ace stood next to me with a little smile on his face.


    ¡°Wee to my house. Well, it¡¯s more like my father¡¯s house. I don¡¯t live here anymore but I still have my rooms and stuff here,¡± Ace exined in short before he took my hand in his.


    ¡°This ce is huge...¡± I gave my honest feedback.


    It was true. The ce didn¡¯t resemble a house at all. It looked more like a luxury resort withrge gardens surrounding the veryrge mansion at the center. All itcked was a namete in front of the property and everyone would flock here for their holiday getaway. Instead of the resort namete, there was a ¡®private property¡¯ sign instead.


    ¡°I agree,¡± Ace said casually.


    I let him lead me into the mansion where a man dressed in a prim and proper suit greeted us politely. Ace greeted the man, and it was clear that they knew each other.


    ¡°The Chairman is probably waiting for us in his office this way...¡± Ace said as he dragged me along.


    The exterior of the ce was breathtakingly beautiful; however, it was nothingpared to the interior of the building. Luxury resort on the outside and luxury hotel on the inside. I didn¡¯t even want to imagine how much this property was worth.


    Too many zeros for me to count, that¡¯s for sure.


    ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± Ace said casually while knocking on the door.


    This must be the Chairman¡¯s office. It felt strange that Ace¡¯s father had a formal office in his house but who was I to judge?


    Now that we were approaching the Chairman¡¯s office, my heart started beating faster and harder in my chest. I have never met the Chairman in person before. He relinquished his CEO position to Ace just when I joined thepany. I¡¯ve seen him from afar on the rare asions where he attended some events at thepany before, but I have never spoken to him. There are many rumors about the Chairman and his professional principles. Although he didn¡¯t earn a nickname like the ¡®Devil CEO¡¯ like Ace did, he is known to be a very strict and intimidating person.


    I walked into Chairman¡¯s office after Ace. To my surprise the office resembled Ace¡¯s personal office. If that room used to belong to his father, then, I guess the Chairman must have replicated his old office at headquarters and applied it to this room in his house.


    The Chairman¡¯s eyes were on us the moment that we entered the room. His face was calm and quite unreadable. I didn¡¯t know what to do so I was thankful when Ace gestured for me to take a seat on the long ck leather sofa. Ace sat down on the sofa next to me. The Chairman joined us on a sofa opposite from where we were seated without saying a word of greeting.


    ¡°Exin,¡± the Chairman said as his eyes stared directly at his son.


    A lump formed in my throat and my nervousness made my lower lip quiver. There was so much tension and pressure in the air that I found it a challenge to breath. I nced over at Ace who didn¡¯t at all seem bothered by the situation.


    ¡°This is Karina Miller, my personal secretary,¡± Ace introduced me.


    His father¡¯s eyes shifted from Ace to me for a moment. His eyes were cold, and I couldn¡¯t tell what he was thinking at all and that just made me feel even more nervous than before. His eyes returned to Ace¡¯s face before he nodded his head a little in acknowledgement. In a way, I was thankful that he didn¡¯t say anything to me because I wasn¡¯t sure if I could have found the words to respond to him.


    ¡°The photos?¡± the older man asked sternly.


    ¡°The photos are real but misleading. I wasn¡¯t kissing her when the photos were taken; however, we really are intimately involved with each other,¡± Ace admitted casually.


    ¡°For how long?¡± the Chairman asked calmly.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 146

    146 Demanding Conditions


    If he was surprised to find out about our involvement, he didn¡¯t show it at all. Had he expected something like this?


    ¡°A few months,¡± Ace replied casually.


    ¡°Have you gotten bored of her yet?¡± he asked emotionlessly.


    My eyes widened at his question. Clearly, he was referring to me; however, how can he ask something like that when I was sitting right next to Ace.


    ¡°We¡¯re in a rtionship. I¡¯m serious about her,¡± Ace replied without hesitation.


    His words warmed my heart. He sounded so sincere and honest that I dared hope that his words were true. Without knowing it, I had started hoping desperately that our rtionship would have a future.


    ¡°Serious? Do you even know what that word means in this context?¡± his father asked as he arched an eyebrow curiously at Ace.


    Well, based on his dating track record, I guess that question was only fair.


    ¡°They say time will tell, don¡¯t they?¡± Ace replied with a confident smile.


    .....


    Nothing that the Chairman said seemed to surprise Ace or have any impact on him. It made me realize that this pair of father and son must have had this kind of conversation quite often. The atmosphere between them was bordering on being hostile and they did not seem like father and son at all.


    ¡°Does shee from a wealthy family?¡± his father asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Ace replied.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t think so. Does her parents own apany of a decent size? Or any business...¡± the Chairman asked as if he was trying to put together my financial background.


    ¡°Why are you asking if you already know?¡± Ace replied with a question of his own.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t have any wealth or much money to my name. Definitely nothing close to what the Chairman would consider to be of value. A knot formed in my stomach and I started feeling unwell. The overwhelming stress of the situation was getting to me. He¡¯s going to force us to break up now, isn¡¯t he?


    It was strange how much it affected me although I had prepared myself countless times for this. All along, I knew that our rtionship couldn¡¯tst. Everything was just wrong and twisted about our rtionship.


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve decided to turn down your engagement with Elizabeth and we cannot merge ourpanies together, I¡¯ll have you take full responsibility,¡± the Chairman said after heaving a sigh.


    ¡°How so?¡± Ace asked.


    Isn¡¯t that unfair to Ace?


    It wasn¡¯t just Ace who didn¡¯t want to get married. Elizabeth didn¡¯t want to marry him either because she was already dating Kyle and wanted to marry him. In the end, Elizabeth and Kyle really did end up getting married, although her father was displeased with her decision.


    ¡°You will grow ourpany to be asrge as the size of the twobined. I give you three years, if you can¡¯t achieve this, I will never acknowledge your rtionship. That will also mean that you will keep your rtionship a secret until then,¡± the Chairman demanded.


    ¡°You can¡¯t exactly force me to break up with her,¡± Ace pointed out.


    ¡°Sure, I can¡¯t force you. However, I doubt that she would feel the same way...¡± the Chairman said before his cold eyes shifted to rest on my face.


    I winced at his sharp gaze and the meaning behind his words. He may be right. Even if Ace doesn¡¯t want to leave me, I wonder what I would do. Would I choose to stay by his side at the cost of everything including my own career and dreams. My desires aside, I wasn¡¯t sure if I was suited to stand at Ace¡¯s side. He¡¯s got so much potential, and I would only be in his way. I could see why the Chairman and Elizabeth¡¯s father thought that the two of them were a perfect match.


    ¡°Father...¡± Ace said with an edge to his voice.


    ¡°Even if Elizabeth chose to marry someone else, that doesn¡¯t mean that there aren¡¯t other suitable women who are willing to marry you with the benefit of ourpanies at heart,¡± the Chairman stated with confidence.


    It didn¡¯te as a surprise to me that the Chairman viewed his son¡¯s marriage as a union to benefit the future of thepany. Many wealthy families had this line of thought. However, the Chairman was being very open and strict about this. Unfortunately, I knew that he was right. Even I think that there are countless women who would want to marry Ace. My mind went to the many women who were vying for his attention at the party that we attended together.


    ¡°I have three conditions, if you can agree to them then we have a deal,¡± Ace said calmly as if he had thought about this before.


    ¡°Which are?¡± the Chairman asked with a calcted smile.


    ¡°First, you will not interfere with my management of thepany no matter what. Second, Karina gets to keep her job. Last, I will marry Karina immediately after thepany size exceeds the set target,¡± Ace stated his conditions confidently.


    Did he just say...marry?!


    We¡¯re going to get married?


    I have not heard anything about this before. Why didn¡¯t he say anything about this to me before?


    Wait, as far as I¡¯m concerned, we¡¯re not even dating properly so what is this about us getting married?


    ¡°Deal. I guess if you can make thatpany that big, I don¡¯t need you marrying an heiress...¡± the Chairman said with a satisfied smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s all you ever care about...¡± Ace muttered with apparent distaste.


    ¡°It¡¯s my job to care about the business and it is your job as well. Now that that is settled, how do you suppose we settle this matter with the public?¡± the older man asked.


    He was obviously referring to the misleading photos taken of Ace and me together. Well, the photos were probably only half misleading because the angle made it looked like he was kissing me when he really didn¡¯t kiss me in public on that day while we were dancing at the event. However, considering that we were involved intimately, the photos weren¡¯tpletely misleading. What will Ace choose to do?


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 147

    147 Keeping Our Secret


    ¡°If it were up to me, I¡¯ll juste out and announce that Rina and I are indeed in a rtionship. However, I know that it¡¯s notpletely up to me...¡± Ace replied confidently before his tone darkened.


    Ace¡¯s words made me feel a little giddy inside. He reached for my hand and gave it a little supporting squeeze before he turned to smile at me. I returned his smile naturally as warmth flooded my chest. It never urred to me that Ace was this serious about the connection that we shared. He would go as far as to announce it to everyone. That just sounded so reckless and crazy to me but at the same time I felt strangely happy about it.


    The Chairman¡¯s eyes shifted to me for a brief moment as if to gauge my reaction or to see if I wanted to voice my opinion on this. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t sure what would be best. As for me, since we were not formally dating, I didn¡¯t think that it was right for us to expose our rtionship like that. It would probably lead to manyplications and problems for Ace and me as well especially at work.


    However, I also wasn¡¯t sure if keeping it a secret was something that we could keep up forever. These leaks are bound to happen over and over again. Recalling therge crowd of reporters in front of my apartment sent a chill up my spine. Those people are not going to give up on us that easily. That¡¯s for sure.


    ¡°I want you to announce that everything was just a big misunderstanding and that the photos are misleading or even fabricated. You can make the announcement and so should the head of PR. We will treat it as your rtionship isn¡¯t real and never existed in the first ce. As I said, Ipletely refuse to acknowledge your rtionship until the conditions of the deal are met,¡± the chairman said conclusively.


    ¡°I¡¯m only agreeing to this because I think that that would disturb Karina¡¯s and my work at the least,¡± Ace said emotionlessly.


    ¡°That¡¯s the way that it should be,¡± his father agreed solemnly.


    ¡°If that is it, then please excuse us,¡± Ace said as he got up from the sofa and extended a hand my way.


    I ced my hand into his without any hesitation. After all, there was no need for us to hide our rtionship from the Chairman anymore. If he wanted to hold my hand, I would dly hold his hand forever. Ace led me towards the door of the room for us to make our exit.


    .....


    ¡°Ace...¡± his father called after us.


    ¡°What is it now?¡± Ace asked coldly without turning around.


    ¡°Good luck...¡± his father said before he turned to face the other way.


    That was clearly a signal that he had nothing else to say to us and that we could now leave. I watched the Chairman¡¯s back as he stared out at the scenery ofrge garden below while I wondered what he was truly thinking.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of this ce...¡± Ace said as he hurriedly led me towards the exit of therge mansion.


    ¡°Ok...¡± I replied softly.


    Although it was a visit to his home, the talk was all about business and there was nothing homey about Ace¡¯s return home. From Ace¡¯s impatient to get out of that ce, I could tell that he wasn¡¯t fond with being home. Perhaps it was about of his strained rtionship with his father. That was my best guess because I didn¡¯t dare ask him for more details.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back to my ce. In case you haven¡¯t figured it out already, I don¡¯t really consider this ce my home...¡± Ace said before grinning at me.


    ...


    I decided to name that day the ¡®get to know Ace¡¯ day. After spending the morning in bed together, he took me to his main house where we met his father. After that, as if we were on a property tour, he took me over to one of his ces. ording to him, he liked to use this ce to hide away from the unwanted attention of the paparazzi.


    When we arrived there, I had a good idea why he seemed to favor this ce and why he had decided to take me there under these circumstances. The ce was located a little out of the main city. I had expected that he would take me to some luxurious high-rise condominiums in the middle of the city, but it seemed like Ace had a different idea in mind.


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Ace announced a little proudly before he shed me a smile.


    ¡°This ce is different...¡± I mumbled.


    It was really different but definitely not in a bad way. The ce was arge house surrounded by thick woods. It seemed like the house was hiding in between the thick trees and the guards that I could see made the ce feel very secure indeed. It wasn¡¯t like someone was out for our lives so perhaps this was a little on the too much side.


    ¡°It¡¯s peaceful here. Very good if you need to think,¡± Ace said casually before he offered me his hand.


    ¡°Which is exactly what we need...¡± I mumbled in agreement.


    Ace was right. Although he might have thought things through already in anticipation of everything including his father¡¯s requests and demands, the same couldn¡¯t be said about me. I was confused, scared, indecisive, stressed, anxious, and everything else that I just couldn¡¯t name. Basically, I was a mess, and I wasn¡¯t sure what I wanted, what I hoped for, and what I should believe in.


    I need some time to think...peacefully...


    Ace led me by the hand into the house. Unlike his father¡¯s house, this ce had a homey vibe and also looked lived in. The ce was clean and neat but there were hints to Ace¡¯s life and how he lived here. Looking around made me feel instantly at home and it was a strange but weing feeling.


    ¡°Some coffee?¡± Ace offered.


    ¡°No, thanks...¡± I politely declined.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 148

    148 His Girl


    Ace gesture to therge walnut colored leather sofa in the middle of the living room for me to take a seat. I sat down as my eyes looked around the spacious living room. Unlike the luxuriously decorated interior of his office, the room felt morefortable although still very appeasing to the eye.


    The sofa shifted underneath me from Ace¡¯s weight as he sat down next to me. Ace shed me an adoring smile as he leaned his head in his hand with his arm rested on the back of the sofa. His brown hazel eyes stared at me observantly. He was close and the way he was staring at me made me feel slightly embarrassed.


    ¡°Umm...¡± I mumbled to break the silence.


    ¡°I guess, we need to talk?¡± Ace said as his eyes watched me intently.


    ¡°Yes...¡± I agreed in a whisper.


    A huge part of me appreciated the fact that he wasn¡¯t going to avoid it and pretend like nothing happened. Ace was usually too straightforward, but I found his frankness exactly what I needed in this seemingly uncertain situation. There were so many things that I wanted to ask him and talk to him about that I didn¡¯t know where to start. My mind was a mess from the information overload from earlier. How did my humble and peaceful life get turned upside down like this?


    ¡°If there¡¯s something that you want to ask, you can ask away...¡± Ace suggested as he kept his eyes on my face.


    I had so many things that I wanted to ask, and I was struggling with what I should ask him first. Before I could think everything through, my instincts took over again and I ended up saying the first thing that entered my mind.


    ¡°What did you mean when you told your father that we¡¯re going to get married?¡± I asked.


    .....


    Ace chuckled as his eyes sparkled at me mischievously and I wondered what ridiculous n he had in mind again. Marriage isn¡¯t something that I thought should be treated lightly or taken as a joke.


    ¡°I mean it exactly as it sounds. When I meet my father¡¯s conditions, I want us to get married,¡± Ace replied calmly and clearly.


    ¡°That¡¯s...crazy. I mean, we never talked about this before. It¡¯s just...so sudden!¡± I eximed in pure shock.


    I never imagined that he truly meant it. It was too sudden that I didn¡¯t know what to think or how to feel about it. We¡¯re not even dating each other properly and now he wants to marry me?!


    ¡°Is this some bad joke? I don¡¯t think you should be joking about something so serious like getting married,¡± I eximed as I shook my head from side to side to clear my head.


    ¡°I never said that I was joking about it because it¡¯s not a joke,¡± Ace replied firmly.


    ¡°It¡¯s too soon. I don¡¯t...it¡¯s too sudden...¡± I said while stuttering.


    ¡°It¡¯s not. The conditions will be fulfilled in around three years from now. That¡¯s already a long time, if we¡¯re still together then, which I¡¯m sure that we will be, then we should get married,¡± Ace said like it was an obvious path for us to take. Ace stared at me before his lips curved into a smile as he waited for me to ask more questions.


    ¡°Why did you have to mention us getting married to your father?¡± I asked before I heaved a desperate sigh.


    He should have told me first, but he never said anything about us getting married. On top of that, he had never even told me that he loves me. Does he even love me?


    ¡°It¡¯s just as I just told you, because by that time, I think we should get married,¡± Ace replied matter-of-factly.


    ¡°Still, you should have told me. Are you sure that you want to marry me? Aren¡¯t things just moving along too fast?!¡± I asked in a panic.


    ¡°Do you have another man in mind that you want to marry?¡± Ace asked as he stared deeply into my eyes.


    ¡°Umm...no...¡± I replied nkly.


    ¡°Great. Then it shouldn¡¯t be a problem,¡± Ace concluded with full satisfaction.


    Is life supposed to be this simply and easy?!


    ¡°We¡¯re not even properly dating...you know?¡± I reminded him as I folded my arms under my chest.


    ¡°Then just be my girlfriend, Rina. I really want you to be my girlfriend,¡± Ace said before he smirked at me.


    I remembered himining that he¡¯d asked me many times before for me to be his girlfriend. The memory of the first time he asked me to be his girlfriend in his office popped into my mind. It seemed so long ago already when that happened. Of course, I got mad and turned him down. Since then, I¡¯ve turned him down so many times while he justughed it off. As his beautiful brown eyes stared deeply into mine as he waited for my answer, I wondered if my refusal had ended up hurting him. It probably did...


    ¡°I...¡± I began saying but then I hesitated as I chewed on my lower lip.


    ¡°Are you still going to turn me down?¡± Ace asked before he smiled sweetly at me.


    He probably already knew my answer. It wasn¡¯t like I had any other options after all that he¡¯d done for me.


    ¡°Ok...¡± I murmured softly.


    ¡°OK, what?¡± he asked as his hand reached out to cup the side of my face.


    His eyes held mine and forced me to look straight at him. I felt so vulnerable and exposed that I felt slightly scared. I wanted to say that I was sure that this was the right decision, but the truth was that I didn¡¯t know. Then again, no one really knew what the future had in stall for us, and I might end up regretting thister but...


    I guess I really am in love with him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be your girlfriend...¡± I mumbled softly.


    You¡¯ve really done it this time, Karina.


    ¡°About time. You have no idea how happy this makes me,¡± Ace said in a seductive drawl.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 149

    149 Our Passionate Celebration


    I blushed as I tried to look away. Ace wrapped his arms around my back and pulled me close into a tight embrace. His warmth and his familiar scent surrounded me and made me feel secure and safe. My arms moved to hug him in return without a second thought like an automatic reaction. I closed my eyes and enjoyed his loving embrace while I tried to wrap my mind around the fact that I am Ace¡¯s girlfriend now.


    With all that talks of marriage, does that mean that soon I¡¯ll be his fianc¨¦e?


    I clenched my eyes tightly shut before shaking my head softly from side to side. Now¡¯s not the time to be thinking about that. Step by step...


    ¡°Rina...¡± Ace murmured my name tenderly before his lips started teasing mine.


    My eyes widened when his hands began caressing my back before dropping to caress the sides of my waist. His lips kissed mine softly from various angles yfully. I got lost in his eyes when our gaze met and locked. His lips curved into a slightly teasing smile before I felt their warmth on mine again.


    ¡°Mhmmm...¡± I moaned softly into our gentle kisses.


    ¡°Rina...your moans are so cute...¡± Ace whispered against my lips before I felt the wetness of his tongue probing in between my lips.


    ¡°Ahhh...¡± I moaned softly in my throat as my body began responding to his gentle seduction.


    Ace flicked his tongue against my lower lip before slowly thrusting the tip of his tongue between my lips. I closed my eyes and sighed in surrender as I parted my lips to grant his tongue ess to the depth of my mouth. His wet warmth filled my mouth as his tongue began exploring and tasting me. Our tongues engaged in a passionate dance that made my breathe in short bursts and my chest feel hot and tight.


    .....


    His hands dropped to caress my hips and then he reached up between us and groped my breasts firmly over my clothes. I whimpered into our heated kiss. Our tongues grinded against each other fervently as our kiss got wetter and deeper. Ace broke our kiss just enough to focus his efforts on tearing my clothes off my body. He was clearly impatient, and I didn¡¯t me him. I helped him undress me before my hands went to caress the front of his shirt, feeling his ripped and firm muscles underneath.


    ¡°I want to touch you, Ace...¡± I murmured in a small voice.


    Ace chuckled at my bold confession before he tore his clothes off his body in swift motions. I sat up on the sofa to run my hands along the muscles of his chest before moving downwards to caress his well-formed abdominal muscles. Ace took in a sharp breath before sighing in pleasure. Feeling quite bold and wanting so much to please him, I ran my fingertip over his nipples as I watched them harden from the stimtion. I nced up to see Ace watching me pleasure him. I kept my eyes locked with his as I engulfed his nipple with my lips and started licking it.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s ying around quite a bit today...¡± Ace said teasingly.


    I smiled before I continued flicking the tip of my tongue faster against his erect nipple before sucking hard on it. Ace stroked my hair encouragingly and I could tell that he liked what I was doing. I lowered my hand to feel the hard erect pole standing up in between his legs. I got on my knees to better position myself in front of him on the sofa as Ace stood next to the sofa.


    ¡°It¡¯s so hard and so hot...¡± I murmured after letting go of his nipple.


    ¡°Are you trying to turn me on even more?¡± Ace asked teasingly.


    He closed his eyes and groaned softly when I wrapped my hand and fingers around the thick girth of his hard cock. I watched his erotic expression as I began moving my hand up and down the length of his massive cock. His thick love stick twitched in my hand and although he was already massive, his cock grew even thicker and longer in my hand. I tightened my hold on his thick rod before I began pumping it faster and faster.


    ¡°Rina...¡± Ace groaned my name as his hips began moving, pumping his cock in and out of my hold.


    ¡°Your cock is getting even bigger. It¡¯s...so amazing...¡± I said admiringly.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to fuck my girlfriend,¡± Ace said teasingly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that...¡± I whispered shyly.


    ¡°Why not? It¡¯s the perfect way to celebrate our new rtionship,¡± Ace said teasingly as his hand reached out to caress my hair.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whispered his name lovingly.


    ¡°Stand up and bend over. I want to take you from behind,¡± Ace ordered in a voice thick with lust.


    He stopped the movement of my hand on his cock before removing it. I nodded in understanding before I arranged my body the way that he wanted it. I bent over the sofa before spreading my legs a little and lifting my ass up.


    My pussy clenched in anticipation of his entry into my wet hole. Ace positioned himself behind me before I felt hisrge manly hands on the side of my hips. Then the heat of his thick rod lodged itself in between my gaping pussy lips. I closed my eyes and moaned his name as I thought of the pleasure of taking him inside of me. I wanted him so badly that I could no longer think straight.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I moaned as I pushed my hips backwards.


    My pussy rubbed against his thick hardness. I didn¡¯t want to wait any longer and it seemed like Ace was also at his limit. Ace thrusted his hips forward and his cock pounded into my awaiting hole in one strong thrust that made my mind go nk. The pleasure of his entry was intense as his thick member stretched and then filled me up all the way. He buried his entire length into me in a single thrust while my pussy rejoiced at the bliss of being filled.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 150

    150 Simple Sincerity


    His cock fit into my pussy so perfectly. Perhaps it was the result of our many practices that I felt that his fix inside me felt so snug and warm. Ace didn¡¯t wait for me to adapt to his shape and size. He reared back his hips almost immediately before he began screwing his cock repeatedly in and out of my wet cunt. His hands gripped my hips as he worked to ram his cock deeply into me.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahh! Ace...it¡¯s so good...¡± I screamed out shamelessly.


    My hips began thrusting backwards onto his hard cock. His cock felt so hot inside of me, and it felt like he had gotten bigger again. My pussy made lewd wet sounds echo all around us as Ace kept on sinking his hot rod into my wetness. He pounded into me from various angles with each deep thrust hitting against my womb and pleasure spot.


    ¡°Rina...your pussy feels amazing. It¡¯s clenching so hard around my cock,¡± Ace whispered seductively to me.


    His dirty talk only made my body respond even more to him. Just like his words, my pussy began clenching and spasming tighter around his cock as he continued to pound it into me. His cock stretched me from various angles and each thrust felt more pleasurable than thest. He was an amazing lover, and I couldn¡¯t get enough of his wild loving.


    ¡°Ace...I think...I¡¯m going to cum...soon...¡± I confessed before I lost my mindpletely.


    ¡°Already? I was about to make you feel much better,¡± Ace groaned from behind me.


    His cock never stopped pounding in and out of my wet hole. I cried out at the intense jolts of pleasure invading my body when his hand reached in front of my hips and began teasing my sensitive swollen clit. My hips jerked from the double stimtion of his cock fucking my wet cunt and his fingers skillfully massaging my hard clit. I was so wet already, but more juices gushed out of my hole before it began dripping down my thighs.


    ¡°Ahhh! Ahhhh! Ace...no...I¡¯m going crazy!¡± I screamed.


    .....


    After that I couldn¡¯t say anything else but moan from the intense pleasure. His fingertips pinched my swollen clit as his cock dove into my wet pussy hole. My body trembled and I knew that I was on the verge of my release. Soon after, I climaxed intensely while crying out his name. My pussy clenched hard around his cock as I cried out and whimpered. My body trembled uncontrobly while Ace resumed his wild thrusting into me.


    ¡°Rina...I¡¯m going to cum loads into you...¡± Ace growled like an animal close behind me.


    He leaned over my body as his hands moved from my hips to fondle my breasts. I cried out from the pleasure. His cock pounded faster and harder into my pussy until he finally reached his climax. His cock felt so hot as it shook inside of me.


    ¡°Ahh...so much...¡± I murmured in amazement as his cock shot his load deep inside of my womb.


    He filled me up as he growled his pleasure. His hot seed filled me in waves that flooded my insides. I was panting hard by the time that he was done. Ace slowly removed his cock from my hole. It didn¡¯t matter how gently he removed himself from me, our mix juices leaked out of my hole to apany his withdrawal and spilled everywhere.


    ¡°I was going to show you my bedroom, but I guess we didn¡¯t even make it there...¡± Ace said with mocking regret.


    Whose fault was that I wondered as ran my fingers through my slightly messy hair.


    ¡°We can head there now...¡± I whispered a little shyly.


    Ace¡¯s eyes widened when he caught on to my suggestive invitation. Knowing him, another round of pleasure was on the way.


    ...


    Simply because we both knew that it would be hard for us to return to work with everything that had been shown about our rtionship in the news, Ace decided to hold a press conference to deal with the rumors as soon as possible. It wasn¡¯t hard to get time from the various reporters since they were so intensely interested in sinking their teeth into more gossip about our rtionship. After getting approval from the board and the chairman, Ace was ready to hold the press conference.


    As always, Ace didn¡¯t seem at all bothered or nervous about what was going on or what he needed to do. I didn¡¯t quite appreciate it, but the truth was that Ace had held many of these press conferences to either deny or admit to his dating rtionships before. This wasn¡¯t his first time, but I prayed that it would be thest time that he had to deal with issues like this.


    Of all the ces that he could have chosen, he chose thepany itself to host the press conference instead of some seminar or meeting room in the hotels. ording to him, it would make what he said more credible.


    ¡°Plus, I¡¯ll be speaking as the CEO of Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s and not simply as Ace,¡± he exined before smiling reassuringly at me.


    I honestly didn¡¯t get the difference. He was still Ace. One and the same person no matter what he called himself.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it...¡± I muttered softly.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. I guess I can tell everyone that as the CEO I¡¯m not in a rtionship with you. However, I wouldn¡¯t say the same as myself...as Ace...¡± he replied in voice so gentle that I blushed.


    I could sense the sincerity in his voice, and I prayed that I wasn¡¯t dreaming this all up on my own. It all seemed too good to be true. He gave my hand a squeeze to ease some of my worries. I tried my best to smile at him, but I wasn¡¯t sure if my efforts were fully sessful. I was nervous and scared of what was going to happen. We could deny it but that didn¡¯t mean that the people would believe us.


    ¨CTo be continued

 Chapter 151

    151 Denying Rumors


    The time for the press conference finally arrived and I found myself dressed politely in a ck dress with matching suit zer in the same conference room as Ace and countless other reporters. I could feel their eyes on me as I stood to the side along with the other staffs that helped organized the event.


    I hated every single second that I stood there. The reporters recognized me immediately and snapped many photos of me. I didn¡¯t want to be there, but I had to be. After failing to argue with Ace on this, I didn¡¯t have a choice but to turn up to the conference.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I should be there. If we¡¯re seen together, it might cause more trouble and more rumors,¡± I voiced my concern openly.


    ¡°On the contrary, I think it¡¯s better for us to be seen together. You should be there at the press conference to show that you¡¯re my secretary and that you aremitted to your work. You¡¯ll go wherever you need to with me, and people will have to get used to that. There¡¯s nothing for us to hide,¡± Ace said with confidence before he shed me a smile.


    I didn¡¯t share even a fraction of his confidence. Without a doubt, the reporters will write whatever they wanted to write. Ace may be used to this sort of situation but something like this had never happened to me before.


    ¡°Maybe we shouldn¡¯t see each other for a while...¡± I mumbled my suggestion.


    Ace¡¯s eyes widened and then narrowed at me. I could feel his anger without him having to voice it and it made an ufortable lump form in my throat.


    ¡°Never happening...¡± Ace said resolutely.


    His arms wrapped around my body before he pulled me hard against him. He hugged me tight for a moment before letting me go enough to stare deeply into my eyes. I could sense the desperate need in his eyes before his hand cupped the side of my face and then his lips crushed against mine. His lips captured mine in a smoldering hot kiss. Ace¡¯s wet tongue thrusted boldly into my mouth before he began grinding his tongue against mine while his other hand pressed my body tightly against his.


    .....


    I moaned before I wrapped my arms around his neck and began kissing him back with wild abandon. His hips grinded against mine and I could feel his hardness against my belly. His cock was already so hard. His arousal fueled the mes of my desire, and I knew that it was very dangerous for us to continue this way.


    ¡°Never suggest anything like that ever again. I don¡¯t want to hear it,¡± Ace said with unmasked anger.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ace...¡± I apologized softly.


    ¡°Just stay by my side. Do you understand?¡± Ace asked as his eyes stared deeply into mine.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I replied with a nod.


    I could still see that scene vividly in my mind. We had that conversation just hours before the start of the conference and because I didn¡¯t have aeback for his words, here I was at his side as he hand wanted. All the members of the press had taken their seat and the atmosphere was tense as everyone waited eagerly for Ace to start speaking at the podium.


    ¡°Good afternoon to everyone. Thank you for your time. I¡¯m Ace Hills, the CEO of Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s. I¡¯m here today to address the recent rumors surrounding a couple of misleading photographs that were taken of my secretary and myself,¡± Ace said before he smiled politely as his hand gestured in my direction.


    All eyes were on me, and my body froze. Why did he have to bring their attention to me like that?


    I smiled professionally as I nodded my head solemnly.


    The audience¡¯s attention returned to Ace who was ready to continue. The tension in the air seemed to have increased again.


    ¡°The truth is that rumors are just rumors. My secretary and I are not engaged in any inappropriate rtionship. We are not romantically involved in any shape or form. However, it was true that we danced together as captured in the photos that has been extensively shared on many public domains. That day we were attending a client¡¯s party together as part of our usual work. The theme of the party involved ballroom dancing and that was what we ended up doing as part of our jobs. It is absolutely expected and normal for my secretary to apany me on various business asions,¡± Ace exined smoothly before he paused for effect.


    The audience still had their eyes on him and when he was sure that he still had their attention, he smiled professionally before continuing on.


    ¡°The angles in the photographs that were selected, I am sure from many countless others that were taken, have misled everyone that we were kissing. This is indeed false because we never engaged in such an act. The recent release of those misleading photos has brought about much damage to Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s and have led some of our clients to question our professionalism in handling our work. As a result of that, our legal team wille to a decision soon whether they would like to take any legal action,¡± Ace said before smiling charmingly.


    After that he concluded what he wanted to say by mentioning that thepany¡¯s management, including himself, and all employees of thepany are serious in strictly abiding by the no-dating rule between employees working for thepany. The press did have some questions at the end, but Ace answered them all smoothly.


    The press conference ended without any surprising event to my utter relief. I prayed that Ace would be right once again and that everything about this issue would die down eventually. Just like a storm that had suddenly hit us, I prayed that the storm would pass just as suddenly.


    ...


    **Around a weekter**


    The most devastating part of the storm passed. Things have died down somewhat but notpletely. The best part was that we could return to work without incident. That didn¡¯t mean that we spent the previous week hiding away somewhere. After Ace¡¯s announcement at the press conference, we returned to work immediately.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 152

    152 Timebomb


    ¡°The best way to make people believe that we did nothing wrong is to act proud as if we did nothing wrong. In reality, I don¡¯t consider us dating to be wrong to begin with, so it really doesn¡¯t bother me,¡± Ace said while sound extremely bored.


    ¡°Right...¡± I murmured while I only felt half convinced.


    What we did and were still doing was breaking the rules no matter how he looked at it. Despite what I thought, the employees in thepany seemed to have so much faith in Ace and his words. After the press conference everything settled down quite fast in thepany, and within a few days, everything was back to normal. No one gossiped about the photos of us kissing anymore. Everyone seemed to have moved on.


    The key change for me was that now everyone in thepany recognized me, my name, and my face. Everyone knew Ace as the CEO of thepany beforehand, so nothing changed at all for him; however, very few people in thepany knew me. Only those that I had the pleasure to work with in some way knew me and that has changed dramatically. Now everyone ¡®knew¡¯ me and even though they no longer believed that I was inappropriately involved with their CEO, it still made me very self-aware and ufortable.


    This must be what it felt like to rise up in fame overnight. However, I didn¡¯t gain all this unwanted attention and fame from some good merit that I did and that was probably the worst part. Pushing all of that aside, the bigger problem was how Ace was going to grow thispany into the size he promised his father.


    ¡°Do you have any ns in mind?¡± I asked in a small voice when we were alone in his office.


    ¡°Well, the first easy but important step is for us to win the Ashfordpetition with Project Alpha. Now that Chase Creastives is no longer in the picture, it shouldn¡¯t be hard for us to win. That doesn¡¯t mean that we can let our guard down and the reason is simple...¡± Ace replied.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if we win if our work is below the standard and expectation from our potential clients. They¡¯ll have their eyes on this...¡± I finished his sentence for him wlessly.


    ¡°Exactly. Not just our existing and potential clients in the industry. If we want to expand our portfolio, we¡¯ll have to work hard to attract even morepanies to work with us,¡± Ace surmised.


    .....


    ¡°You¡¯re right. It doesn¡¯t matter who ourpetitors are, we still need to put out our best work out there without fail,¡± I said with determination.


    ¡°Correct. Without fail. If we get this right, the winds will really be blowing in our sails,¡± Ace said before he reached out a hand and yed with a strand of my hair.


    ...


    I sat down at the table for our regr Project Alpha meeting with the CEO¡¯s office team members. It was such a relief to finally focus on my work without any distractions in my way. Things were looking up. We got our original storyboard back and we managed to clear the rumors in the news. Everything finally felt peaceful, and I was mentally prepared to focus on delivering real results for this project.


    Everyone was on time to the meeting except for Ace who told us beforehand that he would be around ten minuteste because of a previous engagement. That left me alone with my other colleagues and that was when I found out what they really thought about the gossip that was circting in the news.


    ¡°I feel so sorry for you that those photos were leaked. They really are so misleading just like Ace said in the press conference,¡± a colleague told me with clear sympathy.


    ¡°See? I told you that there is no way that Karina would be dating the CEO. I mean, he¡¯s Ace. The gossip is nothing but gossip,¡± another person said.


    ¡°I feel bad for you, but you really need to be careful. Ace is a public figure, so these things are bound to happen. It¡¯s not your fault but keeping some distance between you two would be better in my opinion,¡± another person advised sternly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be mean to her. I¡¯m sure everything is fine now, Karina. We can focus on pushing this project forward. We have to finalize the detailed version of the storyboards enough so that we can start on the production nning,¡± Jeremy said with a smile.


    It always seemed like Jeremy had my back all the time. He was a genius at what he does, and he was also very kind. Just like me, he worked in design, and I was such a big fan of his storyboards too.


    As the people in the room chatted away about what they thought about the rumors of Ace and me dating, I began feeling a little guilty inside for lying to all of them. It wasn¡¯t my choice to keep this hidden, and as far as the chairman was concerned, we were not in a rtionship. Ace¡¯s father refused to acknowledge that we were together until he proved himself by growing thepany. It was going to be such a hard task and I was surprised that Ace was so willing to take it on.


    When I first started working in this team, I made so many mistakes and the team doubted my ability and didn¡¯t trust me at all. However, things have changed since I¡¯ve proven myself. Now they have ced their trust and belief in me; however, I wasn¡¯t being honest with them this time around. I was dating Ace and just recently, I had agreed to be his girlfriend. As I watched the people around meugh and joke, I wondered how long we could keep our rtionship a secret from everyone. One day, people will find out about us for sure.


    Suddenly, it felt like I was holding a ticking time bomb in my hands. It could explode at anytime and I had no idea how devastating the effects would be this time around.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 153

    153 The Secrets that We Keep


    Ace arrived soon after and the meetingmenced. Ace quickly recapped the progress of the project before outlining his expected next steps. Work was assigned logically and quickly to the team members. The next part of thepetition was the real deal where we would be presenting themercial itself to themittee members. That meant that we had to finalize the detailed version of the story board and then work on nning the production of themercial. Then the production team can take over in the filming and editing of themercial. After multiple rounds of editing and reviews, we would get ourmercial at alongst.


    It was always interesting and exciting to see what I had dreamt of in my storyboard brought to life on screen as apletemercial. From all themercials, only three will be selected for public release. Then the winner will be decided based on abination of three factors: the donation amount, themittee¡¯s judgement, and the public¡¯s opinion via poll.


    All those three elements were hard for us to influence. It was a fair game where the public gets to decide through votes and donations whichmercial appealed the most to them. Since we were promoting the end of the dog meat trade and aiming to secure donations to support the cause, it was no surprise that the donation figures would y a significant role in determining the winner.


    ¡°Jeremy and Karina, I want you two to work together on the detailed version of the storyboard. It needs to be ready for the production team to fully understand what we want to see for each scene in detail including the transitions. Script writing will also be important, so please get in touch with that team as well,¡± Ace instructed.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jeremy and I replied in unison.


    We turned to smile at each other as we both looked forward to working closely together on this project. I was confident in our skills, and I was sure that we would produce something great together.


    ...


    Project Alpha was in full swing as we all rushed towards our next deadline. That meant that I spent a lot of my time at work with Jeremy as we both focused on polishing up and designing the details of the storyboard. Putting the rough storyboard in ce was difficult work but working on all the details was even harder. Now it wasn¡¯t about the story we wanted to tell or how we wanted to tell it to the audience. We also had to consider every single thing that would appear on the screen while considering how it would actually be shot in production.


    ¡°I think the transition of this scene to this one feels weird...¡± I said as my brows frowned.


    .....


    ¡°Yeah, I think so too...¡± Jeremy agreed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to fix it, though. It feels like it¡¯s missing something and I¡¯m not sure what. I¡¯m not even sure if adding a simple transition is enough or if we need to add a mini scene of a couple of seconds to this...¡± I confessed honestly.


    ¡°What do you usually do when you run out of ideas?¡± Jeremy asked as his eyes focused on my face.


    Is this some kind of trick question?


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll do some research. Look for some references and things like that. What about you?¡± I asked in return.


    ¡°Same, except I¡¯ve got a special ce where I look for references,¡± Jeremy said before he smiled brightly at me.


    ¡°A special ce? As in where?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°It¡¯s a secret!¡± Jeremy announced before he startedughing loudly.


    Somehow, I knew that he wouldn¡¯t share the secret to his sess with me that easily. I watched as Jeremy continued tough as I wondered where that secret ce of his could be.


    ...


    Since being paired up with Jeremy, I didn¡¯t spend much time at work with Ace. That didn¡¯t bother me because not having him around helped to keep my focus on my work. I was too busy with Project Alpha that the only times that I saw Ace at the office was during our team meetings. Apart from regr morning meetings, we started having meetings towards the end of the day as well.


    Sitting at the meeting table along with my team members, I listened to my colleague presenting the progress of their part of the work. Everything seemed to be progressing smoothly and I was very confident with what we had cooking. The meeting came to its end and after aligning on next steps for everyone, Ace excused himself. Many people stayed on to discuss their work with their colleagues since everyone on the project were all together in one ce.


    Suddenly, my phone vibrated. I tried my best not to smile like a fool. This wasn¡¯t the first time that he did, so I knew that Ace had just sent me a text. The context of the text was always the same and it always meant the same thing.


    ¡°Are you leaving already?¡± Jeremy asked when I got up from my seat.


    ¡°Yeah. I think I¡¯ll call it a day today. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow,¡± I replied before I smiled a little at him.


    He waved at me before turning to talk to someone else. I silently slipped out of the meeting room before making my way to my next destination. The elevator ride up felt like it took longer than normal because of my own impatience. Ace texted me whenever he had to workte at the office and wanted mypany. Usually, I spent time after working hours in his office to keep himpany in various of ways topensate for ourck of time together during official working hours.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to keep your voice down. It¡¯ste, no one else is here anymore,¡± Ace whispered seductively into my ear as he nibbled on its lobe sending shivers of pleasure through my entire body.


    I tried to stifle my moans by covering my mouth with the palm of my hands as Ace lifted my body up onto his worktable in a sitting position. Standing in between my widespread legs, Ace hands slowly unbuttons the small pearl buttons of my rosy pink shirt before he bent his head down to suck on the side of my neck seductively.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 154

    154 Late Night Love at the Office


    ¡°Someone mighte back...¡± I protested weakly before moaning as my lust took over when he started to suck harder on my neck. It felt so good, I started to feel goosebumps on my skin as my body enjoyed his skillful technique.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost midnight, no one will disturb us, and you know it,¡± Ace reassured me; however, I was quite certain that he didn¡¯t particrly care if someone were to walk in on our lovemaking session. That was just the way he is.


    He captured my moans in his mouth as his seductive lips imed mine. He parted my lips immediately with his exploring tongue as his hot wetness invaded my mouth. He sucked and teased my tongue as he changed the angle of our kiss. As the kiss continued, I felt my body getting weak as I started to melt in his strong arms.


    I felt the cold air on my bare breasts after Ace hadpletely removed my top and my bra, baring my naked breasts to his hungry eyes. He savored the looks of my tits with a satisfied grin on his lips before bending his head down to lick the soft flesh around the base of my nipple in circr motions. His hot and wet tongue turned me on in ways I cannot even begin to describe.


    I moaned his name as I closed my eyes and bit my lower lip, enjoying the yful caress of the tip of his tongue on my breast. Hisrge manly hand cupped my other breast and began squeezing it, lightly at first before getting increasingly aggressive, making me moan even louder for him. I felt my love hole contract with pleasure as a pleasurable ache began building in my lower abdomen.


    ¡°Stop teasing me, Ace,¡± I managed to pant out in between my lusty moans.


    ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± he asked teasingly before flicking the tip of his tongue on my swollen nipple.


    ¡°Suck it...please,¡± I begged him shamelessly, curling my fingertips in his chocte-brown hair.


    Finally, Ace gave me what I wanted as I felt the heat of his wet mouth envelop my erect nipple. He took my nipple into his hot mouth and began sucking on it hard repeatedly. I cried out in bliss while thrusting my chest closer to his face, begging for him to suck on me harder.


    .....


    ¡°You like this, don¡¯t you?¡± Ace asked mockingly.


    I couldn¡¯t answer him because my mind was too hazy with pleasure. He began pumping both my breasts with his hands, making me moan louder and louder. I cried out his name as the pleasure in between my legs heightened and I felt myself getting wetter and wetter.


    ¡°Spread your legs wider for me, Rina,¡± Ace instructed as he lifted my legs up onto the table with hisrge hands before using them to spread my legs wide open.


    Sitting on the side of his table with my legs spread wide apart, my redced crotch was fully showcased to him. I wasn¡¯t sure if I chose these sexy redcy G-string because I was expecting our steamy session tonight or not, but I wore them regardless.


    ¡°You¡¯re dripping wet here already. Have you been looking forward to this all day?¡± Ace teased me. He sounded please with how my body was so turned on by him.


    ¡°No...I...¡± I began to make excuses for myself; however, I didn¡¯t have much to say in my own defense with the evidence of my desire in in view.


    I felt his thick and long fingers shifting my panties to the side to expose my naked wet slit to him. Then I felt his thick finger touching and then slowly running firmly up and down the wet opening in between my legs. It felt deliciously good, and I bit my lower lips harder as I moaned louder.


    I let out a small cry of pleasure as his fingertip started rubbing the swollen and sensitive nub at the center in between my legs. I felt shots of pleasure shoot from where he was stimting me all over my body as my body got hotter and my love hole got wetter. I wanted him inside of me so much right now.


    My hips started moving on its own free will to grind against his hand as it continued to pleasure my sensitive womanly parts. Ace yed with my clit but didn¡¯t slip his finger inside of my awaiting hole and it was making me feel so frustrated with unfulfilled need.


    ¡°Finger me...please...Ace,¡± I begged in such a dirty voice that I couldn¡¯t believe was my own.


    ¡°You¡¯re so wet, I think I can put it in directly. Should we give it a try?¡± Ace replied before he started kissing me passionately.


    His kiss was so hot as always, his tongue thrusted aggressively into my slightly parted lips as he savored my taste. Our tongue danced against each other wildly and I moaned non-stop into his mouth. I wrapped my arms around his neck before running my hands down along his back. I wish he would strip naked so that I could feel the ripped muscle underneath his shirt.


    ¡°Put it inside me...I can¡¯t wait...¡± I pleaded in between mybored pants and horny moans.


    I heard the sound of Ace impatiently unbuckling his belt and unzipping his pants and I waited with anticipation for hisrge love tool to enter me and take me to my climax. I waited with bated breath as I held my legs open wide for him in invitation.


    ¡°You¡¯re so adorable when you beg, Rina...¡± Ace murmured with clear satisfaction.


    He positioned his thick and long shaft at my wet opening. I could feel his thickness right at my entrance as I moaned sweetly. His hazel brown eyes stared deeply into mine and I could see the desire smoldering in the depths of his eyes. I wanted him so badly already that I could hardly breathe. My pussy clenched in anticipation of his entrance.


    ¡°Ahhh...Ahhh!¡± I moaned before I cried out loudly.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 155

    155 Passion and Support


    Ace suddenly thrusted his gigantic rod into my pussy hole. His bold thrust buried his massive cock into me as I cried out from the pleasure of his entrance into my tight love hole. Ace screwed his cock all the way into me before he began thrusting it in and out of my pussy. His movements were rough, but I found it so pleasurable. I was yearning to have him, and I was sure that he felt the same way that I did.


    Our lewd pants and moaned echoed throughout his office. It was impossible for me to hold my voice in. His big cock beating fast and hard into my wet hole felt too pleasurable for me to hold in my passionate moans. I ended up crying out his name and moaning loudly as his manhood stirred up my wetness and messed up my insides. The sensation of his cock caressing along my pussy hole as he thrusted in and out of me felt mind-numbingly good.


    ¡°Oh...harder...please...¡± I begged him for more shamelessly.


    ¡°I might break you...¡± Ace warned seductively.


    I wanted nothing more for him to break me until I could no longer be broken. His cock rammed harder and deeper into me, drawing louder cries from my lips. He knew where to pound into me to make me feel good. As his cock hit the pleasure spot deep inside of me, I felt myself inching closer and closer to my release. He¡¯s about to make me cum...


    I wanted to cum so badly as well. My pussy clenched around his cock as my entire body felt much hotter than before. Ace¡¯srge hands lifted my buttocks off the table as he plunged his thick rod faster and harder into me.


    ¡°Ace...I¡¯m cumming. I¡¯m cumming! Ahhhh!¡± I screamed as I lost my mindpletely to the pleasure that flooded by body at the height of my climax.


    Ace chuckled at my intense reaction before he thrusted hard and fast into me. His cock felt so hot and much bigger inside of me and I could tell that he was also close to his release. It didn¡¯t take much longer before he came inside of me. Those naughty passionate nights of ours at the office wouldst for a long time.


    ¡°My father wants to discuss the expansion n for thepany. He¡¯s really not backing down from this...¡± Ace muttered as hisrge hand stroked my hair.


    .....


    I sat limply on hisp as I pressed the side of my face against his chest. The sound of his heartbeat filled my ears and it helped to calm me down. I felt so secure just being with him. Somehow, I knew that everything would work out. It had to work out.


    ¡°I thought he wasn¡¯t going to get involved in how you handled things...¡± I murmured against his chest.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Unfortunately, that doesn¡¯t mean that I can go on without telling him anything regarding my ns. He asked for me to visit him again tomorrow at his house,¡± Ace said without any enthusiasm.


    I felt like I knew why he was telling me this.


    ¡°Do you want me toe along with you?¡± I suggested brightly to lighten his mood.


    ¡°That would be great, Rina,¡± he replied without hesitation.


    I looked up into his face and found him smiling down lovingly at me. His smile warmed me to the core.


    ...


    When I first arrived here at the Chairman¡¯s home, I never imagined that I would be here again and definitely not as soon as this. Just like the first time that I was here, the sheer size of the ce amazed me. As requested by the Chairman, Ace had to present his ns on expanding thepany. It seemed like Ace had some great ideas up his sleeve although he had not shared anything with me in detail. I just prayed that everything would go well between the two of them. Honestly, the dynamic that I witnessed between the two of them left a lot of room for me to worry.


    If Ace felt nervous or concerned about this uing meeting with his father, he did not show it all to me. On the surface, Ace seemed as calm and collected as ever. Actually, if I was not wrong, he seemed even more confident than usual.


    ¡°Just rx. You can walk around and do anything. Just make yourself at home, ok? I¡¯ll be back soon...¡± Ace told me before he smiled brightly at him.


    ¡°You mean...I don¡¯t have to go in with you?¡± I asked, taken by surprise.


    When Ace asked me to apany him, I had honestly thought that he wanted me to physically be there in the room during the meeting with his father. Apparently, that wasn¡¯t what he had in mind. After entering the mansion, we were greeted by one of the butlers and after that Ace had led me to a living room that was smaller than the main one.


    ¡°Do you want to be there?¡± Ace asked and I was quite sure that he already knew the answer.


    ¡°Well...no...¡± I replied softly.


    ¡°It¡¯s great that you¡¯re here with me. I already feel much better knowing that you¡¯re close. There¡¯s no need for you to be in the same room as well, though. My father is a difficult man to handle, I know that best, so I don¡¯t me you for not wanting to be there,¡± Ace said understandingly before he grinned and winked at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m worried...¡± I muttered softly to myself.


    ¡°About what?¡± Ace asked.


    I bit on my lower lip in hesitation when I realized that he had heard me.


    ¡°I¡¯m worried about you, although, you will probably tell me that there is no need for me to be,¡± I replied with a knowing weak smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. There is nothing for you to worry about. I¡¯ll handle this,¡± Ace said tenderly before he ced hisrge hand on top of my head.


    ¡°Ok...¡± I murmured as I stared up into his beautiful hazel eyes.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 156

    156 Making Myself at Home


    An unfamiliar feeling filled my chest and I struggled to figure out exactly what I was feeling. It felt like worry but much heavier. It felt like there was some fear mixed in as well. For some reason, it felt like I was saying good luck and goodbye to him before sending him off to some great war. I shook my head a little to clear my thoughts. What am I even thinking?


    He¡¯s just going to go meet his father for a bit to discuss some business ns.


    ¡°Have some trust in me, ok?¡± Ace teased before he shed me another confident smile.


    ¡°Ok. Good luck...¡± I wished him luck before smiling sweetly at him.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whispered his name as I blushed.


    It was very sudden, but Ace had ced a very soft kiss on my forehead before he smiled down warmly at me. I wasn¡¯t sure who needed more assurance or confidence at that point in time. It was probably me and not him if I had to take a guess.


    ¡°This is my part of the mansion. Think of it as my set of rooms. As I told you before, I don¡¯t really live here anymore but I did live here before. Basically, just think of it as your own ce and just rx while you wait for me toe back,¡± Ace said casually as he gestured with his hand at the living room around us.


    ¡°Right. Ok...¡± I mumbled before nodding.


    With that, Ace turned and left. I watched his back as he walked away before I began praying that all would go well between him and his father. I was sure that Ace had a n and that whatever he had nned must be great. However, that didn¡¯t mean that things would go well and end well with the Chairman.


    .....


    I had no idea how long Ace would be gone for, so I spent a while justzing around on the sofa while ying with my phone. After a while, I just got so bored and anxious that I had to stand up and start pacing around the living room.


    Although he told me that I should feel at home here and take a look around, it wasn¡¯t easy for me to do that at all. Everything about the ce felt unfamiliar and it was clear that no one had lived there for a long time. Despite the fact that the room had many items that belongs to Ace like photos in frames, his books, and other things, there wasn¡¯t anything that felt very personal. For instance, there wasn¡¯t a single photo of Ace or anything along those lines. Perhaps, he moved all of his stuff out of the mansion when he moved out?


    I found myself standing in front of the bookcase filled with business-rted books on one side and art-rted books on the other. A grin formed on my lips, I guess this was sort of like Ace dissected into two halves. He was a very good businessman for sure but also very creative in his work when. Now that I thought about it, I didn¡¯t quite know much about Ace¡¯s career. How did his career start? Was he always working in this field before?


    If I wasn¡¯t mistaken, there was a time when he wasn¡¯t at Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s at all and had gone abroad to start his own businesses. I wondered how those businesses were going and was he still involved with them?


    Given his busy schedule as the current CEO, I doubt that he had the time to run his other businesses, though. If that was the case, I wondered what made hime back to work at Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s. Then again, maybe it was because his father forced him toe back. The Chairman only has one son and heir so that might just be how things yed out.


    Without knowing it, I had been roaming around therge living room as those thoughts ran through my restless mind. I came to a stop in front of a door. He did tell me to take a look around so...


    He did mention that this is his part of the mansion so besides this living room there must be other room that belongs to him such as his bedroom and his working room. Considering that the Chairman had an office in his home, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Ace had his own office too or at least a room that served a simr purpose.


    Is this his office or something?


    I turned the doorknob and found that the door was unlocked. For a moment, I felt guilty for intruding on someone else¡¯s space but then Ace did say that it was fine for me to do this. So, please allow me to look around a bit. I pushed open the door without hesitation after that. The room was indeed a luxuriously decorated office with arge worktable. It wasn¡¯t as grand as the Chairman¡¯s office that I visited before, but it was no normal and in office either.


    Ace must have worked here before he moved out. I smiled a little to myself as I saw a mirage of Ace sitting behind the table with a stern expression on his face while he was working. Unlike the living room, there were more of Ace¡¯s things in this room.


    ¡°Wow...¡± I whispered in awe as my eyes fell to a photo of Ace.


    Ace looked amazingly charming now, but he was definitely a looker even when he was younger. This must have been from the time when he first started working. There was a photo of a younger Ace with the Chairman standing in front of Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯spany headquarters. The Chairman had a proud smile on his lips while Ace looked like he wished he could be somewhere else. I wondered if those two got along better back in the days or was their rtionship just as strained as it is now.


    The next thing that caught my attention was a metal te showcasing a few embossed logos. One of the logos caught my attention as one of the mediapanies that Ace had founded.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 157

    157 Living in the Present


    This particrpany made the news before, and I remembered seeing it. The rest of the logos, I wasn¡¯t familiar with and were probablypanies from abroad. Regardless, I knew that these were logos of thepanies that Ace had started when he was away from his father¡¯spany and influence.


    Looking at things from years before I actually met Ace, I realized that there were so many things that I didn¡¯t know about him. He also never spoke to me about anything about his past. As I ran a fingertip along the metal te, I realized that I wanted to learn even more about Ace. In fact, I wanted to know every single thing about him.


    I turned around and my eyesnded on a small door that was camouged into the wall. The door wasn¡¯t exactly hidden but the smoothness of it and the color made it blend in super well with the wall that it seemed like it was supposed to be a secret door. The door drew my interest immediately; however, when I tried to open it, I found that it was locked.


    Well, too bad.


    I guess somethings are off-limits after all. Either that or this is just a messy storage room that he didn¡¯t want visitors to see. That thought brought a giggle to my lips.


    Turning my attention away from the small, locked door, my eyes fell to therge bookcase that was loaded with files instead of books. Everything was so well organized that I felt bad touching the documents there. I had guessed that the files must be work rted, but I never thought that they would contain some of Ace¡¯s older works.


    These are not exactly that old, though. After a closer inspection, I found that the documents were not very interesting and were probably not prepared by Ace. Because all the documents gathered endless public praise for his work, I knew by instinct that Ace wouldn¡¯t have gathered up documents like this.


    ¡°Enjoying the tour?¡±


    I turned at the sound of the familiar voice that I had been eagerly waiting to hear. Ace stood with his back leaning against the door frame as his eyes observed me. His lips curved up into a teasing smile and that made me feel a wave of relief wash over me. I guess things didn¡¯t turn out badly with his father.


    .....


    ¡°Well, yes. Sorry for walking around like this...¡± I replied a little shyly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry. I did tell you take a look around and treat this ce like your own home,¡± Ace replied like it was nothing.


    ¡°Umm...how was the meeting with the Chairman?¡± I asked timidly.


    ¡°Not great but it wasn¡¯t bad either. Overall, he¡¯s fine with the n that I have in mind,¡± Ace said before grinning at me.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that already considered a great oue?¡± I asked excitedly.


    ¡°Well, maybe...¡± Ace muttered.


    If I didn¡¯t know Ace, I would have thought that he was just saying that to seem humble; however, I knew that he was probably trying to be honest.


    ¡°What were you looking at?¡± Ace asked as he approached me.


    His eyes quickly scanned the documents on the bookshelf before he heaved a sigh. I nced up at his face to see him staring down at me.


    ¡°Umm...is something wrong?¡± I asked hesitantly.


    ¡°Why are you wasting your time looking at all this junk? Leave it alone,¡± Ace said as he pulled the document that I was holding out of my hand.


    He swiftly ced it back on the shelf before taking my hand in his and dragging me away from where we were standing. It seemed like Ace wasn¡¯t a big fan of what were on the bookshelf. I wasn¡¯t surprised at all that he didn¡¯t like it, but I didn¡¯t think that he would be this affected.


    ¡°Why are you so bothered? Any dirty secrets in there?¡± I asked teasingly as followed after him.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Ace replied without hesitation.


    I felt the strength of his arms around me as he wrapped is arms around my waist from behind and drew me closer to him. He was so close and soon my back was pressed against his taller and harder frame. It felt like a peaceful moment as we stood there and just enjoyed each other¡¯spany. Ace ced a soft and fleeting kiss on the side of my neck as his hands began stroking the curves of my waist.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I murmured.


    ¡°You should pay more attention to me rather than those useless papers...¡± Ace muttered close to my ear with a hint of dissatisfaction in his voice.


    ¡°Umm...I was just wondering what you were like. You know, when you were younger. When you just started working and before we met...¡± I said in wonder.


    ¡°Why does it matter? We¡¯re together now. I¡¯d rather pay more attention to the present than the past,¡± Ace replied casually.


    He turned me around in his arms and then bent down to press his lips firmly against mine. I closed my eyes as I sighed from the pleasure of his kiss. His arms around me felt rxing and I didn¡¯t want this moment to end. Maybe he was right, and the past didn¡¯t matter. His kiss was truly distracting and served as a great reminder for me to focus more on the present.


    I parted my lips invitingly and Ace thrusted his wet and warm tongue into my mouth while I moaned into our kiss. He grinded his tongue against mine and I began kissing him back as fervently. Hisrge hand cupped the side of my face as he tilted my head back to control the angle of our kiss. His tongue invading my mouth felt hot and my body started to feel weak. Ace supported my body with his arm as he continued to kiss me deeply from various angles.


    ¡°Mhhmmm...¡± I moaned passionately into our hot and wild kiss.


    ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯ll rather be doing with you rather than going through my old work files...¡± Ace said after he broke our kiss.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 158

    158 A Quick One


    The desire burning in the depth of his eyes as he stared down at me told me exactly what he had in mind. However, we were in his father¡¯s house, and I wasn¡¯t sure if this was the right ce and time for something like that.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I murmured his name as I hesitated.


    Unlike me, Ace wasn¡¯t hesitant at all when he carried me up into his arms and began walking towards the destination that he had in mind.


    ¡°Where are you taking me?¡± I asked with slight panic.


    ¡°My bedroom...or should we just do it here?¡± Ace asked and I knew that he wasn¡¯t joking about both possibilities.


    ¡°Let¡¯s...go to the bed...¡± I mumbled my reply shyly.


    It didn¡¯t seem like not doing was a viable option. When walking around I got so absorbed in his office that I didn¡¯t get the chance to explore the other rooms at all. It wasn¡¯t surprising that he had a bedroom in his part of the mansion; however, it felt like I was entering another part of Ace¡¯s world and that made me feel strangely excited inside.


    When we arrived at his bedroom, Ace carried me in through the doorway before kicking the door closed behind us. My eyes instantly darted around to take in the surroundings of his bedroom. To my utmost disappointment, the room had no signs of Ace at all. There wasn¡¯t anything there that could give me more clues about the person that he was or what he was like. Perhaps because he hasn¡¯t used this room for a long time, the room was just a well-kept and clean bedroom with luxurious decorations.


    Ace ced me gently down onto the king-sized bed. The passion in his hazel brown eyes was as intense as ever as he looked down at me as if he was about to devour me right then and there. My body started to tingle as my desire for him swirled and settled in the pit of my lower abdomen.


    .....


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we should...¡± I murmured softly while trying to break out eye contact.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s make it a quick one, shall we?¡± Ace said teasingly.


    Obviously, I knew deep down that he wasn¡¯t willing to take no for an answer. When hisrge hand reached for me, I could feel the urgency of his need and that turned me on even more than before. I loved it when he needed me so desperately like this. My body began reacting to his seductive caresses as hisrge hands cupped my breasts over my clothes.


    ¡°Ahhh...Ace...¡± I moaned seductively.


    ¡°I want to fuck you now,¡± Ace admitted lustily.


    Hisrge hands traced it way down my body as his hungry gaze followed the motion of his hands. His intense gaze travelling along the curves of my body made me even more conscious of my desire. I whimpered and moaned softly at the pleasure of his hands caressing my curves through my clothes. Ace¡¯s hands impatiently pulled up my skirt to expose my thighs to him. Things were indeed moving very fast, and I found that very exciting.


    ¡°Come here...¡± Ace muttered as his hands grabbed my legs.


    ¡°Ahh!¡± I let out a small cry when he pulled on my legs, dragging my hips towards the edge of the bed.


    Instead of getting on the bed with me, Ace stood at the side of the bed. With his passionate gaze on me, his hand quickly moved down to unbuckle his belt and unzip his pants. My eyes immediately lowered to take in the bulged in his pants. He must be so big and hard already.


    I gasped at the size and thickness of his cock when he finally freed the beast from his clothes. My pussy quivered as my eyes took in his impressive erect length. His cock was already so massive and standing up proudly in between his legs. I didn¡¯t have much time to marvel at his virile manly asset when his hands returned to my thighs.


    ¡°Let me get this off you,¡± Ace said as his hands impatiently pulled down my panties.


    Soon the undesired garment was removedpletely from my legs. Ace bent and then lifted my legs up onto the bed and spread them widely open. I moaned at the sensation of my pussy being stretched wide open,pletely exposing myself to him. Ace stood in between my legs while I waited to feel his heat inside of me. Just like he had admitted before, he was going to take me right away. I knew that it was going to be a fast and intense round of desperate lovemaking.


    ¡°Ahhh...your cock is so hard...¡± I moaned at the sensation of his cock sliding against my wet opening.


    My pussy was so flooded with my juices that our sex rubbing against each other¡¯s made lewd wet sounds. Ace stroked his cock up and down my throbbing wet slit without entering me. His cock slid against my wet opening smoothly as my love honey coated the entire length of his cock. Ace groaned softly and I could tell from the sexy erotic look on his face that he felt good as well.


    ¡°Put it inside me...please...¡± I begged sweetly as I used my hands to hold my legs open for him.


    ¡°My girlfriend is so demanding. I really like it...¡± Ace murmured seductively.


    His hand guided his cock to my wet love hole, and I let out a satisfied sigh when I felt the heat of his cock position itself in between the folds of my pussy. The thick head of his cock settled at my pussy entrance for a moment before Ace thrusted his hips forward suddenly, burying his cock all the way into my wet cunt in one powerful thrust.


    ¡°Ahhh! So...rough...¡± I cried out and moaned.


    My eyes widened and I immediately started to pant as my body began moving uncontrobly. My hips bucked before grinding and lifting up from the bed to ride his cock. His cock felt so hot and thick inside of me and it gave me so much pleasure. My hips thrusted up and down as my pussy hugged around his cock tightly all the way inside of my love tunnel.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 159

    159 Commitment


    Ace began moving immediately, pumping his cock in and out of my hole fast and hard. Hisrge hands held my hips as he thrusted his thick and hot rod into my wet pussy hole. His cock felt so hard as he pounded into my wetness and hit the pleasure spot deep inside of my hole.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahhh! Ahhhh!¡± I cried out with each of his wild thrust.


    The pleasure of his cock moving along and stimting my sensitive pussy walls made me cry out in pure ecstasy. It felt so good for him to stretch and fill me all the way like this. His thrusts felt even more powerful than usual because he was standing instead of on the bed with me. Positioning me on the side of the bed ensured that his cock could prate into the deepest part of me.


    The pleasure was mind-numbing, and I could feel my orgasm building up in a pleasurable ache in between my legs and in my lower abdomen already. It felt so hot inside of me that I felt like my pleasure could burst out at any moment.


    ¡°Ahhh! Ace...¡± I cried out even louder than before.


    At that same moment, hot wet juices gushed out of my pussy as I got wetter for him. My core throbbed and burned with my intense desire as lust swirled around in my belly. My hips thrusted up and down to meet his wild thrusts halfway, burying his cock deeper and deeper into my wet hole. I cried out his name as we coupled passionately. It was like I couldn¡¯t get enough of his cock beating into my wetness. Our sex pped against each other and made lewd obscene sound echo all around us on top of our passionate moans and groans of pleasure.


    ¡°I¡¯m cumming! Ace! Ahhh!¡± I screamed so loudly when I suddenly orgasmed.


    His cock thrust deep and powerfully against my womb sent me over the edge. It was fast and wild just like I had anticipated. Ace growled my name in his low and seductive voice as he continued to plough his cock into my wet cave. My pussy felt extremely sensitive from the aftereffects of my orgasm, and I could feel him much more than before inside of me.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahhh! It¡¯s so...deep...¡± I cried out and moaned as my head trashed about on the bed.


    .....


    ¡°I¡¯m going to cum so much inside you, Rina...¡± Ace growled.


    He reared his hips back and withdrew his cock all the way out of my pussy before screwing it back all the way inside of me. Ace repeated this process a couple more times before he stilled inside of my hole. His cock felt much hotter and thicker inside of me as my pussy walls hugged his cock lovingly. The beast twitched wildly inside of me at his release before he shot his sticky hot seed deep into my wet cunt. He moaned my name as he closed his eyes in intense pleasure while his cock continued to pump his semen to drown my womb.


    ...


    A week after, Jeremy and I managed toplete what we thought was a great and very detailed storyboard. We even ran it through with the head of our production team to make sure that it was detailed enough for them to work with. I was thrilled when we got very positive responses from the production team, and everything seemed to be going so well and smoothly.


    Apart from work on Project Alpha, my rtionship with Ace seemed to be progressing smoothly as well. Of course, we still had less time for each other at the office, but we made up for that in the evening and on the weekends. Ace seemed to be in a much better mood since the day that we left his father¡¯s mansion after their meeting together.


    I could tell that Ace was working very hard by how packed his schedule was. Compared to before, Ace had many more meetings during the date and sometimes in the evening with managers and CEOs from otherpanies. He was working hard to expand thepany¡¯s portfolio of clients for sure. His dedication and motivation to work hard only added to fuel my own motivation to work hard and do my part.


    It felt quite unbelievable when I thought that a part of the reason why he was working so hard was for our sake. I wanted to believe that he was serious about our rtionship and that he wanted things to work out between us. However, sometimes, I still thought that it was too good to be true and if I let myself get my hopes up too much, I would end up getting hurt.


    ¡°I think this is good enough. If you don¡¯t want to tweak or change anything else, I¡¯m going to get us a meeting slot with Ace so that we can run this through with him,¡± Jeremy said with clear satisfaction in his voice.


    ¡°Yeah. We should schedule a meeting with him,¡± I agreed after snapping out of my thoughts.


    ¡°Right. If we can get the greenlight from Ace, then the production team can start shooting themercial,¡± Jeremy replied enthusiastically.


    I could tell that he was very excited and so was I. We are just one step away from the production phase and soon, I would get to see themercial that we have designed brought to life on screen. It was indeed a very thrilling moment that I had been anxiously waiting for.


    ¡°Wait, I did say that I would get time from Ace but now that I think about it, you¡¯re his secretary, right?¡± Jeremy asked as his eyes stared at my face.


    Oh, he¡¯s right...


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m his secretary so you can book his time with me. Sorry, I was just so excited about the progress that we¡¯ve made that I just totally forgot about that. Hold on a moment, I¡¯ll pull up Ace¡¯s schedule. Let¡¯s see...a slot that would work sometime soon...¡± I said beforeughing lightly.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 160

    160 Her Sudden Arrival


    I stared at Ace¡¯s calendar for a brief moment before inputting a new meeting for us to discuss ourtest storyboard with him. Jeremy watched me intently and I had to stop what I was doing to sh him a reassuring smile. I might have been out of ittely, but I can surely get us a meeting time with Ace.


    ¡°Here. I¡¯ve scheduled it already. The meeting should appear in your calendar as well,¡± I announced before smiling a little at Jeremy.


    ¡°Thank you, miss secretary,¡± Jeremy thanked me teasingly.


    ...


    Ace schedule was packed for the next few days so the meeting that I had scheduled with him to review thetest storyboard got pushed back to next Monday. Regardless, I decided to send him an email so that he could have a look at it beforehand. Since there wasn¡¯t much that I could do while waiting for Ace¡¯sments, it was the perfect opportunity for me to catch up on my secretarial work at Ace¡¯s office.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you back here, honestly,¡± Ace told me with a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to be back. Umm, by the way, I sent you the most updated version of the storyboard that I¡¯ve been working on with Jeremy for your review. I also set up a meeting for the three of us to go through it,¡± I said with a proud smile.


    ¡°Great. I¡¯ll take a look at it, but we should discuss it in detail during the meeting. Is the version you sent me the final version?¡± Ace asked.


    ¡°Well, yes. It¡¯s the final version from us but the real final version wille after we get yourments or approval,¡± I replied while daring to feel hopeful.


    .....


    I knew that Ace was a tough critic on all our works so it wouldn¡¯t be that easy for our work to pass and get his approval without edits here and there. However, I dare to hope that the edits would be minor and fixable in a short period of time. Otherwise, we risk running into dys or cutting into the time allotted for the other teams toplete their work.


    ¡°Goodluck,¡± Ace said before grinning at me.


    Right, we¡¯ll probably need some luck for our work to go through. Ace turned and left the office to go to his next meeting. I watched him leave as I thought that he had been more discipline in joining his meetings as slotted into his schedule. Although, I could no longer apany him everywhere, he seemed to be behaving quite well.


    At least, I no longer got calls from the managers asking me where Ace was because he was eitherte or simply failed to show up to his meetings. Ace was working harder and more diligently than before. His nap room must be feeling lonely now that it wasn¡¯t regrly in use anymore, but I thought that that was for the best. I stared back down at the pile of documents in front of me before I rushed to sort them out. For us to reach the bright future that was waiting for us, I had to work hard and do my part too.


    ...


    The next day, while I was sitting in Ace¡¯s office sorting out even more documents that had arrived from the central secretarial department, the door to his office mmed opened. It was loud and I was shocked. My first thought was that someone must have ticked Ace off for him to make such a grand entrance like that. Then, I suddenly remembered that Ace was in his personal office so the person who just mmed the door opened on their way in, couldn¡¯t have been Ace.


    ¡°Is Ace here? He is, isn¡¯t he?¡± a beautiful woman with long blonde hair asked me in a very loud voice.


    I immediately stood up from my seat in shock. Who is she and how did she get here so suddenly like this? Was Ace expecting her?


    Something about the angered expression on her face and her aggressive tone of voice told me that she was trouble. A nagging feeling at the back of my mind hinted to me that I have seen this woman before, but I couldn¡¯t figure out who she was or where I had seen her.


    ¡°Mr. Hills is...¡± I began replying before she cut me off.


    ¡°I know that he¡¯s here. Tell him that I¡¯m here to see him. Seriously, how mannerless can you be? Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m pregnant? How long are you going to make me stand and wait like this?¡± she snapped at me.


    She¡¯s pregnant?


    My eyes lowered from her irritated face to her midsection. She was definitely pregnant and judging from therge size of her belly, she must be quite far along in her pregnancy journey already.


    ¡°I will let Mr. Hills know right away,¡± I said politely.


    Even if I wanted to tell Ace that she was here to see him, she never bothered to introduce herself and so I wasn¡¯t quite sure how to tell Ace that she was here. Do I say something like ¡®Hi, there¡¯s a heavily pregnant woman here to see you¡¯?


    Is that how it¡¯s supposed to work.


    The door of Ace¡¯s personal office opening made me stop in my tracks. The man that the pregnantdy had been so desperate to see stood there right in front of us with a stern look on his face. He must have heard her voice and came out of his office to see what was going on. His sudden appearance did save me the trouble of breaking the news of her sudden arrival to him.


    ¡°Ace!¡± the woman yelled his name loud and clear.


    ¡°Come inside. Stop yelling,¡± Ace told her quite coldly.


    The woman shot me a menacing re as she strode past me and into Ace¡¯s personal office. I watched in shock and confusion as Ace followed her inside without as much as casting me a nce and then the door to his office mmed shut in my face.


    What is going on? What on earth just happened?


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 161

    161 Demands of a Pregnant Woman


    I stared at the closed door in confusion as I wondered what I should do now. My hands trembled a little and my lips felt dry all of a sudden. Her sudden appearance shocked me but the fact that she was pregnant made an extremely ufortable knot form in the base of my stomach.


    Why did shee to see Ace? How are the two of them rted?


    She¡¯s not pregnant with his child, is she?!


    No matter how much I tried to keep my thoughts from straying in that direction, that was exactly where my thoughts ended up going. Why else would a pregnant woman be so angry and demand to see Ace like this. Ace also did not seem shocked to see her or the fact that she was with child. So, he must have known already that she was pregnant. Even when I knew that I should try to put some trust in Ace, it was virtually impossible at that moment and in that situation.


    She¡¯s pregnant!


    Those words echoed through my brain repeatedly like a scream that was just echoing as it bounced off the walls of my brain.


    ¡°What?! You¡¯re not going to take responsibility for this?!¡±


    The loud scream of the woman from earlier erupted through Ace¡¯s office. I wouldn¡¯t count myself as being guilty of eavesdropping because the volume at which she was screaming actually forced me to hear what she was saying. Ace probably responded to her, but I couldn¡¯t hear what he said.


    ¡°How can you say that? How heartless can you be?¡± the woman continued screaming at Ace.


    .....


    I was frankly too stunned to move from the spot where I was standing. My feet felt like they were glued to the spot as I stood there lost in a daze. Once again, I couldn¡¯t hear what Ace¡¯s response was to her.


    ¡°Of course, you have to be responsible. This is all because of you!¡± she yelled even louder than before.


    After a small pause, the woman exploded again.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m pregnant. My belly is getting bigger and bigger every day!¡± she screamed, and I heard her loud and clear.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not going to keep my voice down! You better sort this out or I¡¯m telling your father!¡± she threatened.


    I could hardly believe what I was hearing. The most surprising thing was that Ace was bearing with her and I couldn¡¯t find another reason why he would do something like that unless what the woman was saying was true.


    She¡¯s pregnant and he¡¯s not willing to take any responsibility? Is that it?


    My face felt numb from shock and while I stood there in the exact same spot as before. Suddenly, the door to Ace¡¯s personal office opened with a loud bang. The blonde woman stood in front of me with her chest heaving up and down in a fit of rage. Her face was a deep shade of red and her eyes were bulging. I had no idea how their conversation ended but it was apparent that this woman did not get what she came here for.


    Her eyes glowered at me when she saw me standing right in front of the door before her lips curled up into a smirk.


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re his new secretary?¡± she said with clear contempt as her eyes travelled down my body and then up again.


    Her scrutinizing gaze made me feel very ufortable and I became too tongue-tied to say anything to her. She nodded her head as if she¡¯d seen more than enough already before her eyes left my body.


    ¡°Well, good luck to you for the job...and dealing with Ace,¡± she said before she smirked at me again.


    I was too shocked to do or say anything. The sound of the office door opening and then mming shut announced her departure from the room. Immediately, after she left, it felt like all strength had left my legs.


    ¡°Rina...¡± Ace called for me.


    My body just froze, and a sickening feeling filled my chest. At that moment, I didn¡¯t want to see or speak to Ace. What should I do? Should I ask him about what just happened?


    No, I¡¯m scared. I¡¯m too scared.


    I didn¡¯t even want to hear the truth from him. If the truth was going to hurt me more than this, then I might as well crawl away and die alone in peace.


    Ace must have gotten impatient from waiting for me to respond to his call because he came to the doorway. I didn¡¯t dare to meet his eyes and before he could say anything else to me, I turned and ran out of the door.


    ...


    My legs were still shaking along with my entire body. My breath escaped from me in short bursts as I panted. After running out of Ace¡¯s office, I just kept on running. My desperate attempt to flee earned me many curious and disapproving gazes from the people who I ran past. It wasn¡¯t normal for someone to be running in the hallway of the office building and they must have thought that I was in a hurry. I only reflected on this after I had somewhat calmed down. When it actually happened, I didn¡¯t have the time or attention within me to pay to any of the passerby.


    I had no idea where I was supposed to go after running out of Ace¡¯s office. All I knew was that I needed some time to be alone to think and fully wrap my mind and emotions around what had just taken ce. The blonde woman just now looked very familiar. I must have seen her before, but where?


    Where have I seen her before?


    ¡®Oh, so you¡¯re his new secretary?¡¯


    Her words came back to me alone with the malicious tone of her voice and the angered look in her eyes. I¡¯m his secretary now...


    I gasped as my hands flew to cover my mouth when it finally urred to me who she was. It all made sense to me now. I¡¯ve seen her before and only someone like her would say something like that to me. That woman used to work as Ace¡¯s secretary.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 162

    162 Breakup


    My eyes widened in shock and for a moment, I forgot to breathe. If I recalled correctly, I first saw her when I was waiting for Ace a few years ago when I had my interview at thispany. Her beauty was captivating, and she had the same hair color as now. I didn¡¯t remember her face that well and she did gain a little weight from her pregnancy so that was probably why I didn¡¯t recognize her right away.


    However, now I was certain that she is his ex-secretary. Why else would she take note that I was Ace¡¯s secretary now?


    It was all because she used to be his secretary before I took over her position from her. When I first epted this position, I even asked about her and what happened to her.


    ¡®I thought that you already had a secretary...¡¯


    ¡®Oh, you mean udia? She had to quit recently due to health issues. It really was quite unfortunate. I really enjoyed working with her and we got along very well with each other,¡¯


    If I wasn¡¯t wrong, that was what I asked him and then he replied with something along the lines that she was sick and had to quit her job. Her name is udia, and she was without a doubt working as Ace¡¯s personal secretary before me.


    The wind blew against my face and fluttered my long hair back behind me. My eyes stung and it wasn¡¯t simply because of the wind. The scenery of the cityscape in front of me started to blur and a momentter a warm wetness trailed down my cheeks. I blinked andrger drops of tears streamed down my face.


    It took quite a long time for the tears to finally start flowing. I was just too in shock to even react properly to what I had just witnessed. My shaky hands wouldn¡¯t stop shaking and I had to grip the railings in front of me hard to keep the pain in my heart at bay.


    I should have known something like this was bound to happen. Why didn¡¯t I see iting?


    .....


    udia didn¡¯t have to quit her job because she was having health issues; she was simply pregnant. If she stayed on in thepany, then the state that she was in would be seen by all. Her belly would get bigger as the time passes and soon everyone would realize that she is pregnant. That wasn¡¯t something that the two of them couldn¡¯t allow to get out, so udia had to leave thepany to hide her pregnancy.


    All of this could only mean one thing. Honestly, I should have fully realized that when I saw herrge baby bump. She even yelled to tell Ace that he had to take responsibility for it. I stared up at the sky without seeing any of its beauty as I was forced to admit to the truth that Ace must be the father of udia¡¯s child.


    I recalled her anger and the fury inside of me started to boil over as well. My emotions were so intense that I wasn¡¯t sure what I was feeling more at that moment. Was I more heartbroken because Ace had kept that secret from me and had betrayed me? Was I more furious at him for not taking care of udia and their baby properly?


    How can he impregnate her and show absolutely no responsibility like this?


    My body continued shaking from my sobs and the anger that I felt at the injustice that udia had to go through. I had no idea how much suffering that woman had to go through until she couldn¡¯t take it and had to drag her very-pregnant self to see Ace at the office. Many people probably recognized her right away if they had worked with her before. Yet, she had to risk all that just to have a conversation with Ace because he had obviously been ignoring her.


    All the while that udia was suffering, he had been together with me in our little world. He even introduced me to his father and told him that he wanted to marry me. While all of that was going on, he was leaving udia behind and not taking responsibility for his past selfish actions.


    ¡®Well, good luck to you for the job...and dealing with Ace...¡¯


    Her bitter words came back to me in waves, and they started to make me feel nauseous. I thought that things were going so well between Ace and me and that our rtionship was finally moving in the right direction. Clearly, I was just fooling myself while Ace had been fooling around and ying with me all along. This wasn¡¯t anything new and I should have expected something like this. I had been worried all along that he was just ying with me, and it was only recently that I had started thinking that there may be a real chance that he was serious about our rtionship.


    I even agreed to be his girlfriend just recently. So why did something like this have to happen?


    After running off, my feet had automatically taken me to the rooftop. Why do I always end up here when I¡¯m in trouble?


    I should just call in sick and go home for the day. Maybe I should go back home to stay with my mother and tell her up and straight about all the things that I¡¯ve been hiding from her. That may just be what I needed to do to clear my own conscience. She could yell at me and all the improper things that I¡¯ve done and then I can move on with my life again.


    Karina, you really have bad taste in men. Kyle and now Ace...


    It hurts so bad that a painful whimper escaped my lips. Why does it have to hurt so badly?


    I have to break up with Ace. That was the only conclusion that I could envision. He wasn¡¯t a good man, after all. Even if he was, if me being with him meant taking him away from udia and their unborn baby, then that wasn¡¯t something that I could do.


    We all deserve better. We all can do better than this.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 163

    163 Extreme Regret


    Somehow, I made it home. I didn¡¯t even remember how I made it home after I had gotten into a cab. I¡¯ll figure everything work-rted out tomorrow. I¡¯ll apply for sick leave or whatever was necessaryter on. When I got home, I realized that I had no memories of my time in the cab at all. My thoughts were a jumbled mess and so were my emotions.


    Thankfully, there were no reporters in front of my apartment anymore since the press conference made the rumors about us die down. I managed to get into my apartment before letting my body fall face first onto the bed. My entire body felt heavy as if it was made out of solid rocks.


    ¡°Mum?¡± I spoke through the phone while hating our much my voice broke and quivered.


    ¡°Rina? What¡¯s wrong?¡± my mother asked in a panic.


    She must have figured out that something was gravely wrong from my tone of voice. I wiped my tears from my cheek and eyes with my hand before taking in a deep breath. I¡¯m such a mess and a failure for worrying my mother this way.


    ¡°Umm...I¡¯m just calling you to tell you that I¡¯ll be going back home today. So, yea, see you soon...¡± I said while I tried to keep my voice steady.


    That was only half of the truth. The other reason why I was calling was that I wanted to hear her voice. When things got difficult, it was always my mother who was always there tofort me with her kind words or to tell me off with her harsh words until I found the light at the end of the tunnel again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what is going on but I¡¯m happy that you¡¯reing back home, Rina,¡± my mother said in one of her gentlest tones.


    ¡°Thank you, mum...¡± I replied before hanging up.


    .....


    ...


    The sun had already set by the time that I arrived at my mother¡¯s ce. From the time that I dashed out of Ace¡¯s office until that point in time, he never tried to contact me. There wasn¡¯t a single miscall or text message from Ace on my phone. If I had to be honest, I would say that I didn¡¯t expect him to suddenly disengage himself from my life like this. However, I had to say that this may prove to be for the better for both of us.


    After all, what¡¯s the point of going through all the ugly and emotional drama and argument if we¡¯re just going to end up going our separate ways anyways.


    He¡¯s still my boss at work and I still have to work with him as long as I¡¯m still working at Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s. Maybe I can request a transfer back to my old department. My old boss will probably take me back, although without grilling me for a good reason for my move back. I still wanted to work on Project Alpha till the very end, though. That may prove to be troublesome because that would mean that I would have to see Ace everyday as the project¡¯s supervisor.


    Everything was so messy andplicated.


    I see. This is precisely why thepany had put in ce that ¡®no dating between employees¡¯ rule in the first ce. Here we younger people all thought that the older people who put that rule in ce wereme and too conservative. Now, I guess I had grown older in a matter of hours because I was truly seeing the merit of having that rule in ce. It was all to prevent young and stupid people like me from getting myself into this kind of damaging and career-limiting situations.


    ¡°Rina, you¡¯re back...¡± my mother said when she answered the door.


    ¡°Hi, mum...¡± I said before trying my best to smile at her.


    The moment that my mother opened the door to our apartment for me, the ugly voices inside of my head quietened. The tears that I had been holding back flooded my eyes and ran down my cheeks as I pulled my mother into a tight hug. I felt her arms around my body and then she began stroking my back just like she always did tofort me whenever I got scared of upset as a child.


    ¡°Everything is going to be just fine, Rina...¡± she whispered to mefortingly.


    My mother being the understanding mother that she was, focused on feeding me some warm food without asking me any questions about why I had suddenly turned up in tears in front of her apartment door. After trying my best to eat some of the food that she had prepared for me, I realized that I wanted to tell her about my troubles. It may not solve anything at all, but I had made up my mind not to keep any secrets away from my mother anymore.


    ¡°Mum...¡± I called her name softly.


    ¡°Rina, you don¡¯t have to talk about it if you don¡¯t want to. No matter what, I¡¯m always here for you,¡± my mother said before she smiled a little at me.


    Her hand reached out for mine from across the table and gave it aforting squeeze. Her kindness only made more tears well up in my eyes. Why did the world outside have to be so tough and filled with wicked people? I wished that I could just hide in this little apartment and live a quiet life with this specialdy.


    ¡°Actually, I want to talk about it. Would you mind listening?¡± I asked in a small yet hopefully voice.


    ¡°Of course. If that is what you want...¡± my mother replied.


    How do I even start telling her about what happened?


    ¡°Well, today the woman who was Ace¡¯s secretary before I took the role came to our office. She¡¯s pregnant and she was there to demand for Ace to take responsibility...¡± I said before my voice started to crack and I had to take a pause.


    My mother¡¯s expression turned into one of extreme shock. I must have had that expression on my face too earlier in the day when I found out. She was speechless and so I was for a while.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 164

    164 Yearning to Escape


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen now but I¡¯m definitely breaking up with Ace. So, let me stay here with you for a while...¡± I confessed softly.


    ¡°Have you spoken to Ace about this? Are you absolutely sure that she¡¯s pregnant with his child?¡± my mother asked after recovering from her initial shock.


    ¡°No. I was too shocked to speak to him. He hasn¡¯t tried to get in touch with me, though. She also demanded for his responsibility, so I think that is clear enough it and of itself,¡± I replied before heaving a heavy sigh.


    ¡°That¡¯s not good. As a couple, you should always talk things out. I know that it can be difficult to talk about something like this but even you do end up breaking up with him, I still think that you should talk to him properly and break things off properly,¡± my mother suggested sternly.


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right...¡± I muttered.


    Maybe I should talk to him. Maybe it was only right that I gave him a chance to exin; however, I just didn¡¯t know how to face him right now and I didn¡¯t want to hear any of his excuses either.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to bed, Rina. Tomorrow will be a better day, I promise you that,¡± my mother told me before offering me a very kind smile.


    My mother looked like she had other questions on her mind, but she didn¡¯t end up voicing any of them. That night, I slept on my old bed in the same room as my mother. Once the lights were switched off, I realized that I was so scared to spend the night alone and that was why I was so thankful to have my mother with me. It wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t know what I would probably have trouble sleeping tonight. My emotions were very mixed, and I didn¡¯t look forward to the arrival of the next morning at all.


    ...


    .....


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re up...¡± my mother greeted me when I walked into our small living room.


    ¡°Good morning...¡± I mumbled before slumping down onto a chair at our dining table.


    My body felt so heavy and so did my mind. Non-surprisingly, I didn¡¯t catch a wink of sleepst night. I was sure that if I had fallen asleep, all I would do was have a nightmare about udia marching into the office to announce her pregnancy before screaming at Ace for him to take responsibility for it.


    ¡°Some breakfast? Well, considering the time this might as well be lunch,¡± my mother said before smiling at me.


    She ced a te of food in front of me with a ss of water before she took her usual seat at the dining table opposite from me. I could see the worry in her eyes and hear it in her voice. Although I had absolutely no appetite for food, I picked up the fork before taking a bite of food into my mouth.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to work today?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Nope. I¡¯m taking the day off to take care of my only daughter,¡± she replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry about all this...¡± I mumbled.


    Actually, I felt sorry for all the mistakes and wrong decisions that I¡¯ve made. Maybe life working at the core of the city and inrge corporates wasn¡¯t something for me. It had always been my dream to work at Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s but now I wasn¡¯t sure about anything anymore. Putting it bluntly, I had lost all self-confidence. cing your trust in the wrong guy twice in a row could have that much of an impact on me, I guess.


    ¡°Rina, I think you shouldn¡¯t worry too much about it. As I tried to tell youst night, I think everything will clear itself up when you talk to Ace...¡± my mother said as she seemed to shift ufortably on her chair.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to talk to him, mum...¡± I said to ease her worry.


    The truth was that I still didn¡¯t want to talk to Ace or see him. He also had not given me a call or tried to contact me in anyway. Today was also a workday, so he must be at the office and busy with work by now. As for me, I had decided to take leave from work because I didn¡¯t have the guts to turn up to work and pretend that nothing had happened the day before.


    My mother sighed loudly before she shook her head slowly from side to side. My eyes hurt and were probably still swollen from all the crying that I didst night. Although I didn¡¯t get any sleep, I wasn¡¯t sleepy at all. I wondered what I should do for the day and what I should do with my life going forward.


    Maybe I should just give it all up and quit my job. Moving here to live a humble and quiet life away from the chaos of the city might be better for me. People might call me a coward but what¡¯s so wrong about wanting to protect myself from the harshness of this world?


    Suddenly, the doorbell rang.


    I almost jumped up in my seat at the sound and that just went to show how on edge I was. Since I wasn¡¯t expecting anyone, I nced over at my mother to see if she was. It seemed like I was right, when my mother calmly got up from her seat before heading towards the door. I let out sigh and began rxing a little on my chair as my eyes stared absentmindedly at the food that was still left uneaten in front of me.


    ¡°She¡¯s inside. You¡¯re wee toe in...¡± I heard my mother say.


    I watched the tip of my fork toy around with the food on my te while I knew full well that it was bad manners. At that point, I just didn¡¯t care about anything anymore, let alone my table manners.


    ¡°Rina...¡±


    The voice that I didn¡¯t want to hear and the voice that I wanted to hear the most spoke my name.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 165

    165 Facing the Truth


    Immediately, I turned my face around to see if my ears had been ying a dirty trick on me or not. My eyes must be ying some trick on me as well because I saw Ace standing right in front of me in our small living room.


    He¡¯s not really here. That was the conclusion that my brain arrived at without hesitation. I turned around and started ying around with the food on my te again with the tip of my fork.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ignore me, Rina...¡± Ace said.


    This time, I felt his presence when the table shook as he took the seat opposite to mine from our small dining table. No matter how much my mind tried to deny his presence, it seemed like Ace was really here in our apartment again.


    Why is he even here?


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± I asked the first thing that came to my mind.


    ¡°Because you¡¯re here. Rina, we need to talk...¡± Ace said as he stared directly into my eyes.


    ¡°I have nothing to say to you...¡± I muttered darkly.


    Now that Ace was sitting right in front of me, all the dark emotions that came rushing forth in uncontroble waves. The pain and tightness in my chest felt unbearable and so was the heat of my anger that seemed to burn me alive from the inside.


    .....


    ¡°If you have nothing to say to me, what about to her?¡± Ace asked as his eyes gestured to the door.


    My gaze followed after his before my eyes widened at the most unexpected person standing right in front of the door. My hand flew to my mouth immediately, just in time to keep myself from crying out loud.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much time so if you want to talk, please step outside...¡± udia said to me curtly.


    udia stood in front of my apartment door dressed in a dark navy dress that hugged the curves of her big and round belly. She didn¡¯t seem to be in the best of moods, and I could tell that she wasn¡¯t entirely pleased to be here. Did Ace bring her here? Why?


    ¡°There¡¯s a caf¨¦ on the opposite side of the road. Let¡¯s meet there. I¡¯ll get changed and head there right away...¡± I murmured while still in shock.


    My entire face felt cold and numb. It was a miracle that I could somehow speak given how badly my lips were quivering.


    ¡°Please wait for Rina at the caf¨¦ that she mentioned. It should be morefortable there...¡± my mother quickly urged the two of them to make their exit.


    Ace stared at my face for a moment before he seemed to give in. He stood up from his seat and escorted udia out onto the hallway in front of our apartment¡¯s entry.


    ¡°Rina, you should get dressed. Thedy is pregnant so it¡¯s not good for you to keep her waiting for too long,¡± my mother said before she pressed her lips together in a thin line.


    ¡°Did you know that they wereing here?¡± I asked the question that had been burning on my mind.


    My mother sighed before she nodded her head once at me.


    ¡°Yes. Ace gave me a callst night before you came to my ce. He figured that you woulde here...after what happened...¡± my mother confessed softly.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me? You know that I don¡¯t want to see them, right?¡± I blurted out saying.


    ¡°If I had told you, you would have run away, right? Stop being a coward and face the truth, Rina. You can do this... I believe in you...¡± my mother said with pleading eyes.


    ¡°Mum...I¡¯m scared...¡± I whimpered in a cracked voice as tears sprung to my eyes again.


    ¡°I know you are. Everything will turn out fine. Trust me and trust in yourself, Rina...¡± she said as she wrapped her arms around me and held me tight.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry...¡± I apologized repeatedly as she continued to hold me.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing for you to feel sorry for. Now, get changed and go out there to find out the truth,¡± my mother said as she held me at arm¡¯s length and stared into my eyes.


    I just nodded my head once at her. I might die from the heartbreak but that cer. For now, my mother was right, I needed to hear the truth from both of them first.


    ...


    ¡°That took you a while...¡± udia muttered.


    Ace and udia sat next to each other on a sofa in the caf¨¦ that I had directed them to. After changing into somethingfortable and quite presentable, I headed over to meet them right away. No matter how much I wanted to run away and hide, I knew that it was no use. Sooner orter the truth would have toe out. If that was the case, I better hear it from the two of them while I had the chance.


    Although udia wasn¡¯t in a good mood, at least this time she wasn¡¯t yelling or screaming at Ace. Had he decided to take responsibility of their baby already? If that was the case, then things might turn out for the best for all of us and the baby too.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I whispered as I sat down on the sofa opposite from them across the coffee table.


    ¡°I take it that you overheard our conversation yesterday in the office when udia dropped by to meet me,¡± Ace said calmly to start off our conversation.


    ¡°Yes, I did. It wasn¡¯t my intention but...¡± I said before trailing off.


    ¡°udia was shouting and screaming loudly so you couldn¡¯t help but to overhear,¡± Ace finished my sentence for me smoothly.


    ¡°Yes...¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t me it on me. me it on this guy here who refuses to help me out no matter what...¡± udia spat before she shot a dangerous re in Ace¡¯s direction.


    ¡°I will help you with what you need once you¡¯ve done clearing up this mess that you¡¯ve created,¡± Ace hissed at her with narrowed eyes.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 166

    166 His Responsibility


    udia was clearly not scared of Ace at all. In response to his threat, she just rolled her eyes at him. I wondered if she was this way when she was working as his secretary as well. I highly doubted it.


    ¡°Fine...¡± udia said with clear annoyance before she turned to face me.


    Her eyes narrowed at me while she seemed to think about what to say. I had no idea why Ace brought her here to see me and why she had agreed to it. I also didn¡¯t understand the deal he seemed to have with her. What was it that udia so desperately wanted?


    I stared back at her as my heart raced wildly in my chest while I waited for her to tell me the truth about the conversation that she had with Ace yesterday. What she says will most likely determine whether or not I have a future with Ace.


    ¡°The truth is...Ace is not my baby¡¯s father...¡± udia stated loud and clear.


    My mouth dropped opened at her words.


    Really?!


    ¡°...What?¡± I whispered in pure disbelief.


    ¡°This child in my belly isn¡¯t his,¡± udia repeated with another choice of words.


    .....


    Her hand went to herrge belly before she started stroking it softly and lovingly. My eyes dropped to herrge and round belly as I struggled to process the meaning behind her words.


    Ace isn¡¯t the father of her child. Then...


    ¡°But you were yelling at Ace for him to take responsibility when you were in his office...¡± I mumbled cluelessly.


    ¡°Oh, that. That¡¯s right. He has to take responsibility for this. It¡¯s all his fault that I got pregnant!¡± udia eximed so loud that we started drawing the attention of the other customers in the caf¨¦ along with the staffs.


    ¡°We¡¯re sorry...¡± Ace apologized in her ce.


    We waited for a moment for everyone¡¯s attention to leave us before continuing on with our conversation. Maybe it was a bad idea to do something like this in public. udia didn¡¯t seem like she wanted to enter our apartment, though.


    None of the things that udia just said made any sense. If Ace wasn¡¯t her baby¡¯s father, then how is it his fault that she got pregnant?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I don¡¯t understand what you mean...¡± I confessed softly.


    ¡°My baby¡¯s father is one of Ace¡¯s best friends. He was the one who introduced me to him...¡± udia replied.


    ¡°Oh...¡± I mumbled.


    So that was the truth that my mother wanted me to hear. Did Ace tell her this beforehand as well?


    Is this even true?


    I had no idea if I could trust him anymore, but I didn¡¯t see udia as someone who would lie to protect Ace. After all, she probably had nothing to gain if she lied. Why would she push her baby¡¯s father away to some other woman?


    Before my mind could decide what I should believe, my heart seemed to have made its decision already as relief flooded my body. I wanted to sigh so loudly now that I found out that Ace didn¡¯t impregnate his ex-secretary.


    ¡°That¡¯s how it is...¡± Ace said before he heaved a sigh.


    ¡°But I still don¡¯t quite understand...¡± I said while still feeling confused.


    Why is udia so mad at Ace for introducing her to his friend?


    ¡°Let me exin so that you¡¯ll finally get it. Ace you better keep your end of the deal. The thing is, while I was working as Ace¡¯s secretary, he introduced me to this friend of his and told me that he was a great guy and all that. I ended up dating that guy and soon after, I got pregnant with his child. Then, that ¡®great guy¡¯ refuses to marry me. Just like that!¡± udia exined before her anger started to boil over again.


    Oh...


    ¡°It¡¯s not exactly like that. He¡¯s a great guy and he¡¯s very in love with you. Things are justplicated with his family and that¡¯s why he¡¯s asking you to wait. Also, he thinks it¡¯spletely fine to have the wedding after you¡¯ve given birth,¡± Ace jumped in quickly to exin.


    Was this what they were arguing about in his office?


    ¡°You¡¯re a coward just like that friend of yours. I told him that we should get married when I first found out that I was pregnant. Then what? He refused. Now look at how big my belly is! If he had married me back then, this big belly wouldn¡¯t be an issue...¡± udia snapped at Ace.


    It was clear that this conversation was turning into another argument between her and Ace.


    ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ve told your dear girlfriend the truth and cleared up all misunderstandings for you. Now it¡¯s your turn to keep your part of the bargain. You¡¯re going to make sure that that friend of yours marries me and no one else!¡± udia said as her voice started to get louder and louder.


    ¡°I promise that I¡¯ll do my best to convince him. Regardless, you¡¯re very far along in your pregnancy now. You should wait till you safely give birth first before worrying about any kind of wedding ceremony or party,¡± Ace advised calmly.


    ¡°What about the marriage registry? I can still sign the papers even when I¡¯m this far along, right? You can get him to agree to that for me, right?¡± udia asked without willing to back down.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try. I¡¯ll talk to him, and I¡¯ll talk to his father for you if needed,¡± Ace promised.


    ¡°You better do that. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯m going to tell on you to your father. Then your father can talk to his father about it for all I care...¡± udia said through gritted teeth.


    This woman is so scary. I have never met anyone like her before in my life. She¡¯s even using the Chairman to threaten Ace.


    ¡°Are we done here? I don¡¯t have more time to waste here dealing with your lover¡¯s quarrel,¡± udia said as she made a move to stand up from her seat.


    ¡°Yes. Thank you very much for helping me out, udia,¡± Ace thanked her with a smile.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 167

    167 Our Apologies


    ¡°I always help you out, Ace. Now it¡¯s your turn to help me out,¡± udia said sternly.


    After ring at me and Ace, she finally made her way out of the caf¨¦. I was still too shocked to speak when she left. The fact that she was gone also meant that I was left alone with Ace. Suddenly, fear and panic started swallowing me up and my hands and feet felt so weak and cold. For a moment, I honestly thought that I was going to faint.


    ¡°I guess you didn¡¯t sleep wellst night...¡± Ace said with a tinge of regret in his tone.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty obvious, huh?¡± I mumbled a little sarcastically.


    Therge dark circles and my puffy eyes probably gave it all away that I didn¡¯t sleep wellst night and that I had been crying my eyes out for hours. Ace sighed loudly as he shook his head slowly from side to side while I wondered how we both got ourselves into this messy web of unfortunate and hurtful misunderstanding.


    ¡°Rina, there¡¯s nothing for you to worry about or cry over anymore. It¡¯s all just a big understanding that udia probably intentionally brought about to get me to help her out. As you¡¯ve heard, she¡¯s not pregnant with my child. Actually, we¡¯re just friends...¡± Ace exined calmly.


    Although the story that udia told was almost unbelievable, I had no other options but to believe that the two of them were telling the truth. I highly doubt that udia would help Ace out the way she did if he was indeed the father of her baby. It really was an unexpected twist that she thought that Ace was to me for all of this simply because he was the one who introduced her to boyfriend.


    I thought of the pained expression on her face, and I found myself praying for her sake that everything would progress smoothly for her wedding. Ace had promised to help her out so I hoped that things would work out well for her and her baby.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I still find it very hard to believe. It¡¯s just all too much. You know, she turned up so suddenly and she was pregnant and then she was yelling at you. It was just too much for me to take and I didn¡¯t know how to react...¡± I confessed as I tried to stop my emotions from overwhelming me.


    .....


    ¡°I don¡¯t me you. I kind of knew what you were thinking. I¡¯m sorry for everything rted to this mess and I¡¯m very sorry that I didn¡¯t sort this out with you sooner...¡± Ace apologized, and I thought that he seemed very sincere.


    ¡°Yea...¡± I murmured without knowing what else to say.


    Ace didn¡¯t even try to contact me at all and even if he gave my mother a call, he didn¡¯t call me. I didn¡¯t quite understand what he was thinking then. Even if I didn¡¯t want to face him or talk to him, deep down, I guess I really wanted Ace to call me or to try to find me as soon as possible. When he didn¡¯t do that, I just lost faith in our newly formed rtionship and what we had. Truthfully, I was very disappointed. Although I was the one who ran from him and didn¡¯t want to face him. It was all very contradictory, and I knew that it wouldn¡¯t make much sense if I tried to exin what I was feeling to him.


    ¡°I wanted to find you and talk things out with you as soon as possible but...I guess you wouldn¡¯t believe me no matter what I told you. So, I had to do what I just did which was to get udia to exin the truth to you. For me, I thought that was the only shot that I¡¯ve got to make you believe me. I¡¯m very sorry that it took this long. Honestly, it took a long time for me to strike up a deal with udia...¡± Ace exined before he let out another sigh.


    The look on his face told me that things must have been difficult for him too. While I was busy crying my eyes out and losing out on sleep, I never imagined that Ace was working hard to find a way to mend our rtionship. I thought that I would be so angry at Ace and that I would never be able to forgive him but when the time came, I felt guiltier than ever.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. This wouldn¡¯t have happened if I trusted you more and talked things out with you at the time...¡± I apologized as I felt tears sting the back of my eyes.


    I¡¯m about to start crying again and I had to bit down hard on my lower lip to keep my tears from spilling over. My mother was right once again, it was best for me to talk things out with Ace. Regardless of what the truth was, I shouldn¡¯t just breakup with him without ending things properly between us. In this case, talking things out with him cleared up all misunderstandings. It was still hard for me to believe that we didn¡¯t need to breakup after all.


    ¡°Well, I can understand why you got so emotional about it. However, you¡¯re right. If you had calmed down a little and talked things out with me from the start, I could have exined things to you properly. Maybe you wouldn¡¯t have believed me, though...¡± Ace said while sounding tired and drained.


    ¡°I am so sorry, Ace...¡± I apologized to him again.


    I had no idea how many times I¡¯ve ended up apologizing to him for all the mess that I either put us into or the mess that we just found ourselves in. Looking back, it was probably at least partly my fault for panicking and jumping to conclusions without talking to him first.


    ¡°Stop apologizing. The circumstances were very misleading, and as I said, udia probably said all those things to mislead you too. She¡¯s a very maniptive woman but she¡¯s not a bad person. This time around, she¡¯s a little more than desperate to have her way. I apologize for her...¡± Ace said before smiling sweetly at me.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 168

    168 What Would I Do?


    The moment I saw his smile, I realized how much I¡¯ve missed it, and it has only been a day since Ist saw it. What made me think that I could go on without seeing that smile of his forever?


    ¡°I¡¯m still very surprised about udia¡¯s...umm...circumstances...¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°It¡¯s honestly not as bad as she thinks it is. She¡¯s gotten too paranoid about it and thinks that my friend won¡¯t marry her or take responsibility for their child. That¡¯s not true at all, but no matter how many times I try to tell her this, she wouldn¡¯t believe me...¡± Ace said before pursing his lips together.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s got to be a reason why she thinks that way...¡± I murmured in wonder.


    ¡°My friend is definitely a yer and famous for his numerous affairs. That and adding on the fact that the baby was kind of unnned, might be what is making her think that way. However, with that being said, he¡¯s a very responsible man so I have no doubt that he¡¯ll take responsibility. He really likes her too...¡± Ace exined before grinning at me.


    Someone who¡¯s a yer and famous for his numerous affairs really just sounded a little like...


    My eyesnded on the subject of my thought before I shook my head a little as I tried to clear that thought away from my mind.


    ¡°I see. I hope things go well between them...¡± I said before letting out a small sigh.


    ¡°The truth is my father was the one who chose udia to be my secretary,¡± Ace said as if he just recalled that fact.


    .....


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked in pure surprise.


    The Chairman chose udia? Why?


    ¡°Why do you seem so surprised? My father had very good reasons to choose her. udia is actually very close to my father and still is,¡± Ace exined.


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know that...¡± I murmured.


    Now that I thought about it, she did threaten to tell the Chairman about what happened to her if Ace didn¡¯t help her out. The more I learnt and heard about her, the more I thought that udia was such an extraordinary and quite scary woman.


    ¡°She¡¯s sort of like a distant cousin of mine and that makes my father her uncle. udia is smart and very calcting. My father apparently likes all of her outstanding qualities and so they¡¯ve been close ever since she was young,¡± Ace said before he smiled at me.


    ¡°Wait. She¡¯s your cousin?¡± I asked in pure shock.


    I did not expect this on top of everything else that I had just learnt about her. My eyes blinked rapidly in surprise as I tried to digest this new piece of information.


    ¡°When I came back to work at thepany to take over as the new CEO, my father installed her automatically as my secretary to make sure that I would ¡®behave¡¯. Basically, she was acting like a spy that my father had sent. She would report to my father about every single little thing that I did,¡± Ace exined before he grinned at me.


    ¡°Oh...¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t dislike her and she¡¯s not the enemy or anything like that. We work together very well. udia has talent in what she does, and she yed a big part in getting me where I am today as the CEO. That being said, working with her meant that I couldn¡¯t fool around at all...¡± Ace said before winking mischievously at me.


    Now that I thought about it, when I first met udia, she seemed to be watching Ace intensely as if she was keeping tabs on him. I wondered if she was sent not just to help Ace with his work but to also make sure that he observed the no-dating rule in thepany. I wondered how sessful she really was...


    ¡°Right...¡± I murmured without knowing what toment about that.


    I wasn¡¯t quite sure why he was telling me all of these things, but it did help ease my mind a little. After being left in the dark for so long while I tried to navigate through the webs of misunderstandings, it felt a little reassuring that he was talking to me and telling me things openly. I wished that Ace would be more opened with me like this on more topics so that I could learn more about him.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t lying when I told you that she had some health issues. The thing is, udia had someplications earlier on in her pregnancy and because of that, I was the one who convinced her to stop working to take better care of health. She was very stubborn about it at first but finally she decided to quit,¡± Ace exined.


    ¡°I see. I do remember you telling me that she had some health issues...¡± I said with a nod of my head.


    He really was exining everything so wlessly that it caught me by surprise. If only he was this open with me when I asked him about his career, then I might learn so much more about him and from him. I knew better than to press and push Ace. All I could do was hope that someday, he would open up more towards me and tell me or show me everything that I wanted to know about him, which was pretty much everything. Without knowing it, my curiosity about Ace had grown and that drew me even more to him.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s about all that I wanted to tell you. Any other questions?¡± he asked with a smallugh.


    ¡°Nope. Thank you so much...for telling me all this,¡± I replied with a smile.


    ¡°Then, I have a question for you,¡± he said as he stared intensely at me from across the coffee table.


    I wondered what he was going to ask even after the long conversation that we just had.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked in wonder.


    ¡°What would you do if I had told you that udia¡¯s pregnant with my child?¡± Ace asked as his hazel brown eyes focused on my face.


    I blinked a couple of times at his unexpected question as my mind went totally nk.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 169

    169 Making Up


    ¡°I¡¯ll break up with you. No matter what, I don¡¯t want to be a homewrecker so...¡± I replied after a moment of thought.


    That was honestly the conclusion that I was prepared to face when I thought that udia¡¯s baby could be Ace¡¯s. It was a scary scenario that I didn¡¯t want to happen; however, if that was really the case then it would leave me with no other choice.


    ¡°Interesting...¡± Ace murmured.


    I wondered what he was thinking.


    ¡°How so? Did you expect me to just forgive you and move on?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know but...I didn¡¯t think you would leave me that easily...¡± Ace said as if he was thinking of something.


    ¡°Hmm...if you don¡¯t behave well, I might just end up leaving you...¡± I said teasingly.


    ¡°Time for some food...¡± Ace said as if he wanted to change the topic since it was no longer benefitting him.


    ¡°I guess we should head back before my mother starts to worry about us...¡± I readily agreed.


    .....


    ¡°Great, then. I guess it¡¯s time for me to have a taste of your mother¡¯s home-cooked food,¡± Ace said with extreme enthusiasm as he rubbed his hands together.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have work to do? Not just you, my mother probably has gone out by now...¡± I said.


    ¡°Nope. I took the day off. As for your mother, she promised to cook me a meal if I can make up with you properly. So, what do you say? Did we make up properly?¡± Ace asked hopefully.


    ¡°I...guess...¡± I was forced to say.


    I found myself smiling with ease when I thought of how much Ace seemed to have woven his way into my mother¡¯s heart already. When did those two started to get along? It was strange for my mother to strike up a deal with Ace like this and with her food as an incentive for him to do her bidding. It was just so unexpected and new for me.


    ¡°Great. Let¡¯s head back so I can proudly tell her that we made up and that she can start cooking for us now,¡± Ace dered with pride as he stood up tall and proud.


    ¡°Right...¡± I mumbled before I started giggling.


    Ace seemed to be very fired up about having a taste of my mum¡¯s homecooked food. He won¡¯t be disappointed, though. She really is a good cooked and I would always rank the food that she cooked in the top of my list of favorite foods.


    Ace headed for the door before he stopped in his tracks and turned around. He held out his hand to me and smiled.


    ¡°Come, Rina...I¡¯m hungry...¡± he mumbled with a hint ofint.


    ¡°You¡¯re funny...¡± I whispered when I reached his side.


    I smiled up at him as I slipped my hand into his. He held my hand tightly as he stared down into my eyes.


    ¡°What did you just say?¡± he asked as if he didn¡¯t hear me properly.


    ¡°Nothing, let¡¯s go...¡± I mumbled as I pushed the door of the caf¨¦ open.


    I knew very well that he heard what I just said.


    ...


    Unlike me, my mother was not at all surprised that I managed to make up with Ace. When we returned to her apartment, she was there waiting to greet us with a smile. A reassuring nod from Ace was all it took for her to understand that we had already ended all our misunderstandings regarding udia¡¯s pregnancy.


    ¡°I guess I should start cooking now...¡± my mother said with a smile.


    ¡°So, you really made a secret deal with him without telling me...¡± I mumbled as I pouted yfully at her.


    ¡°Of course, I did...¡± my mother replied with a smallugh before she headed to start on her cooking.


    I shook my head from side to side in slight disbelief that those two really struck up a deal about this. Ace wrapped his arm around my waist and urged me to take a seat at our small dining table. Now that we were alone again, I didn¡¯t quite know what to talk about. Ace saved me from having to think of something to start a conversation with him by speaking up.


    ¡°Since I stayed at your cest time, do you want toe to my ce?¡± he asked invitingly.


    ¡°As in that house...?¡± I inquired.


    Ace shook his head at me, and I started wondering how many ¡®ces¡¯ he had.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you to a ce that I stay at more often,¡± he replied with a warm smile.


    ¡°As in in the city?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yup. Want toe along?¡± Ace asked again.


    ¡°Sure...¡± I murmured as I got lost in his beautiful hazel eyes once more.


    Things have gotten less awkward between us by then and it was a little surprising how fast things seemed to return to normal between us, not that it was a bad thing. The smell of good cooking drifted towards my nose, and I thought that it might be better for me to help my mother out with her cooking.


    ¡°I think I should help my mother out a little in case she needs help,¡± I told Ace as I stood up from my seat.


    ¡°You can cook? I thought you can¡¯t cook...¡± Ace asked in surprise.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I can¡¯t cook but I can help her out here and there. I¡¯m not 100% incapable of doing anything, you know...¡± I replied as I narrowed my eyes at him.


    Ace put both his hands up to the side of his face as if to tell me that he didn¡¯t mean any offense. I just smiled and then giggled at his reaction before heading off to help my mother.


    It didn¡¯t take much longer, and she didn¡¯t require a lot of my help before food was ready to be served. At least, I could help her with the manualbor work of serving the food and bringing it to the dining table. The look of anticipation on Ace¡¯s face made me smile happily. I thought that I¡¯ve never seen him look forward to a meal this much before in the time that I¡¯ve been with him.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 170

    170 Winning Over My Mother


    After taking our seats, we started off on the food. I watched a little anxiously to judge Ace¡¯s reaction to my mother¡¯s homecooked food. I wasn¡¯t the one who made it, but I couldn¡¯t help feeling nervous to see if he would like it. My mother, on the other hand, seemed quite confident in the result of her cooking.


    ¡°It tastes like home, I guess. It¡¯s very delicious for sure, but something about it makes me feel very warm. It¡¯s like eating love and care,¡± Ace told my mother with a charming smile.


    I didn¡¯t think that he waspletely lying about what he thought but his word choice and the way he smiled at my mother also made me think that he was definitely sucking up to her. My motherughed a little shyly before she smiled and thanked him. The conclusion that I quickly reached was that she was already under his spell. I began wondering if there was anyone that Ace couldn¡¯t manage to win over as I stuffed some food into my mouth and began chewing on it.


    ¡°Your daughter is so mean, ma¡¯am...she told me that she will break up with me for sure if I was the father of that baby. She didn¡¯t even think about it when I asked her what she would do if that was the case...¡± Aceined openly to my mother.


    Why do I feel like he¡¯s already on her good side and I¡¯m being painted as the viin here?


    ¡°Rina, don¡¯t be so mean to Ace...¡± my mother turned to say to me with a clear warning in her tone.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one being mean to him. He was the one who caused so many misunderstandings...¡± I retorted.


    ¡°I surely am to me. Don¡¯t me Rina, mother,¡± Ace said in tone so gentle it was like he was talking to a baby.


    My eyes bulged when I realized that he had already started calling her ¡®mother¡¯ and that she didn¡¯t seem to mind. My mother justughed along to whatever he was saying. I made a mental note to ask Ace what he done to my mother when we were alone. Seeing them talk and enjoy their time together made me feel a lot better in a way that I couldn¡¯t quite describe. I guess I was d that the two of them got along and that my mother enjoyed hispany. Clearly, Ace has got her figured out and wrapped around his fingers.


    .....


    After wrapping up our meal, I thanked my mother before telling her that we should be heading out. My mother was understanding like she had always been and wished us good luck. I didn¡¯t want to tell her that this was probably just a small bump in our journey together and that there were more detrimental hurdles thaty in store for us such as getting the Chairman¡¯s approval of our rtionship, for example. Things wereplicated but telling her all of that could definitely wait for another day.


    It was a long ride from my mother¡¯s ce to Ace¡¯s ce in the heart of the city; however, the ride wasn¡¯t boring at all. The ride also gave us the time to reconnect and silently mend our bonds.


    ¡°I¡¯m a little worried about Project Alpha...¡± I mumbled admittingly.


    ¡°Why? Isn¡¯t everything going well?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Well, I guess but I¡¯m still worried about potential dys,¡± I said before I sighed softly.


    ¡°We still have time. Thankfully, it didn¡¯t take us long to make up, otherwise the final storyboard review might need to be pushed back,¡± Ace said jokingly.


    ¡°Never. I¡¯m professional enough to separate my personal life from work. I would have attended the meeting with you even if we were still not on good terms,¡± I told him defiantly.


    I probably meant it; however, I had to admit that I wasn¡¯t sure how well I could have pulled it off. Jeremy, being as bright as he was, would have probably sensed that something was off right away since he would be in the meeting with us. That might have been very awkward indeed.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Ace asked teasingly before he turned to grin at me.


    ¡°Have you taken a look at it?¡± I asked hopefully.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk too much about work right now. I¡¯m on leave and you¡¯re supposed to be sick,¡± Ace reminded me with a hint of disapproval in his tone.


    It was clear that he didn¡¯t want to talk about work anymore, so I decided to change the topic to something else. Since the CEO was on the leave, I had to be respectful of his personal time too. Leave days were precious even for the CEO, I thought with a smile on my lips.


    After a long drive, we finally arrived at Ace¡¯s ce which turned out to be one of the high-rise luxurious condominiums. Ace had a private elevator that shot us right up to the penthouse floor. A while ago, this would have surprised me, but I¡¯ve learnt for a while now not to be surprised with these things anymore. I just had to imagine the best of everything and then some extrayers of special on top of that and that was probably what Ace had or had ess to.


    ¡°My bedroom has a nice view,¡± Ace stated confidently during our ride up.


    ¡°What about the view of the other rooms?¡± I asked teasingly.


    ¡°...you can see for yourself,¡± Ace muttered.


    I giggled a little at him and the elevator opened after it came to a stop. Ace offered me his hand and led me out of the elevator. The fact that the elevator opened right up to the entrance to his room told me that there was only one unit on the entire penthouse floor of this building. Impressive, although, no longer surprising to me.


    ¡°Wow! The view from up here is amazing!¡± I cried out as the view of the cityscape captured my attention.


    I quickly approached the wall of clear ss and looked down and then around at the great view that seemed to make the city stretch out endlessly before me. Ace chuckled behind me before he came to stand at my side.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 171

    171 Passionate Reconnection


    ¡°You like it, right? I figured that you love seeing views of the city like this...¡± Ace said knowingly.


    ¡°I love it...¡± I admitted honestly as I continued staring at the cityscape in front of me.


    ¡°It looks much better at night. I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll like it even more then. As for me, I¡¯ve gotten quite bored of it,¡± Ace said before he turned to smile at me.


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame...¡± I whispered as I turned to return his smile.


    I felt a slight pressure of his touch against the small of my back before his arm wrapped itself around my waist and pulled me closer to him. He kissed the top of my head tenderly as I wrapped my arms around his body and held him close. He felt so warm and feeling his body against mine felt soforting and right. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t have to let go of him just yet.


    ¡°I¡¯m happy enough that you seem to enjoy it,¡± he murmured from above before he kissed my hair.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be happy for a very long time because I¡¯m not going to get bored of seeing it anytime soon,¡± I told him confidently as I lifted my face to smile up brightly at him.


    ¡°Great to hear,¡± he murmured as he ced hisrge hand on the top of my head adoringly.


    ¡°Where are you taking me?¡± I asked in wonder.


    .....


    Ace took my hand in his before he pulled me softly along after him. His ce was decorated in the modern luxury style that I quite liked. The dark tones of grey along with subtle lighter tones with some touches of gold here and there made the ce seem luxurious yet simple at the same time. It suited Ace very well and he seemed very at home in this ce. Unlike how he behaved back at his father¡¯s mansion, Ace seemed free and alive in this ce. I didn¡¯t have much time to look around as Ace dragged me along after him.


    He never replied to my question but soon I found out the destination that he had in mind. Arge door opened in front of me before he ushered me in.


    ¡°I did say that the view from my bedroom is the best...¡± Ace said from behind me.


    I sighed in satisfaction when I felt the warmth of his embrace surround me as he wrapped his arms around me from behind. He pulled me back a little against his hard and muchrger frame. The heat of his body against my back along with his familiar smell made me feel at home even though I was at his ce and not mine.


    I didn¡¯t have time to focus on the view that Ace mentioned was so beautiful before I had to close my eyes to concentrate on his lips crushing down on mine. He kissed me roughly and so intensely that it felt like he was punishing me. His tongue sought entry into the depth of my mouth. I moaned softly against his lips before I parted my lips slightly for him. Ace did not hesitate to thrust his wet tongue boldly between my lips.


    ¡°Mhhhmmm...¡± I moaned louder when his tongue began teasing mine.


    Our kiss got deeper and wetter in no time at all. He was demanding and very open about it. His hands moved to caress the curves of my body starting at my waist before progressing slowly upwards until hisrge hands cupped my breasts over my clothes. His arms wrapped around me tightly as if preventing my escape.


    It seemed like I wouldn¡¯t get to explore the rest of this penthouse without dealing with his desires first. I began kissing him back urgently as his seductive teasing started to turn me on. His hands groped my breasts roughly over my clothes before I broke our kiss. Slowly, I turned around in his arms to face him before I offered my lips to him again. His hand held the back of my head steady before his lips crushed down firmly on mine and captured them in a hot kiss. His tongue quickly thrusted back into the wet depths of my mouth. Our tongues immediately knew what to do and I found myself moaning and whimpering into our heated kiss as our tongues danced wildly together.


    His other hand dropped to stroke the side of my hip before it circled around me to grope and squeeze my ass. I moaned louder into our kiss as my body quickly heated up with my desire for him. Ace broke our kiss just long enough for him to change the angle at which his lips captured mine. Each kiss felt more intoxicating and addictive than thest. He kissed me as his hands caressed and fondled the sensitive curves of my body until my mind was lost in a daze. Desire and lust flooded my mind in waves as I panted from the aftereffects of his seductive kisses.


    ¡°Let me have you, Rina...I want you so badly...¡± Ace murmured seductively close to my ear.


    I could hear the desire in his tone as he openly begged to have his way with me. My body felt like it was burning for him to touch me more. I wanted him to strip me so that I could feel the heat of his hands and then his body directly on mine.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I murmured his name sweetly.


    Our eyes locked and I could see the desire burning deep within his eyes. When his hands reached for me again, they were not as gentle and patient as before, but I didn¡¯t mind. After the argument that we just went through, it felt like there was a need for us to reconnect to each other again. Although we didn¡¯tpletely lose one another and everything was just a misunderstanding, I would be lying if I said that absolutely no damage was done to our rtionship and the trust that we had for each other.


    I didn¡¯t know that I wanted and needed him so desperately until he kissed me and caressed me. I could feel his desire clearly when he touched me, but I could sense that there was something more in his yearning this time around.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 172

    172 Extra Pleasure


    Ace pulled me into his crushing embrace, and I cried out. He hugged me tightly as he buried his face into the side of my neck and began kissing me there. His lips kissed and then sucked on the side of my neck as I moaned from the pleasure of his passionate attack.


    Ace¡¯s actions were more passionate and desperate than usual. Perhaps, just like me, he also felt the need for us to reconnect again to return our rtionship and bond to how it once was, if not even stronger than before. I let him have his way with me as I surrender my heart and my body willingly to him and his impassioned kisses. His wet tongue traced a line along the sensitive skin of my neck as he held me close to him. I could feel the heat of his body envelop me again and it made me want to feel even more of him.


    ¡°Ace...please...¡± I begged him with my words.


    Ace let go of me enough for his hands toe between us to undress me. My hands moved boldly to strip off his suit before moving to unbutton his shirt. His hands worked fast to strip me. Our hands and movements were a wild mess as he hurried to strip one another. When our upper body were naked, Ace pulled me into his arms again before he kissed my lips roughly and deeply. I opened my mouth invitingly and his tongue thrusted deeply inside. He sucked on my tongue as I wrapped my arms around his neck.


    ¡°Ahhh...¡± I moaned loudly when I felt his hand slipping between my thighs and then under my skirt.


    ¡°Your pussy is so wet, Rina...¡± Ace murmured against my lips before his tongue snaked out to lick my lower lip.


    ¡°Touch me...please...¡± I begged shamelessly for him to caress the wetness in between my legs.


    I parted my legs for him and soon I felt his fingers prodding against my wet opening through my panties. My core throbbed with need as desire swelled in my lower abdomen. The pleasurable ache between my ache was desperately seeking for satisfaction. Ace began stroking my pussy through the thince of my panties while I sucked in a breath and moaned lewdly.


    The pleasure that I felt from his touch made my legs go weak and I started to want him to touch me more. I stared deeply into his eyes before I quickly slipped off my panties and casting it away to the side. Ace chuckled at my naughty and provocative action before he pushed me backwards gently. I felt the hardness of the wall against my back before Ace trapped me against it with hisrge frame.


    .....


    ¡°Rina...¡± he groaned my name passionately.


    ¡°Touch me. I can¡¯t wait...please...¡± I begged again as I held his wrist bolding in my hand.


    I parted my legs before guiding his hand between my thighs. A satisfied moan escaped my lips when I guided his fingers to the wet cleft in between my parted legs. I closed my eyes and rocked my hips, rotating my pussy against his fingers until it started to hit against my swollen and sensitive clit.


    ¡°It¡¯s so slippery here. So flooded...¡± Ace murmured lustily.


    ¡°Ah! Ahhhhh...¡± I cried out before moaning louder than before.


    Ace thrusted a thick and long finger upwards into my pussy hole. I leaned back against the wall for support before thrusting my hips upwards towards his hand as my pussy sucked in more of his finger deep into my pleasure hole. My pussy clenched hard around his finger to feel more of him.


    ¡°Fuck me with your fingers...please...¡± I pleaded.


    ¡°You¡¯re so demanding today. Do you want me to pleasure you that badly?¡± Ace asked teasingly.


    I was so desperate to have him. Everything that he did to me felt extra good and I couldn¡¯t get enough. My hips moved up and down desperately against his hand as I felt his finger sliding in and out of my hole.


    ¡°I¡¯ll put in another one inside you...¡± Ace whispered seductively.


    ¡°Ahhhh...Yes...¡± I moaned at the sensation of my love entrance being stretched opened.


    Ace screwed another finger into me, and I marveled the pleasure of my wet hole being stretched and filled by his intruding fingers. Ace began moving his fingers, thrusting it in and out of my wet cunt while I cried out his name and moaned. My pussy got wetter and wetter as my desire for him heightened. His fingers stroked along the length of my pussy walls before directly stimting the sensitive pleasure spot deep inside of me.


    ¡°Yes...it¡¯s so good...Ace...¡± I moaned in between my wild pantings.


    My hips pumped up and down as I rode his fingers in wild abandon. His fingers curved upwards and began thrusting fast and hard against my G-spot. I cried out as I felt my climax fast approaching.


    ¡°Ace...stop...I¡¯m going to cum...¡± I pleaded for him to stop.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to cum just yet?¡± Ace asked tenderly.


    ¡°I want to cum with you...please...¡± I confessed a little shyly.


    ¡°You¡¯re extra cute today, Rina...¡± Aceplimented me, and I ended up smiling.


    ¡°Ahhh...¡± I whimpered softly when I felt his fingers slowly sliding out of my pussy hole.


    My love juices leaked out of my hole and wetted my inner thighs. I struggled to catch my breath before I reached for the front of his pants. I couldn¡¯t wait anymore to feel his cock deep inside of me. Boldly, I began undoing his belt as Ace watched me. I gasped in delight at the length and thickness of his cock when I managed to the beast from his pants. His cock was already so hard and erect.


    ¡°Lift your leg up, I¡¯ll help you...¡± Ace instructed just when I wasn¡¯t sure which position he wanted to take me in.


    I nodded enthusiastically as I let Ace help lift one of my legs upwards. Ace moved his hips closer to mine before he positioned his massive thickness at my wet entrance. I moaned his name when I felt the heat of his cock in between my pussy lips.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 173

    173 Wild Love


    ¡°Please...Ace...¡± I whispered passionately as I urged for him to thrust his cock inside of me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll fuck you hard, Rina...don¡¯t worry...¡± Ace told me seductively.


    ¡°Ahhh! Yes!¡± I cried out.


    Ace thrusted his hips against mine as he screwed his thick and gigantic cock into my pussy hole. I cried out and dug my fingernails into his forearms.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold you...¡± Ace told me reassuringly as he began thrusting his cock in and out of my hole.


    It felt so good. His cock was in so deep, and I didn¡¯t want him to stop ramming his hot rod into me. His hips sandwiched mine in between him and the wall as his cock prated my love hole. I was thankful to Ace for holding me upright because my legs felt very useless. Soon there wasn¡¯t a need for me to try to stay standing anymore when Ace began lifting up my other leg.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whimpered his name in surprise.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll hold you...¡± Ace said reassuringly.


    I let him lift my other leg up as he positioned his hips in between my spread thighs. I hugged my arm around his neck before I hugged my legs around his hips. His cock felt even bigger and hotter inside of me. I was sure that Ace¡¯s cock had grown bigger inside of me again and it was probably also because I could feel him so much deeper in this position.


    .....


    Ace¡¯s hands moved to cup and support my buttocks before he started thrusting his cock in and out of my pussy hole. My entire body shook up and down to the rhythm of his wild thrusts. My pussy grinded against his cock as he moved my body up and down the length of his massive rod. The engorged head of his cock rammed against my womb with each thrust as I cried out loudly. Our moans and cries of pleasure echoed loudly around us as I lost myself in the heat of our wild mating.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahh! Ahhh!¡± I moaned and cried out as his cock hit me deep inside.


    It felt so pleasurable that I thought that I would lose my mind. Ace exerted himself as he beat his cock harder and faster into me. I could feel his sweat on his back as I ran my hands along his back and held him. The pleasure of his cock beating against my womb with each stroke numbed my mind with lust. I dug my nails into the skin of his back as I screamed his name.


    ¡°Ace...I¡¯m cumming! I¡¯m cumming!¡± I screamed so loudly as I threw my head back and climaxed intensely.


    My pussy spasmed uncontrobly around his thick love stick when I lost myselfpletely to my mind-shattering climax. This position allowed his cock to ram right into my pleasure spot with every single thrust that he filled me. It drove me wild with desire and my orgasm hit me hard. Ace stopped moving as he pulled me into his embrace with his cock still buried deep inside of my wet love hole. It felt so good that I didn¡¯t want to let him go. He stroked my hair tenderly as I tried to catch my breath and recover from the aftereffects of my climax.


    ¡°Ahh...¡± I let out small cry when Ace began moving.


    He rammed his thick pole into me before he stopped and then he took a step backward. My eyes widened in shock when he began walking while our bodies were still connected.


    ¡°Ace...stop...it feels...strange...¡± I whimpered.


    With each step, his cock hit against my insides. It felt good but it also felt very different and strange. How much longer is he going to walk and carry me like this? Where are we even going?


    Ace carried me with ease. I didn¡¯t feel ufortable but the way his cock was hit against my pussy made me wish that walk woulde to an end soon. Why did his bedroom have to be so big?


    We finally arrived at his bed to my utter relief. Ace sat down on the side of his bed, and I breathed a sigh before I began moaning a little.


    ¡°I could have walked here myself...¡± I muttered myint.


    ¡°I love carrying you...¡± he whispered seductively before he began sucking on the side of my neck.


    A pleasurable moan escaped my lips despite my attempt to hold it in. It just felt so good, and he seemed to know how to please my body so well. My pussy felt extra sensitive because I just came. That reminded me that Ace had not cum yet, so he was probably looking forward to another round.


    ¡°Can we go with something easy this time?¡± I asked softly.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to be on top?¡± Ace asked as he arched a brow at me.


    ¡°Hmm...¡± I made a hesitant sound.


    Ace chuckled before he smiled at me. He probably thought that I was such azy lover but just for this once, I wanted him to spoil me a little more than usual. My body felt tired, and I wasn¡¯t sure if I wouldst till the end if I had to ride on his cock.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it...¡± Ace said before he kissed my lips.


    ¡°Thank you...¡± I thanked him sweetly.


    Ace shook his head at me but there was a smile on his lips. He helped support me as I slowly got off hisp. I whimpered as his cock slowly slid out of my pussy hole. It was amazing how thick and hard his cock was. Ace slowlyid me down onto the bed before he got on top of me. I willingly spread my legs wide open for him as he settled in between my legs. Hisrge hand grabbed my thighs and lifted them wide apart.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can be gentle with you today...¡± Ace said with mocking regret.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember thest time that you were...¡± I retorted.


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right...¡± Ace mumbled.


    ¨CTo be continued...


    Please check out mytest book: The Alpha Prince¡¯s Purchased Maid.


    Thank you to you all!

 Chapter 174

    174 I Love You


    His eyes were already on the wetness in between my legs and soon I felt the heat of his thick member lodging itself at my opening. I cried out his name at the same moment that Ace thrusted the entire length of his cock into my wet hole. The sudden plunge of his cock burying itself all the way into my hole in one powerful thrust almost made me climax again.


    ¡°So rough...Ahhh! Ahhh!¡± I moaned before I cired out loudly.


    ¡°It¡¯s about to get rougher...¡± Ace groaned from above me.


    He reared his hips back before thrusting forward hard and fast, ramming his cock all the way back into my wet cunt. His cock stirred up my wetness as he dove in and out of me. My hips began moving, thrusting up from the bed to match and meet his thrusts halfway. His cock mmed against my womb and soon it began to feel like he would tear me up inside.


    ¡°Ahhh! Ace...it¡¯s so good...¡± I moaned before I had to bite down hard on my lower lip to contain myself.


    His cock beating fast and hard into my hot wetness drove me insane with lust. I lost all control over my body as it trembled and spasmed. Lewd wet sounds of his thick rod messing up my wet insides echoed around us along with my passionate cries. Ace groaned my name as he continued thrusting his love stick into me. Beads of sweat rolled down his face before falling down onto my naked breast. His face as he gave it to me fast and hard looked so sexy and erotic that I ended up getting even more turned on than before.


    ¡°I¡¯m cumming...Ace...¡± I whimpered because I could no longer cry out.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to cum so much inside you, Rina...¡± Ace growled loudly.


    My climax consumed me again and this time it seemed even more intense than thest. Ace cried out my name when he finally came. His heat flooded into my body as his cock shot his seed deep inside of my love hole. He came so much inside of me, and my pussy eagerly took it all in. I hugged my arms around his back before I began stroking my fingers softly along his muscr back. Ace stilled on top of me before he started to rx under my touch.


    .....


    ¡°I love you...¡± I whispered as I drowned in bliss.


    To my surprise, Ace chuckled before he looked down and smiled at me. He looked so happy that for a moment I was confused by his reaction.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s the first time that you¡¯ve told me that...¡± Ace said before he continued smiling.


    I gasped in shock as my hand flew to cover my mouth. He was right. I was so lost in my pleasure that I confessed so bluntly that I loved him. Ace¡¯s reaction made me smile along with him and I didn¡¯t regret what I said at all. However, it did make me feel very shy that he pointed it out.


    ¡°I love you too, Rina...¡± Ace said in a voice so tender that my entire body almost melted at his love confession.


    ¡°I¡¯m so happy...¡± I mumbled honestly.


    Ace leaned in and kissed my lips. His kiss was soft and warm. It felt so much like love because it probably was. That was the first time that he told me that he loved me too. Even after going so far as to suggest that we get married, he never told me that he loved me up until that moment and I was such a fool in love that I didn¡¯t even minded.


    ...


    When I opened my eyes again, I was alone, and Ace was no longer with me. I sat up with a start on an unfamiliar bed that was in an unfamiliar bedroom. My mind felt like it needed a couple more hours of sleep. My body, on the other hand, felt like it needed more than a day¡¯s rest. The soreness in between my legs was a great reminder of the almost savage sex that we had the day before.


    Where is Ace?


    What time is it now?


    I tried to find my clothes, but my efforts were only half sessful. After picking up my skirt, I realized that the rest of my outfit wasn¡¯t in this room because we had taken them off before he carried me here. That meant that I had nothing to wear besides my skirt. Why didn¡¯t I pack anything from my mother¡¯s ce before I came here?


    I felt so stupid.


    The sound of someone moving outside the room told me that Ace was probably on the other side of the door. Honestly, I was too embarrassed to walk out naked. Maybe I can borrow one of his shirts or something from his closet to cover myself a little. After apologizing to Ace silently in my head, I opened one of his closets and pulled out a light blue T-shirt that was obviously too big for me. My thought was confirmed a momentter when I slipped it on. It hung all the way down my thighs and looked more like a mini dress than a shirt but that was fine.


    After making sure that I didn¡¯t look like a total mess, I managed to summon up enough courage to leave his bedroom in nothing but his t-shirt on to go on my mission of finding Ace. My search wasn¡¯t a long one because when I opened the bedroom door, I was immediately attracted to the smell of food. My stomach growled embarrassingly loud. Thankfully, Ace wasn¡¯t around to hear it.


    ¡°You¡¯re up. Good morning, Rina,¡± Ace greeted me with a smile that warmed me to my toes.


    His gaze rested on me as a look of slight surprise graced his handsome features.


    ¡°Oh, this. I couldn¡¯t find my clothes, so I had to borrow yours. Hopefully, you don¡¯t mind...¡± I said as I gestured to the loose t-shirt that I had on.


    ¨CTo be continued...


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    Thank you to you all!

 Chapter 175

    175 My Househusband


    I could tell from the smell that he was in the middle of cooking something and that surprised me because I didn¡¯t quite know that he could cook. Before I could say anything, Ace approached me until he stood right in front of me.


    ¡°Umm...what is it?¡± I asked as I started backing away.


    Suddenly, I felt like he was standing too close to me, and his intense gaze made me feel slightly nervous.


    ¡°Rina, you have no idea how sexy you look right now...¡± Ace murmured.


    ¡°Ace!¡± I cried out his name in surprise when he suddenly wrapped his arms around my body.


    He dragged me into a tight hug as he buried his face in my hair. Another cry of surprise left my lips when he suddenly lifted me up in his arms. Automatically, I wrapped my arms around his neck as I stared down at his upturned face from above. His hazel eyes looked so sexy this morning and I couldn¡¯t help myself from smiling down at him.


    I felt something hard against my ass and looking behind me I realized that Ace had lifted me up before sitting me down on the counter. He smiled down at me for a brief moment before his face came closer. I closed my eyes in anticipation of his kiss.


    Ace¡¯s lips on mine felt gentle and warm as he kissed me teasingly. I moaned softly as my body and mind started to rx. His tongue probed my lips open, and I invitingly parted my lips to wee his wet tongue into the depths of my mouth.


    ¡°Mhhmm...¡± I moaned softly into our kiss.


    .....


    Our kiss started off slow andzy; however, it didn¡¯t take long before our tongues were engaged in a fervent and passionate dance. Ace kissed me from various angles as he tasted me. His hands caressed my back and then the sides of my body before dripping down to the sides of my waist. I kissed him back as my body started to tingle with my renewed desire for him. Hisrge hands stroked its way down to the sides of my hips and then he spread my thighs wide apart.


    ¡°Ahhh...Ace...¡± I moaned his name when he gave our kiss a break.


    His lips crushed down onto mine again before his tongue thrusted deftly into my mouth again and began teasing me there. Ace stood in between my widely spread legs before he bent my legs and lifted my feet onto the counter. I moaned into his kiss as I felt my pussy being stretched wide open. This position is so embarrassing, I thought as Ace began pressing his hips against mine. He continued kissing me and my body and will weakened as my desire for him quickly took over me.


    I felt his hardness grinding against my opening and my hips began moving along with him. Ace¡¯s cock was already so hard, and he was making me wet for him. The more I thought about how turned on he was, the more turned on I became. His cock hitting against my sensitive pussy through the towel that he had wrapped around his waist made me feel good.


    I wanted more...


    Suddenly, the sound of something in the pan made a loud sizzling noise. I sniffed and immediately felt thankful that I couldn¡¯t smell something burning.


    ¡°Umm...I think you should put me down. You were in the middle of something, right?¡± I asked as my eyes nced suggestively towards the kitchte where he was just a moment ago.


    ¡°Right...¡± Ace said before he sighed.


    Ace had the most disappointed look on his face and that made me giggle at him despite my attempt to hold it in. Although I wanted to continue just a little bit more, it probably wasn¡¯t worth risking starting a fire and burning down this beautiful condominium. Just as I had suggested, he lowered me back down until my feet touched the floor again. He rolled his eyes before heading back to his cooking. I followed him to see what he was making.


    ¡°You can cook?¡± I asked with unveiled amazement.


    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t go as far to say that I can cook but I can fix up a pretty decent breakfast,¡± Ace replied before he grinned at me.


    ¡°Wow...this is more than decent,¡± I said admiringly as I eyed the breakfast that he was making.


    I would say that the omelets looked just perfect.


    I took a few steps back as my eyes fell to the man who was now my boyfriend. There are moments like these when I just couldn¡¯t quite believe that he¡¯s really my boyfriend. I mean, this is Ace Hills.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how sexy you look right now, Ace...¡± I repeated his words back at him in a seductive murmur.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± he asked as if he couldn¡¯t quite understand what I was saying.


    I knew that some men liked seeing their girlfriends in their clothes. From Ace¡¯s reaction, I could tell that he was proudly one of those guys. It wasn¡¯t like I decided to wear his shirt to tease him. Putting that all aside, me in his shirt wasn¡¯t something even close to what I was seeing right in front of me.


    Ace, just like me, didn¡¯t quite have that much on either. His hair was still damp from his shower. My eyes travelled down his body before resting on the white towel that he had wrapped around his hips. The muscles in his arms and back were so impressive and so were those of his ass and stomach, although those were currently being covered. The white apron that he had on made him look as sexy as ever.


    ¡°You look great as a househusband, I would say...¡± I said before I could stop myself.


    I can¡¯t believe I just said that to him. Even though we were dating, he¡¯s still my boss and the CEO.


    He¡¯s in an apron and making me breakfast right now, though...


    ¡°Sounds like a much finer job than the one that I currently have. I¡¯m all in for being a househusband or whatever it¡¯s called...¡± he replied quite cheerfully before he turned to sh me a charming smile.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 176

    176 Our Peaceful Days


    That smile was so unfair. We ended upughing together and I was quite relieved that he wasn¡¯t offended by what I just said. I wondered if he meant it, though, about wanting to be a househusband. I felt like his job was something that he could be proud of, and I had no idea why he didn¡¯t seem to love it. I stared at Ace for a while longer as I leaned against the counter.


    No, there¡¯s no way that I can work and feed someone who lives a life like Ace Hills.


    ¡°Take a seat at the table. I¡¯ll serve you food,¡± Ace said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you,¡± I quickly offered.


    ¡°No need. Just sit down, Rina,¡± Ace refused as he waved me towards the long marble dining table in the room.


    There were so many chairs that I had a hard time deciding which one to sit on. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Ace brought guests over often. With the size of this ce, he could easily host a party. Ace served us food before taking the seat opposite from me at the dining table. Ace was spot on when he said that he could fix up a decent breakfast. What I saw in front of me was going above and beyond decent by far.


    ¡°You should leave some of your clothes here for when you stay over next time,¡± Ace suggested casually.


    ¡°Yeah...¡± I murmured in reply.


    I nced over at Ace as he checked something on his phone while putting some food into his mouth. Everything about him was attractive to me, even the way he held his fork. I wonder if Ace realized that he had pretty much invited me to stay over again. If I had clothes here, then wouldn¡¯t that mean that he¡¯s expecting me to stay over with him here more often. It wasn¡¯t my first time spending the night with Ace at all. In fact, Ace slept over at my apartment quite often up until it was barricaded by the paparazzi and reporters.


    .....


    However, having him invite me to stay over at his ce felt like something new and special. It was like he was willing to show me more of his private self and a part of his personal world. Just thinking of it that way brought a smile to my lips and before I knew what was going on, I couldn¡¯t stop smiling anymore. My smile didn¡¯tst for too long before my dear dreamy bubble burst spectacrly.


    ¡°If we don¡¯t hurry, we¡¯re going to bete for work...¡± I reminded Ace when I realized that I didn¡¯t take leave today.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just take the day off. I¡¯ll take the day off and you can just extend your sick leave,¡± Ace replied casually.


    ¡°Ok...if that¡¯s the case, what do you want to do today?¡± I asked nkly.


    ¡°That¡¯s up to you,¡± Ace replied as he smiled at me from across the table.


    ¡°Staying in might not be so bad...¡± I murmured.


    Spending time together here might be just what we needed for our newly mended rtionship.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s do exactly that,¡± Ace replied without any hesitation.


    ¡°What should we do first?¡± I asked excitedly.


    I had no idea why I felt so excited about just staying in with him for the day. The answer was probably because I looked forward to spending time with Ace no matter where we were or what we were doing.


    ¡°Umm...I can take you on a little tour of my ce,¡± Ace suggested as he pulled on my hand.


    I found myself immediately up and on my face from the force of his tug. His idea sounded like the right n to kickstart our day together.


    ¡°This is going to be interesting...¡± I mumbled as he led me out of the dining room.


    ¡°This is the living room that you¡¯ve seen before briefly yesterday. I like the sofa, it¡¯s veryfy. Shelves of books that you may not find that interesting...¡± Ace exined before he grinned at me.


    I knew immediately that he was being absolutely sarcastic especially when he spoke about the books that lined the shelves. His collection of books rted to our field of work, art, and creativity, seemed very exhaustive and included some rare books that were hard to get in hardcover as well. I stood in front of the bookshelf as I admired it.


    ¡°These books are amazing. I should steal some of them sometimes...¡± I said with augh.


    ¡°Please do...¡± he replied casually.


    ¡°Which one would you rmend?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Umm...how many years have you been working now...let¡¯s see...¡± Ace said thoughtfully as his eyes seemed to scan the titles of the books on the shelves.


    ¡°What did you read when you first started out? Well, I¡¯m a few years into this job but...¡± I asked before trailing off.


    ¡°This one. I think it really helps with structuring your thought process and channeling it into the right output. You know, when you¡¯re young and full of ideas it might be a little hard to choose which ones to focus on and how to piece it all together. This one is perfect for teaching you how to do that,¡± Ace said as his hands reached for a decently thick book and pulled it off the shelf.


    He turned to me and offered me the book with a warm smile. I looked up into his eyes and I was immediately touched by his kindness.


    ¡°This is for you. You can have it,¡± Ace said.


    ¡°Thank you so much, Ace...but I¡¯ll just borrow it. I¡¯ll return it when I¡¯m done reading it,¡± I replied with a cheerful smile.


    I had never looked forward to reading a book this badly before in my life. Suddenly, I felt like a young schoolgirl, and it was a very rejuvenating feeling.


    Ace took my hand in his and with our fingers entwined, he led me to the other rooms and parts of hisrge penthouse suite. On top of the very impressive living room, dining room, and bedroom, there were so many rooms and facilities on Ace¡¯s floor. There was a home theatre room, a fitness and sauna, and he also had his own outdoor private poor with the skyline view to match.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 177

    177 His Missing Past


    ¡°Money sure can buy many things, huh...¡± I murmured as I stood next to the swimming pool with my eyes on the cityscape that stretched as far as the sky could see.


    ¡°Sure, it can, but then again, there are many things that money can¡¯t buy either. Not saying having money is a bad thing...¡± Ace replied casually.


    Ace wrapped his arms loosely around my body from behind and I leaned back into his warmth. I wonder if we¡¯ll still be together when the season changes and when this season repeats itself. Year after year after year, will we still be together just like this?


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Ace asked when the silence between us stretched on.


    ¡°Hmm...how I want to head inside and look at more of your books,¡± I replied as I turned around in his arms to offer him my smile.


    I must have been too shy to tell him my honest thoughts. Also, I didn¡¯t want him to think that I still felt quite insecure about our rtionship.


    ¡°Sure...¡± Ace murmured with slight confusion.


    This time, I was the one who took his hand and dragged him behind me back inside the penthouse suite. The pool was great so maybe we¡¯ll get to swim there together under the moonlight one of these days. I wasn¡¯t lying but I wasn¡¯t beingpletely honest either when I told him that I wanted to see more of his books.


    Ever since he handed me that book which he thought matched well with where I was in my career and skill range, I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about what Ace was like when he first started working. What was his work like?


    .....


    I nced over at Ace who was sitting next to me with his legs crossed on the sofa that he had proudly advertised as being veryfortable. He wasn¡¯t lying at all when he told me that. I had to agree that the sofa was veryfortable. I had flipped through a couple of pages of the book that he had given to me earlier; however, I found it difficult for me to focus on its content. My mind couldn¡¯t stop thinking about all the questions that I wanted to ask Ace about his career and his approach to his work.


    Learning from him would be a great opportunity for sure but I had so many questions that I wanted to ask him that I was scared that it would turn into an interview of sorts.


    ¡°How¡¯s the book?¡± Ace asked with keen interest as he scooted over even closer to me on the sofa.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t read that much of it yet but so far it looks like something that I should delve into. I think it¡¯ll help me improve for sure,¡± I replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s good...¡± Ace said lightly.


    ¡°Umm...Ace...¡± I mumbled hesitantly.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering for a while now...if...you know...you could tell me a bit about how you started your career?¡± I finally managed to ask him.


    Ace stared at me nkly as if he didn¡¯t quite understand what I was asking him or why I was asking him this.


    ¡°What do you want to know?¡± Ace asked.


    Hisck of enthusiasm made me doubt whether I should continue pushing this conversation forward. For some reason, it seemed like Ace didn¡¯t really want to talk about his past. However, I¡¯vee this far so I didn¡¯t want to backdown without giving it a try.


    ¡°Maybe why you chose this line of work? What inspired you? What were the first few years of working like?¡± I asked a few questions that came to mind.


    These were just the tip of the icebergpared to the seemingly endless list of questions that I had prepared for him in my mind. Already, I could feel that this was starting to sound like an interview. Maybe I should get a job working at a magazine if my current career happened to fail me.


    ¡°Apart from the fact that my father was already in this business, I like the creative side of this work. Nothing really inspired me, to be honest. My father definitely isn¡¯t my inspiration and never was. My first years of working were just normal. I tried to figure out what works and what doesn¡¯t. Honestly, there¡¯s not much to tell...¡± Ace replied to all my questions in one breath without offering any more details.


    Great. I guess he doesn¡¯t want to talk about it.


    ¡°I see...¡± I mumbled.


    What should I do now?


    ¡°Umm...do you have some of your earlier works still stored here somewhere? Can I perhaps take a look?¡± I asked while feeling hopeful.


    Ace normally lives here and when he moved from his father¡¯s ce, maybe he brought along some of his past works or his portfolios.


    ¡°I threw them all away,¡± Ace muttered coldly.


    ¡°You did what?!¡± I eximed so loudly that I was shocked at myself on top of being shocked at his words.


    In our line of work, our portfolio was pretty much everything. Just like other artists, we would never throw away our portfolio of work no matter how old it was. Apart from the professional implications of it, there were personal reasons why most people were attached to their work too.


    ¡°Well, I guess I still have some from recent years, but I threw out all of my old working files. The very old ones are gone,¡± Ace said while sounding tired.


    I watched as hezily got up from the sofa and waved for me to follow him. While Ace led me to what looked like a storage room, I couldn¡¯t stop thinking of what a waste it was that he threw out all his old works. Sure, I bet his work back then wasn¡¯t as splendid or highly regarded as it was today but that didn¡¯t mean that he had to throw it all away.


    Needless to say, Ace had already achieved celebrity status many years ago in the industry and everything that he touched or got involved with simply turned to gold.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 178

    178 Hidden Treasures


    Ace was the trendsetter in the industry and thepany had improved and grown so much since he took over as the CEO. Just like other celebrities, it wasn¡¯t surprising that his earlier works are probably not as polished as it was today. However, that only made me want to see his earlier works more than ever.


    Nowadays, Ace rarely produces any of his own independent work anymore. The role of CEO kept him busy and all the work that he led were major projects that involved many team members including myself such as Project Alpha. Although we worked with his guidelines and he made most of the key decisions, the work produced was a collective team effort with all of our thoughts blended in. For once, I wanted to see a work that purely came from Ace¡¯s passion and genius.


    I stared at his broad back in front of me as I followed him to the storage room as I pondered if he would understand something as vague as my own feelings if I tried to exin it to him.


    Probably not.


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Ace announced without interest.


    He stopped in front of a door before he opened it. The room was dark inside but after Ace switched on the lights, I could see that it was a storage room filled with cardboard boxes each with its ownbelling. To the side was a metal cab.


    ¡°Do you keep your portfolios in here?¡± I asked as I began to feel excitement grip me.


    ¡°Yeah, in that cab over there. Honestly, there¡¯s nothing interesting in there but if you want you can have a look. You can take whatever you want to look at out and I¡¯ll help carry it back to the living room for you. It¡¯s dusty here...so...let¡¯s head back when you¡¯re done grabbing what you¡¯re interested in,¡± Ace suggested.


    I couldn¡¯t believe my own ears. In that cab in front of me were some of the portfolios that I have just dreamt of getting my hands on.


    .....


    ¡°Wow...¡± I eximed in excitement when I opened the double doors to the cab.


    The document folders inside were organized neatly and I beamed with happiness as I stared at them. I turned to smile at Ace before I thanked him repeatedly for this.


    ¡°Stop overreacting and pick out whatever it is that you want to see...¡± Ace muttered as he stood by the door.


    ¡°OK...this one...and this one...this too...this one too...¡± I mumbled to myself as I pulled out folders after folders that I wanted to take a look at.


    In truth, I wanted to take out every single folder and go through every single page in all those documents and sketches. My hands shook with excitement.


    ¡°Give me those. That should be enough for today, Rina...¡± Ace said.


    I turned around to see him standing right behind me and then the load from my arms disappeared as Ace took the folders from me. If I had known that he had so much treasure stored at his ce like this, I would have asked toe here sooner regardless of what he had to say.


    ¡°Thank you so much, Ace...¡± I thanked him sweetly.


    Ace just sighed and shook his head a little as he walked out with the folders that I had selected. I smiled happily as I followed him back to the living room.


    ¡°Wow. Isn¡¯t this the major campaignunched for Christmasst year?¡± I asked as I flipped through some initial sketches of a very rough storyboard.


    Thismercial was very popr and was shown through many media channels including major billboards all over the city for the Christmas festivalst year. I knew that ourpany produced it, but I had never seen the rough storyboard before. On top of that, I never knew that the one who nked out the initial storyboard was Ace himself.


    ¡°Oh that, yeah...¡± Ace murmured emotionlessly.


    ¡°I really liked thismercial. It has a very happy feeling like themercial is wishing everyone a fun and loving Christmas holiday,¡± I told him my honest opinion.


    ¡°You think so?¡± he asked before he smiled at me.


    ¡°Yeah. I had no idea that you drafted this out...¡± I replied.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do much. I sketched out some ideas and then the team did the rest,¡± Ace replied like it was nothing.


    To him it may as well be nothing; however, I doubt that themercial would have had the vibe that it did if he hadn¡¯t sketched out the rough guidelines to the very first storyboard. I had no idea if Ace knew how influential his works really are.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sleepy...¡± he mumbled before scooting over away from me on the long sofa.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I said his name softly.


    The next moment, I felt the weight of his head settle on top of myp. Looking down, Ace already had his eyes closed as he snuggled to find afortable position on myp. Clearly, he wasn¡¯t interested in going through more of his past works with me and I didn¡¯t mind.


    ¡°Have a good nap while I enjoy going through these treasures,¡± I whispered to him softly.


    ¡°Treasure...more like junk...¡± he muttered as he wrapped his arms around my waist.


    Ace moved his face closer against my belly. Since he already had his eyes closed, I decided not to talk to him anymore so that he could catch up on some sleep. Maybe he was more tired than I made him out to be. Ace taking a nap gave me the perfect opportunity to go through all the folders of his work. In addition, I could gawk at it all I liked without him watching me and thinking that I was acting ridiculously or overreacting.


    After going through a couple of folders, I paused to stare down at Ace¡¯s sleeping face. He seemed to be sleeping peacefully. While reaching for the folders, I tried my best not to move too much so that I wouldn¡¯t disturb his well-deserved rest. I reached for another folder, the date on thebel on the folder told me that it was from a few years ago. This must be from the year when I first joined Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s.


    ¨CTo be continued...


    Please support my other books (if you haven¡¯t already): The Alpha Prince¡¯s Purchased Maid, Forbidden Heat, Love ve to the Mafia Boss¡¯s Passion, Lust Contracts, and Conquering the Emperor

 Chapter 179

    179 Surprising Discovery


    That year, I remembered that thepanyunched a fewmercials which were considered to be very innovative based on Ace¡¯s instructions and directions. That was the first year that Ace stepped in as the new CEO of thepany. I opened the folder and began flipping through some pages of the document. Not surprisingly, themercial that attracted a huge buzz to thepany at that time was drafted by Ace.


    The proof was his very rough drawing of the storyboard and some scribbling in his handwriting of the storyline. It was frankly amazing how these rough drawing and a few simple sentences could transform into such an impactfulmercial that was viewed by millions of people. While flipping through the document, a loose document of a few pages that were stapled together attracted my attention. Unlike the other documents that were bound to the folder, this one was just slipped in between the pages of the other documents.


    At first nce, it was just a simple table of names of people, their age, and their educational background. There were no photos, just in text printed in ck on the page. The same table filled in the couple of pages of paper. It was something I didn¡¯t expected to find stuck in the middle of pages of storyboards. The title of the table read ¡®Interviewee List¡¯ followed by the year. Short and simple.


    I was about to ce the loose papers down when something caught my eye. The text was just so familiar that I couldn¡¯t fail to notice it and my eyes were naturally and automatically drawn to it. I brought the paper closer to my face to make sure that I wasn¡¯t just misreading this.


    Why is my name on this paper?


    It was right there. Karina Miller, along with my age at that time, the university that I graduated from, and a photo that I had handed in with my job application. This line in the table really referred to me.


    ¡°Rina...¡± Ace murmured my name as he started to stir.


    ¡°Y-Yes?¡± I replied while shoving the papers away into the folder and closing it.


    ¡°Are you not done yet? My old works haven¡¯t bore you to death yet?¡± Ace asked sarcastically and sleepily.


    .....


    ¡°For your information, this will never ever bore me,¡± I replied confidently.


    ¡°Hmm...is that so?¡± Ace said as his eyes stared up into my face.


    ¡°Did you have a good sleep?¡± I asked as I swept a lock of his hair away from his forehead with my fingers.


    ¡°Yeah...thanks to yourfyp. I could sleep here forever...¡± Ace murmured before he smiled.


    ¡°That won¡¯t do. I¡¯ll get cramps...¡± Iined mockingly.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right...¡± Ace said.


    In the next moment, Ace lifted his head off myp and sat up on the sofa with a slightly disorientated look on his face. I stood up and fumbled nervously to stack the folders on top of each other on top of the coffee table that was in front of the sofa. My heart beat so fast in my chest and I was slightly confused as to why I felt so panicked all of a sudden.


    Was it because I discovered that piece of paper with my name on it?


    When Ace woke up, I instinctively hid that paper away although I really didn¡¯t have a need to. What is wrong with me?


    ¡°Want to go out for dinner?¡± Ace suggested casually.


    ¡°Yeah...that would be nice...¡± I replied without thinking.


    My mind was too preupied with my thoughts of that paper that I had just seen...


    ...


    ¡°What do you want to have for dinner?¡± Ace asked.


    ¡°I can eat anything. You can choose,¡± I replied before I smiled at him.


    The truth was, I wasn¡¯t even sure where we could or couldn¡¯t go together because our rtionship was still supposed to be a secret from the world. Although, Ace probably thought quite differently. He did tell the press and everyone else that it was normal for us to be seen together because I am his personal secretary and all that. However, being seen together under a candlelit dinner would probably be too much and beyond the boundaries that we could justify with our ¡®CEO and personal secretary¡¯ rtionship.


    As a result, I decided to let Ace decide and I was truly fine with going along with whatever he thought was best. Without wanting things to be this way, I had be the queen of secret rtionships. From my regretful days with Kyle to my days with Ace.


    ¡°I think I know just the ce. Are you good with some Asian food?¡± Ace asked after a moment of thought.


    ¡°Oh, sure. I can do Asian...¡± I replied.


    If I was the queen of secret rtionships, then Ace was the king of private restaurants because he didn¡¯t seem to have any difficulties in finding a private restaurant that we could go to for our meals. The Asian restaurant that he ended up taking me to had only a single table in the whole restaurant simr to the steakhouse that he took me to before.


    ¡°I guess private dinners like these aren¡¯t bad. It¡¯s...peaceful...and private...¡± I mumbled as I sat opposite Ace at our table for two.


    Although it wasn¡¯t supposed to be a special dinner to celebrate any special asion, the restaurant did not fail to put a candle on the table between us to add to the romantic atmosphere. I thought the Asian food that we had just ordered didn¡¯t quite match up with the romantic vibe of the candlelight but it didn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°Are you worried that we can¡¯t do many things out in public?¡± Ace asked, picking up on my concern.


    ¡°Well, not really...but I guess it would be nice if we could act more like...a normal couple...¡± I confessed softly.


    There was no point in hiding how I felt or what I thought from him. Ace could read me very well and we both knew that.


    ¡°Should we go out in public more often, then?¡± Ace suggested as his eyes captured mine.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 180

    180 When We First Met


    It felt so unfair how he could suggest something like that so easily. Thest time we made the headlines we just attended a business event together. Imagine how big the explosion would be if we really went out in our private time on our date.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we should do anything like that. It¡¯ll cause trouble...not just for us but for other people as well...¡± I replied.


    Unfortunately, our rtionship wasn¡¯t just about us. Our actions impacted many people, especially those that worked in thepany and the various investors that held thepany¡¯s shares. Even I knew that any negative news impacted the share price negatively as well.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s time that we worry less about that. We could always do business dinners together, a business movie, a business trip to the beach or up a mountain...¡± Ace suggested with augh.


    ¡°Yeah, right...¡± I muttered before rolling my eyes at him.


    The food that was served matched my tastes very well. I didn¡¯t think that Ace was a big fan of Asian food, but I guess I was wrong about that. Learning something new about Ace made my heart skip a beat as I watched him enjoy the curry. During the silent time that we ate and when we chatted casually, my mind would wander to the list of interviewees that I found earlier on in the day.


    I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Ace remembered anything about it. It was a few years ago so I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he had already forgotten about it. If that document was there in his pile of work, then that table of candidates was something meant for him, right?


    To Ace, I was probably nothing more than one of the candidates on that long list that he had to interview. I doubted that he remembered the interview that we had either. As for me, I remembered it so well as if it had only just taken ce yesterday. The scene was so crystal clear in my mind that I could rey it in my head. I remembered very well what he asked me and what he said in response to my answer.


    Thinking of that made me recall how we first met that day in the park as well. Coincidences can sometimes be scary. That was what I learnt.


    .....


    It probably didn¡¯t make sense for me to ask him about the interviewee list, but I wondered how he would react if I asked him about that time we met in the park. Does he even remember?


    ¡°Ace...¡± I called his name softly.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Ace made a questioning sound as his eyes stared at my face from the opposite side of the table.


    ¡°Umm...I was wondering...¡± I began saying hesitantly before I had to trial off to find the right words.


    Now that I was about to ask him about it, I was starting to realize how strange the question would sound.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Ace asked.


    I cursed myself because now I had his whole and undivided attention. No point in trying to evade it now that I¡¯vee this far.


    ¡°Umm...I was just wondering if you remember the first time that we met...¡± I said before biting down on my lower lip.


    Ace looked at me and was silent for a while. I guess it was too much for me to expect him to remember our fateful encounter at the park right away. He even kissed me on that day, and I remembered everything that happened including how I felt when he kissed me so well. Apparently, the same thing did not hold for Ace.


    ¡°What about it?¡± Ace asked after a moment of silence.


    His hand moved to attack the food on his table while I was at a loss of how I should continue on the conversation. An ufortable knot formed in the pit of my stomach and my chest felt heavy. I didn¡¯t want to admit even to myself that I was feeling disappointed that he didn¡¯t quite remember. I guess to him it wasn¡¯t a special or memorable event.


    ¡°You know, the money that you gave me that day in the park, I still have it...¡± I confessed softly.


    ¡°Why do you still have it? I told you to use it,¡± he said dismissively.


    ¡°I guess I always thought of returning it to you, but I never got the chance,¡± I replied honestly.


    From that day, the money he gave me had been sitting in the bank. I wasn¡¯t surprised that he didn¡¯t want it back because he had told me as much when he gave it to me.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to give it back. Just keep it...¡± Ace repeated his decision.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s not a lot of money for you, but I would feel better if you would let me return it,¡± I said hopefully.


    ¡°Just use it to buy something cute or pretty for yourself. That would be the best way to return it to me,¡± Ace replied as he stared pointedly at me.


    ¡°Ok...¡± I mumbled.


    The look in his eyes told me that he didn¡¯t want to discuss this pointless topic any further. I should have known that he didn¡¯t care much about it. Afterall, that amount of money was probably just loose change to him. I decided to change the topic of our conversation to something a little lighter before I would end up annoying Ace or ruining his mood.


    ...


    The weight of Ace¡¯s arm around my shoulders as he leaned a part of his weight on me made me regret my decision to let him have a little too much to drink. I should have known that those Asian spirits were stronger than their sweet taste let on. Ace had such a good time that he ended up drinking quite a lot. Being the nice and supportive girlfriend that I was, I let him enjoy himself so that he could blow off some steam. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t drink any alcohol so I could drive us back to his ce.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 181

    181 yful Pretenses


    Honestly, I wasn¡¯t sure how drunk Ace was as I tried my best to support him to the private elevator that would lead us up to his floor. The guard at the lobby tried to offer me his help but I politely declined. Ace¡¯s arm around my shoulder was heavy but I knew that he could still walk because if he had ced his entire weight on me, I would have crumpled to the ground right on the spot.


    ¡°We¡¯re here...¡± I told him when the elevator opened on his floor.


    ¡°Rina...¡± he murmured my name before he turned to kiss my hair.


    I wasn¡¯t a big fan of drunk men even if that man happened to be Ace. I managed to lead Ace to the sofa before semi-dumping him down onto its seat.


    ¡°I hate men when they¡¯re drunk...¡± I muttered moodily to myself.


    ¡°...Really?¡± Ace murmured questioningly.


    ¡°You¡¯re so drunk...¡± I muttered darkly.


    Suddenly Ace stood up from the sofa and stretched his arms above his head. I watched as he walked with ease towards the bathroom.


    ¡°Ace?¡± I called after him in confusion.


    .....


    ¡°If you hate drunk guys, then I¡¯m not going to act drunk anymore...¡± Ace dered clearly.


    ¡°So...you weren¡¯t drunk at all?¡± I asked as my eyes narrowed at him.


    ¡°With that much drink, you thought I was drunk?¡± he asked as if in disbelief.


    I stared at him as I struggled to understand what had just unfolded.


    ¡°Why are you staring at me?¡± Ace asked innocently.


    ¡°Did you...did you pretend to be drunk just now?¡± I asked suspiciously.


    Please tell me this isn¡¯t what I think it is...


    ¡°It¡¯s not often that you would fuss over me so...¡± Ace confessed before he turned to smile sweetly at me.


    ¡°Arghhh...¡± I groaned as I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration.


    Why does he always like to joke around at the wrong time?


    I was so worried about him, and I even thought so far ahead as to how to put him to bed in the state that he was in.


    ¡°Come take a shower with me, Rina,¡± Ace said invitingly as he leaned his back on the bathroom door.


    ¡°You can go ahead...¡± I replied without a second thought.


    ¡°Rina...¡± Ace called my name demandingly.


    ¡°I can shower by myself and so can you,¡± I told him without willing to give in to his demands.


    ¡°Are you mad? Don¡¯t be so mad...that frown looks horrible on you...¡± Ace said teasingly as he approached me.


    ¡°Let go...¡± I murmured.


    Ace pulled on my arms as he dragged me forward towards the bathroom.


    ¡°Come on. I¡¯ll shower you as a way to say sorry, ok?¡± Ace suggested with a yful smile.


    Isn¡¯t that just like asking me to shower with him but just phrasing it differently?


    I rolled my eyes at him before I let him pull me with him into the bathroom.


    Ace didn¡¯t waste any time before his hands started tugging and pulling at my clothes. He was impatient as he stripped me down to my bare skin. I stared at him as his hand moved to remove his own clothes. He was very efficient at it and soon we were both naked.


    I should have known that there was no way that this man didn¡¯t know how to hold his alcohol. Why did he have to make him worry about him needlessly like that?


    Honestly, it still pissed me off...


    ¡°Let¡¯s get you in the tub...or would you rather use the shower room?¡± Ace asked.


    ¡°The shower is better. I don¡¯t want to be here in for too long...¡± I quickly replied.


    Ace took my hand as he led me to the ss shower room. The warm water falling down from above onto my skin helped improve my mood somewhat. Acethered some liquid shower gel onto the palms of his hand.


    ¡°Come, I¡¯ll clean you...¡± Ace offered as his hand moved to apply soak onto my waist.


    ¡°It...tickles...¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Really? Your skin feels very smooth...¡± Ace murmured as his hand continuedthering soap onto my skin.


    His hand quickly moved upwards as I stared down to watch where his hand was headed. Ace seemed to be in a very good mood while I had to say that I was quite tired.


    ¡°I thought you were just going to shower me...¡± I said usingly as I red down at hisrge hands cupping my breasts.


    ¡°I am cleaning you...¡± Ace replied innocently.


    ¡°You¡¯re just washing my breasts...¡± I stated.


    Ace¡¯srge hand massaged and squeezed my breasts without much care for my words. His eyes and attention seemed absorb in watching my soft womanly flesh changing shape in his hands.


    ¡°It¡¯s so soft...I love ying with them...¡± Ace murmured as he continued staring at my breasts like they were something amazing.


    Seeing Ace crouched down with his face at the same level as my breasts was quite an entertaining sight. My body stared to tingle at his touch as it started to react to his familiar seductive caresses. His hand on my breasts felt more pleasurable than usual and perhaps it was because of the slipperiness of the soap.


    ¡°Ahh...¡± I soft moan escaped my lips.


    That moan turned into a loud and lewd sound that echoed all around us in the shower room. I felt heat rise to my cheeks as I blushed. If my soft moan just now could sound that loud, I couldn¡¯t imagine how loud it would be when I cried out. Aceughed softly as his fingertips moved to attack my erect nipples.


    ¡°Ahh...Ahhh...¡± I began moaning a little louder as the pleasure of his teasing intensified.


    Ace captured my nipples in between his fingertips and then started pinching them and twirling them around while I moaned. I bit down on my lower lip to keep my lewd moans to myself. The enclosed space made my moan sound embarrassingly loud.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hold in your moans. Let me hear them, Rina...¡± Ace urged sweetly.


    He pinched my nipples hard, and I let out a cry as jolts of raw pleasure pulsated through my body. I was already panting hard as my body heated up from his seductive touches. My core throbbed as a pleasure ache quickly formed in my lower abdomen. I felt my pussy getting wet as he continued to pay loving attention to my breasts.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 182

    182 Pleading to Have Me


    Ace lowered his head further and soon I felt the wetness and heat of his mouth engulf my nipple. My hands immediately cradled the back of his head as I ran my fingers through his dark hair. His hair was wet from the water spraying on us from above. His mouth on my nipple felt so hot and so much more pleasurable than his fingers from earlier.


    Ace¡¯s tongue immediately went to work to pleasure me even further. He licked my nipple in circr motions before flicking his tongue against it. The texture of his tongue rubbing against my sensitive nipple made me cry out his name. I thrusted my chest closer towards his face as I begged him with my body to suck on my nipple. That was exactly what he did.


    ¡°Ahh! Oh...Ace...¡± I moaned as I closed my eyes in bliss.


    All I could focus on was the pleasure that he was making me feel. My mind feltpletely nk, and my body felt like it was floating in heaven already and all he had done was y with my breasts. His hands stroked its way down my back to y with the small of my back before stroking tenderly up and down the sides of my waist.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whimpered his name.


    His caresses got bolder and bolder, and I could tell that showering me wasn¡¯t something that was on his mind anymore if it ever was in the first ce. His hand cupped my buttocks before squeezing them yfully. The sound of my harsh breathing echoed around us along with my moans as his hands slowly slipped down to caress my thighs.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the bed...please...¡± I pleaded.


    Ace didn¡¯t respond to me. Instead, he turned my body around and hugged me to him from behind. The way Ace pressed his hardness against my ass told me that he couldn¡¯t wait that long. He kissed the side of my neck, and I felt my knees go weak. He wrapped his arms around my waist before pulling my body tighter against his. I felt his hardness rubbing against my ass crack as he began grinding his hips against me. His cock was already so hard and so hot.


    ¡°Let me do you here...¡± Ace murmured close to my ear.


    .....


    His heated breath tickled my ear and filled my senses with his desire. I turned my head around and my gaze met his and then it felt impossible for me to deny him.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I mumbled his name while I hesitated a little.


    ¡°Please, Rina...let me do you here...¡± Ace pleaded sweetly.


    I had never heard him use such a pleading tone with me before. It sounded very strange to my ears and very out of character for Ace. However, I found this change to be quite adorable. As if he could sense the shift in my attitude, Ace urged me closer to the wall.


    ¡°ce your hands against the wall, Rina...¡± Ace instructed.


    He reached for the sides of my hips as I bent slightly over as he positioned himself behind me. I let him adjust my position so that my ass would be where he wanted it. My pussy was throbbing with need and dripping wet from the juices of my arousal by that time. The water continued to fall on us from above; however, I was able to hide away from the water from being quite close to the wall.


    ¡°Your pussy is so wet. I can¡¯t wait to fuck you, Rina...¡± Ace murmured a moment before he positioned the thick head of his erect cock at the opening in between my legs.


    His cock felt hot against my pussy lips. My pussy clenched wildly, and he hasn¡¯t even entered me yet. I braced myself for the impact of his thrusts. I knew that there was no way that Ace could be gentle given how turned on he was. Although he seemed to be pretty sober, I wondered how much of this was a result of the alcohol that he had consumed earlier.


    His body felt unusually hot and so did his cock. I felt his hands spreading my ass cheeks and my pussy hole stretched from the impact. Suddenly, Ace thrusted his hips forward and plunged his cock deeply into my hole. His entry was forceful, and the size of his cock stretched and force its way into me. It felt amazingly pleasurable, but his thrust was far from gentle.


    ¡°Ahh! Ace...it¡¯s so rough...¡± I couldn¡¯t help butin.


    ¡°Rina...your pussy feels amazing. It¡¯s so tight...¡± Ace groaned.


    I was right when I thought that there was no way that he could be gentle. Immediately after shoving his cock into me, he reared back before pounding his thick rod repeatedly in and out of my hole. He moved so fast as his hips pped against my ass. His cock dived into my wetness and our sex made lewd wet sounds echo loudly all around us along with our lustful cries.


    His cock felt so thick and so hot inside of me. I couldn¡¯t stop my pussy from clenching hard around his cock as he rubbed his length against the sensitive walls of my pussy. It wasn¡¯t long before Ace began thrusting into me in the angle that he knew that I enjoyed. The thick head of his cock hit against the pleasure spot deep inside of my love tunnel expertly.


    ¡°Ahhh! Ahhh! Yes!¡± I cried as my body rocked from the impact of his strong thrusts.


    It felt so good. Ace hugged my waist and pulled me closer to him as he continued to ram his gigantic member in and out of my sopping wet hole. His cock hit against my womb, and I felt like I was about to lose my mindpletely. The echo of my cries was deafeningly loud; however, I could no longer stifle and control my moans.


    Ace had amazing stamina. No matter how many times he pounded his cock into me, he showed no signs of stopping. The pleasure and heat that had been building inside of me started to be too much for me to handle. I could feel my orgasm approaching and I couldn¡¯t wait to enjoy the bliss of my release.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 183

    183 Maintaining Our Secret


    ¡°I¡¯m...cumming...Ace...¡± I murmured before I lost myselfpletely to the effects of my orgasm.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what happened after because my mind was so blurry, and my legs felt like jelly. I didn¡¯t end up copsing on the floor so Ace must have helped to support me. He rammed his cock faster and even harder into me until his cock exploded his seed everywhere into my love tunnel. The heat of his release flooded me until I felt like it would overflow. It was a very fruitful and satisfying shower; however, I wasn¡¯t sure how cleaned up I ended up.


    ...


    The sound of my rm woke me up the following morning. Life was harsh and our leave day came to an end too fast. It was time for Ace and me to go back to work. I woke up feelingzy and was surprised that Ace was no longer on the bed next to me when I woke up.


    Did he wake up before me?


    I walked out of the bedroom to find Ace in the living room already dressed in his suit. He was on the phone with someone, and he sounded quite serious. It was probably work-rted. I took a step back to retreat back to the bedroom to get dressed. If I head to my apartment now, I could get ready for work and still make it on time. if he sensed my presence, Ace turned around and lifted his hand up to wave and then smile at me.


    ¡°Good morning...¡± I whispered before smiling back.


    I made my way back into his bedroom to sort myself out. Soon after, Ace entered his bedroom after finishing his phone call.


    ¡°Urgent business call?¡± I took a guess.


    .....


    ¡°Not really but this VIP client is in another timezone...¡± Ace replied as he sat on the bed.


    His eyes followed my movements as I readied myself. I should tell Ace so that he didn¡¯t have to wait for me.


    ¡°Umm...you don¡¯t have to wait for me. I need to get back to my apartment to get dressed. I didn¡¯t bring any clothes here so...¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll drive you...¡± he offered readily.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to. I can take a cab. You should head to the office first,¡± I politely denied his offer.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. There¡¯s nothing urgent at the office in the morning,¡± Ace replied casually.


    I knew that he meant well but it wasn¡¯t just his time and schedule that I was worried about.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a bad idea for us to arrive at the office together, you know...¡± I managed to say straightforwardly.


    Ace just red at me, and I knew that he wasn¡¯t pleased. The truth was still the truth, though. I didn¡¯t want to invite unnecessary gossip or trouble because I¡¯ve had enough of it.


    ¡°How pathetic is this...I can¡¯t even drive my girlfriend to work...¡± Aceined with clear frustration in his voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll meet you at the office, ok?¡± I said as sweetly as possible.


    Ace looked at me for a brief moment before he let out a sigh of resignation. It wasn¡¯t just him that felt that way, I too, wished that one day we could live out under the sun as a couple without anything to hide from anyone.


    Hopefully, we would still be together and going strong when that day came...


    ...


    **A few dayster**


    The day that Jeremy and I were scheduled to have our meeting with Ace to go through our final version of the storyboard before sending it to the production team arrived. I was a huge ball of nerves in the morning before the meeting started. Jeremy must have noticed that change in me because he tried to cheer me up. As always, he was supportive.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to act so nervously...¡± Jeremy said with a grin.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you nervous? This review is so important...¡± I muttered in response as I paced around his desk as I tried my best to control my urge to bite my nails.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m nervous. I¡¯m always nervous before getting my work scrutinized by Ace but I¡¯ve gotten quite used to it. I¡¯m not less nervous but I¡¯ve mentally prepared myself to get used to being nervous...if that makes any sense...¡± Jeremy tried his best to exin.


    ¡°It makes a lot of sense...really...¡± I replied while continuing with my walk back and forth around Jeremy¡¯s work desk.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. The worst that can happen is that he doesn¡¯t like what we¡¯ve got and we have to fix it,¡± Jeremy said.


    It was clear that he had been in many instances like this before. I wondered how many times Ace rejected some of his past works before his storyboard made it to the production team for production. That also didn¡¯t mean that the storyboard wouldn¡¯t need any adjustments after it has gone through to the production team. Many things could happen during production that may require change. Suddenly, I was even more nervous about our meeting with Ace than before. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t have to go through this meeting with the issues of udia¡¯s pregnancy hanging in the air between us. That would have been deadly.


    ¡°It¡¯s time. Let¡¯s go, we shouldn¡¯t keep the big boss waiting,¡± Jeremy told me before he took the lead of heading out of the room.


    Ace was waiting for us in one of the meeting rooms on his floor. After sharing our polite greetings, we started presenting our final version of the storyboard to Ace. Jeremy did most of the talking just as we had nned while I chimed in here and there to provide more color to what we had in mind. Ace listened intently to us until the end of our presentation. As always, his facial expression was very hard to read, and I wasn¡¯t sure what he was thinking and that made me slightly nervous.


    ¡°I read through your storyboard and proposal already prior to this meeting,¡± Ace said after we finished our presentation.


    ¡°Right...¡± I murmured softly.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 184

    184 His Secret ce


    ¡°Your presentation just now confirmed the thought that I had when I was reading your proposal. This storyboard seems well put together and I know without a doubt that it was hard work for you both; however, there¡¯s something verycking about it,¡± Ace said before his eyes rested on both of us.


    There¡¯s something verycking...?


    ¡°Can you please exin?¡± Jeremy quickly requested rification.


    ¡°Of course. I feel like the storyboard is very dry although all theponents that we agreed upon are in there. This is just my guess but if we hand in the storyboard as is to the production team, we will end up getting amercial that doesn¡¯t have any emotional appeal to the audience. In other words, it won¡¯t be emotionally engaging and that is the key to sess for amercial with the purpose of motivating social changes,¡± Ace started to exin sternly.


    ¡°But I¡¯m sure that we¡¯ve incorporated all the scenes that should be rtable to the audiences...¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Producing amercial is more than just putting scenes in a sequence. You should know that already, right?¡± Ace asked in return.


    I didn¡¯t know what to say in response to that, so I just nodded. This was the worst possible scenario that Jeremy had mentioned. Ace didn¡¯t like our work and so we had to fix it. The question was how do we do that? How do we transform what we have to make it more emotionally engaging?


    ¡°Thank you. Well noted. We¡¯ll figure something out and set up another meeting with you again soon,¡± Jeremy said.


    ¡°Thank you...¡± I thanked Ace as well.


    .....


    Unlike Jeremy who seemed as motivated as ever, I felt slightly uncertain about how to push the work forward. Frankly, this was the first time that I didn¡¯t quite know how to go about my work. I¡¯ve always worked with clear and direct instructions on what needed to be fixed. This time, however, the instructions were vague, and we had to think of our next steps on our own.


    Well, this is surely challenging.


    Ace didn¡¯t say much after that, but it was crystal clear that he was dissatisfied with the quality of our work and itsck of appeal. I should have known that Ace would have a super standard when it came to calling for emotional appeal and connection from how his past sessfulmercials essentially had that as one of its main selling points. What we had to change in order to make ourmercial as appealing as he was something that I have yet to figure out.


    If I could figure it out so easily, then I might as well be Ace Hills.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look so down and frustrated. I told you; this is normal...¡± Jeremy said while trying to keep his tone light.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but I have absolutely no idea how we should even start fixing this,¡± I admitted bluntly.


    Of course, I was frustrated. Who wouldn¡¯t be?


    It felt like I had just rammed into a brick wall headfirst and was forced to acknowledge that my head wasn¡¯t hard enough to crash through it.


    ¡°Honestly, I have no idea where to start either. However, that doesn¡¯t mean that I don¡¯t know where to start looking,¡± Jeremy said before he shed me a smile that bordered on looking cocky.


    ¡°Where should we start looking?¡± I asked with widened eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s a secret...¡± he mumbled before his smile widened.


    ¡°Not this thing about your secret ce again...¡± I startedining right away.


    ¡°Well, since we¡¯re in this together and buried all the way to our necks, I¡¯ll show you something extremely cool,¡± Jeremy proposed excitedly.


    ¡°Your secret ce?¡± I inquired just as excitedly.


    If this ce was the source of Jeremy¡¯s inspiration, then it might solve the problem that we had on hand. Plus, I really wanted to see where this genius got his creative juices from.


    ¡°Have you ever been to thepany¡¯s archive before?¡± Jeremy asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s an archive?¡± I asked nkly.


    I have never heard of such a thing existing in thispany before. No one has ever mentioned it to me.


    ¡°Yup. You don¡¯t know anything about it? I would have thought that the design team would take a look down there often,¡± Jeremy asked with clear surprise.


    ¡°Umm, I haven¡¯t heard about it at all. What is kept there? I thought all the files are in the server and we can already ess them to pull up old files and data on past projects,¡± I said.


    ¡°Not really. Not all files are there, that¡¯s for sure. The older files from many years back were never really digitized and are still stored as paper in the archives. I guess many years ago, there were people who still worked on paper mostly first before transferring it toputer files,¡± Jeremy exined.


    ¡°I still do that sometimes, actually,¡± I admitted a little shyly when I thought of all my hand-drawn storyboard drafts.


    ¡°I do too. Anyways, I think if we check out some oldermercials, we might find some inspiration on what we¡¯re looking for,¡± he suggested with a smile.


    ¡°Good idea. Let¡¯s go down there. I¡¯ll leave it to you to lead the way,¡± I quickly agreed.


    ¡°Sure...¡± Jeremy replied before he smiled broadly at me.


    I followed Jeremy to an elevator that seemed to be hidden way at the back of the building. Needless to say, I had never been here before. The elevator that opened on the ground floor didn¡¯t lead upwards but downwards to the floors that were underground. I knew that there were floors underground, but I never knew that anything down there could serve as inspiration to us designers.


    ¡°Your first time down here?¡± Jeremy took a guess.


    ¡°Yes...¡± I replied truthfully.


    I didn¡¯t quite know what to expect but the neat and clean hallway that greeted me wasn¡¯t quite like what I had pictured. Thepany must have very high standards to maintain even the floors underground that are barely used. Jeremy led the way and after many turns along the hallway, we finally arrived at what Jeremy referred to as his ¡®secret ce¡¯: thepany¡¯s archive.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 185

    185 The Real Treasure


    Even more surprising than the fact that everything was clean and proper was the fact that there were actually security guards in front of the door. I had no idea what was stored in there, but it must be important enough for thepany to hire guards to guard it. Since thispany¡¯s main selling point was the creativity of its staff, I guess it might not be too far of a stretch for it to protect its archive of confidential information.


    ¡°You¡¯re here again?¡± the guard greeted Jeremy.


    ¡°Yeah, sorry for this...again...¡± Jeremy replied with a giddy smile.


    The guard¡¯s eyesnded on me before his face transformed into a look of curiosity. I guess he didn¡¯t expect Jeremy to bring someone down here with him.


    ¡°You brought a friend along...¡± the guard said.


    ¡°Oh yea, she¡¯s working with me on a project at the moment,¡± Jeremy exined smoothly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll need your employee ID before I can let you in,¡± the guard told me sternly.


    ¡°Right. Here you go...¡± I said as I handed the guard mypany ID card.


    With all of that settled, the guard entered a password to unlock the door for us. Security seemed tight enough for a room that was supposed to hold old documents. Someone really should start an initiative to scan all of these documents so that thepany could store them in its digital archive.


    .....


    The door closed behind us, and I stood glued to the spot as my eyes took in the endless rows upon rows of cabs filled with folders and documents. The whole ce was much bigger than I ever imagined. It was like a small warehouse filled with neatly arranged documents. The ce reminded me of a library with books arranged neatly on rows of bookshelves. In this case, instead of books, there were documents from what were supposed to be the old works and projects that thepany had worked on.


    ¡°Wow...it¡¯s so big...¡± I said in awe.


    ¡°I thought the same thing when I first came here too. One of my seniors brought me along with him on one of our projects. Sadly, he no longer works here, but thanks to him, I¡¯ve beening down here to get inspiration when I get stuck with my work ever since,¡± Jeremy told me.


    We walked along the rows of endless folders together while I wondered where we were supposed to start. There was just too much stored here that it made me feel even more lost than before.


    ¡°What should we be searching for?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Something that would tell us how to make ourmercial more emotionally appealing,¡± Jeremy replied.


    ¡°I know that already. I meant, how are we supposed to do that? What kind of documents are we supposed to look for?¡± I asked with slight annoyance.


    ¡°Just follow me for a bit and I¡¯ll show you something good,¡± Jeremy said before he turned to wink at me.


    The ce felt slightly cold, and I wondered if the room temperature had been intentionally set that way in order to preserve the paper documents. Grey-colored cabs filled with ck folders. While some cabs hadbels such as the year of the name of the project on them, most of the cabs didn¡¯t have anybels on them at all. The cab that we were standing in front of also didn¡¯t have abel.


    ¡°All these cabs look the same. Are we really going to find what we¡¯re looking for down here?¡± I asked skeptically.


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s a trove of real treasure down here for sure in case you haven¡¯t heard,¡± Jeremy replied teasingly.


    ¡°Real treasure? Like gold and diamonds?¡± I asked jokingly.


    I honestly didn¡¯t know what he meant, although I knew that he was speaking metaphorically.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you...the good stuff...¡± Jeremy said


    That truly perked my curiosity.


    After falling Jeremy to almost the back of the document warehouse, he came to a stop. The row where we made our stop looked like nothing special and that was because every single row just looked the same.


    ¡°What¡¯s in here?¡± I asked as I pointed a finger at the cab in question.


    ¡°Open it and see for yourself. It¡¯s not locked or anything,¡± Jeremy said casually.


    I stared at his face dubiously before shifting my attention to the cab in front of me. Hopefully, nothing was going to jump out at me if I suddenly opened it.


    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll open it and see for myself,¡± I said.


    I reached out for the handle of the cab doors before pulling them both open at the same time. The content inside did not surprise me at all at first nce. All rows in the cab were fully lined with ck folders.


    ¡°At least this one is arranged by year...¡± I mumbled to myself as my eyes traveled along thebels on each folder.


    ¡°Have a look at this,¡± Jeremy said as he pulled out a folder and handed it to me.


    I took it from him with a confused look on my face as I wondered what was so special about the files in this cab that we had toe all the way down here and how it was going to help us ovee the current roadblock that we were facing in our current project. The paper documents inside were not neatly arranged in chronological order of any kind, unlike the folders. There was practically everything in there from random handwritten notes, scribble and doodles of very rough scenes and storyboards, associated research, and many handwritten and typed-up reports.


    At first, nothing caught my eye; however, after sifting through a couple of pages something clicked at the back of my mind. Something about this handwriting looks extremely familiar. I flipped through the pages even faster as my eyes zoomed in on the handwriting and lines used to draw the basic rough sketches.


    It just feels so familiar like I¡¯ve seen this countless times before...


    After a while of flipping through the pages at a fast pace, I paused before taking in a deep breath. I turned towards Jeremy with one question in mind.


    ¡°Are these...Ace¡¯s work?¡± I asked with narrowed eyes.


    It had to be, but it couldn¡¯t really be...could it?


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 186

    186 Source of Inspiration


    ¡°You¡¯re really his personal secretary. You¡¯re absolutely correct. This entire cab here up until that one over there store Ace¡¯s precious work from the start of his career up until recent years where files are then stored digitally. Unfortunately, he doesn¡¯t produce work solo anymore which is why all of this here is a raw and rare treasure. This is the secret ce that I¡¯ve been telling you about,¡± Jeremy announced with a proud smile as if unveiling one of the world¡¯s deepest secrets to the public for the first time.


    ¡°But he...¡± I murmured before I managed to stop myself in time.


    But he told me that he threw it all away. How did all his work end up here?


    ¡°I stumbled across these when I was working on one of my first projects,¡± Jeremy disclosed.


    ¡°Are you serious? This can¡¯t be...¡± I mumbled while still in disbelief.


    It was just shocking, unexpected, and too good to be true.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you see? These are the past works from our genius devil CEO. The early works of Ace Hills!¡± Jeremy dered excitedly.


    Ace¡¯s works?


    ¡°Do you remember thatmercial that I made that won an award? People were so shocked that I won at such a young age with so little experience and all...¡± Jeremy asked as his eyes seemed to sparkle.


    .....


    ¡°Yup, I definitely remember. That work was great. It was...unique...like it was very inspirational,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Exactly. It was inspirational to the people who watched it. I intentionally made thatmercial that way based on the inspiration that I got while reading and going through these files...¡± Jeremy told me as his eyes shifted to linger on the cabs containing Ace¡¯s work.


    ¡°Really?!¡± I eximed in surprise.


    ¡°Yup, Ace is my motivation and inspiration. His work, especially the earlier ones stored here in this archive, I find to be even more inspirational than hister works. Well, his current work is still amazing and in a league of its own, though...¡± Jeremy said with a dreamy look in his eyes.


    He truly was a fan of Ace and his works. I think I could understand quite well how he felt because I was also a fan of Ace¡¯s work. Then when I got to know him and spend more time with him, I became a fan and an admirer of the man himself too.


    ¡°This first row here is his work from the earliest days of his career. I love going through it, and you should too. You¡¯ll clearly see that although it¡¯s rough and unpolished, his work is still diamond. It¡¯s not your usual quality of work. It¡¯s really a diamond in the rough,¡± Jeremy said in amazement.


    ¡°Thanks for showing me all this,¡± I thanked you with a smile.


    The truth was that I didn¡¯t need Jeremy¡¯s encouragement to go through all of Ace¡¯s folders in all of the cabs here. Since learning that his old works were stored here instead of thrown away, I already had my eyes and mind set on looking through all of them. However, I didn¡¯t want Jeremy to see my overly excited reactions or else he might think that I¡¯m some crazy fangirl that was obsessed with Ace and his work. I made a mental note to myself toe back here alone so that I could spend all the time in the world slowly looking through Ace¡¯s past works in private.


    Suddenly, I felt like a stalker, but I was so happy that I didn¡¯t feel any shame at all.


    ¡°Umm...are we allowed to borrow documents out of here?¡± I asked while daring to feel hopeful.


    ¡°Yes, for the most part. However, all of Ace¡¯s files cannot be taken out of this archive,¡± Jeremy replied with a regrettable look on his face.


    I could tell that he had tried his luck at trying to borrow some of Ace¡¯s files out of here before. He must have failed. I recalled the stern face of the security guard and was forced to realize that rules were rules.


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s too bad...¡± I murmured.


    I guess I have toe back here after all. The option of borrowing some of the folders and taking it back to my ce wasn¡¯t an option. Not taking folders out of here might be better for me. If I took some of the folders back, Ace might end up seeing it. I wondered if he even knew that his old works were in the archive like this.


    ¡°Yup. We need to be satisfied enough that at least these documents are still here and in very good condition,¡± Jeremy said to brighten up the mood.


    ¡°Do you happen to know who put all of Ace¡¯s documents together?¡± I asked.


    My question must have sounded strange because Jeremy definitely gave me the ¡®why do you want to know¡¯ kind of look. Ace did tell me that he threw all of the documents rted to his work away apart from those that dated only a few years back, so I wondered how all of those documents ended up here.


    ¡°No idea at all but I thank whoever did this,¡± Jeremy replied with a shrug of his shoulders.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right...¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Enough chatting. It¡¯s time for us to get to work. Let¡¯s pull out some documents that might be useful to use for our inspiration. We better find something soon or that storyboard is never going to pass Ace¡¯s screening,¡± Jeremy muttered before he sighed.


    I nodded my head in agreement. Now wasn¡¯t the time for me to gawk over Ace¡¯s past work. I need to find something here that could be used to turn our work around. We had a firm deadline and time for ticking by. The more time we wasted in nning and design, the less time the production team had to actually shoot and produce themercial.


    We split to go about our work in the search of something that might be useful.


    ¡°Let¡¯s call it a day. My back is starting to hurt...¡± Jeremy suggested as he rubbed his back with his hands.


    ¡°You¡¯re still young so what is this about your back hurting? You sound just like an old man...¡± I teased him with augh.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 187

    187 Real Kindness


    ¡°I wish they allowed chairs down here...¡± he said wistfully.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I think we¡¯ve done enough for today,¡± I agreed with his earlier suggestion.


    ¡°Got something good?¡± Jeremy asked with raised eyebrows.


    ¡°Hmm...I think so...¡± I replied with a confident smile.


    ...


    Although I wanted to go back to the archive so badly to dig through Ace¡¯s past works, the schedule of my work with Jeremy did not allow me any spare time to do that. Jeremy wasn¡¯t just a genius at what he did, he also worked very hard and long hours. I couldn¡¯t me him because we were really pressed for time. The manager of the production team applied loads of pressure on us to finish the final storyboard and ns as soon as possible so that his team would have enough time to do a good job of producing themercial.


    As a result of that, Jeremy and I were stuck together working throughout the day andte into the night. Ace was surprisingly the most understanding partner when it came to working. Because I had to stayte into the night with Jeremy at the office, I had less time to see Ace. In fact, we never got a chance to go on dates and even dinner together was out of the question for almost an entire week.


    ¡°It¡¯s getting better; however, it¡¯s not there yet. I¡¯m sure that you two can feel it as well,¡± Acemented on ourtest work.


    ¡°Right. I think I know what you mean. This part and I guess this part as well need some more thinking and work,¡± I replied solemnly.


    .....


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Well, I¡¯m always here to set up a meeting with me whenever you need it,¡± Ace said to conclude our meeting.


    I left his office along with Jeremy. We were so close to getting it right but getting the final touches of the design right was one of the hardest parts. Ace had a meticulous eye for detail and his sense was always spot on. After running this storyboard through with him a couple of times, I was starting to get a hang of his preferences and how he saw things.


    ¡°The CEO sure is getting nicer...¡± Jeremy mumbled as he stood next to me in front of Ace¡¯s office.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°Usually, he doesn¡¯t give us that many chances to get his feedback. Getting meetings to review work with him wasn¡¯t this easy and he would shout at us quite a lot if we didn¡¯t live up to his expectations,¡± Jeremy said as if he was recalling some dark times in the past.


    ¡°Really? He was like that?¡± I asked with widened eyes.


    ¡°Definitely. You can ask anyone on the team. Ace is...tough to work for...¡± Jeremy said with certainty.


    ¡°Right...I guess I can agree with you on that,¡± I replied with a smile.


    Ace was indeed hard to please and hard to work for. That came with some of its cons but a lot of pros as well.


    ¡°No one on the team has ever quit, though. I guess we are all in love with the pain...¡± Jeremy said with augh.


    ¡°I guess...¡± I murmured in wonder.


    ¡°Back to work! We have to get it right this time around,¡± Jeremy said with conviction.


    I nodded and smiled while noting that it was alreadyte in the night. Ace stayed overtime to help review our work again. Having to review and re-do the work was tiring and sometimes demoralizing. However, I could tell with each iteration based on Ace¡¯s feedback that we were progressing fast forward. Each new version was heaps better than thest. We¡¯ll make amercial to win the contest for sure at this rate.


    I was just so sure of it.


    ...


    ¡°You¡¯re not heading home yet?¡± I asked as I popped my head into Ace¡¯s office.


    It was alreadyte at night, but I was still stuck working with Jeremy. To my surprise, Ace was still working in his office. I guessed I wasn¡¯t the only one who was busy and swamped with work. The way Ace seemed very focused on the work at hand told me that it must be something important.


    ¡°I¡¯ll head back with you. Are you done for the day?¡± Ace asked without looking up from the screen of hisptop.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m done. If you¡¯re not done, I can wait for you...¡± I told him as I sat down patiently onto the sofa in his office.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head back. I can do thister,¡± Ace said as he pushed the screen of hisptop downwards to close it.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes. Enough work for now,¡± Ace replied with a smile.


    He opened his arms as he urged for me to approach him. That was exactly what I did. The feel of his arms around my waist as I stood in front of his chair felt nice and warm. Ace buried his face into my chest and breathed in deeply. I could tell that he was tired and so was I. Work was really stressing both of us out and draining us of our energy.


    I lifted my hand and began stroking Ace¡¯s hair absentmindedly as he stroked my back and my waist. We let the warmth of our bodies and the gentleness of our caressesfort each other in peaceful silence. Tough times didn¡¯t feel like they were so bad when I had Ace tofort me like this.


    Jeremy¡¯s words about Ace bing kinder came back to me and I wondered if that was true.


    Perhaps, there was a chance that Ace had always been a kind and caring person in his very own way. Maybe it was our fault for not realizing it. Either that or Ace is finally showing me more of his true self. Regardless, I loved what I was seeing and feeling right in front of me.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whispered his name as I moved to look down into his face.


    Ace didn¡¯t respond to my call of his name, instead, his face came closer until his lips were on mine. He kissed me softly a couple of times before increasing the pressure of his lips on mine. I moaned softly before parting my lips to ept the entrance of his hot and wet tongue into the depths of my mouth. Our wet tongues swivel around in a passionate dance that left my core throbbing in heat.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 188

    188 Need You Now


    ¡°Let¡¯s head back?¡± I suggested while I panted after Ace finally let go of my lips.


    Wordlessly, Ace stood up from his seat. At first, I thought that he was ready to leave too; however, when I turned to leave, his hands pulled my arm back. Then his arms were around me and I felt myself being lifted until I sat on his table. The way his hazel brown eyes looked at me told me that we wouldn¡¯t be going home for a while.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whispered his name before I felt surprised at how seductive my voice sounded.


    It must have been the effect of his kiss and having him so close to me that made me this turned on. Ace was very turned on as well as he stepped closer to me and spread my legs to the side. His hands didn¡¯t hesitate to pull up my skirt so that he could part my legs even further apart. I stared up into his face as he stood in between my legs. His hot hands rubbing my thighs made desire dance and throb in my lower abdomen. My pussy started to get wet for him as I moaned softly from the heat of his caresses.


    ¡°Lay back...unless you feel like you can keep sitting,¡± Ace instructed with a hint of teasing in his tone.


    With what I knew he was going to do to me, I doubted that I could stay sitting for much longer anyways. I slowlyid back across his desk as Ace continued to stroke my thighs seductively before his hands moved to stroke the sensitive skin of my inner thighs.


    ¡°Ahhh...¡± I moaned as I closed my eyes momentarily.


    His skillful hands slowly inched up my inner thighs as I moaned in anticipation of his touch at my most feminine spot. My pussy quivered as it got wetter. I wanted him to touch me there so badly that my hips began to move and thrust upwards.


    ¡°I guess you can¡¯t wait till we get home either,¡± Ace teased me mercilessly.


    .....


    I opened my eyes and lifted my head a little to see him smirking at me. The slightly naughty look on his face turned me on even more. Hisrge hands lifted and spread my legs further apart again and soon I felt the pressure of his fingers against the wetness in between my legs.


    ¡°Ahh...Ace...¡± I moaned at the pleasure of his exploring fingers tracing a line up and down the wet slit in between my thighs.


    My pussy trembled and then clenched wildly as his fingers stroked my pussy lips up and down. I could feel how wet and slippery I was from his fingers sliding against me.


    ¡°You always get wet so fast...¡± Ace said it like apliment.


    His fingers began moving faster and my hips thrusted up and down, rocking my pussy against his fingers. I felt more of my juices leaking out of my love hole to lubricate his fingers.


    ¡°Ace...please...I can¡¯t wait...¡± I pleaded.


    ¡°It¡¯s so hot inside you...¡± Ace murmured before he bit down on his lower lip.


    I gasped and then cried out loudly at the sensation of his thick and long fingers slipping a little into my wet entrance. His fingers stretched my open before prating into my wet cunt. It felt so good already and his fingers weren¡¯t all the way in yet. I moaned before sucking in a deep breath. In the next instance, Ace removed his finger from my hole before thrusting it back deep and hard all the way inside of me.


    ¡°Ahhh! Ace...Ahh...it¡¯s so good...¡± I moaned and whimpered as my head rolled on his work desk.


    ¡°Your pussy is flooded, Rina. It can¡¯t stop sucking in my fingers. How am I supposed to move my fingers like this?¡± Ace asked teasingly as he shook his head in mocking disapproval.


    I couldn¡¯t help it. No matter what he said, my pussy wouldn¡¯t stop clenching hard around his fingers. His teasing words only worked to turn me on even more and my pussy suddenly felt so sensitive. Suddenly, Ace began moving his fingers inside my wet hole. His thick and long fingers thrusted in and out of my hole as I cried out from the pleasure. Each thrust hit hard against my pleasure spot and the feeling of his fingers sliding and rubbing against my pussy walls drove me crazy with lust.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahhhh! Yeahhh!¡± I cried out as my hips pumped up and down.


    My entire body writhed from ecstasy on his worktable as Ace continued ramming his fingers faster and harder into my wetness. He felt around and quickly found my g-spot before he yed with it until I was so close to my climax.


    ¡°Ace...I¡¯m going to...¡± I moaned before I ced my hand over my mouth.


    I¡¯m going to scream!


    ¡°Scream all you want, Rina. If there¡¯s anyone else here, they would¡¯ve heard you a long time ago already...¡± Ace said with a small chuckle.


    ¡°Ahhh! I¡¯m cumming! Ace...Ahhh!¡± I screamed so loudly as my hips bucked off the table.


    He took me to my climax with his fingers and as my body spasmed from the aftereffects of my orgasm, Ace slowly slid his fingers out of me. It didn¡¯t take long before I felt something much thicker and hotter position itself between my throbbing pussy lips. My senses were heightened from my climax from earlier and I could feel the heat of his cock as he rubbed it against my opening.


    ¡°Don¡¯t...Ahhh!¡± I cried out when the tip of his cock stroked my swollen clit.


    It felt too good. I can¡¯t even think anymore and maybe I didn¡¯t need to think about anything else anymore.


    ¡°I really can¡¯t wait to fuck you, Rina...¡± Ace murmured seductively.


    ¡°Ace...fuck me...please...¡± I begged him as Ipletely lost control.


    Ace¡¯s hands quickly gripped my thighs before he thrusted his cock sharply into my pussy. I cried out as he groaned. His cock prated deep inside me. He was so thick and so big that I had a hard time adjusting to having him inside of me.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 189

    189 Giving Him What He Wants


    I was sure that he wasn¡¯t in all the way yet although I felt him so deep inside of me already. His cock felt so hot as it pulsated inside of me. I could feel it twitching before he reared his hips back before ramming his cock harder and deeper back into my hole.


    ¡°Ahhh! Ace...it¡¯s...so deep...¡± I cried out before I whimpered.


    He filled me up and stretched me until I felt like I couldn¡¯t take anymore. My body trembled uncontrobly as if I was about to climax again at just having his entire length buried all the way into my sopping wet hole.


    ¡°Yeah? I think I can go deeper,¡± Ace said as he pulled his cock out of my hole.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahh!¡± I screamed until my throat hurt.


    Ace screwed his cock deeper into me just like he has promised. I had no idea how he could reach so deep inside of me or how his cock could continue to expand and grow like that. As he moved inside of me, thrusting his cock in and out of my hole, I began to believe that he might tear me into two.


    It feels so hot inside...so good...


    Ace groaned as he exerted himself and his energy in pounding his cock fast and hard into my love hole as our hips pped against each other. It was rough and I could sense his urgency and his lust with each thrust that he filled me. My hips moved to match the rhythm of his passionate thrusts as they rose up to meet his thrusts halfway. Our synchronized motions made me feel him hit even deeper and harder with each thrust ramming his cock all the way against my womb.


    ¡°Ace! I¡¯m cumming! Ahhh!¡± I yelled so loudly before my mind wentpletely nk.


    .....


    I lost all of myself and then I surrendered myself to the waves of pleasure that coursed through my body as my climax took over me. Ace¡¯s name left my lips multiple times in soft and weak whimpers as he continued to ride me. His cock pounded into me until he too reached his climax.


    ¡°Fuck! I¡¯m cumming...Rina...¡± Ace groaned as he shoved his cock deeply into me one final time.


    His cock twitched inside my wet hole before it flooded my tunnel with his seed. Ace groaned in extreme satisfaction as he shot his hot load into me. I could feel him filling me with his heat in so many waves that I thought that he would never stop. My pussy clenched around his cock and dly took in all of his cum as if it couldn¡¯t get enough of him.


    ...


    I still felt like a mess down there when we finally made it back to Ace¡¯s ce where we nned to spend the night together. Things might have proceeded smoother if we had waited to have sex back at his ce; however, doing it at his office had a charm of its own. It would probably still have its own attractiveness as long as we didn¡¯t get caught in the act.


    That would simply be a nightmare. Period.


    I was sweaty and ready for a shower before some rxing dinner when I walked into the penthouse suite. Ace followed after me and I heard him close and lock the door behind us. Then, his arms were around my body as he hugged me tightly to him from behind. His hands quickly slipped to boldly caress my waist and then my belly.


    I knew right away that Ace had more than just a loving hug in mind and my body froze in shock.


    ¡°Ace...wait...¡± I protested softly as I tried to wriggle my body out of his embrace.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait anymore...¡± he whispered right into my ear.


    ¡°But we just did it...¡± I said before I moaned.


    Hisrge hand reached forward and grabbed my breast before squeezing it roughly. I moaned as my body began reacting to him again. I could feel Ace¡¯s body close behind me and the heat from his body all along my back as he reached forward with both hands to caress both of my breasts at the same time. The stimtion turned me on, and I started to desire him again. Ace was panting hard, and I knew that he couldn¡¯t hold back anymore.


    ¡°We¡¯ve had so little time for each othertely. Let¡¯s make up for lost time...¡± Ace murmured close to my ear before he started licking my earlobe.


    My entire body trembled as I loud moan escaped from between my lips. My pussy clenched and trembled along with my body as his tongue flicked against my earlobe seductively. When he nibbled softly on my earlobe, I screamed at the sudden stimtion. My pussy was flooded with more of my love juices again and I felt so wet down there.


    Before I could protest any further, Ace kissed me to silence me. My mind was in a daze as the fire of desire rekindled inside of me.


    One of these days, I¡¯m going to learn to resist him and his advances. That day wouldn¡¯t be today.


    Ace lifted me up into his arms princess-style and my arms naturally wrapped themselves around his neck. With fast and determined steps, Ace strode to his bedroom with me in his arms. When we got there, he dumped me face-first onto the bed, and then his hands were busy lifting up my skirt and taking off my panties.


    ¡°Ahh!¡± I moaned loudly when I felt his hard dick pressing up against my wet opening.


    ¡°Let me have you, Rina...¡± Ace requested lustily.


    I didn¡¯t get a chance to reply to him at all. All I could do was moan my desire when Ace suddenly thrusted his thick and hot rod into my throbbing pussy. I cried out his name all throughout the act until I couldn¡¯t cry out anymore. I had no idea how many times he took me that night. Ace made love to me hard and intensely until we both fell asleep in each other¡¯s arms.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 190

    190 Late Night Search


    My throat felt parched and that was what led me to wake up in the middle of the night. The bedroom was dark when I opened my eyes sleepily. I should get a drink of water from the kitchen. I tried my best to get out of bed without waking Ace. However, I couldn¡¯t quite sense his presence with me in the dark room and when I felt around his side of the bed, I couldn¡¯t find him.


    Where did he go? It¡¯s sote in the night.


    Drowsily, I got out of bed and made my way out of the bedroom. I had no idea where Ace went in the middle of the night. Maybe I would find him on my trip to the kitchen to fetch some water. It was dark and silent outside as I made my way to the kitchen. I couldn¡¯t find Ace anywhere and that fact rushed me to grab a bottle from the fridge before quickly drinking from it.


    I walked along the hallway while I thought that it might be best to grab my phone and give Ace a call. That was when I heard the sound of something moving inside one of the rooms. The sound stopped but not before I figured out that it wasing out of his study.


    Don¡¯t tell me that he¡¯s up and working in the middle of the night.


    I approached the door of his study on my tiptoes, although I had no idea why I was sneaking up on him. Not wanting to disturb him might be a valid reason; however, it was probably more because I wanted to observe Ace working. The light leaking out slightly from the crack in the ajar door convinced me that he was indeed in his study.


    Standing next to the door frame, I peered inside through the slightly ajar door. At first, I couldn¡¯t really see anything. However, after finding the right angle, I could make out Ace sitting at his table with a thoughtful look on his face. I wondered what he was thinking about and what he was working on. He should be sleeping peacefully in bed next to me, but he was working hard all alone in the middle of the night instead.


    Before I could stop myself, I pushed the door opened slowly and walked into the room. The sound of the door opening caught Ace¡¯s attention and his eyes immediately fell on me. To my surprise, he wasn¡¯t quite shocked to see me.


    ¡°Why are you up?¡± Ace asked before his eyes returned to the screen of hisputer again.


    .....


    ¡°I could ask you the same thing,¡± I replied softly as I made my way to his side.


    ¡°You should go back to bed. It¡¯ste but you can still get a couple more hours of sleep before morning,¡± Ace said before he offered me a warm smile.


    He didn¡¯t look like he was about to fall on his face, but he did look more tired than usual. At that moment, I wanted to do anything and everything for him to support him. If he had asked me to do something for him at that moment, I would have done anything that he requested. That was how much I wanted to help him. However, I knew that there were many things that I couldn¡¯t help him with.


    ¡°You should go back to sleep too. I didn¡¯t think that I¡¯ll wake up to find you working all alone like this,¡± I told him as I stared over his shoulder to see what he was working on.


    A spreadsheet filled with numbers filled my vision and I couldn¡¯t quite understand what he was doing. The numbers were probably financials and some projections that he was working on.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that you would wake up in the middle of the night, either. Usually, you sleep quite well all the way until morning,¡± Ace replied before he grinned at me.


    ¡°What are you working so hard on?¡± I asked to fulfill my own curiosity.


    ¡°Just some ns for thepany. I want to have a meeting with my senior managers about it soon so I¡¯m starting my preparations early,¡± he replied casually.


    ¡°Do you have to work on it in the middle of the night like this? Can¡¯t you do it tomorrow at the office?¡± I asked as I started to worry even more about him.


    This whole business n and business growthmitment that he made with his father was clearly a real challenge and Ace seemed to be suffering to steer thepany in the right direction for him to meet his goals. It felt great that he seemed somitted to meeting that goal so that we could solidify our rtionship; however, I didn¡¯t really like to see Ace overworking himself like this. This was the stark contrast to the carefree andzy CEO that I had first met.


    ¡°Nope. I focus better this way. There are always so many things going on at the office. Things that I have to do, people that I need to meet, people that need my help, and all of that. It¡¯s much more productive for me to work alone like this,¡± Ace replied.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯m disturbing you then...¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind having you here, but I think you should head back to bed, Rina,¡± Ace said before shooting me a pointed look.


    Slowly, I lifted my arms and wrapped them around his neck before cuddling him close to me. I could feel his soft hair against my cheek as I leaned my face on his head and held him close.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ace muttered.


    ¡°Giving you morale support...I guess...¡± I replied a little shyly but I couldn¡¯t stop myself from smiling.


    ¡°I¡¯ve received more than enough of that so please just go back to bed,¡± Ace replied a little coldly.


    Maybe he¡¯s just embarrassed?


    I hesitantly let go of him. There were many things that I wanted to tell him. Something along the lines of ¡®don¡¯t work too hard¡¯ or ¡®you should get enough sleep¡¯ or ¡®don¡¯t stress too much¡¯ and other rted things. However, I knew that he wouldn¡¯t give up on what he was doing and all my words wouldn¡¯t get to him.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 191

    191 Learning Journey


    ¡°Ace...¡± I called his name softly as I stood at his side.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked but without much interest.


    ¡°Thank you for working so hard for us...¡± I said softly but clearly.


    Ace turned to stare directly into my face before he smiled a little at me. Slowly his hand reached out and soon I felt its warmth against my cheek. He softly stroked my cheek with the pad of his thumb, and I smiled back in response.


    ¡°Umm...I¡¯ll head back to bed now...¡± I mumbled softly as I felt heat rise to my cheek.


    His loving caress made so much warmth flood my face and my chest.


    ...


    Despite my wish to spend an entire day or more submerging myself in Ace¡¯s past works in thepany¡¯s archive, I never got around to it. Work was crazy and Jeremy was ruthless in his revision of the storyboard. The fact that we were running out of time didn¡¯t help relieve my stress at all either. Every day that I spent at the office ended past midnight and I was beginning to lose track of the number of cups of coffee that I had.


    ¡°Should I schedule a meeting with Ace to go through this?¡± I asked.


    .....


    ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll be ready soon?¡± Jeremy asked without turning away from his screen to look at me.


    In my opinion, we¡¯ve done all that we could and if this didn¡¯t pass by Ace then he needs to tell us specifically what he wants. This grind was killing both Jeremy and me.


    ¡°What about we do onest push tonight and I¡¯ll try to get us a meeting with Ace tomorrow end of the day?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°That should work. Thank you, Karina,¡± Jeremy said with his eyes still glued to the screen.


    After getting some inspiration from taking a look at some of Ace¡¯s past works, we split toe up with some ideas, and then we discussed our thoughts endlessly before settling on quite a few changes to the details of the storyboard.


    ¡°We should run the changes through with the head of the production team as well,¡± I murmured.


    ¡°Can you do that? I¡¯m still stuck with drawing this part up...¡± Jeremy said with a frown.


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll get a meeting with him within today. Leave it to me,¡± I said confidently.


    Everything seemed to be progressing as nned when the end of the day arrived. We made a lot of progress in one day and I was able to schedule a meeting with Ace early in the evening tomorrow. I nced over Jeremy¡¯s shoulder at what he was working on, and it seemed to follow what we had in mind perfectly. Jeremy was really detailed oriented; he was much better than me in that respect. It seemed like there were many things that I could learn from Jeremy too.


    ¡°Some coffee?¡± I offered as I stood to the side of his desk.


    It was alreadyte in the night by that time, and I was already feeling sleepy. My eyes hurt and it took a lot of effort to keep them open. Jeremy had a lot more grit than I did and a lot more stamina as well. He had been staring at his screen since morning and he was still doing the same thing. His focus was also very admirable.


    ¡°Yeah...thanks...¡± he murmured.


    I wondered if he even heard me with his eyes still staring at his screen like that. It was clear that he was very focused on what he was doing. I decided to leave him and get to the pantry to make us some coffee. We were in the final stage of wrapping up and Jeremy didn¡¯t need my help anymore. He was just checking everything through onest time and then we should be done. I truly trusted Jeremy¡¯s attention to detail to catch anyst-minute mistakes that we may have missed out on in the previous rounds of reviews.


    When I returned with our mugs of coffee, Jeremy had gotten up from his seat and was leaning against his worktable instead. The fact that he was no longer staring at his screen told me that we were done for the day.


    ¡°Coffee for you. How is it?¡± I asked while offering him his mug of coffee.


    ¡°Thanks. I think we¡¯re done unless there¡¯s something else that you want to fix,¡± Jeremy said as he took the mug from me.


    ¡°Let me see onest time, is that ok?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jeremy replied before backing away to give me some space.


    This was probably going to be thest time that I¡¯ll get to review this storyboard before we need to get back to Ace in tomorrow¡¯s meeting. Regardless, we nned to send this updated version to Ace tonight so that he can hopefully review it before our meeting tomorrow. Ace had been so busytely with his ns to expand thepany and I wasn¡¯t sure if he would have time to review this. Of course, I couldn¡¯t tell Jeremy that. I still had trust in Ace that he could somehow juggle all his responsibilities.


    ¡°This should do. Can you email it to Ace?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that,¡± Jeremy said with a smile.


    ...


    Although we only had to wait for a day for our meeting with Ace, the wail felt like forever. I¡¯ve had countless meetings with Ace before and I was dating him as well; however, that didn¡¯t ease the tension that I felt inside of me before meeting him at all. Having a business meeting with Ace wasn¡¯t something that I could get used to. Just when I thought I could meet his expectations, it always seemed like he expected more of me, and I had to step up and challenge myself to meet his new set of expectations.


    The good thing was that it always kept me on my feet and always up and running. Without realizing it at first, I have grown exponentially in my skills and my careerpared to the time before I moved to join the CEO¡¯s office. Ace was already waiting for us in the meeting room when we arrived although we were notte.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 192

    192 Earning His Approval


    ¡°Did you get a chance to take a look at the storyboard that we sent?¡± Jeremy asked.


    Just like always, Jeremy didn¡¯t look nervous about having a meeting with Ace. On the other hand, I was gued with worry. Jeremy shed up our presentation on therge screen and a knot formed in the pit of my stomach.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen it,¡± Ace replied simply.


    I couldn¡¯t tell from his tone whether or not he liked what he had seen. Ace¡¯s hazel eyes settled on therge screen before he cocked his head slightly to the side as if he was thinking of something.


    ¡°You two give me a proper run-through one more time, please,¡± Ace said as he waited for us to do his bidding.


    ¡°Umm...ok...¡± I replied before getting to it.


    Jeremy helped me as I presented the storyboard to Ace while highlighting the parts that we have changed while including the reasons behind the change. Ace didn¡¯t seem impressed, but he didn¡¯t stop me from continuing and that meant that it must have been somewhat passable.


    ¡°We think adding in some emotional scene here and some music here would help,¡± Jeremy helped chime in where appropriate.


    Ace¡¯s eyes narrowed when we came to the end of our presentation. Time was running out and I knew that Ace knew this as well. If we don¡¯t get it right this time around, there was a high chance that Ace would take this out of our hands and deal with it himself. I didn¡¯t want it toe to that at all because it would mean that Jeremy and I have failed somehow to live up to his expectations. Worst of all, it would mean that our failure would be adding to Ace¡¯s te of surmounting responsibilities. Bing a burden to Ace wasn¡¯t what I wanted.


    .....


    ¡°What do you think?¡± I dared to ask Ace when our presentation came to an end.


    Ace was silent for a moment as he seemed to consider something. I nced nervously at Ace and then at Jeremy who was standing by my side. Jeremy nudged me and I snapped out of my thoughts and followed him to take our seats close to Ace at the meeting table.


    ¡°It¡¯s not perfect, to be honest...¡± Ace said after a moment of thought.


    ¡°Right...¡± I murmured as I tried my best to keep my disappointment out of my voice.


    ¡°However, it is passable. We¡¯ll go with this...¡± Ace said before he grinned at us.


    I had never won the lottery before, but the feeling of joy mixed with the pleasant surprise that I felt at that moment must have been quite close to the happiness of winning the lottery. It was quite unbelievable, but it made me so exhratingly happy.


    ¡°Really?!¡± I eximed before my mouth dropped open.


    Jeremy seemed surprised as well, but he had better control over his reaction. On the other hand, I couldn¡¯t care less how excited I came across because I was just so thrilled.


    ¡°Yes. This is good work; however, just like I said, it is not perfect. The ending isn¡¯t impactful enough and some scene transitions seem a little off...¡± Acemented without bias.


    If there was any bias, he was very tough on us instead of helping us along. That was the be expected.


    ¡°I see...¡± I mumbled, my prior excitement dying down a little.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t something that we can¡¯t figure out when we actually get to filming and production. With the actual shots from production, we will have a better view of how to adapt it to make everything perfect before theunch,¡± Ace said with a firm nod of his head as his eyes stared straight at Jeremy and then at me.


    ¡°Does that mean...¡± I murmured still in disbelief.


    ¡°Yes, it does. We will now move on to the production stage of this project,¡± Ace announced confidently.


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk to the head othe f production right away,¡± Jeremy quickly jumped in.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve run through this version with him already but now that we have your approval we will make quick progress on it right away,¡± I said as I felt so thankful for his approval.


    Themercial wasn¡¯t perfect in the presentation right now, but I was sure that we could make it better once we work with the production team. I thanked Ace silently for believing in us.


    ...


    After getting Ace¡¯s approval, everything at work got even busier. We have now moved onto the production stage and what that meant was that instead of working internally in our team, we had to work across departments with the production team as well. Although we were not in charge of production, we still had to make sure that what the production team was doing aligned with what we had in mind. Even the smallest detail could throw the whole vibe of themercial off.


    ¡°Does it get busier than this?¡± I mumbled myint.


    ¡°You¡¯re alreadyining?¡± Jeremy said as he turned to re at me.


    ¡°If you¡¯re alreadyining, you¡¯re going to die when we start the editing process,¡± Richard said before he also gave me a warning look.


    ¡°In short, things will get a lot busier than this and fast. After shooting and reshooting until we are fine with everything. Then we move on to the editing part. This is the most important part and Ace will get involved full stream in making sure that themercial lives up to his expectations. So yes, we will get a lot busier than this. If you have dates scheduled or any important appointments, cancel them all!¡± Jeremy exined before heughed loudly.


    Perhaps the no-dating rule should apply out of the office as well. With how demanding this job was, it was a miracle that anyone had a sessful rtionship outside of work not to mention a well-functioning family. However, I knew that this period of turmoil wouldn¡¯tst forever. We just need to win thispany and then this year will be a breeze for us and ourpany. We¡¯ll rake in projects and thepany will grow. Then when next yeares around, we¡¯ll hack it out with thepetitors to win thispetition again.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 193

    193 Alone Together


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...it¡¯s going to be anotherte night. You don¡¯t have to wait for me...¡± I spoke on the phone.


    ¡°Hang in there. We¡¯ve all been through it. Drink or eat something sweet...¡± Ace suggested as he tried to cheer me up in his own supportive way.


    He was my boyfriend now, but it didn¡¯t feel that way at all. We had almost no time together now that just getting enough sleep was bing a challenge in my daily life. Thankfully, we still had our weekends to ourselves, although I spent the majority of that time catching up on my sleep and making sure that I ate properly. I wondered if Ace would break up with me if I didn¡¯t find time to spend with him soon.


    We¡¯ve been heading back separately for more than a week now and that meant that we¡¯ve been sleeping separately as well. I preferred to travel back to my apartment to get whatever rest that I could when I still had the time while Ace stayed mostly at his ce. Despite my personal struggles, themercial was progressing quite well. The production team was determined to finish shooting everything ahead of schedule so that we had more time for revisions if needed.


    I made a silent vow to myself that I would get off work early enough to spend some time with Ace at his ce this week. No matter what, I¡¯m going to find a way to make it happen. Even if it was just for dinner, I wanted to spend some quality time with him. Ace neverined about the fact that we hardly had any time for each other. I didn¡¯t know whether he was just understanding or if he was also very busy as well. Most likely, it was abination of both.


    Back then, I didn¡¯t know that when the day came when I got off work early, things wouldn¡¯t quite go as I had expected.


    ...


    ¡°Why are you working extra hard today, Karina?¡± Jeremy asked teasingly.


    I wasn¡¯t surprised that he realized it. Nothing can slip by unnoticed when it came to Jeremy, and I had been working with him for a while now that he was aware of how I normally operated.


    .....


    ¡°I want to get off work early today. Wait, I don¡¯t mean like earlier than the official end of the working day, but you know, not like midnight...or after...¡± I admitted as I continued typing out the email that I needed to send.


    ¡°I get what you mean. Maybe we try to aim for an early evening kind of hard stop today?¡± Jeremy suggested.


    ¡°Don¡¯t we all need a break sometimes?¡± I asked hopefully.


    ¡°Sure. This is a good day to have that break too. The meeting with the production team is tomorrow so we have a bit of a breather today. After the meeting tomorrow, things will pick up for us for sure,¡± Jeremy told me before he sighed.


    Work had taken its toll on Jeremy as well and he looked visibly tired as his fatigue umted over the weeks. I didn¡¯t even want toment on myself. For most days, I walked around looking and feeling like a ghost. The only person who seemed to look presentable at all times was Julianna and I had no idea how she managed to keep her eyshes and hair curled perfectly every single day.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop chatting and get to work so we can meet our hard stop. What about 8 PM?¡± I suggested before I smiled at Jeremy with pleading eyes.


    ¡°Make that 7:30 PM,¡± he replied before he walked awayughing.


    7:30 PM it is!


    By the time that 7:30 PM came along, I felt so exhausted and drained. Sprinting through the work saved up time for sure but it drained out a lot of energy at a much faster rate as well. Regardless of the suffering that we went through, we made it in time for our agreed hard stop at 7:30 PM.


    Jeremy even went as far as to set the rm at that time and when the rm went off, we both lifted our hands off of our keyboards and turned to smile knowingly at each other.


    ¡°I¡¯m off!¡± I announced proudly as I stood up from my seat and began stuffing my things into my handbag.


    ¡°See you tomorrow!¡± Jeremy announced proudly to everyone.


    He made it out of the door even before I could finish packing up. Honestly, I was impressed.


    This was sort of like a surprise, so I didn¡¯t tell Ace beforehand that I was nning to spend time with him. The only challenge standing in my way was whether or not Ace was free. Being his personal secretary truly paid off at times like this because I could check his schedule directly on my phone. I had no idea if he had other work but ording to his schedule, hisst meeting already ended at around 6 PM.


    I quickly made my way to his office where I was sure I would find out. Inviting him out to dinner might be good or maybe just heading to his ce to spend some time together would be great too. My lips curved into a wide smile as I made my way to his office. I think I haven¡¯t smiled this carefreely in a long time.


    Wanting to surprise him, I decided to quietly slip into his office. Technically speaking, I also worked here so I didn¡¯t think too badly of myself for not knocking. I didn¡¯t see Ace right away because he was in his personal office. It was very quiet as I tiptoed toward his door.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I murmured softly as I slowly opened the door.


    It was unlocked the door began opening when I pushed against it. I slowly peeked in while expecting to see the regr sight of Ace working at his table. I was partially right about him sitting behind his desk, but I waspletely off about him working. Unless the definition of work had changed, and I wasn¡¯t quite aware of it.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 194

    194 Smells of Trouble


    I stepped into his office and my body froze as I struggled to process what I was seeing. A blonde woman sat on Ace¡¯s table with her legs crossed seductively and I had to say that her skirt was a little more than too short. At first, I couldn¡¯t see her face and Ace paid me no mind even though I was standing there. The two seemed very engaged in just staring into each other¡¯s eyes.


    Did I walk in at the wrong moment?


    Definitely.


    ¡°Oh...it¡¯s you...¡± the woman said as she turned around and spotted me.


    Her face was definitely one that I had seen before.


    ¡°Elizabeth...¡± I murmured her name softly.


    Why is she here...exactly?


    ¡°Ace and I have unfinished business so if you don¡¯t mind...can you...¡± she said before she sweetly at me and shooed me off with her hand.


    What on earth is going on?


    .....


    Why is Elizabeth Chase here?


    My eyes nced over at Ace as I hoped for him to do something to correct the situation for me. Instead of telling Elizabeth to get off his desk and pull down her skirt, he turned and shot me a look.


    ¡°Leave us for a moment. I need to talk to her,¡± Ace said dismissively.


    ¡°You heard him. Leave us alone please...¡± Elizabeth said before she red at me.


    I hated myself for feeling out of ce although I was the one who should belong close to Ace. Despite the sickening feeling that bubbled up inside of me, I tried to tell myself to stay calm. There were probably discussing some important business and it was my fault for butting in the middle of their conversation.


    However, something just felt very off...


    ¡°Ok...¡± I murmured.


    I turned around and quickly left the room. After closing the door to Ace¡¯s personal office behind me, I pressed my hand to my chest as I tried to calm the rapid beating of my heart.


    What did I just walk in on?


    Ace¡¯s meeting with Elizabeth wasn¡¯t on his calendar so it¡¯s not an official meeting, right?


    I absentmindedly headed to the sofa before flopping down onto it. My legs had lost their strength and I couldn¡¯t keep standing anymore. So many confusing thoughts floated around in my head as my mind kept on churning up hypothetical reasons why Elizabeth was with Ace in his office. Her position and her attitude toward me just made everything worst. She knows that I¡¯m dating Ace so why is she doing something like this?


    How long are they going to stay alone together in there?


    Time seemed to tick by so slowly as I sat there alone on the sofa as I waited for Elizabeth and Ace to emerge from his office. So much for working so hard toe to see him early.


    It was a little over half an hour before the door to Ace¡¯s office opened and that was apanied by Elizabeth¡¯s yfulughter. I watched as she walked out of his office while running her fingers through her hair.


    ¡°I know I should have listened to you sooner than this...¡± Elizabeth said as she turned back to face his office.


    Ace soon emerged from his office and then he whispered something to her that I couldn¡¯t hear from where I was seated. Whatever he said made herugh even louder than before and that made my mood worsen. He bent down a little and whispered something directly into her ear that made her smile.


    ¡°You should divorce that dumb husband of yours...¡± he said after he stood up straight again.


    I caught those words of his so clearly as if he wanted me to participate in that conversation of theirs as well.


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it...¡± Elizabeth replied before she smiled up at him.


    After they seemed to have reached the end of their conversation, Elizabeth turned towards me before she smiled a little my way.


    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t want to take up more of your time. I¡¯ll drop by again soon...or you cane over to my ce,¡± she said invitingly.


    With one final smile at Ace and a look my way, she walked proudly out of his office and closed the door behind her.


    What just happened?


    I was too stunned to do anything, so I just sat there and watched her leave. Ace has got to exin to me what just happened.


    ¡°Your work ended early today?¡± Ace asked as his attention finally rested on me.


    ¡°Umm...yea...¡± I murmured in response.


    My mind couldn¡¯t focus on anything else but the fact that Elizabeth was in Ace¡¯s office. What were they talking about just now?


    I waited for a moment to see if Ace would exin anything to me. However, instead of telling me the purpose of Elizabeth¡¯s visit, Ace began typing something on his phone instead. It seemed like he didn¡¯t think that he owed me an exnation and that made me so angry. Pain shot through the palms of my hand and looking down made me realize that my nails were digging into the palms of my hand as I clenched my fists tightly in frustration.


    Why is he pretending and acting like nothing happened?


    ¡°Ace...¡± I called his name.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± he made a questioning sound, but his eyes were still glued to the screen of his phone.


    Hisck of proper response and interest only made me even more furious at him. Doubts and insecurities flooded my mind as I struggled to understand why that woman met up with Ace. The vibe between them didn¡¯t tell me that they were engaged in a business meeting. Neither could I think of any reason why Ace would have a business meeting in private with the CEO of one of ourrgest rivals.


    ¡°What were you two talking about?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You mean with Elizabeth?¡± he asked in return as he finally put his phone back into the pocket of his pants.


    The way he said her name pissed me off. Everything was putting me on edge, and I hated how helpless I felt.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 195

    195 Troublesome Encounter


    ¡°Yes. What were you talking to Elizabeth about?¡± I demanded to know.


    Ace looked at me before he smiled innocently at him.


    ¡°Work...¡± he replied casually without giving me any more details.


    I hated how he was treating the situation as if nothing had happened. If I didn¡¯t walk in on them or if I hadn¡¯t been there, how far would they have taken it?


    My thoughts and imagination were driving me crazy. Before I realized it, I had already fully assumed that there was something between the two of them.


    ¡°What work?¡± I asked as I stared boldly up into his face.


    Ace looked at me with some surprise before his eyes narrowed at me.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you that,¡± he replied calmly.


    ¡°What? You can¡¯t tell me what ¡®work¡¯ you were discussing with her about?¡± I asked in pure disbelief.


    .....


    It was just so ridiculous. Ace surely has to know that the more he evaded my questions, the more suspicious everything bes. Why can¡¯t he juste out and exin it directly to me?


    If he would just do that, then perhaps I could find it in me to trust him and what he was saying. However, Ace still acted like nothing was wrong and he didn¡¯t need to exin anything to me to ease my curiosity and anxiousness.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s not something that concerns you,¡± he replied dismissively.


    Nothing that concerns me...


    My mouth hung open in shock at how cold Ace sounded. How can he say something like that to me?


    I tried to suppress my suspicion, but it was no use. The pain and tightness in my chest made tears sting the back of my eyes. On top of all the insecurities that I felt at seeing the two of them together, disappointment flooded me. I worked so hard and tried my best just to get off work earlier than usual today. All of that was so that I could spend some time with Ace. I never expected to witness something like that. I stood there glued to the spot at a loss of what to do and what to say.


    If I asked him more questions, he would undoubtedly get mad at me. I wanted answers but I didn¡¯t want to argue or get into a fight with Ace.


    What should I do?


    ¡°Why did you get off work so early today? Is everything done already?¡± Ace asked and I knew that he was referring to Project Alpha.


    It seemed like all we ever talked about nowadays was work and we didn¡¯t even have that much time to spend together to start with. Elizabeth was gone now but Ace didn¡¯t make a move to get out of his office and neither did he invite me out.


    ¡°It¡¯s not done yet,¡± I replied honestly in a small voice.


    ¡°Good luck. I¡¯m expecting great things from you...¡± Ace said as he walked past me.


    I watched his broad back as he made his way back into his personal office and then the door closed behind him. Just like that, Ace was gone, and I was left confused and all alone to struggle with my raging emotions.


    So much for working hard and so much for trying to keep our rtionship together.


    ...


    Without knowing what else I could do in that situation, I decided to silently leave the office. It had been a long while since I got off work as early as this so even if I didn¡¯t get to spend time with Ace, I decided that I might as well make the best out of it. Ace had retreated into his office and that was a clear sign that he either needed to work or he no longer wanted to answer to my inconvenient questions.


    I heaved a loud sigh before stepping out of the elevator and into the lobby of the office building. Although I had some time left, I didn¡¯t know where I wanted to go. All my ns of spending time with Ace or going out with him for dinner just flew out the window. It would be too sad for me to head straight back to my apartment because there wasn¡¯t anything for me to do there.


    Maybe I should go out shopping at a mall somewhere just to rx a little and kill some time that I now had on my hands.


    ¡°Good for you to drop by Kyle...¡±


    A man¡¯s voice caught my attention as I walked through the lobby of thepany. At first, I didn¡¯t pay any attention to it as I headed straight for the exit. However, a slight tap on my shoulder made me whirl around instinctively.


    I should have known that it was too much of a coincidence for me to hear his name called out like that.


    Kyle stood in front of me with a grin on his face and I found myself staring right into his overly familiar eyes. Although it felt like centuries had passed by since Ist met him with the many horrendous things that had urred because of his selfish and traitorous actions, Kyle looked just the same as he had always looked as if nothing between us has changed at all.


    First, his dear wife appeared suddenly in my boyfriend¡¯s office and now he was here standing right in front of me. Something told me that there was nothing coincidental about his appearance here at Jesse¡¯s and Kay¡¯s.


    He¡¯s here to see me. The real question was, why?


    ¡°Rina...¡± he called my name casually as if he was my boyfriend picking me up from work at the end of the day.


    ¡°If you¡¯re here to visit your friends, you don¡¯t need to waste your time with me,¡± I replied coldly before immediately turning around to face the exit once more.


    ¡°Wait...Rina...¡± Kyle said.


    He grabbed me and then pulled on my arm so that I had to turn around to face him. Our troublesome encounter was quickly attracting the unwanted attention of the people passing by.


    ¨CTo be continued...


    Please check out my other books: Forbidden Heat, Love ve to the Mafia Boss¡¯s Passion, Conquering the Emperor, The Alpha Prince¡¯s Purchased Maid, and Lust Contracts.

 Chapter 196

    196 Secret Affair


    ¡°Let go. I have nothing to say to you,¡± I snapped as I tried to shake off his grip.


    ¡°Was Elizabeth here today?¡± Kyle asked sternly.


    I froze in shock at his abrupt question. Is he here to see his wife?


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just give her a call?¡± I suggested instead of answering to question.


    The scene of Elizabeth sitting seductively on Ace¡¯s worktable just now popped into my mind and wouldn¡¯t go away. The way she spoke to me bothered me and seeing them together bothered me even more.


    What is this about Kyle not knowing where his wife is and whether or not she came here?


    ¡°Judging by your reactions I would say that I was right. Elizabeth was here...or is she still here?¡± Kyle asked as he tilted his head a little to the side.


    His eyes stared down at my face and it felt like he could read me. I cursed the fact that I spent years dating this guy and that somehow allowed him to read me like a book.


    ¡°Did you meet her?¡± Kyle asked.


    .....


    Oh, I more than met here...


    ¡°Go and ask your wife. I¡¯m leaving...¡± I said before shaking him off and heading for the door.


    Attracting people¡¯s attention in the building like that wasn¡¯t good because the people here had gossip as their secondary job. If I had thought that my issues ended there for the day, I soon found out that I was so wrong.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Kyle asked from close behind me.


    I turned and came face to face with him. Oh, hell!


    Is he really just going to follow me around now?


    ¡°Why are you following me? Go away...¡± I tried my best to shoo him off.


    We were no longer dating, and Kyle no longer worked here; however, that didn¡¯t mean that I wanted to be seen alone with him. This man used me and then betrayed me. He even got married to the CEO of our biggestpetitor so why on earth am I wasting more of my time on him?


    ¡°We need to talk...¡± Kyle said.


    I rolled my eyes at him as my frustration and irritation boiled over. This is just too much for me to take. First, his wife turns up in my boyfriend¡¯s personal office and ruins our date and now I¡¯m stuck dealing with him.


    ¡°There is nothing for us to talk about Kyle. You cheated and lied! Then, you stole my work and put my entire career in jeopardy. Breaking up with you was one thing but almost losing my job was another. I don¡¯t ever want to see you again. Is that clear?¡± I said through gritted teeth.


    I had no idea how he had the balls to randomly appear in front of my face again let alone talk to me as if nothing had happened.


    ¡°Well, I guess I owe you an apology for that but that is nothingpared to the problem at hand here. Elizabeth, she came to see Ace today, didn¡¯t she?¡± Kyle asked and I could tell that he was genuinely worried about something.


    Suddenly, things started to click into ce...


    ¡°Why? Do you think your wife is cheating on you with her ex-fianc¨¦?¡± I spat as the idea urred to me.


    Kyle made a face that told me that he thought that I thought the same way that he did.


    Hell, maybe I did...


    I wanted to trust Acepletely but the way that he was acting just now told me that he was keeping more than a few little secrets away from me, and I hated that more than anything. I¡¯ve seen Ace interact with Elizabeth a few times before and it was clear that they were on very good terms despite being rivals and the history that they share. Ace clearly has a lot of respect for her and vice versa.


    ¡°Come with me for a bit. Since you¡¯re Ace¡¯s girlfriend, you should hear about this...¡± Kyle said persuasively.


    Could Ace really be cheating on me?


    It just didn¡¯t seem likely and with Elizabeth of all people. Elizabeth just married Kyle not too long ago so why does he seem so insecure? Did something happen between them?


    I truly hesitated about what to do. I had to admit that a part of me was curious about what Kyle wanted to tell me. If it had something to do with Ace and his rtionship with Elizabeth, then I wanted to know what he had to say. However, I didn¡¯t know how much I could trust Kyle and his words. After living under his web of lies for years, I was sure that he could lie wlessly to me.


    ¡°Juste,¡± Kyle said as he tugged on my arm and dragged me after him.


    The factor that made me finally decide to let him drag me off was the parting words that Ace said to Elizabeth. If I remembered correctly, and I was quite sure that I did, he told her to break up with Kyle, her husband.


    Why on earth would he say something like that?


    ...


    Some way or another, I found myself sitting opposite Kyle at an upscale restaurant although dinner was thest thing on my mind right now. My date with Ace went down the drain and now my n to hit the mall just flew out the window. I nced over at Kyle who was busy ordering food for us from a polite waitress. He shed her a charming smile that made her blush and made me cringe inside as he thanked her.


    Now that I was here, I was determined to learn something valuable. Either that or I am immediately walking out of this ce and going back to my apartment. I cursed my luck that this guy happened to know where I lived. Perhaps, it really was time for me to move out to a new ce unknown to this guy.


    Kyle seemed calmer and moreposed now than before. What truly bothered me was how he seemed to believe that his wife was having an affair. Out of all the people that she may be having an affair with, she may be having an affair with Ace.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 197

    197 Drifting Apart


    What a stupid and twisted world!


    I felt like screaming and ripping my hair out. Not wanting to waste any more time with this man, I decided to get right to the point.


    ¡°So, what makes you think that your wife is cheating on you?¡± I asked without mincing my words.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s cheating on not, but Elizabeth has been acting...strangely...for the past weeks,¡± Kyle confessed with a sigh.


    ¡°What do you mean by strangely?¡± I asked as I arched a brow at him.


    ¡°She¡¯s beening homete...like...veryte. Then when she goes out, she doesn¡¯t tell me where she¡¯s going. No matter how many times I ask her, she just tells me that she¡¯s going out for work. It¡¯s like the easiest excuse, you know...¡± Kyle said as his brows drew together.


    Work.


    I had to say that I¡¯ve definitely heard that before. It might really be the easiest excuse...


    ¡°Maybe she really did go out for work...¡± I murmured.


    .....


    ¡°Then why can¡¯t she tell me where she¡¯s going and whom she¡¯s meeting with? I even offered to drive her there and pick her up because it was sote at night,¡± Kyle said.


    Ok, fine. Her behavior might be suspicious but what does that have to do with Kyle turning up at Jessen¡¯s and Kay¡¯s?


    ¡°What does that have to do with Ace?¡± I asked to get right to the point.


    Call me whatever you will but I wasn¡¯t one bit interested in whether Elizabeth was cheating on Kyle. All I wanted to know is if she¡¯s been involved with Ace. If Elizabeth cheated on Kyle that might just serve him right. There is a saying that what goes aroundes around, right?


    ¡°I followed her, and I think they were together...¡± Kyle confessed as he stared at me from across the table.


    My throat went dry at his words. This can¡¯t be happening.


    ¡°You think? So, you¡¯re not sure?¡± I asked to make sure that I got this right.


    ¡°Fine. I didn¡¯t see the two of them together because the ce had restricted ess. If I went in there, Elizabeth would have found out. Anyways, I definitely saw Ace leaving from the same restaurant a little while before she left the same ce,¡± Kyle replied.


    Well, what I haven¡¯t told Kyle was that I just saw the two of them together...


    ¡°It could have been for work,¡± I said while I wasn¡¯t sure if I was trying to reassure him or myself.


    I was probably trying to reassure myself because I couldn¡¯t care less how Kyle felt.


    ¡°Maybe. What about you?¡± Kyle asked.


    ¡°What exactly about me?¡± I asked cluelessly.


    ¡°Has Ace been acting strangelytely?¡± Kyle asked sternly.


    I wanted to tell him that there was nothing off with Ace and that his life was normal. However, I would be lying if I said that. The truth was that for the past weeks I¡¯ve been so busy with work that I¡¯ve rarely been with Ace. I worked way into the nights at the office with Jeremy and sometimes other team members as well and then I went back to my apartment alone.


    Ace and I kept in touch for sure. I saw him regrly at Project Alpha¡¯s meetings and in his office during the day and he would call me asionally and text me. However, now that I thought about it, I didn¡¯t quite know where Ace spent his evenings or whom he spent them with.


    ¡°Umm...¡± I murmured hesitantly.


    Kyle picked up on my hesitation immediately and he shook his head before he sighed loudly.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on, Rina?¡± Kyle asked suspiciously.


    ¡°Nothing is going on. It¡¯s just that work has been very busy for me, and I¡¯ve spent less time with Ace for the past weeks. That¡¯s all,¡± I said curtly.


    Why did the timing have to be so bad like this?


    If things were the way they were between us before, I could have told Kyle with certainty that whomever Elizabeth was having an affair with wasn¡¯t Ace. If we headed home together and I stayed over at his ce just as I used to, then we wouldn¡¯t have had issues like this.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re not sure about what he¡¯s been up to?¡± Kyle asked with clear disappointment.


    Well...


    ¡°Yeah. For the past weeks, I¡¯ve been stayingte in the office for work, so we¡¯ve been going back separately, and I¡¯ve been staying at my ce instead of his...¡± I admitted softly.


    Why am I even telling Kyle all this?


    I felt so irritated about myself, and this entire shady situation wasn¡¯t helping my overall mood.


    ¡°In other words, you also don¡¯t know if or where he disappeared to during the night, right?¡± Kyle asked, immediately picking up on what I was trying to say.


    ¡°Listen, Ace has been busy with work too...¡± I said defensively.


    Of course, I wouldn¡¯t go and tell Kyle about the deal that Ace had made with his father because he didn¡¯t have the right to know anything. Just because we haven¡¯t spent much time together for the past weeks, that doesn¡¯t mean that he¡¯s suddenly cheating on me.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s not much that we can do. I¡¯ve asked Elizabeth so many times about it now and she¡¯s firm on not giving me an answer...¡± Kyle said with a sigh.


    ¡°Must be hard dealing with her. Are you sure that this isn¡¯t just a result of your own insecurities?¡± I asked.


    Kyle looked at me before he started tough a little while I wondered what about my question just now, he found so funny.


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right and I¡¯m more than a little insecure when ites to Elizabeth. Pleasing her is one thing; pleasing her father as well is quite another. I¡¯ve honestly got a big job cut out for myself...¡± Kyle said with a chuckle.


    I guess this is what happens when you¡¯re so desperate to marry up. At that moment, I was very tempted to bring up the whole scandal he caused by stealing my work just to please Elizabeth and her father. I hoped that he crashed and burned when words of what he¡¯d done reached Elizabeth¡¯s father. However, I didn¡¯t want to spend even more time with him on an issue from the past, so I decided to hold my tongue.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 198

    198 Painful Insecurities


    ¡°Then again, can¡¯t the same be said about you? Aren¡¯t you also super insecure about dating Ace?¡± Kyle asked as he stared intently at me from across the table.


    ¡°I have to trust him...¡± I replied.


    Deep down, I knew that that was what I had to do to get through this. I had to trust him. My mind went to our argument when his ex-secretary turned up pregnant. If I had trusted him and heard him out back then, then we wouldn¡¯t have almost broken up like that. Kyle was right, I was extremely insecure when it came to the rtionship that I had with Ace. Although I learned my lessons from that incident with his ex-secretary, it was still hard for me to rest easy and assured when I saw him with Elizabeth.


    I wanted to trust him, but it was so hard to control my feelings.


    ¡°Easier said than done...¡± Kyle said knowingly.


    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯m going to leave,¡± I said as I started getting up from my seat.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to at least eat something first? I ordered so much food for you,¡± Kyle said with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry...¡± I replied without a second thought.


    It seemed like no matter how much we talked things out, we both didn¡¯t know what was really going on between Ace and Elizabeth. They could really just be talking about work or...


    .....


    Regardless, it was evident that I would just be wasting my time if I stayed with Kyle any longer and he wasn¡¯t exactly the person that I wanted to have dinner with. It was already gettingte, and I had lost all my desire to go shopping, which meant that I should just head back home.


    ¡°Bye...¡± I said as I turned to walk away.


    ¡°Rina...call me if you find out anything or if you just want to talk. You know my number, right?¡± Kyle asked knowingly.


    I could feel his eyes on my back, but I didn¡¯t want to turn to face him. The truth was that I already deleted his number from my phone shortly after we broke things off for good. The other truth that Kyle knew very well was that I had memorized his number and that wasn¡¯t so easy to erase.


    ¡°I won¡¯t call you...¡± I said softly without caring if he could hear me or not.


    After that, I walked towards the exit and left without turning back. I wasn¡¯t the least bit interested in Kyle¡¯s troubles because I had my own set of problems to deal with as well.


    ...


    The view of my apartment building had never felt this dark and lonely before. Although nothing had changed and it was a night just like any other, the apartment building looked so gloomy and deserted like it was an abandoned haunted house in the middle of the forest. I loud sigh escaped my lips, and I knew right away that this was all in my mind.


    This was the countless time that I walked along the hallway to the door of my apartment, so I didn¡¯t quite understand why it felt so painful to be here all alone. I unlocked the door and then walked right into my apartment. As expected, the ce was dark and silent with only the light from the hallway shining in.


    ¡°I¡¯m home...¡± I said to no one in particr.


    The sound of the door closing behind me reminded me that I was all alone. Things were definitely not going well for me, and I had started talking to myself to keep myselfpany. Great.


    It had been hours since I left the office and ording to my phone, Ace had not tried to get in touch with me. Being the super mature guy that I knew that he was, he probably doesn¡¯t even know that what we had bordered on being an argument. Either he didn¡¯t know it, or he was actively avoiding it. At that point, I had no idea which alternative I preferred.


    I took a shower that did nothing to calm me down or clear my mind. Everything just felt like a waste of time and tomorrow was another day of intense work. It felt like I was swimming under a sheet of ice while desperately looking for a crack where I coulde up and catch a breath of air. The only thought thatforted me was that thepetition had a deadline. Once weunch thismercial, life will get better.


    That was what I told myself.


    Drying my hair became a chore that I did to temporarily distract myself from staring at my phone. My heart sank a little every time I stared at the screen and didn¡¯t see any call or text from Ace. He¡¯s probably busy...


    Dealing with work and being busy seemed like the most popr excuse these days. I sighed again for the countless time when I realized that I had been working too and that meant that I didn¡¯t have time for Ace or our rtionship.


    When will this projecte to an end?


    That night Iy on my bed in the dark with my eyes wide opened in the darkness. Insomnia had be my best friend for the night, and I could tell that our rtionship would strengthen andst for the many more nights toe if I didn¡¯t do something about this sticky andplicated situation that I was in.


    ¡°Maybe I should just talk to him...¡± I murmured to myself.


    It waste at night, but I couldn¡¯t go to sleep at all. My mind was filled with worry. I tried closing my eyes and shifting my position on the bed. Of course, that didn¡¯t help at all. Closing my eyes made my brain conjure up endless scenarios of how Ace and cheating on me with Elizabeth while keeping it a secret from the world.


    ¡°Arghh...¡± I growled as I sat up in bed.


    I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration. My body felt as restless as my mind, and I had no idea why I was worried about subsequent nights when I couldn¡¯t even get through this night yet.


    I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m doing this. He¡¯s going to think that I¡¯ve gone crazy.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 199

    199 Fulfilling My Selfish Request


    Before I could lose my nerve, I reached for my phone and began dialing Ace¡¯s number. I waited impatiently and nervously for him to pick up the phone.


    Maybe he¡¯s already asleep...


    It¡¯s veryte at night and I might be disturbing him; however, I just wanted to hear his voice...


    A few secondster, the line finally connected.


    ¡°Rina...¡± Ace said my name casually.


    My heart skipped a beat at just hearing his voice call my name. Ace paused as if he was waiting for me to say something.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I managed to whisper into the phone when I found my tongue again.


    ¡°Is something the matter? You¡¯re calling quitete at night...¡± Ace asked.


    Instead of sounding sleeping, Ace just sounded tired. Was he still awake at this hour?


    .....


    ¡°Umm...sorry for calling you sote at night. Were you still up?¡± I asked with worry.


    ¡°Sort of...¡± Ace replied vaguely.


    ¡°I see...¡± I murmured.


    Although he wasn¡¯t here with me, I still felt so much tension just talking to him. Suddenly, the conversation between us died and the dead air felt suffocating. I was the one who called him but now that he was on the line, I didn¡¯t know what I wanted to say to him.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Rina?¡± Ace asked after a moment of silence.


    I could hear the concern in his voice, and I knot formed inside of me as my guilt started taking over. There was really no proof that he was cheating on me so why am I so insecure like this?


    If Ace was really still working until thiste at night, then he must have so much on his te right now and instead of acting like a supportive girlfriend, I¡¯m having these stupid thoughts.


    ¡°Nothing...¡± I replied softly.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like nothing...¡± Ace said knowingly.


    ¡°Well...¡± I mumbled.


    How am I supposed to tell him that I¡¯m worried that he might be cheating on me with Elizabeth?


    That would just lead to another fight. Ace will just tell me that it¡¯s work and then it¡¯ll be my fault for finding it hard to believe in him and his word. This is such a mess...


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked.


    I could tell from his tone that he wasn¡¯t going to let this slide unless I tell him what was going on. Suddenly, I started to regret my foolish move of calling him. I made a mental note to myself to get my act together before I ever called him again in the future. As things stand, I¡¯m not getting anything out of this and I¡¯m just wasting Ace¡¯s time.


    However, regrets could wait forter. There was something that I desperately wanted even if it was unreasonable of me.


    ¡°Ace...can I...go over to your ce?¡± I asked softly.


    ¡°Right now?¡± he asked with clear surprise.


    My sudden and selfish request must have caught him off guard. Honesty, it caught me off guard as well. As soon as those words left my lips, I knew immediately that it was a bad idea. I¡¯ll just end up as nothing but another burden for Ace.


    ¡°Sorry, forget it. It¡¯ste...good night,¡± I quickly said.


    ¡°No. I¡¯ll head over to your ce. It¡¯ste so it¡¯s better for me to drive over. Wait for me...¡± Ace quickly replied before I could hang up the phone.


    I was stunned at his words. It was just hard for me to believe that he would grant my selfish request so easily.


    ¡°Thank you, Ace...¡± I thanked him as my voice shook with emotions.


    ...


    From the time that the line disconnected to the time that Ace knocked on my door, I drifted around in a state of pure bliss. Every second that ticked by brought Ace closer and closer to me. I waited eagerly for him to appear at the entrance to my room. It had been too long since west spent the night together and since he came to my room. Being together in this room would surely bring back some pleasant old memories of our time together.


    At first, I was stunned at this sudden eptance of my request but after I had gotten over my initial shock, I was just so happy and then extremely excited. Throughout it all, I never forgot to feel appreciative of the effort that Ace had put in toe and see me.


    When the knock on the door that I had been eagerly waiting for sounded, I was already standing right in front of the door. I opened the door immediately to find Ace standing there with a slightly surprised expression on his attractive face.


    He¡¯s here. He¡¯s really here.


    Seeing Ace in casual clothes was like getting a hundred cherries on top of the in vani cake that I called my work-infested life right now. It had been a while since I saw him in casual clothes, and it was a nice break from seeing him in his business suit.


    ¡°Rina...¡± he said my name as he stared down into my face.


    ¡°Umm...pleasee inside...¡± I said invitingly as I stepped to the side to allow him into my room.


    Now that Ace was inside my room, I started to feel nervous without a good reason at all. It wasn¡¯t his first time here but perhaps it had been too long since thest time that he was here.


    ¡°Did something happen? You called me all of a sudden...¡± Ace asked.


    His eyes were gued with worry, and I knew that I had to correct his misunderstanding first before it got out of hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Honestly, nothing happened. Umm...I was just...feeling a little down and before I knew it, I had already called you. I¡¯m so sorry...¡± I apologized after trying my best to exin things to him.


    Of course, I intentionally left out the part about me worrying about his potential love affair with Elizabeth. Even now, I didn¡¯t want to believe that he was cheating on me regardless of what Kyle wanted me to believe.


    ¡°I see. Well, I¡¯m here now...¡± Ace said before he smiled warmly at me.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 200

    200 Quality Time


    It felt so natural when he pulled me into his warm and secure embrace. My heart started racing wildly in my chest as he pressed my body against his and hugged me even tighter than before. My arms automatically wrapped around his broad shoulders as I hugged him back desperately. Now that I was in his arms, I was forced to acknowledge even more than before just how much I missed him and his touch.


    Ace¡¯s hand moved to stroke my hair and my heart and spirit felt soforted by him. I felt so simpleminded when his gentle touches helped to ease some of my insecurities. Perhaps it was because my mind desperately wanted to believe in him that I started to feel better. Maybe when work is less crazy, things will get better between us, and I could talk to him then if there were any issues.


    ¡°What were you so worried about?¡± Ace asked gently.


    ¡°I think we¡¯ve both just been so busy with work that we hardly have time for each other, and I was scared that we may be drifting apart....¡± I confessed truthfully.


    Ace slowly let go of me before he silently led me to the bed. He sat down on the side of the bed and beckoned me with his hand to join him. It seemed like Ace wanted to talk things out with me, and I couldn¡¯t have wished for a better oue.


    ¡°Sit on myp,¡± Ace instructed when I made my way to sit next to him on the bed.


    Without waiting for my response, Ace pulled me down onto hisp. His arms circled my waist and pulled me closer to against his hard andrge frame. I could feel his body heat all along my back and a small whimpering sound escaped my lips. We were so close as he enveloped me in his embrace and his familiar scent.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I murmured his name lovingly.


    ¡°Work¡¯s been crazy for both of us. I think this is probably your first time working such long hours. I guess you didn¡¯t see thising when you join Project Alpha, right?¡± Ace asked in a slightly teasing tone.


    .....


    ¡°I guess...¡± I mumbled.


    I knew that it was going to be tough work working as part of the CEO¡¯s office and there were many rumors about the long hours andte nights; however, experiencing it firsthand really was something else altogether. I felt Ace nod his head behind me before he ced a soft kiss on my temple.


    ¡°This won¡¯t be the first time that our lives will be busy with work, so I suggest that we find some way to get used to it,¡± Ace suggested.


    I wondered what he really meant by that. Is he suggesting that I should get used to how things were right now?


    ¡°I think it would be better if we had more time together...¡± I stated my preference straight forwardly.


    ¡°I agree with you. This is probably partly my fault. I thought giving you some space for you to focus on your work might be for the best. It¡¯s your first big project and I know that you really want to do well. I can¡¯t be there to support you throughout all of it, but I could give you the freedom to work as much as you want,¡± Ace exined softly close to my ear.


    I leaned back against him as I enjoyed the warmth of his embrace. My greedy heart wanted nothing more for him to hold me like this forever and not let go. Being close to Ace was really want I needed, and I quickly realized that. Before things got crazy at work, we spent a lot of time together and I must have grown very attached to Ace without really knowing it.


    ¡°It¡¯s not you fault. I¡¯m so sorry, I didn¡¯t know that that was what you had in mind...¡± I mumbled softly.


    If he put it that way, then doesn¡¯t that mean that he¡¯s been trying to help and support me in his own way?


    I let out a tired sigh. If Ace is fooling around with me, I wouldn¡¯t be able to catch him at this rate. His words were too sweet, and they messed around with my mind. If he¡¯s a liar, then he¡¯s a very good one.


    ¡°Stop feeling so down. Let¡¯s enjoy our time together since I dide all the way here to see you...¡± Ace murmured in a very seductive tone close to my ear.


    His warm breath brushed against my earlobe for a moment before he began nibbling on my ear. I knew from the moment that I sat on hisp that this was bound to happen. His tongue began licking my sensitive earlobe and I let out a soft moan as my body began reacting to him. Ace sucked on my earlobe while his hands started to caress my body in just the way that I liked it. His touch turned me on immediately and I closed my eyes and moaned in bliss.


    I let the pleasure of his touches invade my body and mind willingly as his hands moved from my waist up to my chest before firmly groping and cupping my breasts. His hands felt so hot as he began massaging my tits boldly through the thin satin fabric of my nightgown.


    ¡°Your nipples are already hard, Rina...¡± Ace coaxed teasingly into my ear.


    ¡°Ahhh...¡± I moaned even louder as Ace bit down on my earlobe.


    A delicious shiver ran through my body as he sucked harder on my earlobe. The lewd wet sounds of his sucking filled my brain and triggered all of my dirty thoughts. His hands pumped my breasts together before applying more pressure to massage them. My body burned with desire and every single ce that he touched and yed with me throbbed with desire. I wanted him to touch and kiss me everywhere.


    ¡°Ahhh...Ace...¡± I whimpered his name weakly.


    My body began writhing on hisp as I thrusted my chest towards his hands boldly to invite him to pay even more loving attention to my sensitive breasts. Ace kissed my cheek softly before his fingers moved to capture the hardened perks of my breasts.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 201

    201 Pleasure and Longing


    ¡°Ahh! Ahhh!¡± I cried out when he pinched my nipples in between his fingertips.


    ¡°Your nipples are so hard. I can see them and y with them through your clothes...¡± Ace said with a delighted chuckle.


    Mind-numbing pleasure jolted through my body from the erect perks that he was ying with. The texture of satin rubbing against my nipples turned me on even more than before. My hips began moving as I began losing control over my body. A pleasurable ache formed in my lower abdomen before moving further down to the sensitive spot in between my thighs.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I moaned his name before I moaned loudly.


    My pussy clenched uncontrobly as it got wet for him. A hot rush of wetness spurted out of me as he took me to even further heights. Ace slipped his hands into the front of my nightgown and cupped my breasts directly. The heat of his touch felt like it was ready to melt me and so did the pleasure that he was making me feel.


    ¡°Good girl. Thanks for your help...¡± Aceplimented me when I reached for the thin straps of my nightgown and pulled them down my shoulders.


    The thin fabric covering my womanly assets fell away and Ace enjoyed himself as he yed roughly with my breasts.


    ¡°Let me kiss you, Rina...¡± Ace demanded seductively.


    I turned my head back readily to offer my lips to him. Ace¡¯s lips captured mine immediately in a hot and passionate kiss, his tongue thrusting deep and firmly into the wet depths of my mouth. I moaned into his kiss as his hands moved faster and harder to massage my tits. The sensation of his tongue grinding against mine as his hands kneaded my breasts felt almost too good for me to take.


    .....


    Ace sucked on my tongue as he tasted me. His kiss felt so good, and it felt like my entire body was about to melt into mush on his lip. Suddenly, Ace broke our kiss. Confused by the sudden retreat of his tongue from my mouth, I stared up into his face with a questioning look.


    ¡°Stick out your tongue, Rina...¡± Ace instructed.


    His hand stilled on my breasts as he waited for me toply with his little naughty request. Ace¡¯s eyes held mine as he continued to wait. Slowly, I slipped my tongue out from between my lips. Ace¡¯s lips immediately curved into a satisfied smile before his face approached mine again. I should have closed my eyes, but I also wanted to see what he was going to do.


    In the end, I ended up watching him as I got lost in his captivating eyes. My heartbeat wildly in my chest as if it was about to explode. Ace¡¯s lips approached mine and then his tongue snaked out between his lips before slowly licking mine. The tip of his tongue flicked along mine a couple of times before his tongue started moving against mine.


    I moaned deep in my throat at the sensation of his wet tongue dancing against mine. It felt so intoxicating and so seductive. His hands began moving on my breasts again and soon he was sucking on my tongue as his fingertips pinched and pulled on my swollen nipples.


    By the time he finally let go of my tongue, I was panting, and my entire body felt so hot. Suddenly, I felt his hands wedging in between my upper thighs and my eyes widened.


    ¡°Ahhh...no please...¡± I whimpered weakly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you mean yes instead?¡± Ace asked knowingly as his fingers began moving against my pussy through my panties.


    I could feel his touch against my wet opening as he began stroking my pussy through the thin fabric of my panties. My hips began rocking, rubbing, and grinding my pussy bolding against his hand as I begged him with my body to pleasure me more. Ace chuckled close to my ear before his fingers pulled the fabric covering my wet hole to the side.


    ¡°Ahhh...Oh...Ace...please...¡± I moaned and begged for more.


    Ace¡¯s fingers finally reached my wetness and began stroking up and down along the length of my wet slit. He knew how to pleasure me so well. With a few touches, I felt another rush of wetness gushing out of my hole onto his exploring fingers.


    ¡°You¡¯re so wet. Did you call me over just because you were horny?¡± Ace asked teasingly.


    I shook my head in denial, but I didn¡¯t think that I managed to convince Ace at all. When I called him, I just missed him and wanted to hear the sound of his voice and then I wanted to see him. However, right now, I couldn¡¯t deny that I wanted him so badly.


    ¡°No...¡± I murmured in denial.


    ¡°No?¡± Ace said teasing.


    I felt his thick fingers probing my wet entrance and my pussy instinctively clenched in anticipation of their entrance. Without any warning, Ace screwed his fingers deep into me in one powerful stroke. I cried out as his fingers stretched my entrance before plunging into my wet depths. It¡¯s been too long, and I missed him and the love that he could give me.


    ¡°Ahhh! Ace...Ahhh...¡± I moaned as my pussy clenched tightly around the thickness of his fingers.


    ¡°It¡¯s so hot inside you...and so tight...¡± Ace murmured as his fingers began feeling around inside of me.


    ¡°No...don¡¯t do that...¡± I whimpered.


    It felt strange yet so pleasurable. His fingers were so long, and it felt like they were reaching everywhere inside of me. Ace slowly withdrew his fingers out of me as I whimpered at the pleasure of his fingers running along my sensitive pussy walls. Ace removed his fingers from mepletely before thrusting it all the way back inside.


    ¡°Ace! Ahh! Ahhh!¡± I began screaming as raw pleasure invaded my pussy.


    Ace fingered me fast and hard as my hips thrusted up and down on hisp. His other arm held me in ce, and I could feel his eyes on me as he took in my every reaction. His thick fingers messed up my insides as he thrusted them against my pleasure spot. My legs immediately went weak and all I could do was moan and cry out his name along with my lewd moans of ecstasy.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 202

    202 Treating My Lover


    After thrusting his fingers almost violently against my g-spot, I was on the verge of my climax. I cried out his name before biting hard on my lower lip.


    ¡°I¡¯m cumming! Ace...please...make me cum...¡± I cried out and then pleaded him for my release.


    ¡°Cum, Rina...¡± he whispered seductively to me.


    His fingers moved fast and hard in and out of my pussy hole and then his other hand moved to stroke my swollen clit. The double stimtion robbed me of all ability to think as I let the pleasure of his touch take over mepletely. I came hard while I cried out his name.


    That felt so good...


    Ace kissed my forehead softly as I struggled to recover from the devastating aftereffects of my climax. I shifted my weight on hisp before slowly climbing off of him.


    ¡°Let me make you feel good too...¡± I murmured shyly as I stood in between his legs.


    Ace watched me intently as my hands reached to free his cock from his pants. I wasn¡¯t surprised at how hard and big he already was. After all, this little beast has been hitting against my back for a while now while I was seated on Ace¡¯sp. His cock felt hot in my hand as it twitched a little at my touch. Ace sucked in a breath when I ran the tips of my fingers along his outstanding length.


    His cock was so hard and so thick. It turned me on so much just to see it standing up proudly in between his legs. I wanted to take this massive rod inside of my pussy, but I could take the wait. Slowly, I kneeled down on my knees in between his spread legs as Ace watched me with intense interest to see what I had in mind for our next y.


    .....


    I stroked his cock up and down with one hand before I moved my other hand to cup his balls softly. The way Ace groaned as his cock swelled in my hand told me that he was enjoying my touch. I pumped my hand up and down his cock faster while applying a little more pressure. His cock twitched in my hand as his breathing quickened.


    ¡°I want to suck your cock...¡± I murmured seductively as I stared up into his face.


    Ace¡¯s hazel brown eyes stared down into mine before he smiled mischievously.


    ¡°Suck it...¡± hemanded.


    His hand moved to the back of my head as he urged me to take his thick cock into my mouth. I grabbed his shaft as I bent down closer to his cock. I could smell his manly smell as my face approached his cock. Without any hesitation, I started licking the tip of my tongue up and down his length. Ace tensed for a moment before he rxed. His cock twitched a few times as I continued running my tongue along his impressive length.


    ¡°Suck it, Rina...¡± Ace demanded like it couldn¡¯t wait any longer.


    I wrapped my hand around his shaft before positioning its engorged tip at my lips. Ace groaned when I opened my mouth and took the tip of his cock into my mouth. My tongue immediately wrapped around the swollen head of his cock and then I began sucking on it. His taste and smell filled my senses as he groaned from pleasure. I sucked harder on the tip of his cock as my hand stroked up and down its length.


    ¡°I want to fuck your mouth...¡± Ace requested as his hand urged my head down onto his cock.


    Just as he wanted, I lowered my head and took him deeper into my mouth. Ace closed his eyes and sighed in bliss before his hands gripped my head and held me steady. Suddenly, Ace moved his hips and thrusted his cock into my wet mouth. His abrupt movement stunned me at first and then I shifted my attention to focus on swirling my tongue around the head of his cock and then his length as he continued to thrust his cock in and out of my mouth.


    He pushed his cock in so deep that I almost gagged on his cock. I licked the tip of his cock and tasted the virile taste of his precum. Ace fucked my mouth faster and harder just like he said that he would. I let him enjoy himself as I surrendered myself to him.


    ¡°Stop it...Rina...I¡¯m going to cum...¡± Ace said as he winced.


    It was clear that he was struggling to hold himself back. I didn¡¯t mind if he wanted to cum inside of my mouth; however, I could tell that Ace had other ideas in mind. Carefully, I lifted my head and let his cock slowly slide out of my mouth.


    ¡°Come here, Rina. I want to cum inside you...¡± Ace said desperately as he reached for me.


    He pulled me closer to him and urged me to straddle him. His cock was even harder andrger than it was before I put it inside my mouth. His massive love stick stood up proudly in between his legs and my pussy quivered at the thought of taking that massive pole inside of me.


    ¡°Ace...it¡¯s so big...¡± I moaned as I positioned his cock at my entrance.


    I could feel the heat of his massive cock against my pussy lips, and I could tell that he was extra big today.


    ¡°Put me inside you...¡± Ace instructed as his hands moved to cup the sides of my hips supportively.


    He stared at me with eyes heavy with desire. I wanted him so much as well...


    Slowly, I lowered my hips onto his upstanding cock, and it prated my love hole. Inch by inch, his cock sunk into me as I continued lowering my hips down onto his cock to take him inside me. His cock felt hot, and I was right about him being very big. It hurt a little as his cock stretched my opening and then my pussy walls.


    ¡°Ahhh...it¡¯s so deep...inside...¡± I moaned and then sighed at the satisfaction of being fill sopletely by him.


    ¡°Your pussy is so tight. It¡¯s squeezing my cock...¡± Ace murmured.


    ¨CTo be continued...


    Please support my other works: The Alpha Prince¡¯s Purchased Maid, Forbidden Heat, Love ve to the Mafia Boss¡¯s Passion, Lust Contracts, and Conquering the Emperor

 Chapter 203

    203 My Lover¡¯s Invitation


    I wrapped my arms around his neck as he encouraged me with his eyes to move. I lifted my hips and felt his cock sliding against my pussy as it slowly withdrew from me. I mmed my hips back down onto his cock, taking him harder and deeper into me. The feeling of his cock sliding against my pussy walls before ramming hard against my womb felt so amazingly pleasurable and I couldn¡¯t wait to experience it over and over again.


    With that thought in mind, I began bouncing my hips up and down the length of his cock. I rode on his cock with wild abandon as I quickly got addicted to the pleasure of his cock pounding deep into my hole. I angled my pussy a little to make sure that the thick head of his cock would hit me where it felt good.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahhh! So good...it feels so good, Ace...¡± I cried out passionately.


    ¡°Move faster. Faster, Rina...good girl...¡± Ace whispered seductively to me as he urged me to move even faster on top of him.


    I moved faster, pumping my hips up and down as my pussy clenched wildly around the girth of his love stick. It felt so good, and I couldn¡¯t get enough of him hitting me deep inside.


    ¡°Hold still...¡± Ace instructed as he held my hips above his.


    ¡°Ahh! Yes! Ahhh!¡± I cried out so loudly when he rammed his cock into me from below.


    Ace began moving under me, thrusting his thick manhood upwards into my wet hole. His cock pounded into me faster and harder than before. My movements couldn¡¯t match with the intensity of his wild thrusts as he continued giving it to me while I cried out his name as immeasurable pleasure exploded in my mind and body. His cock rammed against my womb with each thrust as we coupled wildly. I ran my hands along his back before I had to dig my nails into his back to control the pleasure that felt like it was about to rip me apart.


    ¡°I can¡¯t stop fucking you, Rina...¡± Ace growled close to my ear.


    .....


    I offered my lips to him, and he dly took them into a smoldering hot kiss where our tongues danced around with each other.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to cum. Ace...please...¡± I whimpered before I couldn¡¯t stay anything anymore.


    Ace plunge his cock upwards into me as his hands started moving to control the movements of my hips. He thrusted upwards and mmed my hips down onto his cock for even deeper pration. I didn¡¯t know that he could go any rougher or deeper inside of me but apparently, he could.


    His lust for me drove me crazy. I climax again while crying out his name and wing at his back.


    ¡°I¡¯m cumming too, Rina...Rina...¡± Ace groaned when he finally reached his own release.


    His cock pounded deeply into me a couple more times before he stilled beneath me. I sighed with pleasure when his cock finally shot his load into my eagerly awaiting pussy. He filled me up with his seed and I willing sucked it all up into me.


    Ace lifted me and slowlyid me on my back on the bed before hey next to me and pulled me into his embrace. I felt so secure with my back against his body as he hugged me from behind.


    ¡°I love you, Ace...¡± I confessed softly.


    ¡°Me too...I love you...¡± he whispered against my hair.


    I prayed that his words were true. However, the doubt I had in my mind told me that things were not exactly the same between us. I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply before letting out a long breath. For now, I decided to enjoy Ace¡¯s loving embrace.


    ...


    When I opened my eyes the next morning, I was surprised to see Ace sleeping next to me on my bed. It took a split of a second for me to remember what happenedst night and why Ace was in bed with me. He was still asleep but one look at the time on the clock told me that he would be up soon.


    ¡°Rina...¡± Ace murmured my name with is eyes still closed.


    I could tell that he was awake already, though.


    ¡°Good morning, Ace...¡± I greeted him as I stared down at his face and his longshes.


    ¡°I hate mornings...¡± Ace mutteredzily.


    I was starting to hate them too but probably for a very different reason than Ace¡¯s. I hated it because it meant that we would have part ways soon and the fact the workday waiting for me was going to be a long one didn¡¯t make me feel better.


    Ace¡¯s eyes fluttered open after a moment, and he smiled at me right away. Unlike me, Ace didn¡¯t seem surprised to wake up on my bed.


    ¡°You have a morning meeting,¡¯ I informed him with a small smile.


    Yes, I was still his secretary even if I was more swamped by Project Alpha than ever before.


    ¡°Yeah...¡± Ace said while making it sound like he was literally in pain.


    Ace shifted his weight on the bed a little and then his arms were around me. I let him hold me for a moment although I knew that our cuddling couldn¡¯tst for too long or we were both going to bete for work. Ace might get off without a scold from anybody but the same wouldn¡¯t apply to me.


    ¡°What about we go on a trip together this weekend?¡± Ace suggested out of the blue.


    His suggestion really caught me by surprise.


    ¡°Really? We can do that?¡± I asked without hiding my surprise.


    ¡°Yes, of course, we can...¡± he replied before smiling warmly at me.


    My heart skipped a beat. Going on a trip with Ace didn¡¯t seem like something feasible for me and it wasn¡¯t because of work or how busy we were. We didn¡¯t need to work most of the weekends, but I thought that going on a trip together might make it hard for us to keep our rtionship a secret. That fact didn¡¯t seem to bother Ace at all as he suggested it. I was worried but the idea of spending time with Ace on a holiday was too tempting to resist.


    ¨CTo be continued...


    Please support my other works: The Alpha Prince¡¯s Purchased Maid, Forbidden Heat, Love ve to the Mafia Boss¡¯s Passion, Lust Contracts, and Conquering the Emperor

 Chapter 204

    204 Sent Away


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! I love you, Ace...¡± I said before smiling brightly up at him.


    Ace leaned down and kissed my forehead softly. The warmth of his arm around me and the softness of his lips as he kissed me made me want to believe that everything might have just been a misunderstanding.


    It would be a few days until our trip, and I was determined to work my ass off so that we could have an undisturbed trip together thising weekend.


    ¡°You seem too excited about this,¡± Ace said with a grin.


    ¡°That¡¯s because I really am so excited about this. Let¡¯s have a fun trip together!¡± I said cheerfully.


    Ace justughed a little at my reaction before he got out of bed. He didn¡¯t have any clothes here and since he turned up in his casual clothing fromst night, Ace had to head back to his ce before he could go to the office.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave first. Don¡¯t bete to work...¡± Ace said, and he was already at my door.


    ¡°I should be telling you that...¡± I muttered in response.


    ...


    .....


    ¡°You didn¡¯t get the email about it?¡± Jeremy asked as he raised his eyebrows at me.


    ¡°No...¡± I replied as my fingers frantically scrolled through my emails on my phone.


    Apparently, an email was sentst night about requesting Jeremy and me to join the production team at the filming site for one of the scenes. It wasn¡¯t usual for some scenes of themercial to be shot outside of thepany¡¯s studio and it also wasn¡¯t usual for the design team to help supervise the shooting to make sure that it aligned with the concept of the design. However, I didn¡¯t think that I would have to personally go there myself and on such short notice.


    ¡°You¡¯re wearing a skirt which isn¡¯t ideal but who cares...¡± Jeremymented dismissively.


    ¡°When was the email sent out? I don¡¯t think I got it...¡± I said as my frustration started taking over.


    ¡°Stop looking for it. We have to head out soon,¡± Jeremy said with a casual shrug.


    ¡°Who asked for us to join the shoot? Did the head of the production team ask for this?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°Nope. Ace did...¡± Jeremy replied.


    ¡°What? Ace...asked for this?¡± I asked with clear surprise.


    Since when did Ace meddle with something this low down the corporatedder? Matters like this are usually dealt with by the head of the departments and the team members. It wasn¡¯t something that the CEO would normally dictate.


    ¡°Yup, he requested it,¡± Jeremy replied.


    ¡°Why? Is...something wrong with the progress of the shoot so far?¡± I asked as I failed to understand what was going on.


    ¡°Not really. Maybe he just got worried because the deadline is approaching...¡± Jeremy stated his best guess.


    It didn¡¯t bother him at all; however, I was worried. Stayingte to work at the office was one thing but going on an offsite location shoot meant that I wouldn¡¯t even be in the same building as Ace. Maybe I was just paranoid about everything but...


    ¡°Where is the shoot today? Is it far?¡± I asked as a frown creased my brows.


    ¡°Yup. Very...¡± Jeremy replied before he let out a sigh.


    I was just with Acest night. In fact, I was just talking to him this morning so why didn¡¯t he tell me anything about sending me to an offsite shoot?


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Karina. You don¡¯t want to bete. The director this round is very strict about time and we¡¯re taking the bus along with their team,¡± Jeremy said, and he was already heading for the door.


    ¡°Right...¡± I murmured while still quite confused.


    It wasn¡¯t like I had another choice. Work was work. I grabbed my bag and some stuff that I thought that I would need before quickly following Jeremy.


    ...


    When Jeremy told me that the shoot location was far, I didn¡¯t think that he meant that it was this far. The shoot location was almost a two hours¡¯ drive from the office. Maybe it might have taken us less time if we hadn¡¯t been stuck in traffic. Regardless, it was further than I had imagined.


    Today, we were shooting a scene of a boy running and ying with his puppy, a man with his dogpanion, and an elderly man with his loyal dog. The scene that we had toe offsite for was arge field with tall grass next to a riverbank. It all made sense, there was no way that a scene out in the open like this would exist in the heart of the business district where the office and the studios were located. It was almost lunchtime by the time we arrived and after a round of briefing from the director, everyone went to work.


    ¡°What are we supposed to do here exactly?¡± I asked Jeremy while trying to keep my irritation under control.


    I wonder what Ace is doing right now. ording to his schedule, he should be sitting in a meeting with some of his managers from the finance department. Knowing Ace, he might be napping, or he might have gone out to meet someone else...


    Should I call to ask one of the managers to ask if Ace attended his meeting or not?


    No, I shouldn¡¯t do that. I¡¯m totally mixing work and my personal love life together. This is so unprofessional.


    Why did Ace send me out here anyways?


    What does he exact me to do here?


    ¡°Karina...¡± Jeremy called my name.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I replied.


    The look on his face told me that that wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d called my name. He shook his head at me before he sighed.


    ¡°What is up with you? Focus. Ace told me that he wanted to get the timing of the movements of the three generations of people right. You know, so the transition doesn¡¯t look funny...¡± Jeremy exined.


    ¡°Oh...¡± I mumbled before I nodded my head once.


    ¡°Focus. We have to exin that to the director before they start shooting after lunch. Now we¡¯re quite free because the team is setting up. The real work starts after lunch,¡± Jeremy exined.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 205

    205 Endless Suspicions


    I appreciated having him with me so much. If I was here alone, I doubt that any real work would get done because I truly had a problem concentrating. My mind was a mess, and I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Ace and what he was up to. Maybe he wasn¡¯t up to anything strange at all, and it was just in my head. Even though I knew this, I had a hard time throughout the day and the food at lunch tasted so nd due to myck of appetite.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to start shooting in 5 minutes!¡± the director yelled loudly.


    ¡°Thank you for working with us. You¡¯re so cute. Are your parents here with you today too?¡± Jeremy asked the boy who was supposed to appear in ourmercial.


    I had to agree that he was cute and seemed very energetic as well. The casting team did a great job right off the bat by choosing him. The dog that the production team chose to work with were two golden retrievers and they were both on-site. One grown one and another puppy. They both looked so cute and the way they both wagged their tails made me believe that they were happy to be a part of our work.


    ¡°You will both look like superstars on screen...¡± I told the dogs as I bent down closer to them.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they will,¡± their caretaker replied to me.


    I found myself smiling happily and for a moment I felt like I could concentrate on the work in front of me and push on through the day. Jeremy and I sat behind the director as the whole team went about their work. Now that shooting had started, there wasn¡¯t much that we could do but stare at the result of the shoot on the screen.


    ¡°It looks fine...¡± I whispered to Jeremy.


    ¡°Yeah...thankfully...¡± Jeremy whispered in reply.


    .....


    Despite Ace¡¯s worries and Jeremy¡¯s initial concern, the entire shooting progressed smoothly from start to finish. It waste into the day and the sun had started to set when we finally stopped shooting. The sun as it began to drip below the horizon at the edge of the river made the final scene look very emotional as well as breathtakingly beautiful.


    ¡°The sunset is really impressive here,¡± I murmured in admiration.


    ¡°That is precisely why we chose this ce. Hopefully, this makes a good finishing scene in themercial,¡± the director replied before heughed happily.


    It seemed like he was also satisfied with the result of their hard work for the day. We got all the scenes that we wanted and after being edited, I thought that it would turn out exactly like we had envisioned when we drew up the storyboard. Hopefully, Ace would share our sentiments and thoughts on this as well.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee to just rx and look around. I need to review the work with my team and then they need some time to pack,¡± the director told us before heading off to join the rest of his crew.


    Just as the director was walking away, my phone started vibrating. My heart skipped a joyful beat when I thought that Ace had sent me a text. I felt like I had been a very good employee and girlfriend by focusing on my work and not bothering him during his working hours. However, when I took a look at my phone screen, I discovered that the text that I had received wasn¡¯t from Ace.


    ¡®Where are you right now? Is Ace with you?¡¯


    I hated the fact that I still memorized the number that had sent me the text and that meant that I knew immediately who it was from.


    Hell...


    ¡®I¡¯m outside working. Ace isn¡¯t with me¡¯


    I texted a curt reply.


    ¡®Do you know where he is right now?¡¯


    Kyle texted me back almost immediately. Why does he want to know so badly?


    ¡®Why do you want to know?¡¯


    ¡®Elizabeth left her office around two hours ago, but she hasn¡¯t returned home,¡¯


    I stared at the message on my phone before blinking rapidly a few times. I didn¡¯t even need to read between the lines to know what Kyle was hinting at. He thinks that Elizabeth had gone out to meet up with Ace and that was why he was checking if I knew where Ace was.


    The pain I felt on my lower lip made me realize that I had started chewing quite hard on it in my frustration. The worst part of this situation was that I didn¡¯t know where Ace was, and I wasn¡¯t in the office building either.


    ¡®Do you know where Elizabeth is?¡¯


    ¡®No and I¡¯m guessing that you have no idea where your boyfriend is either...¡¯


    Kyle was spot on right. I had no idea where Ace was just like he didn¡¯t know where Elizabeth had disappeared too. A knot formed in the pit of my stomach and for a moment I was oblivious to everything that was happening around me. I closed my eyes as a sinking feeling filled me.


    I should have known that something was off. I mean, why would Ace send me out here in the middle of nowhere like this out of the blue?


    Before I knew what I was doing, I had already dialed Ace¡¯s number and my phone was pressed against my ear as I waited anxiously for the line to connect. If I remembered correctly, which I was quite positive that I did, Ace didn¡¯t have any meetings towards the end of the day. That meant that right now, he didn¡¯t have a reason not to answer my call.


    No matter how long I waited, the line wouldn¡¯t connect. Ace just wouldn¡¯t answer my call. Why?


    ¡®Can you call Elizabeth?¡¯


    ¡®She¡¯s not picking up. I¡¯ve tried many times already¡¯


    Great. So, they were both not answering their phones. Elizabeth wasn¡¯t answering calls from her husband while Ace wasn¡¯t answering calls from his girlfriend.


    I tried dialing his number again although I knew that it would lead to the same result.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 206

    206 Too Good to be True


    Regardless, I tried again and then again. By that time, I was so paranoid that I was certain that the two of them were together. As to why they were together, maybe I didn¡¯t even want to know.


    Seriously, if they were so into each other, why didn¡¯t they get married back when they were engaged?


    ¡°Is something the matter?¡± Jeremy asked with a look of concern on his face.


    I must have been showing signs of my stress and frustration so openly that Jeremy took notice. After forcing a smile onto my lips, I lied and told him that everything was fine. Jeremy gave me a doubtful look but decided to drop the matter altogether. Thankfully, he decided to leave me alone before heading toward the crew.


    Alone and confused, I couldn¡¯t do anything but stare at the screen of my phone as my hand shook in my panic. All my mind could think of was all the times that I saw Ace and Elizabeth together. Had they somehow been involved all along from the beginning, but I just didn¡¯t realize it? Or did this affair of theirs just started recently because I had been too busy with work to give Ace the attention that he needed?


    My head started to throb, and I felt like I wanted to throw up. Feeling dizzy and nauseated, I headed towards the van so that at least, I could hide behind it away from the other people. There was no way that I wanted anyone to see me like this. Pressing my back up against the side of the van, I closed my eyes and concentrated on taking deep breaths to calm myself.


    There is no proof that Ace is with Elizabeth right now. He could be somewhere else with someone else and the same applied to Elizabeth. This whole episode might be the result of Kyle¡¯s panic and unreasonable insecurities. That was what I told myself, although I had serious trouble believing it myself. The timing was just too perfect. Both of them are not answering their phone at the same time and we had no idea where they were.


    I looked around me at the field of tall grass while I wondered again why I was sent here. Did Ace send me here just so that he could get away? Did he send me here so that I wouldn¡¯t be in their way?


    Did he really have to go that far just to meet up with Elizabeth?


    .....


    So much for saying that I was going to ce my trust in him. This happens and I lose all my nerves and started doubting him. Everything was suspicious to me and soon I was biting my nails in my frustration. I made my way around the bus to spy on the crew members who were still busy packing up their equipment.


    How long am I going to be stuck here? Why can¡¯t we quickly head back so I can try to find Ace?


    Seriously, how long does it take to pack away some filming equipment?


    I was so irritated that I started ming everything and everyone although I knew deep down that it wasn¡¯t their fault at all. My hands gripped my phone so tightly that it hurt. When I was about to give Ace another call, my phone started vibrating in my hand. My eyes widened when I saw that it was Kyle who was calling me and not Ace calling me back. Honestly, I didn¡¯t want to talk to Kyle at all, but I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he had something important to tell me. After all, he was calling instead of texting me.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked immediately after connecting the line.


    ¡°Were you able to get a hold of Ace?¡± Kyle asked with clear urgency in his tone.


    ¡°No. What about you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No luck on my end. Elizabeth just texted that she¡¯ll be back homete. That¡¯s all,¡± Kyle said, and I could hear his frustration.


    Great. In other words, we were at the same ce where we started without any progress.


    ¡°I¡¯m hanging up. Don¡¯t call me if there¡¯s nothing important to update,¡± I said curtly before immediately hanging up.


    Where are you, Ace?


    I wanted to give him another call, but I knew that he probably won¡¯t pick up. Unable to stop myself any further, I opened up his calendar to see whom he had hisst meeting with. I had the phone numbers of all his managers in case I needed to contact them so maybe it wouldn¡¯t be too strange if I gave one or two of them a call to ask about Ace¡¯s whereabouts. Maybe they would know something or at least they could tell me what time he left after their meeting?


    By that time, I was so desperate that I had to do something even if it would lead to nothing new just to keep myself from going crazy right there on the stop. When I was about to call one of the managers, there was some ruckus from where the other people were. Suddenly, people wereughing and talking loudly. That perked my curiosity, and I made my way around the van again to take a peek at what was going on on the other side.


    ¡°I never thought that you would turn up. Are you here to spy on us, Mr. CEO?¡± the director spoke up loudly in his booming voice.


    The other crew membersughed along with their director¡¯s joke. While taking in the scene that was unfolding in front of me, I almost dropped my phone to the floor in pure shock.


    Ace is here.


    How is this even possible? When did he get here? Why is he here? Why didn¡¯t he tell me anything about this?


    Countless questions flooded my mind as Aceughed along with the directors and the other members of the filming crew and production team. Jeremy, being the diligent man that he was, quickly made his way to Ace¡¯s side to undoubtedly report the progress of our work. I blinked my eyes rapidly a couple of times as I struggled to believe what I was seeing.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 207

    207 Fortunate Mistake


    If what I¡¯m seeing was a mirage, then I was more than willing to be tricked.


    ¡°Where is Karina?¡± Ace asked.


    I froze at the mention of my name. Before I knew what I was doing, I had retreated back behind the van as I tried desperately to hide. I felt the hardness of the van against my back as I pressed myself against it. Of all the ces that I thought that Ace could be, I never expected that he would randomly turn up here. It didn¡¯t seem like the other staff members knew that he was going to turn up here either.


    My eyes closed as I thanked the heavens that he was here before I let out a long sigh as relief flooded every cell in my body. If Ace was here, then it meant that Kyle and I had been worried about nothing at all. It was a long ride to get here so Ace was probably driving here all the while I was trying to get in contact with him. I wasn¡¯t sure why he didn¡¯t pick up my calls, but it was enough for me that he wasn¡¯t with Elizabeth as I had thought.


    Why am I still hiding?


    I knew that I should go out there and see Ace; however, the guilt that I felt at doubting him made it feel very difficult to face him. All this time that I was doubting him, he was on the way to see me all along. I doubt that he was here to really check on the production team, although that might be one of the byproducts of his efforts. It was obvious enough to me that he hade to pick me up and he came a very long way at that.


    I¡¯m such a fool...


    I allowed Kyle to manipte my feelings. Maybe Kyle really was having issues with Elizabeth but that didn¡¯t mean that my rtionship with Ace was facing the same problem. I still couldn¡¯t exin what I saw in his office the other day, but it felt more than enough that he was here now.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I called his name softly as I stepped out of my hiding and approached him.


    .....


    ¡°Rina, where have you been hiding?¡± Ace greeted me with a smile as he waved me over to his side.


    He probably didn¡¯t mean that literally, but I had really been hiding from him in every sense of the word. I tried my best to smile as I made my way to his side while thinking of what I should say to him.


    ¡°Are you here to pick Rina up?¡± Jeremy asked with a straight face.


    ¡°Oh no...why would he have to do that?¡± I replied immediately before people started getting the wrong idea about us.


    There¡¯s absolutely no reason why the CEO would need toe out here in the middle of nowhere in the evening to pick up his secretary.


    ¡°I just wanted to surprise you guys and also see how we¡¯re doing on the filming. The scenes here are quite crucial,¡± Ace exined smoothly.


    ¡°You sure surprised us. It¡¯s been quite a long time since you came to an offsite shooting like this,¡± the director said.


    ¡°I really miss it. Working outdoors can be fun,¡± Ace replied casually.


    ¡°I agree with that. As long as it doesn¡¯t rain, it¡¯s all good...¡± the director agreed before turning to bark some orders for his team members to keep on working after everyone seemed to have lost focus at Ace¡¯s sudden appearance.


    ¡°This ce is really far away. I didn¡¯t think that it was this far at first. Honesty, the route is alsoplicated. I think I got lost a couple of times...¡± Ace startedining yfully.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you using GPS?¡± the director asked with augh.


    ¡°I was using it but then one of our clients called and wanted to discuss something urgently. I got distracted and got lost and then I couldn¡¯t focus very well so I had to stop by the side of the road and talk to the client until he was satisfied. It was a mess, really. It¡¯s great that I still made it here in time to catch you guys,¡± Ace told us his story quite cheerfully despite all theplications that he had been through to get here.


    While the other peopleughed along with Ace, I began piecing together the various reasons why Ace might have missed my calls. If he was talking to an important client on the phone, then it was probably given that he couldn¡¯t answer my calls and if he was heading here anyways to surprise us then everything seemed to make sense.


    I should have trusted him more. He even came all this way for me...


    ¡°Rina, are you ok? You¡¯re suddenly all quiet. Are you tired?¡± Ace asked as his attention shifted to me.


    Because of all the ungrateful and untrusting thoughts that I had towards Ace, I found it difficult to even meet his eyes or look straight into his face. If I stared into his eyes, would he find out my dirty and guilty secret?


    ¡°Rina...¡± Ace called my name softly from right beside me.


    ¡°Y-Yes? I¡¯m fine...it was just a busy day...and all that...¡± I managed to reply.


    ¡°Should we head back?¡± Ace asked.


    ¡°Umm...I can ride back with the team in the van...¡± I replied before smiling what I hoped was a polite smile at him.


    I came with the team, so it was probably best that I rode in the van with them back. Even if, I wanted so badly to go back with Ace, it might be suspicious.


    ¡°I actually have some things to talk to you about regarding some VIP client visits next week that you should prepare for...¡± Ace said before he furrowed his brows.


    ¡°Just ride back with your boss, Karina. There¡¯s no need to feel guilty about leaving all of us men to ride back without thepany of a lovelydy,¡± the director said before winking at me.


    ¨CTo be continued...


    My other works: The Alpha Prince¡¯s Purchased Maid, Love ve to the Mafia Boss¡¯s Passion, Forbidden Heat, Lust Contracts, Conquering the Emperor.


    Thank you for reading!

 Chapter 208

    208 A Guilty Date


    I would have felt much better about it if he had said it in some other way and without that suggestive wink that he gave me.


    ¡°Thank you so much and thank you for your hard work today,¡± I replied politely.


    I was sure that the director was just teasing me because I doubt that he could act so casual and rxed if he truly suspected that Ace and I were really dating.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head back. It¡¯s already gettingte. Good work, everyone...¡± Ace said.


    Before anyone could dy our departure, I followed Ace to where he had parked his car nearby. Now that we were alone, I felt extremely awkward.


    ¡°Thanks...¡± I thanked him when he opened the car door for me.


    I got into the car after offering him a smile that I believed didn¡¯t look natural despite my efforts. My heart beat fast inside my chest and it wasn¡¯t because I was excited. My chest felt tight, and it felt like all the guilt that was bottled up inside me was threatening to spill out for Ace to see.


    Ace got into the car and started driving. I had no idea where we were headed, and I didn¡¯t quite care. Ace began talking about something random that just didn¡¯t quite enter my head. My mind was too busy processing and dissecting what had just happened.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I called his name suddenly.


    .....


    ¡°What is it?¡± he replied while sounding a little surprise that I had suddenly spoken.


    ¡°Umm...about that trip that you mentioned for this weekend. Where should we go?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We can go wherever you want. Do you have a ce in mind?¡± Ace asked casually while keeping his eyes on the road.


    I had no idea why I brought that up just now. What I was supposed to do was apologize to him but if I did then he would know that I had been doubting him all this time. The best that I could do was make it up to him some other way.


    ¡°Is there somewhere that you want to go or something that you want to do?¡± I asked in a small but hopeful voice.


    ¡°Not really. Somewhere we can just rx and be together would be enough,¡± Ace replied.


    ¡°Umm...can you leave it to me to organize the trip for us?¡± I asked before I tried to smile at him.


    Ace turned to look at me as if my words were quite unexpected. It didn¡¯t take long for him to smile and then nod his head in approval at me.


    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll leave it in your capable hands, then...¡± Ace replied.


    ¡°Thank you...and umm...thank you foring all this way to pick me up...¡± I thanked him for both things at once.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. I figured we could still do dinner even if it is getting sort ofte. I did some research and there¡¯s supposed to be a good farm-to-table restaurant somewhere around here. The rating online looks good and we¡¯re far away enough that no one should disturb us here. I have no idea if the food is any good, though...¡± Ace said before heughed softly.


    Great. While I was letting Kyle mess with my head and getting all worried about nothing. Ace was nning a dinner date for us and driving here to see me. I felt so stupid that it hurt.


    ¡°Just getting to have dinner with you is great enough. I don¡¯t even care where we go or what we eat, honestly...¡± I confessed softly.


    ¡°You sound so sweet today. Did something good happen at work?¡± Ace asked cheerfully.


    He seemed to be the one that was in a good mood. I wasn¡¯t being all sweet with him because I was in a good mood at all. I was just guilty for all that I had thought and done that I wanted to make it up to him in whatever way that I can and starting by talking sweetly to him seemed like an obvious first step.


    It wasn¡¯t a long ride to where the restaurant was. Since the restaurant was surrounded by a farm and endless rows of vegetables, it wasn¡¯t hard for me to believe their im of being a farm-to-table restaurant. Ace offered me his hand and I quickly took it as if my hesitation would make me miss this precious opportunity to hold his hand. Ace must have thought that my reaction was funny because he ended upughing at me.


    ¡°Wee...¡± a middle-aged woman greeted us.


    I could tell from the vibe that she presented that she was probably the owner of this restaurant and its adjoining farm. The ce was quite spacious and had a very charming cottage and a homey vibe. The woman smiled cheerfully at us before leading us to a table for two. We were not the only ones there and it seemed like the business had be a favorite for locals in the area.


    ¡°What do you want? Some sd and maybe some homemade pasta?¡± Ace asked as he eyed the menu.


    While he had his eyes on the menu in front of him, I had my eyes on him the whole time. Looking at Ace was much more interesting than looking at the various photos of food on the menu. At that moment, I couldn¡¯t care less what we ate because I was just too busy feeling thankful that Ace was here with me.


    ¡°Rina?¡± Ace called my name questioningly when I failed to reply to his question from earlier.


    ¡°Anything is fine. I¡¯m not that hungry...¡± I replied.


    ¡°You should eat even if you¡¯re not hungry. You were out filming with the team all day today. That must have been tiring,¡± Ace said knowingly before he waved to the woman from earlier to ce our orders.


    Ace ordered a lot of food while I watched as his lips moved while he spoke to the restaurant owner. When Ace was done, he turned to face me just to find me staring at him with a dumb look on my face.


    ¡°Yea...it was a little tiring,¡± I murmured before tearing my eyes away from his face.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 209

    209 Perfect New Start


    ¡°Hopefully it was a good learning experience. I would feel bad if I sent you out here for nothing,¡± Ace replied with a sigh.


    ¡°It was a good experience. Filming people is hard enough on its own but today we have a dog and a puppy as well. It really did add to the challenge even though they were both so cute and well-behaved,¡± I said with a smile.


    ¡°Exactly. This director is very experienced, and I¡¯ve worked with him many times before. I thought you could learn a thing or two from him while watching him work,¡± Ace said excitedly.


    ¡°Right. It was interesting to watch him work. He¡¯s verymitted and even I can tell that much,¡± I replied.


    The truth was far from it. I was probably too worried about everything to pay enough attention to the work at hand or learn from the director as Ace had nned. If I could turn back time, I would make sure to pay more attention to the director and every little thing that he was doing. However, I knew better than anyone that I couldn¡¯t turn back time. Regret and guilt filled my chest and made it feel ufortably tight again.


    ¡°The food here is quite good...¡± Ace said with mild surprise.


    ¡°Yeah...everything feels very fresh...¡± I agreed vaguely.


    I tried to pick at my food although I truly had no appetite. My eyes wouldn¡¯t stop stealing nces at Ace as he ate his food. Overall, the atmosphere was peaceful, and I bet that no one could tell that I felt very troubled inside. I kept telling myself that Ace had done nothing wrong; however, it wasn¡¯t so easy for me to trust himpletely.


    The worst part was that I knew that this was more my fault than his. Because of my past rtionship with Kyle that ended in disaster, I had somehow be a very untrusting person. cingplete trust in someone especially my partner became something that was very challenging for me to do. It wasn¡¯t that I waspletely paranoid, but I couldn¡¯t stop my mind and heart from shying away from the risk of getting hurt again. Partly, I knew that I was making Ace pay for a mistake that he didn¡¯tmit, and it was all just a result of the failure in my past. Even so, I couldn¡¯t control what I was feeling.


    .....


    Dinner passed by without incident while Ace made small talk and I drifted along with his conversation. It was now time for us to head back. Thankfully, our weekend trip wasing up. It was the perfect opportunity for us to mend our rtionship and I also saw it as a great opportunity to make it up to him for all the misunderstandings that I had about him. I shouldn¡¯t have listened to Kyle and all of his nonsense. When we made our way out of the restaurant to return to Ace¡¯s car, I made a silent vow to myself that I wouldn¡¯t listen to Kyle anymore.


    I had to believe in Ace and that was final.


    ...


    The weekend finally arrived and that marked the start of our weekend trip together. Just like I had volunteered, I was the one who prepared and booked everything for us. It was a challenging task that made me realize that I still didn¡¯t know enough about Ace. When choosing the destination of our trip, I had no clue what would capture his fancy. The only thing I knew was that we had to go to a ce that was a little secretive and out of the way so that we would have some private time together without being spotted. Apart from that, I had nothing to work off of.


    Ace was busy and since I wanted it to be somewhat of a surprise, I couldn¡¯t quitee out and ask him. In the end, I chose a private resort on a private beach. It was quite expensive, and I would normally not book a ce like this. The private beach looked very attractive in the photos and the sand seemed so fine. My mind could already envision spending time alone with Ace justzing around and sunbathing on the beach. We could also chill and take a dip in the sea and enjoy some grilled seafood. Overall, it just sounded like the perfect rxing weekend getaway.


    I thought that being away from everything, would give us the opportunity to reconnect and that would somehow strengthen our rtionship. On top of that, I needed a breather from work as well.


    ¡°So, where are we going?¡± Ace asked the morning of our trip.


    ¡°This ce...¡± I replied cheerfully.


    I provided Ace with the details of the ce as I also handed him an attractive brochure of the ce. Ace gave an approving nod that relieved me of all my worries. At least, he seemed fine with the destination that I had picked out. The ce was a few hours¡¯ drive from where we were but since we got up early, that shouldn¡¯t be a problem at all. I was busy with work but that didn¡¯t mean that I wasn¡¯t excited about the trip. I also managed to find time to order some stuff online that I thought would make the trip more enjoyable such as a few new sets of bikinis.


    ¡°A private beach sounds nice. I just want to lie down on the sand next to the water...¡± Ace said dreamily.


    ¡°We have the exact same thing in mind...¡± I said before shing him a smile.


    The trip hasn¡¯t even started but I was already convinced that we were off to a great start. This trip is going to be so awesome!


    After checking that we had everything that we needed for the trip, we were on our way. The weather was sunny and perfect for a trip. The sky above us was blue with puffy white clouds. Ace seemed to be in a great mood, and I truly believed that nothing could ever go wrong on this perfect weekend getaway of ours.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 210

    210 Peaceful Time Together


    ¡°This ce looks even better than in the photos!¡± I eximed in pure delight the moment that I step foot out of the car.


    We arrived at our destination around half an hour earlier than nned to due light traffic. That meant that I had more time to spend in this awesome ce with Ace.


    ¡°The weather is nice too...¡± Ace saidzily as he got out of the car.


    The staffs were already there to greet us and help us with our bags although we didn¡¯t pack a lot of things for this trip. It was just for the weekend, and we were only staying for one night. I wished that we could take some leave days and extend our trip; however, I didn¡¯t want to leave Jeremy to deal with all the work alone. Life at work was already tough and I didn¡¯t dare let him shoulder my responsibilities on top of his own. Our trip was going to be short but that was all the more reason that I wanted to make the most of it.


    ¡°We can take your things to your room for you first in case you want to head straight to the beach...¡± the staff suggested as if he could read my mind.


    ¡°That would be perfect. Thank you so much for that. Let me grab some things first, though,¡± I replied before smiling politely at the staff.


    ¡°There are changing rooms on the beachfront and shower rooms as well,¡± the staff quickly informed me.


    ¡°Thank you. That¡¯s perfect,¡± I thanked him.


    Ace just looked around and it was a good change to see him so rxed. He turned and offered me his hand when I was done grabbing the things that I thought we would need for our little trip down to the beach.


    .....


    ¡°Let¡¯s go...¡± I said invitingly as I tugged on his hand.


    I was so excited about this trip, and I couldn¡¯t wait to chill by the beach. Aceughed softly at my overly enthusiastic reaction as he let me drag him after me toward the beach. When we finally made it to the beach after a very short walk, I was amazed at how wonderfully beautiful and peaceful it was. Paying money to buy some privacy seemed to be very worth it. After the staff help us settle in, they would leave us alone at the private property and the private beach.


    ¡°The sand is really so fine...¡± I murmured as I slipped my foot out of my shoe to prod the sand with my toes.


    ¡°We should get changed,¡± Ace suggested.


    I quickly nodded in agreement. Time to put my hard-earned money to good use. Although I didn¡¯t have time to go out to shop, I did manage to order a few bikinis that were supposed to be in trend right now from an online store and got them delivered to my ce. It was judgment time and I prayed that one of them would look decently enough for me to show Ace.


    Although I¡¯ve tried all of them on before to make sure that I got the size right, I never really settled on which one to wear. This red one looks very daring and sexy, but it might seem a little too forward and out there. I wasn¡¯t sure if Ace would appreciate it or if he would think that was too much. This baby blue one with a flowery pattern didn¡¯t look bad at all. I thought that it was rather cute with the only issue being that it made my breasts look kind of squished in a strange way. Thest option was a white bikini that was showy with its V-neck and high-slit pair of thongs.


    After staring at myself in the mirror for a while, I decided to go with the white one. It was the most standard one although it was showy. I guess the most important part was that it made me feel the mostfortable and confident. Hopefully, Ace would agree that that was enough to make it a good choice too.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I called his name softly as I approached him.


    Ace had his back to be as he stood on the beach facing the seawater. He was probably admiring the beautiful view of the blue sky meeting the blue water. At the sound of me calling his name, Ace turned around to face me. I felt his eyes on my face before making their way down my body to take in the bikini that I had on, and my body tensed slightly at his gaze. Although I had picked his bikini to look sexy for him, I still felt nervous now that he was actually looking at me.


    ¡°Umm...¡± I murmured as I stared to blush and look away.


    ¡°You look great, Rina...¡± Aceplimented me directly.


    ¡°...Really?¡± I asked happily.


    ¡°Yup. Your boobs look great,¡± Ace confirmed.


    ¡°Umm...¡± I murmured without knowing how to respond to that.


    I was d that he thought I looked fine in my bikini, but I wasn¡¯t sure how to react to himplimenting my womanly assets so straightforwardly. That didn¡¯t seem to bother Ace at all. He turned chuckled amusedly as he turned to face the sea again before waving me over with the gesture of his hand for me to join him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s sit here for a bit...¡± he said with a sigh as he sat down.


    I sat down next to him, and his arm was automatically around my waist as he pulled my body closer to his. Now that I could see the view that he was admiring, I had no problem understanding why he wanted to sit here. The bright blue sky was really on our side and so was the clear blue water of the sea. The wind blew in from the sea and pushed my hair back behind my shoulders. I took in a deep breath to smell the scent of the salty seawater before letting out a long sigh.


    That felt extremely calming. It was just what I needed.


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to love it here already...¡± I admitted honestly.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 211

    211 Just the Two of Us


    ¡°We shoulde here or go on trips like this more often...¡± Ace said wistfully.


    Well, it wasn¡¯t like it was impossible for us to do that. We just needed to take care of our projects better. The workload work at work would be better for me once we are done with Project Alpha and thepetition is finally over. Both thepany¡¯s future and our future were on the line for thispetition. We can¡¯t afford to lose aftering this far.


    ¡°What are you thinking about? You¡¯re frowning...¡± Ace said as he peered closely at my face.


    I hadn¡¯t realized that my thoughts had caused me to frown. To not worry Ace or ruin the mood, I turned and offered him one of my best smiles.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing...¡± I replied although it wasn¡¯t entirely true.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think about work. We¡¯re supposed to be on holiday,¡± he warned.


    Hisrge hand stroked my hair before pulling my head down onto his shoulder. Leaning against himforted me in a way that words couldn¡¯t describe. It made me feel like he was here for me and that I could depend on him. However, I didn¡¯t want to be someone who would always need to depend on Ace. One of these days, I¡¯ll make it so that he can depend on me too.


    Even if that was my intention and determination, I had to admit that it wasn¡¯t easy. Right now, just focusing on getting myself past the many trials that awaited me was already stretching me to the extent of my abilities. Ace was right when he said that I was learning so much.


    ¡°Of course. Let¡¯s not talk about work and just enjoy ourselves!¡± I agreed enthusiastically.


    .....


    That day, I learned that not doing anything could be so fun and fulfilling and that was probably because I had Ace by my side. All we did wasze around on the beach and just taking in the beauty of nature. The staff prepared grilled seafood for us, and we ate them on the beach. It was the most perfect and rxing holiday, and I didn¡¯t want it to end.


    ¡°The seafood is so fresh here...¡± I said admiringly.


    ¡°Well, we are at the sea so...¡± Ace replied like it was supposed to be obvious.


    Iughed at myself for stating the obvious. We were in the middle of lunch, but I was already thinking of dinner. Getting to wind down made my appetite return back to me in full swing.


    ¡°What are we going to have for dinner...?¡± I wondered out loud.


    ¡°Are you here just to eat?¡± Ace asked before heughed at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to eat a lot while I can...¡± I replied without any regrets.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner outside on the veranda or something. The weather should be nice,¡± Ace suggested.


    ¡°Sounds like heaven...¡± I said wistfully.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go for a little dip in the water after this or would you rather swim in the pool?¡± Ace asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s y in the sea and then we can go to the pool,¡± I replied before shing him a smile.


    ¡°Basically, you couldn¡¯t pick between the two so we¡¯re doing both...¡± Ace surmised quite correctly.


    ¡°Pretty much. There¡¯s nothing wrong with that, right?¡± I asked a little too proudly.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. There¡¯s nothing wrong with wanting it all,¡± Ace replied with a chuckle.


    I loved his smile and how carefree we could act while we were alone together. While that thought ran through my mind, Ace stood up from his seat before walking over to my side. I looked up at him questioningly while I wondered what he was going to do.


    ¡°Ace!¡± I cried out his name.


    Ace bent down and scooped me into his arms effortlessly. He didn¡¯t pay my cries of surprise any mind as he proceeded to carry me towards the beach and then into the water.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to carry me. I can walk on my own!¡± I protested.


    ¡°Oh, yeah?¡± he teased.


    I let out another cry of surprise when he suddenly let go of me and dumped me into the water. The water felt nice and cool on my skin suddenly being dumped into the water wasn¡¯t cool. I quickly gathered myself and stood up from the water to find Aceughing at me. He was clearly having the time of his life teasing and making fun of me. I was all wet from head to toe. Seawater dripped down my body as I stood up from the water that only reached a little more than halfway up my thighs.


    ¡°What did you do that for?¡± I yelled at Ace.


    That only made himugh even louder. It was rare to see Ace like this and it made him seem so young and carefree. I bent down and started sshing water at Ace. He didn¡¯t stopughing as he began returning the favor. It felt like we were little kids ying with each other at the sea. If only life would always be simple and happy like this.


    After ying until I was exhausted, we made our way to rest on the beach. Afterying outrge towels on the sand, Ace sat down while Iy on my back with my head pillowed on hisp. Ace stroked my hair and yed with its loose strands leisurely as we just enjoyed the peace and quiet.


    ¡°The sun is about the set,¡± he mumbled from above.


    ¡°The sky looks so pretty when the sun is about to set. It changes from blue into a beautiful mix of colors,¡± I said dreamily as I kept my eyes on the horizon where the sun was making its descent.


    The color of the sky had started to transform from a calm blue to a mix of pink, red, orange, and hints of purple. Its beauty felt magical just like the happiness that I felt in my heart. Watching the sunset at the beach with Ace felt like a small magical miracle in itself after the weeks of busy work that we had been through.


    ¡°Do you like it?¡± he asked, and I nced up to see him smiling down at me.


    ¡°I love it...¡± I replied softly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s watch more sunsets together like this, Rina,¡± Ace said before he smiled down at me again and patted the top of my head with hisrge hand.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 212

    212 Certain Feelings


    I had no idea why I was in love with Ace. There were many things that were very unusual about the circumstances of how we met and how our rtionship started. On top of that, there were countless obstacles in our way, and nothing seemed simple even on a very good day. However, in that moment, I truly felt no regrets at all. If anything, I had never felt as certain of my feelings or him as I did in that moment. It could have been my optimistic genes acting out of order, but I truly felt and believed that we would be together forever despite everything.


    I really love Ace...so much...


    ¡°Rina...?¡± Ace called my name softly.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± I made a questioning sound when I finally focused my attention on him again.


    ¡°Stop spacing out. The sun has set. Let¡¯s go in to clean up and then let¡¯s start dinner,¡± Ace suggested.


    ¡°Oh, right...ok...¡± I readily agreed.


    Hisrge hand on my head ruffled my wet hair before he shook his head a little at me. Ace took my hand in his before leading me back toward the building. The first day of our trip was alreadying to an end. Time really flew by too fast when we were having fun. The best moments neversted and perhaps that was what made them seem so beautiful and precious. Instead of dreading the passing of time, I decided to take a guess at what would be served for dinner instead.


    Showering and getting changed into a simple white long linen dress made me feel like I really was on a holiday at the beach. Now that the sun had dipped below the horizon, the beach and the sea were dark save for the light from themppost close to the beach. The cool wind blowing against my face and bare arms felt like a long-awaited reward that I deserved after working so hard.


    ¡°What about dinner out on the terrace?¡± Ace suggested as he came to stand next to me on the balcony.


    .....


    I leaned forward a little as I rested my arms on the railing of the balcony. After taking in a deep breath that smelled of the sea and letting it out, I turned to nod at Ace in agreement. He shed me a charming smile that made my chest feel immediately tight. Although we¡¯d been together for a while now, I still wasn¡¯t used to dealing with the effects of his charm and I wondered if a day woulde when I would get used to it.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the balcony a little too small for that, though?¡± I asked with slight worry.


    I could see us fitting a table for two here but there wasn¡¯t that much room for us to move about. It would just be cramped and strange to dine here. I didn¡¯t know what the staff would think about serving us food here either.


    ¡°There¡¯s a muchrger terrace on the uppermost floor of the building, dummy...¡± Ace said as he narrowed his eyes at me.


    ¡°Oh...I see...¡± I murmured.


    ¡°Come on. I already told the staff to set up our seats there. Also, I took the liberty to order us some food,¡± Ace said as he tugged on my wrist and led me into the building.


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who should be organizing this trip so why are you stepping in...¡± Iined mockingly.


    ¡°Well, obviously because you were taking too long in the shower before. That and also because you refused to let me shower with you...¡± Ace replied while he mocked me with his mockingint.


    Oh, was that really the reason?


    I wanted tough at how adorable Ace was acting. Sometimes it was hard to believe that he was quite older than me. If I wasn¡¯t wrong, we¡¯re close to 10 years apart in age. I didn¡¯t pay attention to that much because I didn¡¯t think that it mattered, and I still believe that it doesn¡¯t.


    Ace was right about the terrace being muchrger on the upper floor. It was also quite windy, and I found that extra refreshing. The staff did an outstanding job in setting up a dining table for us while also adding in a candle that made the atmosphere even more romantic.


    ¡°This way, My Lady...¡± Ace said a little teasingly before he smiled charmingly at me.


    He offered me his hand and then wrapped an arm around my waist before leading me to my seat at the dining table. I really felt like a littledy for a moment when he pulled out my chair for me and helped me take my seat. His gentlemanly gesture made my heart skip a beat and my chest feels tight. Ace took the seat opposite me at the dining table. The sea was dark but the countless stars that sparkled in the sky above us made up for the view of the ocean.


    ¡°Thank you, Ace...¡± I thanked him.


    ¡°The stars are really pretty tonight. It¡¯s a shame that we can¡¯t see stars like this from the city center,¡± Ace said as he followed my gaze up toward the sky.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I wish I could see the stars shining like this every day. They look like precious jewels in the sky,¡± I murmured in bliss.


    The stars that shone and twinkled above us gave me hope. Coming on this trip was definitely the right move and I felt like we had gotten much closer in the span of only one day. The staff came to serve us food and drinks and then we were left alone to enjoy each other¡¯spany.


    The food tasted even better than the lunch that we had. I wasn¡¯t certain if it was just the food or perhaps the fact that I was in such a jolly mood that made everything seem to taste extra delicious and appetizing. Although I made an agreement with Ace not to talk about work, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how his ns for expanding thepanyweres going. The timeline was a couple of years in the future and not that much time had passed since he made the deal with his father. Even though I knew all that, I still felt very curious about what he had in mind.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 213

    213 All He Had Given Me


    I chewed on my food while keeping my gaze on Ace as I wondered if asking him about that would count as talking about work or not. Looking at it from another angle, it could count as talking about personal matters because thepany¡¯s expansion n does have quite a solid connection to the future of our rtionship.


    ¡°How are things going with your ns to grow thepany?¡± I asked while trying to keep my tone light.


    ¡°It¡¯s going well enough,¡± he replied casually before smiling a little my way.


    His attention immediately shifted to the food on his te, and it became apparent that he did not wish to add any additionalments or details to his answer. After all the effort that I put in to ask him that one question, I didn¡¯t learn much from his response at all. While I debated with myself inside my head whether I should continue pressing him for answers on that topic or not, Ace spoke up before I had made up my mind.


    ¡°How¡¯s your mother? I guess you¡¯ve been too busy with work and haven¡¯t paid her a visit since thest time that we were there, right?¡± Ace asked.


    ¡°Yeah...you¡¯re right. I¡¯ve been too busy, and I haven¡¯t been the best daughter to hertely...¡± I replied regretfully.


    I tried calling her whenever I had the time. When I got back to my apartment, if it wasn¡¯t toote in the night, I would try my luck and give her a call. During lunch breaks that were not too busy, I would give her a short call as well.


    ¡°We should visit her sometime soon before she thinks I¡¯m keeping you all to myself...¡± Ace replied jokingly.


    ¡°I try my best to find time to call her. ording to what she¡¯d told me, she seems to be doing quite well...¡± I said with a smile.


    .....


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s good...¡± Ace said with a satisfied nod of his head.


    I smiled at him while I appreciated his thoughts and the worry and care that he had for my mother. It had been a while since we visited her. Since the storm about udia¡¯s pregnancy blew over, we haven¡¯t been there to visit her. I could still remember the shocked look on my mother¡¯s face when she found out that I was dating my boss and the CEO of thepany that I had always dreamt of working at.


    ¡°Thanks for thinking about her...¡± I thanked him honestly.


    ¡°Rina...¡± Ace called my name and his tone suddenly sounded quite formal.


    My body automatically stiffened, and I sat up a little straighter in my seat as I became more alert. I wondered what Ace wanted or had in mind for his mannerism to suddenly change like this.


    ¡°Y-Yes?¡± I replied questioningly.


    ¡°Can you close your eyes for a moment?¡± Ace asked without any further exnation.


    ¡°Umm...sure. Ok...¡± I mumbled while still feeling confused.


    Regardless, I decided to go along with Ace¡¯s request and slowly closed my eyes. When I could no longer see, I felt slightly nervous. After a moment of silence, I heard the sound of what must have been a chair scraping against the floor, and I figured that Ace must have gotten up from his seat. Suddenly, I felt his presence close behind me and then his hand must have brushed against my hair. My heart began racing for no good reason at all.


    ¡°There you go...¡± Ace whispered close to my ear.


    ¡°Ace?¡± I called his name questioningly.


    ¡°You can open your eyes now, Rina...¡± Ace said softly as he rested his hands gently on my shoulders.


    I opened my eyes and turned my head around to see Ace standing behind me with a bright smile on his face. Confused, I opened my mouth to ask him what that was all about when I felt something unfamiliar around my neck. I turned around and nced down to see a ne and pendant that I had never seen before around my neck.


    ¡°Umm...this is...?¡± I murmured curiously.


    My hand moved to touch the pendant that hung around my corbone. I turned to nce back at Ace with widened eyes as I pleaded to him with my eyes for him to please exin.


    ¡°This is for you. I wanted to give you a present for working so hard and keeping it together. We¡¯ve been together for a while now and I guess I haven¡¯t really given you anything...¡± Ace said and for a moment he sounded too apologetic.


    His words tugged at my heart, and I felt tears stinging the back of my eyes and then slowly welling up in my eyes. Of course, I didn¡¯t want anything from Ace at all and it definitely wasn¡¯t true that he hadn¡¯t given me anything since the time that we had been together. In fact, theplete opposite was true, Ace had given me so many valuable things. He took care of me, loved me, and taught me so many valuable things both at work and in personal life.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true at all. You see, you¡¯ve given me and taught me so many things. Thank you, Ace. Thank you for this beautiful gift and everything that you¡¯ve given me...¡± I thanked him sweetly.


    I hoped that my words did note across as too corny because that was what I honestly felt. It was unfair for him to spring a gift like this one to me. The hardness of the pendant against my fingertips made me so thankful to him.


    ¡°I¡¯m just d that you like it. Honestly, I didn¡¯t really know if you would like it or what I should get for you. It gave me a headache while I was deciding and choosing...¡± Ace confessed with a smallugh.


    It was rare to see Ace so unsure of himself and slightly flustered that it brought a smile to my lips. His reaction was just so adorable, and it made me wish that I could¡¯ve gotten a gift for him too. Now that I think about it, Ace¡¯s birthday wasing up next week and if I wasn¡¯t wrong, it wouldnd on a Saturday which made it the perfect day for us to celebrate.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 214

    214 Gifts and Treasures


    Ace had not mentioned anything about it to me and I didn¡¯t think that he would. However, since I am his secretary and also his girlfriend, I knew his birthday.


    Now it seemed like the tables have turned and it was my turn to have a hard time figuring out what Ace would want for his birthday present. I should get him something special, but I wasn¡¯t sure what.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back to our room so you can see the gift I got you clearer in the mirror...¡± Ace suggested as he got up and offered me his hand.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I¡¯ll like it no matter what you give me...¡± I told him reassuringly.


    ¡°That¡¯s no good. I want you to see it clearly and let me know if you like it or not. If you don¡¯t like it, we can get it exchanged for something else or another design...¡± Ace said stubbornly.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I already told you that I like it. It¡¯s good enough that you got it for me so of course, I like it,¡± I desperately tried to exin.


    However, the look on Ace¡¯s face told me that it wasn¡¯t enough for him. I slipped my hand into his and let him help me up to my feet. I guessed that the only way to satisfy him was for me to properly look in the mirror at the pendant and then tell him that I still loved it even after having seen all of its details.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to our room...¡± Ace said as he tugged on my arm.


    I followed him obediently while still finding it quite amusing that he cared so much about whether or not I liked the present that he got for me. He must have spent a lot of time pondering about what to get for me. I hated to say that all of his efforts were quite in vain because I honestly would have liked everything and anything that he got for me.


    .....


    It wasn¡¯t a long walk from the veranda to our room. Therge bedroom suite was truly weing with its grey tone decorations in the modern minimalist style that was quite popr and considered trendy. What truly caught my eye was the veryrge balcony to one side of the room that showed off the view of the sea. Although it was dark, I could imagine the beauty of the view during the daytime. Tomorrow, we would get to witness it together when we wake up.


    ¡°The view is going to be so pretty when morninges...¡± I said as I turned to smile at Ace.


    Ace¡¯s hazel brown eyes shifted to the window of the balcony for a moment before his attention returned to my face.


    ¡°Come this way...the mirror is this way...¡± he said as he pulled on my arm to turn me around.


    I felt the slight pressure of his hand against the small of my back as he pushed and guided me into the bathroom where there surely was a mirror inside.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I called his name softly as he pulled me into the bathroom with him.


    There was a huge mirror in the bathroom and Ace immediately pushed me forward until I was standing right in front of it. My eyes immediately fell on the little pendant hanging from a thin gold chain that he had ced around my neck. Now that I could look at it closely, I could see that it was a small little sun. Honesty, because it was so small, at first, I thought that it was a small flower with a red gemstone in the middle and smaller gemstones of orange and yellow around it.


    ¡°It¡¯s a sun and not a flower, right?¡± I asked just to make sure that I got it right.


    ¡°It¡¯s a sun. I guess the design isn¡¯t great if you can¡¯t really tell...¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s really pretty. I¡¯m just asking to make sure. It does look more like a sun than a flower...¡± I quickly told him before he thought of taking it away and returning it.


    Ace wrapped his arms around my waist as he hugged me close to him from behind. I could feel his body heat as he pressed his body against the length of my back and leaned his head next to mine.


    ¡°Really...?¡± he murmured while sounding truly unconvinced.


    ¡°Really. It¡¯s very beautiful...thank you, Ace...¡± I thanked him before I smiled at him in the mirror.


    Our eyes met and he smiled back at me as we stared at one another through our reflection in the mirror. After having watched the sunset together, I thought that getting this as a gift felt a little like fate. I wasn¡¯t sure what Ace had in mind when he picked this out for me and perhaps, he didn¡¯t have anything in mind at all and just thought that the design was cute or pretty. Regardless, I was extremely delighted to receive this gift from him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll treasure it. Aways...¡± I promised before turned a little in his arm so that I could see his face directly instead of relying on the reflection from the mirror.


    ¡°I¡¯m just d that you like it,¡± Ace whispered close to my ear before he kissed my hair.


    His kisses were gentle as his arms circled my waist and pulled me even closer to him. The warmth of his breath against my ear tickled a little as he nted more soft teasing kisses against my temple and then my hair. When his lips kissed my ear teasingly before he began nibbling my earlobe, my body started to tremble. I moaned softly as he began sucking on my ear.


    The wet sounds of his sucking filled my senses and his sweet teasing suddenly transformed into something even more demanding. His hands began stroking the small of my back before drifting downwards to caress the curve of my ass boldly. I moaned before I whimpered his name as my body began heating up at his seductive caresses.


    ¡°Ahh!¡± I let out a cry of surprise when his manly hands squeezed my buttocks.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 215

    215 Pleasurable Reward


    His lips moved from my ear down to kiss my cheek and then the tip of my nose. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his face down onto mine. His lips met mine in an eager kiss that made me realize how much I wanted him already. Spending timezing around and rxing with Ace was great; however, letting him have his way with me felt even better.


    Ace¡¯s lips felt hot on mine and soon his kiss became just as hot and demanding. He kissed me roughly from various angles as I moaned into our heated kiss. His hand moved to cup my chin, urging me to part my lips for him. His tongue thrusted without hesitation firmly into the wet depths of my mouth when I parted my lips to grant him entry. He groaned seductively as his tongue entwined with mine in a passionate dance that made my core throb with my need and desire to have him.


    Ace tilted my head back and began kissing me even more aggressively than before. His tongue moved around relentlessly inside my mouth as he tasted and devoured me. His kiss felt so pleasurable that it felt like my body was about to melt. My legs began feeling weak and I had to hang onto Ace as I continued kissing him back with a passion of my own. His hands left my ass toe between us to cup and y with my breast over my clothes. The loose V-neck white dress that I had on didn¡¯t hinder his hands from slipping in to cup my breasts directly.


    ¡°Ahhh...¡± I moaned after breaking our kiss.


    The heat of his hand on the naked skin of my breast made my entire body throb with need. Wearing this dress was the right choice. Ace removed his hand from my breast for just long enough for him to tug at the front of my dress.


    ¡°Let me help you...¡± I whispered seductively.


    Ace smiled at me as I lifted my arm up to reach behind my neck at the fabric bow that I had tied around my neck to keep my halter dress on my body. With a single tug, the knot became undone and the fabric covering my breasts conveniently fell away. Ace stared as if amazed at what I had just done.


    ¡°I love it when you don¡¯t wear a bra...¡± he murmured with his eyes staring intensely at my womanly assets.


    ¡°Ahhh...Ace...¡± I moaned as pleasure corrupted my mind.


    .....


    Ace buried his face against my breasts before his tongue snaked out and began licking the sensitive skin in between my breasts. The texture of the tip of his tongue running up and down along the cleft in between my breasts made me moan louder as he continued to turn me on. His hands did not wait to cup and grope my breasts as his lips and tongue worked their magic. I nced down to see hisrge hands syed on my breasts and then my soft breasts were changing shape in his hands as he pumped and then massaged them.


    My nipples immediately hardened against the palm of his hands, and I couldn¡¯t wait for him to y with them just like he always would. As if he could read my mind, Ace pushed me backward until I felt the hard edge of the counter behind me. His lips kissed and then sucked on my breasts as his fingertips moved to capture my swollen perks in between them.


    ¡°Ahh! Ace...Ahhh!¡± I cried out loudly when he pinched hard on both my nipples at the same time.


    Currents of raw pleasure surged through my body from the sensitive spots that he was actively teasing with his fingertips. Ace pinched my nipples harder before tugging on them repeatedly as his tongue continued licking and sucking on my breasts in turn. Loud slurping and sucking sounds echoed all around us along with my passionate moans.


    ¡°Let me suck on them, Rina...¡± Ace murmured seductively.


    His fingers left one of my nipples and soon they were reced by his wet tongue. Ace swirled his tongue skillfully around the base of my nipple as my hands moved to cradle his head closer to my chest. I ran my fingers through his hair lovingly before closing my eyes in bliss. His tongue teased my nipple andpped at it a few times before I felt the hot wet heat of his mouth engulf it.


    ¡°Ahh! Don¡¯t...suck so...hard...¡± I cried out before I whimpered.


    It was so embarrassing when he sucked hard on my swollen nipple. The loud sucking sounds as he sucked harder and faster on my nipple drove me wild with lust. My pussy pulsated and clenched as the fire of desire burned brightly within my core. I wanted him so badly now and my pussy was already flooded with my pleasure juices. My body writhed, thrusting my chest forward towards his face and exploring hands.


    ¡°This dress is too long...¡± Aceined before his lips returned to sucking my nipple again.


    His hands had moved down to pull up my skirt and I knew what he wanted to do. Ace groaned in frustration when he couldn¡¯t quite uncover my legs with the dress dropping all the way down to my ankles. I giggled a little at his impatience before I reached down to help him by gathering up the fabric of my dress for him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you...¡± I murmured in response.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help myself...¡± Ace muttered with clear annoyance after letting my nipple out of his mouth again.


    Without warning, Ace lifted me up onto the counter and began tugging my skirt up around my waist. The movements of his hands were jerky, and I could tell that he was very close to his limit already. The same could be said about me. My pussy throbbed with so much need that I wanted to spread my legs and beg for him to take me then and there.


    ¡°No more long dresses...¡± Ace muttered darkly when he was done with the task of exposing my legs all the way to my hips.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 216

    216 Satisfying Our Desires


    ¡°Yes, Sir...¡± I replied teasingly.


    Ace chuckled as his fingers slipped into the stic waistband of my panties and began pulling them down my legs. His hazel eyes looked extremely sexy as his gaze captured mine while he slid my panties slowly down my legs before removing thempletely from me. I spread my legs widely open for him invitingly and Ace stepped in between them.


    ¡°You¡¯re very wet...¡± he murmured as his fingers slid along the slippery wet slit in between my legs.


    ¡°Ahhh...Ace...¡± I moaned before I began panting harder.


    Desire consumed me and the feel of his fingertips stroking along my most sensitive part drove me wild with need. My pussy quivered as my hips began moving, brushing, and pushing my pussy tantalizingly against his prodding fingertips. I could feel the heat of my own wetness gushing and leaking out of my hole onto his fingers.


    ¡°So wet and so hot inside. I want to fuck you, Rina...¡± Ace murmured before he let out a very sexy growl.


    ¡°Ahh!¡± I cried out at the sharp prating sensation of his fingers thrusting abruptly into my wet pussy hole.


    I was so wet that his fingers slid easily inside of me. The thickness and length of his fingers filled and stretched my insides as my hips thrusted upwards wantonly. I could feel his fingers deeply inside of me and it felt so good; however, it only made me want even more. My body had gotten so greedy as my hips thrusted up and down invitingly against his hand. Ace¡¯s fingers began moving around inside of me. Wet lewd noises sounded from between my legs as he stirred up the wet juices inside of my love tunnel with his fingers. His finger brushed and rubbed against my pleasure spot as I moaned louder and louder.


    My mind was in a daze, and I couldn¡¯t think straight anymore. All I knew was that I desired him as thoughts of Ace flooded my mind until I couldn¡¯t think of anything besides him. His fingers thrusted faster and harder in and out of my hole. I was so wet and so ready to take him in. The way that his fingers gave me pleasure made me feel like I was ready to climax at any moment.


    .....


    ¡°Ace...I¡¯ll cum...soon...please...¡± I begged him in a strangled voice.


    I couldn¡¯t believe how dirty and lewd I sounded. My moans echoed all around us along the sounds of his fingers messing up my wet insides. Ace suddenly withdrew his fingers out of my pussy, leaving it quivering with unfulfilled desire. Ace quickly freed his extremely thick and erect cock from his pants before guiding my hand toward it.


    ¡°Touch me, Rina. Feel how much I want to fuck you...¡± Ace whispered huskily to me.


    ¡°It¡¯s so hot. So big...so hard...¡± Iplimented his virile manhood as my fingertips brushed against his massive length.


    His thick pole stood up proudly in between his legs. I could tell that he was very turned on and more than ready to enter me. I clutched my hand softly around his girth before slowly sliding my hand up and down his length. Ace sucked in a sharp breath before letting out a soft moan of pleasure. His cock twitched a little in my hand before I started moving my hands faster, pumping his cock up and down while feeling him get even harder and longer in my hand. It felt like a miracle how his cock could get even bigger than it already was. The more I stared at his cock as I pumped him with my hand, the more I wanted to feel his gigantic beast filling me up deep inside.


    ¡°Enough, Rina. I want to put it inside you now...¡± Ace confessed straightforwardly.


    I wanted to tell him that I wanted nothing more but all I could do was nod at him. Ace didn¡¯t seem satisfied with the position of my legs although I thought that I had them spread pretty widely apart. In fact, I felt very embarrassed at how exposed my pussy was to him in this position, but it didn¡¯t seem good enough to satisfy Ace. Ace¡¯s hand moved to grab my ankles gently before lifting them up until my feet rested on the counter as well.


    ¡°Wait...this...¡± I murmured.


    ¡°I can fuck you deeper this way...¡± Ace replied bluntly.


    I had no doubt that what he said was true. This position lifted my legs up and spread them even wider than before because my entire leg had to rest on the counter. I felt my pussy lips being stretched open. Although I felt so exposed, I couldn¡¯t stop my body from getting excited. My core throbbed along with my pussy as I felt myself getting wetter than before in anticipation of feeling his cock entering me and pounding my wet insides.


    ¡°Please...Ace...¡± I whimpered pleadingly.


    I wished that he would just put it in instead of watching me in such a vulnerable and embarrassing position like this. His eyes stared at my face before taking in every single part of my body while I panted and tried to look away in embarrassment.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to feel so shy...¡± Ace said teasingly.


    ¡°Ahhh...¡± I moaned with utmost satisfaction when I felt the heat of his cock lodging itself in between my pussy lips.


    ¡°Hold your legs open for me, Rina...¡± Ace instructed.


    He was so hard, and I could feel it as he pressed his cock against my opening. I held my thighs to keep my legs widely spread for him just the way that he wanted it. Ace¡¯s hands grabbed the sides of my hips before he reared his hips back and plunge his thick cock into me in one powerful thrust that buried his entire length into me.


    ¡°Ahhh! Ahhh!¡± I screamed loudly at the impact of his cock screwing into me.


    As always, his cock was much thicker and longer than his fingers and nothing could have prepared me adequately for his sudden and forceful entry into me. It hurt as my pussy struggled to stretch to amodate the sudden entry of his thick rod.


    ¨CTo be continued...


    Please support my other works: The Alpha Prince¡¯s Purchased Maid, Forbidden Heat, Love ve to the Mafia Boss¡¯s Passion, Conquering the Emperor, Lust Contracts.

 Chapter 217

    217 Burning with Him


    Ace filled mepletely and I could feel him everywhere inside of me. The feeling of his cock buried so deeply inside of my love hole felt so fulfilling and made me feel soplete.


    ¡°It¡¯s tight. Don¡¯t clench around me so much. You¡¯ll make it hard for me to move...¡± Aceined mockingly before he chuckled a little.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help it...it feels...so good...¡± I mumbled softly.


    Despite his warning, I couldn¡¯t stop my pussy from greedily clenching around the thick grith of his pulsating manhood. He felt so hot and so big inside of me that I wondered if he had gotten bigger just from entering me. I took in deep breaths as I willed the muscles of my pussy walls to rx around his cock. Ace reared his hips back and I felt his cock slowly sliding along my sensitive pussy walls until his cock almost exited mepletely.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahh! Yes!¡± I cried out louder at the intense pleasure that apanied his rough thrusting inside of me.


    Ace reared back his hips just to pound his cock back into my hole even deeper than before. The thrusting motions of his hips were rough, driving his cock fast and hard in and out of my hole. Hisrge hand gripped the sides of my hips and controlled their motions. He rocked my hips, pushing my pussy hole against the oing thrusting motion of his cock to bury his massive member harder and deeper into my sopping wet pussy.


    The thick head of his cock hit me deep inside. Each stroke reached my womb and made me cry out from the mind-blowing pleasure. Ace continued pounding his massive thickness in and out of my pussy as my hips writhed and I cried out. His cock hit me harder and deeper inside with each thrust and I could feel my climax fast approaching. Ace thrusted his cock into me at just the right angle to hit and stimte my pleasure spot and it drove me wild with lust.


    ¡°Ahh! It¡¯s so good...harder...fuck me...harder...¡± I managed to plead in between my violent panting.


    ¡°Are you sure that you won¡¯t regret thister?¡± Ace asked before he smirked at me.


    .....


    ¡°Ahh!¡± I cried out when I felt his hand digging beneath my ass to cup my buttocks.


    Then I was no longer seated on the counter as Ace lifted me up. I stared into his eyes in shock as he carried me further up with him. Hisrge hands positioned my hips where he wanted them before he reared his hips back and then screwed hisrge cock all the way into me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on like I was holding on to dear life.


    My sanity was quickly slipping from me as his cock rammed faster and deep into me. This different angle felt deeper than before. Ace screwed his cock all the way into me before shaking my body against his. I could feel his cock moving inside of me along with the movement of my own body. It felt so strange yet so pleasurable as his cock bumped into the walls of my pussy and stretched me from various angles.


    We were so close and that meant that Ace could tease me more than before with his lips and his tongue. His lips captured mine in a smoldering hot kiss, his tongue thrusting immediately into my mouth to dance around with mine. I moaned erotically into our deep kiss before I began kissing him back desperately. His cock hit even deeper inside of me, and I was absolutely certain that his cock had grown even longer and thicker inside of my wet hole.


    Ace broke our kiss before burying his face into the side of my neck where he began kissing and then sucking on that patch of delicate skin, making my entire body shudder in bliss. I wrapped my legs around him tightly as he bounced my body up and down.


    ¡°Ace...I can¡¯t...I¡¯m going to cum...¡± I said in a broken voice as I panted.


    My cries and moans of pleasure robbed me of my ability to speak again. His cock hitting against my pleasure spot made my entire body spasm and I wasn¡¯t sure if I had already climaxed or not. It felt so good, I wanted to climax but then I didn¡¯t want him to stop pounding his love stick into me.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You can go ahead and cum, Rina...¡± Ace whispered to me sweetly.


    ¡°Ahhh! Ace...I¡¯m cumming!¡± I screamed so loudly before Ipletely lost myself to the consuming heat of my own orgasm.


    My entire body felt weak and useless immediately after that. Ace held me in his arms and stroked my back lovingly as I struggled to catch my breath. My mind was blissfully empty as I floated in the afterglow of my climax.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whispered his name when I managed to regain a little of my sanity.


    ¡°I¡¯m here...¡± he whispered back sweetly.


    I felt his cock gently sliding out of me and then my own wetness spurted out of my opening and trickled down my inner thighs when he slowly ced me back down on my feet. Ace kept his arms around my waist to help support me because he probably knew that I couldn¡¯t stand on my own just yet and he was absolutely correct about that.


    Ace began turning me around while he instructed me to grab hold of the counter with my hands. I knew that he wanted to take me from behind and as much as I wanted that too, I felt like I might notst until the end in the state that I was in. Ace leaned over me, and I could feel his body heat against my back. When I turned my head around to talk to him, his lips captured mine in a passionate kiss that was immediately wild, robbing me of my opportunity to speak to him.


    One of his arms loosened from my waist and then his hand were busy groping and massaging my breasts in turn while I moaned my pleasure into his kiss.


    ¨CTo be continued...


    Please support my other works: The Alpha Prince¡¯s Purchased Maid, Forbidden Heat, Love ve to the Mafia Boss¡¯s Passion, Conquering the Emperor, Lust Contracts.

 Chapter 218

    218 Pleasing Him All Night Long


    I had just climaxed but already my body was wanting more of him. When did I get this greedy, I had no idea. My nipples were immediately hard, and my pussy throbbed with renewed desire.


    ¡°Let¡¯s...go to the bed...please...¡± I managed to whisper in between our wet and ardent kisses.


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you want...¡± Ace replied before renewing our wet and passionate kiss.


    While I felt thankful that he was willing to go along with my request, I knew that I had to get myself in order because Ace wasn¡¯t going to stop, and the night would be a very long one. I let him carry me without a fuss until we reached the bed. By that time, I had managed to calm down my breathing somewhat. Aceid me down on the bed before getting on top of me and then he lifted both my legs up with his hands.


    ¡°Ace...wait...¡± I murmured.


    ¡°What for?¡± he asked without a care.


    His hand kept on lifting my legs upwards and pushing them towards me until my hips were off the bed. My pussy clenched in anticipating of his entrance when I felt Ace positioning his hips close to my ass.


    ¡°Keep your legs pressed tightly together, Rina...¡± Acemanded in a low growl that sent a shiver up my spine.


    ¡°Ahh...¡± I moaned softly when I felt the heat of his cock against my wet opening.


    .....


    My soft moans quickly turned into loud cries when Ace thrusted his cock all the way into my wet pussy hole. It felt so tight as he stretched me. Although I was already wet, the way he was pressing my thighs closed made me feel even more of him when he began moving his cock inside of me. His massive length caressed the walls of my pussy as he reared back before pumping his cock all the way into me once again.


    ¡°Ahh! Ace!¡± I screamed loudly before I began biting down on my forearm to hold it in.


    It felt crazy wild, and I couldn¡¯t even move my hips. His cock continued beating into me as our bodies pped against each other. Ace swung my legs over his shoulders before his hands moved under my ass to keep my hips lifted off the bed. He moved his hips closer to me before pounding his cock even deeper into my love hole.


    ¡°Ah! Ah! Ah! Ahh!¡± I cried out in rhythm to his cock hitting fast and hard against my womb with each of his rough thrusts.


    ¡°We¡¯re not done yet, Rina. After this, you¡¯re going to ride my cock...¡± Ace hissed through clenched teeth as he exerted himself in screwing his cock in and out of my flooded pussy.


    ¡°Ahh...Ace! Ahhh!¡± I screamed loudly as I felt my climax fast approaching.


    His hot and thick cock ramming against my womb and the pleasure spot deep inside of me drove me closer and closer to the edge. My body and mind couldn¡¯t take it anymore and my entire body started to spasm and tremble uncontrobly. His thick rod continued pounding fast and hard into my sopping wet hole as I moaned and cried out his name. I closed my eyes in bliss and cried out loudly onest time before the pleasure of my mind-shattering orgasm washed over me likerge waves against the sandy beach. I willingly let go of everything and all thought and surrendered myself to the pleasure that Ace gave me.


    Everything faded away and I felt like I was just floating around in a vacuum. The sound of Ace¡¯s voice calling my name and then the feel of his hand pping lightly against the side of my face brought me back down to earth.


    ¡°Mhmm...¡± I murmured senselessly.


    ¡°Come on, Rina. Get up and ride my cock...¡± Ace demanded without backing down.


    Kill me already...


    He pulled my arms and I found myself up in a sitting position on the bed. I knew that Ace could keep on at it until morning if he chose to. The same couldn¡¯t be said about me. If I can¡¯t make him cum inside of me by riding his cock this round, he¡¯s going to make me do something else for him. I took in a deep breath and straddled his hips as Ace sat on the bed with a wicked grin on his face.


    ¡°Good girl. Ride me till morning, Rina...¡± Ace said invitingly as his hands reached to cup and y with my breasts.


    His hand teased my soft flesh before his fingers moved to pinch my nipples until they felt swollen and ready to burst. At the same time, his hazel eyes stared into my face as he waited impatiently for me to take his cock inside of me.


    ¡°It¡¯s still so hard...¡± I mumbled with a hint ofint.


    Ace justughed softly at me while I reached my hand to grasp his hard cock. His cock felt hot against the palm of my hand. I couldn¡¯t resist stroking my hand up and down his impressive length as I felt his cock twitching slightly.


    ¡°Put me inside...¡± Ace murmured seductively.


    I nodded and lifted my hips to position my pussy hole directly on top of his cock while gripping him with my hand to position the thick and engorged head of his cock at the slit in between my legs. Slowly, I dropped my hips down to feel the tip of his cock lodge itself between my pussy lips before it slipped a little inside of me.


    ¡°Ahh...¡± I moaned in satisfaction.


    My pussy suddenly felt so hungry for his cock. I lowered my hips and my pussy started swallowing up his cock inch by inch. Ace¡¯s hand reached for the side of my face before his lips captured mine in a hot kiss that quickly became very possessive and wet. I parted my lips for him and soon his hot and wet tongue invaded and conquered the depth of my mouth while I moaned repeatedly into our kiss.


    I lowered my hips onto his cock to take him in even deeper into me. My love tunnel was so wet and flooded that I could take him in so easily. His cock smoothly slid upwards into my hole as I sat down on him until we were skin on skin with the entire length of his massive cock buried all the way into my pussy.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 219

    219 Emergency Call


    ¡°Ahh! Yeah...Yeah!¡± I began moving my hips up and down to ride his cock just like he wanted me to.


    My hips squirmed and swayed as I rode his thick cock. The sensation of his cock hitting inside of me from various angles as I continued to ride him faster and harder than before made me scream as my desire mounted again.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, Rina. Ride me...don¡¯t stop...¡± Ace urged me passionately as his hands moved to caress the sides of my waist.


    That night, I rode him until he came hard inside of me.


    ...


    The second day of our trip was supposed to be a rxing and aimless day where we could just enjoy each other¡¯spany while doing absolutely nothing productive at all. It was azy day right off the bat with both of us waking upte. The rough and extensive love that we madest night pulled me into a long and deep sleep. When I began waking up the next morning, it was already almost midday.


    ¡°Hmm...¡± I murmured as my body and eyelids were still heavy from sleep.


    Automatically, my hands reached out to feel around in search of Ace. I found him sleeping nearby while I kept my eyes closed. There was no rush and there was nothing in particr that we had to do today so I didn¡¯t feel pressured to get up. Ace must have felt the same because he was still sleeping peacefully. We had the ce to ourselves until muchter in the day and I nned to enjoy our time together as much as possible until we had to head back.


    ¡°Rina...¡± Ace murmured my name.


    .....


    I opened my eyes to see him staring right at my face. My lips immediately curved into azy smile as I raised my arms above my head on the bed to stretch.


    ¡°Good morning, Ace...¡± I greeted him sweetly.


    Ace pulled me into his embrace, and I pillowed my head on his arm as he held me close and began stroking the small of my back. It felt sofortable. I wondered if cats and dogs felt this way when their owner petted and stroked them. My eyes felt heavy again and it felt like I was ready to drift off into sleep at any moment.


    ¡°What¡¯s the n for today?¡± Ace asked softly.


    ¡°No ns at all. We can do whatever we want...¡± I replied.


    So much for telling him that I would n the trip. The schedule that I had whipped up for this basically consisted of multiple slots of free and leisure time. I was sure that Ace wouldn¡¯t mind being non-productive for the weekend because we needed the rest.


    ¡°Sounds great...¡± he murmured in agreement.


    His arms tightened around me as he pulled me closer until I could feel the entire length of his body against me. I wish time would just stop so that I could live like this forever in his arms. My wish was not to be when the sound of Ace¡¯s phone vibrating on the nightstand close to the bed disturbed us.


    Reality calls...


    I tried my best to suppress my sigh of disappointment when his arms reluctantly loosed from my body. Ace mumbled some curse words with clear annoyance before his arm moved to grab his phone. I guess being the CEO meant that he couldn¡¯t just simply ignore calls even when it was the weekend, and we were in the middle of our holiday.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Ace asked sleepily.


    The person on the other end of the line spoke too softly for me to hear and that was probably for the best because I had absolutely no interest in Ace¡¯s work calls. That was until Ace suddenly sat up in bed before swinging his legs down from the bed. I quickly sat up just to see Ace walking out of the bedroom before the door closed behind him.


    What...just happened?


    Sitting up in bed, I quickly realized that I waspletely naked. After sighing and rolling my eyes, I tiptoed towards the closet to pull on a robe before making my way to the bedroom door. Ace seemed a little flustered when he suddenly headed out of the room and that made me worry about him.


    Did something urgente up from the call just now?


    That was the only logical exnation that I could think of from the way that he reacted. Ace was probably still on the phone and that made me hesitate to step out of the bedroom to disturb him. The call might be confidential as well. My hand rested on the doorknob without turning it as I debated with myself on what I should do.


    Slowly, I turned the doorknob and opened the door a crack before peering out. To my surprise, I couldn¡¯t see Ace in the living room. I opened the door fully open before walking out into the empty living room.


    Where did he go?


    I sighed when I decided to give up and leave him alone. Ace will be back when he was done with his call anyways. I plopped down onto the sofa before stretching. Maybe we could go for a stroll along the beach together for a bit before having lunch. Then in the afternoon, we could go to the sauna together. If he doesn¡¯t want to do that, there was a small hill to the back of the resort where we could trek up a little to see the sea view from higher up. I read about it on the website about this ce and the photos shot from up on the hill looked breathtakingly beautiful. If we could stayte enough, maybe we can even catch the sunset there as well.


    Thinking that there was nothing else that I could do but wait for his return, I was fully awake and in a very cheerful mood. I smiled while I hummed along to a random song that flowed through my mind while I waited for Ace¡¯s return.


    Suddenly, the door to the living room opened and Ace strode in. His hair was ruffled and the robe that he had on had been tied very loosely. At least he didn¡¯t go out there naked.


    ¡°Wee back...¡± I said with a teasing smile.


    ¡°Pack up now. We need to head back,¡± Ace said before he walked past me and began gathering his things.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 220

    220 Unexpected End


    What?!


    My mouth dropped open as I stood frozen in ce. I watched as Ace disappeared into the bedroom probably to get dressed before we had to leave. Ace¡¯s sudden announcement that we had to leave and the rush that he was in to get out of this ce shocked me. Just now I was dreaming happily of all the things that we could do together. My heart sank and I pressed a hand against my chest as I tried to control the rush of pure disappointment that filled me.


    This is normal. Emergencies at work happen and it ispletely normal.


    Ace is the CEO and there are things that only he can do. So many people are depending on him so if they need him then he needs to be there.


    I kept on telling myself this over and over, but my legs refused to move from the spot. Logically, I knew that Ace was doing the right thing. He was reacting to whatever situation rightfully based on the details he must have gotten through the call just now. I knew without a doubt that he was just doing what was required of him.


    Still, even when I knew all of that, I couldn¡¯t stop the feeling of disappointment and hurt that seemed to spread endlessly in my chest. It was clearly because I had such high hopes and expectations for this trip that I was so crushed when the second day together was being snatched away all so suddenly. Ace walked out of the bedroom into the living room where I was again and gave me a confused look.


    ¡°Rina...we have to leave...now...¡± he told me again as he stared into my face.


    He probably couldn¡¯t understand why I was frozen in the same spot like that despite his order for us to get a move on. My lips felt dry, and I didn¡¯t think that I could speak at that moment so I just nodded my head once at him to let him know that I understood.


    We have to leave...now...


    .....


    I headed towards the bedroom to gather my things. Thankfully, we didn¡¯t pack a lot so it wouldn¡¯t take that much time to gather everything and shove it into the mini luggage that we brought along with us. When I got into the bedroom, I felt Ace¡¯s presence behind me.


    ¡°Just get dressed. Leave everything here. Just grab your phone and handbag. The rest can be shipped to useter, it doesn¡¯t matter...¡± Ace said with clear impatience.


    I wanted to ask him what that call was about that made him seem so flustered and in a rush to get out of this ce and if there was something that I could possibly do to help him even if it was just a little. However, the stern and cold look on Ace¡¯s face prevented me from asking him anything. If there was something that I could do, it was probably to focus on getting dressed and getting rid of all my selfish thoughts.


    This holiday was just a trip, and we could go on a trip like this together again anytime. I guess...


    Somehow, I managed to gather my wits together and got dressed for our trip back to the city. Just as Ace had advised, I didn¡¯t waste any time packing things up. After grabbing my phone and my handbag which had the essentials that I needed, I headed out to where Ace was already waiting for me outside. Ace was on the phone and was talking in hushed tones.


    I could tell without knowing what was going on that something not great had happened while we were away from the city center. Although the sun was shining brightly and the sky above us was clear and blue, we could no longer return to the peace and happiness that we enjoyed yesterday anymore.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Ace said curtly.


    Immediately we made our way back to where Ace had parked the car and soon, we were on our way to the city center. Ace didn¡¯t exin to me about what had happened at all even when we were together in the car. I kept ncing over at him as Ace focused his attention on the road in front of him. The speed at which he was driving told me that he wanted or needed to get back as soon as possible.


    ¡°I¡¯ll drop you off at the office,¡± Ace told me emotionlessly.


    ¡°Right...¡± I murmured as I wondered what was really going on.


    If I asked him, would he tell me?


    ¡°Umm...what happened?¡± I asked a little hesitantly.


    ¡°Something came up at work. I need to deal with some things quite urgently. I¡¯m sorry for this...¡± he replied.


    Just as I had guessed, he wasn¡¯t willing to disclose to me any details of what had happened. That either meant that it was confidential, or he probably thought that there was nothing that I could do about it anyways even if I knew. Even if it that was true, I still would have preferred for him to tell me. Maybe I¡¯ll learn about what happened after this incident blew over and everything returned to normal.


    The ride back to the business district in the city center passed by extremely slowly with Ace regrly checking his phone when the car was stuck at red lights. Ace parked right in front of the office building when we made it back. Because it was a Sunday, the ce was very much empty except for the security personnel and some staff that had to work on the weekends.


    ¡°Go home, Rina,¡± Ace told me dismissively after we got out of the car.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I called his name softly.


    Ace turned to hear what I had to say. Honestly, I had so many things that I wanted to ask and say to him; however, I doubt that he had the time for that.


    ¡°Good luck...¡± I said simply before smiling a little at him.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Ace muttered before entering the building.


    I watched his broad back as he walked away and disappeared deeper into the lobby of the office building until he waspletely out of sight.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 221

    221 Heaven to Hell


    Although the familiar andrge office building of Jessen¡¯s & Hill¡¯s loomed over me, it was still hard for me to believe and ept that I was back here when I was supposed to be enjoying my long-awaited holiday with Ace. Ace had already disappeared from sight, and I was utterly alone. I stared up at the tall building that loomed over me and for some reason I recalled the first day when I came here.


    It all felt like so long ago...


    I should head home. There¡¯s nothing for me to do here so I might as well head back to my apartment to get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a Monday and that meant that a bunch of grilling work was waiting for me. Resting up and preparing myself mentally and physically for that might not be a bad idea. I took in a deep breath before letting it out slowly to renew my determination.


    I thought of Ace¡¯s words when we watched the sunset together. I¡¯ll definitely get through this and then we¡¯ll go on many more trips together and I¡¯ll makes sure that we get to see beautiful sunsets together in so many different ces.


    With my mind made up, I turned around to leave. Now if only I can get a cab, life would be perfect. I had no idea that there was an unfortunate surprise waiting for me almost the moment that I turned around.


    I saw a taxi approaching and I immediately lifted my hand to g it down. The car came to a stop right in front of me and just when I was reaching for the door, the door opened to my surprise. My surprise turned into shock when I came face to face with the man who had just stepped out of the taxi.


    ¡°Kyle?!¡± I called his name so loudly as I jumped back in shock.


    My hand flew to cover my open mouth as I gasped. I couldn¡¯t believe that of all the people that I had to run into, I had to run into him. A very familiar stared at me with an equally surprised look.


    ¡°Rina...¡± he murmured my name.


    .....


    How many times have I told him not to call me that anymore?


    ¡°Kyle...¡± I murmured as we stood staring at each other.


    A moment must have passed by because the taxi driver honked his horn at me as if to ask if I still needed his services.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t need a ride anymore. Please leave...¡± Kyle yelled loud enough for the driver to hear.


    All the while, he kept his eyes glued to mine. My heart raced in my chest at this unexpected development.


    Kyle is here. Why?


    What is he doing here at Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s and on a Sunday of all days?


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± I snapped as I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at him.


    He¡¯s not here to steal any more corporate secrets, is he?


    ¡°Rina...perfect. Come with me,¡± he said whilepletely ignoring my question.


    His hand reached out so quickly that I couldn¡¯t dodge it and grabbed my elbow and began pulling me after him.


    ¡°Wait!¡± I called out loudly.


    What is he doing? Where is he taking me?


    ¡°Stop! Stop right now or I¡¯m going to scream and call the security guards...¡± I threatened seriously.


    I shook my arm and finally seeded in yanking my arm away from his firm grip. I had no idea why he was here, but I wouldn¡¯t let him just randomly drag me off to an unknown ce with him.


    ¡°Stop making a fuss ande with me, Rina,¡± Kyle hissed as his eyes narrowed at me.


    ¡°Stop calling me that!¡± I snapped in pure annoyance.


    Kyle just rolled his eyes as me, but he refused to back away. What on earth does he want from me?


    My arrival at this ce today was unnned so there was no way that Kyle would know about it in advance because even I didn¡¯t know that I would be here. That can only mean one thing and that was that Kyle wasn¡¯t here to see me.


    So why is he here?


    Don¡¯t tell me...


    ¡°Why are you here, Kyle? You¡¯re not here to see me because this is a Sunday. There¡¯s no way that I would be here normally. Why are you really here?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Elizabeth is probably on her way here if she hasn¡¯t arrived already...¡± Kyle revealed with a lopsided grin.


    ¡°Elizabeth is here?!¡± I eximed loudly.


    It was like the heavenly trip that I had nned all failed just to deliver me down to the deepest depths of hell. What Kyle probably didn¡¯t foresee was that I would be here.


    ¡°Shhh...¡± Kyle urged me to lower my voice as he nced around nervously.


    I had no idea why we had to be acting like two ashamed people engaged in an illicit love affair when we had done nothing wrong. Everything about the situation pissed me off and I hated to think that Ace and I had to returned back here in the middle of our trip just so that he could meet up with her.


    Someone please tell me that this isn¡¯t really happening.


    ¡°Are you sure that she¡¯s here?¡± I asked while harboring some hope that this fool of a man could be wrong.


    ¡°Come here. Don¡¯t just stand there...¡± Kyle hissed as he yanked on my arm.


    Instead of entering the building through the front entrance, Kyle took me through a pathmonly used by employees that looped back to the backside of the building where the adjoining parking building was.


    ¡°Won¡¯t she just park right out front?¡± I asked with pure irritation.


    I yanked my arm away from Kyle¡¯s grip again because I could follow him just fine without him holding onto it.


    ¡°Not if she wants to keep their little meeting a secret...¡± he replied softly.


    I hated how he made it sound like they were undoubtedly involved in an affair. I just hated it! How can he say something like that so casually?


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 222

    222 Her Over Me


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± I snapped.


    If he knew that Elizabeth was on the way here to see Ace, why didn¡¯t he let me know. The way Ace acted was suspicious and he seemed extremely worried all throughout our drive back here. I didn¡¯t want to believe that he could look that concern if he just wanted to meet Elizabeth. Something must have happened.


    Something...serious...


    ¡°You told me not to contact you. Remember?¡± Kyle replied teasingly.


    Shit. I guess I did say something along those lines.


    ¡°I told you not to contact me unless something happens. Doesn¡¯t this count as something happening?¡± I snapped in a hushed tone.


    ¡°Rina...¡± Kyle called my name in a hushed whisper and then I felt my arm being pulled roughly.


    Just when I was about to yell at him for scaring me, a car drove by us and into the parking lot. The way Kyle¡¯s body seemed to stiffen next to me told me without any doubt whose car that was just now. No wonder he felt like we needed to hide away for a bit while that car past by us.


    ¡°Is that Elizabeth¡¯s car?¡± I asked although I guessed that I already knew the answer.


    .....


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s her car all right...¡± Kyle replied as his mood seemed to darken.


    Ace...


    Did you reallye back here to meet up with her?


    Why would you do something like that?


    ¡°Maybe they¡¯re just here to meet up on some business...¡± I muttered.


    I probably failed to convince Kyle because I couldn¡¯t even convince myself to believe that.


    ¡°Yeah...on a Sunday of all days...¡± he muttered with clear distaste.


    Just when I had sworn to put more trust in Ace and not let Kyle mess with my mind, I couldn¡¯t stop the sinking feeling that I felt deep inside of me. I stood up straight after yanking my arm away from Kyle¡¯s grip again. Elizabeth and her car were gone now and there was no need for us to hide away anymore. Staying here with this jerk isn¡¯t going to solve any of my problems. Before I talk to Ace about this, I am not going to believe in anything that this liar says to me!


    ¡°I¡¯m going home. Bye...¡± I muttered before turning away.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Kyle asked is if in disbelief.


    ¡°Home. There¡¯s no need for me to hang around here with you anymore...¡± I snapped at him again.


    ¡°Your dear boyfriend just left you to see my wife and you¡¯re saying that that has nothing to do with you?¡± Kyle asked with widened eyes.


    I hated how he had to put it like that. Ace didn¡¯t...leave me...


    ¡°Shut up! Don¡¯t say anything when you actually don¡¯t know anything. There is no proof whatsoever that they¡¯re meeting up,¡± I said as my anger boiled over.


    ¡°Just listen to how delusional you sound right now, Rina. Why would Elizabeth turn up here of all ces on a Sunday when the office is supposed to be close? Do you really think its coincidence that your dear boyfriend just left you in front of the office building at around the exact same time?¡± Kyle asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s...¡± I mumbled softly.


    I hated how Kyle could read my mind and put my thoughts and wonders into words. I knew that everything about the situation was suspicious, but I desperately wanted to believe that there was a good exnation behind all of this.


    ¡°Stop fooling yourself, Rina!¡± Kyle yelled at me as he grabbed my shoulders and began shaking me.


    I was too stunned at his words to react. No matter how many times that he shook my body, I couldn¡¯t shake the doubt that I felt deep inside of my chest.


    ¡°Stop calling me that! My name is Karina!¡± I yelled back.


    ¡°You can go home if you want...¡± Kyle muttered coldly as his hands dropped away from my body to his side.


    His sudden change in attitude made me wonder what had brought about this sudden change in him.


    ¡°What about you?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to wait here until they leave...to see if they¡¯ll leave together or if they¡¯re going to head somewhere else together...¡± he replied simply.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to tail them?¡± I asked in shock.


    ¡°Yeah. You can head home if you want,¡± Kyle mumbled like he didn¡¯t care about me anymore.


    Now that he was fine with me taking off, I was the one who hesitated. I would be lying if I said that I wasn¡¯t worried and curious about what those two were up to or why they had to meet up together like this. Their meeting was unnned for sure and that call that Ace took away from me outside the bedroom must have been from Elizabeth.


    What did she tell him?


    Whatever it was, it was enough to get Ace to head back to see her immediately even though we were in the middle of our holiday. My head throbbed so painfully that I thought that it would explode. No matter what, I couldn¡¯t shake away the uneasy feeling in my heart and the suspicion in my mind. If I went home now, would I be able to stop thinking about it?


    Is this how Kyle is feeling as well? Is that why he seemed so intent on seeing everything through for himself?


    I shook my head from side to side as I tried to shake away those ominous thoughts. Haven¡¯t you learnt your lessons already, Rina?


    I knew that I had to stop doubting Ace and stop making everything that Kyle says sway me. If I were to look at it from another angle, this might be all because of Kyle¡¯s own insecurities.


    ¡°Kyle, maybe we should head home. They¡¯re probably meeting for some urgent business that needs to be kept confidential...¡± I tried to tell him calmly.


    ¡°Confidential and urgent business?¡± Kyle asked, clearly unconvinced.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re acting so insecure about it. You two just got married not so long ago...¡± I said before I let out a sigh.


    ¡°We¡¯re not legally married...yet...¡± Kyle replied softly.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 223

    223 Their Secret


    What?!


    ¡°What? What does that mean?¡± I mumbled as his words took me by surprise.


    This was the first time that I was hearing about this. Naturally, since I don¡¯t keep in touch with Kyle anymore, he doesn¡¯t tell me anything and I didn¡¯t want to know anything about him and his rtionship with his wife. However, this new piece of information really caught me off guard.


    ¡°Just as it sounds. We had a wedding ceremony, but we¡¯re not legally married on paper...¡± Kyle disclosed before he sighed.


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked, without being able to stop myself.


    Before Kyle could reply to me, he pulled on my arm roughly again as he urged for me crouch down next to him. I followed his line of sight, and I gasped in shock.


    The car that just drove by exiting out of the parking lot was Ace¡¯s car. That couldn¡¯t be. It wasn¡¯t that long ago since he left me to head into the office building so why was he leaving already?


    The worse part was that I didn¡¯t think that he was alone in his car. It was just a brief nce, and I didn¡¯t see it clearly but it seemed like someone was sitting next to Ace in the passenger seat of his car.


    ¡°Elizabeth...¡± Kyle murmured close to me.


    .....


    From his tone, it was clear that he was sure that he had spotted Elizabeth¡¯s in Ace¡¯s car. I closed my eyes as a sense of dread overcame me. Once the car was gone, Kyle stood up and began heading to the exit of the parking lot.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± I asked him as I found myself following him in a panic.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to tail them...¡± he replied like it was supposed to be obvious.


    ¡°How? They¡¯re gone and you don¡¯t even have a car...¡± I asked him in wonder.


    None of the things that he just said made any logical sense. It just wasn¡¯t possible for us to trail them. Before I had realized it, my mind was made up that I would join Kyle on this worthless expedition to uncover the truth behind Ace¡¯s and Elizabeth¡¯s secretive meeting.


    ¡°Have you decided toe along?¡± Kyle turned to ask me.


    Shit. It just felt like I was ying right into his hands. However, I didn¡¯t think that I had another choice. Even if I went home now, I¡¯ll still end up doubting Ace. I hated myself for my inability to putplete trust in Ace; however, it was also his fault for acting so suspiciously and meeting up with Elizabeth behind my back.


    ¡°Shut up...¡± I muttered as my mood continued to darken.


    Kyle headed right back to the entrance of the building while I followed a couple of steps behind him. It was still hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that Ace had left me to meet up with Elizabeth. Pain shot through the palms of my hands, and I looked down to realize that I had my fists clenched so tightly that my knuckles were white.


    ¡°So, how are we going to follow them?¡± I asked the question that Kyle had not answered me yet.


    ¡°I think I know where they¡¯re going...¡± Kyle said without much excitement.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just bring your car?¡± I asked while feeling irritated.


    If only Kyle had his car, then we didn¡¯t need to waste time and wait for a cab like this. Maybe we should have already followed them.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m more cautious than your boyfriend and my wife...¡± he replied before taking out his phone.


    Kyle made a call and exchanged a very short conversation with someone. Thankfully, it didn¡¯t take long for us to get a cab. Once we got into the car, Kyle immediately told the driver our destination without any hesitation. Our destination turned out to be one of the most famous hotels in the city. It wasn¡¯t famous for just its luxury or high price but also for its members-only club that everyone seemed to know about yet not really know anything about.


    What was known asmon knowledge was that on the upper-most floor of the hotel there was a members-only club where the rich, famous, and sometimes shady people gathered together. As for what they gathered to do or what the club¡¯s main objective was, no one really knew. Although Kyle did not mention that we were heading there because of the club¡¯s existence, I could sort of guess.


    ¡°You know that we can¡¯t get in there, right? We¡¯re not members...¡± I pointed out the moment that we arrived.


    The taxi parked out in front of therge hotel and Kyle gracefully paid for our ride. I was too alert to think about anything as I worried about what Ace was up to with Elizabeth.


    ¡°I know that...¡± Kyle mumbled.


    ¡°Are Ace and Elizabeth members of the club?¡± I asked in a small voice.


    Ace never mentioned anything but considering his social standing, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he was a member. The same could be same about Elizabeth. Once again, I hated this reminder that made me feel like we were from different worlds even if we really were from different worlds.


    ¡°Elizabeth is for sure. As for Ace, I¡¯m pretty sure that he¡¯s a member. A new one at that...¡± Kyle said as he stared up at the high-rise building of the hotel.


    I quickly realized that the main point wasn¡¯t whether the two of them were really members to the club or not. The real point was whether they even came here to begin with.


    ¡°How do you know that they came here? Maybe they went somewhere else,¡± I demanded to know.


    ¡°They¡¯re here unless Elizabeth made a reservation and decided not to turn up...¡± Kyle said with confidence.


    ¡°She made a reservation? How did you know?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I overheard her on the phone earlier in the day and then she got ready and seemed in a hurry to leave the house,¡± Kyle exined.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 224

    224 Worst Fears


    I connected the dots that she probably made the reservation after she gave Ace a call. They probably decided to meet up here. As for why they had to meet up at the office first beforeing here remained a mystery to me.


    ¡°Also, I bribed some of the staff here to help me keep tabs on Elizabeth...¡± Kyle confessed softly.


    My eyes widened in surprise. Although I had to say that it sounded like something that Kyle would have done.


    ¡°So, they¡¯re really here?¡± I mumbled.


    What should we do now? Do we just wait here until theye out?


    Then, what?


    Let¡¯s say hypothetically that we caught Ace and Elizabething out of the hotel together and going to their private club, then what?


    Would I just jump out and confront them and then ask why the two of them were together?


    My brows furrowed when I suddenly realized that what we were doing was totally pointless if we didn¡¯t n to confront our partners. Then again, I wasn¡¯t sure if I was ready to confront Ace about this. What if we did it and we got it all wrong?


    .....


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that they¡¯re here. I¡¯m waiting for a message from the person that¡¯s working for me to confirm if Elizabeth showed up and also who she¡¯s with,¡± Kyle replied tly.


    ¡°Since when were you such a pro at this kind of thing...¡± I muttered sarcastically under my breath.


    If Kyle heard me, he decided to ignore mymentpletely. I was so restless as we both waited for a text message from the one who was working for Kyle to send their report. Surprisingly, it didn¡¯t take long for that to happen.


    Kyle¡¯s phone vibrated quite loudly, and my attention was immediately glued to the text that just appeared on the screen of his phone.


    ¡°Let me see...¡± I muttered as I tried to position my face so that I could see his phone screen better.


    My eyes opened wide in shock before they narrowed suspiciously at the text that appeared on the screen of Kyle¡¯s phone.


    ¡°Bingo...¡± he mumbled without much excitement.


    ording to the person that Kyle had hired, Elizabeth had arrived at the club, and she was with Ace. Everything that we suspected started toe true to my utter shock and disappointment. I felt cold and numb all the way down to my toes as I struggled to take in the fact that had just been reported. Suddenly, the air around me felt heavier and it got harder to breathe than before.


    ¡°Could it be...some kind of mistake?¡± I asked hopefully.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Kyle replied solemnly.


    Apparently, no amount of optimism could help improve the situation that we were in or what we had just discovered.


    ¡°What are you going to do? We can¡¯t go in there...¡± I asked.


    Even if we could, I wasn¡¯t sure if I wanted to go in there to confront Ace. I felt extremely conflicted inside and I didn¡¯t quite understand what I was feeling. So many negative emotions swirled through my chest and made me feel like I was ready to faint at any moment. However, the truth that I realized was that I was scared. I was scared of the truth and I was scared of confronting Ace.


    I just wasn¡¯t ready to meet him right now or talk to him about this.


    Kyle seemed like he was battling his own internal battles as well. I knew that I had to remain calm and look for a way out of this that would be best for all of us but I wasn¡¯t sure how to do that. Then it urred to me that I could start by understanding Elizabeth¡¯s situation better and that meant that I needed to talk to Kyle.


    ¡°Are you free right now? You have to be, right?¡± I asked abruptly.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Kyle asked suspiciously.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have lunch or something. I need to talk to you,¡± I said with such determination that I shocked even myself.


    Who would have thought that I would end up asking to have a meal with Kyle of all people? However, I didn¡¯t think that I had any other choice. There¡¯s a saying along the lines of knowing your enemies better than your friends or something, right?


    ¡°You mean, right now?¡± he asked as if it was the most ridiculous idea ever.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing that we can do right now, right?¡± I asked as I challenged him with my eyes to tell me something different.


    Kyle hesitated for a moment before he finally gave in and decided to join me for dinner. I wondered for a moment if I made the wrong decision about this. Maybe I should stay to see with my own eyes that Ace really did turn up to that exclusive club with Elizabeth. If we waited, maybe we could see the two of them together when they left.


    What was the point of all this?


    My hand clenched tightly around my phone as I debated with myself on whether I should try giving Ace a call. My gut feeling told me that he wouldn¡¯t answer my calls even if I tried getting in touch with him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go...¡± I muttered before walking away.


    Despite his initial hesitation, Kyle followed me willingly.


    ...


    ¡°Exin. What did you mean when you told me that you and Elizabeth are not legally married?¡± I asked as I squinted my eyes at Kyle.


    Kyle sat opposite me at a dining table for two in a random restaurant that was close to the hotel where we were. Not caring much for what we had for our meal, I picked a random restaurant that was close by as our destination for lunch. Kyle did notin and went along with it willingly and now he was seated across the table from me. I watched with some annoyance as he sipped at his drink without any hurry.


    ¡°I told you already. It¡¯s exactly like it sounds. We are not married on paper. We had our small wedding ceremony and celebration, but we have not signed the papers,¡± Kyle replied curtly.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 225

    225 usations and Defenses


    ¡°I guess nowadays people don¡¯t need papers to get married...¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°It¡¯s not about our preferences. Her father won¡¯t allow it,¡± he replied before he heaved a sigh.


    ¡°Is it because you¡¯re too poor for her?¡± I asked without mincing my words.


    I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Elizabeth¡¯s father saw Kyle as someone who isn¡¯t worthy of his daughter. Knowing what the real Kyle was like, if I had a daughter, I¡¯ll keep her far away from him for sure. On top of that, if I had a fortune as massive as that of the Chase family then I would work triple hard to safeguard it and keep it away from Kyle. I knew from my time with Kyle that he was a decently well-off city boy; however, I doubt that his fortune couldpare to that of the Chase family.


    ¡°When did you be so mean?¡± he asked before he rolled his eyes at me.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯m right then...¡± I said before Iughed a little mercilessly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just about the money. He hates me and basically thinks that I¡¯m a good-for-nothing person,¡± Kyle said before he shoved some food into his mouth.


    ¡°I can see where he¡¯sing from and I have to say that I truly agree with him on this one,¡± I replied before I shed Kyle a smile.


    ¡°Have you had enough? Did you drag me out to dinner with you just to chew me out about this?¡± Kyle asked with clear irritation.


    .....


    ¡°You know when I heard that you married Elizabeth Chase, I did wonder why someone like her would want to marry someone like you...¡± I said as I tilted my head a little to the side.


    Kyle¡¯s eyes narrowed at me, and I could tell that he wasn¡¯t pleased with what he had just heard. However, I didn¡¯t care what he thought of what he felt.


    ¡°You might not believe it, but I¡¯m trying my best to make things work out with her and also her father,¡± Kyle said.


    ¡°Does that include stealing my storyboard and my ideas from me too? You wanted to win thatpetition to impress Elizabeth and her father, is that it?¡± I asked before I shook my head from side to side in dismay.


    I found it so difficult to believe that I used to really like this guy. I thought that he was great and a very caring person. How did he turn out to be such a cheating loser?


    ¡°Instead of bringing up the past, I think you should be more worried about the present and how to handle the future. I told you before to stay away from Ace. He¡¯s got something fishy going on for sure...¡± Kyle said with a sneer.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare badmouth Ace!¡± I snapped at him immediately.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you like that guy so much...¡± Kyle muttered as if talking to himself.


    ¡°You just don¡¯t like Ace because he was engaged to Elizabeth, right?¡± I asked before I grinned wryly at him.


    ¡°That too, but I still don¡¯t like him. I don¡¯t know what Elizabeth¡¯s father sees in him, honestly. He¡¯s all over the ce. I¡¯m not saying that I¡¯m a great guy, but Ace is just all over the ce...¡± Kyle said with a look of disgust.


    ¡°What do you even mean by that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I think he¡¯s notmitted to anything. He was working for Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s under his father and then one day, he just randomly leaves. He left thepany and the country for that matter. Then suddenly, hees back to take over. I don¡¯t even think he¡¯s serious about his job right now either...¡± Kyle said with a shrug.


    ¡°Don¡¯t act and speak like you know Ace when you don¡¯t know anything about him. Ace works really hard and he is verymitted to his work,¡± I argued passionately.


    I¡¯ve seen Ace stay upte at night and I¡¯ve seen him so excited and tired about his work. Ace works harder than any of us just to keep thepany together and moving forward at an amazing pace. The way Kyle spoke as if he knew everything about Ace really pissed me off.


    ¡°I doubt it. One day, he¡¯ll just get sick of it all again and then he¡¯ll take off to some random ind in the tropics where he can enjoy life sunbathing on the beach...¡± Kyle said sarcastically.


    I had no idea why Kyle seemed to hate Ace so much, but it probably boiled down to the fact that Ace was engaged to Elizabeth and that they could be engaged in an affair right now.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I think that Ace has changed, and he is now very serious about his job and working for the future of thepany. Rather than worrying about Ace, I suggest that you worry about your rtionship with Elizabeth first,¡± I snapped at him heatedly.


    Ace has changed and I was there by his side all the way through his journey of change. It was probably true to a certain extent that Ace didn¡¯t take his jobpletely seriously before. He used to skip out on many meetings and hid away to take naps during workdays. However, he always showed interests when it came to key projects that were vital to thepany¡¯s performance. Lately, especially since he¡¯d made that promise with his father, he¡¯s been working terribly hard to grow thepany. Of course, I had no idea whether he was going to run off to a faraway ind somewhere or not in the future; however, if I had to bet on it, then I would bet that it wasn¡¯t very likely.


    ¡°We¡¯ll both see about that sooner orter...¡± Kyle said, and it was clear that he wasn¡¯t at all convinced.


    ¡°Are you...worried that Ace and Elizabeth will get back together?¡± I asked while wondering if I also feared that alternative as well.


    ¡°They were never really together. I know this...but that doesn¡¯t mean that they don¡¯t want to be together now. Maybe things have changed...¡± Kyle replied solemnly.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 226

    226 Complex Feelings


    Ace told me something simr about his rtionship with Elizabeth. Even when they were engaged to be married, they never really dated at all. I wondered what, if anything, has changed between them.


    ¡°Maybe I should just ask Ace. This is driving me insane...¡± I murmured to myself.


    ¡°Will he answer you honestly? What do you think?¡± Kyle asked as if he could read my mind and the worries swimming inside it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Will you believe Elizabeth? Have you asked her?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not directly. She will just yell at me and say that it¡¯s all nonsense. She would deny everything, and I¡¯ll have no idea if she¡¯s telling the truth or not...¡± Kyle replied.


    ¡°You don¡¯t trust her?¡± I asked as I wondered how much I trusted Ace.


    Kyle did not reply to me, and I decided not to press him. I hated to admit it, but it seemed like we were in the same boat. He probably felt very simr to the way that I was feeling. Although I didn¡¯t like to admit it, I thought that I could pretty much understand how he was feeling.


    ¡°Well, I guess anyone would suffer from an inferiorityplex if they had to bepared to Ace...¡± I said before Iughed a little.


    ¡°And anyone would suffer thatplex too if they had to bepared to Elizabeth,¡± Kyle shot back before he smiled challengingly at me.


    .....


    Fine. Maybe I did dig up my own grave for that one. However, I still refused to believe that Ace was cheating on me. There has to be a very good reason for all of this. If only he would tell me when I ask...


    ¡°I¡¯m going home,¡± I stated as I put up my hand to g down a waitress who happened to be looking my way right at that perfect moment.


    ¡°Already?¡± Kyle asked as if he wanted to spend more time with me.


    ¡°Of course. There¡¯s nothing else for us to talk about,¡± I snapped as my mood turned extremely sour.


    ¡°So, are you going to ask Ace about this?¡± he asked again.


    ¡°I will. I¡¯ll have to find the right moment to do it, though...¡± I replied honestly.


    ¡°Good luck. I doubt that he¡¯ll actually tell you anything or confess to anything,¡± Kyle said lightly as if none of his was his problem.


    ¡°Bye...¡± I muttered as I got up from my seat after paying my part of the bill.


    ¡°Are you sure that you don¡¯t need me to escort you back?¡± he asked with a grin.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m sure,¡± I replied without hesitation before turning on my heels to walk away from him.


    I could feel Kyle¡¯s gaze on my back as I walked away from him, but he didn¡¯t do anything to stop me from leaving.


    ...


    Later that evening, I took a long shower to clear my mind. While I stood under the shower, I thought of so many ways to ask Ace about his rtionship with Elizabeth. I knew that it wasn¡¯t going to be easy, and it may do more harm than good to our rtionship. However, there didn¡¯t seem to be another way out of this. Asking him will probably expose the fact that I didn¡¯t trust himpletely; however, if that meant that we could talk things over with each other then it might just be worth it.


    The real problem was finding the right opportunity to talk to Ace about this. Tomorrow is going to be a Monday and that meant that the following days would be weekdays and we would both be busy. I clicked my tongue in frustration as my body continued to enjoy the warmth of the water raining down on it.


    After stepping out of the shower, I got dressed infortable pajamas before heading to the vanity table to dry my hair. Halfway through the process, my doorbell rang unexpectedly. My heart jumped in my chest at the sound and hope welled inside of me.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whispered to myself.


    Quickly, I got out of my seat and headed as fast as I could toward the door. My guess was confirmed to be correct when I peeked out from the peephole of my door. The man standing right on the other side of my door was none other than Ace.


    ¡°Hey...¡± I greeted him softly after opening the door for him.


    ¡°Good evening, Rina...¡± Ace greeted me with a smile.


    His smile made my heart skip a beat, but it wasn¡¯t just that. I looked down at therge bouquet of red roses that he had thrusted toward me.


    ¡°This is a little present for you...¡± he announced cheerfully.


    ¡°T-Thank you...¡± I whispered as I tried my best to recover from the shock of his surprise gift.


    It was already quite unexpected for Ace to turn up here to see me and the bouquet of flowers added more to the surprise. I would be lying if I said that I wasn¡¯t happy to receive flowers from Ace; however, I wasn¡¯t sure why he was giving them to me.


    ¡°May Ie in?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Oh, yes...of course...¡± I replied.


    That was when I realized that I was just standing there like a frozen statue in the doorway without letting him into my room. I quickly snapped out of my daze and stepped aside to let him in. Ace walked past me into my room, and I closed the door and locked it behind us while I wondered why he was here.


    ¡°I hope you like these flowers. I want to apologize properly for the unexpected end of our trip. Something urgent turned up at work that I had to handle. It must have been very disappointing for you,¡± he said as his eyes met and held mine.


    A lump formed in my throat at his sincere apology, and I felt tears sting the back of my eyes. I nced down at the red roses of the bouquet that I was holding in my hands so that I wouldn¡¯t have to keep on looking into his hazel eyes.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 227

    227 Lies and Inquiries


    ¡°That¡¯s ok. Ipletely understand that it couldn¡¯t be helped. I hope everything is fine now at work...¡± I replied before I tried my best to smile at him.


    ¡°It¡¯s all good now...¡± he replied.


    After waiting a few seconds, I realized that he wasn¡¯t going to tell me anything about what had happened at work. I bit on the inside of my lower lip as I tried to tell myself that it didn¡¯t concern me, and it must have been confidential.


    ¡°Thank you...for the flowers,¡± I thanked him.


    ¡°No worries. It is already kind ofte, but I thought we could spend whatever time that there is left together before Monday arrives...¡± he said a little teasingly.


    ¡°What a wonderful idea...¡± I replied.


    Ace sat down on my bed and patted the spot next to him invitingly. I took in a deep breath and sat down next to him on the bed. It seemed like Ace had something to say and I couldn¡¯t wait to hear what it was.


    ¡°A party ising up that I need to attend thising weekend and I need you to be there with me. I¡¯ll send you more detailster about it tomorrow when we are at work,¡± Ace said a little sternly.


    Suddenly, he seemed very serious. When he mentioned that he wanted to spend the little time that was left of our weekend together with me, I didn¡¯t imagine that he wanted to spend the time talking about work. It was clear from his serious tone that the party that he was referring to wasn¡¯t going to be a leisurely one that he attended for the sake of entertainment or joy.


    .....


    ¡°I see. Sure, I¡¯ll make note of all the details when you send it over,¡± I replied as I tried not to let my disappointment show.


    Inside, I hoped that Ace didn¡¯te all the way over here just to discuss this uing work party with me no matter how important it may be. Our conversation died just as suddenly as it had started, and I found myself struggling to deal with the tension that had formed in the air between us.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I called his name softly.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked curiously.


    I wanted to p my own face. Despite all the efforts that I had put into finding the words to ask him about his rtionship with Elizabeth, I couldn¡¯t find the words. Ace gave me a curious look as his hazel eyes stared down into my face. My throat suddenly felt very dry, and my mind became nk.


    ¡°Rina?¡± he called my name softly and questioningly.


    ¡°Oh...umm...I was just wondering if you were at the office this entire time?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Clearing up the mess took much longer than I thought,¡± he replied smoothly.


    Unless I saw his ghost driving his car out of thepany¡¯s parking lot, then Ace was definitely lying to me. A painful lump formed in my throat as a sinking feeling developed in my chest. I could feel his eyes on my face, and I forced myself to smile a little at him.


    ¡°Must have been tough. I hope everything is all right now...¡± I managed to reply as I tried my best to sound natural and undisturbed.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine now,¡± he replied casually.


    ¡°Right...¡± I murmured before trailing off.


    I had no idea why Ace just lied to me. He wasn¡¯t at the office at all and even if he was, it wasn¡¯t for long. Soon after entering the office, he drove off with Elizabeth in his car to go to that hotel together.


    Why did he just lie to me?


    My gaze dropped down to myp where my hands were clenched together tightly as my anxiety and stress started to take over me. If he lied to me about being in the office, then he was probably lying about the emergency at work too. That call from Elizabeth that he received while we were on our trip this morning probably had nothing to do with business either.


    ¡°Rina...¡± he called my name suddenly.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I managed to reply amidst the burning pain in my chest.


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked quite a few years at thepany now. How do you feel? Do you still feel as inspired as you were before joining thepany?¡± he asked as his eyes narrowed at me.


    His sudden and random questions truly caught me off guard. I had no idea why Ace was asking me these things all of a sudden and it didn¡¯t seem to have any connection to what we were talking about before.


    ¡°Umm...I guess I am still inspired, and I like the work and working at thepany...¡± I replied truthfully.


    ¡°Is the work that you¡¯re doing now or have been doing what you had expected?¡± Ace asked.


    ¡°I guess. I mean, when I was younger, I was inspired to join thispany and I roughly knew what the job would entail so I wasn¡¯t surprised or anything...¡± I replied while I still wondered why Ace was asking me this.


    ¡°I see. Does the nature of themercials that we make match with what you wanted to design and produce?¡± he asked as he cocked his head to the side and watched me in wonder.


    I sometimes wonder about that myself. It was true that I liked the work that I was doing, and it was fun and challenging. My teammates are amazingly talented and motivated people who want to excel at everything that they do. Thepany provided me with countless opportunities for me to grow and develop my professional career. However, I wasn¡¯t sure if all the projects that I had worked on really matched with what I had in mind.


    ¡°I...I really enjoy the work and everything. I¡¯m also proud of all themercials that I¡¯ve worked on so far and I¡¯ve learned so much from them. However, I¡¯m not so sure if the nature matches with what I had in mind originally or not...¡± I replied as I struggled to exin my thoughts.


    ¡°I see...¡± he murmured.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 228

    228 Unfortunate sh


    ¡°Why are you suddenly asking me this? Did something happen?¡± I asked in return.


    ¡°Nothing at all. I was just curious. It¡¯s always good to evaluate how you feel about the job regrly and it¡¯s been a few years since you started so I just thought that having a good reflection might be good for you too,¡± he replied before he smiled warmly at me.


    ¡°Thank you...for helping me reflect. I really like the job, so you don¡¯t have to worry about me quitting anytime soon...¡± I replied followed by a teasingugh.


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Retaining our top talents is also a big part of my job,¡± Ace replied simply.


    ¡°I see, Mr. CEO...¡± I replied teasingly.


    Ace just grinned at me, but he didn¡¯t say anything else. Silence crept up on us again, but the atmosphere was lighter than it was before. I flicked my tongue along my lower lip as I summoned my courage to bring up the issue with Elizabeth again.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I murmured softly.


    ¡°It¡¯ste. You should go to bed and get some rest. Sorry for dropping by out of the blue...¡± Ace said as he slowly got up from the bed.


    Is he leaving already?


    .....


    ¡°Ace...you¡¯re not...staying over?¡± I asked a little hesitantly.


    Ace slowly turned around to face me and our eyes met as I stared up into his face. His hazel eyes felt so unreadable when he looked at me.


    ¡°Do you want me to?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Please stay...¡± I replied a little shyly.


    ...


    The day finally arrived for us to review the edited version of themercial that we had been working so hard on. Sitting in the dark room along with members of Project Alpha and members of the production team, my heart raced fast and hard in my chest as I waited for themercial to sh up on therge screen.


    ¡°Excited?¡± Jeremy whispered from next to me.


    ¡°More like...super nervous...¡± I whispered back.


    I heard him chuckle and that made me wonder why he didn¡¯t seem nervous about this at all. Perhaps he was more optimistic about me about the oue. We did supervise all the key scenes and all the transitions as well. Thinking about it objectively, there wasn¡¯t supposed to be arge room for error and there shouldn¡¯t be anything so unexpected. Even though I knew that I still felt extremely nervous to see the oue of our endless dedication and effort.


    ¡°Please watch carefully and take specific notes on the edits. We don¡¯t have that much time to get this right before it needs to be reviewed by themittee. If it passes that screening then thismercial will be released for everyone in the public to see,¡± the director reminded us sternly.


    The other person that thismercial needed to get approval from was Ace. The director didn¡¯t mention Ace, but I was sure that everyone was more than aware that Ace was probably a bigger hurdle for us to pass than themittee of thepetition. I took in a deep breath and then let out a loud sigh. Right at that moment, therge screen lit up and themercial started ying. All of my worries and nervousness evaporated immediately as my eyes and attention focused on taking in all the small details of themercial. My hand moved to write down notes on my notepad for the director to work on some minor edits.


    Jeremy had more notes than I did by the time the shortmercial came to an end. We thanked the director and everyone else before proceeding to our office to discuss the notes that we had taken down. The edits were minor, but these minor details could determine who would be the winner in thepetition as well as the emotional impact that themercial would have on the audience. There wasn¡¯t any detail that was too small for us to ignore. Everything had to be perfect.


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to the directorter today about the notes that we¡¯vepiled. If you have anything else to do, you can work on that first,¡± Jeremy suggested before he smiled at me.


    ¡°Thank you, Jeremy. I¡¯ll leave this in your capable hands...¡± I thanked him honestly.


    He nodded and left the room. Now that that was settled, I opened myptop to check on the email from Ace that I had been waiting for. Last night he mentioned a party that would take ce this weekend and that he would send me more details about it. I opened my email and saw that email regarding the party that Ace had just sent over.


    My eyes swept over the details in the email. The venue told me that the party would be a big and morous one. However, the detail that bothered me the most was the date that the party would be held. If I wasn¡¯t wrong, and I was sure that I wasn¡¯t, the date of the partynded on the exact same date as Ace¡¯s birthday.


    I leaned back on the chair that I was sitting on and closed my eyes. My hand moved to rub the sensitive skin in between my brows as I willed the frown that had creased my skin to go away. I wanted to buy Ace a present for his birthday and then I thought that we could celebrate this birthday peacefully together. Of all the days, why did this party have to be on the same day as Ace¡¯s birthday?


    Ace didn¡¯t mention his birthday to me, and he didn¡¯t seem bothered at all by this party. At his age, Ace probably didn¡¯t care much for birthday parties or presents anymore; however, I really wanted to make it a special day for him and for us. My eyes stared at the date in the email again as if staring at it intensely enough would make the date change. Of course, something as ridiculous as that wasn¡¯t possible. Ace wanted me to attend the party with him and that was what I intended to do. Even if we couldn¡¯t have a private dinner together because of the party, I guess I could still get him a present.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 229

    229 Small Miracle


    That brought me back to the problem that had been haunting me ever since I realized that his birthday wasing up. What present should I get for Ace?


    The party didn¡¯t seem to need any advance preparation and themercial was progressing well. It was hard to believe but it seemed like I had some free time on my hands. Before I could stop myself, I had already started searching online for ideas on what would make a good birthday present for Ace. I never knew that figuring out the perfect birthday present for someone would be so difficult. Then again, I have never had to figure out what a well-aplished CEO who seemed to have everything already would want for his birthday present.


    This is so hard...


    After flipping through various results from my online search, I realized that I wasn¡¯t sure what I was looking for. Once again, I realized that I didn¡¯t quite know what Ace really liked.


    What would Ace want for his birthday?


    I kept asking myself this question as I continued gathering ideas from my online search results. Thwere was still around five days until Ace¡¯s birthday, so it wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t have any time to figure something out.


    ...


    **A few dayster**


    I woke up feeling very refreshed without knowing that that day would be the day that a small miracle would happen. Ever since Ace¡¯s meeting with Elizabeth a few days ago, I had no heard anything from Kyle at all. I took that as a good sign. Whenever Kyle contacted me, he never had any good news, so I figured that it was better that I didn¡¯t hear from him. I wondered if Kyle ever ended up asking Elizabeth about that truth of that day.


    .....


    A loud sigh escaped from me when I was forced to face the fact that I had not been able to bring myself to talk to Ace directly about his meeting with Elizabeth on that day. Although many opportunities presented themselves when Ace and I were alone, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to ask him about it directly and that made me feel like such a failure. I never knew that having these hard conversations with Ace would be so difficult.


    Ace seemed to be in a good moodtely ever since we met up with Elizabeth. Although it made me curious if the shift in his overall mood had something to do with their meeting, I had to admit that it was a pleasant change. I prayed that his generous mood wouldst up until the end of the meeting that our team would have with him today.


    The director and his team did an amazing job in working on the edits that we hadpiled from thest test screening of themercial. Now that the team felt like themercial was ready for its final review, we were set to present themercial to Ace today.


    ¡°How confident are you?¡± Ace asked a little yfully as he seated himself down in the seat at the center of the room.


    The room was immediately silent, and no one even tried to reply to his question. Ace looked around the room at the various nk or ufortable faces. Facing Ace in his devil CEO mode even though he was supposed to be in a good mood was barbarically challenging.


    ¡°You know...if none of you are confident in your work then...¡± Ace said coldly.


    ¡°We¡¯re confident. We¡¯re very confident!¡± I blurted out loudly.


    I felt all eyes on me as well as Ace¡¯s attention. I felt so embarrassed and scared that I wished that I could just disappear right at that moment; however, someone had to reply to his question and speak up. I wasn¡¯t sure if everyone knew this or not, but I could tell where this was leading. If no one told Ace that we were confident with what we had, then he would think that there would be no reason why he had to have confidence in themercial that we made. Then, if Ace didn¡¯t have confidence in it, he would never let thismercial see the light of day outside of the walls of this room.


    ¡°We are extremely confident in our work. Please, give it a chance...¡± I said before I lost my nerve.


    ¡°Hmm...is that so?¡± Ace replied as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.


    ¡°Yes. We all worked very hard on this, and we¡¯ve made many edits to make thismercial as perfect as it can be,¡± Jeremy spoke up to support me.


    Ace¡¯s lips curved into a smirk before his intense gaze shifted to meet mine and then the various pairs of eyes in the room challengingly.


    ¡°Well, if you say so, then let¡¯s see it...¡± Ace said before leaning back into his chair.


    Just getting him to see themercial was already challenging. I prayed so hard that themercial would pass with flying colors. Otherwise, we would have to fix it and we didn¡¯t exactly have all the time in the world left for that.


    My hands were sweaty as I pressed them together under the table to hide my anxiety. My eyes wouldn¡¯t leave Ace¡¯s face as he stared at therge screen where themercial was now ying. I¡¯d seen themercial before, so I knew that there was no point for me to watch it. If there was something that I had to watch and pay attention to closely, it would be Ace¡¯s face and his reactions to what he was watching.


    The shortmercial finally came to an end and the lights in the room were switched on again. I squinted my eyes a little before taking in a deep breath to prepare myself to face Ace¡¯s harshments. Everyone was silent and they probably shared the same thoughts that I had at that moment. Ace was also silent as he seemed to be thinking of what to say.


    ¡°It¡¯s good,¡± Ace said with a slight nod of his head.


    Did he just say that it¡¯s...good?


    ¨CTo be continued...


    Thank you for reading.


    Please check out my other books: The Alpha Prince¡¯s Purchased Maid, Lust Contracts, Forbidden Heat, Conquering the Emperor, Love ve to the Mafia Boss¡¯s Passion.

 Chapter 230

    230 A Private Celebration


    My eyes widened and my mouth dropped open at his simple words. I stared at his face before my eyes wandered to the faces of the other team members in the room. Their faces mirrored the exact expression of shock that I had on my face. We were shocked but in a very pleased and exciting way. It wasn¡¯t normal for Ace topliment something so directly like this. Plus, he didn¡¯t have any otherments and that was the best thing of all.


    ¡°Do you really mean it? Thismercial is fine now, right?¡± I asked breathlessly.


    ¡°It is. Make sure that we confirm our next meeting with themittee. All relevant teams, please submit the final ns for theunch of hismercial to the public so that we can get moving first thing after we get themittee¡¯s approval,¡± Ace instructed professionally.


    I was too over the moon happy to care much about the next steps that the other teams had to handle. For me, it was already a miracle that themercial finally passed its review with Ace. All the noises and everything seem to fade away as I retreated into my own little world to celebrate this sess. We¡¯ve worked so hard on this right from the beginning up until this moment and finally, we have made it.


    I still remembered the first day that I joined the team and the first task that I was given on this project. I had to say that things were tough in a very different way back then. I received many harshments for the first work that I ever presented as part of this time. Looking back, that was probably the start of my rapid learning journey and I have made so much progress from that day up until today.


    The meeting came to an end, and everyone made their way out of the meeting room to work on their steps. I quickly made my way out of the meeting room to follow after Ace. Thankfully, I found him in the hallway after losing sight of him for a while.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I called his name when we were finally alone.


    He turned to me and didn¡¯t look at all surprise that I had called out his name.


    ¡°Rina...¡± he murmured my namezily.


    .....


    ¡°Thank you, Ace...¡± I thanked him before showing him one of my brightest smiles.


    ¡°What are you thanking me for?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Well, for giving the green light for themercial to go ahead, I guess...¡± I replied.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case then there¡¯s no need for you to thank me for it. I didn¡¯t let thatmercial pass because I wanted to help you. It was good enough to pass and that was why it did,¡± he replied bluntly.


    I should have expected a response like this. Of course, Ace wouldn¡¯t do anything like let my work pass if it didn¡¯t truly pass just to help or please me. And that was what I liked so much about him. He really cared about the quality of the work, and he never lowered any of his standards. I was sure that the future of thispany was going to be a bright one with Ace as the CEO.


    ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, I want to thank you anyways. You helped out so much on this project. Thank you...¡± I said before smiling gently at him.


    ¡°Come in,¡± he instructed.


    By that time, we had made it to the front of his office. With work being so busy, I¡¯ve ended up spending most of my time in the team working room along with Jeremy and other members of the team rather than spending time working in Ace¡¯s office. I obediently followed him into his office while I thought of how much I actually missed working here. Hopefully, things will settle down soon after the end of Project Alpha.


    I was about to sit down at my desk when Ace turned to face me. His eyes stared into mine and I started to wonder what it was that he wanted. My body froze and I remained standing up as we continued staring into each other¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Come inside...¡± Ace murmured.


    I watched as he turned and walked away from me into his personal office. My head cocked instinctively to the side in wonder. Does he have something important to talk to me about?


    Knowing that I shouldn¡¯t keep Ace waiting, I quickly followed him into his personal office before closing the door behind me.


    ¡°Lock the door,¡± Acemanded curtly from where he sat behind his worktable.


    ¡°Ok...¡± I whispered before reaching for the door and locking it.


    I could feel Ace¡¯s eyes on my every movement and that made me even more self-conscious than before. When I turned back to face him, I could see him staring at my face before his gaze lowered to my chest and then the rest of my body.


    ¡°Umm...¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Come here, Rina...¡± he instructed as his index finger crooked to gesture for me to approach him.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what he wanted but I decided to do as I was beckoned. Ace beckoned for me to get even closer to him until I was standing right next to his chair, and he was looking up at me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s celebrate a little...¡± he suggested with a charming smile.


    ¡°You mean for the sess of themercial¡¯s production?¡± I asked before returning his smile.


    If that was what he had in mind, he should have just told me. I wanted to celebrate with him too and if he was free, I was going to suggest that we go out for dinner together after we were both done with work for the day.


    ¡°Yes, what else?¡± he asked yfully.


    ¡°What about going out for dinner together tonight? Would that work for you? I can book a private restaurant for us...¡± I quickly suggested.


    I should have known that getting that milestone out of the way would also earn me a celebratory date with Ace. If I had known that I would have added that to my list of motivating factors to get the work done faster.


    ¨CTo be continued...


    Thank you for reading.


    Please check out my other books: The Alpha Prince¡¯s Purchased Maid, Lust Contracts, Forbidden Heat, Conquering the Emperor, Love ve to the Mafia Boss¡¯s Passion.

 Chapter 231

    231 Melting in His Arms


    ¡°That sounds good too...¡± he replied before he grinned at me.


    Did he have something else in mind?


    ¡°Is there something else that you¡¯d rather do this evening?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°Not really. Having dinner together this evening sounds just fine...¡± he replied casually.


    ¡°Ok, then. I¡¯ll work on the booking, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it,¡± I replied reassuringly.


    I smiled at him while my mind already imagined a romantic dinner date with Ace for the evening. Suddenly, the world seemed like a much brighter and more loving ce. Life didn¡¯t seem so hard as it did before and there was a spring in my steps as I turned to walk away from him.


    ¡°Rina...¡± he called my name softly.


    I felt a tug on my wrist and looked down to see Ace¡¯srge hand around my wrist. My eyes widened in slight surprise as I turned to face him with a questioning look on my face.


    ¡°Come here, Rina. I never said that you could leave just yet...¡± Ace said as he pulled me back towards him.


    .....


    ¡°I thought I should go and arrange for our dinner...¡± I murmured as my mind started to feel even more confused than before.


    ¡°You can do thatter. I can¡¯t wait to enjoy a little celebration with you...¡± he murmured as his eyes stared deeply into mine.


    ¡°Umm...me neither...¡± I replied with a smile.


    I wished that we didn¡¯t have to work anymore and that we could skip out on the rest of the working day and go straight to our date. However, I knew that that was impossible. We had to be patient and wait for our romantic celebration together tonight.


    ¡°Good. If that¡¯s the case then you wouldn¡¯t mind starting our celebration right now, right?¡± he asked before he smirked mischievously at me.


    His grip around my wrist tightened and I was starting to understand what he had in mind. My eyes widened as he continued to stare at my face with a clear look of yearning in his eyes.


    ¡°Did you already have this in mind when you called me in here?¡± I asked usingly.


    ¡°Of course, why else would I tell you to lock the door? I thought you already figured it out...¡± Ace murmured seductively.


    I felt heat rise to my cheeks and knew that I was blushing at his blunt yet extremely teasing words. Ace pulled me closer to him as he stared up into my face while I tried to avoid his intense and captivating gaze. Ace turned his chair towards me as his hand moved up to caress and then hold the sides of my waist.


    ¡°Straddle me, Rina...¡± he instructed seductively.


    His hands on my waist pulled me down and closer to him. I looked away in embarrassment as I blushed even more wildly than before. Ace chuckled at my hesitant reaction as he seemed to enjoy my embarrassment. He did not rush me as he waited patiently for me to slowly lower myself down to straddle hisp.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I whispered his name.


    Aceughed softly and I could tell that he was pleased. Then his lips were on mine as he captured them in a hungry and very demanding kiss. His lips crushed onto mine as if he wanted to punish me for some wicked crime that I hadmitted. He crushed his lips against mine again and again as his hand moved to hold the back of my head to prevent my escape.


    I felt the tip of his wet tongue licking between my lips until he parted them before thrusting his tongue deftly into my mouth. I moaned into our kiss at the sudden entrance of his tongue into my mouth. His tongue immediately engaged mine in a fervent dance that made my core clench from the pleasure. Ace¡¯s kisses felt so good and even the most demanding ones felt so sexy and hot. He ground his tongue against mine as they swiveled together wildly in the depths of my mouth.


    I closed my eyes and surrendered myself to him as he invaded my mouth with his tongue and my mind with my desire for him. My core throbbed as it heated up and soon, I felt my pussy getting slick with the wetness of my love juices. Ace turned me on so much with the way that he was kissing me and the way his familiar scent filled my senses. I wanted him so badly and I began kissing him back to make my desire clear to him.


    Ace chuckled into our kiss before he broke our kisspletely. His hazel brown eyes stared deeply into mine as his hands moved to caress my back all the way down to my waist before he leaned in to ce a series of seductively gentle kisses along the side of my neck. I moaned and gasped from the pleasure of his seduction. His hands moved between our bodies and soon I felt the pressure of his hands groping my breasts through my white shirt and bra.


    ¡°Ahh...¡± I moaned before closing my eyes in bliss.


    ¡°You always love it when I y with your breasts like this...¡± he said knowingly.


    Hisrge manly hands moved to massage my breasts simultaneously and I felt my nipples growing taunt as they rubbed against my bra. I wanted him to touch me directly already. My pussy began throbbing with need and my hips began moving on hisp.


    ¡°Ahhh...Ace...please...¡± I begged him shamelessly for more pleasure.


    ¡°You¡¯ve really grown into a very greedy littledy...¡± Ace murmured with mocking disapproval.


    His hands squeezed my breasts more roughly than before as he pumped them together faster and faster while I moaned and writhed on hisp from the intensified pleasure of his touches. My hips began grinding against his leg for temporary relief. My hands moved to hike up my skirt until it pooled around my waist as my hips moved wantonly to grind my pussy against his leg.


    ¡°Your hips are moving so lewdly, Rina. Let me help you undress...¡± he murmured as his hands and fingers moved to attack the small white pearl buttons of my white shirt.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 232

    232 Lustful Celebration


    ¡°Ahh...Ace...¡± I murmured his name.


    It had been a while since west had sex like this in his office. I might have hated the idea of doing it here at first but after so many rounds of him taking me here, I had learned to enjoy it along with the joy of his loving caresses. Even now, I could feel my body reacting even more strongly to his touches as if it recalled all the steamy memories that we shared together in that room.


    Ace¡¯s fingers moved fast to unbutton the buttons of my shirt and soon he was parting the white fabric away to expose my upper body to his lusty gaze. I let the fabric of my shirt fall away from my shoulders as it slipped down my body. I removed my arms from the sleeves of my shirt myself as Ace¡¯s hands moved to grope my breasts through my bra. A lusty moan escaped my lips at the blissful pleasure of his hands squeezing my womanly flesh.


    ¡°Touch me, Ace...¡± I begged as my hand moved behind my back to unhook my bra.


    My breasts instantly sprung out of the cups of my bra and into his awaiting hands as my bra loosened around my body. I moved my hands to remove the straps of my bra from my shoulders and slid them down my arms. Ace¡¯s hand moved to tear the cups of my bra away from my breasts and then I felt the heat of his hands directly on my naked breasts.


    ¡°Your breasts feel so good in my hands. I want to y with them forever...¡± he murmured seductively.


    ¡°Ahh...Ace...¡± I murmured in reply before I sighed from the pleasure.


    I could feel his eyes staring at my womanly assets as his hands worked their magic on them. His fingers moved to stroke around the base of my nipples, making them harden even further in anticipation of his touch. My pussy quivered from desire and soon I felt a gush of wetness spurting out from between my legs and I knew that I had just wetted my panties with my juices. Ace made me sopping wet for him as his fingertips moved to capture my swollen perks in between them.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahh! Ahhh!¡± I cried out from the crazy surges of pleasure that erupted throughout my body from the way his fingertips were stimting my nipples.


    .....


    His fingertips rolled my nipples in between them as I moaned in ecstasy before he began tugging and pulling on them softly. My hips rocked on hisp as my pussy got wetter and wetter. I could feel his massive hardness in his pants, and I didn¡¯t hesitate to grind my pussy against it as he continued to y with my hardened nipples. My nipples felt so sensitive and the more he yed and teased them, the more pleasure I felt from his touches. I could feel the hard outlines of his cock so clearly as I continued to press my pussy against it. He was so turned on just like I was. I cried out when Ace suddenly pinched my nipples and it felt like I was on the verge of cumming.


    ¡°Ahh! Ace...it feels so good...¡± I moaned before biting down hard on my lower lip.


    ¡°I can tell. You keep grinding your pussy against my cock...¡± he said with a deep chuckle.


    His hands left my breasts before I felt his hand in between my legs. I lifted my hips a little to grant his hand easier ess to the hot wet mess in between my legs. Ace did not hesitate to thrust his hand down my panties and soon I felt his fingers diving into my wetness. I moaned and then cried out his name when his explorative fingers quickly found my swollen clit and began ying with it.


    ¡°You¡¯re very wet already, Rina...and your clit is hard...¡± he said teasingly as his fingers pressed hard against my clit.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± I cried out sharply at the wild pleasure that invaded my senses.


    ¡°You¡¯re really wet inside...¡± Ace murmured.


    I whimpered when I felt his finger thrusting up inside my love hole. He felt around my insides as I moaned from the pleasure of being prated.


    ¡°Please Ace...¡± I begged for him to take me.


    Slowly, his fingers withdrew from my hole. It seemed like he was just testing me whether I had gotten wet enough to take in his cock.


    ¡°I want to make you cum once first, but I can¡¯t wait any longer...¡± Ace admitted bluntly before his hands moved to undo his pants.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you,¡± I volunteered as my hand moved to stop his.


    ¡°Thank you, Rina,¡± Ace thanked me with a pleased smile.


    I quickly unbuckled his belt and undid his pants to quickly free his massive beast from its restraints. His cock was already very hard, thick, and long when it sprang right into my hand. I could tell from how hard and hot it was that he couldn¡¯t wait to thrust it inside of me.


    I lifted my hips and quickly pulled my panties down my legs before guiding his gigantic thick pole to my throbbing entrance. Ace watched me with eyes that smoldered with raw desire as he waited for me to put him inside of me.


    ¡°Put my cock inside you and then ride me, Rina...¡± he instructed as his hands moved to support the sides of my waist.


    I nodded at him while my hand moved to position the thick head of his cock at the wet entrance in between my thighs. He was very big, and I knew that it would hurt a little to take him in directly. Ace had not fingered me to loosen my pussy hole for him. I reached down with my other hand to part my pussy lips before lodging the thick and engorged head of his cock at my entrance.


    ¡°Good girl...just like that...¡± Aceplimented me encouragingly.


    I slowly lowered my hips down onto him as his cock slowly prated upwards into my hole from below.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 233

    233 Intense Loving


    ¡°Ahhh...Oh...Ahhh...¡± I moaned as his cock slowly prated it my pussy.


    Ace¡¯s hands tightened on the sides of my waist as I continued lowering my hips down onto his upstanding cock. His cock felt so hard and so hot as it thrusted into me. Ace pulled me down onto him and his cock pounded all the way into me until I was sitting right on top of hisp with his cock buried all the way inside of my wet love tunnel. I could feel his cock twitching slightly inside of me and it reminded me of how alive and virile it was.


    ¡°Good girl, Rina. It¡¯s all the way in now...¡± Ace said before he leaned his face towards mine and nted a loving kiss on my forehead.


    His cock fitted so snuggly inside of me and it made me feel so close to him. I smiled a little at him before I began lifting my hips up from him. The sweet pleasurable sensation of his cock sliding and rubbing against the sensitive walls of my pussy as his cock slowly slid out of me made me moan and I had to close my eyes for a moment to refocus myself. It just felt so good.


    ¡°Ace...Ahh...Ace...¡± I moaned his name as I wrapped my arms loosely around his neck.


    Ace¡¯s hands tightened to better support the sides of my hips as I moved them up and down to ride his thick and hard dick. I started off slowly to get used to his cock sliding in and out of my hole as my pussy moved on top of him. I lifted my hips until his cock almost exited my pussypletely before lowering down onto his thick hardness again. It felt so good, and I was moaning very loudly as Ace watched my every reaction.


    ¡°Your pussy feels amazing, Rina. It¡¯s squeezing me so tightly. Move a little faster...¡± Ace said encouragingly.


    I nodded at him to tell him that I understood what he wanted me to do. I began moving my hips up and down faster as I made sure to angle my hips for his cock to hit all the right spots inside of me to heighten my own pleasure. His cock felt so hot and thick inside of me and that turned me on even more. My pussy clenched around his thick grith as I got wetter and wetter. Our bodies made pping sounds as I rode his cock harder than before, lifting my hips and then using my weight to m my hips down onto his cock. His cock pounded up into my pussy and made me scream from the raw pleasure of its thick head hitting all the way against my womb.


    ¡°Ahh...Ace. It feels so good...¡± I managed to say before I moaned lewdly.


    .....


    ¡°Lift your hips a little and stay still...¡± Acemanded as his hands moved under my ass to lift my hips.


    ¡°Ahhh! Yes! Yes!¡± I cried out in wild abandon when Ace began thrusting his thick love pole into me from below.


    Hisrge hands held my hips in ce as his hips thrusted upwards to pound his cock fast and hard into my awaiting pussy. I cried out each time his thick manhood rammed into me and hit my womb. Each thrust felt rougher and more forceful than the one before and I started to feel like my insides were melting. Ace had a very erotic and determined look on his face that I found to be very sexy as he continued giving it to me. His cock felt hotter inside of me and it felt like he had gotten even bigger than he was before as he filled and stretched my insides even further.


    ¡°I love fucking you, Rina...¡± he admitted without any shame or guilt.


    I loved it when he made love to me fast and wild like this too. His cock pounding repeatedly against my sensitive pleasure spots drew me closer and closer to the edge. My breasts jiggled up and down as he began shaking my body to match the rhythm of his wild animalistic thrusts. I was sure that I would be bruised and sore after we were done but I didn¡¯t mind at all. His cock moving inside of me felt so good that I didn¡¯t want him to stop.


    ¡°Ahh...Ace...I¡¯m cumming!¡± I screamed loudly as I threw my head back.


    My entire body convulsed from the pleasure that flooded every cell of my body as my orgasm consumed mepletely. I couldn¡¯t think of anything else but Ace and that seemed like it was already enough. I didn¡¯t want to think of anything or anyone else. I surrendered both my mind and body to him entirely.


    I felt his hand stroking the back of my head lovingly and then he was hugging me against his body. His warmth and familiar scent enveloped me and made me feel so safe. I wanted to stay locked up in his loving embrace like that forever. Even if it was just for a moment, I wanted to fool myself that that moment couldst forever.


    ¡°Can you stand, Rina?¡± Ace asked in a suggestive whisper close to my ear.


    I was still struggling to catch my breath from the exhausting aftereffects of my mind-blowing climax. On the other hand, I knew that Ace was already looking forward to going for another round. He had not cum yet and I knew that he would keep doing me until he came inside me. I had to admit that I probably didn¡¯t want him any less than he wanted me.


    ¡°Yes, I can...¡± I replied confidently.


    The weakness in my legs didn¡¯t make me feel as confident as I sounded but I knew that I will somehow manage. Ace could probably tell because he was careful in helping me up onto my feet. His hand on my arm and his other arm around my waist helped to support me as he turned me to face his worktable.


    ¡°Hold onto the table...¡± Ace instructed, and I nodded.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 234

    234 Extreme Satisfaction


    His hands moved to caress my waist before moving lower to caress my ass and my hips. The pleasure of his touch made me moan as desire started to pool in my lower abdomen again. I leaned over on the table and lifted my ass seductively. Ace¡¯s hand slipped between my inner thighs and began stroking my wetness, making me spread my legs even wider for him.


    ¡°Let me know if I¡¯m being too rough...¡± Ace said a little sternly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can take it...¡± I replied bravely.


    ¡°Really?¡± he asked mockingly.


    ¡°Ahh!¡± I screamed at the sudden piercing sensation.


    Ace suddenly entered me from behind. His thick rod pounded all the way into my pussy in one aggressive thrust. I could feel him so deeply inside of me from this angle. I pushed my hips upwards and rotated it a little against him. His cock felt so hot and so thick inside of me. Ace reared his hip back while I moaned from the pleasure of his cock caressing the insides of my love hole.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahhh! Ahhhh!¡± I cried out louder and louder with each deep and powerful thrust.


    Ace¡¯s hands gripped the sides of my hips as he pumped his cock roughly in and out of my pussy hole. The motion of his thrusts rocked my entire body against the table. The angle that his cock was ramming into me felt so good that it felt like my insides were melting from the heat of his passionate thrusting. Our bodies made loud pping sounds that echoed mixing with the wet squelching sounds of his cock stirring up my wetness. I could feel myself getting even wetter than before and soon my juices were sliding down my legs each time he reared his hips back and withdrew his cock from my wet pussy.


    ¡°Your pussy is sucking in my cock. It feels good...Rina...¡± Ace groaned seductively from behind me.


    .....


    I felt his body heat against my back as he leaned over me. His hips thrusted his cock into me again as I moaned and cried out like an animal in heat. His cock continued to mess up my hot and wet insides. Ace¡¯s movements became even wilder than before, and his thrusts began both pleasurable and painful. It was so rough, but I decided to bite down on my lower lips to endure it. Ace¡¯s cock pounded deeper and faster into me while I cried out from the immense pleasure that flooded my love hole and my lower abdomen.


    ¡°Ace! Ahhh...Ahhh...I¡¯m cumming!¡± I cried out in a broken voice before all I could do was moan and whimper.


    He made me climax again and this time I didn¡¯t think that I could go on or keep up with his wild lovemaking anymore. Ace¡¯s thick love stick plunged into my hole as he continued pounding my wet cunt. I could feel that he was close to his release as well and he was moaning and groaning louder than before. I clenched and squeezed my pussy around his thick member to heighten his pleasure. It didn¡¯t take too long for Ace to still on top of me and then his hot release squirted deep inside of me and flooded my insides.


    ¡°Ahhh...¡± I moaned with utmost satisfaction at the sensation of his warmth flooding into my womb.


    Ace came so much inside of me as my pussy dly sucked in all of his cum. His seed filled my womb and made me feel all warm inside.


    ¡°I love you, Rina...¡± Ace whispered tenderly into my ear.


    ...


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, you were pretty loud...¡± Ace replied casually.


    I had just asked him if he thought that someone could have heard us after I suddenly recalled that we were pretty loud. Ace didn¡¯t seem to care much about it, but it was clear that he thought that I was the one who was loud.


    I blinked at him in shock before I pped the palm of my hand against my face. I can¡¯t believe I screamed that loudly while we were in the office. To make matters worse, it was still during working hours. I shouldn¡¯t have let him do that to me during working hours. I should have done better at resisting him until we left for dinner together in the evening.


    The sex did feel extra wild and pleasurable, though...


    After the rough sex that we had, I spent a lot of time cleaning up and didn¡¯t end up getting any work done for the rest of the day due to my inability to focus. Ace didn¡¯t seem like he was in the mood for work either. I spent some time arranging the reservation for our evening dinner together and that was about it.


    I had to admit that during our passionate sex session, I forgot all about my troubles and the doubt that I felt toward Ace and his rtionship with Elizabeth. However, those feelings came flooding back right after we were done with our passionate tryst. My pussy started to ache not long after and it bothered me a little when I walked. I still looked forward to our dinner, but I didn¡¯t look forward to the difort in my mind.


    When am I going to be able to bring myself to ask Ace straightforwardly about Elizabeth?!


    At one point, I had no idea if was more frustrated about Ace or more frustrated about myself and my indecision and hesitation.


    ¡°Rina, should we head out for dinner now? It might be better for us to leave now to avoid some rush hour traffic,¡± Ace suggested.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s a great idea. Let¡¯s leave now...¡± I replied without hesitation.


    It wasn¡¯t like I was going to get any more work done for the day even if I had stayed longer in the office. I followed Ace to where his car was parked so that we could travel to the restaurant that I had booked. The meeting with themittee for thepetition was just around the corner and with themercial approved and sign-off by Ace, I felt like things were progressing smoothly.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 235

    235 Short on Time


    A few grilling meetings followed now that we had Ace¡¯s approval of the finalmercial. Although, themercial would really be final if it passed themittee¡¯s review. I didn¡¯t doubt that themercial would make it past the review at all. If it was good enough to pass Ace¡¯s review, then it was probably good enough to pass anyone¡¯s review. That was what I truly believed. Ace¡¯s standards were probably the highest and the strictest in the industry and he wasn¡¯t someone who would hold back hisments for the sake of the team¡¯s mental health or morale either.


    ¡°I want you to push up the meeting date with themittee,¡± Ace announced in the team meeting.


    His words surprised everyone including myself. I had no idea why he was pushing the timeline even though we didn¡¯t have that much time on our hands to start with, and now he was trying to shorten the time that we had. Everyone was visibly surprised and then very concerned.


    ¡°May I ask why you think that way?¡± Jeremy asked after hesitantly raising his hand.


    He reminded me of a schoolboy who was scared that his teacher would yell at him. However, I did respect his courage to speak up and ask the question that was probably on all of our minds.


    ¡°We¡¯re done with the work. There¡¯s no point in stalling the process. Plus, if words get out to ourpetitors that our work has already passed themittee¡¯s review and is well ahead of schedule, it would put a lot of pressure on ourpetitors,¡± Ace exined sternly.


    It did make sense. Although Chase Creatives was no longer in the run topete with us, that didn¡¯t mean that we could ignore the otherpanies that were still participating. If we could apply pressure, then we should. The sess of the campaign wouldn¡¯t depend only on the quality of themercial but also on the execution of itsunch and marketing. If we could get a head start on that then it might really secure our victory for us.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to push up the meeting with themittee,¡± Julianna spoke up.


    It was clear that this one would be on her and that was why she had decided to step up and make thatmitment.


    .....


    ¡°Doing your best is good and all that but it doesn¡¯t mean much if we don¡¯t get the result that we want,¡± Ace stated coldly.


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll make sure to move the meeting up for us,¡± she replied.


    ¡°This week. Can we get the meeting within this week?¡± Ace asked.


    Although it was phrased as a question, I was sure that everyone knew that it was more of an order than a question. The atmosphere in the room was tense and I didn¡¯t even dare to breathe. If Ace wanted the meeting this week, then there were only three more days left. Can Julianna call a meeting with themittee on such short notice?


    ¡°I understand. Please leave it to me. I will get a meeting with themittee within this week,¡± Julianna said with confidence.


    My eyes widened as I stared at her determined face. She seemed so confident, and I felt so much respect for her and hermitment. I wanted to believe in her and that was what I decided to do.


    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll be waiting for good news from you,¡± Ace replied.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Julianna thanked him.


    Ace gave her a nod and then the agenda moved on to review theunch and marketing n. Julianna quietly left the room, and I knew immediately that she had already started working on the task that she was given.


    ...


    **A few dayster**


    I clenched my hands together to stop them from shaking in front of me as I tried to appear wellposed and confident. Although I had decided to ce my faith in Julianna to get us a meeting with themittee within the week, I was still surprised when she made the announcement that she indeed seeded. Ace was undoubtedly pleased by her achievement.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I couldn¡¯t get us an earlier meeting; however, I managed to get a 30-minutes session with themittee this Friday in the afternoon,¡± Julianna announced before she beamed a confident smile at everyone in the meeting room.


    ¡°As I had expected. You really have your act together, Julianna,¡± Aceplimented her with a nod of his head.


    The smile that lit up Julianna¡¯s face told me well enough what she felt at that moment. I felt proud of her too and her achievement. There probably wasn¡¯t anything that Julianna couldn¡¯t do after she set her mind to it. Once again, I was reminded of how awesome and talented my team members were.


    ¡°Get everything ready for the meeting on Friday. We will be showing themittee members ourmercial and then let¡¯s show them aprehensive summary of how we n tounch and market ourmercial,¡± Ace instructed.


    ¡°Yes, Boss!¡± various team members said all at once.


    And that brought us to today. I still remembered the shocking incident that took ce when we were here before. We found out that our work had been leaked and Chase Creatives presented the storyboard that we had in mind. Back then, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to believe that I was the source of the leak even if it was unintentional. I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as I tried to push away all the dark thoughts and anger that I felt toward Kyle.


    He really ruined many things for me...


    However, those obstacles only made me a stronger person and since then, I¡¯ve made so much progress in my career. I had Ace to thank for that. Although I hated being overly optimistic, I told myself that the desperate situation that Kyle forced me into did help get Ace and me together. It made me appreciate Ace so much more for what he did for me and how much he supported me.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 236

    236 Fruit of Our Efforts


    ¡°We don¡¯t have much time. Let¡¯s not bete and let¡¯s make the most out of the time that Julianna got for us,¡± Ace said as he pped his hands together to help the members of his team focus.


    That definitely worked for me. I snapped out of my thoughts and focused on the task at hand which was to ensure that themercial would pass themittee¡¯s review. Unlike thest time that we were here, Jeremy wouldn¡¯t be the one presenting.


    ¡°Are you ready, Rina?¡± Ace asked as came to stand right at my side.


    ¡°Yes, I have to be...¡± I replied while I tried my best to sound calm.


    ¡°Rx. Don¡¯t tense up and just do what you always do...¡± Ace advised before he winked at me.


    Ace had asked me to present the finalmercial to themittee members. After that Julianna and some other team members will help to present their marketing ns. For that to happen, I had to sessfully present themercial and get a passing grade from themittee members first. My hand instinctively reached for the pendant that I had around my neck. After receiving it from Ace as a present, I always wore it, and just touching it seemed to give me some inner strength.


    Although Ace had promised to help me if anything were to happen, it still made me nervous. Standing up there on thatrge stage wasn¡¯t going to be easy for me. I spent time rehearsing for this and I prayed that my nerves would not get in the way now that the time had finally arrived to unveil ourmercial to the judges on themittee.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get started right away,¡± Julianna told me when we arrived in therge auditorium.


    We only had a few minutes to finish all the preparations and set up. Themittee members all arrived on time and took their seats. Ace stood next to me on the side of the stage before felt a slight warmth and pressure on my shoulder.


    .....


    ¡°You¡¯ll do great. Just rx and have some fun,¡± he whispered close to my ear.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best,¡± I replied before letting out a sigh.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if you faint, I¡¯ll be there to catch you,¡± Ace replied reassuringly before he chuckled at his own little joke.


    I hoped that I don¡¯t make it a new habit for myself to faint during important presentations. Julianna urged us to get onto the stage and I knew that the time had finally arrived for real. Ace walked onto the stage in front of me and I followed carefully after him. The light that shone on me was almost blinding and it took a short moment for my eyes to adjust. The light actually helped because I could barely see the judges although I could feel their eyes on me.


    ¡°Good afternoon. I¡¯m Ace and this is my fabulous team member, Rina. Since we don¡¯t have much time, I¡¯d like to get started right away. Rina will take you through the final version of ourmercial...¡± Ace said professionally before handing over the stage to me.


    ¡°Good afternoon. My name is Rina, and I am extremely proud to present to you ourmercial that centers around raising awareness surrounding the dog meat trade. We hope that by emphasizing on the changes in cultural norms and the role of dogs as man¡¯s best friend, we can help propel the gradual change for people to support the end of the dog meat trade,¡± I said while managing to sound quite professional and calm.


    On my signal, themercial started to y on therge screen behind us. I could feel the attention of the judges shift from me to therge screen where they could now view themercial. The entire auditorium darkened as the lights dimmed to better showcase the content on the screen. At that moment, I felt something tug lightly on my hand and realized that Ace had taken my hand casually into his. I nced up into his face, but he wasn¡¯t looking at me. It was just so like Ace to do something like this so smoothly yet secretly while no one else was paying attention. Regardless, the warmth of his hand as he held mine made me feel certain that everything was going to turn out just fine.


    Although themercial wasn¡¯t long at all, it felt like forever had passed by the time themercial came to an end. There was a pause of pure silence before one of the judges began pping his hands. After that, the rest of the judges joined in and started to p their hands to apud themercial. I found myself smiling brightly at their reaction. It was clear without any words needed to be exchanged that the judges were at least impressed by themercial.


    ¡°I really like it. The message is clear, and the story is very appealing. Most of all, I can feel the emotions of love and connection between humans and dogs,¡± one of the judges said with a smile.


    ¡°I agree. I think the appeal is definitely there and it is well-integrated so that it seems sincere. Congrattions. Thismercial is good enough to beunched to the public,¡± another judgemented along with her decision.


    ¡°Thank you...¡± I whispered without knowing what else to say.


    ¡°I have to say that it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen something like this from you, Ace. This truly feels like your work...¡± one of the judges said with a smallugh.


    ¡°Thank you for your support and the faith that you have in our work,¡± Ace replied professionally.


    My chest felt tight, and it felt like I could start crying tears of joy at any moment. All the hard work, sweat, tears, and everything that we had all put into this project seemed to have borne fruit. After all the judges hadmented positively, the final verdict was made that themercial was indeed ready to be revealed to the public and will be endorsed by the foundation as well.


    ¡°Next, Julianna will take you through our n for theunch and the marketing n,¡± Ace announced proudly as he waved for Julianna to join us on the stage.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 237

    237 Unresolved Problem


    I was too overwhelmed by the positive responses and reaction that themercial had received to even focus on anything that Julianna said during her presentation. That wasn¡¯t such a bad thing because I already reviewed her presentation and knew all the key points that she wanted to get across to the judges.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m d that everything ended fine...¡± Jeremyment before he reached up both his arms and stretched.


    ¡°You had no idea how much work I had to do to get us that meeting. Everything better turn out fine...¡± Julianna muttered darkly.


    The presentation ended with overwhelming sess. The judges liked ourmercial and were also in support of ourunch and marketing ns. What that meant was that we didn¡¯t need to make any edits to themercial. To me, that was the best news of all because that meant that we didn¡¯t need to waste any more time in reshooting or reediting anything. Most of all, that meant that themercial that we hade up with was perfect enough.


    I felt extremely proud of what I had managed to achieve. We were still very far from winning thepetition, but this was another milestone that needed to be celebrated. The team members chatted happily as we made our way back to the office. Ace called for a meeting immediately when we arrived back at the office to go through the next steps now that ourmercial was ready to beunched.


    As I sat in my seat at the meeting table, I listened to Ace discussing the marketing with the relevant team members. Now that the design and production of themercial were over and done with, there wasn¡¯t much that I needed or could do. The project had moved on to the next phase where Julianna would be taking over to work her magic. That meant that I would have some spare time to catch my breath after sprinting to get my part of the work done.


    Although I was motivated to work, I was d and looking forward to the break. The smile on Jeremy¡¯s face and how he leaned back slightly in his seat told me that he was probably having very simr thoughts. My eyes shifted to Ace who still looked as engaged and stern as ever as he continued shooting questions at the marketing team regarding their n. I suppressed a sigh when I realized that as the CEO and the head of Project Alpha, Ace wouldn¡¯t be any less busy than he was before.


    When the meeting came to an end, I quickly made my way out of the meeting room. Ace had another meeting with the marketing team. Apparently, he wasn¡¯t impressed with the details of their ns and needed to work with them more closely. I didn¡¯t have much on my te anymore for work; however, I had a huge problem on my hands. Since it was decided that the meeting with themittee would be brought forward, I had been so focused on preparing for the presentation that I didn¡¯t have time to think about Ace¡¯s birthday present.


    I never forgot about the fact that Ace¡¯s birthday was the day after the meeting and that I needed to decide on a present for him and also get it. However, I just didn¡¯t have the time or the focus to do that. Since Ace wanted me to present to themittee members, I had so much to do for the presentation as well as making sure that everything was well prepared for the meeting. Honestly, I was stressed, and I wanted to make sure that everything was going to run perfectly. In fact, I made sure of everything three times to prevent any potential failure orst-minute disaster. As a result of that, I did not manage to decide on Ace¡¯s birthday present.


    .....


    What should I get for him?


    The same question came back to haunt me, and once again, I didn¡¯t have an answer. The key difference this time was that I was running out of time. Ace¡¯s birthday was alreadying up tomorrow. Because the day coincided with the party that we had to attend together for business, I didn¡¯t have anything nned to celebrate his birthday. It would be such a failure if I didn¡¯t n anything special for him and also didn¡¯t get a birthday present for him.


    Suddenly, I felt extremely stressed and depressed. The only time that I had left was now. I checked the time before making my decision to leave the office early. I have to find a birthday present for Ace today no matter what.


    ¡°Where are you going, Rina?¡± Jeremy asked me when he saw me packing my things into my bag.


    ¡°Oh, I have an errand to run so I¡¯m going to leave early for today,¡± I replied without going into the details.


    ¡°I see. I guess that¡¯s a wise choice. It¡¯s been a while since we can leave early. Might as well take advantage and enjoy it while we can,¡± he replied with a grin.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure Julianna and the rest of her team is extremely busy right now,¡± I said.


    ¡°Of course. Ace is going to grill them until he¡¯s satisfied with their ns,¡± Jeremy replied with a helpless shrug of his shoulders.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave first then. See you...¡± I said before slipping out of the room.


    I need to go to the mall or somewhere to get Ace his birthday present!


    ...


    After traveling to thergest mall in the city, I stood randomly on the first floor in front of therge directory on disy. My eyes scanned through the text that exined what each floor had for sale. Not knowing what I wanted to buy for Ace and not having any great inspirational ideas, I dragged myself to the directory in search of a ce to start my hunt.


    What about men¡¯s fashion?


    I could get Ace something that he could wear. That might be a conservative choice that was on the safe side. I wasn¡¯t knowledgeable about IT gadgets at all so that won¡¯t work out for me. I guess men¡¯s fashion would probably be the right starting point for my search.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 238

    238 Inspirational Idea


    Men¡¯s fashion is on the third floor of the mall...


    Feelingzy and too in a rush to take the esctor up, I decided to take the elevator instead. The third floor was indeed filled with men¡¯s wear, essories, and shoes. After walking around aimlessly for a while, I realized that I was going through a ssic first-world problem of having too many options to choose from. There were just so many things avable for purchase that it was hard for me to choose. That coupled with the fact that I didn¡¯t really have anything in mind in the first ce, just made it even harder for me.


    ¡°Do you need some help? Are you looking for something?¡± a saleswoman said when she approached me.


    Her pleasant smile told me that she was all ears and that she was here to offer her sincere help. However, I wasn¡¯t sure if my reply would give her enough to work off of.


    ¡°Well, my...umm...boyfriend¡¯s birthday ising up and I¡¯m trying to pick a present out for him...¡± I replied a little shyly.


    There was no doubt about it, referring to Ace as my boyfriend felt quite embarrassing. The saleswoman¡¯s smile widened at my words before she nodded her head enthusiastically at me.


    ¡°Do you have anything in mind? We have very trendy clothes here for men and also more formal suits. If that doesn¡¯t work for you, then we also have an extensive range of essories from cufflinks to jewelry...¡± she suggested with a smile.


    That was exactly the problem.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. There are so many things to choose from and I¡¯m not sure what I should get for him,¡± I replied honestly.


    .....


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m here to help you. Why don¡¯t we look around together? Maybe we can start off with the clothing section over there,¡± she suggested brightly.


    ¡°Thank you...¡± I thanked her


    I followed her to the men¡¯s clothing section where many brands of clothing awaited us. Let¡¯s say that I¡¯ve narrowed down my scope to looking for some clothes for Ace. What kind of clothing should I get for him exactly?


    Work suits? Formal suits? Casual shirts and jeans?


    ¡°What about one of these high-quality suit? I assume you¡¯re boyfriend is working in an office, right?¡± she asked with a smile.


    I followed the gesture of her hand and my eyesnded on many expensive looking suits. Myck of knowledge of men suits made me unconfident about what Ace would like. I bet he got all his suits tailored at the most expensive ces. Buying him a suit off the rack probably won¡¯t cut it.


    ¡°No? What about something more casual? There¡¯s a trend of couples matching their casual outfits when they go out on dates. What do you think?¡± she asked brightly.


    I let her lead me to the casual clothing section. For the life of me, I couldn¡¯t imagine Ace agreeing to dress up in coordinating outfits with me. He might do it if I asked or begged for him to do so but I had better things to beg for than for him to wear matching outfits with me. Now that I thought about it, Ace didn¡¯t seem to wear anything fancy for his casual looks. Comfortable white shirt and jeans seemed to be his go-to look and I had to say that the look looks amazing on him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll go for the coordinating outfit thing...¡± I said before shing her an apologetic smile.


    ¡°No worries. Then, let¡¯s check out the essories section. Cufflinks and some simple jewelry cannot go wrong, trust me...¡± she said before leading the way.


    I ended up following her around again and soon ended up at the men essories section. Long rows of disy ss cabs filled with essories greeted me and left me even more confused than before. Picking out a suit from the racks of suits felt hard already but picking one of these small essories from the countless others just seemed impossible. As my eyes scanned through the small essories on disy in their ss case, I started to get a slight throbbing headache.


    ¡°What do people usually buy for their boyfriends?¡± I asked in a small voice.


    ¡°Matching jewelry such as pendants or rings. Others get usable items that their boyfriends would wear such as cufflinks...¡± she suggested with a smile.


    My eyes followed her fingers as she pointed to the row of disy cabs with cufflinks. There were so many designs to choose from. Once again, I didn¡¯t know what Ace would like. Although I¡¯ve spent a lot of time with him, it wasn¡¯t like I spent any time staring at the cufflinks that he had on.


    ¡°Matching jewelry...¡± I murmured as my hand unconscious went to the small pendant resting at the base of my neck.


    Would it be too straightforward andme if I got him a matching pendant or something simr that might match the pendant that he gave me?


    ¡°Umm...would you happen to have something that would match this pendant that I have on?¡± I asked as I dared myself to hope.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if it was a good idea, but it was the only idea that I got at that moment. Rather than spending more time browsing without any aim or inspiration, I thought that getting a matching pendant might be the right solution. The pendant was quite small so people wouldn¡¯t realize it that we were wearing something matching or simr.


    It might just work...


    ¡°Can I get a closer look at the pendant?¡± she inquired.


    ¡°Oh, sure...let me take it off for you...¡± I replied.


    I carefully took off the ne along with the pendant. The staff quickly took out a ck velvet tray for me to put the ne on it.


    ¡°This pendant is really beautiful and very detailed...¡± she said in awe.


    ¡°Thanks...¡± I replied softly.


    ¡°Did your boyfriend give you this?¡± she asked with her eyes on my pendant although she probably already had a good guess of the answer.


    ¡°Yes, he did...¡± I replied honestly before smiling a little her way.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 239

    239 Gift Exchange


    It was quitete when I made it back to my apartment. Although all we had to do was find something that would match with the pendant that Ace gave me, it took us a long time to find something that would work. I didn¡¯t think that there would be so many options for a pendant in the shape of a sun, but there was. The bigger problem was to choose a design that would fit Ace¡¯s character. The worse oue that I wanted to avoid at all costs was the one where he wouldn¡¯t wear the gift that I got for him.


    In the end, the saleswoman helped me settle on something. Although it was pricey, I willingly paid for it and asked it to be gift wrapped. I had to say that the staff did an over-the-top job of gift wrapping the pendant in its small box and the package looked so shy that it made it look like a Christmas present for a kid instead.


    Now that I was back in my apartment, I took out the small, gift-wrapped box and stared at it. My heart fluttered in my chest when I thought of Ace¡¯s reaction when he would receive this.


    Would he be happy about it? Would he smile and maybeugh?


    I had no doubt that Ace must have gone through a simr experience when he picked out that pendant for me. It must have been difficult for him too; however, it was a challenge that I was so willing to go through. I hoped that he felt the same way when he picked my present for me.


    Suddenly there was a knock at the door. I knew that it wasn¡¯t Ace and that made me slightly worried. He agreed to pick me up tomorrow at my ce so that we could go to the party together. Ace mentioned that he had some preparations to do for the party and that he couldn¡¯t¡¯ stay over with me.


    ¡°Yes? Who is it?¡± I called out to whoever was at my door.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to deliver your dress for the event tomorrow,¡± a woman¡¯s voice replied.


    Oh, right. The dress.


    .....


    ¡°Thank you...¡± I thanked her when I opened the door.


    ¡°Please be careful. It is quite heavy. Please put your arm under this part here to support it...¡± she advised as she carefully handed the dress over to me.


    The silver-grey bag that contained the dress did feel very heavy in my arms as I took it from her. The woman smiled at me before she turned to leave. Somehow, I managed to close the door while not losing my bnce while holding the dress in my arms. I recalled the brief conversation that I had with Ace before about this dress.


    ¡°Someone will send you a dress for tomorrow¡¯s party. I got it tailored especially for you. I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll look great in it,¡± Ace said with confidence.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to do that...¡± I murmured.


    ¡°Don¡¯t overthink things and just wear it, ok?¡± he replied before staring right into my eyes.


    ¡°Ok...¡± I agreed hesitantly.


    I had no idea what the dress even looked like, but I was about to find out. Somehow this dress just made it feel like the party was something important. Ace had not disclosed to me any details about the party and what I was expected to do there beyond telling me to enjoy myself and stay at his side. It sounded easy enough, but I had no idea what kind of business this party was for.


    ¡°Oh...so over the top...¡± I gasped when I unzipped the grey bag and carefully pulled the dress out.


    The lc color dress was decorated withce and embellished with crystals. The mermaid tail of the dress looked amazing and so did the V-neck of the dress and its long sleeves that were also decorated with crystals. No wonder the dress weighed so much, it was because of all these sewn-on crystals. I didn¡¯t think that Ace would get something so fancy as this tailored for me. It might be hard to walk in and definitely difficult to sit in. The waist and hip looked so tight and it was probably designed that way to make my waist look smaller.


    ¡°Time to try this on. Let¡¯s hope it fits and that I¡¯ll be able to breathe...¡± I mumbled to myself.


    The party was already tomorrow so if this dress didn¡¯t fit, we only had the daytime to either find a new dress or get this dress resized. It took a while for me to put the dress on. I found out that my worries werepletely wasted because the dress fit me so perfectly. I stared at myself in the mirror and had to admit that the dress looked very beautiful.


    My phone vibrated quite loudly on the table where I had ced it. My instincts told me that it was Ace, and I wasn¡¯t surprised to hear his voice calling my name in a seductive drawl when I connected the line.


    ¡°Rina...did you get the dress that I sent?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes, I did...¡± I replied.


    ¡°Have you tried it on? Do you like it?¡± he asked with a smallugh.


    I could tell that he was enjoying himself immensely and that he was always pleased whenever he gifted me with something. Ace was not all worried about the fit of the dress and that just told me how confident he was in his tailor.


    ¡°It fits...¡± I replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I asked...¡± Ace pointed out.


    I could hear hisughter from the other end of the line and found myself smiling along with him. I wished that the night would pass by quickly so that I could see Ace tomorrow. My eyes nced over to the present that I had bought for him. Tomorrow was Ace¡¯s birthday, and so far, he had not mentioned it to me at all. If I had to guess, he probably knew that I knew already.


    I wonder if he¡¯s expecting to get a present from me?


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 240

    240 Escorting Him


    Why did the party have tond on Ace¡¯s birthday of all days?


    ¡°I like it. Thank you so much, Ace...¡± I thanked him while trying to sound very cheerful.


    ¡°d that you like it. I¡¯ll pick you up tomorrow at your ce,¡± he reminded me again.


    ¡°Sure. Good night...¡± I replied.


    ¡°Good night, Rina. Get loads of rest,¡± Ace said before hanging up.


    ...


    Although it was his birthday, Ace was busy the whole day. He didn¡¯t give me a call, but he did send me a text to tell me that he had some business to attend to but for me not to worry because he was going to turn up to pick me up on time. I spent the whole day restlessly waiting for time to pass by. I wondered if we would have time after the party to spend together. Usually, these business events in the evening didn¡¯tst for too long and would usually end around midnight at thetest even if there was an afterparty. Ace can probably opt out of the after-party if he wanted so maybe we can still enjoy some private time afterward.


    I wondered when would be the right time to give him his present. Hopefully, there would be an appropriate time before the stroke of midnight for me to do so. Regardless, I decided to slip the small present box into my handbag so that I would always be ready to give it to him once the opportunity arises.


    My phone began ringing and I knew that it was the call that I have been waiting for. Ace was the one calling and judging by the time, he should be arriving soon.


    .....


    ¡°Hi...¡± I answered the call.


    ¡°Are you all dressed up and ready? I¡¯ll be arriving in less than ten minutes,¡± he informed me casually.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m ready...¡± I replied.


    ¡°Good. Just wait for me in your room,¡± he said.


    ¡°Ok...¡± I replied softly before the line disconnected.


    Since Ace was arriving soon, I started to check my reflection onest time in the mirror. After feeling satisfied with what I saw, I began preparing my shoes while dreading the fact that I had to wear heels that were pretty high because of the length of the dress. Hopefully, there wouldn¡¯t be a lot of standing and walking at the party because my toes and feet are going to kill me.


    A little whileter there was a soft tap on the other side of my door and I knew that Ace had arrived. He was very on time indeed.


    ¡°Ace...¡± I greeted him when I opened the door.


    ¡°You look amazing. I really picked the right dress,¡± he said whileplimenting both himself and me at the same time.


    ¡°Thank you. You¡¯re really good at this,¡± I said admittingly.


    ¡°Shall we?¡± he asked as he offered me his arm.


    ¡°I can walk by myself...¡± I said teasingly.


    Ace justughed a little when I held onto his arm and let him escort me out of the room. The way Ace was dressed in a very smart-looking luxury white suit told me that the party was somewhat of a big deal. We had to work on a Saturday for it, so it better be something very important to the future of thepany.


    ¡°So, which one of our very big clients is hosting an event tonight?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon. Just a hint, it¡¯s one of your favorite clients for sure,¡± he replied with a smile.


    One of my favorite clients? I could think of a few clients that would top my list and that made me feel slightly excited.


    I didn¡¯t think Ace thought anything or much about it, but I thought that it was slightly sad that he had to be working on his birthday even though itnded on a weekend when we were supposed to have time off. To make up for it, I made a mental note to myself to be extra supportive of him today.


    Since we were going to an event, I wasn¡¯t surprised to find out that Ace wasn¡¯t the one driving us tonight. Instead, his usual driver was there to greet us. I greeted him with a smile before Ace helped me into the car while the driver did the perfect job of making sure that the skirt of my dress was safely tucked into the car before he closed the door.


    ¡°Is the party venue far?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not at all. It¡¯s smack in the city center,¡± Ace replied.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good. Hopefully, there won¡¯t be any heavy traffic,¡± I said hopefully.


    ¡°The event is kind of a big thing, so we¡¯ll probably get some traffic when we get closer to the venue,¡± Ace replied as if he had already anticipated this.


    ¡°I see...¡± I murmured.


    It didn¡¯t take long for us to arrive, but Ace was right about some traffic when we got closer to the venue. The party reminded me of a red-carpet event and there were so many people dressed up so fancily that I was kind of d that Ace had gotten a dress tailored for me or else I would be vastly underdressedpared to the otherdies. Men with suits were apanied by their beautifully dressed partners. Reporters and cameramen were everywhere, and it didn¡¯t seem like we could make our way in without going through them.


    ¡°Just rx and stay by my side,¡± Ace told me reassuringly as if he could sense my anxiety.


    ¡°Ok...¡± I mumbled.


    I was never really a fan of such busy events and the reporters and shes from the camera made me feel ufortable. Of course, I knew that I had to learn to get used to it because this probably won¡¯t be thest time that I would have to apany Ace to an event like this.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Ace asked as the car came to a stop at the drop-off point.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I replied while trying to sound energetic and confident.


    ¨CTo be continued...


    Please support my other works: Forbidden Heat, Love ve to the Mafia Boss¡¯s Passion, Lust Contracts, Conquering the Emperor, The Alpha Prince¡¯s Purchased Maid.

 Chapter 241

    241 Caught by Surprise


    Ace took my hand just as the driver opened the car door for us. He helped me out of the car while I tried my best not to trip. I could feel the attention of the press on us as therge crowd of reporters and cameramen swarmed us like bees attracted to raw honey. The security team quickly came in to control them. It might just be me, but I felt like they were extra excited to see Ace.


    After a lot of shouting from the crowd that was hard for me to pick up any coherent words, Ace seemed to give in and allowed for a short interview. I felt extremely ufortable, but I knew that I had to do as Ace had instructed. While smiling as politely as I could, I stood by Ace¡¯s side as the reporters shoved their microphones closer to us. It was all thanks to the security guards that we still had some space to ourselves otherwise, I was certain that the reporters would have stepped right on us.


    All attention was on Ace as the reporters took turns flooding him with questions about his business. Everything seemed ordinary until one of the questions asked caught my attention.


    ¡°How do you feel about your birthday this year? This event is even bigger and grander than the other birthday parties that you¡¯ve hosted in the years before,¡± one of the reporters asked.


    My eyes widened before I could control my shocked reaction from letting it show too openly on my face. Did the reporter just say that this is Ace¡¯s birthday party?


    I nced over at Ace, who did not feel surprised or affected by the reporter¡¯s words at all, as he smiled and nodded a little in response to her question.


    ¡°I guess you could say that the party this year is a little more special than the other ones,¡± he replied smoothly.


    Ace did not deny it. So, does that mean that this grand party is actually his birthday celebration instead of a business-rted party?


    I wanted to scream and rip my hair out at the craziness of this unexpected development. Was it usual for anyone to have a birthday party this borate and grand?


    .....


    It was extremely difficult for me to wrap my head around and with the many reporters still around us and cameramen taking photos and filming us, I couldn¡¯t turn to ask Ace whether or not it was true. Something told me that it probably was, although it was still hard for me to swallow.


    Why didn¡¯t he tell me about this before? He could have just simply told me that he was inviting me to his birthday party.


    Instead, Ace kept all quiet about it and all the details. Was this his way of surprising me?


    It truly worked because I was beyond surprise, that¡¯s for sure. Ace continued to answer some other questions while I was too lost in my own thoughts to properly pay attention to anything that he said. Once again all of my worries were for nothing at all. I had feared that Ace wouldn¡¯t get to celebrate his birthday properly because of the business event; however, it seemed like Ace had some big ns on how to celebrate his birthday all along.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Rina...¡± he said as he held my elbow softly to guide me.


    I stiffened a little at his touch, mindful of the countless pairs of eyes on us but Ace didn¡¯t seem at all concern. The guards did their job of clearing a path for us although the reporters continue to shout their questions at Ace as we walked passed them to the entry of the venue. Once we were inside, things were a lot less chaotic. I wanted to ask Ace some questions, but I lost my chance when two men dressed in immacte suits approached us and began greeting Ace. I could tell from the way that the men interacted with Ace that they were close.


    ¡°These guys are my friend. This is Thomas and this is Greg,¡± Ace introduced them to me casually.


    ¡°Nice to meet you. We actually already know who you are,¡± Thomas said before he winked at me.


    I wondered what he meant by that. I nced over at Ace¡¯s face questioningly as I wondered what he had told these two about me. Did he just tell them that I am his personal secretary, or did he disclose more than that about our rtionship?


    The men chatted for a while before Ace took my hand and led me deeper into the venue where I found out that a ton of people were having fun drinking and socializing. The party was already well underway, and the atmosphere seemed nice and rxed.


    ¡°Ace, why did you tell me that this was your birthday party?¡± I asked usingly.


    ¡°I thought it would be a good surprise. This is your first time attending my birthday party after all,¡± Ace replied like it was supposed to be normal.


    ¡°I thought it was a work-rted event. You never told me anything about it being your birthday party...¡± I muttered.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t?¡± Ace asked innocently before he smiled at me.


    The way he looked so smug and guiltless made me feel a little irritated at him. It was great that I didn¡¯t have to worry about not being able to n anything special for him on his birthday, though.


    ¡°No, you didn¡¯t. You even lied to me and said that it was a business event with one of my favorite clients...¡± I reminded him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s call that half a lie. I might not be your client but I am your favorite, right?¡± Ace whispered close to my ear so that no one else would hear his flirtatious words.


    ¡°That¡¯s so not funny...¡± I muttered before I rolled my eyes at him.


    No matter what, I couldn¡¯t stop the corners of my lips from curving upwards into a little smile. It seemed like everything was working for the best so I was willing to let that slip by. A surprise now and then wasn¡¯t such a bad thing after all.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 242

    242 Business Birthday


    ¡°Do you throw a big birthday party like this every year?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not quite but very simr. Don¡¯t get me wrong, it¡¯s not like I enjoy throwing these parties, but it is partly required for business. It¡¯s also a way to connect with our clients and the public scene. We are a mediapany, so we need to stay in the spotlight as well. It would be bad if they forgot about me and thepany,¡± Ace exined.


    ¡°I see...¡± I murmured.


    I guess he was right about that. Even from where I was standing next to Ace, I could already spot a few executives from our clientpanies that I recognized walking by. The hall where the party was being held was veryrge and there was arge stage right in front where a band was currently ying. It truly was a fancy birthday party, and I wasn¡¯t sure what I was supposed to do.


    ¡°My father always made sure to throw these kinds of parties. If you¡¯re interested, I can invite you to his birthday party as well. Trust me, it is much fancier with many more guests,¡± Ace said before he looked off into the distance.


    My eyes instantly followed his gaze and soon I spotted Ace¡¯s father engaged in an active conversation with a few other gentlemen. That was enough to convince me that this party wasn¡¯t purely for joy and fun at all. In the end, I guess Ace didn¡¯tpletely lie to me when he told me that this was a business party because it might as well be.


    ¡°What am I supposed to do here?¡± I asked without bothering to hide my slight nervousness.


    ¡°Rx, Rina. Just hang around me and keep me from dying of boredom...¡± Ace replied while sounding very bored.


    ¡°You¡¯re the birthday boy today so, let¡¯s try to cheer up a little, ok?¡± I suggested with a smile.


    .....


    ¡°Maybe we can go over there and get some food. At least the food and wine here are supposed to be good,¡± Ace said as if that was all he could think of tofort himself.


    ¡°Sure...¡± I murmured as I followed by his side.


    As I watched Ace get us some food, I wondered if there would be anything special happening. It seemed abnormal for the party to just be a long socializing session. Ace turned to me and handed me a ss of white wine.


    ¡°Thank you...¡± I thanked him before taking it while making a mental note to myself to control the amount that I drank.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t taste too bad. The smoked salmon is good...¡± he murmured.


    I felt it very strange that Ace wasn¡¯t socializing with his guests as much. In contrast, his father was taking his job very seriously and it looked like he was striving to make the most out of this party. I guess that made sense given the exorbitant amount of money that must have gone into organizing this event.


    ¡°Is something else happeningter on?¡± I asked in wonder.


    ¡°My father will probably give a speech. I take that back, he¡¯ll definitely give a speech because he does it every year,¡± Ace replied.


    ¡°Oh, I see...¡± I said with a nod of my head.


    ¡°Well, time for me to do some work before my father cracks my head. I¡¯m going to walk around to greet the guests a bit. Can youe along with me?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Of course,¡± I said with a smile.


    I remembered the promise that I made to myself to help Ace out as much as possible and be extra supportive of him today of all days because it was his birthday. With a polite smile on my lips, I walked along with Ace to greet the guests. Some were his friends and personal acquaintances while many were his business partners and their date for the night.


    Ace seemed to be strictly keeping the promise that he made to his father to keep our rtionship a secret. It came as a relief to me as he dutifully introduced me as his personal secretary to all the guests that we met. Ace did most of the talking while I chimed in here and there as appropriate. Most of the time, I just kept a polite and warm smile on my lips.


    I had no idea how long that greeting andworking session went on for as I walked along at Ace¡¯s side from one cluster of people to the next. Although I knew that the hall was veryrge, it still surprised me how tiring I felt after having walked up and down the entire length of the hall a couple of times. It seemed like an endless journey and I began fading out. All guests became a blur to me, and I couldn¡¯t remember their names or faces at all. I started to wonder if Ace felt the same way as he worked hard to greet and strike up a brief conversation with his guests.


    ¡°Wow...that was...intense...¡± I murmured as I breathed out a long sigh at the same time.


    Ace turned and shed me a grin when he saw me pressing my hands on my waists and pushing my hips forward in a stretch. Walking around with Ace took a real toll on me and that was mostly because of the high heels that I had to wear to match the dress. My feet had started to hurt from walking around too much in heels that I wasn¡¯t used to.


    ¡°Does your feet hurt? Should we find somewhere to sit?¡± Ace asked.


    I wanted to tell him that I was fine, but I knew that I couldn¡¯t fool Ace¡¯s sharp eyes and the fact that I had started limping a little wouldn¡¯t make my words at all convincing. Ace smiled my way when I nodded to agree to his suggestion.


    ¡°There¡¯s a table reserved for us over there. I should have told you about it earlier, sorry about that...¡± Ace said apologetically.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine...but is it fine if I sit with you. That table is like...right in front of the stage...¡± I asked hesitantly.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 243

    243 Festivities


    ¡°Of course, it is. Come this way...¡± Ace said.


    I felt the warmth of hisforting touch on my elbow as he helped support me. The walk felt so long but we finally reached the round table where I could take a seat.


    ¡°If you need to greet your guests, you can go ahead. Just leave me here, I¡¯ll be fine...¡± I said with a smile.


    ¡°No need. I¡¯m pretty much done with that. Plus, the main part of the event is about to start,¡± Ace said as he sat down next to me.


    The seats at the round table were still empty and there was no one else there except for us. However, it didn¡¯t take long for the other people to arrive at the table. Although I should have expected it, I was still surprised when Ace¡¯s father appeared and took a seat at the same round table that we were. A few other people that seemed to be his father¡¯s VVIP guests joined him at the table.


    ¡°This is Karina, my personal secretary,¡± Ace introduced me smoothly.


    ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you...¡± I replied as politely as I could.


    Thankfully, the lights dimmed and all I could see were the people seated at our table. Suddenly, a few spotlights came on and my attention was drawn to therge stage in front of us where a beautiful woman walked elegantly onto the stage.


    ¡°Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen, wee to one of the most special parties hosted by Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s. Of course, this is a party to celebrate our CEO, Ace¡¯s birthday!¡± the announced cheerfully.


    .....


    Loud cheers filled the venue all around us as all the excited guests pped and cheered. It started to feel more like a birthday party as the overall atmosphere became exciting and celebrative. I found myself pping along with the other guests. The host quickly announced the first show which would be a mini concert from one of the most famous bands. I had to say that even though I wasn¡¯t that into music, I knew some of their songs.


    Many guests made their way to the dance floor in front of the stage to get the party started and then the band began to y their hit songs. The music was loud and it was hard to have any kind of conversation with Ace even though he was sitting right next to my side. The mini-concertsted for around half an hour and then the event moved on to the second segment of the performance which involved dance showcases.


    ¡°You seem to be enjoying the dance shows more than the band,¡± Ace said from my side.


    ¡°I guess. The band was great, but the music was too loud for my tastes,¡± I replied with a smile.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t choose the band...¡± he muttered.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that you would have...¡± I replied before I shed him another smile.


    Whomever thepany had hired to organize the event probably chose the band and everything else along with it. I doubted that Ace would have the time to pick and choose anything although this event was supposed to be his birthday party. The dance segment had many interesting performances, but the best part was that the music wasn¡¯t too loud and I could still share some conversations with Ace while we watched the performance together.


    After the dancers left the stage, the same beautiful host came back on and announced the next segment to the event. I felt her eyes ncing briefly in the direct of our table before she took in a deep breath to announce the next segment.


    ¡°Now, what everyone has undoubtedly been waiting for...¡± the host began announcing the next agenda.


    Everyone cheered even louder than before and apuded when the host called up Ace¡¯s father to give a speech. I thought that this was to be expected as I watched Ace¡¯s father take the stage before he stood behind the podium and adjusted the microphone a little.


    ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you very much for joining us tonight on this special day to celebrate my son¡¯s birthday. As everyone is probably already aware, my son has always been my pride and joy. Although there were some unexpected dys, everything truly came together when Ace decided to take the position of CEO for ourpany. Many of you here must have had the opportunity to interact and work with Ace already and I am sure that he is taking ourpany to greater heights...¡± he said as he beamed proudly at the crowd.


    I felt Ace stiffen a little at my side and I could tell that he wasn¡¯t quitefortable to hear his father speaking this way about him. I wasn¡¯t sure if he was ufortable for being praised so directly in public or if it was because of the strained rtionship that he has with his father.


    ¡°He¡¯s really praising you...¡± I whispered to Ace.


    ¡°All he ever cares about is work...¡± he muttered back with clear irritation.


    With that remark, I began to realize that everything that his father was talking about had something to do with work and probably had something to do with the promotion of thepany and its work rather than personallyplimenting Ace or wishing me any well wishes in the event of his birthday. Sadly, it seemed like this event is indeed nothing more than a business event to promote and advertise the services of Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s.


    ¡°What an excellent speech...¡± someone said quite loudly.


    The speech came to an end, and everyone apuded very loudly. To them, the speech must have sounded amazing for sure. If I hadn¡¯t known better, I would have thought the exact same way. The host took the stage again while Ace¡¯s father made his way down from the stage. It seemed like the event was ready to progress to the next segment. While I was wondering what kind of performancey in store for us, the host approached the microphone and smiled at the audience.


    ¡°Next is the absolute highlight of tonight because we will have the person who we have gathered here tonight to celebratee up here and give a speech of his own. May I please invite Ace to share some words with all of us!¡± the host announced enthusiastically.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 244

    244 Shocking Annoucement


    I had no idea if Ace knew about this but ncing over at him told me that he wasn¡¯t at all flustered by this. Suddenly, there was a blinding light that made me wince and squeeze my eyes shut for a moment before I attempted to open them again. The spotlight felt blinding as it focused on Ace. I watched as Ace calmly got up from his seat amid the loud cheering and apud from the crowd before he made his way over to the stage.


    I guess a birthday party isn¡¯tplete if the birthday boy doesn¡¯t get up on stage to say a few words. Ace made his way to the podium while the cheering in the venue did not subside at all. It made me feel like Ace was some kind of celebrity and these people were his avid followers and supporters. Maybe that was the case, I had no idea.


    Perhaps, like me, there were many people who truly admired his work and achievements. I wondered what Ace was going to say now that he had everyone¡¯s attention and now that he has taken the stage. Maybe he would politely thank the people who came here to celebrate his birthday. A small smile curved my lips when I thought of the present that I had gotten for him.


    ¡°Good evening...¡± Ace said, and his voice was immediately projected through the speakers located throughout the event hall.


    Everyone quickly quietened down to pay attention to what Ace was going to say. My heart started racing in my chest as I focused all of my attention on Ace. Although I wasn¡¯t the one about to give a speech, I felt so nervous that it might as well have been me standing up there on the stage instead of Ace.


    ¡°Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen. First of all, I would like to thank all of you for sparing your precious time to attend this party to celebrate my birthday. It makes me feel so overjoyed to have your blessing and support, and as my father just said during his speech, there will definitely be greater things happening at Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s and we are hoping that everyone here will stay with us and be a part of that journey...¡± Ace said calmly and politely before he took a break.


    The entire hall was silent as everyone seemed to hold their breath while waiting for his next words. My hands started to sweat, and I felt so captivated by his speech although he hadn¡¯t said anything out of the ordinary at all.


    ¡°Since I want everyone to enjoy the party without much interruption, I would like to get straight to the main point of my speech. Working as the CEO of Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s has been one of the best experiences in my career and I have learned so much. In addition, the opportunities offered to me to work alongside all of you and your prestigiouspanies have taught me so much and have kept me extremely inspired. That only made this decision much harder for me; however, I am firmly convinced that this decision is the right one. We are still figuring out the exact timeline for this; however, soon I will be stepping down from my role as the CEO of Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s,¡± Ace announced before he paused as if giving the audience the opportunity to absorb his words and their real implications.


    ...What?


    .....


    What did he just say?!


    The entire hall fell into a deadly silence as everyone seemed too stunned to react to his sudden deration of stepping down from his position.


    ¡°He¡¯s really a crazy one, isn¡¯t he?¡± a familiar voice spoke up from next to me.


    I was too focused on Ace and his speech that I had not realized that someone else had taken the seat next to me at the table. My heart jumped in my chest at her voice and when I turned to my side, I didn¡¯t want to believe my eyes when I saw a beautiful blonde woman sitting in the seat next to me.


    ¡°Elizabeth...¡± I murmured her name in my shock.


    Why is Elizabeth Chase here?


    Her eyes were glued on Ace who was still standing in the center of the stage. It took a while for her attention to veer in my direction. She turned to face me and then her lips curved into a sweet smile that felt so insincere.


    ¡°Ace...is a truly amazing man, don¡¯t you think?¡± she asked before her smile widened at me.


    What did she do this time?


    The way my skin seemed to crawl when I came face to face with her told me that Elizabeth must have had something to do with Ace¡¯s sudden decision to step down from his position as CEO. At that moment, it seemed like the audiences had recovered from their initial shock. The silence in the hall was quickly reced by murmurs and whispers as everyone seemed to gossip and discuss the sudden turn in events together. Just after his father hadplimented his role as the CEO of thepany, Ace went up there and told everyone that he nned to step down and quit.


    Just what on earth is really going on?


    One nce at Elizabeth and how she wasughing joyfully at my side told me that she knew about this well in advance. Not only was she not surprised about Ace¡¯s announcement, but she also seemed to be enjoying it.


    ¡°What is going on? Do you know anything about this?¡± I asked her while trying my best to not raise my voice in case I attracted the undesired attention of the people around us.


    ¡°So, what if I do?¡± she asked like it had absolutely nothing to do with me.


    She smiled an icy smile my way again and I felt my anger start to boil over. Elizabeth continuedughing and before I could stop her, she had already gotten up from her seat and left. Just as mysteriously as she had appeared by my side, she disappeared into the darkness of the hall and then mingled in with the crowd of the other guests. It was clear that she wasn¡¯t here to celebrate Ace¡¯s birthday.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 245 - 245 Unacceptable

    245 Uneptable


    Did shee here just to watch him announce his retirement from thepany?


    That wasn¡¯t the biggest question that was on my mind at that moment. My eyes returned to Ace who had bowed apologetically on the stage before smiling a little regretfully at his guests. No matter what, I couldn¡¯t wrap my mind around his sudden announcement.


    Why would Ace quit all of a sudden like this?


    He clearly did not discuss this with anyone. Even his father didn¡¯t know about it, and I did not know anything about it either. He never talked to me about this. A sickening knot formed in the pit of my stomach when I realized that the only person who he might have spoken to about this matter must have been Elizabeth.


    Why? Why? Why?!


    Before I knew it, I was out of my seat, and I quickly made my way to the side of the stage with my wish to catch Ace the moment that he got off the stage. I didn¡¯t think that Ace needed to wrap up his speech because it seemed like he had said all that he needed to say.


    I made it in time to catch Ace as he was walking down from the stage. There were many things that I wanted to ask him but the re he gave me made me hold my tongue. It was clear that Ace wasn¡¯t looking forward to handling any of my inquiries. It just didn¡¯t make any sense. He had made a promise to his father to grow thepany and then after that, we would get married. That wasn¡¯t long ago at all, so why did he go and announce his retirement from his position as CEO just like that?


    A sinking feeling filled my core when I thought that it might be possible that Ace had changed his mind about growing thepany and perhaps about our future together as well. That thought and realization hurt me more than I could have possibly imagined before. Without knowing what to do, I silently followed after Ace while ignoring the pain in my feet from the high heels that I had on.


    Ace¡¯s father stepped in to block our way and I realized that I wasn¡¯t the only one who wanted and needed some answers. The host was also stunned but somehow managed to get the party to proceed to the next section which, thankfully, was more performances from leading artists that could capture the guests¡¯ attention, at least to a certain degree.


    .....


    ¡°We need to talk,¡± Ace¡¯s father stated as he grabbed Ace¡¯s arm as if to prevent his escape.


    To my surprise, Ace just nodded without resisting. Although they did not invite me to tag along with them, I did anyways as the Chairman led Ace away toward the back of the stage. I was surprised to find that there was another exit there at the back of the stage that led out of the hall. It must have been for the staff and performers.


    ¡°Come with me¡­¡± the chairman said while maintaining his hold on Ace¡¯s arm.


    I kept my eyes on Ace as I quickly followed after them. The two men were walking at a fast pace, and it took a lot of effort on my part to keep up with them. Ace¡¯s father was clearly furious, and I could understand why that was so. If he cared about the fact that I was following after them, he wasn¡¯t bothered to chase me off. I followed after them until we entered a dressing room that seemed to be empty and unused for the night.


    ¡°What the hell did you just do?! You better exin yourself and your actions right now!¡± the chairman demanded while shouting loudly at his son.


    I made sure that the door was securely closed in fear that someone outside the room would hear the conversation between the two men that was about to go down.


    ¡°What is there for me to exin? It¡¯s just as I just announced. I n to step down from the position of CEO soon,¡± Ace replied without any emotion.


    I felt like the chairman¡¯s face grew a deeper shade of red as his face contorted into a mask of pure anger.


    ¡°Why?! Why did you do something like that? You¡¯re nning to quit your job as CEO?! Are you crazy?!¡± Ace¡¯s father continued yelling in Ace¡¯s face.


    Ace must have expected this reaction from his father because he still looked as calm andposed as ever. It was like his father¡¯s reactions did not affect him at all. I wondered for the countless time what Ace was really thinking, and just like the chairman, I wanted to know why and how he arrived at this unexpected decision of his.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you agree to let me do things my way?¡± Ace asked.


    His father shot Ace a look of extreme confusion as if he didn¡¯t understand what his son was talking about. I realized that Ace must be referring to one of the conditions that he set when he made the agreement with his father about growing thepany. However, how does quitting his job as the CEO help with the growth of thepany?


    As far as I can see it, it would just ruin and damage thepany. The reaction of the guests at the event was clearly negative and I was sure that it would damage the rtions between Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s and its clients.


    ¡°What? I have to ept your resignation because I agreed to let you handle things your way? What a joke, Ace! You¡¯re just running away from all of this again. Your decision is extremely selfish and you¡¯re just letting go of your goals!¡± the chairman yelled loudly before panting to catch his breath.


    I was d that his father was pretty much saying everything that I had in mind. That saved me from having this difficult conversation with Ace. However, I knew that sooner orter, I needed to talk to him too.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 246 - 246 Abandoned Plan

    246 Abandoned n


    Perhaps, it would be less about the future of thepany but more about our future together if he even through that we still had a chance of being together.


    ¡°I¡¯m not running away. I¡¯m just doing things my way and I ask that you stick to your promise and respect that,¡± Ace stated calmly.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you consult me about this before? Why did you have to get up there and announce it at arge event like this? Do you know how much money I put in to put this event together? This whole party was supposed to celebrate your sess so far as the CEO and look what you¡¯ve done!¡± the chairman thundered as his eyes red at his own son.


    Ace did not show any hint of regret or remorse regarding his action and that was probably because he simply did not regret it. I had no idea why Ace thought that his action was the right one.


    What made him so confident or was he just going to run away from his responsibilities again just as his father had just used him of?


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that there was a need to, given our previous agreement. Plus, if I had consulted you, you would have just disagreed with me. It would have justplicated things without leading to any progress, so naturally, I decided against consulting with you first,¡± Ace exined logically.


    ¡°You¡­how dare you ruin everything that I¡¯ve tried to build? Get out there and apologize for your foolish decision and take your words back right now!¡± the chairman yelled as he pointed his index finger towards the door.


    Ace didn¡¯t move from where he was standing. His father looked like he was ready to murder his own son when he saw Ace¡¯s apparent refusal toply with hismand. Things were really getting out of hand, and I wondered what I should do to stop this argument between father and son before it got worse than this.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not nning to quit right away. I¡¯ll make sure that thepany wins the Ashfordpetition first and that things are pretty much settled,¡± Ace replied levelly.


    .....


    ¡°You¡¯re not quitting! I won¡¯t allow you to do something so crazy again and that is final!¡± the chairman yelled.


    ¡°Father, I want you to stick to your promise and start believing that I¡¯m really doing what is best for thepany,¡± he said with a shrug of his shoulders.


    ¡°You¡¯re fickle. Your dreams are unrealistic. Whatever talent you have is wasted on you!¡± the chairman spat.


    Ace had a cold and emotionless mask on his face that did not betray any emotions at all. His father¡¯s words were harsh, but it seemed like it wasn¡¯t Ace¡¯s first time hearing those words or something simr. Despite how great I thought Ace was, it was clear that his father did not share my point of view at all.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything to say for yourself, Ace?¡± his father asked when Ace continued to stand therepletely in silence.


    ¡°I have nothing to say but neither will I withdraw my decision,¡± he replied simply.


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about thister. I¡¯m going to go out there and try my best to clean up this mess that my stupid son has created,¡± the chairman dered as he strode towards the door.


    I was relieved for a moment now that the chairman was leaving. At least, this argument wasing to an end even if it was just for now. The chairman stopped in his tracks when he came to stand at my side and my entire body stiffened.


    ¡°You should know now that he was never serious about marrying you. He¡¯s never been serious about anything or anyone, so don¡¯t start thinking that you¡¯re any different. Leave while you can, if you want, I can transfer you somewhere more promising for your career,¡± the chairman said to me before he headed for the door without waiting for my reply.


    I heard the door open and then close behind me at the chairman¡¯s exit. His words shocked me and left me feeling so cold and empty inside that I couldn¡¯t respond to him.


    Could he be right about Ace?


    I felt tears sting the back of my eyes and it took everything inside of me to stop my tears from overflowing. I told myself repeatedly that this wasn¡¯t the time for me to cry. Taking in a few deep breaths made me feel slightly better and I managed to swallow the lump that had formed in my throat. Now that Ace¡¯s father had left the room, I was left all alone with Ace.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head back,¡± Ace said to me casually while I struggled to find the words to start up a conversation with him.


    Without another word and without waiting for my reply, Ace walked past me and headed toward the door. I watched his broad back as he walked away from me while my legs felt like they had turned into thick and heavy lead. Although the birthday celebration still continued, for us it felt like it was already over.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get the driver to drop you off at your ce first,¡± Ace told me when we were sitting next to each other in the backseat of his car.


    I knew that if he sent me back, I would lose my opportunity to talk to him about his sudden announcement to quit his position as CEO and I had to avoid that at alcostsst. If I didn¡¯t get to talk things out with him tonight, I doubt that I could get any sleep. That left me with no other choice.


    ¡°Please take me to your ce,¡± I requested as I stared into his gaze with pleading eyes.


    He had to know that he owed me so many exnations. There was the issue with Elizabeth which he never got around to exining and now there¡¯s another issue. I had no idea which one was the bigger deal right now. However, unlike his secretive rtionship with Elizabeth where I didn¡¯t know for sure if they were really involved in an illicit affair, I was certain that Ace was serious about the announcement that he made.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 247 - 247 Pleading for Answers

    247 Pleading for Answers


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you want,¡± he replied like it was all up to me.


    The ride to his ce was silent and extremely awkward. The atmosphere felt cold and full of tension. The endless list of questions that I wanted to ask Ace ran round and round in my head nonstop; however, I didn¡¯t know where to start. Most of the questions about his decision to step down from his position were pretty much asked already by his father. I wondered if he would give me different answers than the ones that he had already given his father.


    ¡°We¡¯re finally back home¡­¡± Ace said while sounding tired and bored.


    I wished that he would volunteer me with some answers and information but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. If anything, Ace looked sleepy and ready for bed. It must have been a long day for him; however, he was about to find out that the day was far from over for him yet as far as I was concerned. The driver drove away after dropping us off in front of Ace¡¯s building.


    ¡°Come along,¡± Ace told me casually as he waved for me to follow him into the building.


    Pain shot through my lower lip, and I realized that I had been chewing harder and harder on it in my frustration. I had been silent all this time while I collected my thoughts and prepared my words for when we were alone in his ce. The elevator opened and the familiar view of his living room greeted me. Although it was the same room as before and I had spent countless nights here with him, the room felt stuffier and much darker than ever before.


    ¡°You can take a shower first,¡± Ace said.


    That was pretty much needless because there were more than two bathrooms in his gigantic penthouse suite; however, I wasn¡¯t in the mood to point out the obvious to him. I knew by now that he was trying his best to avoid having that difficult conversation with him.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name as he headed toward his bedroom.


    .....


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked without turning to face my way.


    ¡°I need to talk to you,¡± I said while trying my best to keep my voice from shaking.


    ¡°Right now? Can this wait untilter?¡± he asked with his back to me.


    I hated how he wouldn¡¯t talk to me about everything and how he wouldn¡¯t look into my face. What exactly is he hiding from me?


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name.


    ¡°Rina, it¡¯ste¡­¡± he said with a warning tone in his voice.


    I would be lying if I said that I wasn¡¯t scared of him at all; however, my desperate need to know what was really going on far overwhelmed my fear.


    ¡°Yes, we have to talk right now,¡± I stated without backing down.


    I heard Ace heave a loud and long sigh like dealing with me was thest thing that he wanted to do in his life. Under other circumstances, I probably would have backed down and let him have his way; however, not today and not right now¡­


    ¡°Ace, tell me what is going on. Please, I am so confused right now. Why did you do that? Why did you suddenly announce that you would step down from your position as CEO? What does that even mean?¡± I asked without the ability to hold back my questions.


    Now that I had started asking him about it, all my questions started pouring out of my mouth in waves that didn¡¯t seem to cease. I was just so frustrated, confused, and scared of everything that I knew and everything that I didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired. Let¡¯s just shower and go to bed, Rina¡­¡± he grumbled lowly.


    ¡°Wait!¡± I called out much louder than I had intended.


    My body moved on its own and the next thing I realized; I already had my arms around Ace as I pressed my face into his back. I could feel Ace¡¯s body stiffen in my embrace. It was a strange feeling to hold him like this. It didn¡¯t feel like I was hugging him at all. Instead, it felt like I was desperately clinging to him so that he wouldn¡¯t leave me behind.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but¡­we have to talk right now¡­¡± I said firmly.


    There¡¯s got to be a good reason for all of this.


    At least, that was what I wanted to believe. It was extremely difficult, but I wanted to continue having faith in Ace. He must have his reasons for doing all of this.


    Ace heaved another sigh and this time he seemed to have resigned himself to talking to me just like I had requested. I felt his hands on my arms before he slowly disentangled himself from my embrace and turned around to face me. I stared up into his hazel eyes pleadingly for him to tell me the truth.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I whispered his name as some hope sprung up in my chest.


    Ace had one of the most conflicted looks that I had ever seen on his face, and I couldn¡¯t imagine just what internal battle was raging on in his head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened, but can we please talk it out? If you¡¯ll tell me, then I¡¯ll be willing to listen to anything¡­¡± I murmured softly as I continued staring up into his eyes.


    His eyes were cold and emotionless as if his soul was sealed away somewhere so far from me that I couldn¡¯t reach. I knew that I was pushing him to do something that he absolutely hated but I wasn¡¯t willing to give up on my goal aftering this far.


    ¡°Let¡¯s sit down and talk, Ace¡­¡± I said firmly.


    He didn¡¯t respond to me even when I reached my hands out to grasp his hand in between my own. Regardless of hisck of response, he didn¡¯t resist when I led him after me to therge sofa in the living room. The room felt much colder than before and although we were sitting next to each other on the sofa, it felt like Ace was miles away from me.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 248 - 248 His Answers

    248 His Answers


    ¡°So, what do you want to know?¡± Ace asked like he couldn¡¯t wait to get this over and done with.


    I wanted to roll my eyes at him, but I still tried to be positive about it all. If he wanted to get this over and done with, then maybe he would answer my questions quickly and directly.


    ¡°Why did you announce that you¡¯re going to step down from your position as CEO? Why are you quitting all of a sudden like this?¡± I asked as I stared at his emotionless face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this job. You should know that already. This job isn¡¯t for me, and I¡¯m not cut out to do it for life. I never took this job with the thought that I¡¯ll be doing it until the day that I get old and retire,¡± he replied like it was supposed to be obvious.


    ¡°But why now? Why have you decided to quit now? Don¡¯t you have to grow thepany like you promised your father?¡± I asked hurriedly.


    I was speaking faster and faster as my frustrations started getting the better of me. Ace was right and I did know that he wasn¡¯t particrly fond of his job. However, since he had started focusing and working hard at his job, I thought that he was fine with it. Of course, I did not see any signs that would make me think that he was about to drop everything and leave after we won the Ashfordpetition. It was great that Ace didn¡¯t leave immediately while Project Alpha was still going on but that didn¡¯t make the matter much less grave.


    What about the promise that he made to me?


    He told me that we¡¯ll get married after he¡¯s done with fulfilling the promise that he made to his father and then his father would acknowledge our rtionship.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to stay as the CEO to grow thepany,¡± he replied all too simply.


    .....


    ¡°What does that even mean? How are you going to lead thepany if you¡¯re no longer working there?¡± I asked as my brows drew into a deep frown.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t fully understand what is going on right now. Just trust me and everything will turn out just fine, Rina,¡± Ace said as his eyes stared into mine.


    How am I supposed to just rest easy about this?


    ¡°What about us?¡± I asked in a small voice.


    I could feel tears stinging the back of my eyes and realized that I was so scared of his answer. With everything that was going on, I didn¡¯t have a lot of confidence left in us and I wasn¡¯t sure what Ace thought about our future. We were still together but it didn¡¯t feel like we were as close as before. There were just so many secrets between us and the fact that he didn¡¯t like to exin himself to me wasn¡¯t helping at all.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± he asked like he didn¡¯t understand what I was getting at.


    ¡°You made a deal with your father to grow thepany within three years so that we could get married¡­¡± I replied in a shaky voice.


    I didn¡¯t remember thest time that I felt this anxious to hear someone¡¯s reply to my question before. My hands felt cold, and I had to sp them together to keep them from visibly shaking. The sickening feeling in my stomach worsened and became too much for me to ignore.


    ¡°Why do you sound so worried, Rina? I just told you that I can still grow thepany without sitting in the CEO¡¯s seat. We¡¯ll be fine¡­¡± Ace replied quite confidently before he smiled a little at me.


    Although I had no idea how exactly that was going to work out, I was kind of d that he didn¡¯t tell me that he didn¡¯t intend to work towards that promise anymore. That didn¡¯t stop me from worrying about it, though.


    There was also another issue that I was still hesitant to bring up; however, there wouldn¡¯t be a better time than this. Now that we were talking anyways, I might as well get it over with. This issue with Ace stepping down can still be avoided if I can change his mind. There was still time until the end of Project Alpha and by then Ace might reconsider his choice again.


    ¡°I¡­I saw Elizabeth at the party just now¡­¡± I said as my eyes searched his face for any reaction.


    ¡°Oh, so she decided to turn up after all. I invited her but she didn¡¯t make anymitments to turning up,¡± Ace replied smoothly.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what kind of reaction I was hoping for but this casual and easy-goingment wasn¡¯t quite what I had in mind.


    ¡°You invited her?¡± I asked without being able to stop myself.


    ¡°Of course. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re strangers. I ran into her recently so I thought that I should just invite her,¡± Ace replied like it was no big deal at all.


    He ran into her recently. My eyes narrowed at his choice of words. I didn¡¯t think that he simply ran into her, and I guessed that I knew when that little meeting of theirs took ce.


    ¡°Since that day when she came to your office, have you been meeting up with her often?¡± I asked while trying to suppress my fears of being direct with him.


    If I wanted some answers, I better start by asking my questions.


    Ace eyes narrowed suspiciously at me and my direct question. He was silent for a moment as his eyes searched my face intently.


    ¡°I¡¯ve met her a couple of times,¡± he replied tly.


    ¡°For work?¡± I stated my best guess.


    ¡°Of course. Why else would I meet her?¡± he asked.


    That was what I wanted to know. Why else did he meet her?


    ¡°What work-rted things have you been discussing with her?¡± I probed even further.


    ¡°This and that. There¡¯s nothing that will impact your work, so you don¡¯t have to worry,¡± Ace replied without much more exnation.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 249 - 249 Painful Interrogations

    249 Painful Interrogations


    The more he tried to evade my questions, the more I got curious about what he was hiding from me. Elizabeth is the CEO of Chase Creatives, and they are one of our biggest rivals in the industry. I had no idea what kind of work Ace could have to do with someone like her.


    ¡°What kind of work would you have to do that would require you to coborate with one of our biggestpetitors?¡± I asked in pure wonder.


    ¡°There are things that I can¡¯t tell you, Rina. I can¡¯t tell you this even if you¡¯re my girlfriend and I also can¡¯t tell you as my secretary. Let¡¯s just leave it here for today, ok?¡± Ace said as a troubled frown formed between his brows.


    ¡°You never tell me anything¡­¡± I muttered like a sulking child.


    ¡°There¡¯s a right time for everything, Rina. I¡¯ll tell you when the timing is right. If there¡¯s nothing else, let¡¯s take a shower and head to bed,¡± Ace said as he brought our conversation to a close.


    I would usually let things slide; however, I felt like I was far from done with this conversation. No matter how much Ace wanted to end this conversation and get away from me, I didn¡¯t want to let him go just yet. He might be right about the business part of things. Somethings may be confidential, and he might not be able to tell me right now, but I was sure that the same did not apply to his secret rtionship with Elizabeth.


    Was there something going on between them after all?


    ¡°Ace¡­that day when we came back from our weekend trip¡­¡± I began asking him what was on my mind.


    ¡°What about it?¡± Ace asked casually as if he couldn¡¯t wait for me to get to my point.


    .....


    He probably thought that I didn¡¯t know anything and that there was nothing significant about that day. Soon he would find out that he was absolutely wrong about that. Deep feelings of anguish and misery welled up in my chest when I thought about Ace ending our trip so suddenly to meet up with Elizabeth.


    ¡°You got a call and after that we had to rush back to the office. Who was that call from?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Why are you bringing this up now, Rina?¡± he asked with raised eyebrows.


    ¡°Was it Elizabeth who called you on that day?¡± I asked without holding back.


    Now that the cat waspletely out of the bag, I knew very well that I couldn¡¯t hold back anymore. After what I had just said, it was in obvious now that I was suspicious of their rtionship and I thought that I had every right to be. If I was wrong about them, then the least that Ace could do was deny it and convince me otherwise just like he did with when his ex-secretary turned up heavily pregnant at his office. This time, as I had promised myself, I would listen to him and let him exin himself.


    If only Ace would exin everything to me¡­


    ¡°Why are you asking me this?¡± Ace asked as his eyes narrowed dangerously at me.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter why I¡¯m asking you this. Just tell me, was it Elizabeth who called you back?¡± I asked as I suddenly started to raise my voice.


    I hated the fact that he was answering my questions with one of his own instead of giving me answers. Ace stared at me as his eyes went dead cold while his lips were pursed in a thin line. I guess I already knew the answer; however, I was cruel enough to both of us to demand that he say it. I just wanted and needed to hear the truth from him.


    ¡°Yes or no, Ace¡­did she call you on that day?¡± I asked again.


    All he had to say was a ¡®yes¡¯ or a ¡®no¡¯.


    ¡°Yes, she called me that day,¡± he replied after a moment of silence.


    Although I already knew the answer and I also saw them secretly meeting up on that day, his answer still felt like an arrow piercing my heart. The pain made me close my eyes for a moment. I should have felt thankful that Ace had decided to tell me the truth but it didn¡¯t hurt any less at all.


    ¡°After we came back to the office, and we went our separate ways. Did you meet up with her?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Did I?¡± Ace asked as he stared right into my face.


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who asked you that question. I would really appreciate it if you would be honest with me and answer my question, Ace,¡± I said before taking in a deep breath to calm my own nerves.


    ¡°Why are you asking me these questions when it seems like you already know the answers to them?¡± he asked in return as his cold brown eyes stared at me.


    His face was stern, and it was evident that he wasn¡¯t at all impressed at what he was hearing. A lump formed in my throat and suddenly my lips felt very dry. Although I was the one who was supposed to be asking all the questions, I felt like Ace had put me on the spot. His hazel eyes continued staring at me and I started to feel extremely ufortable because it seemed like he could see through mepletely.


    ¡°That¡¯s because I want to hear the truth from you. So, will you answer my questions now?¡± I asked as I tried desperately to stand my ground.


    I knew that if my will wavered or if I showed him any signs of hesitation or weakness, Ace would overpower me and I would be the one who had to answer to his questions. For some reason, it seemed like Ace had gotten suspicious of me. A feeling very simr to guilt started welling up inside of me and I couldn¡¯t help it. I had thought that I didn¡¯t have anything to hide from Ace; however, my own feelings told me that I was probably wrong about that.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 250 - 250 Rest in Peace, Trust

    250 Rest in Peace, Trust


    ¡°I met Elizabeth that day,¡± Ace replied without betraying any emotions.


    My heart just sank at his words although I should have felt a little better for the fact that he still told me the truth. Ace didn¡¯t show any signs that he was going to exin himself or his actions to me and I wasn¡¯t sure if I wanted to hear any more truth from him. Suddenly, it felt like my frail little heart wouldn¡¯t be able to take it after all.


    ¡°Why did you meet up with her? You told me that something urgent happened at work. Why did you lie?¡± I asked as I tried to suppress the tears that were threatening to well up in my eyes.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t lying. Something did happen at work,¡± Ace replied tly.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just tell me that you were going to meet up with her?¡± I asked as I red at him.


    ¡°Rina, if you¡¯re going to get all emotional about this, I suggest that you stop this and go to bed,¡± Ace advised sternly.


    ¡°No! I cannot and I will not stop until I learn the truth about what is going on. Why did you end our holiday like that just toe back to see her? Why did you do that, Ace?¡± I demanded to know.


    I knew that my emotions were taking over me and maybe I wasn¡¯t able to think anything through anymore. However, wasn¡¯t that what rtionships should be about? Rtionships and love have something to do with emotions for sure, so how could he expect me to just keep a straight head and handle everything rationally without getting my emotions involved?


    My heart clenched so tightly in my chest, and it started to get more challenging for me to breathe. Ace brows visibly furrowed as his eyes stared at me with displeasure. I could tell that my sudden outburst didn¡¯t sit well with Ace. I must have seemed extremely immature to him but what else am I supposed to do when I can¡¯t stop thinking of the possibility that there could be something going on between him and Elizabeth?


    .....


    ¡°Why did you follow us?¡± Ace asked after a pause.


    What did he just say?


    His sudden question truly caught me off guard. I never knew that Ace realized that I had followed him that day. He never told me anything about it and I never sensed that anything was amiss. My chest clenched even tighter than before as my hands started to feel cold. If he knew that I had followed him then he probably also knew who I was with.


    ¡°I¡­I happened to see you two leaving together so¡­¡± I replied before trailing off.


    Ace just shook his head at me like he didn¡¯t want to believe what I had just said or what I did. I had no idea why he seemed so disappointed because I didn¡¯t see any glory or righteousness in his actions either.


    ¡°Never mind me for a second. Why did you meet up with her? I keep¡­seeing you two together¡­¡± I said before biting down hard on my lower lip to keep my tears from falling.


    I wondered if Ace knew how much this was upsetting me. Sometimes I wondered how heartless he could be towards me. Ace did not offer me any words offort and he did not touch me. Instead, he took in a deep breath and then let out a loud sigh.


    ¡°I already told you that we met up for work¡­¡± he repeated his short and unanimated response once again.


    ¡°That¡¯s all you ever tell me. Why couldn¡¯t you have discussed business with her in the office? Why did you have to go to the hotel with her?¡± I asked before I could stop myself and perhaps that was because I didn¡¯t truly want to.


    What more did I have to lose?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re acting so suspicious of me when you¡¯ve got plenty of things to hide yourself,¡± Ace pointed out coldly as his hazel eyes narrowed at me.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked while trying my best not to avoid his gaze.


    ¡°Who have you been meeting up with in secret, Rina? Whose idea was it for you to follow us to the hotel? Who was with you, Rina?¡± he asked calmly but the look in his eyes demanded for answers.


    I hated when he tried to turn the tables on me like this. Suddenly, it felt like I was at a disadvantage and I had no idea why that had to be so.


    ¡°If you weren¡¯t with his wife, then there would be no reason for me to be with him,¡± I replied loud and clear.


    I felt like my logic was right. If only Ace hadn¡¯t been sneaking around in secret with Elizabeth, there would be no reason for me to meet up ormunicate with Kyle in any way.


    ¡°I told you to stay away from that guy. Why don¡¯t you ever listen to what I tell you?¡± Ace asked usingly.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s fine for you to meet up with Elizabeth but I can¡¯t meet up with Kyle?¡± I asked as a keep frown formed in between my brows.


    I had no idea how Ace found out but if he knew that I followed him then Elizabeth must also know by now that Kyle had been following her.


    Rest in Peace. Trust.


    ¡°I told you to stay away from him and you promised me that you would. What happened to that promise?¡± Ace asked coldly.


    ¡°I¡­¡± I murmured although I didn¡¯t know how to reply to that.


    Why did this have to suddenly seem like it was my fault?


    ¡°No matter the reason, I don¡¯t want you associating yourself with him anymore. Do you understand, Rina?¡± Ace asked sternly as his eyes searched my face.


    ¡°What about you? Can you stop meeting Elizabeth? You told me before that there is nothing going on between you two and that you never shared any romantic feelings even though you were engaged before. Is that still true?¡± I asked in a shaky voice.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 251 - 272 Chs

    272 Chs


    ADD


    251 Faith


    ¡°Would you believe anything that I say at this point?¡± Ace asked as he cocked his head a little to the side to observe my reactions.


    I didn¡¯t have any answer for him because I wasn¡¯t sure about that myself. Ace¡¯s intense gaze continued to rest on my face while I chewed on the inside of my lower lip as I hesitated.


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to listen. So please, tell me what is really going on¡­¡± I replied after trying my best to pick the right words.


    ¡°It¡¯s still true. Elizabeth and I may have a veryplicated rtionship but we are not involved with each other in the way that you think. I¡¯ve met her many times, but it was all for work,¡± he replied to my earlier question calmly.


    ¡°And you can¡¯t tell me what work you two have been working on, right?¡± I asked although I already knew the answer.


    Ace just nodded his head at me once and that was his response to my question. Now it was up to me whether or not I would believe him. Ace didn¡¯t say anything else but his eyes were still on my face while I wondered what he saw there. ording to him, I wasn¡¯t very good at hiding my thoughts and feelings from him. Multiple emotions must have flickered across my face as I tried to understand myself and what I was feeling.


    I wanted to believe him, but could things really be this simple?


    I nced down at my hands and found that they were balled into tight fists. The silence between us stretched on as the atmosphere got more tense than it was before. Ace didn¡¯t exin himself or anything any further. It was as if he was leaving it to me to choose whether or not I would believe him.


    ¡°If I choose to believe you, will theree a day when you¡¯ll tell me what is going on?¡± I asked after a while of thought.


    .....


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out at the same time as the rest¡­¡± he replied seriously.


    I wondered who he was referring to and when that would be.


    ¡°When will that be? How long will I have to wait?¡± I asked as I tried to stop the feeling of hope that welled up in my chest.


    ¡°It¡¯ll probably be around the end of Project Alpha, which is probably around a month¡¯s time¡­¡± Ace replied.


    A month¡¯s time¡­


    A month wasn¡¯t that long; however, I knew that it would probably feel like an eternity if I waited with something like this on my mind.


    ¡°Will you really step down from your position as CEO then too?¡± I asked as I stared right into his eyes.


    For some reason, I felt so miserable about that fact that he was throwing away his career. To be honest, I had to side with his father on this one. I truly thought that there wasn¡¯t anyone else better-suited for this position than Ace. To me, he was the perfect CEO for thispany and I had imagined that he would be leading thepany right up to his retirement and not just for a few years like this.


    ¡°I will. I did announce it to the world just now,¡± Ace replied without even a hint of hesitation.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I murmured as I looked down at my hands again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t sound so sad. It¡¯s nothing more than a job and a position,¡± Ace said without much care.


    ¡°Do you really think that? Is it really just a job?¡± I asked in wonder.


    To me, I wouldn¡¯t say that my job was just a job. To put it simply, there are far easier jobs out there that required fewer working hours to get the same pay. It wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to say that most people who chose this profession had a passion for it and that was what made me wondered if the same did not hold for Ace.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. It¡¯s giving me a headache. I just managed to escape from my dad, at least for the night. Tomorrow, he¡¯lle after me for sure,¡± Ace brushed off my question before he heaved a long sigh.


    I nodded a little to myself as I decided to let the whole thing slide for now. It wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t get the answer that I was looking for; however, it was as Ace had said, it¡¯s all up to me whether I chose to believe him and trust in him or not.


    I truly wanted to believe that there was nothing but business going on between Ace and Elizabeth; however, no matter how hard I thought about it, I couldn¡¯t understand the linkage between these two. The world of business was just tooplicated for me and that was probably why I had chosen to stick to the creative side of projects rather than any business development or strategy side. This was just all tooplicated and hard for me to figure out.


    ¡°You must be tired. Let¡¯s shower and go to bed,¡± I said before I sighed in resignation.


    It was impossible for me to decide just yet whether I would believe Ace or not. Maybe it didn¡¯t matter what I thought. If I trusted in Ace¡¯s words, then in around one month¡¯s time when Project Alpha came to an end, then he would tell me everything, more like, I would find out the truth along with the rest of them.


    I nced up to find Ace standing right in front of me. His shadow loomed over me and the light behind his head hid his facial expression from me. My eyes shifted from his face to the hand that he had held out for me before a questioning look formed on my face.


    ¡°Come, Rina. Let¡¯s take a bath together,¡± Ace said invitingly, and I could tell that he was smiling although I couldn¡¯t quite see his face.


    I blinked rapidly as I stared at his outstretched hand. We were just arguing a moment ago and this shift in pace was hard for me to keep up with. With a small sigh, I ced my hand into his and he pulled me up onto my feet.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 252 - 252 Healing and Mending

    252 Healing and Mending


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I murmured his name before I found out that I didn¡¯t quite know what to say to him.


    ¡°Stop frowning, Rina. You¡¯ll get lines all over your beautiful face¡­¡± Ace reprimanded me half-jokingly.


    I felt the warmth of his hand against the side of my face before his fingertips slid down to cup my chin and tip my head up slightly. His other hand approached my face and then I felt his fingers trying to stop the skin in between my brows from creasing. I didn¡¯t know how to react to how seriously he seemed to be taking this.


    ¡°You know, if you seriously don¡¯t want me to frown like this, then you should stop making me worry about you¡­¡± I muttered darkly.


    ¡°Well, since there¡¯s not much that I can do about that, I¡¯ll just help keep your brows away from each other¡­¡± Ace replied with a chuckle.


    I didn¡¯t quite think that it was funny but the atmosphere around us seemed to have lightened somewhat. Things were a far cry from being normal between us but it seemed like things may just work out in the end. At least, I wanted to allow myself to hope and have some optimism.


    ¡°I really hope that I can trust you, Ace¡­¡± I murmured softly as if I was just talking to myself.


    Although I knew that he could hear me, Ace chose not to reply to my words. Instead, his lips slowly approached my face and then I could their familiar warmth softly against mine as he began kissing me gently. His kiss was so gentle that it left me feeling confused about how I should be feeling. It felt slightly strange for his kiss to be so undemanding, but I didn¡¯t dislike it at all.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a bath together¡­¡± Ace invited me again.


    .....


    I let him take my hand and lead me to the bathroom. For a moment, it felt like everything that took ce at the party never happened and we were just a simple couple spending time with each other at home. The door of the bathroom closing behind us snapped me out of my thoughts and returned me back to reality. A small smile curved my lips when I realized that reality didn¡¯t have to be so different from the dream world that I just saw in my mind.


    ¡°We should head to bed soon¡­¡± I murmured preemptively.


    Ace began stripping off his clothes while I stood and watched a little shyly to the side. He probably knew why I said that because heughed a little at me. When he waspletely naked, he stepped towards me and soon his hands were undoing the zipper of my dress.


    ¡°Turn around¡­¡± he instructed.


    I heard the zipper of the dress sliding down as Ace unzipped my dress. He did not waste much time in pulling it down my body until the whole dress pooled at my feet. Ace offered me a hand and I felt like a little princess as I stepped out of my dress and into his arms.


    ¡°Are you still mad?¡± he asked.


    I didn¡¯t want to meet his eyes because the gentleness and concern that I saw in them made me feel even more confused inside. His eyes searched mine as if he could find the answer that he was looking for there.


    ¡°I¡¯m not mad. I guess, I was just worried about you and everything¡­¡± I replied in a small voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s like I always tell you. There is nothing for you to worry about, Rina,¡± he said with a smile.


    Just like many times before, Ace ced hisrge hand on the top of my head. I used to think that this made me feel like his dog; however, there was no denying it that this gesture helped to reassure me. It made me feel that things may work out between us and that I could depend on him and trust him.


    ¡°You know¡­when I heard that you wanted to quit your job, I was so shocked that I thought that I was going to faint for real¡­¡± I murmured.


    ¡°I can sort of imagine that happening¡­¡± he replied with a chuckle.


    His fingers moved to caress my bare shoulders before sliding down my back. I took in a sharp breath at the pleasure of his fingers on my skin before I closed my eyes. I felt his fingers on the back of my bra for a brief moment before he unhooked my bra.


    ¡°After I got over my shock, I felt very scared and very worried¡­¡± I said before trailing off because my voice had started to shake.


    It sounded like I was about to cry and maybe that was what was really about to happen. I felt tears sting the back of my eyes again as I recalled the fresh and raw pain of that moment. Ace slid the straps of my bra down my bare shoulders, and I helped him remove it from my arms and let it fall to the floor at my feet. It was strange that we were trying to have a conversation while he was undressing me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I didn¡¯t tell you beforehand, but it would have just made you worry even more¡­¡± Ace said apologetically.


    ¡°Not telling me about it will make me worry even more and I just keep thinking about the worst oue¡­¡± I muttered as my mood darkened even further.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Ace asked.


    I felt his hands on my arm before he spun me around to face him. Our eyes met and I couldn¡¯t look away from him even if I wanted so desperately to. It might have been the first time since our argument over udia that I¡¯ve seen him so genuinely shaken and worried. For the first time, I realized that this situation wasn¡¯t just hard on me but it must have been as hard or even harder for Ace as well.


    ¡°When I heard you say that you will quit your job, I couldn¡¯t help but think that you would back down from the promise that you made with your father to grow thepany¡­and¡­the promise that you made to me as well¡­¡± I admitted in a small voice.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 253 - 253 The Promise We Made

    253 The Promise We Made


    ¡°About my promise to marry you?¡± Ace asked as if in pure disbelief.


    I just nodded my head at him as I kept my eyes cast downwards. It felt quite embarrassing now that I had voiced my worries out loud. I had no idea why he seemed so shocked at what I had just told him. Wasn¡¯t it supposed to be logical for me to think that way? After all, he did link our marriage pretty much to the sess of thepany¡¯s expansion.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m starting to understand the cause of all of this misunderstanding now. Listen, Rina¡­¡± Ace said as his hands reached out to grab my shoulders tightly.


    I looked up into his hazel brown eyes as Ace took in a deep breath before slowly letting it out.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got it all wrong, Rina¡­¡± he said in dismay as he shook his head slowly from side to side.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­but I don¡¯t really understand¡­¡± I murmured.


    His suddenly depressed reaction tugged at my heart and a sense of guilt quickly welled up in my chest and made me feel empty inside. I didn¡¯t like to see Ace that way and it felt even worst when I knew that I was the reason why he was making such a face.


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly like what I told my dad. It¡¯s true that I¡¯m quitting my job but that doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯ve given up on growing thepany or on marrying you,¡± Ace exined calmly after he had somewhatposed himself.


    He looked tired and all the times that I caught him workingte into the night at the office or even back at his ce came back to me. Even though Ace said that he didn¡¯t really like his job, I had to admit that he took it seriously and worked probably harder than anyone. With the many things that had been going on, I guess I must have forgotten about that or overlooked itpletely.


    .....


    ¡°How are you going to grow thepany if you don¡¯t even work here anymore?¡± I asked what was on my mind.


    I didn¡¯t even want to imagine because I couldn¡¯t imagine what thepany would be like with Ace gone. Ever since I started working, Ace had always been the CEO of thepany. In fact, he took over as the CEO right around the same time that I joined thepany. I didn¡¯t know what it would be like without having Ace around to lead the business.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to be the CEO to grow thepany, Rina. I¡¯ll talk to my father tomorrow and he¡¯s going to have to go along with it to keep his end of the bargain. He did promise that he¡¯ll let me do things my way¡­¡± Ace said sternly.


    ¡°Is your n a secret from me as well?¡± I asked as I pleaded to him with my eyes.


    ¡°For now¡­¡± he replied before he grinned regretfully at me.


    I hate secrets.


    ¡°Come on. We¡¯re supposed to take a bath together so don¡¯t just stand there and talk¡­¡± he teased me before his hand reached for mine and led me to the bath.


    I followed him without any hesitation because I had decided to let him do what he wanted to make sure that he was in a decently good mood. That was probably the only way that I could keep this conversation going and the only way that I¡¯ll get any more answers out of him. Ace turned on the tap while I seated myself on the edge of the tub while we both waited for warm water to fill it up.


    My mind wandered back to his reply to my question. At least, that meant that I¡¯ll find out about his ns one day. I had no idea why Ace had to keep it a secret from me; however, I was too relief upon hearing that he had not given up on his n to marry me and that we still had a future together as far as he was concerned. I knew that I had to pick my battles wisely and that I couldn¡¯t have everything that I wanted in life. I shouldn¡¯t be too greedy and because of that, I was more than satisfied with some of the answers that he had given me.


    Although I hadpletely no clue of how Ace was going to achieve his goals that would lead to our future together, I was happy enough that he still wanted to work towards it. Now if only I can trust in him and wait and see¡­


    ¡°Are you going to talk to your father tomorrow about it? I think he¡¯s very mad¡­¡± I said in a small voice.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to, but I know that he¡¯lle to me. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if we wake up tomorrow morning to the sound of him knocking on the door¡­¡± Ace said with a smile.


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether he was joking of if he was being serious, but I decided not to ask. There was something else that I wanted to ask instead.


    ¡°Are you nning to tell the chairman your n tomorrow? You know, your n on how to grow thepany even when you¡¯re no longer around as CEO¡­¡± I asked as my eyes searched his face.


    Ace didn¡¯t seem bothered at all by my question, but he did seem thoughtful for a moment. I wondered what he was pondering in his mind while I waited for him to reply to my question.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we get in?¡± he said invitingly.


    That wasn¡¯t exactly what I wanted to hear from him, but I decided toply with his suggestion and lowered myself down into a sitting position in the tub.


    ¡°Make some space for me too¡­¡± Ace murmured quite seductively.


    The bathtub wasn¡¯t big to begin with and as always, we had to squeeze. Ace was also a big man and that made it even more challenging but at the same time, that also made it kind of fun.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 254 - 254 Distracting Pleasure

    254 Distracting Pleasure


    I made some room for Ace before waiting for him to climb into the bathtub. Suddenly, it felt like there was too much water in the tub and the water was about to overflow after Ace¡¯s entry. I quickly reached over to turn off the tap while Ace sat downfortably and leaned back against the bathtub.


    ¡°That was close¡­¡± I whispered under my breath.


    ¡°Come here, Rina¡­¡± Ace urgedzily.


    I turned around to see him smiling at me as he waved me over with his hand. Ace still looked tired and I thought that catching up on some sleep would probably do him good. Despite that, I still thought that the looked as attractive as always as our eyes met. Suddenly, I felt slightly shy, but I didn¡¯t want to keep Ace waiting for too long because I didn¡¯t want to risk ruining the mood.


    Just as I knew that Ace wanted, I sat down with my back to him in between his legs before his arms wrapped themselves around my waist and held me naturally against him. I could feel the heat of his skin against my back as he held me close and it made the warmth of the water feel like nothing at all. He always felt so warm when he held me close to him like this.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t replied to my question, Ace¡­¡± I reminded him.


    If he thought that I would forget about it because of how he was trying to distract me then he now found out that he was so wrong. I could feel Ace¡¯s warm breath blowing against the small hair at the back of my neck before I felt the softness of his lips against the base of my neck as he kissed me there gently. There wasn¡¯t anything sexual about that kiss yet, but I couldn¡¯t stop the tremble that ran through my body.


    His arms tightened around my waist as if he was scared that I would escape and run from him. Ace¡¯s continued nting small little sweet kisses against the back of my neck all the way down to my shoulder.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I whispered his name as I tried my best to keep myself from moaning.


    .....


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Ace made a questioning sound.


    I could tell that he didn¡¯t care much for conversation right now because his lips and then his tongue were too busy teasing and tasting the sensitive skin of my neck and shoulder. A small whimper escaped from me as my breathing starting to quicken from his seductive kisses. His hands began softly stroking the in of my naked stomach under the water while I tried to resist my bodily urges to react to him.


    ¡°Ace¡­will you tell the chairman about your ns?¡± I asked before I had to bite down on my lower lip to stop myself from crying out from the pleasure of his touch.


    ¡°I probably have to or else he¡¯ll keep me locked up at the mansion forever¡­¡± Ace replied half teasingly.


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± I let out a moan despite my effort to hold it in.


    His hands moved up and cupped my breasts before he gave them a firm squeeze that sent jolts of raw pleasure flooding into my body. His skillful hands massaged my breasts expertly while I moaned from the pleasure. There were still questions in my mind and some doubt; however, the things that we was doing to me made it hard for me to focus on my thoughts.


    ¡°Ace¡­Ahh¡­¡± I whimpered his name before I moaned louder than before.


    My chest heaved up and down as hisrge manly hands started pumping my breasts together. My soft womanly flesh molded into the shape of his hands as he squeezed and yed around with them. I cried out his name while my nipples hardened even further until they started to sting a little as they rubbed against the palm of his hands.


    ¡°Ace¡­wait¡­¡± I managed to protest a little as I covered his hands with my own.


    ¡°Shh¡­I know that you like this. Your nipples are so hard¡­look¡­¡± Ace replied teasingly.


    I cried out when his fingertips moved to capture the erect perks of my breast and began squeezing them softly. His fingers tugged on my sensitive nipples and made them even more erect than before. My body writhed in between his legs as I struggled to deal with the pleasurable sensations that were invading my senses and my body.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ahhh¡­¡± I moaned and gasped as he continued teasing my swollen nipples.


    It felt so amazing when he tugged rhythmically on my nipples before he squeezed them sharply. His caresses got rougher and rougher and the pleasure from his touch only intensified. Desire started to stir in my lower abdomen as my core heated up and started to tighten as if arge knot had formed in the pit of my stomach. It ached down there as my core started to throb and clench with need and desire. I was so turned on by him just like always. All he had to do was y around with me a little and I would end up yearning for him so madly.


    ¡°Your breasts are so soft, Rina¡­¡± Ace murmured close to my ear.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ace¡­¡± I moaned and whimpered his name.


    My vocabry only contained his name right now along with my incoherent moans as my body starved for more of his loving attention. He continued ying with my breasts and pinching on my nipples until it felt like I was on the verge of cumming. It felt unbelievably good, and my body felt so sensitive. Every sensation felt shaper and clearer than normal and I knew that it was because I was already so turned on by Ace.


    I leaned back against his hard frame as my desire started taking over me. My hips began thrusting up and down as his hands continued teasing my womanly mounds. I cried out his name when he pinched my nipples.


    ¡°Turn this way, Rina¡­¡± Ace instructed with clear desire in his tone.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 255 - 255 Taking the Lead

    255 Taking the Lead


    I turned my head back and his lips were immediately on mine. My lips automatically parted to grant his hot and wet tongue ess to the cave of my mouth. His tongue was impatient when it met mine as our kiss deepened. I could feel his desire as he entwined his tongue with mine in a fervent dance that told me better than words could ever describe how much wanted me. My tongue moved against his as I kissed him back eagerly.


    His hand stroked its way down the curve of my body from my chest along my waist before he began stroking the side of my hips. I moaned into our kiss as I let him freely devour me. His kiss was so aggressive, but I didn¡¯t mind it at all, in fact, I thoroughly enjoyed his impassioned kiss. I made small whimpering sounds in my throat as our tongues continued moving against each other.


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± I moaned loudly when Ace¡¯s lips finally parted from mine.


    I was panting hard by that time as I struggled to catch my breath. Ace¡¯s hand slipped between my thighs and began stroking its way upwards toward the heat in between my legs. My pussy twitched and clenched in anticipation of his touch. I wanted him to touch and pleasure me down there. My pussy ached and throbbed with desire.


    Ace didn¡¯t give me long to catch my breath before his lips captured mine in a smoldering hot kiss again. I dly offered my lips to him and soon I was kissing him back with wild abandon. His hand moved upwards along my inner thighs and urged my legs to part for him. My legs felt so weak as I willingly bent my legs and spread my thighs wide apart.


    ¡°It¡¯s so slippery¡­¡± Ace murmured seductively before he chuckled teasingly.


    I looked away in embarrassment when he broke our kiss. My hips betrayed me and began moving, thrusting my pussy upwards against his exploring fingers as he stroked the slippery wet slit in between my thighs. His caresses along the outer folds of my pussy lips felt so amazing and made me want more of him.


    ¡°Ace¡­please¡­¡± I pleaded sweetly as I tried to spread my legs even wider apart.


    ¡°Are you horny, Rina?¡± Ace asked in a low whisper.


    .....


    I knew that he was teasing me again and just how merciless he could be. His fingers stroked my wet opening without entering me the way that I wanted him to. I knew that it would be useless to lie to him at this point. My pussy quivered as it starved for more of his touch. I wanted to feel his fingers inside of me and then something much bigger, hotter, and thicker.


    ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± I admitted in a weak whimper as I nodded my head.


    His fingertips moved up along my wet slit until it reached the small sensitive little pleasure nub at the top of my love entrance. I cried out when he suddenly pinched that nub in between his fingertips before twirling it around. Jolts of mind-numbing pleasure exploded throughout my body from his fingers ying around with my ultra-sensitive clit. My clit felt so hard and swollen as he continued stroking it. I could feel my pussy getting hotter and I knew that I had gotten wetter down there.


    ¡°Do you want me to finger your pussy?¡± Ace asked in a seductive whisper close to my ear.


    My body shivered at his tempting tone as his fingers moved to stroke my wet opening teasingly. Of course, I wanted him to insert his thick and long fingers inside of me and I was more than certain that Ace knew that as well.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tease me¡­please¡­¡± I murmured in embarrassment as I felt heat rise to my cheeks.


    ¡°Fine. I won¡¯t make you say it today¡­¡± Ace said before he ced a kiss on my earlobe.


    I closed my eyes and let out a sigh when I thought that he was finally going easy on me. Not a lot of time passed by before I found out that I was very wrong. His fingers stopped stroking my pussy and my eyes snapped open in confusion.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make you do it instead, Rina¡­¡± Ace whispered into my ear.


    What does he mean by that?


    My eyes widened as I turned around to face him. Ace¡¯s hazel brown eyes stared down into mine as our gaze locked. I could sense the mischief in his eyes as his beautiful full lips curved into a smirk. My heart leaped in my chest and I wasn¡¯t sure what I should be feeling as I found myself getting lost in the depth of his passionate eyes.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked in a breathless whisper.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired, Rina. Why don¡¯t you take the lead for tonight?¡± Ace suggested before he smiled innocently at me.


    I stared at him with widened eyes, and he grinned at me in return. He did not just tease me until I wanted it and then left me hanging, right?


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I murmured his name before I realized that I wasn¡¯t sure what I wanted to say.


    What am I supposed to say?


    I turned back away from him as I let my mind and body debate with each other about what I wanted to do. Logically, I should just stop this and retire to bed. However, the fire of desire that was still burning so hot and bright inside of me refused to calm down. My body wanted him and to a certain extent, my heart needed to feel his love and passion as well.


    He¡¯s such a mean and selfish person¡­sometimes¡­


    ¡°What should I do?¡± I asked in a soft and shy whisper.


    ¡°Take my hand¡­I¡¯ll let you borrow it¡­¡± he coaxed suggestively as he took my hand in one of his and ced my hand over his other one.


    I bit down on my lower lip when I realized where this was going¡­


    My body stiffened against him as I froze from my own hesitation. It was just too embarrassing, and I had never done something like this before. It drove me crazy just thinking about it.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 256 - 256 Passionate Possession

    256 Passionate Possession


    ¡°Come on, Rina. Stick my fingers into your pussy¡­¡± Ace coaxed encouragingly into my ear.


    The sultry tone of his voice and the warmth of his breath gently hitting against my ear turned me on even more than before. I gulped before I began guiding his hand in between my legs.


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± I moaned when I felt his fingertips against my wet opening.


    ¡°Good girl¡­¡± Aceplimented me when I began guiding his fingers along my wet slit.


    It felt so strange but so pleasurable. My hips lifted upwards, pushing my pussy up against his thick and long fingers. I wanted to feel his fingers deep inside of me and I couldn¡¯t wait any longer. Quickly, I parted my legs and pushed his fingers into my slippery pussy hole.


    ¡°Oh¡­Ahhhh¡­¡± I moaned before crying out as two of his fingers prated into me.


    I pushed against his hand until the entire length of his fingers were buried deep inside of my love hole. His thick fingers stretched my opening before filling me up deep inside. It felt so good although he hadn¡¯t moved his fingers yet. My hips were already moving, thrusting up and down to grind my inside against his fingers.


    ¡°It¡¯s so hot inside you, Rina¡­¡± Ace murmured sexily into my ear from behind.


    ¡°Ace¡­please¡­¡± I pleaded as I begged him to finger me.


    .....


    ¡°Do you need my help?¡± he inquired mockingly.


    ¡°Yes¡­please¡­move your fingers. Please¡­¡± I begged without any reserve.


    Ace chuckled a little and I could tell that he was pleased with what he had just heard. Ace¡¯s fingers began moving painfully slowly inside of me. He gently removed his fingers from my hole before thrusting it roughly all the way back inside. My eyes bulged in pure shock at the suddenness and force of his thrust as well as the pleasure that exploded deep inside of my love tunnel.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahhh!¡± I cried out loudly.


    My lewd cries of pleasure echoed noisily in the bathroom all around us along with the sshing sound of the water in the bath as Ace began fingering my pussy in earnest. His fingers moved faster and faster as he pumped it in and out of my tight pussy hole. My pussy clenched around his fingers to feel more of him as his fingers stroked along the walls of my pussy. I spread my legs and thrusted my hips up and down to ride his fingers while angling my pussy to make sure that his fingers would hit against the pleasure spot deep inside of me.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to cum¡­Ace¡­I¡­Ahh!¡± I cried out as I felt my orgasm fast approaching.


    I knew that it wouldn¡¯t be long until I came at the rate that he was pushing his fingers against my pleasure spot. Each thrust felt better than the one before and much deeper. My hips bucked as he began pounding his fingers deeper and faster into me. I came crying out his name as I lost all control and surrendered my mind and body to my own intense climax.


    ¡­


    Somehow, we managed to finish bathing without any further incidents. My legs felt weak as I walked over to the bedroom ahead of Ace. I yawned as I thought of a peaceful night of sleep. Admittingly, the pending issue about his rtionship with Elizabeth had been keeping me up for many nights. Even on nights that I could fall asleep, my sleep was light and quite disturbed.


    I tried to tell myself that I should believe Ace and that time would probably tell. If he wanted me to wait for a month more, then it probably won¡¯t kill anyone if I decided to wait. After all, it was only one more month. During that time, he was also right that I should focus my efforts on Project Alpha and winning thepetition. It didn¡¯t matter if Ace was going to remain as the CEO or not, the result of thepetition would still have a big impact on the future of thepany and that meant our future together as well.


    With my mind made up, I felt slightly better about myself, and it became clear what I had to do next. I pulled out my short nightgown from the closet and slipped it on before sitting on the side of the bed. The bed shifted under his weight when Ace climbed onto the bed. I watched as he carelessly tossed the white towel from around his waist onto the floor and rxed on his back on the bed.


    I didn¡¯t need to ask to figure out that Ace wanted to sleep naked tonight. It wasn¡¯t like I really minded¡­


    ¡°Come here, Rina. Let me hold you for a bit¡­¡± Ace urged demandingly.


    I had begun to lose count of the times that he had told me toe to him. Things must have been quite tough for him to act so clingy. Iid down next to him and rested my head on his shoulder. Ace pulled me closer to his side and held me.


    ¡°Rina, I don¡¯t want you meeting up with Kyle again behind my back. Can you promise me that you won¡¯t do it again?¡± he asked as his eyes stared into my face.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I wanted to meet him or talk to him. I was just worried about what you were up to¡­with Elizabeth¡­¡± I muttered darkly in my own defense.


    ¡°Even so. If you¡¯re curious about something, just ask me about it directly. Don¡¯t go talking to other guys,¡± Ace said with clear disapproval.


    If only things were as easy as he believed them to be. It was hard for me to ask him those kind of questions and when I did ask him, it always felt like we would get into an argument. Plus, I didn¡¯t know if I could believe him. I sighed softly when I thought that I couldn¡¯t tell Ace that.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you meeting up with her either¡­even if it¡¯s for work¡­¡± I said as I started to frown.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 257 - 257 Complete Satisfaction

    257 Complete Satisfaction


    ¡°I understand that you don¡¯t trust me, but unlike Elizabeth, Kyle is not someone that can be trusted at all. I don¡¯t want you near him. Promise me that you won¡¯t contact him again. Can you do that?¡± he asked sternly.


    I didn¡¯t quite understand why he was being so serious and pushy about it. At least he wasn¡¯t showing just how mad he was at me for meeting up with Kyle behind his back. Maybe he was jealous because I used to date Kyle before, but something told me that it was something perhaps beyond just that.


    ¡°Fine. I promise¡­¡± I said in resignation.


    ¡°Thank you, Rina¡­¡± Ace murmured sweetly.


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile a little when he pulled me closer to him and ced a soft kiss on my forehead as if that was a little reward that he wanted to give me for making that promise to him. Our eyes met when his face parted from mine a little. I could see and sense the desires in the depth of his hazel eyes and that told me that the night was far from over.


    Ace kissed the tip of my nose softly before his lips moved lower to capture mine in a rough and demanding kiss. His lips melded onto mine before I felt the tip of his tongue probing against my lips. I moaned softly as I surrendered myself to the pleasure of his kiss, my lips slowly parting to ept the entry of his wandering tongue. His heat and taste filled my senses as his tongue thrusted firmly into the depth of my mouth. My tongue eagerly met with his and soon our tongues were engaged in a fervent dance that portrayed our desire.


    His hands moved to grope and cup my breasts while I whimpered blissfully into our hot and wet kiss. Ace squeezed and massaged my breasts until my entire body felt so hot as my desire for him grew inside of me. His hands proceeded to stroke its way down the curves of my body down from my chest to my waist and then my hips.


    ¡°Straddle me here¡­¡± he urged as he grabbed the sides of my hips to help position me the way he wanted on top of him.


    Looking down at Ace from this angle wasn¡¯t a bad view at all. He looked like a wicked little angel sleeping in bed as I looked down into his face. Hisrge hands stroked and caressed the sides of my hips and that managed to draw another moan from my lips. My core throbbed with my burning desire for him, and I knew that my pussy had gotten wet again with longing. Ace was so skilled at seducing me as always. So much for his talk about us going to sleep for the night.


    .....


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I murmured his name questioningly.


    ¡°Are you too tired?¡± he asked with some worry in his tone.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± I replied a little shyly.


    ¡°Take the lead, Rina¡­¡± Ace said encouragingly.


    He took my hand and guided it to his thick and erect member. His cock was already so hard, and it felt hot in my hand as I began stroking his massive length. Ace closed his eyes and sighed from the pleasure of my touch for a moment before he opened his eyes again. I could see desire swimming clearly in the depth of his hazel eyes as I moved my hand up and down his thick shaft faster and a little harder. His cock started growing in my hand and I was amazed at how much it could expand.


    My pussy throbbed with need as my eyes took in the sight of my hand moving up and down his thick love stick as I pumped it. Ace¡¯s hips began moving on the bed, thrusting upwards towards my hand. His cock twitched around in my hand, and I could feel its virility.


    ¡°Put my cock inside you, Rina¡­¡± Ace instructed as if he couldn¡¯t wait any longer.


    I was about to tell him that I couldn¡¯t wait any longer to feel his hard and hot dick inside of me. A soft moan left my lips as I spread my legs a little further apart before positioning my pussy opening above his cock. Slowly, I lowered my hips down towards him as I positioned the engorged head of his cock at my sopping wet entrance. I whimpered his name when I finally felt the heat of his cock lodge itself at my opening.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ace¡­Ahhh!¡± I moaned and cried out his name as I began lowering my hips down onto his cock.


    The lips of my pussy spread open as his thickness stretched my entrance and began prating up into my pussy hole. His cock felt so hot against my pussy, and it felt so hard as his cock continued pushing upwards into my love hole. I lowered my hips further down to take even more of his length inside of me. The feel of his solid massive pole sliding slowly against the sensitive walls of my pussy made my legs feel weak and I began to wonder if I would have enough strength to ride him the way that I knew that he expected me to.


    Ace¡¯s hips thrusted sharply upwards, ramming his cock all the way into me in one forceful thrust that left me screaming from the sudden waves of pleasure that exploded into my core at his entrance. I sat skin-to-skin with Ace with the entire length of his cock buried all the way into me. The way his thick love stick stretched and filled my love tunnel felt so fulfilling and satisfying. It was like he had filled up the void inside of mepletely and now we were one andplete.


    ¡°Ride me, Rina. Come on¡­¡± Ace urged seductively.


    His hands tightened around the sides of my hips as he urged me to move. I nodded in acknowledgment before lifting my hips. His cock slowly stroked along the inner walls of my pussy as it slid out of me.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 258 - 258 Taking the Lead

    258 Taking the Lead


    I moaned at the pleasure of his cock moving inside of me before I lowered my hips to suck his massive member into me again. His cock pounded into me faster and harder as I began moving my hips faster, bouncing it up and down his cock.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahh! Yes¡­Ahhh!¡± I cried out as if I had been possessed by some lusty demon.


    My hips rose up and then mmed down on top of his to take in all of his cock into my wet body. My pussy clenched hard around his cock as it tried to suck it in even deeper inside of me. His cock hit so deep inside of me as I continued using the weight of my body to pound my pussy down on top of his cock to draw him in even deeper. I cried out his name as my hips swayed and my breasts jiggled from the movement of my body as I continued to ride him harder and faster.


    ¡°Good girl. That¡¯s it, Rina¡­¡± Ace groaned with extreme satisfaction.


    I could feel his cock getting hotter and bigger inside of me. I angled my body to make sure that his cock hit against the pleasure spots deep inside of my love tunnel from various angles. It felt so good, and I couldn¡¯t stop my hips from moving. Each time the thick head of his cock hit against my pleasure spot; I couldn¡¯t stop myself from crying out. It felt too good, and it was driving me insane with lust.


    ¡°Hold still¡­¡± Ace murmured.


    His hands cupped the sides of my hips and lifted it slightly above his cock. I closed my eyes in anticipation for what I knew was about toe. Although I was prepared for it, the intensity of his thrust into me still shocked me and I ended up screaming his name. Ace began thrusting from below, ramming his cock upwards into my awaiting pussy hole. He held me in ce as he continued pounding his cock upwards into my sopping wet pussy. I could feel my juices trickling out of my hole as I got wetter and wetter. My juices gushed out deep inside of my love hole as Ace screwed his cock deep and hard into me repeatedly.


    I moaned and cried out as he began rocking my body. My hips moved to meet all of his thrusts. His cock was so hard and big at this point that each thrust felt like it would split me into two. I could feel him fill my belly as each thrust pounded roughly against my womb.


    ¡°Ace! So¡­deep. It¡¯s so deep!¡± I cried out as I threw my head back.


    .....


    Ace bounced my body up and down faster on his cock making my breasts jiggle around. I cried out his name again before I moaned even louder than before when I felt my climax catching up to me. My core throbbed and burned uncontrobly and I knew that it wouldn¡¯t be long until I came.


    ¡°Ace¡­I¡¯m cumming! Ohh¡­Ahhh¡­I¡¯m cumming!¡± I cried out loudly as I lost all control.


    My body spasmed uncontrobly as I rode out the effects of my mind-shattering climax. My body slumped forward as Iy on top of Ace. I struggled to catch my breath as my mind went empty from the bliss of our wild lovemaking. I felt Ace¡¯s fingers sinking into my buttocks and then he proceeded to thrust his cock in and out of my pussy as he seemed to race towards his release. His cock twitched wildly inside of me after he pounded his cock wildly into me.


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± I moaned in bliss.


    I could sense his release even before he cried out my name at the arrival of his orgasm. His cock twitched around inside of my pussy and then I felt the heat of his seed shooting into my womb as he filled me up with the wetness of his release. He poured his semen into me, and I whimpered blissfully as my pussy enjoy being filled by him.


    That night I slept peacefully in Ace¡¯s arms partly from exhaustion and partly from getting some answers to relieve my mind. It was true that I didn¡¯t have all the pieces of the puzzle; however, getting to talk to Ace directly about things helped me to ease the worry in my mind a little. It felt easier for me to trust him than before and I did appreciate the fact that he was probably right that I should talk to him directly rather than trying to spy on him or talk to other people. I made a mental note to ignore Kyle for the foreseeable future and concentrate on my work while I let Ace do whatever he had to do for theing month.


    When that one month expires, I truly will get all the answers that he had promised me even if I had to die for it¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°I want you to help out on the marketing and promotional side of things. I know you haven¡¯t done this before, so this is a good opportunity for you. I¡¯ll also put Jeremy on it because he needs some experience in this area as well,¡± Ace said with his back to me.


    I watched from the bed as Ace shrugged on his white shirt. He turned to face me as his fingers moved to button up his shirt. It was bright and early in the morning, but Ace was already up, showered, and getting dressed. As for me, since there was still plenty of time before I had to leave for work, I was still naked and in his bed as I struggled to keep my eyes from drifting closed.


    ¡°Why are you up so early today?¡± I asked the first question that came to my mind.


    ¡°I have a lot to do today¡­¡± he replied.


    It was clear that he was ready to leave me behind if I didn¡¯t get a move on and I wasn¡¯t sure if I wanted to leave with him or get some more sleep. Why did he have to get up so early like this?


    ¡°Are you scared that your father will turn up here?¡± I asked teasingly.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 259 - 259 Temporary Truce

    259 Temporary Truce


    ¡°No, but you should be because if he does turn up, you¡¯re going to be the only one left here to greet him,¡± Ace replied before he grinned at me.


    I bet he nned this. Something in the back of my mind just told me that he nned this. He was just going to abandon me here so that I would be the one to handle his father if and when he gets here.


    ¡°No¡­I am never doing that!¡± I eximed as I jumped off the bed and raced into the bathroom to get ready.


    ¡°It¡¯s still very early in the morning. You don¡¯t have to rush, and you¡¯ll still make it to work on time¡­¡± Ace saidzily.


    I turned to see him leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom and I just wanted to roll my eyes at him. It was his fault that I was panicking like this. Of course, I had no idea if the chairman would really turn up here, but I didn¡¯t want to take the risk of running into him here when I was all alone. I bet my life that he must still be in a horrible mood right now because of Ace¡¯s sudden announcementst night.


    ¡°This is all your fault¡­¡± I muttered darkly as my good mood quickly clouded over.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to leave at the same time so there¡¯s no need for you to rush¡­¡± he said casually.


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to leave early to catch a ride with you. I just don¡¯t want to run into your dad in case he decides to turn up here for a surprise visit,¡± I said while trying my best not to snap at him.


    ¡°Then you better hurry. I¡¯ll be busy so let Jeremy know that I want you two to help out with the marketing side of things for Project Alpha too, ok?¡± he instructed.


    .....


    I wanted to roll my eyes at him and how he seemed to be giving me so much trouble.


    ¡°The workday has not yet started, Mr. CEO¡­¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°You can keep on calling me that because soon you won¡¯t have the chance to do so anymore,¡± he replied before turning on his heels and walking away.


    ¡°Oh¡­please¡­¡± I muttered as I rolled my eyes now that he wasn¡¯t looking.


    ¡­


    I made it!


    I made it to work on time and the best part was that I made it out of Ace¡¯s ce before his father turned up. While I took the elevator up along with the other employees, I realized that Ace would have to talk to his father sooner orter about what he had in mind. Since I didn¡¯t know what he had nned for growing thepany, all I could do was silently pray that things would progress smoothly between the two of them.


    ¡°Good morning, Karina¡­¡± Jeremy greeted me the moment that I entered the office.


    ¡°Oh¡­perfect¡­¡± I murmured as my eyesnded on his face.


    ¡°What¡¯s perfect?¡± he asked with a confused look on his face.


    ¡°I have something to tell you so it¡¯s perfect that I didn¡¯t have to go looking for you¡­¡± I replied with a small smile.


    ¡°Ok. So, what is it that you have to tell me?¡± he asked with some interest.


    ¡°Ace is busy, but he told me to tell you that he wants us to help support the marketing team on theunch of themercial for Project Alpha,¡± I said with a firm nod of my head.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite unexpected¡­¡± Jeremy murmured.


    ¡°I agree. He told me that he thinks that it will be better for us to learn something on the marketing side because we both don¡¯t have any experience with it,¡± I repeated Ace¡¯s reasoning to Jeremy.


    ¡°Oh¡­I see¡­¡± he muttered as he nodded along.


    ¡°I have no idea where and how we¡¯re supposed to start, though,¡± I admitted.


    Ace did not give me any details and I didn¡¯t have a lot of ideas on how the marketing team worked. I guess Ace was right about mypleteck of experience and also in-depth knowledge about marketing.


    ¡°That¡¯s not hard. We just need to ask Julianna about it,¡± Jeremy replied with a great idea.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± I readily agreed.


    Julianna was in charge of the marketing side of the project and I had to say that she truly lived up to her reputation. I didn¡¯t think that she would need our help to do her work well at all; however, that also meant that it was a great opportunity for us to learn a thing or two about marketing from her.


    ¡°Ace sent you two to help me?¡± she asked with clear disbelief.


    I wasn¡¯t surprised at her reaction and the fact that she didn¡¯t bother to hide her surprise. She stared at Jeremy and me as if she was appraising our worth and how useful we would be to her and her team. The answer that she arrived to was probably: Not much.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure how much we¡¯ll be of help given that we clearlyck experience in marketing. Maybe we should say that he sent us here to learn something from you and your team?¡± Jeremy replied,pletely unfazed.


    I felt thankful to Ace for sending Jeremy here with me instead of making me navigate this new field alone and I also appreciated Jeremy¡¯s ability to handle everything so courageously.


    ¡°Well, I guess they¡¯ll be somethings that you can help us out with. You two are supposed to be creative so that might at least be useful¡­¡± she said after a moment of thought.


    I breathed a silent sigh of relief. Although she didn¡¯t seem super pleased to have us join her team as temporary members, at least she wasn¡¯t chasing us out.


    ¡°Thank you. We¡¯ll really try our best,¡± I said enthusiastically before I smiled at her.


    ¡°You better¡­¡± she muttered.


    We joined the marketing team meeting immediate and that was when we found out that the team was suffering from dealing with Ace and his ultra-high expectations. It was clearly a story that I was used to and had many personal experiences with. Ace was clearly demanding with every team that he worked with, and I wasn¡¯t surprised.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 260 - 260 Searching for Solutions

    260 Searching for Solutions


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that Ace wants another spin on the marketing message and n even after it was already approved by the Ashfordmittee?¡± I asked to make sure that I understood correctly.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I thought he approved it but apparently, he only thought that it was just passable to use to get approval from themittee, but he doesn¡¯t think that the n is good or detailed enough for actual implementation,¡± Julianna replied before biting down hard on her lower lip.


    I could sense her frustration and I was sure that I understood how she felt. Being told by Ace that her work wasn¡¯t good enough must have been quite tough for her. Not having much experience on marketing, I wasn¡¯t sure how much help I could offer but that didn¡¯t mean that I wasn¡¯t willing to give it my best shot.


    ¡°What do you want us to do?¡± Jeremy asked while getting straight to the point.


    ¡°You two are supposed to be good ating up with creative ideas, right? Come up with a few ideas for us. We don¡¯t have much time, so we¡¯ll be having a team meeting every day until we get this right,¡± Julianna said before heaving a sigh.


    ¡°So, we present to you our ideas every day until we settle on something that should work?¡± Jeremy asked.


    ¡°Yup, I can¡¯t think of another way. Don¡¯t worry, you two won¡¯t be the only ones trying to crack this. In fact, everyone on the team will be working on this partially if not fully,¡± Julianna exined.


    It seemed like she didn¡¯t expect much from the two of us and perhaps that was for the best. After the meeting, Jeremy and I spent time together in a small meeting room racking our brains on what might work.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re getting anywhere with this¡­¡± I muttered after hours had gone by without much progress.


    .....


    Ourck of progress came as no surprise to me at all. I wasn¡¯t unrealistically optimistic that two people from creatives could suddenlye up with a great marketing message or n that would work at thepetition level to impress both the judges and the audience.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t think anything that we have down hasn¡¯t been explored by Julianna and her team before¡­¡± Jeremy agreed.


    I sighed without holding back as I tipped my head back and stared up at the white ceiling above. Being stuck without any ideas like this just felt like d¨¦j¨¤ vu. I nced over at Jeremy who was staring intensely at hisptop screen.


    The following day, we attended the marketing team meeting with Julianna and presented some of the ideas that we thought of. I knew from the start that our ideas would get outright rejected so it didn¡¯te as a surprise when that was exact what happened.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sorry to say this. Your ideas are just not going to cut it. It¡¯s too traditional and there¡¯s nothing unique about the approach. That being said, no one here seems to have an idea that works. Better luck to us all tomorrow. Hopefully by then, one of us will have something that might work¡­¡± Julianna said before letting out a depressing sigh.


    The meeting was a short one without much progress. Time was ticking by and there was a high risk that the project could be dyed because of this. Julianna was so on edge that she began biting on her nails, a habit that she rarely showed in front of other people.


    ¡°Well, I guess that was expected¡­¡± Jeremy said followed by a yawn.


    We had left the meeting room and was headed to a smaller meeting room where we could put our minds together ande up with some fresh and hopefully unique ideas. Jeremy looked tired and he had dark circles under his eyes which made me wonder what time he went to bedst night. He must have tried his hardest to research something that might work. Clearly, he hasn¡¯t found the answer yet and neither have I.


    After around three hours of just going around in circles without any breakthrough ideas, I started to feel very pessimistic about the task on our hands. How can two clueless people figure a genius idea out of this?


    ¡°Jeremy¡­¡± I called his name to get his attention.


    ¡°What?¡± he replied without even looking my way.


    His eyes were glued to the screen of hisptop and I could tell that he was scrolling through some research. I just felt like we needed to change our approach instead of wasting more time doing the same thing.


    ¡°Should we go check out your treasure trove to see if we can get some ideas down there?¡± I suggested hopefully.


    Jeremy finally turned to face me but instead of immediately agreeing, he had a doubtful look on his face as he seemed to ponder my suggestion in his head.


    ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything anymore, so I suggest we go down there to find some inspiration. What do you think?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Are you going to go down there to look at Ace¡¯s past works?¡± Jeremy asked.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± I replied truthfully.


    ¡°Ace never worked in marketing directly so I¡¯m not sure if they¡¯ll be anything marketing-rted down there,¡± Jeremy pointed out.


    He might be right but¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s worth checking. Even if he didn¡¯t work in marketing directly, I am sure that he was somehow involved in how hismercials were marketed and presented to the public. Plus, anything would probably be better than just sitting around here and banging our heads on the table,¡± I countered with an argument of my own.


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right. Well, it doesn¡¯t hurt to check¡­¡± Jeremy said in agreement as he stood up from his seat.


    ¡­


    Being down here in thepany archive reminded me that I haven¡¯t gotten the chance toe down here since thest time that Jeremy brought me here. I remember thinking that I would find time toe down here to spend time going through all of Ace¡¯s past works and just taking it all in like the crazy fan girl that I was. I never got around to doing that and it hadpletely slipped my mind.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 261 - 261 Unexpected Find

    261 Unexpected Find


    ¡°You¡¯re here again¡­¡± the keeper greeted us without much interest.


    ¡°Thanks for having us,¡± Jeremy replied cheerfully.


    I stered a polite smile on my lips when I sensed that we weren¡¯t exactly weed there. Apart from us, I doubt that anyone went down there to visit the archives. It was quiet and very cold down there. The keeper willingly let us in without muchment. Although I had been there only once before, I remembered exactly where Ace¡¯s works were.


    ¡°It might be worth checking other works as well. I¡¯m not sure where the old marketing files are stored, though¡­¡± Jeremy said from behind me.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Do you want to split up and look?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Good idea. I guess that you want to take a look at Ace¡¯s past files, right?¡± Jeremy asked knowingly.


    I wondered if it was that obvious to him that I was excited to dive into Ace¡¯s past works again. His guess was spot on, and I wasn¡¯t bothered to deny it.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll take Ace¡¯s part so you can see if you can find anything interesting amongst the old marketing files,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Great. Let¡¯s pray that we find something¡­¡± he mumbled before he stalked off in search of the marketing files.


    .....


    I headed straight for the cabs that stored Ace¡¯s past works. If I remember correctly his works should be organized in chronological order. That didn¡¯t help that much because I didn¡¯t know what exactly I was looking for. I sighed before I started going through the various folders in the cab.


    ¡°Marketing¡­marketing ns¡­where are you?¡± I mumbled to myself as my hands got to work.


    My eyes scanned through page after page of documents. Ace¡¯s handwriting looks so pretty, and his drawings and sketches look so neat even though they¡¯re supposed to be rough work. Soon, I found myself reading through his storyboards and checking out how he organized a couple of different scenarios as back up ideas.


    His work really is amazing¡­


    ¡°Karina¡­¡±


    I jumped and turned around at the sound of my name to find Jeremy standing there with an unimpressed look on his face.


    ¡°Umm¡­can I help you with something?¡± I asked in a small voice.


    ¡°Yes, you can help me find something marketing n-rted instead of just gawking at Ace¡¯s past storyboards¡­yeah?¡± he replied sarcastically.


    ¡°R-right¡­sorry¡­¡± I murmured as I instinctively hid the papers that I was holding behind my back.


    Jeremy clicked his tongue at me in annoyance as he shook his head from side to side. I watched his back as he walked away from me.


    Did hee here to check on me because he knew that I¡¯ll lose focus and get lost in Ace¡¯s past works?


    Probably¡­


    I guess I am quite easy to read when ites to Ace. My eyes nced down at the storyboard that I had in my hand before I forced myself to put it back where I got it from. I wondered how much time I lost going through and admiring Ace¡¯s past work that had nothing to do with what I was supposed to be looking for. A slight pain stung my cheeks when I smacked my hands on the sides of my face.


    Focus, Rina! Focus!


    ¡°Marketing ns¡­and ideas¡­marketing¡­¡± I mumbled as I began going through the files again.


    After a while of searching, I did not manage to find anything in Ace¡¯s past works that had anything to do with marketing. I moved on to the next rows of folders and that was when I miraculously stumbled upon a marketing n for amercial.


    Finally!


    I quickly pulled out the paper to read it in detail. However, the content wasn¡¯t what I expected at all. The marketing n was detailed enough and it seemed like Ace had put in a lot of thinking into it. The unfortunately thing about it was that it was a marketing n for a very massmercial product. The angle used anchored a lot on how to maximize the reach of themercial to the target group that had enough purchasing power to purchase the product.


    ¡°It¡¯s not charity rted¡­it¡¯s purelymercial¡­¡± I mumbled regretfully when I realized that this wasn¡¯t what I was looking for.


    This is going to be a lot harder than I thought.


    I felt so stupid for not considering that to find a marketing angle or idea that would work, it had to be a marketing n that was developed for a charity-orientedmercial or amercial that was supposed to appeal emotionally to the viewer. Even if it wasn¡¯t a charity or fundraisingmercial, it had to be something emotionally appealing rather than just bluntly selling a product. That probably made it even harder to find and I was about to give up on trying to fish for something out of the archives.


    I wondered if Jeremy managed to find something useful because he was going to be so disappointed when I tell him that I didn¡¯t manage to find anything useful at all. Jeremy was right when he said that Ace probably didn¡¯t have many marketing ns in the archives of his past works. I shoved the folder that I had been holding back into the shelf when I had resigned myself to give up for the day.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± I murmured to myself.


    A few pages of paper that were stapled together fell out andnded on the floor right at my feet. I closed my eyes and sighed before bending down to pick it up. The paper looked old and felt quite fragile from aging in my hand when I picked it up. My eyesnded on the first page and my eyes widened at the content on the page. I sucked in a breath before quickly turning to the next page and then the next as my eyes hungrily took in everything that was written and printed on the page.


    Why is this here?


    I never expected to find this here¡­


    Ace¡¯s past work. A marketing n with an angle. An applicablemercial to what we were working on¡­


    I finally found it.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 262 - 262 Unspoken Agreement

    262 Unspoken Agreement


    ¡°Did you see a ghost or something, Karina?¡± Jeremy asked me teasingly.


    ¡°No. Why?¡± I replied.


    ¡°Your face is as white as a sheet. Please tell me that you found something useful¡­¡± he said hopefully.


    ¡°I did¡­I think¡­¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Really? Show me¡­¡± he urged excitedly.


    ¡°I took some notes. I¡¯ll show you tomorrow¡­¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you show me now? Are you in a hurry to head back?¡± he asked with clear disappointment.


    ¡°Yeah, I need to head back. Sorry¡­¡± I replied.


    ¡°What did you find exactly?¡± he asked as his eyes narrowed at me suspiciously.


    .....


    He wouldn¡¯t truly understand it even if I tried to exin it to him. I smiled a little regretfully at Jeremy before deciding to give him a simplified answer instead.


    ¡°A marketing n¡­¡± I replied quite truthfully.


    Jeremy¡¯s head cocked to the side as he shot me a truly confused look and I didn¡¯t me him for reacting that way. I wished that I could exin what I found to him, but my mind couldn¡¯t focus on work any longer at that moment.


    ¡°I¡¯lle to work early tomorrow, and I¡¯ll exin everything to you then. Umm¡­don¡¯t sleepte tonight, I¡¯ll get some ideas sorted and ready for presentation in tomorrow¡¯s meeting, ok?¡± I told him as I stuffed things into my bag.


    Jeremy watched silently as I prepared to leave. I gave him a soft pat on his shoulder as I walked past him to reassure him that I¡¯ve got this. He didn¡¯t stop me from leaving and when the door to our office room closed behind me, I looked down to find that my hands were trembling visibly.


    What did I just see?


    ¡­


    Focus. Focus. Focus.


    I sat alone at the table in my apartment with myptop opened as I studied the notes that I took when I was in the archive. As per the rules, I wasn¡¯t allowed to take any documents out of the archive so the best that I could do was jot down notes that would help meter on. I read and re-read the notes as I told myself to focus on the task at hand. The marketing team meeting wasing up tomorrow morning, and just as I had promised Jeremy, I needed to have some ideas to share with the team.


    After searching for a long time, I thought that I had found something that could work. The idea was from a marketing n that was made a long time ago. It was old and some channels were out of date; however, I believed that the messaging and approach that was taken might work for Project Alpha as well. It may serve as a good starting point for Julianna and her team to adapt to the current marketing channels and methods that were currently popr.


    Pushing my personal thoughts about the issue aside, I tried to focus on converting the notes that I had taken down into some solid ideas and suggestions that could be shared at the uing meeting. Since spending the night together at Ace¡¯s ce, I have seen less and less of him. There were days when he didn¡¯t turn up to work at the office at all, and I told myself that he probably went to see his father.


    I sighed for the countless time as I wondered how things were progressing on his end. The keyboard keys under my fingertips made tapping sound as I began typing away before my train of thought would escape mepletely. I chose to believe that Ace was working hard because he probably was. In return, I had to put in the extra effort from my side as well.


    In less than a month, thispetition wille to an end, and we had to emerge as the winner. Then, when that happens, I¡¯ll get to talk to Ace and ask him all the questions that kept on piling up in my head. Until that moment arrived, I told myself that I had to get my act together and make thismercial a sess.


    I can do this!


    I yelled loudly inside my head as I got back to typing down the ideas that I had. My efforts seemed to be paying off and within two hours, I had around three ideas that were presentable. Honestly speaking, I only thought that one of them really stood a chance but that was way better than having nothing at all. I raised my arms up above my head and stretched in my seat before I closed my eyes and let out a long sigh of relief. Somehow, I¡¯m going to make it through another day.


    Suddenly, my phone stared vibrating on the table close to myptop. One ce at the screen made me jump in excitement as I grabbed my phone to bring it closer to my face.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name without suppressing my joy that he had given me a call.


    It¡¯s true that I could have given him a call; however, I was scared of disturbing him and had decided to wait for him to call me when he was free instead. It almost became an unspoken agreement between us that he would give me a callte in the evening. He did not promise me that he would, but he always did and I always ended up waiting for his call.


    ¡°Rina, how was your day?¡± he asked casually.


    ¡°It was great. We were busy but I think everything will go well¡­soon¡­¡± I replied.


    My eyes nced over at the ideas that I had down on myputer screen. If only one of these would make the cut, then there would be some progress and everything would go well.


    ¡°I see. Hang in there. I haven¡¯t heard back from Julianna on the marketing aspect of things. I guess she¡¯s waiting for you and Jeremy toe up with something interesting¡­¡± he said followed by a smallugh.


    No pressure¡­at all there.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying¡­¡± I replied vaguely without going into the details.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that you are. Don¡¯t over work yourself and get enough sleep,¡± he advised.


    ¨CTo be continued...

 Chapter 263 - 263 A Promise for Tomorrow

    263 A Promise for Tomorrow


    ¡°Same goes for you. Will you be in the office tomorrow?¡± I asked hopefully.


    ¡°I will be,¡± he replied immediately.


    ¡°Great. I¡¯ll make sure that we run into each other,¡± I dered enthusiastically.


    Ace justughed at me. The sound of hisughter brought some joy and warmth to my heart. Although Ace was the one who told me to not overwork myself and to get some sleep, I doubt that he was getting enough sleep. Ace had been out of the office and I had to cancel a couple of management meetings that he had scheduled at ourpany for him. I wanted to ask where he went off to, but I knew that I wouldn¡¯t get any answers anyways even if I did ask.


    While I was lost in my thoughts and my worries for him, I realized that Ace was unusually silent. I wanted to see him more than anything at that moment. The night would feel so long because I had to wait to see him tomorrow.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± I asked in a small voice.


    ¡°No, I just wanted to hear your voice¡­¡± he replied without missing a heartbeat.


    What am I supposed to say to that?


    Although I couldn¡¯t see his face, his slightly teasing tone didn¡¯t make it hard for me to imagine the look on his face when he said that. I missed him and his smile more than I thought possible. Thinking of what I discovered in the archive, my chest tightened and I wondered how Ace would react if I told him about what I happened to stumble upon. The first hurdle was how I¡¯m supposed to start talking to him about it.


    .....


    Would he think that it¡¯s strange for me to be going through his old work like some freaky kind of stalker?


    ¡°Why are you quiet all of a sudden?¡± he asked.


    This time it was his turn to sound worried. His sudden question snapped me out of my thoughts. I had no idea how long I was silent for as I struggled to find the right words to say to him.


    ¡°Umm¡­it¡¯s nothing. I was just¡­thinking of random things¡­¡± I replied.


    I closed my eyes and let out a silent sigh of disappointment. It was clear that I couldn¡¯t bring that up right now. Plus, Ace seemed so busy right now that he probably didn¡¯t have time to deal with another nonsense matter from me. I was supposed to be busy too, if I had time to think about that then I might as well focus on finishing off Project Alpha.


    ¡°Go to sleep, Rina¡­¡± he said.


    ¡°Ok¡­good night, Ace¡­¡± I wished him goodnight just like I always did.


    ¡°Make sure you run into me tomorrow¡­¡± he reminded me.


    His serious tone brought a smile to my lips.


    ¡°Of course¡­¡± I replied just before the line disconnected.


    I would die just to make sure that we ran into each other tomorrow.


    ¡­


    This is it.


    I stood in front of the presentation screen with everyone¡¯s eyes on me. Julianna¡¯s sharp gaze seemed to prate my body as she waited for me to present the ideas that I had for today¡¯s meeting. I licked my lower lip as my entire throat started to feel dry.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start. We don¡¯t have all day¡­¡± Julianna said without much enthusiasm.


    I could tell that she probably thought that I wouldn¡¯t have any ideas worth choosing from, and I didn¡¯t me her. Coming up with ideas for marketing was hard and with myck of experience, it almost seemed impossible. However, I hoped that things would be different today. I didn¡¯t just randomly think of this on my own, I adapted this n and angle from Ace¡¯s past work. Unlike my adaptation waspletely off, this should be a workable idea.


    ¡°Let me exin to you the ideas that I have for today¡­¡± I began saying.


    The best part was that everyone was willing to listen to me. Even if they may not have a lot of faith in what I was presenting, they still had enough respect for me now to hear me out until the very end. As the presentation went by, I gained some more confidence and soon my presentation ran smoothly. Jeremy seemed impressed with what I coulde up with and put together in one night. If no one else liked my ideas, then it was enough for me that Jeremy seemed fine with it. Hopefully my effortsst night had earned him a night of restful sleep.


    ¡°It might work. Not all of them, but the third idea seems the most solid if you ask me,¡± Juliannamented after a while of thought.


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked in disbelief.


    Although I had anticipated that if one of the ideas were to make the cut, it would be the third option that was adapted from Ace¡¯s previous work, but I was still surprised now that it was actually happening.


    ¡°Yup. I think the idea seems fine, but we¡¯ll probably need to refine the details¡­¡± Julianna said with a nod of her head.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. I¡¯m so d¡­¡± I said in a breathless whisper as relief flooded by body.


    Finally, we had something to go on. With this, Jeremy and I could take a bit of a break while the marketing team put the detail of the proposal together again. Presenting this to Ace better go well because we were already tight on time.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try to get this out in two days. I¡¯ll get time with Ace then to show this to him,¡± Julianna said authoritatively.


    A few other points were discussed, and then various tasks were assigned to the team members before the meeting came to an end. Everyone quickly left the meeting room with serious and determined looks on their faces. Everything can move on now and everyone was eager to put their best into their work. This was one of the things that I loved so much about working in this ce.


    ¡°Thank you for today,¡± Julianna said as she approached me.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine. Thank you for taking it from here¡­¡± I said humbly.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 264 - 264 Running Into Ace

    264 Running Into Ace


    ¡°I¡¯m very impressed with the idea that you came up with, Karina,¡± Jeremy said with a warm smile.


    ¡°Thanks. I hope you got to catch up on some sleepst night¡­¡± I replied as I eyed his face.


    I couldn¡¯t stop myself from smiling and giggling a little now that the bags under his eyes were less visible. It was a little sad that we had to take turns catching up on sleep like this; but hopefully soon, everything would work out for the better and this storm will past too.


    ¡°Should we rx for a day?¡± Jeremy suggested in a hopeful voice.


    We headed back to our work desks where I dumped down my bag and myptop. I wanted to rest for the day but the real reason that I wanted to get everything out of the way in the morning was because I had a very important matter to attend to.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound too bad. Anyways, if you don¡¯t need me then¡­¡± I said before I shed him a smile.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± he asked as his eyes narrowed suspiciously at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to run out to go shopping somewhere. I have some work to do at Ace¡¯s office,¡± I said while trying to sound extremely professional.


    ¡°Oh, right. Sometimes, I forget that you¡¯re still the CEO¡¯s secretary. Well, good luck with that,¡± Jeremy said before he waved at me with a friendly smile.


    .....


    ¡°Life is tough¡­¡± Iined yfully.


    ¡°Go to work, Miss Secretary,¡± Jeremy said dismissively.


    Despite his suggestion of taking it easy for the day, when I nced back over my shoulder at him on the way out of the room, he was already busy typing on hisptop. Cleary, it wasn¡¯t just his talent and genius that kept him ahead of the curve like that.


    I left the room without turning back. Now that I was done with the main part of my task, I could focus my entire afternoon on trying to ¡®run into Ace¡¯.


    Where is he right now?


    The perks of being your boyfriend¡¯s personal secretary is that you¡¯re supposed to know where he is. I rolled my eyes at the supposedly truth. The fact was that, Ace wasn¡¯t the best at following his schedule and is famous of shrugging off his meetings or changing its location at thest minute. That just meant that the calendar that I was flipping through on my phone wasn¡¯t exactly an urate source of information for where he was; however, it was better than nothing at all.


    At least, I know who he¡¯s supposed to be with for these meetings¡­


    Lunch time wasing up and I had the perfect idea for my first attempt to run into Ace. ording to his schedule, Ace didn¡¯t have a lunch meeting; however, going out for lunch together would be too far of a stretch considering how busy he must be. That only left one solution.


    Buying some lunch for him seemed to be the perfect solution but I never knew how hard it was to buy food for Ace. There were plenty of options to choose from around the office and that only exacerbated my problem.


    What should I get for Ace?


    Maybe something healthy and easy to eat?


    Not being a very healthy eater, it was quite hard for me to pick something out. Plus, I wasn¡¯t so sure about serving Ace food that I have never eaten before. Suddenly, the task seemed much harder thaning up with some ideas to earn Julianna¡¯s approval.


    When I thought that getting food for Ace was hard, I totally underestimated the task of finding Ace. He¡¯s supposed to be done with his meeting soon so if I show up there, I should run into him. I sighed when I realized that guessing wasn¡¯t going to get me anywhere. I quickly returned to the office with the food that I had purchased to wait for Ace¡¯s meeting to end.


    Hopefully, it doesn¡¯t look weird for his secretary to be waiting for him in front of the meeting room to catch him when his meeting ended. If I was just an employee in his team, it must have looked suspicious. I had to admit that Ace¡¯s decision to make me his personally secretary was definitely paying off well.


    ¡°Oh, Karina, are you here to see Ace?¡± one of the senior managers asked.


    ¡°Yes, I¡­umm¡­got him some lunch. You know, he has many meetings in the afternoon and all that¡­¡± I replied while trying to sound polite.


    ¡°Too bad for you. Ace didn¡¯t turn up to this meeting. He sent Howard in his ce¡­¡± the manager said regretfully.


    Just as the words left his mouth, the man called Howard stepped out of the meeting room along with the other people who attended the meeting. Sure enough, Ace wasn¡¯t among them.


    Where the hell did he go?!


    ¡°I apologize for any trouble Ace may have caused¡­¡± I said meekly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. I bet he didn¡¯t tell you about this either¡­¡± the manager replied before he sighed.


    He nodded politely my way before he left along with his team members. Soon I was standing all alone in front of the empty meeting room. I sucked in a deep breath and sighed loudly before rolling my eyes.


    He¡¯s not doing this on purpose to avoid me, is he?


    Since Ace was supposed to be on lunchbreak, I could finally give him a call. I dialed his number and waited for the line to connect. Dark thoughts ran through my head as I waited for him to answer my call.


    Seriously, if he doesn¡¯t pick up¡­I¡¯m going to¡­


    ¡°Rina?¡±


    I had no idea why his tone seemed questioning when it was obviously me and no one else that had just called him.


    ¡°It¡¯s me. Where are you, Mr. CEO?¡± I asked with a hint of annoyance in my tone.


    ¡°Hiding from the world¡­¡± he replied with a yful chuckle.


    That was more than enough detail for me to figure out where he was at that moment.


    ¡°Stay there and don¡¯t you dare move¡­¡± I ordered before I hung up.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 265 - 265 Secret Room

    265 Secret Room


    My legs were already taking me in the direction of the ce where Ace used to ck off, or in his terms, to ¡®hide from the world¡¯.


    There was only one ce in this entire building where he could use to hide from the world. I had no idea how long that ce could be kept a secret between us, but it didn¡¯t seem like anyone paid enough attention to the rooftop to bother checking. I wondered how long Ace had been using that ce as his nap room to hide away from the meetings that he didn¡¯t want to attend. If I had to ce my bets, it was probably since he first took over as the CEO of thispany.


    I almost ran up the stairs in my hurry to reach Ace. The fact that I was in heels did not work in my favor but I still did the best that I could. When I opened the door to the roof top, I paused in my tracks as I panted to catch my breath again.


    The view of Ace¡¯s back turned towards me as he seemed to be staring out at the view of the city in front of him told me that I was finally in the right ce and at the right time. Finally, I had managed to run into Ace.


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± he said my name as he turned to greet me with a smile.


    ¡°Ace, you skipped out on your meeting again¡­¡± I beganining before I could stop myself.


    The spirit of being his secretary seemed burn brightly inside of me and I felt like I had to reprimand him for skipping out on his meeting and causing trouble for everyone else involved. Ace just chuckled softly before he turned to eye the view of the city again. I should have known that no one could get to him on this matter. At least he bothered to send someone in his ce this time around.


    ¡°What are you doing up here anyways?¡± I asked as I came to stand by his side.


    ¡°Me? I¡¯m just hiding from the world,¡± he replied while evading my question at the same time.


    .....


    ¡°Forget that I even asked,¡± I muttered with some annoyance.


    ¡°Sure¡­¡± he replied casually.


    Ace seemed to be in a decently good mood since he still had in it him to tease me. There seemed to be something on his mind as he continued staring out at the view of the city that stretched out in front of our eyes. Perhaps he wasn¡¯t just here to hide away from work. Maybe he was actually here to think about something important. I nced over at him again and thought that I might just be taking his side a little too much on this.


    ¡°I went to the meeting room and was told that you skipped out on your meeting. You have no idea how rushed I was when I went out to buy us some food. I was so scared that I¡¯ll miss you if I turned upte to that meeting room,¡± I said before I pouted at him.


    ¡°Oh, yeah?¡± he said before he turned to smile at me.


    ¡°After doing all that to get us some food, I managed to make it there on time, but you weren¡¯t there. I had to apologize to the managers that I ran into for your absence too. It was such a mess¡­¡± Iined before I pouted again.


    Ace justughed at myints and I found myself smiling. It felt a little reassuring that the little tale of my trials and tribtion could make himugh and help him to rx even if it was just a little.


    ¡°You got food?¡± Ace asked as he pointed to the bags that I were holding.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ll like this kind of food or not but they¡¯re supposed to be healthy. I¡¯ve eaten them a couple of times before and they don¡¯t taste too bad¡­¡± I said before handing over his bag of food.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go over there¡­¡± Ace suggested.


    Before I could say anything, his hand had grabbed mine and I was being dragged behind him as he led me to his nap room. The ce brought back some old memories. Now that I thought about it, we didn¡¯t really share a wide variety of memories associated with this nap room. Most of the time, we came here to have hot and heavy sex during the workday. It had been a while since we had been here, though. Despite that fact, my memories of the things that we did together in this small little room were as fresh as ever.


    ¡°Sit, Rina¡­¡± Ace instructed before he gestured to therge sofa in the room.


    ¡°Ok¡­¡± I murmured.


    I watched as ifpletely mesmerized as Ace began taking out the food that I had gotten for him out of the bag. He eyed it with a slightly curious and suspicious look that made it hard for me to suppress myughter.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t taste bad¡­¡± I said encouragingly.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the same as saying that it tastes good,¡± Ace pointed out.


    ¡°I guess¡­¡± I admitted with augh.


    I thought the food tasted fine and some people were really into it; however, I wasn¡¯t sure if it would live up to Ace¡¯s expectations even if he wasn¡¯t necessarily a picky eater.


    ¡°It¡¯s convenient to eat without getting your hands dirty,¡± I pointed out another benefit of the dish.


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s quite convenient,¡± Ace readily agreed.


    We sat side by side as we ate in silence. I nced at Ace regrly to see if he had any reactions to the food that I had selected for him. Maybe if I bought him lunch more often, then the task would get easier for me each time.


    ¡°You¡¯re not really eating. Does the food not suit your tastes? Should I go and get you something else?¡± I asked after seeing that he was just pretty much staring at his food.


    I stood up from my seat while thinking of what else I could quickly buy for Ace. His hand reached for my wrist and grabbed it before pulling me back down.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 266 - 266 Hungry for Me

    266 Hungry for Me


    ¡°No need. I¡¯m just not hungry¡­¡± he replied.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked with worry.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure¡­¡± he replied immediately.


    ¡°Are you stressed about something?¡± I asked with my best guess.


    If it wasn¡¯t the food, then it had to be hisck of appetite. I should have reached that conclusion the moment that I saw him staring out at the view of the city with a thoughtful look on his face. I wanted to know what he was thinking of and what seemed to be troubling him.


    Was something not going well at work?


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± he called my name softly.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± I murmured when I saw the world flip over.


    I gasped when I felt the softness of the sofa against my back and then Ace loomed over me and blocked my field of vision. My heart began racing painfully fast in my chest when I saw the unmistakable look of desire in his hazel-brown eyes.


    .....


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I whispered his name, and his hand began stroking the side of my thigh over my skirt.


    He buried his face into the side of my neck and began kissing me there. I gasped and then whimpered softly at the pleasure of his seductive kisses. His teasing kisses quickly turned into soft sucking. Ace truly knew where all my sensitive spots were and he was using that knowledge for his own benefit. I moaned louder when he sucked harder on the soft skin of my neck.


    It¡¯s going to leave a mark¡­


    ¡°Ahhh¡­Ace¡­¡± I moaned before whimpering his name.


    His hand continued stroking my thigh before sliding upwards to cup and stroke the side of my hips. My body began responding to him as my hips began moving beneath him.


    ¡°Can I eat you instead?¡± Ace asked although it wasn¡¯t really a question.


    Before I could reply to him, his lips had already captured mine and I found myself moaning into his demanding kiss. His lips brushed against mine teasingly a few times before he crushed his lips firmly onto mine. His hand stroked the side of my hips as he pressed some of his body weight against mine. I made small whimpering sounds in my throat as I felt the pleasure of feeling his body against mine. His body heat seemed to seep into me and it made me want to be even closer to him.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ace¡­¡± I moaned his name as my desire started to take over me.


    I was already so turned on by him and my body was reacting to his sweet seduction without any reserve. It had been a while since we had sex here in the middle of the day and it seemed like my body was eager to experience the joy of it again. As he continued entwining his tongue with mine, I was reminded of the first time that he seduced me right here in this room.


    ¡°Oh¡­Ahhh¡­¡± I let out a soft cry before I went back to moaning.


    The thought of feeding him lunch and making sure that he ate properly quickly went out the window as my mind focused purely on the pleasure and desire that he was making me feel. He changed the angle of our kiss before his tongue thrusted firmly into the wet depths of my mouth. I moaned into our kiss before I began kissing him back in wild abandon. My arms wrapped around his neck and pulled his face down on top of mine. On tongues moved fervently against each other as our kiss deepened even further.


    His hand moved up to cup my and tease my breast as his other hand continued paying loving attention to the curve of my hip. I moaned and closed my eyes at the pleasure of hisrge hand squeezing the soft flesh of my breast. My chest thrusted upwards invitingly as my body silently begged for him to y with my sensitive breasts. I opened my eyes to see Ace staring at me and I felt his lips curve into a smile before he withdrew his tongue from my mouth.


    I was a panting mess by the time that he broke our kiss. My lips felt swollen from the deep kisses that we had just shared. His fingers were on the buttons of my shirt as he undid them. I moaned and thrusted my chest up invitingly when he parted the fabric of my shirt to reveal my upper body to him. It was a good thing that I had chosen some sexy underwear for the day. I didn¡¯t think that I would get to make love with him but it was always better to be prepared. Perhaps a part of me had wished that something like this would happen.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Yes¡­¡± I moaned before I gasped from the intense pleasure of his hands cupping my breasts over my bra.


    He yed with my breasts over my bra for a moment before peeling the cups away to reveal my naked breasts. I moaned louder as the pleasure of his seductive massage intensified. The heat of his hand on my naked womanly mound felt unbelievably blissful. My entire body trembled, and my nipples immediately hardened.


    ¡°Ahh! Ace¡­¡± I cried out when he buried his face in between my breasts.


    I could feel his hot breath between my breasts as his hands moved to pump my breasts at the same time. His touch felt hotter and much rougher than a moment before. I looked down to see my breasts molding to the shape of his hand as he squeezed them firmly and over and over again. My core throbbed with heat and yearning as I felt my love juices leaking out of my pussy to wet my panties. My hips wouldn¡¯t stop moving as my body burned hotter with the heat of my desire for him.


    His hot and wet tongue began licking the soft and tender skin in between my breasts as his hands moved to pleasure my breasts a little roughly. My nipples brushed against the palm of his hand and hardened even more than before.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 267 - 267 Rough Passion

    267 Rough Passion


    My pussy clenched in rhythm to his hand squeezing my breasts and soon I felt another gush of hot wetness rushing out from the slit in between my thighs. He was making me so wet for him.


    ¡°Ahh!¡­No¡­¡± I cried out when his fingertips captured my swollen and erect perks in between them and started toying with them.


    He twirled my nipples skillfully between his fingertips while applying just enough pressure to make me go crazy from the pleasure. I called out his name as my hips bucked and heughed softly at me. His beautiful eyes stared down at my breasts as his fingers began pinching and then tugging on my swollen nipples.


    ¡°Your nipples are so hard. They¡¯re begging for me to suck them¡­¡± he teased me in such a sexy voice that made my pussy clench at his words.


    ¡°No¡­Ahh!¡± I cried out as unbelievable pleasure flooded my body.


    Ace¡¯s hot wet mouth engulfed one of my nipples. The heat and wetness of his mouth surrounded my nipple and then his tongue beganpping at it. He teased my nipple in his mouth with the tip of his tongue before sucking hard on it while I ran my fingers through his hair before clutching at it in my attempt to fight the fire of passion that was consuming me.


    ¡°Did you miss me?¡± he asked after letting go of my erect nipple.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± I replied softly.


    ¡°Hmm¡­you¡¯re so straightforward today, I really like it¡­¡± he whispered teasingly right next to my ear.


    .....


    His hands slowly stroked its way down the curves of my body until he reached my hips. His eyes studied my reaction as I panted. The heat burning inside of my core felt unbearable and I wanted him to satisfy the need burning deep inside of me.


    He shifted his weight a little before inserting his hands between us and started to tug my skirt up my thighs. Ace¡¯s lips curved into a satisfied smirk when my thighs were exposed and then his hands were on my thighs and spreading them. He lifted my legs a little before spreading them even further apart before he settled his hips in between my spread thighs.


    ¡°I want to fuck you already, Rina¡­¡± Ace admitted in a voice thick with lust.


    I could feel the proof of his desire against my pussy as he began grinding his erection against my opening. My hips moved immediately to grind my pussy against his hardness as I felt myself getting wetter and hotter down there. His cock was already so hard and big, and I couldn¡¯t wait to feel him inside of me.


    ¡°Fuck me, Ace¡­¡± I pleaded in a whisper.


    ¡°You¡¯re so bold today¡­¡± he said but without any hint of disapproval in his tone.


    It didn¡¯t seem like Ace could wait much longer either. He quickly unbuckled his belt before zipping down his pants. I watched in amazement when he freed his gigantic cock from its restraint. His beast was already thick and long as it stood proudly in between his legs. My pussy quivered as my eyes took in the amazing size of his gigantic cock.


    ¡°Spread your legs wider for me, Rina,¡± he instructed as he guided his thick cock to my sopping wet entrance.


    I felt him pulling the thin fabric covering my hole to the side and then the heat of his cock lodged itself in between my pussy lips. After taking in a deep breath, I tried my best to rx to prepare my pussy to take in his cock. Ace reared his hips back and thrusted his massive love stick into me as I cried out from the force of his entrance. His cock stretched my opening and began prating into me. I could feel his thickness filling me up inside and it felt so fulfilling that it made my toes curl.


    ¡°You¡¯re so tight, Rina. Is it because I didn¡¯t finger you first?¡± he asked teasingly.


    His cock felt so hot inside of me as its thickness stretched my insides. My pussy clenched wildly around his cock as he continued to thrust deeper into me. I moaned softly as he continued to push his thick cock into my wet pussy hole.


    He¡¯s filling me up with all of him¡­


    ¡°Take all of me inside you, Rina¡­¡± he murmured seductively.


    I spread my legs further apart and lifted my hips a little off the sofa to draw his cock even deeper into my sopping wet hole. Ace groaned and his cock twitched inside of me. I could tell that he was feeling good as well. My pussy wrapped itself around his cock as I moaned his name seductively.


    ¡°Ahh¡­it¡¯s so deep¡­¡± I moaned inplete satisfaction when he buried his entire length into me.


    His cock fit so snuggly inside of me. Being one with Ace made me feel whole and extremely satisfied. Ace stilled for a moment until my pussy walls rxed around his cock. He groaned softly as he slowly withdrew his cock from me. His cock stroked along my pussy walls and made my entire body quiver from the pleasure.


    His cock almost exited my love tunnelpletely before he pounded it back into me. His thrust was more forceful than the one before and I cried out when I felt his cock hitting against my womb. Ace grabbed the sides of my hips and concentrated on pounding his cock faster and harder into me. Our sex pped against each other as he rode me. I cried out his name as my hips began thrusting up and down to meet his eager thrusts. His cock rammed all the way into me with each thrust and pounded against the pleasure spot deep inside of me.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahhh! Ace¡­Ahhh!¡± I cried out each time he pumped his cock into me.


    His cock felt much hotter, and I was sure that it was reaching ever deeper into me. He grunted as he asserted himself. It had been a while since we had intense sex like this, and it excited me. He was being very aggressive and rough with me, but I didn¡¯t mind it at all.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 268 - 268 Until He was Satisfied

    268 Until He was Satisfied


    ¡°Lift your legs and hold them for me, Rina¡­¡± he instructed.


    I lifted my spread legs and held it up for him so that he could prate me even deeper than before. It already felt so deep, but the new angle only worked to heighten our pleasure. My pussy was flooded with my juices, and I could feel myself getting wetter and wetter as he continued thrusting his gigantic shaft into me. Every thrust sent me to heaven and then back again. It felt like I was ready to climax each time his cock hit against my womb.


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­Ahhh! Ace¡­I¡¯m cumming!¡± I cried out when I felt like I was about to lose my mind.


    My climax rose to im me so suddenly that I was shocked. Ace didn¡¯t give me a break as he continued pounding his cock into me. If anything, he started moving even faster than before as I squirted my release onto his cock. My pussy spasmed uncontrobly around his cock as I closed my eyes and let my climax take control of my body and mind.


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± I whimpered when I felt Ace¡¯s cock sliding out of my pussy.


    His juices poured out of the slit in between my legs as he withdrew his cock from me. I panted hard as I tried to recover from the aftereffects of my mind-shattering climax. Sex with Ace always felt so good. He made me such a greedy girl by teaching me so much pleasure. He made me want even more of him like I was addicted to his love.


    ¡°Can you stand?¡± he asked seductively.


    I knew that he didn¡¯t want to leave just yet and that could only mean that he wanted to take me from behind. My pussy quivered at the thought of his thick rod ramming into me from a different angle that I knew felt so good. However, I wasn¡¯t sure if my legs could take it after having juste that hard.


    ¡°Umm¡­I¡­¡± I murmured hesitantly.


    .....


    ¡°Just turn over and face that way,¡± Ace urged.


    I was d that he was willing to adjust the position for me. Slowly, I positioned myself the way that he wanted. Using the sofa to support me helped a lot. I leaned my upper half on the sofa as I stood on my legs and lifted my ass up for him as he stood behind me. I could feel his presence close behind my ass before I felt the heat of his hands pulling my panties over my hips and down my legs.


    ¡°You¡¯re so wet¡­¡± he groaned from behind me.


    I whimpered as I tired to steady my body when I felt Ace positioning his hips behind me. Soon, I felt his hardness pressing up against my ass before he positioned the thick head of his cock at my throbbing opening.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahhh!¡± I screamed so loudly when he pounded his cock into me.


    This angle feels so good¡­


    His hips moved aggressively, pumping his cock in and out of my hole from behind. His hands held my hips steady and made sure that I lifted my ass. His cock moved fast and hard inside of me while I cried out from the pleasure that took over me each time his cock screwed itself into me and filled my pussy up. His cock felt so hard, and this angle made his cock hit harder against my womb.


    ¡°You¡¯re screaming so much. Does it feel that good?¡± he asked needlessly.


    ¡°Ahh¡­so good¡­Ace¡­¡± I managed to answer to him in between my lewd passionate moans.


    His cock pped into me as he began moving fasting. Immense pleasure flooded my senses and my body and it soon became too much for me to take. It felt like his cock would split me and the pleasure he made me felt would end up killing me. It didn¡¯t take long for me to lose myself to my intense orgasm again. I came crying out his name before my mind went nk.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to cum so much inside you, Rina¡­¡± Ace hissed close to my ear.


    His hips jerked forward, and his cock pumped deeply into me. My eyes opened wide in shock at how deep he was hitting me. Ace was groaning louder now as he sprinted towards his release. I was sure that my pussy would be sore after he was done with me. After a short while of screwing his cock in and out of me fast and hard, Ace finally came inside of me. I clenched my pussy around his throbbing cock as he shot his hot load into me. His heat flooded into me as his cock spurted his seed deeply into me. I whimpered as I felt him filling up my womb with his seed.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I moaned his name softly as my head grew lighter than before.


    ¡­


    My pussy already felt sore, and we haven¡¯t even left the secret little room yet. I worked hard to adjust my clothes as best as I could. We both still had to work in the afternoon, and I couldn¡¯t go back out there looking like a mess. My clothes were quite wrinkled but there wasn¡¯t much that I could do about that besides trying my best to smooth out the fabric with my hand. I pulled up my panties and adjusted my skirt.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a meeting around now?¡± I reminded him.


    I turned to face Ace who was sitting idly on the sofa. He seemedpletely happy and rxed. The look of concern was now gone from his face. I grinned a little to myself when I thought that it was a good thing that sex could help ease his stress even if it was just a little.


    ¡°Do I?¡± he replied without a care.


    ¡°Yes, you do¡­¡± I confirmed.


    ¡°Maybe my beautiful secretary can call if off for me?¡± Ace asked before shing me a charming smile full of hope.


    ¡°No. Please just go to your meeting, ok?¡± I pleaded.


    Ace didn¡¯t seem pleased with how I was acting. That didn¡¯t mean that I was naturally going to back down. Instead, I crossed my arms over my chest and stared down at him.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 269 - 269 Reassuring Support

    269 Reassuring Support


    Our eyes met and after a moment of staring deeply into each other¡¯s eyes, Ace let out a sigh of resignation. I felt like I had achieved something monumental when Ace gave in and decided to attend the meeting that wasing up.


    ¡°You have to hurry up or you¡¯re going to bete to your meeting,¡± I urged as I pulled on his arm.


    Ace hesitantly got up from the sofa. I could tell that he didn¡¯t want to go out to work at all, but I also thought that it would be better for everyone if he would just go back to work.


    ¡°You can do this¡­¡± I said encouragingly.


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± Ace muttered as he ced hisrge hand on top of my head.


    He looked down into my upturned face before he leaned down and ced a soft kiss on my forehead. The kiss was soft and fleeting. Ace had straightened up and was on his way out of the door before I knew it. I lifted my hand and touched the tips of my fingers against the spot on my forehead that he had just kissed.


    ¡°Ace!¡± I called after him when we were both out of the room.


    He turned around with a questioning look to look my way. I quickly closed the distance between us and made it to his side.


    ¡°Hang in there, ok? I¡¯m sure that you can do whatever you set your mind to,¡± I said.


    .....


    Since it didn¡¯t seem that there was much that I could help him with, I felt like the least that I could do was to show him my support. Of course, I hadmitted myself to doing anything to help support him no matter how big or small. My words seemed to have reached Ace before he smiled down at me.


    ¡°Thank you, Rina. I¡¯m sorry that it¡¯s taking so long but things will end up fine for both of us,¡± he said it like a promise.


    I didn¡¯t miss that he chosen to say ¡®both of us¡¯. Because I couldn¡¯t find my voice as my emotions started welling up inside of me, all I could do was nod my head at him once firmly. His words touched me and made me feel like I was making the right choice in trusting him with our future.


    ¡°I¡¯ll work hard too. Please don¡¯t worry about Project Alpha. We¡¯ll definitely win thepetition,¡± I said with such confidence that I was shocked at myself.


    ¡°Good. I¡¯m waiting to hear some very good news,¡± he said with a smile.


    ¡°Sure. Well, now it¡¯s fine for you to go to your meeting. Should I walk you there?¡± I suggested brightly.


    Ace just shook his head at me as he led the way out of the rooftop. I quickly followed after him because I wasn¡¯t exactly joking when I said that I would walk him to his meeting room. Because I didn¡¯t have a meeting scheduled right now, I was free to apany him and I fully intended to personally make sure that Ace turned up to his meeting. Maybe if I left him, he¡¯ll just hide away somewhere else without attending the meeting.


    ¡°You¡¯re taking this a little too seriously¡­¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°Really? I think you¡¯re the one who¡¯s not taking this seriously enough¡­¡± I countered with my own retort.


    Just like I had nned, I apanied Ace all the way to his meeting room and made sure that he stepped in there. I even stood there in the doorway long enough to make sure that he took his designated seat at the head of the long meeting table. There were many senior managers attending this meeting and it felt like the right choice that I had made sure that Ace didn¡¯t skip out on it.


    ¡­


    **A few dayster**


    Although it was Julianna that we were talking about, I was still amazed and extremely impressed that she coulde up with a new marketing n in just a few days. Not only did sheplete the new marketing n based on the idea that I shared, but she had also already scheduled a meeting with Ace to review it.


    ¡°Got to say that she¡¯s fast¡­¡± Jeremy said before whistling.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I readily agreed.


    Apparently, I wasn¡¯t the only one who was amazed by Julianna¡¯s talent. I was sure that there were countlessmercials that wouldn¡¯t have done as well as they did if it wasn¡¯t for her outstanding marketing ns.


    ¡°Enough chatting. Let¡¯s head to the meeting room now. Let¡¯s not keep Ace waiting,¡± Juliannamanded loudly as she waved for everyone to file out of the room.


    Jeremy and I were going to attend the meeting with Ace along with Julianna and other members of her core team. It felt like a very big deal and that was probably because it was. If we could just get pass this step then we were one step closer tounching themercial. That thought made my palm sweat from a mix of nervousness and excitement. No matter how manymercials and I¡¯ve worked on, I could never get used to the excitement of finally unveiling themercial in front of the audience.


    ¡°Karina, it¡¯s your job to make sure that Ace doesn¡¯t skip out on this one,¡± Julianna said to me half-jokingly.


    I could tell that there was a part of her that was being serious as she smiled over at me. I tried my best to smile back as I clutched my phone tightly in my hand. If Ace isn¡¯t there for the meeting, I¡¯m going to need to call him andter on, I was prepared to give him a piece of my mind. He could skip out on other meetings with other managers, but this project was directly under his supervision, and I couldn¡¯t take it if he skipped out on a project that I was working on.


    Luckily, when we arrived, Ace was already there in the room. He shed me a smile as I walked in, but I ended up ring at him.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 270 - 270 His Approval

    270 His Approval


    Julianna greeted Ace energetically as her team set up the presentation. I took my seat which was located very far from Ace before taking in a deep breath and praying for the best.


    ¡°This is the new n. It¡¯s based off of Karina¡¯s idea which I think should work well,¡± Julianna exined.


    Ace just nodded his head without saying anything. Julianna took that as the cue for her to go on with the presentation. I had to say that her presentation was very well structured, and it was easy to see that she had thought everything through and had everything nned out. Now that I saw that Julianna truly had her act together, all that I needed to worry about was Ace¡¯s reaction to this whole thing.


    I turned and nced over at Ace who was seated at the head of the long meeting table. His face was as passive as ever to the point where I wondered if he was even listening although I was sure that he was. If he thought that our n was impressive, he didn¡¯t show it at all. When Julianna reached the middle section of her presentation, Ace¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly. I turned towards the presentation to see the message on the slide and found it hard to understand what would make Ace react like that.


    Regardless, I was able to breathe easy again when Ace didn¡¯t say anything to interrupt Julianna¡¯s presentation. All the way to the end of Julianna¡¯s presentation, Ace did not make anyments to interrupt her. There was a slightly awkward silence when her presentation ended, and she returned to her seat at the meeting table.


    ¡°Umm¡­what do you think?¡± Julianna asked what was probably on all of our minds.


    ¡°Why do you think this n fits well with themercial?¡± Ace replied to her question with a question of his own.


    Suddenly, he seemed very serious about this, and his passiveness waspletely gone. Julianna seemed hesitant to answer his question and her eyes nced over to me. That reminded me that I was the one who originally brought up the idea. I turned to Ace to offer him my answer.


    ¡°I believe this n suits thismercial well because it is designed to connect emotionally to the audience as much as possible,¡± I exined.


    .....


    ¡°Go on,¡± Ace prompted for more details.


    Ace looked straight at me, and I could feel the eyes of everyone in the room on me as well. That made me feel slightly more nervous than before. I took in a breath to calm myself as I chose my words to answer him.


    ¡°Since thismercial is supposed to promote a charitable cause, I thought that it would be best to market it based on its emotional appeal. That doesn¡¯t mean that we ignore the data, but we consider the emotional connection part of it more than before. That means that instead of just thrusting themercial in front of the audience faces all the time, we try out best to integrate themercial in cements that fit with the audiences¡¯ natural life events¡­¡± I tried my best to exin our main intention behind the n.


    As far as I was aware, this was the main difference and improvementpared to the previous version that Julianna had. Ace seemed thoughtful as he seemed to consider our proposal seriously. The entire room was silent as everyone waited for Ace to make his decision. I couldn¡¯t help but pray that we would get his approval. If we had to start over on this, there was a very high possibility that the project would be dyed. That would be such a setback for the entire team and the lead that we had gained would be lost.


    ¡°Where did you get the idea for this n from?¡± Ace asked.


    His question surprised me. Did he realize that I had taken elements from his past works and adapted it?


    I didn¡¯t think that something like that was possible. The ideas were there but it had been adapted by me and then Julianna did her magic and adapted it again. I didn¡¯t think that Ace could have realized the original source for the idea. If that was the case, then I must be the only one overthinking things. This question was probably just a random question brought about by his curiosity and nothing more.


    I hated to admit it but I felt more than slightly embarrassed to admit to him that I had been going through his old work and that I had found the bulk of it in thepany¡¯s archives. Ace didn¡¯t seem to like me digging around into his past work and had told me to stick to the present and concentrate on the future, so I didn¡¯t see how telling him the truth would benefit anyone including myself.


    ¡°I justbined various ideas from here and there. Julianna helped to adapt most of it and her team helped to add in all the details,¡± I replied.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Ace murmured.


    So far, he had not given his approval yet but at least he had not outright rejected the proposal. Ace seemed to be thinking it over and that alone seemed to give everyone hope. His eyes returned to the presentation that was still projected on therge projector screen before his eyes shifted to my face.


    Please¡­please approve this¡­


    ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll go with this. Thank you everyone for all the work that you¡¯ve put into this. I expect the finalized date for themercialunch to be pushed forward as soon as possible,¡± Ace dered after a moment of thought.


    Yes! We did it! We finally made it!


    I didn¡¯t bother hiding my smile and my joy as I beamed a smile in Ace¡¯s direction. Even if Julianna and her team did most of the work, I still felt proud that I contributed to the idealization phase of it. Although every tired their best to keep their voices down, it was clear that everyone was so happy and relief at the same time.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 271 - 271 The End is Near

    271 The End is Near


    ¡°I almost had a heart attack in there. The way he thought about it for so long gave me a bad feeling at first,¡± Jeremy told me as he were on our way back to our desks.


    ¡°I know exactly what you mean. Well, at least we got the pass otherwise the project would have been dyed,¡± I replied before I let out a loud sigh.


    ¡°Thank you, you two,¡± Julianna said from behind us.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± I murmured as I turned around to face her.


    ¡°No need to thank me. If you want to thank someone, just thank Karina. After all, it was her brilliant idea that helped get us through that,¡± Jeremy replied before he startedughing.


    It felt a little awkward for him to give me all the credit like that. Julianna looked at me before he lips broke out in a bright smile.


    ¡°Thank you, Karina. You¡¯re doing well,¡± she said.


    ¡°Thanks¡­¡± I thanked her in a small voice.


    I watched as she waved and turned to walk away from us. A warm feeling started budding in my chest and I realized soon after that I suddenly felt quite proud of myself and my achievements. We were so close to the key part of thepetition already and that was theunch of themercial. After that, themittee would decide on the winner. The otherponent that would y arge role would be the amount of donations that themercial would be able to rake in.


    .....


    ¡°What are you thinking about? You should be celebrating and not frowning,¡± Jeremy said as he peered close to my face.


    That was when I realized that I had been frowning while I was thinking about the next phase of thepetition. It was easy to control everything on our side, but it was impossible to control or urately predict the donations amount and that made me nervous.


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m excited but a little anxious about the next phase. You know, theunch and the audiences¡¯ reaction¡­and the donation amount¡­¡± I confessed honestly.


    ¡°That¡¯s so normal. I¡¯m sure everyone feels the same way. I, for one, will never get used to the feeling of


    unching a newmercial. It makes me nervous every time and I always find myself thinking of the worst oue possible,¡± Jeremy replied before heughed a little at his own thought.


    ¡°You feel like that too? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever get used to it,¡± I said with widened eyes.


    Jeremy justughed at my reaction. Although it seemed like we could rx for a bit now, I knew that this rest wouldn¡¯tst long. Things would really pick up when the date for themercialunch is set and that was bound to happen very soon.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait for everyone to see ourmercial. Even if I¡¯m nervous about it, I really want to see the audiences¡¯ reactions and feedback,¡± I said wistfully.


    ¡°Let¡¯s focus on getting it out there first. Step by step, ok?¡± Jeremy replied with a chuckle.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right about that¡­¡± I agreed.


    ¡­


    **A few dayster**


    After the marketing andunch n was approved by Ace, it didn¡¯t take long for Julianna to finalize theunch date. Without much surprise, it was around a week from now. That would mean that everyone had to rush to meet the deadline. Despite that, Julianna seemed very confident that the deadline was realistic and that themercial would beunched on time without a hitch. Everyone was excited and extremely motivated to work on this.


    After theunch, we would have a couple of weeks to monitor the performance of themercial and the associated donations and make some adjustments to our marketing execution. A shiver ran through my body at the thought that the end of thepetition was approaching and that also meant the end of Project Alpha.


    The sessfulunch of themercial and the result of thepetition worried me quite a lot. However, I couldn¡¯t deny that there was something that worried me even more than that. With how busy everyone in the CEO office was, some may have forgotten that the end of the Project Alpha marked the end of Ace¡¯s time as thepany¡¯s CEO as well. If he fully intended to follow through with the public announcement that he made at his birthday party, then Ace would step down from his position right after the end of Project Alpha.


    Just thinking about it made me feel nauseous. I was sure that Ace has not changed in mind about that matter and I doubt that there was anyone who could change his mind. As for what he has nned or even what he¡¯s going to do after quitting his job, I had absolutely no idea. Time was ticking by without waiting for anyone and soon I would find out all the answers to my questions.


    ¡°There¡¯s someone here to see you,¡± one of the secretaries told me once I arrived at the office.


    It was early in the morning and the workday had not started. Since there was very little time left until theunch of themercial, many team members including myself had beening into the office earlier and leavingter to put in that extra work to make sure that everything would progress smoothly. I cocked my head to the side in wonder about who would possibly want to see me. The way the secretary¡¯s eyes darted randomly all over the ce told me just how nervous she was feeling.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± I asked in a whisper.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see. Just follow me to that meeting room over there,¡± she instructed.


    Back then I had no idea that I was in for such a shock. We arrived in front of arge meeting room and without further ado, the secretary opened the door and pretty much ushered me inside. The door closed behind me, and I came face to face with the only man sitting at the long meeting table.


    The chairman¡­


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 272 - 272 Stirring Doubts

    272 Stirring Doubts


    My mouth fell open in shock and it took all of my self-control not to let out any sound of shock. The chairman turned around to face me and my entire body froze in ce. My legs wanted to take me as far away from him as possible. However, I knew that there was no way that I could turn and run away from the chairman after he had asked to see me.


    Why is Ace¡¯s father here? What does he want from me?


    ¡°Karina, take a seat,¡± he said as he gestured with his hand at the seat opposite to his at the meeting table.


    I dreaded seeing the chairman even more than before since Ace made his announcement to retire from his position as CEO. Although I knew that Ace must have spoken to his father about his ns already, he did not tell me in detail how things went down between them. Simply because he did not mention anything, I had assumed that everything must have gone well. I dared to steal a look at the Chairman¡¯s face, and I was convinced that this pair of father and son never reached any kind of agreement.


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re not too busy to talk to me,¡± he said before his lips curved into a smile that was too pleasant.


    ¡°What would you like to talk about?¡± I asked in a small voice as my heart raced in my chest.


    The room felt colder than usual, and the sound of my rapid heart rang too loudly in my ears. I wasn¡¯t sure what the chairman wanted from me but I could guess that it must have something to do with Ace¡¯s n to retire. Ace¡¯s father must have realized that the deadline is fast approaching and that if he wanted to do something to stop it then he had to act now.


    ¡°I am sure that you are aware that Project Alpha is going toe to an end very soon since I heard that you¡¯re staffed on the project as well,¡± he said sternly.


    ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± I replied softly and in a shaky voice.


    .....


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you know this, but Ace is still very adamant about stepping down from his position as CEO,¡± he said before he paused as if to watch my reaction.


    ¡°Yes, I am aware¡­¡± I replied while trying to tell myself to stay calm.


    ¡°I see. Then, I¡¯m going to get straight to the point. I want you to find a way to stop him from quitting his job as the CEO,¡± the chairman said as his eyes stared straight at me.


    I felt a lump form in my throat. His request was reasonable, but it was very unrealistic. If his father couldn¡¯t convince him then what made the chairman believe that I could. Ace wasn¡¯t just very stubborn; he was also very determined. Although I didn¡¯t know what he had nned, I was sure that Ace had thought this over many times before he made his decision. I believed that he truly thought that this was for the best so convincing him otherwise was going to be extremely difficult if not inly impossible.


    ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t think that I can do that,¡± I replied regretfully.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to understand the position that you¡¯re in. If Ace quits his job, he¡¯s going to disappear again and he¡¯s going to leave you. Thest time he quit and went away, he left everything and everyone behind without a care. Have you thought about what you¡¯re going to do if Ace leaves? Don¡¯t you want to keep working for thispany?¡± he asked.


    I knew that he was trying to drive me into a corner and that he was trying to make me doubt Ace. However, his questions really got me thinking. I had just always assumed that Ace would always be with me. We worked at the samepany, and it just felt natural to have him close. I never really thought about what it would be like not to have him around. I didn¡¯t know the details surrounding the time when he quit thispany before, but it seemed like he did disappear somewhat from the scene.


    Did he go abroad?


    ¡°Are you willing to go wherever he decides to go? What about your career, Karina? I¡¯ve heard many good things about you and how passionate you are about your work. Thispany is supposed to be your dream workce, is it not? Or has that already changed?¡± he asked as if he was prompting me to think.


    If Ace left, would I leave with him? Where would we go?


    What about my work here and my all my colleagues? What about pursuing my career and my dream?


    I didn¡¯t know what to think and so I wasn¡¯t sure how to reply to the chairman¡¯s long list of questions. Honestly, I felt so pressured and so overwhelmed by what he was saying and the future that he was hinting at.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I¡­¡± I began apologizing for myck of answers.


    ¡°Your answer should be clear. The easiest solution for you is to make sure that things stay the way that they are now. Keep Ace here with you. He¡¯ll be doing what he should be doing while you can continue to pursue your dream career. Of course, when he achieves his goal of growing thepany, as promised, I will acknowledge your rtionship and will let you two proceed with the wedding,¡± the chairman continued persuading me.


    For a moment, I wondered if he was right. Perhaps the answer was that simple. Perhaps there didn¡¯t need to be anyplications, if only I could convince Ace to stay. I had always thought that he was an outstanding CEO to the point where I couldn¡¯t imagine what thepany would be like if he wasn¡¯t leading it. In that respect, I could understand where his father wasing from.


    However, even if I did honestly agree with the chairman and shared his wishes, it doesn¡¯t solve the problem that was immediately in front of me.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 273 - 273 Summoned by Ace

    273 Summoned by Ace


    ¡°I am sorry but regardless of what I think about this, I honestly don¡¯t think that I can change Ace¡¯s mind,¡± I confessed softly.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure about that. Of course, he might just leave you behind when all of this is over. However, if he cares for you, don¡¯t you think that he¡¯ll at least lend you an ear?¡± he asked suggestively.


    I had nothing to say to that. The possibility of Ace simply just leaving me when he quit his position brought a throbbing pain to my chest. Just thinking about it hurt so badly that I couldn¡¯t imagine how much it would actually hurt if it were to turn into reality. I knew at that moment that I needed to do something; however, I wasn¡¯t sure what to do. The chairman probably thought that he was being very convincing, and he probably wasn¡¯t wrong. However, I didn¡¯t think that it would be wise for me to take any action without thinking things through.


    ¡°Thank you so much for the warning and for thinking of me. I¡¯ll think about it¡­¡± I said without making anymitments.


    ¡°I suggest you think about it seriously and act as soon as possible. As you are already aware, time is running out. Ace is my son and I want what is best for him. I am sure that just like me, you also want what is best for Ace. What is best for him is for him to lead thispany. I look forward to seeing the fruits of your efforts, Karina,¡± he said before he smiled a little my way.


    His smile only made me feel even more ufortable than I already felt. Without another word, the chairman stood up from his seat and I quickly did the same.


    ¡°Take care,¡± he said emotionlessly to me before heading to the door.


    I stood tongue tied in the same spot for a while longer even after the door had closed behind the chairman and I was the only one left in the room. A sigh escaped from me as I closed my eyes, the chairman¡¯s words ran around in endless circles in my mind.


    What exactly is supposed to be best for Ace?


    .....


    Unfortunately, the workday was about to start in less than five minutes and that meant that I didn¡¯t have time to spend moping around here. I took in a deep breath before heading quickly for the door to make my way to my office where I knew that the team would be waiting for me. Hopefully, I would get to see more of Ace now that Project Alpha was approaching another important milestone. I was sure that Ace would definitely supervise theunch of themercial and he would undoubtedly attend the press conference rted to its release.


    Jeremy stood in front of the door to our office when I arrived with a grim look on his face. My heart sank when I thought that something must have gone gravely wrong.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± I asked.


    Something told me that he was waiting for me to arrive. If I didn¡¯t need to meet the chairman, I would have made it here a long while ago. Of course, I couldn¡¯t tell Jeremy that at all.


    ¡°Ace was here earlier looking for you,¡± Jeremy told me with a stern look on his face.


    ¡°Ace?¡± I said in surprise.


    I took out my phone and saw a few miscalls from Ace. Simply because I was too shaken by the conversation that I had just had with his father and rushing to make my way here, I didn¡¯t think of checking my phone.


    ¡°Yup. He was here looking for you. Since you weren¡¯t here, he told me to tell you to see him in his office,¡± Jeremy informed me with a worried look on his face.


    ¡°Did Ace seem¡­troubled or something?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Sort of¡­¡± he replied.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m a little relieved that you¡¯re not here to tell me that there¡¯s something wrong with Project Alpha,¡± I said while trying to look on the bright side of things.


    ¡°You may be right about that. You should go see Ace now. I¡¯ll catch up with youter,¡± Jeremy said before showing me his reassuring smile.


    After cing my bag on my desk, I quickly made my way to Ace¡¯s office where I knew that he must be waiting for me. I regretted not picking up Ace¡¯s calls; however, I couldn¡¯t quite do that if I was still having that tense conversation with his father. I wondered what Ace wanted to talk to me about. He did give me many miscalls so I felt that whatever it was, it had to be something important, very urgent, or both.


    I knocked on the door to his personal office and immediately heard Ace¡¯s reply.


    ¡°Come in,¡± he called out to me from the other side of the door.


    ¡°Good morning. I¡¯m sorry that I didn¡¯t answer your calls. I just saw them when I met up with Jeremy¡­¡± I apologized right away.


    It was at that moment that I realized that I didn¡¯t want to bring up the fact that his father had just paid me a visit and that was probably because I didn¡¯t want to tell Ace what he had talked to me about. Everything happened so suddenly, and I haven¡¯t yet had the time to digest everything that he said and their implications.


    ¡°Sit¡­¡± Ace instructed.


    I nodded slightly as I took the seat on the opposite side of his work desk. From where I was sitting, I could tell that Ace wasn¡¯t in the best of moods and that something was bothering him. The atmosphere in the room felt tense although I wasn¡¯t sure why that was so. On top of that, Ace came looking for me quite early in the morning which was quite unusual.


    ¡°Umm¡­¡± I murmured as I tried to gather my courage to ask him what was wrong.


    ¡°I heard that my father came to thepany today¡­¡± Ace said before I could say anything.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 274 - 274 Open and Honest

    274 Open and Honest


    My eyes widened a little in surprise and I started to feel nervous for no good reason at all. Although it wasn¡¯t supposed to be a secret, I didn¡¯t think that Ace would like to find out that I had met up with his father even if it was because the chairman had requested for me to do so. I wondered if Ace knew about my little meeting with the Chairman already or not.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I replied vaguely without wanting to give anything away.


    If Ace found out that I met the chairman, he would undoubtedly ask me what we talked about, and I didn¡¯t want to tell Ace that. The fact that I felt clueless about what to do next also bothered me.


    ¡°Did you meet him?¡± Ace asked as his eyes stared directly at my face.


    ¡°He¡­requested to talk to me,¡± I replied honestly.


    It didn¡¯t seem like I could avoid discussing this topic with Ace any further. Now that I didn¡¯t have a choice in the matter, I thought that it might just be better to bepletely honest and open with Ace. After all, we were supposed to be on the same team on this. Maybe if I just ask Ace outright, he would tell me something useful that would help me figure out my next move or make up my mind. The future seemed so uncertain and filled with unknowns.


    ¡°What did you talk to him about?¡± Ace asked as he kept his eyes on me.


    I started to feel slightly ufortable under his intense stare. After taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, I made up my mind to tell Ace everything.


    ¡°Your father wants me to find a way to stop you from quitting your job,¡± I told Ace quite bluntly.


    .....


    Although I had put in the effort to muster up the courage to talk to him directly about this, Ace didn¡¯t seem at all surprised at what I had just told him. Hisck of reaction made me feel even more confused than before.


    ¡°Is that all?¡± Ace asked.


    As in¡­is there supposed to be something more than this?


    ¡°Umm¡­yes. He doesn¡¯t want you to step down from your position as CEO and he thinks that I might be able to find a way to convince you otherwise¡­¡± I replied.


    Apart from this, I didn¡¯t think that there was anything else that the Chairman spoke to me about. He did make me very confused when he brought up the issue regarding my future and my career but that was probably also rted to making me feel like there was a need for me to keep Ace in his current CEO position.


    ¡°Is that really it?¡± Ace prompted again before he went silent to give me a moment to think.


    ¡°He told me that if you ran off again, you would leave me behind. Alternatively, if I can keep you here as the CEO, then when you manage to grow thepany as agreed with him, he¡¯ll let us get married,¡± I told Ace honestly.


    Ace seemed to be thinking about something for a brief moment before he nodded his head as if finally satisfied with what I had just told him. Once again, he didn¡¯t seem surprised at all at what his father had told me.


    ¡°So, what do you think about what he told you?¡± Ace asked again.


    His eyes kept on staring at me and I started shifting ufortably on my seat. It felt like the real interrogation had just started. His question was such a tough one for me because that was precisely what I wanted to figure out.


    I didn¡¯t want to believe that Ace would leave me simply because he was going to quit his job. I mean, wasn¡¯t it even more normal for me to be dating someone who isn¡¯t my boss and not the other way around. There were a couple of things that didn¡¯t make sense about what the chairman had told me. The first one was that my romantic rtionship with Ace woulde to an end if he quit his job. I didn¡¯t think that he was dating me simply because he wanted to date his secretary.


    On top of that, things may be easier for us if he was no longer working as my boss and I¡¯m no longer his secretary. For one thing, we probably didn¡¯t need to keep our rtionship a secret anymore. Eating out like normal and going on normal dates just like other couples will be possible for us because we didn¡¯t have anything to hide anymore. Just thinking about the various dates that I could go on with Ace made me want to smile and giggle like a yful child.


    However, thispany and my career here might be very different if Ace isn¡¯t here anymore. If he wasn¡¯t here, thepany would have a new CEO and depending on what that person is like, the direction of thepany and how thing are done may change drastically.


    ¡°I¡¯m honestly still very confused and unsure about what to think or what I should do¡­¡± I confessed softly.


    ¡°Tell me more about it,¡± Ace urged, and his tone felt encouraging and caring.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t mind listening to my thoughts? It might not really make sense because I haven¡¯t really put my thoughts together. Everything feels so messy, and my thoughts are all over the ce right now¡­¡± I said a little shyly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Take your time, Rina,¡± Ace replied as he kept his eyes on me.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name softly.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he replied immediately.


    ¡°Can I ask you some questions?¡± I asked as I dared to meet his gaze.


    ¡°Sure. Ask away,¡± he replied without hesitation.


    This is probably going to sound very strange, but I had to ask him this before I could go on and think about anything else.


    ¡°Ace, if you quit your job as the CEO, what will happen to us?¡± I asked in a small voice.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 275 - 275 Life is Short

    275 Life is Short


    Ace seemed surprised for the first time since I stepped into his personal office. I should have known that question would have sounded weird. It was also very straightforward; however, I didn¡¯t want to evade it any longer. I just had to know his thoughts on this and because of that, I decided to wait in silence for Ace¡¯s answer.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± he replied simply.


    ¡°Nothing?¡± I repeated his reply in surprise.


    I hadn¡¯t thought that the answer that he arrived to after being surprised and putting his thought into it would be so simple.


    ¡°Nothing. Nothing will change between us. Just because I won¡¯t be working here anymore doesn¡¯t mean that anything will change between us. Well, I¡¯ll no longer be your boss and you won¡¯t be my secretary anymore but that doesn¡¯t have anything to do with our rtionship,¡± Ace exined calmly.


    I guess that did kind of make sense¡­


    ¡°Umm¡­do you really mean that?¡± I asked just to make sure.


    ¡°Of course. I mean it, and it¡¯s true. We may see each other less if I no longer work here and you decide to continue working here, but we can make up for it in our free time,¡± he replied casually like it was no big deal.


    I should have known that Ace would respond with something like that. After all, there shouldn¡¯t have been any doubt in my mind about Ace leaving me simply because he was going to quit his job. The chairman was probably just saying that to mess with my head and I cursed myself silently for letting him mess with my mind like that.


    .....


    ¡°Is there anything that I can do to change your mind? Is there anything that I can do to keep you here as the CEO?¡± I asked what I was supposed to ask him.


    Ace looked at me with a sharp look for a moment before his expression rxed and he smiled at me instead.


    ¡°No¡­¡± he replied without any hesitation.


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s a relief to hear actually,¡± I replied as relief flooded my voice.


    I let out a sigh as I pressed a hand to my chest before I returned his smile. It was the right decision for me to ask him that just to get the load off of my chest.


    ¡°Why is that?¡± Ace asked curiously.


    ¡°Well, you see¡­after thinking about it for a while, I realized that I want to support what you want to do rather than stand in your way. The truth is, I know and I can feel that you don¡¯t like this job and that it isn¡¯t fulfilling your career goals for you. Although I am not sure what you really want for yourself, I am sure that being here as the CEO isn¡¯t it for you. So even if there is something that I can do to stop you, I probably won¡¯t do it because I don¡¯t want to,¡± I confessed honestly and then I couldn¡¯t stop myself from smiling.


    It really felt like a huge and heavy mountain had been lifted off my chest and I could breathe easily once more. After talking to the Chairman, I had thought that things would be difficult between us, and I wasn¡¯t sure what I was going to do. However, after talking to Ace frankly like this, everything seemed much clearer, and it naturally became obvious what I wanted and should do.


    Although I wasn¡¯t sure what Ace wanted to do in the near future after he quit his job at thispany, I had already made up my mind to support him and wish him the best for everything.


    ¡°You look much happier now than before. I don¡¯t know, you just seemed very troubled before. Sorry for calling you here out of the blue like this¡­¡± Ace apologized with a gentle smile.


    I think that was probably the time that I realized that he must have called me here to talk to him because he was worried about me after guessing that the Chairman must havee here to see me. His interrogation was tough at first, but it turned out for the better and it helped to ease my mind. Ace seemed more assured now that he could see that I was alright too.


    ¡°Thank you for worrying about me¡­¡± I thanked him wholeheartedly.


    ¡°I know from personal experience that talking to my father is nothing fun, so you don¡¯t have to think too much of it,¡± Ace replied casually.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right about that¡­¡± I replied.


    I opened my mouth and then closed it before I could say anything without thinking. Honestly, I wanted to ask him what he nned to do after he left thispany but then I remembered the promise that we made. There was no need for me to ask him, when the time is right, I just had to trust that he would tell me everything just like he had promised.


    ¡°Well, if there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll head back to work,¡± I said as I got up from my seat.


    Ace also got up from his seat, but he didn¡¯t say anything to me as he took my hand walked me all the way to the elevator. Standing alone in the enclosed space of the elevator gave me a little time to digest my own thoughts. Since my conversation with the chairman there had been something nagging me at the back of my mind, and it seemed like I had just figured out what that thought was.


    The most important thing that the Chairman failed to consider or mention to me was what Ace truly wanted. Perhaps his father did not care at all about what Ace personally wanted for himself and his career; however, the same couldn¡¯t be said about me. I wanted to know what Ace truly wanted for himself because I could feel that working as the CEO right now wasn¡¯t living up to Ace¡¯s expectations of his desired career. If that was the case, it just felt so wrong for me to convince him to stay in this role any longer.


    Life is short and we shouldn¡¯t be wasting time doing things that we don¡¯t really want to do, right?


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 276 - 276 Private Time

    276 Private Time


    The day that we had been waiting for had finally arrived. Thinking to make a big bangunch, Julianna nned a very busy day for theunch day of themercial that we had worked so hard on. ording to her n, Ace would lead a press conference to announce theunch of themercial which would go live in the evening of the same day.


    ¡°We¡¯ll build up a lot of hype on the day itself. The news would cover theunch for the whole day and then themercial will finally go live in the evening,¡± Julianna exined.


    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s enough time to get the word out? It doesn¡¯t seem like enough time,¡± Jeremy asked with a frown between his brows.


    Right at that moment, I had to say that I was on Jeremy¡¯s side of things. One day to get the word out seemed like a very tight schedule indeed, even if it meant that we wouldunch ourmercial at least a few days before ourpetitors.


    ¡°Words travel fast these days. Plus, waiting for too long between the press conference announcement and the actualunch could make people simply forget about it and we¡¯ll lose the hype that way,¡± Julianna exined.


    ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± I murmured after hearing her logic.


    ¡°Did Ace approve this?¡± Jeremy asked while still sounding skeptical.


    ¡°Yes, he did. Why would I do something this major without consulting Ace first?¡± Julianna snapped back like it was supposed to be obvious.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. If Ace is fine with it, then everything will turn out fine,¡± Jeremy said with confidence.


    .....


    I giggled softly to myself at how easy it was to convince Jeremy. As long as Ace was involved, Jeremy didn¡¯t seem to doubt that anything could go wrong. I was once again amazed at how much Ace influenced and inspired the people around him.


    That decision brought us to this moment when the press conference was about to start. Instead of hosting it at some fancy hotel, Ace and Julianna had chosen to host the press conference at thergest auditorium in our office building. I was on pins and needles all night sincest night because I was so excited and scared that I would arrive to workte the following morning.


    The press conference was scheduled to start at 10AM and that meant that we had to be in a couple of hours earlier than that. I didn¡¯t want to risk anything going wrong and had decided to tag along with the other team members to check everything beforehand.


    ¡®Where are you?¡¯


    Ace texted me in the middle of the preparation as I was following the team around to perform various checks in the auditorium. If I hadn¡¯t been holding my phone in my hand, I would have missed the vibration that notified me of the arrival of Ace¡¯s text message.


    ¡®I¡¯m checking things in the auditorium,¡¯ I texted back.


    ¡°Umm¡­when is Ace supposed to be here?¡± I asked the organizing team.


    ¡°Half an hour before the start of the conference,¡± a member of the team replied.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t he need to get in earlier than that?¡± I asked in surprise.


    ¡°Nope. Ace is used to this, so he should already know what to do. 30 minutes of standby is more than enough for him,¡± another team member replied before smiling at me reassuringly.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I mumbled.


    I looked at my watch and figured that it would be a while before Ace would arrive here if that was the case. Although I wanted to see him already, I was thankful for the chance to get everything ready before he made his appearance. At least that was what I thought until the phone in my hand started vibrating non-stop. I nced down at the phone screen to see that Ace was calling me.


    ¡°Hello¡­¡± I answered the call while walking way from the other team members.


    ¡°Are you still at the auditorium?¡± Ace asked.


    ¡°Yes, I am¡­¡± I replied while feeling a little confused.


    It hadn¡¯t been that long since I told him via text where I was. As that thought was running through my head, the door to the auditorium opened and I gasped in surprise when I saw Ace walking in. I blinked rapidly in surprise because ording to the staff he wasn¡¯t supposed to be here yet. His sudden appearance wasn¡¯t the only thing that surprised me. The fact that he was making a beeline in my direction had me wondering what was really going on.


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± he called my name as he came to stand right in front of me.


    Thankfully, no one was really around anymore after I had walked away from the other team members to answer his call earlier.


    ¡°You¡¯re here early. The organizing team members told me that you won¡¯t be here until 30 minutes till the start of the conference,¡± I said as I stared up into his face.


    ¡°Come with me,¡± he said as he grabbed my wrist and tugged on it.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± I protested as I nced around to make sure that no one saw us together like this.


    Ace seemed to be in a hurry, and I wasn¡¯t sure what was going to happen or where he was taking me. There was still some time before the start of the conference but not enough time for us to waste. After walking down the hallway for a moment, Ace opened the door to one of the smaller meeting rooms and dragged me in there after him. Him turned and locked the door behind us when we were both inside.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked nkly.


    ¡°Nothing. I just need to talk to you about something,¡± Ace said as his hazel brown eyes stared intensely into mine.


    Suddenly the room felt cold, and the atmosphere became a little tense. I could tell that Ace was serious and I wasn¡¯t sure what had taken over him.


    ¡°Is something the matter?¡± I asked in wonder.


    ¡°The press conference is going to happen soon¡­¡± he said as he kept his eyes on mine.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 277 - 277 A Kiss for Now

    277 A Kiss for Now


    ¡°Are you nervous?¡± I asked even though I guessed that that probably wasn¡¯t the case.


    ¡°Me? Of course, not¡­¡± Ace replied dismissively.


    ¡°That¡¯s good, I guess. I¡¯m really hoping that everything would go well. We¡¯ve put in so much effort and time into this¡­¡± I said as I started to feel nervous instead.


    Why wasn¡¯t Ace getting to the point just like he always used to? It felt like he had something to tell me. Why else would he pull me into a private meeting room just when the press conference was about to start like this?


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± Ace called my name softly.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I replied in such a soft whisper that I almost couldn¡¯t hear myself.


    My throat suddenly went dry and my heart began racing in my chest as I waited anxiously for his next words. Instead of going on right away, Ace reached for my hands and held it a little too tightly in his as he stared deeply into my eyes. Although I knew that he wasn¡¯t going to formally propose or anything like that, it felt like he might. I stered the best smile that I could muster on my lips as I quickly banished that nonsensical thought from my mind. I could tell that Ace was serious as he kept on staring deeply into my eyes and I couldn¡¯t look away from him.


    ¡°Hang in there. This will all be over soon. From now until the end of this project, try to learn as much as you can, Rina. Learn what you like or don¡¯t like to do. Think about what you want or don¡¯t want to do in the future for your career, ok?¡± he advised before he smiled warmly at me.


    ¡°Ok¡­¡± I murmured while feelingpletely lost inside.


    .....


    Did he really pull me all the way here just to give me some career advice?


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name softly as his hold on my hands rxed a little.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked casually.


    ¡°Is everything¡­ok?¡± I asked while trying my best not to show my extreme worry and concern.


    ¡°Of course, it is. We¡¯ll make thisunch a sess. We¡¯ll make thismercial a sess and we¡¯ll make sure to take the prize home with us,¡± he replied with clear confidence.


    His confidence was infectious as always and it gave me courage to believe that everything would go well just as he believed that it would. There was not a moment that I doubted Ace¡¯s sess. The fact that we all worked so hard for this and the extreme dedication that I¡¯ve witnessed everyone on the team put into this project also gave me even more confidence in our victory.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing fine. In case, you know¡­in case you¡¯re worried about me,¡± I told him with a firm nod of my head.


    I could have been off about it but the way he acted made me feel like he was probably just as worried for me as I was for him. I tried my best to smile bravely so that I could ease his worries even if it was just a little bit. Everything was still confusing for me, and many things were still kept a secret from me; however, I had decided to believe in him, and I have decided to wait as patiently as I could.


    ¡°Thank you, Rina. After this is over, let¡¯s have dinner at my ce¡­¡± Ace said before he shed me a very inviting smile.


    ¡°Are you cooking?¡± I asked hopefully.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind breakfast for dinner, then I can cook¡­¡± he replied with a softugh.


    Breakfast for dinner doesn¡¯t sound so bad but I guess therees a time when you stop pushing your CEO.


    ¡°Let¡¯s order something easy in. You¡¯ll probably be too tired¡­¡± I suggested.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it up to you,¡± he replied before he smiled at me again.


    ¡°Sure. Leave it to me,¡± I stated before smiling brightly up at him in return.


    I felt Ace¡¯s hands on my shoulders and then he was pulling me into his embrace. My body immediately stiffened, and I pressed my hand softly against his chest to halt his actions. Ace stopped almost immediately before he nced down into my face with a questioning look.


    ¡°Umm¡­let¡¯s try not to get my makeup on your shirt or your suit¡­¡± I


    ¡°I¡¯ll settle for a kiss instead¡­¡± he said with a hint of annoyance.


    I felt the heat of his hand against my cheek and then his lips were on mine before I could think of a way to reply to him. His lips on mine felt warm and his kiss was passionate yet gentle. His lips moved lovingly on mine as he nted soft kisses against my lips from various angles.


    At least, I wouldn¡¯t risk running his outfit this way just when the press conference was right around the corner.


    Every kiss felt sweet and so unrushed like we had all the time in the world to enjoy this together in our private little world. I moaned into our kiss as our kiss slowly deepened. The tip of Ace¡¯s tongue dipped between my lips as he urged me silently for me to part my lips for him. I did as he wanted without any hesitation as I parted my lips to allow his tongue entry into the wet depths of my mouth. His tongue immediately found mine and began engaging it in a fervent dance of desire as our kiss got wetter and more demanding. Hisrge hand travelled down my back to my waist before progressing even lower to the curves of my hips before he squeezed my ass boldly as his tongue continued teasing mine.


    ¡°Ace¡­Ahh¡­¡± I moaned his name in a breathless whisper after I managed to free my lips from his hot kiss.


    I pleaded with him with my eyes for him to stop as I struggled to catch my breath. The effect of his passionate kiss left my head feeling light and my body feeling so heated. I was scared that if we kept at it, this would quickly escte into something more.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 278 - 278 Finally Started

    278 Finally Started


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s save the rest for tonight,¡± he said before he shed me a smile.


    I didn¡¯t know how to respond to that bold hint of what I was to expectter tonight when we returned to his ce together so just tried my best to offer him one of my best smiles. Ace responded just like he could read my mind and I was thankful for that.


    ¡°There¡¯s not much time left. You should head back to the auditorium first,¡± I told him quite sternly.


    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am¡­¡± he replied mockingly.


    He gave me a nod and a smile before he went on ahead. I pressed a hand against my chest as I took in a few consecutive deep breaths to calm the rapid beating of my own heart that hammered against the palm of my hand. It was far from the first time that he had kissed me this way, but I still couldn¡¯t stop myself from getting so excited from his kiss. I closed my eyes and let out a sigh as I tried to collect myself. Just like Ace, I should head back to the auditorium soon as well because there may be things that I could help out with in the background.


    I decided to head to the toilet to straighten my makeup and made sure that I looked presentable before returning to the auditorium. By the time that I got there, everyone was on standby including Ace. Although the official starting time had not started, the fact that some members of the press had started to arrive meant that the event has pretty much started. Julianna once again pulled her connections and used all her magic spells to make sure that we had everyone that mattered from the press joining theunch announcement.


    From where I stood to the back of the auditorium, I could see logos of many leading news outlets and mediapanies. I had no idea where Ace was at that moment but if I had to guess then he was probably with the backstage staff doing somest minute preparations in the dressing room. After a moment of standing alone, Jeremy spotted me and gave me a wave. I waved back immediately as I watched him make his way towards me.


    ¡°This ce is going to be filled with people soon¡­¡± Jeremy whispered as he came to stand by my side.


    ¡°The more the better¡­¡± I whispered back.


    .....


    I wondered if he was feeling as nervous as I felt. As per the customs of how things are done, we would be ying themercial during the final part of thisunch event for the press to see first. It was fair considering that they had to write or talk about it and they couldn¡¯t do that without having seen themercial. Thenter this evening, our real audiences will get to see it. The thought of anyone outside the team seeing ourmercial made my palm feel sweaty.


    ¡°You know, I can tell that you¡¯re so nervous right now¡­¡± Jeremy said teasingly.


    ¡°You can? What about you? Are you nervous too?¡± I asked as if finding a friend who felt the same way would make me feel better about myself.


    ¡°I don¡¯t look nervous to you? That¡¯s good. I¡¯m working based on Ace¡¯s advice not to let it show¡­¡± Jeremy replied before winking my way.


    ¡°Ace¡¯s advice?¡± I repeated curiously.


    ¡°Yup. He told me that I should try to act in control and hide my nervousness to help build my professionalism and credibility. Even if I¡¯m nervous, I need to try my best not to let it show. Is it working?¡± Jeremy asked with a nervousugh.


    I giggled softly along with him. Honestly, he may not have looked nervous before but thatugh of his truly gave him away. I found myself smiling and rxing next to him. I was right about feeling better after finding out that someone else felt the way that I did. With that thought in mind, I wondered if Ace was in fact nervous but just way better than all of us for not letting it show.


    Then again, this was Ace that we¡¯re talking about so he¡¯s probably not really nervous to begin with.


    ¡°Yes, let me take you to your seat. It should be at that row over there,¡± Jeremy spoke up.


    I nced over to see him conversing with a team from the press that had just turned up. He was doing his job so properly and helping out with anything that he could. Suddenly, I felt useless and felt like I had to do something to contribute to. Thankfully, there were other teams from the press that needed help in finding their designated seat in the auditorium. Soon, I was too busy to worry about being nervous or about feeling useless.


    One nce at my watch told me that there was less than ten minutes left until the official start of theunch. Ace would be up on that stage very soon and not long after that, ourmercial would be unveiled to the world.


    Good luck, Ace¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Please take your seats. Thank you everyone so much for your time in attending this event. The event will be starting very shortly. The lights in the auditorium will be dimmed for a moment before the start of the event. Thank you for your kind cooperation,¡± a man¡¯s voice formally made an announcement.


    ¡°Come here, Karina¡­¡± Jeremy hissed to me.


    The lights had dimmed and it was a little hard to see that far in front of me. I made my way after Jeremy who led us to our seats at the back where the other team members were also seated. Apart from the marketing team that sat in front of the auditorium with the press because of their connection, the rest of the team sat at the back to provide mental support because there wasn¡¯t much that we could do now at this point in the process.


    ¡°Time to pray¡­¡± I muttered under my breath to myself.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 279 - 279 Unveiling

    279 Unveiling


    ¡°You¡¯re right. There¡¯s nothing else that we can do now but pray¡­¡± Jeremy replied in a hushed whisper.


    I could sense everyone¡¯s excitement and anticipation as they waited eagerly for the event to finallye to a start. The dim lighting casted an eerie glow over the room, adding to the sense of mystery and expectation. Theck of lighting made it difficult for me to see around and that only worked to heighten my sense of hearing. The sound of people whispering to each other in hushed whispers filled the air before the light on the stage suddenly turned on.


    The orange glow of the spotlights shining down onto the stage brought silence immediately to the restless crowd of audience. I found myself holding my breath as I stared at the stage that was now bathed in a warm golden glow. The silence felt deafening and although I knew that Ace was about to make his appearance on the stage, I couldn¡¯t stop myself from feeling excited.


    The sound of apuse flooded the hall in one big explosion of sound as a lone figure stepped onto the stage. Ace walked onto the stage proudly and I could tell that he had a polite smile on his face although I couldn¡¯t quite see him from where I was seated. I felt a soft tap on my shoulder and turned to see Jeremy pointing at a screen set to the side of the auditorium close to where we were seated.


    ¡°Thanks¡­¡± I whispered.


    It was thanks to him pointing it out that I remembered that I could also watch a close up of what was going on being yed out on the screen in live motion. Being too wrapped up in my excitement, I forgot all about that and all that I could do was keep my eyes on Ace¡¯s figure as he came to stand behind the podium that was strategically ced at the center of the stage.


    ¡°Hello everyone. I¡¯m Ace Hills, and I am currently the CEO of Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s. Before we start anything here today, I would like to express my gratitude to everyone here who has taken time to attend this event. I¡¯m going to keep this very brief so that we can get to the real climax of this event which is the first ever screening of ourmercial. I like to make it sound like we¡¯re unveiling a brand new movie but in a much shorter and concise form¡­¡± Ace said while trying to keep his tone light.


    I felt so drawn and captivated to his words and his tone of voice. Much like the other parts that I really liked about him, I also loved his public persona and how he handled the crowd while ying his role as the CEO. Without much exnation, I just felt that he looked cool and the fact that he seemed to be so calm and so in control felt very inspiring to me. I wondered for a brief moment if Ace was nervous and if he was hiding it.


    ¡°Do you think he¡¯s nervous being up there all alone?¡± I mumbled softly.


    .....


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Well, at least he doesn¡¯t show it at all¡­¡± Jeremy replied in a whisper.


    I could tell that he must be sharing my thoughts of admiration of Ace and how he seemed to suck in and control every soul that was in the audience at that moment. Ace¡¯s passionate words described the inspiration behind themercial and all the steps of hard work that went into producing themercial.


    ¡°I thank every single member on the team that made this possible. Everyone worked so hard and also so passionately in making sure that we will once again deliver the bestmercial possible while living, breathing, and being true to our values¡­¡± Ace said before he paused as if to let his words sink in.


    The smile that he had on his lips was enough for me to feel just how proud he was of the work that our team had achieved. A fluttering feeling took over my chest at his words ofpliment. It was rare for Ace to offer words ofpliment freely like this. He almost never did in during our meetings or even in private so it was quite shocking and unexpected to hear him say these words in such a public setting. The way his eyes seemed to sparkle with life as he voiced those words made me feel so certain that he meant every word that he had just said.


    ¡°Without further ado, it is my honor to present to you Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s finalmercial as part of the Ashfordpetition for this year,¡± Ace said before he gestured elegantly with his hand at therge screen behind him.


    The lights dimmed again and that was Ace¡¯s cue to get off the stage silently. Within a few seconds, themercial that we had pour our heart and soul into started ying on the screen. Although I have watched thismercial over a hundred times before and I could memorize every single scene and every single line, it felt like I was seeing it for the first time along with the audiences. Everything felt so exciting as therge screen came to life.


    We¡¯ve finallyunched it¡­


    I smiled so widely that my cheek muscles started to hurt, but even then, I couldn¡¯t stop myself from smiling as I stared at therge screen in front of me. I must have been very biased because I thought that themercial felt much better and much more special as it was yed in the auditorium on that day. I wondered if the audience were as captivated by ourmercial the way that I was or not. To me, every scene felt so beautiful, sincere, and emotionally evoking.


    Themercial that we spent so much time working on came to an end in no time at all and a dead silence settled in the auditorium until the light slowly came back on again.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 280 - 280 Harsh Reminder

    280 Harsh Reminder


    That was when I gasped in shock as I started to see people standing up from their seat. A momentter, the sound of apud erupted throughout the auditorium. It was the loudest round of apud that I had ever heard in my life, and I couldn¡¯t believe it at first that they were apuding our work.


    If there was such a thing as a ¡®dreame true¡¯ moment, then I was pretty sure that that was it.


    I had to admit that I was extremely worried if themercial that we had made would be able to connect emotionally with the audiences. As my eyes adjusted a little to the bright light that now lit up the entire auditorium, I could tell from the faces of the audience that there was nothing for me to worry about anymore on that front.


    We did it. We¡¯ve connected it.


    The story and the emotions that we wanted to portray, I believed that the audiences understood it and that they felt exactly what we wanted them to feel. The change that came about as time changes things. The bond between man and man¡¯s best friend throughout their various stages of life. I felt tears sting the back of my eyes and I had to sniff a little to hold my tears back. My emotions threatened to overwhelm me, and I had to struggle to hold them all back. To say that I was proud of myself and what everyone had managed to achieve would be an utter understatement. So many emotions flooded my chest that I found it hard to breathe.


    The rounds of apud wouldn¡¯t stop. Although we have justunched themercial and we had no idea if we would be victorious in thepetition or not, I was already satisfied with this first reaction that our work had received. Everyone only settled down again and sat down in their seats when Ace came up onto the stage again. He waved like a celebrity and smiled at everyone before he headed to the same ce behind the podium.


    This was going to be the most challenging part of theunch event and we had to ce our trust in Ace to get through this. After watching themercial, now was the audiences¡¯ chance to ask Ace whatever question that they had. I was certain that Ace had anticipated their questions already and he must have prepared some answers. Either that, or he could be trusted toe up with some eptable answer on the spot. With that thought in mind, I was very surprised at the first question that was hurled at him from the crowd.


    ¡°At your birthday party, you mentioned that you would be stepping down from your position as CEO, are you still nning to do that?¡± a middle-aged man asked loud and clear.


    I gasped as my hand flew to cover my mouth to prevent unnecessary noises from escaping from my lips. It seemed like the press had other curiosities in mind that had nothing to do with theunch of ourmercial or supporting the end of the dog meat trade. My lips went dry as I waited for Ace¡¯s response. Ace didn¡¯t seem shocked by the question at all and that probably meant that he had anticipated something like this to happen. He did mention that he would quit after the end of thispetition so I guess it made sense that they were bringing up this issue now.


    .....


    ¡°Thank you for your question. That is correct. I did say that I would be stepping down from my position as CEO and I still intend to keep my word. There has not been a change in ns,¡± Ace replied calmly before he smiled politely at the crowd.


    His straightforward answer sent the crowd into another kind of uproar that felt very different from their excitement earlier over themercial. It was like the dam had broken as members of the press stood up from their seats and started shouting out questions at Ace about his retirement from thepany. Everything was suddenly so chaotic that I started to fear for Ace¡¯s safety for a moment. Thankfully, it didn¡¯t take long for the security team to form a line in front of the audience seat to stop the reporters from approaching the stage and getting close to Ace.


    It took a long while before they all calmed down again and began asking their questions in an orderly manner. There were many questions about Ace¡¯s sudden retirement, most of which he answered by smartly dodging the question. In other words, he didn¡¯t really answer to their question at all besides confirming that he still intended to quit his job when the Ashfordpetition came to an end.


    Even though I already knew what Ace intended to do, it still made my heart sink to hear him repeat it again. It was probably because I didn¡¯t want to believe it that I found it so hard to ept that soon he would no longer be the CEO of thispany. Even if he did say that nothing would change between us, I doubt that that would really be the case. If I tried my best to be optimistic about it, then perhaps there would be many positive changes that woulde about for us based on the decision that he¡¯d made. However, no one really knew what the future would hold.


    Other members of the CEO¡¯s Office must have felt the same way as I did about Ace leaving thepany so suddenly. The atmosphere around where I was seated felt stifling and suddenly much heavier as Ace continued to deal with the questions hurled at him from the crowd of reporters. I was certain that everyone else on the team was just as shocked as I was to hear his announcement about this and now that they were being reminded of it again, they were probably just as depressed about it.


    Hang in there, Rina¡­.


    I spoke to myself inside my head as my hands clenched together tightly on myp.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­


    Please support my other works: The Alpha Prince¡¯s Purchased Maid, Love ve to the Mafia Boss¡¯s Passion, Forbidden Heat, Lust Contracts, and Conquering the Emperor

 Chapter 281 - 281 Sneaking Out Together

    281 Sneaking Out Together


    The event did not end quite as we had all expected. In the end, the buzz of questions around Ace¡¯s uing retirement from his position as the CEO did die down a little and the crowd of reporters was brought under control by the security team. There was a moment of peace before order was restored and the press¡¯s attention shifted back to what was supposed to be the focus of the event which was theunch of themercial.


    I began wondering what would be covered more in the news between Ace¡¯s retirement confirmation or theunch of themercial. If I had to make a guess, I would bet on the topic of Ace quitting his job. Hopefully, Julianna had some backup n to deal with this so that Project Alpha wouldn¡¯t be impacted. There was also the possibility that themercial might gain a lot more poprity and views by riding on the back of the news rted to Ace. Whatever was going to happen, I prayed for themercial to be a sess.


    Toward the end of the event, the questions turned back to Ace¡¯s personal career again and many questions were asked about what he intended to do after leaving thepany. Those questions really brought me to the edge of my seat although I had a feeling that Ace wasn¡¯t going to give anyone a straightforward answer.


    ¡°Are there potential candidates for the next CEO already? Who will be taking over after you?¡± one of the reporters asked.


    That was a great question. So far, I haven¡¯t heard of who might be taking over as the CEO if Ace really left. The future of thepany and all of its employees would rest with that new CEO and what he or she decided to do. I was certain that my life as well as the lives of the other employees would change greatly under the management of the new CEO. There wasn¡¯t anything that I could do at that moment but wish for the best and to hope that the new CEO would have visions that aligned well with Ace¡¯s values and how he managed and did things.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t gotten that far in the process yet. Of course, when we have selected a new CEO, we will announce it to the public,¡± Ace replied casually with a smile.


    All in all, I surmised that nothing was set in stone for the future and everything seemed pretty much unknown except for the fact that Ace seemed confident that he would be leaving thepany. I wondered if his father would return and take over as the CEO once again. The Chairman was older now, but I could still see him doing very well in taking active management of thepany. The real problem was that he had stepped down for Ace to take over, so I doubted that he wanted to return to actively manage thepany once again.


    Since the press didn¡¯t wrap up their questions, it was Ace who decided that he had had enough of their questions. With a few polite words of parting, Ace stepped down from the stage and disappeared behind the stage to get away from everyone. That move brought about the official ending of the event. Now that their target of focus was gone from the scene, it did not take long for the reporters to take their leave. I stood to the side of the auditorium door along with the other staffs as we thanked the reporters foring. It took a little while for everyone to leave the auditorium considering how fully packed it was in there before.


    ¡°That was¡­something¡­¡± Jeremy mumbled from close to me.


    .....


    Everyone was gone by that point and the team members were the only ones left in the auditorium. I had to agree that I also found it hard to describe how that event went down. For my own personal reasons, I had very mixed feelings in the pit of my stomach that made me feel slightly ufortable.


    ¡°I think it went pretty well¡­I guess¡­¡± I replied before trying my best to smile.


    ¡°Yup. The press is interested for sure. We¡¯ll definitely get a lot of coverage, both on Ace and themercial,¡± Jeremy voiced confidently.


    ¡°I agree with that,¡± I replied.


    Just as the event team members worked hard to clear up the auditorium, my phone vibrated a few times in the palm of my hand. I turned around to shield my phone screen from everyone else before I turned on the screen to read the text message that I had just received.


    ¡®Meet me at the car,¡¯


    Ace¡¯s instructions were simple and very concise. Since he didn¡¯t exactly tell me when, I assumed that he wanted me to meet him at his car immediately. After making up some random excuse, I quickly took my leave and headed for the parking lot.


    ¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Ace said as he opened the car door for me.


    When I arrived at the car, Ace was already there. I had no idea why I was so surprised to see him already there waiting for me. The sight of him leaning casually against the side of his sportscar felt so attractive to me that for a moment when I first spotted him, I just wanted to stand there to admire him for a bit. That didn¡¯t quite work out because he spotted me right away and quickly waved me over. He seemed very impatient to leave and I could understand why that was so.


    ¡°It¡¯s still midday. Is it ok for us to head back already?¡± I asked when we got into the car.


    Ace let out a sigh and drove off and that was probably his way of telling me that we were leaving the office regardless of what time of the day it was. I started worrying more than a little about Project Alpha now that themercial hadunched.


    ¡°Don¡¯t we need to be in the office for theunch? What if something goes wrong?¡± I asked with clear worry in my tone.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 282 - 282 Work Date

    282 Work Date


    ¡°Julianna will handle it. It¡¯s mostly marketing and monitoring now. She¡¯s a pro at that, so I don¡¯t see anything going wrong that she can¡¯t possibly handle on her own. Of course, she¡¯ll give me a call if anything major turns up,¡± Ace replied confidently while navigating the roads.


    ¡°Right¡­umm¡­what about us?¡± I asked in wonder.


    It was still midday so it probably didn¡¯t make much sense for us to head back to his ce right away. Even though I wanted to spend time with Ace, I was too excited and concerned about themercial that I was torn about what I wanted to do. If only, there was a way that I could be with him while doing some work to support to project at the same time that would bepletely perfect.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see¡­¡± Ace replied vaguely.


    I stared at the side profile of his face as he kept his eyes on the road ahead while I wondered what exactly he had in mind for the remainder of the day. The traffic wasn¡¯t too bad during the midday and we arrived back at Ace¡¯s ce in no time at all. Thankfully, we did not run into the reporters while leaving the building either. Everything seemed to be progressing smoothly, if only theunch of themercial would proceed as smoothly as this.


    ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Ace asked as he came to open the car door for me.


    ¡°Not really¡­¡± I replied honestly.


    The truth was that I was too nervous about how themercial was going to perform to think about anything else. The official release of themercial was scheduled for early this evening; however, Julianna had nned for themercial to start ying in some key areas of the city such asrge screens in the main shopping areas and strategdmarks before then. That will probably give us a good view of how well themercial would do even before the officialunch to all channels a few hourster in the evening. Just thinking about it made my hand sweat from anxiousness.


    Food was thest thing on my mind when we arrived at Ace¡¯s penthouse suite. The view from the living room never failed to impress me; however, I didn¡¯t have much brain capacity left to take in and process the view today. Just because I wasn¡¯t hungry didn¡¯t mean that Ace didn¡¯t want food.


    .....


    ¡°Should we order in lunch, or should we go out?¡± I asked although I wasn¡¯t feeling hungry.


    ¡°Get changed. Let¡¯s go out,¡± he instructed as he headed for the bedroom.


    ¡°Get changed? Where are we going exactly?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°Wear something casual and easy to walk in. Casual jeans and ts¡­¡± he instructed.


    I stared at Ace¡¯s back for a moment before he disappearedpletely from view into the bedroom. My legs seemed glued to the spot as I cocked my head to the side while wondering what was going on and what Ace really had in mind.


    ¡°Get moving, Rina¡­¡± Ace called out to me while poking his head out from the bedroom.


    ¡°Ok¡­¡± I replied.


    I wanted to tell Ace so much that if he told me exactly where he intended to take me, it would be much easier for me to pick out something ¡®casual¡¯ to wear. After rolling my eyes, I headed to my closet and pulled out a simple white top, blue jeans, and a jacket. When I had gotten changed, Ace was already done with changing his outfit as well.


    ¡°We look like a good match¡­¡± Ace said as he eyed the outfit that I had on.


    My eyes traveled down his body and up again. The vibe about him changed so much now that he was out of his business suit and dressed in a casual white shirt and simple blue jeans. Before I could ask him what he had in mind, he was already heading to the door.


    ¡°Come along, Rina¡­¡± he urged.


    ¡°Ok¡­¡± I mumbled as I quickly followed after him and out of the door.


    ¡­


    When the car headed in the direction of thergest shopping district in the city, I felt like I had a pretty solid guess of what Ace had in mind. It felt like something that he would do; however, I didn¡¯t think that I would be here with him for something like this.


    ¡°Is this a disguise of sorts? Are we going to spy on people?¡± I asked while trying my best to suppress my smile.


    ¡°Correct. No better way to find out people¡¯s reactions than to be there standing next to them, right?¡± Ace replied before he shed me a confident smile.


    I looked straight ahead at the manyrge and tall buildings of the malls located in the shopping district before I nodded my head once in agreement. Ace was right. There would be dys before the numbers came in and it seemed like the best way to judge the audience¡¯s reactions was to be there with them when they saw ourmercial.


    ¡°Is Julianna sshing themercial everywhere in the shopping district?¡± I asked with a smallugh.


    ¡°Not everywhere¡­but close¡­¡± Ace replied followed by augh of his own.


    ¡°Did you have this nned out all along?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Of course. Did you think that I was going to sit back in the office and wait for the reports toe in? Isn¡¯t that too boring?¡± Ace muttered before getting out of the car.


    I guessed he was right about that being too boring. Plus, I didn¡¯t think that Ace was the type of person who liked to wait for things to happen. If anything, he was the type who wanted to push for things to happen. Although he actedzy, when it came to things that he was interested in or wanted to do, Ace really gave it his all.


    ¡°Give me your hand. We can make this feel like a date while we¡¯re at it,¡± Ace suggested teasingly.


    Despite his request for my hand, he was the one who grabbed my hand before I could offer it to him. His hand held mine tightly as he led me along the side walk directly in front of the manyrge malls.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 283 - 283 Undercover Excitement

    283 Undercover Excitement


    Although it was the middle of a weekday, there were many people in the shopping district. I guessed that just goes to show how into shopping people were. Then again, most people that were there were younger people who haven¡¯t started working yet or the elderly. Many tourists were among them as well. I was certain that within a few hours, this entire ce would be packed with people.


    I fully assumed that Ace knew where we were going. He must have spoken to Julianna and the team already and that meant that he knew all the spots where themercial would be disyed. My heart began beating harder and faster in my chest at the thought of how close I was to finding out the audience¡¯s reaction to themercial that we had worked so hard to produce.


    Many couples walked hand in hand as they looked into the many attractive shop disys. I wondered if we looked like a couple on a casual shopping trip together as well as I walked with my hand in Ace¡¯s. Seeing our reflection in the shop disy window made me think that we looked like quite a pair with our casual clothes on. No one would suspect that we were actually here to gather some insights for ourmercial. The way Ace held my hand and led me through the throng of people on the sidewalk made me feel like we were on a date indeed.


    ¡°That¡¯s the first spot¡­¡± Ace said as he pointed his index finger at a veryrge screen located on arge shopping mall in front of us.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡± I murmured in awe as my eyes fixated on therge screen.


    Ourmercial is going to appear there?


    ¡°Julianna went all out¡­¡± Ace said what I had in mind.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even want to imagine how much it costs to get ourmercial up there¡­¡± I muttered to myself as my eyes stared up at therge screen above us.


    Ace was right about Juliana going all out about thesemercial cements. This was supposed to be a non-profit project but it seemed like so much investment from ourpany had gone into it. That made sense considering how important it was for ourpany¡¯s reputation for us to win thispetition.


    .....


    ¡°Not much. I think Julianna negotiated for a very good rate with the excuse that our work is non-profit and that it¡¯ll make it look like the mall is supporting a good CSR cause,¡± Ace replied with a careless shrug of his shoulders.


    ¡°Oh, I see¡­that¡¯s smart¡­¡± I said as I nodded my head.


    ¡°It¡¯s Julianna¡­¡± Ace said with a smallugh.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± I mumbled in reply.


    I had to say that I was very impressed with her work and hoped that the audiences would be just as impressed if not more impressed. Once again, I was reminded that the CEO¡¯s office team was reallyprised of the top talents in thepany and that I probably had a long way to go to match up with them. I stared up at the screen before taking in a deep breath. Instead of feeling down about it like before, I started to feel more determined about improving myself so that one day, I would be at their level too.


    The way he said her name made me feel like he was so proud of her, and although that I knew that he probably meant that professional, it still brought a slight stinging pain to my chest. My eyes darted to Ace¡¯s face and then I wondered if he ever mentioned that he thought that I was smart in front of other people like that.


    Probably not¡­


    Anothermercial was ying on the screen and it was clearly not yet time for theunch but that only made me feel even more excited. Ace checked the time on his watch before shoving his hands into his pant pockets and turning to me.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked with slight worry.


    ¡°We still have some time, I guess. Want to grab a quick meal beforeing back here?¡± he suggested.


    ¡°I¡¯m not really hungry¡­¡± I mumbled.


    It was true but more importantly, I was scared of missing the first moment that ourmercial would be disyed on therge screen.


    ¡°You know, themercial will be yed over and over once it starts, right?¡± Ace asked before grinning at me.


    He probably knew what I was thinking and what I was scared of. Of course, I knew that themercial would be looped forever until our assigned slot came to an end.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the same thing. I want to see it since the very first time that it starts ying. The audiences¡¯ reaction the first time is going to be the most unique as well¡­¡± I argued my case passionately.


    ¡°Alright, alright¡­I get it,¡± Ace said with a chuckle.


    I smiled at him when I found him smiling at me. The way his hazel eyes seemed to sparkle told me that he was probably just as excited to see themercial as I was. Instead of going out to watch a romantic movie on our date, here we were waiting to watch themercial that we worked hard on to produce.


    ¡°Umm¡­if you want, I can go buy you something to eat¡­¡± I suggested while hoping that it would be a good-enough alternative.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s go out for a proper meal after you¡¯re satisfied with watching themercial here,¡± Ace suggested.


    ¡°Ok¡­¡± I murmured.


    I felt his arms slipping around my waist before he pulled me backwards a little until my back was pressed up against his hard andrger frame. His arms around me felt very warm and secure and I was overwhelmed by his familiar scent. Many people walked past us without paying us any mind as the shopping district started to get busier than before.


    ¡°Umm¡­how much longer do we have to wait?¡± I asked after standing there for a moment with Ace¡¯s arms around me.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­


    Please support my other works: Forbidden Heat (Completed), Conquering the Emperor (Completed), Love ve to the Mafia Boss¡¯s Passion (Completed), Lust Contracts, The Alpha Prince¡¯s Purchased Maid.

 Chapter 284 - 284 Like a Couple

    284 Like a Couple


    ¡°A little less than half an hour¡­¡± he replied before pressing his chin on the top of my head.


    ¡°Umm¡­are we going to¡­stay like this until then?¡± I asked hesitantly.


    ¡°You were the one who turned down my invitation for a meal¡­so¡­¡± he replied with a hint of teasing in his tone.


    His arms around my waist tightened a little more than slightly and I had a pretty good idea of what he had in mind for the remaining time until ourmercial would start ying. I wondered if we looked strange standing there like that. Before I coulde up with the words to get Ace to let go of me so that we could stand normally, my stomach let out an embarrassingly loud growl. Heat immediately rushed to my face as I blushed wildly.


    Ace startedughing softly from behind me and that was enough confirmation for me to know that he had heard my stomach growling loud and clear. I didn¡¯t even feel that hungry so why did my stomach have to make a noise like that now of all times. Embarrassment flooded every cell of my body as Ace continued to hold me close to him without letting me go.


    ¡°Umm¡­¡± I murmured as I tried my best toe up with something to say to him.


    ¡°Your little tummy is hungry. Let¡¯s go buy something to eat¡­¡± Ace suggested close to my ear.


    ¡°We might miss themercial¡­¡± I mumbled in protest.


    His arms loosened from around my body and then he spun me around to face him. The way his hazel eyes stared down at me made me feel a little confused inside. He was clearly concerned that I seemed to be hungry, but he also had a glint of clear amusement in his eyes.


    .....


    ¡°Let¡¯s buy something quick. We can bring it back here and stand here to eat if it you¡¯re that concerned about missing themercial,¡± Ace suggested before grinning at me.


    ¡°Do we have enough time for that?¡± I asked while still hesitating.


    ¡°Of course, we do. Themercial isn¡¯t going to start a second earlier than scheduled. You know that, right?¡± he asked.


    His hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me after him as he walked away from therge screen in search for some food. I knew that he was right, themercial was scheduled to start automatically at the scheduled time by the system so there was no way that it would start even a second earlier than scheduled. I sighed before willingly letting him pull me after him on our little quest for food.


    ¡­


    ¡°Did we make it?¡± I asked in slight panic when we finally made it back to the same spot that we were.


    Unfortunately, there was a long line at the fast food counter that took more time than we had anticipated. Ace walked after me while typing something on his phone until we arrived back at the exact same spot that we were before. By that time, there were so many people walking around at the shopping district that it was surprising for a weekday. Then again, I haven¡¯t been to the shopping district during the middle of the workday often before because I was supposed to be working at the office.


    ¡°Yes, we did. Stop panicking¡­¡± Ace replied with his eyes glued to his phone screen.


    ¡°What are you looking at? Did somethinge in?¡± I asked, sensing that he must be reading something rted to Project Alpha.


    ¡°Just reading some summary reports on the press coverage and opinions from this morning¡¯s press conference that we hosted,¡± he replied casually as he came to stand right at my side.


    ¡°How is it? Are the reviews good?¡± I asked excitedly.


    ¡°You can see for yourself,¡± Ace replied while handing me his phone.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I replied softly before taking his phone from his hand.


    Someone from Julianna¡¯s team had sent a summary report of the reactions of the press from this morning¡¯s press conference. There was various snipping of the various press coverage content on our newmercial. I scrolled through to quickly read thements to get an overall view of the reactions so far. Julianna did a great job again and there was a lot of social mentions regarding ourmercial and I had to say that thements were much more positive than I could have hoped for.


    ¡°This is so great¡­¡± I murmured with relief to myself.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. So far so good,¡± Ace readily agreed.


    I spent some more time scrolling through the report before handing back Ace¡¯s phone to him. I took out my own phone and began stalking the various hashtags rted to ourmercial on social media to get a glimpse of the public¡¯s reaction so far.


    ¡°There¡¯s so many mentions on social media already¡­¡± I said excitedly.


    ¡°Let me see,¡± Ace requested.


    I turned to show him my phone screen and together we went through the main social media channels to see the responses to ourmercial so far.


    ¡°Things will get more real after the first round of release and then the official round this evening will make everything so viral. Hopefully¡­¡± Ace said with a smile.


    ¡°Oh, I think it¡¯s about to start¡­¡± I said as I pressed my hands together as if in prayer.


    My eyes stared up at the screen while I counted down in my mind until the moment that ourmercial would finallye on. Of course, there was no one else stopping to stand in ce to watch themercial like us.


    If only ourmercial could make someone, even if it was one person, stop in their tracks to watch it until the end, I would feel like we have seeded. That was really all that I had hoped for.


    I found myself holding my breath as the screen turned dark and then a count down timer showed itself on the screen. The count down started from 10 and then counted downwards¡­


    Julianna surely knows how to make an impactful appearance for ourmercial, I thought with a smile on my lips.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­


    Please support my other works: Forbidden Heat (Completed), Conquering the Emperor (Completed), Love ve to the Mafia Boss¡¯s Passion (Completed), Lust Contracts, The Alpha Prince¡¯s Purchased Maid.

 Chapter 285 - 285 Successful Connection

    285 Sessful Connection


    3¡­2¡­1!


    Themercial that held so much significance for the future of ourpany and the future of our rtionship finally appeared on therge screen above us. The opening just felt so surreal and beautiful that I couldn¡¯t bear to look away.


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± Ace called my name and then I felt a tug on my hand.


    ¡°Y-Yes?¡± I said questioningly as I tired my best to tear my eyes away from themercial to look at him.


    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be observing the audience and not watching your ownmercial¡­¡± Ace pointed out quite correctly.


    ¡°Oh¡­you¡¯re right¡­¡± I murmured.


    Ace just shook his head at me before he grinned. He turned away before I could say anything more to him and I realized that he was already doing his job. That meant that I had to do the same thing. Quickly, I began looking around at the various faces in the crowd of people that were walking by. It felt amazing enough that some of them looked up to take a nce at ourmercial on the screen. My heartbeat so fast and hard in my chest as my excitement seemed to spill over that for a moment, I wondered if everyone walking in the crowd could feel and sense my excitement.


    Then, it finally happened¡­


    Just when themercial approached one of its climaxes around midway through, a couple stopped walking and stood to watch ourmercial. The young couple who seemed to be on a date stood holding hands as they both stared up at therge screen. It was unfortunate that I couldn¡¯t quite catch what they were whispering to each other about because of the distance between us; however, I didn¡¯t miss on the smiles that they shared together. Seeing the warm and loving atmosphere around them made my chest clench tightly.


    .....


    Before I knew it, a small crowd had formed where Ace and I were standing. Many people gathered around us to watch ourmercial as it yed on the screen. I wasn¡¯t sure what the people thought about ending the dog meat trade; however, it was in to see that themercial had a warming impact on the watcher. Just as nned, themercial did its job well in attracting and connecting with people of various age groups. I could spot some audiences from couples, single individuals, families with kids, the elderly pausing to pay some attention to ourmercial.


    ¡°Yup, it¡¯s all good. I¡¯m watching it right now¡­¡± Ace spoke up from close to me.


    I turned to see him on the phone and figured that he must be checking in with Julianna. Deciding to leave him with his business call, I directed my attention back at the audiences to continue with my observations. Ace did mention that this was the first ce that themercial would be disyed. If that was correct, then that would mean that there must be other cements in this area where ourmercial must already be ying. I turned to look at Ace at the same time that he ended his call.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name as I felt excitement bubbling up inside of me again.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked as he cocked his head slightly to the side.


    Ignoring how adorable his reaction was, I smiled at him before asking the question that I had in mind.


    ¡°There are other ces around here in the shopping district where ourmercial is ying right now, right?¡± I asked without bothering to hide my thrill.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. This is probably the biggest cement, though¡­¡± he replied with a nod of his head.


    ¡°Shall we head to observe the other spots as well? Please?¡± I pleaded with a smile.


    ¡°Sure¡­¡± Ace replied before he offered me his hand.


    I quickly took his hand while feeling like I was a little kid begging him to take me around to the different rides at an amusement park. Despite his outwardck of excitement, Ace led me to another spot where ourmercial was being shown. Spending time alone with Ace always felt so fun and it made me recall our holiday getaway. I wondered when we¡¯ll be able to go on a trip like that together again. At the same time, I had to say that working with Ace closely like this was also fun in its very own unique way.


    ¡°This way. Careful¡­¡± Ace instructed as he took a turn and led me down quite a narrow alley.


    ¡°Where is this ce¡­?¡± I mumbled questioningly as I looked around.


    The small alley that was sandwiched between two high-rise buildings was empty and unclean at best. It was clear that not a lot of people used it.


    ¡°It¡¯s a short cut. Our destination is just through here, so bear with me for a moment¡­¡± Ace exined as he continued pulling me along.


    ¡°Ok¡­¡± I murmured while trying to keep my gaze forward.


    I had no idea how frightened I would be if a rat or something simr suddenly popped out at us. Just the thought made me scared, and I ended up clutching at Ace¡¯s arm tightly.


    ¡°Rina, are you scared?¡± he asked aftering to a stop.


    ¡°Umm¡­a little, I guess¡­¡± I replied before trying my best to brave a smile.


    ¡°Just hold on. You can already see the end of the path. It¡¯s not much further¡­¡± Ace said surprisinglyfortingly.


    The warmth from his hand that covered mineforted me even more than his words and I felt courage returning to my body. After making sure that I was fine, Ace continued leading me through that narrow alley.


    The rats won¡¯te out to frighten me¡­


    Although I was sure that the distance that we covered wasn¡¯t far, it felt like a long time before we emerged back onto the busy sidewalk again. People surrounded us and I quickly found out that this side of the street was much busier than the other street where we were earlier. That was probably because the street where we were hosted smaller shops and malls that sold things at a lower price point than therger and more luxurious malls that we stood in front of a while ago.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 286 - 286 All Good Things

    286 All Good Things


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot more people here¡­¡± I muttered.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. More people and younger people too¡­¡± Ace pointed out.


    Looking around, I had to say that he was right. Although it was just a walk away from where we were and we were still in the shopping district, the crowd here was very different. The people around us were younger and they seemed more excited to see ourmercial. Ace tugged on my hand and led me closer to the screen where ourmercial was ying. A small crowd of people had gathered around the front of the screen, and I could tell that they were paying attention to ourmercial.


    Just like we did in front of the first point of disy, we silently observed the reactions of the audiences and carefully listened in on theirments. I truly wanted to ask some of them a few questions about how they felt about ourmercial but decided to do that a littleter on in the evening when there were more people around. For now, it seemed like silently observing would be enough already.


    ¡°I guess the topic of dogs and pets is something that is easy for people to connect with generally¡­¡± I whispered softly to Ace.


    ¡°You¡¯re probably right about that. I¡¯m d that the message seems to be getting across. It was the right decision to keep things simple,¡± Ace replied.


    We split up for a moment to observe the audiences better. I was attracted to a young couple standing by because the youngdy had her phone out and she seemed to be taking photos of themercial. That truly piqued my interest, and I couldn¡¯t control my urge to ask her about it.


    ¡°This seems like an interestingmercial. Do you like it too?¡± I asked with what I hoped was a friendly smile.


    ¡°Oh yes, I really like dogs and I have a few at home¡­¡± she replied with a smile of her own.


    .....


    I guessed I had just run into a pet lover. The guy standing next to her who must be her boyfriend turned and offered me a polite smile as well. It was clear that both of them must be pet lovers.


    ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s great. I didn¡¯t think that they would show something on the dog meat trade here of all ces¡­¡± I said with a littleugh.


    ¡°It is a sensitive topic, I guess. Since themercial isn¡¯t showing any gruesome scenes and showing the love between a pet and its owner instead, I think that it¡¯s not a bad idea to show it here. Unlike the other videos that we¡¯ve seen promoting banning of the dog meat trade, this one isn¡¯t hard to watch,¡± the girl replied.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. I hope you have a nice day!¡± I said cheerfully.


    The couple smiled and waved a little at me as we parted. My heart was still beating fast in my chest from the adrenaline rush of hearing someonepliment mymercial. I wanted to let out a little squeal of delight although I knew that I had to try my best to hold it in. Getting positive responses and reviews from the critics is good and all that but nothing hits the spot like hearing livepliments directly from regr audiences.


    I walked back a little to where we were standing before to see that Ace had not returned. After looking around, I spotted him talking to a man and figured that he had probably just started talking to the audience as well. I hoped that the man was giving some positivements about ourmercial. Of course, I knew that getting some negative reviews and constructive feedback would help us improve; however, I still preferred for us to get positivements.


    A group of students dressed in their uniform came to stand close to me and made me realize that school must have already ended quite some time ago. The group of high school girls chatted together while watching themercial. I didn¡¯t want to listen in to hear conversation but couldn¡¯t help hearing manyments about the dog in ourmercial looking cute and very furry. I wasn¡¯t sure if the entire message on the dog meat trade got to the girls or not but it wasn¡¯t bad to hear thempliment the dogs in ourmercial. I recalled that the dogs were indeed very well-behaved and cute during the shoot as well.


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± I heard Ace call my name from close behind me.


    ¡°Oh, I saw you chatting to someone, so I didn¡¯t want to disturb,¡± I said as I turned to face him.


    The crowd around us had gottenrger and the sidewalks had be more packed with people. Evening would arrive soon, and the shopping district would be flooded with people at this rate. This was one of the reasons why cing amercial in this ce was very costly but also very effective in reaching many audiences.


    ¡°He had some interesting feedback. Nothing negative, though¡­¡± Ace replied with a grin.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard any negative reviews yet. Maybe ourmercial is just that good¡­¡± I replied teasingly.


    ¡°Shall we go to another ce?¡± Ace suggested.


    ¡°There¡¯s another cement around here?¡± I asked with some surprise.


    ¡°Not just another one. There are actually a couple more¡­¡± Ace replied before taking my hand into his.


    ¡°Julianna and her magic¡­¡± I mumbled with pleasant surprise.


    ¡°Julianna and her magic indeed¡­¡± Ace repeated my words in agreement as he continued to pull me along.


    ¡°There¡¯s so many people here now¡­¡± I said observantly.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Don¡¯t let go of my hand, I don¡¯t want us to get separated,¡± Ace warned, and his hand tightened around mine.


    I stared down at hisrger hand holding mine as Ace continued to lead me through the crowd to our next destination. For a moment, I forgot all about themercial and what work we were supposed to be doing there. My heart skipped a beat, and I couldn¡¯t stop smiling because I just felt so giddy inside just to be walking around with Ace in one of the city¡¯s most popr dating spots.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 287 - 287 Not Just Us

    287 Not Just Us


    If only we could spend all our days working together like this, life wouldn¡¯t feel so bad. I had to admit that work had be so much more fun and challenging at the same time since I started working in Ace¡¯s team and also as his personal secretary. Although our rtionship came with a lot of ups and downs, I couldn¡¯t deny that everything made me grow so much more as a person. The joy that blossomed in my chest suddenly felt very bittersweet when I thought that there was no way that days like these couldst between us. It was an unfortunately yet seemingly unescapable fact that these days wereing to an end.


    Our next stop was only a couple of minutes¡¯ walk from where we were previously. Ace held my hand all the way until we arrived there. I didn¡¯t miss how he paid extra attention to me when we were crossing the road together even if all the cars were at a stop at the red light and there were so many other people crossing the road with us. All the small things that he did for me without saying anything made my heart beat faster and faster. It was getting slightly colder now that the sun was about to descend down beyond the horizon.


    ¡°It¡¯s like peak time now or something. Suddenly, there¡¯s so many more people¡­¡± I said as I looked around.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there. You can see ourmercial already. Can you see? Over there¡­¡± Ace replied as he pointed with his index finger at arge screen in front of us.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Wow! I didn¡¯t know there was a screen here¡­¡± I murmured in amazement.


    ¡°It¡¯s new¡­¡± Ace replied before tugging on my hand for me to speed up a little.


    It got dark really fast after the sun had set. The streetlights and the decorative lighting from the malls turned on and that gave the entire ce a different vibe than before. The lighting gave the ce a more festive mood and the best part was that ourmercial that was ying on therge screen seemed more captivating than before. Almost everyone that walked by couldn¡¯t stop to stare at themercial ying on therge screen and that made me smile to myself non-stop.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we should cover the other ces. Why don¡¯t we just stay here for a bit and then leave for dinner?¡± Ace suggested.


    I looked at the time and gasped in shock. So much time had passed before I realized it and now it was almost time for the officialunch of themercial that was scheduled in the evening. My heart leapt in my chest as I turned to Ace with widened eyes.


    .....


    ¡°Should we head back to the office? It¡¯s almost time for the officialunch. If we head out now, we can probably still make it back in time,¡± I suggested in a hurry.


    I had no idea how Ace was feeling but now that the time was fast approaching, I suddenly started to worry and panic. Ace didn¡¯t seem concern and he even brought up dinner. However, I knew that Julianna and many members of the team must still be at the office in case something headed south. All of a sudden, I felt bad that I wasn¡¯t there with them. It was sad for me to admit that there probably wasn¡¯t much that I could do even if I was there; however, I just wanted to be there anyways.


    ¡°Julianna can handle it,¡± Ace replied without any worry.


    ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case¡­I don¡¯t know. I guess I¡¯m just worried. Can we do dinner together another day please? Let¡¯s head back to the office¡­¡± I suggested pleadingly.


    Ace seemed to consider my words a little before he took out his phone which seemed to be vibrating. He answered the call without hesitation and then started looking around. The way he acted me feel like he was looking for someone and that made me look around as well. It didn¡¯t take me long to figure out who it was that he was waiting and looking for in the crowd of people.


    ¡°Ace!¡±


    I turned around at the sound of someone calling Ace¡¯s name. It felt like the time suddenly came to a stop and the word lost all of its color when I saw the blonde woman standing in her business suit in the middle of the crowd with one hand raised and waving our way.


    ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t really turn up. You always hated crowded ces like this¡­¡± Ace said when she finally came to stand right in front of us.


    I couldn¡¯t stop staring at her face as my body seemed to have turned into solid lead. Although I knew that she was real and she was standing right in front of me in the flesh, my mind still found it extremely challenging to ept the fact that Elizabeth Chase is here.


    ¡°You justunched this long-awaitedmercial. How can I not turn up? How is it? So far so good?¡± she asked Ace energetically.


    I didn¡¯t care much for the words that came out of her mouth. All my mind could focus on was how Ace spoke so familiarly with her and how he always hinted at knowing her so well. It made me feel sick inside.


    ¡°I think so¡­¡± Ace replied with a smile.


    Elizabeth looked around at the crowd before her attention returned to themercial ying on the screen again. She smiled and nodded as if she liked what she was seeing before her attention turned to me.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here too,¡± she said as if she had just realized that I was standing there.


    Either she was blind, or she was doing this intentionally to rub me the wrong way. I had to say that if it was thetter, she was extremely sessful in her efforts. My lips curved into a smile which I hoped was polite on autopilot.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 288 - 288 Uncomfortably Close

    288 Ufortably Close


    Why is she here?


    ¡°Elizabeth wanted to drop by to congrattion us on theunch. Unfortunately, we were no longer in the office. I didn¡¯t think that she would really turn up here to join us,¡± Ace exined to me casually before turning his attention back to Elizabeth.


    I was still too stunned to say anything as I watch the two of them conversing. Ace pointed something in themercial out to Elizabeth and she looked quite impressed as they both watched themercial on the screen together. As for me, I couldn¡¯t stop wondering why Elizabeth had to turn up here.


    Was it normal for her to drop by to congratte her mainpetitor on theirmercialunch?


    So many wild thoughts ran through my mind as I stood glued to the spot with my eyes staring at their backs. I had no idea what was really going on or perhaps I was just over reading into everything. However, the way the two of them talked together made them appear to be closer than before. It was like any rivalry that existed between them before hadpletely disappeared and in its ce was something akin topanionship. I cocked my head to the side as my brows slowly drew together into a frown and then my eyes narrowed suspiciously.


    What is really going on between them and what is their rtionship really like right now?


    Elizabeth knew very well that I was dating Ace, but she didn¡¯t seem to have any problem turning up here although she knew that we were together. She also didn¡¯t seem bothered at all when she saw me. I didn¡¯t understand what was going through her mind and it did ur to me that perhaps she didn¡¯t even think like a normal person in the very first ce.


    ¡°Rina¡­Rina¡­¡±


    I snapped out of my thoughts when I realized that Ace was calling my name. Elizabeth gave me a curious look and I felt anger boiling up inside of me. I had no idea how she could act so unbothered like this. The fact that she acted like she belonged at Ace¡¯s side almost made me lose it.


    .....


    ¡°Umm¡­what is it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Do you want to exin to Elizabeth the concept behind themercial and also the idea behind the marketing n? After all, it was your idea,¡± Ace asked as he waved for me toe closer to them.


    ¡°Umm¡­sure¡­¡± I replied as I tried to act as natural as possible.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t think that I seeded at appearing natural at all and thest thing that I wanted to do at that moment was to exin the work that I had done to Elizabeth. I had no idea why Ace was getting me to do something like that. He was right that it was my idea that was behind themercial and the marketing n; however, I didn¡¯t see why I had to exin that to Elizabeth.


    ¡°Thismercial is really interesting. I see that you¡¯ve made some adjustments to the storyboardpared to thest time that I saw it. I have to say that it turned out much better than I had envisioned in my mind. I¡¯m sure you all worked hard and that Ace must have trained you up a lot,¡± Elizabeth said before smiling my way.


    If she was someone else, I might have appreciated herpliments and the smile that she shed my way. Perhaps I was being too on guard, or I was just paranoid because it was her. Another possibility was that I just in straight hated this woman.


    ¡°Thank you. There¡¯s not much behind the concept that differed from the story that Ace told themittee members during his presentation before. As for the marketing n, I just adapted something that I saw that I thought would make themercial connect more emotionally with the audiences,¡± I exined as briefly as I could.


    ¡°I can see where you¡¯reing from, and I have to say that that approach sounds very much like something that Ace would do. I guess it¡¯s only natural for a team member to think like her boss. Is that right, Ace?¡± Elizabethmented with a smallugh before turning to address Ace.


    The way she drawled her voice when she spoke to him made me want to gag. If they were all alone, I wondered if she would have thrown herself all over him by now. That thought shed through my mind and I felt pain stinging the palm of my hands and realized that I had dug my fingernails into my flesh from clenching my hands too tightly into fists. I bit down hard on my inner lower lip before taking in a deep breath and holding it.


    Anger management¡­anger management¡­


    ¡°Should we head back to the office?¡± I suggested while trying to sound as cheerful as I could.


    If I can get Ace to agree to head back to the office, then Elizabeth probably won¡¯t follow us. Unfortunately, that was the only idea that I coulde up with to get rid of her and I hated myself for myck of options to dispose of her.


    ¡°I thought we were going out for dinner. Do you still want to go back to the office instead?¡± Ace asked calmly.


    It was true that I wanted to go to dinner with Ace; however, I was more than willing to give that up if that meant that I could get rid of Elizabeth. Ace also acted so casual around her now, and that made me feel even more ufortable than before.


    What is Kyle doing now of all times? Why can¡¯t he keep his wife at home or under surveince?


    ¡°We¡¯re going to grab dinner. Do you want to join us?¡± Ace turned to ask Elizabeth.


    My mouth literally dropped opened and I wanted to pull on my hair and scream. The thought of the three of us going out for dinner together was worst than any nightmare that I could have dreamt up.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 289 - 289 Unexpected Turn of Events

    289 Unexpected Turn of Events


    ¡°No, thanks. I just dropped by because I wanted to experience the buzz and also to congratte you on the release of yourmercial. I¡¯ll pass for today. I don¡¯t think Karina would like me disturbing your dinner date,¡± Elizabeth turned down Ace¡¯s invitation with augh and a dismissive wave of her hand.


    I blinked rapidly in surprise as I wondered if I had misheard what she had just said. It felt like the perfect opportunity for her to spend more time with Ace, but she didn¡¯t hesitate to turn down his invitation at all. The more I tried to understand what she was thinking or what she really wanted, the more I got confused. Regardless of the reason behind her decision to turn Ace¡¯s invitation down, I was thankful that she would be leaving us alone soon.


    ¡°Thank you foring,¡± Ace thanked her with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m not exactly doing this for you. Enjoy your date!¡± she replied perhaps a little too cheerfully.


    Just like that, Elizabeth Chase walked away while waving a hand over her head without looking back. I stared at her back until she got swallowed up by the crowd of people and disappeared from my view. My mind still struggled to understand what had just taken ce. Just like a rapid whirlwind, Elizabeth suddenly appeared and then left us.


    ¡°I guess even Elizabeth was interested and excited enough about theunch of ourmercial for her to turn up here,¡± Ace said as he came to stand right by my side.


    I wanted to scream at him and ask him how she happened to turn up here but then I thought better of it and decided to hold my tongue. She was gone and it felt like there were other better things to do now that I still had time with Ace. I bit down hard on my tongue before tearing my gaze away from where Elizabeth had disappeared into the crowd to turn my attention back to Ace.


    ¡°Do you want to go to dinner, or do you want to go back to the office?¡± I asked curtly.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look like you¡¯re in the mood for dinner. Do you want to go back to the office?¡± Ace replied with his own guess of what I wanted.


    .....


    It was probably my fault for snapping at him. Despite my efforts to hide my anger, I guess it did show after all. I let out a long sigh with my eyes casted down on the ground. The crowd around us was making so much noise that it was frankly getting harder to have a conversation there without yelling.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the office. Maybe we can go out drinking to celebrate with the others after theunch,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Sure¡­¡± Ace replied like he had absolutely no preference.


    I started making my way through the crowd while cursing Elizabeth for her ill-timed appearance and my inability to remain calm in her presence.


    ¡­


    The ride back to the office felt awkward although we were not supposed to be fighting. Ace didn¡¯t seem so bothered by Elizabeth¡¯s appearance and he didn¡¯t seem to care much about the fact that I was disturbed. I was so conflicted about hisck of reaction and then realized that perhaps I couldn¡¯t me him while I was trying to act normal and fine at the same time. Everything was such a mess inside of my own head and I started regretting my decision to go back to help out at the office. I doubt that I would be of any help to anyone in the state that my mind was in.


    ¡°Do you think Julianna¡¯s entire team is still in?¡± I asked because I couldn¡¯t think of anything else to start a conversation with him.


    After the almost silent ride, we finally arrived at the office, and I could get out of the suffocating enclosed space of the car¡¯s interior.


    ¡°I would bet on it. I think other members from the other teams will be there too,¡± Ace replied.


    Julianna and her team had booked out a veryrge meeting room to act as the war room for theunch of themercial. Although it was past working hours, I wasn¡¯t surprised that the war room was still packed with people when Ace and I walked in. Everyone looked up and seemed quite surprised to see us.


    ¡°Ace! I didn¡¯t think that you would be here¡­¡± Julianna eximed as she stood up from her seat and approached us.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think so either, but my secretary kept nagging me to do my job properly and so here I am¡­¡± he replied jokingly.


    ¡°Well, I guess¡­good job Karina!¡± Julianna cried out happily.


    Despite the supposedly stressful environment, Julianna seemed to be in a better mood than she usually was in and that made me wonder if there was some good news that we had missed out on.


    ¡°Is everything going well?¡± I asked in a small voice.


    ¡°Absolutely! Everything is fine just as expected. Actually, everything is going so well that it¡¯s starting to get boring¡­¡± Julianna said before she startedughing.


    I watched as she headed back to her seat where she started staring into the screen of the monitor on the table.


    ¡°Julianna wants to go out drinking already¡­¡± a member of her team chimed in with augh.


    ¡°Shut up. Don¡¯t ruin my perfect image in front of the CEO!¡± Julianna snapped at her team member before turning to smile at Ace.


    ¡°Juliana likes to drink¡­umm¡­quite a lot after clearing some big milestone¡­¡± Ace whispered to me in exnation.


    ¡°Oh¡­I see¡­¡± I whispered back.


    I did not expect that from someone like her at all. Then again, I guess everyone has their own personal life outside of work and a human side that may not match with their persona at work. The overly strict and controlling Julianna probably had a side to her life that I didn¡¯t know either. Thinking of that, I also had a side of my life that I was actively hiding from everyone as well. I nced over at Ace as he sat down on one of the chairs at therge meeting table and thought that he contributed to a major chunk of the secret that I was hiding.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 290 - 290 Celebration

    290 Celebration


    ¡°Theunch looks good. All the cements look good¡­¡± Julianna murmured as she continued checking the screens.


    ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any issues. Now we just need to wait for the feedback from the audiences,¡± one team member said reassuringly.


    ¡°We actually went out to the shopping district earlier to get some firsthand feedback,¡± I announced with a smile.


    ¡°Ace dragged you out there with him? How did it go? Were people super excited?¡± Julianna asked excitedly.


    I could feel all pairs of eyes in the room on me and it was clear that I had their attention now. Since everyone was undoubtedly stuck here in the war room in the office, they haven¡¯t had the chance to see the realmercial ying outside or had any interaction with the audience. Now I truly understood why Ace was so determined to go out there to collect some feedback. It wasn¡¯t just to satisfy his personal curiosity but it also made sure that we had something to share with the other team members.


    ¡°I would say that people are excited. I¡¯ve only heard positive reviews. The message that we nned seemed to be getting across well. I was also told that themercial is easier to watchpared to the other ones rted to the dog meat trade because we didn¡¯t put in any gruesome scenes,¡± I ryed my experience to the team members.


    ¡°I think themercial is very well-received. For pet lovers, it is a very touchingmercial while for non-pet lovers, it makes them consider this topic more. Of course, this is just preliminary and we¡¯ll have to keep monitor the audiences¡¯ sentiments,¡± Ace added in.


    ¡°That sounds heavenly. More than good enough for our firstunch night,¡± Julianna said with a satisfied smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself so much. We haven¡¯t seen the donation amount yet¡­¡± Ace reminded us of the other key objective of themercial.


    .....


    Julianna let out a sigh and I did the same. Getting positive reactions was only the starting point. It wouldn¡¯t be enough if it didn¡¯t lead to putting any money behind the cause to support it. Unfortunately, all problems seem to require some money to help fund the solution. Fishing forpliments for ourmercial would be so much easier than to get people to pay to support the cause.


    ¡°Maybe if you¡¯ll give me my paycheck for the month earlier, I can donate my pay to support the cause¡­¡± Julianna said teasingly before sheughed a little.


    ¡°Oh, that actually sounds like a good idea. I¡¯ll pay for your drink tonight if you donate your sry to the cause,¡± another team member readily agreed.


    ¡°Enough joking around. You all should go out now before it gets toote,¡± Ace suggested.


    ¡°Thank you, boss! I¡¯ll make sure toe back to monitor the whole thing tomorrow morning,¡± Julianna promised as she got up from her seat and gathered her things.


    Everyone moved to do the same and it seemed like the night of work hade to an end and a celebration was in order. We haven¡¯t won thepetition yet, but theunch was clearly one of the biggest milestones that we¡¯ve achieved so far in this project, and it does warrant a celebration.


    ¡°Do you want to join them?¡± Ace whispered to me.


    ¡°Ace! You¡¯lle along, right?¡± Julianna asked invitingly before I could reply to Ace¡¯s question.


    ¡°Sure. I think that¡¯s a great idea¡­¡± I quickly voiced when I saw Ace hesitating.


    It had been a while since we went out with the team and going out might help me keep my mind off the issue of Elizabeth¡¯s sudden appearance earlier on in the day. The overall mood was so festive that I found it hard to get used to at first. After spending so much time working under stressful and tight deadlines, this sudden change in pace felt sudden although it wasn¡¯t at all unweed.


    ¡°Where are we going to go?¡± I asked.


    ¡°James booked a rooftop bar. Supposedly they have good and cheap happy hour drinks. I wouldn¡¯t mind if the cocktails are bad at this point, honestly¡­¡± Julianna replied.


    I watched as everyone made their way out of the war room to call it a night. I bumped into Jeremy as we made our way out of the room. He looked tired and I could tell that he had been with Julianna and her team for the whole day. That made me feel slightly bad for ditching him to go out with Ace.


    ¡°Hey, are you joining everyone for drinks?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Nope. I¡¯m about to fall t on my face. I have no idea where Julianna gets all her energy from but I¡¯m pretty much burnt out so I¡¯m heading home,¡± Jeremy replied with a regretful smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s too bad. Hang in there. Go home and get some sleep,¡± I said with a smallugh.


    Jeremy just smiled at me before heading out of the door. I watched as he disappeared down the hallway while thinking that it really was too bad that he didn¡¯t have the stamina to join the celebration. Julianna and her team were quite loud as they made their way down the corridor. As far as they were concerned, it seemed like the party had already started.


    ¡°Shall we head out too?¡± I turned to ask Ace.


    I found his eyes watching me intently and I sudden felt a little ufortable under his scrutinizing gaze. Ace had a slightly thoughtful look on his face as he continued to observe me. The longer he stared at me, the more I started to feel nervous.


    ¡°Why are you¡­looking at me like that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I was wondering when you and Jeremy got so close,¡± he replied with his hazel brown eyes still watching me.


    ¡°We¡¯re not close. We¡¯ve just been stuck working together a lot for Project Alpha. So¡­we¡¯re not close like that¡­¡± I quickly cleared up this misunderstanding before it could lead somewhere troublesome.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Ace said as he cocked his head to the side.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 291 - 291 Closer than Before

    291 Closer than Before


    ¡°Yes. There¡¯s really nothing. Although I think it¡¯s a little cute that you¡¯re worried but Jeremy and me is just too far of a stretch,¡± I replied as I waved my hands in front of my face andughed lightly.


    Putting aside the issue between Jeremy and me, I felt like if there was a rtionship more suspicious and more realistic, it would be the rtionship between Ace and Elizabeth. I stared at Ace¡¯s face and figured out that there was nothing for me to learn there. Whatever was going on, Ace wasn¡¯t going to easily give it away. The more times I ran into Elizabeth, the more the way she acted confused me to the point where I didn¡¯t know what to make of it.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s head out,¡± Ace said to bring that little off-track conversation to a close.


    ¡°It¡¯s really been a while since I went out drinking¡­¡± I murmured.


    ¡°You better hold your drink¡­¡± Ace warned as he shot a re my way.


    Now that I thought about it, thest time that I really went out drinking was the night that I ended up sleeping with Ace. Ever since that night, I had been working very hard to manage my drinks or avoid drinking all together.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me that¡­¡± I retorted lightly.


    The traffic was quite light, and it didn¡¯t take long for us to arrive at the rooftop bar. By the time that we got there, the party was already in full swing. Julianna and her team were drinking away, and I knew that there would be more than one casualty for the night. It was frankly amazing how these same people drinking away right now would be the exact same people who would turn up tomorrow at the office to put the grind into their work.


    ¡°Oh, the big boss is here. Come over here¡­¡± Julianna waved us over when she spotted us.


    .....


    I had no idea if she was drunk already or not, but she was surely blowing off a lot of steam. Ace looked at me and shook his head a little before leading me to a seat. He sat down next to me and began ordering drinks for us.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to celebrate like this once in a while¡­¡± I said with a sigh of relief.


    The wind blew my hair back from my face and the weather felt so perfect. Tonight might be ourst worry-free night before the reportse in tomorrow regarding themercial. If the numbers don¡¯t look good then, we¡¯ll be back to fixing things in the war room.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I guess I should encourage everyone to celebrate more and have team bonding dinners and all that,¡± Ace said with a smile my way.


    I smiled weakly back at him while the thought of him retiring from his position ran in the back of my mind. If only he didn¡¯t have to leave and things could be like this forever. The warm orange glow from the lighting of the bar highlighted Ace¡¯s attractive features and I found myself staring at him as if lost in a daze. I was sure that there¡¯s got to be a good reason behind what he was doing but change was never easy to deal with. Suddenly, when he smiled and when he spoke to me, everything just felt so bittersweet.


    I nced behind us to see Julianna and her team chatting away loudly while drinking. Although we were supposed to be together, there was enough distance between us to allow for some alone and private time for Ace and myself.


    ¡°It was quite surprising for Elizabeth to turn up out of the blue like that¡­¡± I said as I stared at the rim of my cocktail ss.


    ¡°Did it bother you that she turned up?¡± Ace asked while getting right to the point.


    I would be lying if I said that it didn¡¯t bother me. Of course, it bothered me. It probably bothered me more than Ace would ever realize and more than I would be willing to admit to his face.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that she would turn up. It did bother me¡­¡± I replied while trying to be honest.


    ¡°Elizabeth is a very blunt person but she¡¯s also very genuine. You mighte to like her after you¡¯ve spent more time with her,¡± Ace said casually.


    ¡°Do you like her too?¡± I asked before I could stop myself.


    I would love to believe that it was the alcohol in me that was doing the talking; however, I haven¡¯t had that much to drink at all. The cocktail that Ace had chosen for me was just sweet and I doubted that there was even a lot of alcohol mixed into it in the first ce. Regardless, if I had to bow down to borrow my courage from alcohol to have this conversation with him then so be it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight you on this. I know that you have your suspicious but¡­this and that are very different things. To your question, I like her a lot as someone who works in the same industry,¡± Ace replied before he shed me a smile.


    I felt like his response was honest enough and that just made me feel ufortable inside. There was just something going on between these two that I haven¡¯t managed to wrap my head around. If they were not engaged in a love affair, then what could this possibly be?


    ¡°It looks like you two have gotten closer¡­¡± I dared voice my observation.


    ¡°Just like you and Jeremy?¡± Ace asked teasingly.


    ¡°We appear to be closer because we¡¯ve been working together a lot. I just told you that¡­¡± I replied while trying my best not to snap at him.


    Trying to turn the tables on me while using Jeremy as an excuse was just uneptable. We worked so hard together and he was always so supportive of me and the work that we did together. I couldn¡¯t have asked for a more perfect partner to work alongside with for Project Alpha, and that was probably why I felt quite angry for Ace to speak ill of Jeremy.

 Chapter 292 - 292 Torn Between Emotions

    292 Torn Between Emotions


    ¡°The same probably applies to Elizabeth and me,¡± he said casually before taking a sip of his drink.


    Ace seemed so at ease even when we were discussing Elizabeth that I wondered if anything could ever throw him off. I wasn¡¯t quite sure what he meant by that either, but it seemed like he didn¡¯t have much to hide from me.


    ¡°Have you been meeting her often?¡± I asked directly.


    ¡°No. There¡¯s no need for me to meet her much anymore,¡± Ace replied with a smile.


    So, there was a need for him to meet up with her often before.


    ¡°I¡¯m d that you don¡¯t have to meet her often anymore,¡± I replied bluntly before I could stop myself.


    If it wasn¡¯t the alcohol then it must be the sugar in my drink that was making me so bold and so brave all of a sudden. My words seemed to amuse Ace because his smile broadened and then he began to chuckle. The sound of the other people in the bar was loud and so was the music ying in the background; however, all of that chaos seemed to fade away into nothing when I found myself getting lost in the depth of Ace¡¯s eyes. It made me feel like we were alone, and it felt more than enough for it to be just the two of us.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry much about this anymore. Right now, I¡¯m more focused on Project Alpha to make sure that we win thepetition. Of course, I¡¯m doing it for thepany and for everyone else associated to it, but I guess I¡¯m a selfish person and so I¡¯m also doing this to makes sure that the end of my career here ends on a high note. We really can¡¯t afford to lose out on this one,¡± Ace said determinedly before he shed me a yful smile.


    I had no idea how themercial of ourpetitors turned out or how they were doing but I was confident enough that we would win. Of course, nothing about our victory was guaranteed; however, I didn¡¯t have any problem in maintaining my confidence in the matter. The fact that Ace was focusing on this to make sure that our victory would be secure made me feel more reassured than anything that it would happen. If we win, everything will go ording to n, and everything would be great except¡­


    .....


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± Ace called my name softly.


    My eyes nced up into his face and then our eyes met. I gasped at the look of concern on his face and then his brows drew together in a slight frown.


    ¡°Huh?¡± I murmured when I didn¡¯t quite understand his sudden change in reaction.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you crying?¡± Ace asked.


    His beautiful fingers approached my face slowly and then I felt the warmth of his fingertips gently against my cheek as he wiped away my tears. I hadn¡¯t even realized that I had started crying and that was because I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts. Just thinking about Ace leaving brought tears to my eyes. It had be such a sensitive topic for me that I was now shedding tears unconsciously just from thinking of it. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath that made my chest tremble from emotion as I tried my best to calm myself down.


    Today was supposed to be a good day and a day for celebration. We were out at this rooftop bar to celebrate a very important milestone and our sess so far. I knew that it wasn¡¯t the right time for dark thoughts or painful tears but I still couldn¡¯t stop myself from crying that easily.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± I apologized in a shaky voice.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what else to say because I couldn¡¯t bring myself to tell Ace why I was crying. Instead, I tried to ster a smile on my lips to reassure him that I was fine. The look of concern did not disappear from Ace¡¯s features and I knew that I had failed at reassuring him about anything. He sighed before taking my hands into his and giving them a soft squeeze.


    ¡°Stop apologizing. Should we leave? I¡¯ll take you home¡­¡± Ace offered.


    It was true that I wanted to leave but it didn¡¯t feel right for me to drag Ace back with me when everyone else was still having so much fun. The party had just started and I was sure that everyone else wanted Ace to stay with them. It wasn¡¯t an everyday urrence that the team would get to party with the big boss like this and I was sure that everyone was excited.


    ¡°I can go back by myself. I¡¯m fine, honestly. You should stay here with everyone else,¡± I quickly told him.


    Ace just shook his head at me without saying anything. He probably thought that I was speaking nonsense and he didn¡¯t even bother to reply to me. Instead, he stood up and pulled me up along with him. His hold on my hand tightened as he turned towards where Julianna and the rest of the team were.


    ¡°Sorry, Rina isn¡¯t feeling well. I¡¯ll take her back first. Please enjoy the rest of the night everyone. Of course, I¡¯ll pick up the bill so drink, eat, and party as much as you want¡­¡± Ace announced.


    ¡°Wow!¡± many members of the team eximed at the same time.


    A loud wave of cheer and wild apud echoed all around us. It seemed like Ace would be picking up a prettyrge bill by the time this party came to an end, but I knew that he wouldn¡¯t mind at all.


    ¡°Thank you, Boss!¡± a team member yelled loudly before turning to hug her colleague in a yful embrace.


    ¡°Karina, are you ok?¡± Julianna asked as she came closer to me.


    I could see that she was worried. Julianna didn¡¯t look drunk yet, but she was definitely already tipsy.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m just¡­a little tired. I¡¯m so sorry that I can¡¯t stay longer than this¡­¡± I replied before smiling at her.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 293 - 293 Ruining Everything

    293 Ruining Everything


    ¡°Young people these days don¡¯t have the stamina¡­¡± a man muttered beforeughing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. It only makes you sound like a dinosaur¡­¡± Julianna snapped and then beganughing loudly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take her back first. Thank you everyone for your hard work. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow at the office,¡± Ace said a little sternly.


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± Julianna replied with a salute.


    Ace basically dragged me after him out of there after exchanging some polite words of farewell with the team members. I felt slightly better to get away from the crowd of people but being alone with Ace in the car made me anxious in a different way.


    ¡°Are you sure that you don¡¯t want to stay? I¡¯m really fine so we don¡¯t have to leave so early¡­¡± I mumbled.


    The atmosphere felt so tense now that we were alone in his car and Ace¡¯s silence did not help with the overall mood at all. I wondered what he was thinking about before I cursed myself silently inside my head for crying like that and ruining the mood for the entire night.


    ¡°I only came here because you wanted to. If you hadn¡¯t wanted toe, I wouldn¡¯t be here¡­¡± Ace replied as he turned to stare my way.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± I mumbled apologetically.


    .....


    ¡°Stop apologizing. Honestly, I don¡¯t even know what you¡¯re sorry for,¡± Ace said before he started the car and began driving.


    Although his words were quite blunt, his tone was caring and kind. The way he didn¡¯t seem to mind not attending the party until the end only made me even more guilty. It felt like the only way that I would be able to feel better about myself was to confess to him about how I honestly felt.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name softly to get his attention.


    ¡°Yes?¡± he replied before waiting for me to go on.


    I was about to start my honest confession with the words ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯ but managed to bite down on my tongue in time before those words would slip pass my lips. Ace would have hated it if I had apologized again and I was thankful for catching those words on time. I took in a deep breath before letting it out to refresh my mind before aiming for a fresh start.


    Let¡¯s try this again¡­


    ¡°I know that today is supposed to be a happy and joyous day. Ourmercial looks great and everyone seems very excited to see it. Theunch is very sessful and even I can feel that ourmercial will do very well. As someone who has worked as part of Project Alpha from the start, I feel so proud and so thrilled to see this happen and to see this projecte so far¡­¡± I said before pausing to take in another deep breath.


    Ace listened to me in silence as he slowly drove the car. I knew that he was listening to me and patiently giving me the chance to say everything that I had in mind. My tongue flickered over my lower lip before I continued on with what I wanted to say.


    ¡°I think things may be a lot lessplicated for me if that was the only role that I y. The reality for me is a lot moreplicated than that because the end of Project Alpha and the end of thepetition would also mark the end of your time here. Just thinking about that makes me feel scared. Every single step forward that takes us closer to our goal makes me happy yet very confused and sad at the same time. I get so scared just thinking about it and sometimes I feel like I¡¯m really going to lose it¡­¡± I confessed honestly before I had to stop.


    I felt a stinging pain at the back of my eyes and realized that if I went on, I would probably end up crying again and that wasn¡¯t something that I wanted Ace to see. Even now, I was sure that my words have ced unnecessary burdens and worries on him already. After a moment of pause, I realized that Ace didn¡¯t intend to say anything in response to what I had just told him. Perhaps just having him listen to what I had to say was enough for me because I did feel more relieved after telling him honestly how I felt. Even if it couldn¡¯t change his mind or the future thaty in store for us, I still felt like it was the right thing to tell him how I honestly felt.


    ¡°Rina, do you want to stay over at my ce?¡± he asked to break the silence between us.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± I replied without hesitation.


    My simple response was rewarded with a very charming smile as Ace turned to look at me for a brief moment before his attention returned to the road in front of us. His smile felt encouraging, and I told myself that I just needed to be a little braver. It waste in the evening and the traffic wasn¡¯t crazy. We arrived back at Ace¡¯s ce in no time at all and I was relieved to be back in familiar surroundings.


    ¡°You should take a bath, so you¡¯ll feel better. It¡¯s been a long day so I¡¯m sure that you¡¯re tired,¡± Ace said understandingly.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I mumbled.


    Instead of taking a long baht like Ace had suggested, I decided to take a quick shower instead. Ace pretty much left me alone and I used that time that he had given me to think about him. Ace had not said anything concerning my worries but I could tell that he was acting caring in his very own way. Time was really flying by and along with it, my impatience had started to grow. I stepped out of the shower and dried my hair before my thoughts would turn into depressing ones.


    ¡°That was fast¡­¡± Ace said when he spotted me.


    Ace¡¯s dark hair was damp, and it was clear that he had just stepped out of his own shower not so long ago.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 294 - 294 Tender Care

    294 Tender Care


    The way he sat leisurely on the sofa made him look so sexy that it was very challenging for me to take my eyes off of him. The best part was that there was no need for me to stop staring at him. He was there right in front of me, and he was supposed to be mine, so what¡¯s so wrong with me staring at him?


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name sweetly.


    ¡°Feeling better?¡± he asked as patted the empty space next to him on the sofa.


    ¡°A little¡­¡± I replied honestly as I slowly approached him.


    I was going to sit next to him on the sofa but by the time that I stood right in front of him, my body had already changed my mind for me.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I whispered his name.


    His eyes moved to meet mine and I wasn¡¯t sure which of our spells was the stronger one. Regardless, I didn¡¯t have the will or the desire to fight my urge to climb on top of him and hold him tightly to me. Before my mind would think otherwise, my body began moving on its own. Slowly, I climbed on top of Ace¡¯sp and positioned my knees on the side of his hips as I straddled him.


    Ace seemed confused only for a split of a second at how forward I was, but he didn¡¯t stop me. I wrapped my arms loosely around his neck without once breaking eye contact with him. Ace¡¯s hazel brown eyes watched mezily as if to see what other amusing things I would do next. I could tell that he rather enjoyed what I was doing and that made me feel slightly happy and a little more confident to continue. I thoroughly enjoyed feeling the warmth of hisp against my buttocks and the warmth of his chest against mine as I pressed up my breasts against his hard and broad chest.


    ¡°This is really in the way¡­¡± I muttered aint when I realized that the white towel that I had wrapped around my body from the shower was truly hindering my attempt to get skin to skin with Ace.


    .....


    My hands moved to quickly fix the problem while feeling thankful that some problems in life were simple enough to solve. Lifting my hips off of him a little, I tugged and pulled my towel away from my body before hastily letting it fall to the floor. Ace continued watching my every move.


    ¡°Ahh¡­you¡¯re so warm. I want to stay like this forever¡­¡± I confessed honestly as I pressed my naked breasts up against his chest after wrapping my arms around his neck again.


    Now that the towel was gone everything just felt so right. I could feel Ace¡¯s breath against my ear as I continued to hug him to me. It felt amazing to be close to him like this and my guess was that Ace was enjoying our close proximity to each other as well. Either that, or he was just being nice and considerate enough to spoil me and let me have my way with him.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re extra clingy today¡­¡± Ace asked calmly.


    His voiced sounded so deep and so soothing at he same time that I found myself letting my eyelids slide closed. I hugged him even tighter than before as dark and unhappy thoughts filled my mind and made my chest feel stuffy and tight.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to leave¡­¡± I murmured softly.


    Slowly and gently, I felt Ace¡¯srge hand moving to stroke my hair while his other hand moved to stroke my backfortingly. The heat from his hand on my naked skin felt so reassuring and so warm that I didn¡¯t want him to let me go. Ace must have realized it too that we didn¡¯t have a lot of time left to spend the same way that we did before. If anything, I was sure that he knew better than I did considering that he knew what he himself had nned for his own retirement from thepany. That was still something that Ace refused to share. I kept telling myself that it might be a super big and joyous surprise and that was why he was trying his best to keep it from me. However, I knew deep down that that most probably wasn¡¯t the case.


    ¡°I¡¯m not really going anywhere¡­¡± he murmured to me as his hands continued to work their magic on my skin and my hair.


    I could hear the steady beating of his strong heart against my chest. My hands moved upwards a little and I began running my fingers through his hair just the way that he was stroking my hair.


    ¡°Project Alpha ising to an end soon¡­¡± I mumbled before I bit down on my lower lip to stop my voice from quivering.


    ¡°Everythinges to an end, Rina. You shouldn¡¯t get too caught up and attached to things¡­¡± Ace advised calmly.


    Everythinges to an end¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind the project ending. I want it to end, and I want it to be sessful for all of us too but when the project ends, you will no longer be our CEO¡­¡± I said slowly while sounding like an unreasonable child.


    ¡°You¡¯re still worried about that?¡± he asked lightly.


    To him, it probably wasn¡¯t something of concern at all and I had no idea why that was so. His entire career was about to change, and he didn¡¯t seem at all affected. How can he be so calm about all this?


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m always worried about you¡­¡± I admitted bluntly as my arms moved to hug him even tighter as if that would help keep him with me forever.


    ¡°It feels a little strange to have you worrying about me. Rather than worrying about me, you should concentrate more on yourself. Have you been eating properly? I think you¡¯ve lost weight¡­¡± Ace said with concern as his fingertips slowly stroked along my spine.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if I had lost weight or not, but it was true that spending long hours on Project Alpha might have led me to losing some weight without realizing it.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 295 - 295 Love Heals

    295 Love Heals


    I made a mental note to eat healthier and take better care of my health starting tomorrow.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try¡­¡± I replied vaguely.


    There was a moment of peaceful silence between us that wasn¡¯t awkward where we just enjoyed the close contact of each other¡¯s bodies. Ace continued to stroke my back gently while I closed my eyes and concentrated on breathing in his familiar scent.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Rina. It¡¯s not like I can really go anywhere with you sitting right on top of me like this¡­¡± Ace pointed out teasingly.


    ¡°That¡¯s not funny¡­¡± I murmured in response.


    Ace¡¯s arms loosen from around my body, and I pressed my hands against his shoulders just enough to sit up a little straighter on hisp so that I could see his face and he could see mine. His hand reached up to pat the top of my head softly as I stared deeply into his eyes.


    ¡°I love you, Rina¡­¡± he whispered.


    ¡°That¡¯s also not funny¡­¡± I mumbled while looking away in embarrassment.


    His sudden confession of love made me feel shy and the fluttering feeling that was dancing around in my chest made me feel slightly ufortable. Ace chuckled softly as I squirmed on hisp from embarrassment. Being so close to him and locked up in his arms meant that there wasn¡¯t much room for me to move to hide away from him and his intense gaze.


    .....


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± he called my name tenderly.


    I felt the pressure of hisrge hand at the back of my head as he guided my face until I felt his lips on mine. Kissing Ace always seemed to excite me and made me feel so alive and that kiss wasn¡¯t any different than the ones before. My eyes drifted closed as I automatically surrendered to the heat of his kiss. Ace¡¯s lips on mine felt warm and his kisses were light and gentle, at least at first.


    My body rxed easily in his arms as his hands stroked its way up and down my back before ying around with the sides of my waist. His lips continued kissing me softly from various angles until I was moaning softly from the pleasure of his teasing kisses. It was probably me who wanted more from him as the heat of my own desire started to gather in the pit of my belly. Being naked only helped to heighten the pleasure that I felt from his caresses, and I knew that it wouldn¡¯t be long before this fire of desire would burn out of control.


    I pressed my lips firmly against Ace¡¯s before parting them invitingly for him. His lips on mine felt hotter than before and I didn¡¯t have to wait for long to feel the wet heat of his tongue sliding in between my lips. Ace thrusted his tongue firmly into the depth of my mouth and caused me to whimper weakly from the pleasure. My tongue entwined with his eagerly as I felt desire cloud my mind and my senses. Hisrge manly hands caressing along my back suddenly felt hotter than before as our kiss quickly deepened. Our tongues danced fervently together as we tasted and then drank each other¡¯s taste.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ace¡­¡± I moaned his name in between our heated kisses.


    Ace only let go out of my lips to change the angle of our kiss. Each kiss felt deeper and more overwhelming than thest. Hisrge hand moved to the back of my head where he controlled my movements to kiss me even deeper than before. It felt impossible for me to escape from his passionate and devouring kiss, and I probably didn¡¯t want to escape from them either. My body felt so hot as if it was ready to melt at any moment under his touch. He ground his tongue against mine before sucking yfully on it. I moaned over and over again into our hot and wet kiss as the pleasurable ache between my legs seem to tighten until it almost be unbearable.


    When Ace broke our kiss for a moment to allow me to catch my breath, I realized that this was what we should have done after the press conference for theunch. After all, we did promise to continue with this when we came back to his ce. Instead, we went out to spy on our audiences at the shopping district. Although it was fun and the experience was more than worth the effort, it did end up dying our little passionate tryst. My lips curved into a smile at the thought as I reached out my hand toward Ace¡¯s cheek and cupped it gently.


    ¡°I love you¡­¡± I whispered.


    My lips were on his before he could offer me any response in words. The way our tongues entwined and engaged in such a passionate dance was the best response that I could have asked for to my words of love. His hands caressed the sides of my waist before dipping lower to my hips while I whimpered sweetly into his mouth. His hands groped and stroked my flesh until my entire body quivered with my need for him. I wanted him to touch me more and then I wanted to be one with him. Ace¡¯s hands came between us and moved upwards while my body tensed a little in anticipation of his touch. I sighed blissfully when hisrge hands finally cupped my naked breasts. My nipples immediately hardened as his hands moved to massage my soft womanly flesh, making me moan.


    ¡°Touch me, Ace¡­please¡­¡± I begged shamelessly as I covered his hands with my own and began squeezing my breasts through his hands.


    ¡°Does it feel good? Should I y with your nipples?¡± Ace asked knowingly.


    ¡°Yes¡­please¡­¡± I pleaded before I let out a few loud and very lewd moans.


    Just as he knew that I wanted, his fingertips moved to capture my erect nipples in between them before slowly swirling them in circr motions. I threw my head back and moaned while thrusting my chest forward. The jolts of pleasure that invaded my body from his passionate attack on my nipples drove me wild with need.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 296 - 296 Need for Him

    296 Need for Him


    I could feel my nipples hardening even further as he continued to tease and y with them. My core throbbed with heat as Ace¡¯s skillful fingers pinched and tugged on my swollen nipples. It felt so pleasurable that I couldn¡¯t hold in my moans and ended up moaning loudly before crying out his name. The ache in my lower abdomen grew more intense as my hips began writhing on hisp. I could feel my pussy getting wetter and more sensitive.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ace¡­¡± I moaned his name even louder than before.


    My hips wouldn¡¯t stop moving as it ground my pussy against him. Ace must have sensed my heightened desire because his fingers pinched my nipples sharply, making me cry out his name. I was panting hard by that time and my body felt so hot like it was burning. I whimpered when I felt another wave of wetness slowly easing out from the wet slit in between my legs. My pussy wouldn¡¯t stop twitching as desire flooded my entire body.


    ¡°Kiss me, Ace¡­¡± I pleaded as I offered my lips to him.


    I moaned into our heated kiss the moment that his lips captured mine. My lips immediately parted for him invitingly and then his tongue slipped smoothly into the wet depths of my mouth. His tongue teased mine and I kissed him back with wild abandon. His tongue moving against mine felt so hot and that only made me want to feel even more of him. I wanted to be closer to Ace and ended up wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling his face down onto mine so that his lips would crush firmer against mine.


    Our tongues moved wildly against each other¡¯s in a passionate dance that only made my body burn hotter with my desire to be one with him. My hips writhed against him as his hands continued to knead and massage my breasts. It felt so good but I also wanted more from him. I was panting hard by the time that he finally broke our kiss, and my mind was in aplete daze. I sucked in a breath when his hands slowly traced their way down the curves of my body from my breasts down to my waist and then even lower.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± I moaned with extreme satisfaction when I felt his hand burying itself in between my upper thighs.


    I sat up on my knees and lifted my hips a little before spreading my legs to grant his hand easier ess to my throbbing wet pussy. A wave of bliss washed over me when I finally felt Ace¡¯s exploring fingers pressing up against the hot wet mess in between my legs. I closed my eyes and moaned at the exquisite pleasure of finally being touched there.


    ¡°Your pussy is flooded. I guess you really want this¡­¡± Ace murmured.


    .....


    I nodded my head before all I could do was moan from the pleasure of his fingers moving against my wet opening. His thick and long fingers skillfully stroked along my wet entrance as my hips rocked against them in an attempt of feel even more pleasure. His fingers felt so hot against my pussy opening, and I wanted to feel them thrusting deep inside of me.


    ¡°Ace¡­please¡­¡± I pleaded sweetly.


    ¡°Can¡¯t wait anymore?¡± Ace asked knowingly.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­yes¡­¡± I moaned as I let the pleasure throbbing inside my core take over.


    Ace had thrusted a finger upward into my sopping wet hole and made me moan from the satisfaction of being filled. His finger began moving teasingly inside of my wetness as he felt around my insides. I could feel his finger rubbing against the sensitive walls of my pussy and my hips began moving and rocking as my pussy clenched hard around his finger.


    ¡°It feels very hot inside of you today¡­¡± Ace said observantly as his fingers continued wriggling inside of me.


    He was driving me crazy with my desire for him. I knew that he was teasing me and that he was enjoying himself immensely at my expense. Ace had given me just a taste of pleasure and that made me yearn for so much more like a greedy little girl.


    ¡°Ace¡­please¡­¡± I pleaded again as I felt tear sting the back of my eyes.


    ¡°What do you want, Rina?¡± he asked as if he didn¡¯t know what it was that I truly wanted.


    ¡°Please¡­put another finger¡­inside me¡­¡± I managed to say as I felt heat rush to my cheeks.


    ¡°Like this?¡± Ace asked innocently.


    ¡°Ahh¡­yes¡­¡± I moaned before biting hard on my lower lip to control the waves of pleasure that flooded my pleasure hole at the entrance of his other finger.


    Ace thrusted another finger inside of me and I moaned at the familiar sensation of my love entrance being stretched open. His fingers thrusted deeply into me and made my pussy quiver. I could feel my pussy getting wetter for him when he started thrusting his fingers in and out of my hole. My hips began moving in rhythm to the wild thrusting of his fingers as I moaned and cried out his name. The pleasure was driving me wild with lust as his fingers moved to unravel the tight knot deep inside of my throbbing core.


    It didn¡¯t take long for him to find the pleasure spot deep inside of me and began thrusting sharply against it. I bit down on my lower lip and moaned as my entire body writhed from overwhelming pleasure on hisp. I could feel Ace¡¯s intense gaze on me as he watched my every reaction. His fingers buried itself deep inside of my wet love hole as he thrusted faster and harder against my pleasure spot. I cried out his name and threw my head back as I felt my orgasm fast approaching.


    I¡¯m about to cum already¡­


    ¡°Ace¡­I¡¯m gonna cum¡­Ahhh!¡± I cried out as I felt like I was on the verge of losing my mindpletely.


    His fingers messed up my insides and flooded my love tunnel with heat. It felt like my insides were about to melt from the seductive touches of his fingers moving inside of me.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 297 - 297 Satisfying Our Needs

    297 Satisfying Our Needs


    I was on the verge of climaxing when I felt Ace¡¯s fingers slowly sliding out of my pussy hole. I whimpered as if in pain as the waves of pleasure slowly receded from my body. My pussy clenched wildly at the now empty void inside of me as dissatisfaction welled up inside of me.


    ¡°Lift your hips. I want to be inside you now, Rina¡­¡± Ace instructed in a voice think with lust.


    ¡°Ace¡­please¡­¡± I pleaded for him to take me.


    His hand urged me to lift my hips and then I felt the heat of his cock against my flooded opening. His cock felt so hard and so hot as it lodge itself at my entrance. He must have been very turned on all this time while he was ying around with me. I closed my eyes and moaned as I thought of the pleasure of being stretched and filled deep inside by his massively thick cock. Just thinking about him thrusting his gigantic cock into me made me want to cum.


    ¡°Lower your pussy onto my cock, Rina¡­¡± Ace instructed seductively.


    I did as we both wanted and slowly lowered my hips onto his upstanding cock. His names left my lips in a strangled cry as I felt his hot thickness slowly prating into my wet tunnel. His cock felt much hotter and much thicker than his fingers and so much more satisfying at the same time. Ace¡¯s hands gripped the sides of my hips before he thrusted his cock upwards all the way into me.


    ¡°Ahh! Ace¡­Ahh!¡± I cried out at the roughness of his thrust.


    Ace filled me up with his cock in a single thrust that buried his entire length into me. My pussy spasmed uncontrobly around his cock and it felt like I had just cum. His cock twitched a little inside of me before he began thrusting into me from below. His cock slid out of my hole before he rammed it all the way into me again. I cried out his name before I cried out incoherently with each thrust that mmed his cock all the way against my womb. I could feel his heat moving so fast and deep inside of me as each thrust seemed to mess me up inside.


    Ace¡¯s hands held my hips in ce as he concentrated on ploughing his cock upwards into my flooded pussy hole. The pleasure from his wild thrusts drove me crazy with my need and desire for him. My core felt hotter than before and all I could do was rock my body to match the rhythm of his animalistic thrusts as my pussy worked hard to ride on his cock.


    .....


    ¡°Your pussy feels hot inside¡­¡± Ace groaned before shoving his cock all the way into me over and over again.


    I wanted to tell him how good he was making me feel but I just couldn¡¯t form the words. All I managed to do was call out his name in between my loud and very lewd moans. His cock stirred up my wetness and made loud wet sounds echoed from where our sex pped against each other. My pussy was beyond wet at that point and I could feel another wave of my release threatening to overflow deep inside of me. The erotic look on Ace¡¯s face as he continued beating his cock deeply into me only worked to turn me on even more as I worked to clench my pussy tightly around his thick dick.


    ¡°It¡¯s so¡­good¡­Ahhh¡­Ace¡­¡± I moaned as my body writhed on hisp from the pleasure of feeling his cock hitting against my womb with each deep thrust.


    I wanted to cum again and I knew that I was very close to my release already. His cock beating into me like a blunt tool was starting to be too much for me to take. He was really doing an outstanding job of messing up my wet insides. My hips moved up and down as I rode his cock as my breasts jiggled around to match the movements of my body. Ace¡¯s hands reached down to squeeze my breasts and I cried out at the additional stimtion of my womanly flesh. His cock moved wildly inside of me, ramming against my pleasure spot expertly with each thrust.


    ¡°Ace¡­I¡¯m cumming¡­I can¡¯t¡­Ahh!¡± I cried out when I finally lost myself to my climax again.


    This climax felt much more intense than the one before, but I instinctively knew that Ace would make me climax again very soon. His cock felt so thick and so hard inside of me and that told me that he was far from done. If anything, it just felt like his cock had only grown bigger and longer inside of me.


    ¡°Arghh¡­Rina¡­¡± he groaned my name.


    His hands lifted me off of hisp while I whimpered weakly at the sensation of his cock slowly sliding out of my pussy. The wetness of my release squirted out of my unplugged hole when Acepletely removed his cock from me. I could feel it leaking out everywhere as it trickled down my thighs. I was panting hard when Aceid me onto the sofa on my back. His hands spread my legs wide open before he climbed on top of me.


    ¡°Let me fuck you hard, Rina¡­¡± Ace groaned.


    I moaned in anticipation of his entry as he positioned himself in between my legs. His cock looked so virile as it stood up proudly in between his legs. My pussy quivered at the thought of taking something of that size inside. I moaned his name softly when Ace positioned the thick head of his cock at my entrance.


    ¡°Ahh! Yes! Yes¡­Ace!¡± I cried out in pure amazement when I felt his cock screwing itself into me.


    Ace thrusted his hips forward and mmed his gigantic shaft forcefully into me. It felt so deep, and I felt soplete to be filled by him. Ace didn¡¯t give me a chance to get used to having him prate me from this new angle. He reared his hips back immediately before plunging his cock all the way back inside of my pussy.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 298 - 298 Better and Stronger

    298 Better and Stronger


    I cried out at the mix of pain and pleasure as my hips began moving beneath him to meet his thrusts halfway. His cock felt like it had reached a deeper part of me, and I was crying out wildly from the effects of his passionate attack. His hard love stick beat mercilessly into me until I thought that I would split into two. Ace was being way too rough with me, but I didn¡¯t seem to mind it all that much. Each stroke of his cock burying itself into me felt so wonderful. My hips rose up and down from the sofa to meet his thrusts and draw his cock even deeper into me.


    His cock hitting against my pleasure spot with each thrust drove me closer and closer to the edge. I knew that I would soon be at my limit, and I would climax once again. I could feel my head getting light and my legs going weak with each thrust. It wouldn¡¯t be too long before I lost myselfpletely to my intense orgasm. I never thought that I could want Ace so desperately like this. He groaned my name again and his cock seemed to twitch inside me. I wondered if he was also close to his release as well. I closed my eyes and moaned his name as I imagined being filled with his hot seed.


    ¡°Ace¡­I can¡¯t take it¡­I¡¯m going to cum¡­¡± I moaned sweetly.


    My hips lifted upwards and then I lifted my legs up and wrapped it around his hips to keep him closer to me. His cock felt unbearably hot inside of me and with one final thrust, he sent me over the edge. I came so hard crying out his name at my release before my mind went empty. My entire body spasmed beneath him as Ace continued thrusting his cock in and out of my hole.


    ¡°Rina¡­your pussy feels so good¡­¡± he moaned before thrusting his cock all the way into me again.


    My legs seemed to have lost all of its strength and Ace managed to untangle my legs from around his hips with ease. I let out a moan when he lifted my legs and moved his hips even closer to mine. He reared his hips back again before pumping his cock all the way into me. I cried out at the sensation of his cock hitting hard against my womb. My pussy felt much more sensitive than before after having cum so many times.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I cried out his name just as he thrusted his cock into me again.


    His rough thrusts felt endless and so did the waves of pleasure that entered my body with every single thrust of his cock into me. Ace¡¯s movements suddenly got rougher and more forceful than before. He pounded faster and harder into me and I could tell that he was already close to his release. I clenched my pussy tightly around his cock to heighten his pleasure. Ace let out a low growl and then I felt his cock twitching wildly into me.


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± he moaned my name when he finally came.


    .....


    The heat of his release gushed into me in waves as he filled me with his semen. I moaned and whimpered his name as my pussy greedily clenched wildly around his cock. Ace came so much into me, and I was happy to take it all in. I let him fill me up with his seed to his heart¡¯s content. He sweated so much that his entire back was wet when I hugged him to me. After a moment, Ace stilled on top of me. I felt so wasted and tired from our rough lovemaking but I also felt extremely satisfied at the very same time. I wondered if Ace felt the same way as I did as I ran my hand slowly across his broad muscr back.


    ¡­


    I didn¡¯t remember how I got into Ace¡¯s bed the night before after we made intense love on the sofa. However, since I did wake up in his bed, I figured that Ace must have carried me there after I had fallen asleep. My lower body felt sore and very well used from our vigorous exercise the night before. Ace was no where to be found by the time that I opened my eyes. I could still smell him and that told me that he did spend the night with me in bed. It was still early in the morning, but he was already up and about.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called for him as I quickly got out of bed.


    Not surprisingly, I waspletely naked. Grabbing a robe and wrapping it around my body, I made my way out of the bedroom in search for Ace. I wished that luck would be on my side and that he would still be in. There was no doubt that today would be as busy if not busier than yesterday now that themercial hadunched. Because of that, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Ace was already on his way to the office or already there.


    When I arrived at the living room, Ace was already fully dressed in his suit and he looked more than ready to leave. He seemed refreshed and very ready to take on the day. I found myself smiling at the sight of him looking very energetic. There was just so much positive vibe about him that I couldn¡¯t help but feel affected.


    ¡°You¡¯re up very early. Are you going to head to the office already?¡± I asked although I pretty much thought that I knew the answer.


    ¡°Yup. I figured that it¡¯ll be better if I get in extra early today. You don¡¯t have to rush, though. Juste in on time,¡± Ace replied before winking at me.


    That was probably his way of telling me that he wasn¡¯t willing to wait for me to get dressed and ready for work. I hadn¡¯t expected for him to wait for me or for us to turn up to the office together so that didn¡¯t hurt me in any way.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 299 - 299 Contagious Optimism

    299 Contagious Optimism


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name softly as I approached him.


    I stood up on my tiptoes and ced a sweet little kiss on his lips. Ace seemed slightly surprised, but he did end up smiling charmingly my way. That felt like one of the best rewards that I could ever have asked for.


    ¡°Good luck at work. I¡¯ll be seeing you soon¡­¡± I told him with a smile.


    ¡°No need to rush yourself too much. There¡¯s still time,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Should I get you coffee or something when I get in?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No need. Let¡¯s hope that we can get some proper lunch instead¡­¡± he replied as he headed for the door.


    I watched as Ace left and the door closed behind him. Being left alone in his ce felt slightly lonely and for a moment I had the urge to quickly get dressed and rush to the office. Instead, I took Ace¡¯s advice to take my time and rx a little. I did wake up too early in the morning so I did happen to have some time on my hands. I wondered how Julianna and her team were fairing after what appeared to be quite a heavy night of drinking and partying at that bar. If Ace was going to be in the office early, then Julianna and her team better get there earlier.


    Suddenly, I felt the urge to stretch and raised my arms over my head before twisting my waist to enjoy a good round of stretching. I didn¡¯t want to admit it, but things were going to get busier at work. In fact, I suspected that Ace and the team would be busy all the way until the official end of the project and the announcement of the Ashfordpetition winner. Hopefully that winner would be none other than us but to make sure that that would turn out to be the case, everyone probably had to keep pushing up until thest minute.


    While taking a quick shower and dressing up, I began thinking about what I could possibly do to help Ace and the team. My role was quite limited now because the scope had progressed out of my hands. I was sure that there would be many things that I could learn just from observing and being present. I could learn many things from Julianna and her team on marketing and also many things from Ace on how he managed a project of this scale.


    .....


    The weather outside was decently nice when I finally stepped out of the building. Although Ace had told me that he didn¡¯t want anything and hoped that we would have time for a proper lunch together instead, I suspected that a proper lunch or a lunch of any form my not being out way. To be safe rather than sorry, I decided to drop by a caf¨¦ to get us coffee and something that we could munch on for lunch. I had a hunch that things would get very busy for Ace today and didn¡¯t want him to skip out on his meal.


    Despite the little detour, I still arrived a little earlier than the official start of the workday. Manyrge groups of people had gathered in front of our office building and also in the lobby as well. I didn¡¯t need to hear the conversations that they were having to know that they were talking about theunch of ourmercial. Project Alpha really was a big thing every year and this year the project received even more attention from the staff probably because of Ace¡¯s announcement to step down after itspletion.


    I was sure that everyone who was paying any attention has seen ourmercial from at least one of the many channels where it was being disyed. In case anyone is able to miss out on that, thepany had made sure that all employees stepping into the office would see themercial at least once by having it y on therge screen in the lobby on repeat all day long.


    The overall mood was cheerful and festive. It felt as if we had already won thepetition although thest and final phase had just started. As I walked along in the lobby, I could catch various parts of the other employee¡¯s conversations. Most werepliments and overly optimistic things. It felt great to hear that ourmercial could motivate the rest of the people working at thepany as well.


    ¡°We should book out a ce to celebrate our victory way in advance¡­¡± a woman who seemed to be around my age said to her colleagues.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯re definitely winning again this year,¡± another replied.


    ¡°How can we not win with amercial like that. I heard that Ace has been working on it himself every single step of the way too¡­¡± a man chimed in followed by a loudugh.


    I found myself smiling a little as I silently walked past them towards the elevators. The mood would only get more festive when we actually win thepetition. Suddenly, their optimism made me feel so certain of the result of thepetition. The elevator quickly brought me up to the CEO¡¯s office where I knew that Julianna and Ace must be manning the war room in case something were to happen.


    If I had anything to fear about the effects ofst night¡¯s party on Julianna or any of her team members, all my fears were all unnecessary. I entered the war room to find Julianna and her team in perfectly functioning condition. In fact, they seemed even more focused on the work at hand than ever before. Julianna sat in front of manyrge monitors as she seemed to be monitoring the performance of themercial. She looked perfectly sober and had a slight frown in between her brows as she focused.


    ¡°Good morning¡­¡± I greeted everyone politely.


    ¡°Good morning. Are you feeling better?¡± Julianna asked without tearing her eyes away from the monitor that she was staring at.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 300 - 300 Calm Before the Storm

    300 Calm Before the Storm


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thank you. How is everything going?¡± I asked.


    Julianna must have been referring to the fact that I had to leave the party early. In all honestly, I was as fine as I could be physically. Emotionally, the problem that I was facing wouldn¡¯t be over until this project was over. In a sense, I was just a victim of time and Ace¡¯s merciless attempt to keep everything from me.


    ¡°So far so good. It could have been better¡­¡± Julianna mumbled before biting on her lower lip.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± I asked as I suddenly felt like something was off.


    ¡°Julianna¡¯s just not happy with the viewing stats. There¡¯s nothing to worry about yet, it¡¯s still morning¡­¡± Ace replied calmly.


    I turned to see him sitting at the head of the table in a rxed manner. It didn¡¯t seem like I missed out on a lot of action early in the morning. Julianna was clearly on edge but I was sure that a major part of that was due to her high expectations of everything rather than the actual performance of themercial. If Ace thought that things were progressing well, then they must be.


    ¡°Is Jeremy in yet?¡± I asked when I failed to spot him in the war room.


    ¡°He came in earlier but headed out to buy some coffee for the team,¡± a member of Julianna¡¯s team replied with a grin.


    ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± I mumbled.


    .....


    That reminded me that I bought coffee for Ace. He seemed quite busy reading something although the atmosphere around him seemed quite calm. I approached him before taking a seat next to his. Ace nced over my way briefly while his lips curved into a little smile. He didn¡¯t say anything to me, though.


    ¡°Here¡¯s coffee for you and some food. You know, in case things get busy and lunch isn¡¯t possible¡­¡± I told him before showing him a smile.


    ¡°Thank you, Rina. You¡¯re a wonderful secretary,¡± Aceplimented me softly so that his words were for my ears only.


    I looked around nervously to make sure that no one else caught what he had just said. It wasn¡¯t at all like Ace topliment anyone so sweetly like this. Thankfully, everyone seemed so busy with their work that no one paid attention to us at all. I let out a sigh of relief before turning my attention back to Ace who had started drinking his coffee.


    ¡°Is everything really, ok?¡± I asked without being able to stop myself.


    ¡°Well, everything seems to be progressing smoothly. The stats from yesterday aren¡¯t bad if you ask me but Julianna has a different view on that. It¡¯s just the first day so we need to keep on monitoring. Today is the second day but it¡¯s still morning, we¡¯re not going to see any solid trends untilter in the day,¡± Ace exined smoothly.


    ¡°I see¡­that makes sense¡­¡± I replied while nodding my head slightly in agreement.


    Ace shed me a smile before turning his attention to hisptop screen. I could tell that he was working on something else that had nothing to do with Project Alpha and that reminded me that Ace was a very busy person. I wondered if there was something that I could do to help out the team and then quickly noticed that there was probably nothing that I could do that would be of use right at that moment.


    The door to the war room swung open and a flustered-looking Jeremy walked in with bags of coffee in both his hands. His face was slightly red and it was clear that he had hurried back from his errand. Everyone¡¯s mood seemed to brighten up when they saw Jeremy because that meant that their coffee had arrived. I watched as Jeremy passed out coffee to everyone based on their orders.


    ¡°Good morning, Jeremy¡­¡± I greeted him with a smile.


    ¡°Good morning. Seems like we¡¯re in for a busy day today¡­¡± he replied with a smile.


    ¡°Well, I guess so¡­¡± I said lightly.


    ¡°Jeremy, can youe over here and take a look at this for a second. Is this part meant to be like this here?¡± Julianna called Jeremy over.


    He quickly went to her side and soon the two of them were engaged in a deep conversation that seemed to take up their entire attention span. I wondered if something was wrong but then decided to leave it to the two of them to figure out. I sat next to Ace in silence so that I wouldn¡¯t disturb anyone. Although everyone else had something to do, I didn¡¯t have anything to do at all. Just when I thought that it might be better for me to clear up some of my secretarial work, Ace turned to me.


    ¡°Rina, you don¡¯t have to be here if you have something else to do. This is a little like the calm before the storm, so I suggest that you take this opportunity to clear up whatever you need to do so that you¡¯ll have time and energy to focus when the timees,¡± Ace instructed calmly.


    ¡°I see. I guess you do have a point. I should do that¡­¡± I readily agreed.


    ¡°Good. Don¡¯t worry, Julianna or I¡¯ll let you know when you are needed here,¡± he told me with a firm nod of his head.


    I hesitated a little to leave and it must have showed because Ace gave me a reassuring smile. I pursed my lips together and nodded my head at him once before gathering my things and leaving the war room. The truth was, I had some work to clear out and this might be the right opportunity to do so.


    ¡­


    Ace was right about that little break in the day being the calm before the storm and I was right about a proper lunch being an unrealistic urrence for that day. I returned to the war room at around lunch time to find everyone still working. The atmosphere in the war room felt substantially heavier than it was in the morning.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 301 - 301 Not Good Enough

    301 Not Good Enough


    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked Jeremy in a whisper.


    Out of all the people in the room, I felt like Jeremy seemed most ready to talk to me and to update me on what was going on. Jeremy turned to me before heaving a sigh.


    ¡°The numbers came in regarding the donations and let¡¯s just say that they¡¯re not great¡­¡± Jeremy disclosed with a distressed look on his face.


    ¡°But I thought¡­¡± I murmured before trailing off.


    ¡°The other stats are fine. Views and all that. The initial scoring isn¡¯t bad either but donations are very t¡­¡± Jeremy said before urging me to take a seat next to him.


    I did just that and then he turned hisptop screen my way to show me the report that was opened on the screen. My eyes quickly scanned the report before stopping at the chart that showed the donation amount. Just as Jeremy had just told me, the chart was pretty much t and that was a big problem.


    ¡°Do we know why?¡± I asked as I felt my brows knit together in a deep frown.


    ¡°Not yet. Julianna and everyone is trying to figure it out but¡­¡± Jeremy replied before ending with a sigh.


    I didn¡¯t even dare look in Ace¡¯s direction because I didn¡¯t want to see any signs of stress on his face. There were countless possibilities as to why the donation figures may not pick up. The worst part was that it may or may not be directly rted to themercial. We could have the bestmercial possible but the donations may still not pour in. There were just too many external factors that influenced the amount of donations such as macroeconomic factors and other factors that directly and indirect affected people¡¯s disposable ie. In that sense, it just felt so useless for us to try to fix this problem. We could spend so much time diagnosing it and fixing it but stille up against a wall with no clear results at all.


    .....


    ¡°This is not good¡­¡± I mumbled more to myself than to Jeremy.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. This is indeed not good¡­¡± Jeremy replied sadly in agreement.


    ¡°There¡¯s still time, though. Is there a chance that donations will start pouring inter on?¡± I asked while still daring to hope.


    ¡°That¡¯s not usually how it works. Usually, the highest amount of donations would pour in on the first or next few days from theunch. Basically, the logic is that people who would donate would donate since the beginning. If they don¡¯t donate then they probably won¡¯t donate anything all the way until the end of the campaign,¡± Jeremy exined.


    I stared at the t graph on the screen while thinking that what he said made a lot of sense. Those who saw themercial and wanted to make contributions to the campaign would have done it already. Seeing themercial a second or third time probably won¡¯t change or sway their decision much if at all.


    ¡°What do you think Ace will do?¡± I asked in wonder.


    ¡°I have no clue to be honest. He¡¯s aware of the issue already but he hasn¡¯t said anything yet. Julianna on the hand is going crazy with her team over there in that corner¡­¡± Jeremy said while pointing his index figure to a corner of the war room.


    My eyes followed his finger to see a crowd huddled together in a corner of the room. People were discussing something in hushed tones. Now and then, I would hear some words from Julianna and the stress in her voice was clearly evident.


    ¡°Is there something that we can do to help out?¡± I asked hopefully.


    ¡°I suggest we sit still for a bit and let them figure out their first move to fix this. They¡¯re probably stressed out enough with how the figures are. If they need our help, they¡¯ll ask for sure¡­¡± Jeremy suggested before reaching out his hand and patting me softly on my shoulder.


    ¡°I guess there¡¯s not much that we designers can do¡­¡± I mumbled self-depreciatingly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t sound so sad and put some more trust in your team members. They¡¯ll figure something out¡­¡± Jeremy said with confidence.


    I wanted to believe that everything would turn out well as well. Just like Jeremy, I wanted to put my trust in Julianna and the other team members. Most of all, I wanted to ce my trust in Ace. I nced over at Ace to see him standing up from his seat. I blinked in surprise when it looked like he was about to leave the room.


    ¡°I¡¯m going out for a walk¡­¡± Ace dered as if to answer everyone¡¯s unasked question.


    I stared at Ace along with everyone else in the room. For a moment, everyone¡¯s attention was on Ace and that was why he had to exin further what he had in mind. I could be wrong but Ace didn¡¯t seem that disturbed by the grim news as the other people in the room.


    ¡°I¡¯m not getting any good ideas from just sitting here so I¡¯m going to step out for a while. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be back shortly,¡± he informed everyone reassuringly.


    ¡°Enjoy your walk¡­¡± Julianna said before she snapped her fingers at her other team members for them to return to focus on the work at hand.


    The door opened and closed after Ace left the room. I was left feeling confused while sitting next to Jeremy. I closed my eyes and let out another sigh while thinking that I hadpletely lost count of the number of times that I¡¯d sighed that day.


    ¡°Do we happen to know how ourpetitors are doing?¡± I asked.


    After all, this was apetition and that meant that we also had to care about the performance of ourpetitors. Our numbers may not be what we had hoped for but it may be enough if ourpetitors are doing worst.


    ¡°No idea. No reports or anything hase in yet. Julianna¡¯s team member is trying to do some kind of assessment but the numbers are not in yet either,¡± Jeremy replied.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 302 - 302 Separate Discovery

    302 Separate Discovery


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I murmured.


    There¡¯s just got to be something that I can do. Something more than just sitting around and waiting¡­


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Jeremy asked.


    Without knowing where I was going, I had already stood up from my seat. I felt so useless just sitting there in the war room without knowing how to help the team. Maybe Ace felt the same way and that was why he got up and left.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± I mumbled an honest reply.


    I had no idea where Ace went but if I went after him now, I might be able to catch up to him. With that thought in mind, I headed for the door. Even if I couldn¡¯t find Ace, taking a walk outside or going out to observe the audiences might help. Luck wasn¡¯t on my side, and I couldn¡¯t find Ace on the floor that we were on anymore. After heaving a sigh, I was forced to admit that I had probably lost him, and he had probably headed to another floor in the building. Either that, or he headed out of the officepletely.


    My hand clutched at my phone tightly as I hesitated about giving Ace a call. I knew that he was working and thinking hard now on how to crack the problem at hand and that made me hesitate to disturb him. Without knowing it, I had started pacing up and down the hallway as my mind raced to think of what I should do. My hand still held my phone tightly and I continued to hesitate about getting in touch with Ace.


    I didn¡¯t want to disturb him¡­but¡­


    With a resigned sigh, I gave myself the excuse that it probably wouldn¡¯t disturb him too much if I just sent him a text instead of calling him. If he didn¡¯t want to see me then he can just ignore my text. Before I lost my nerve, I started typing a short text on my phone before sending it to him.


    .....


    ¡®Where are you?¡¯


    After spending a while staring at my phone screen and waiting for Ace¡¯s reply, I realized that an immediate reply was probably unrealistic. Ace was probably busy and I should find something productive to do while I waited for the arrival of his reply, whenever that may be. I stared out of the window and looked down below at the busy road where cars were driving by and many people were walking along the footpath.


    Suddenly, it felt like the right move to be outside. Clearly, the answers that we were looking for wasn¡¯t hidden within the walls of this office building. It might be a bold move, but I guessed that there was nothing wrong with taking a blunt and direct approach to at least understanding the problem. Before I could change my mind, I quickly took the elevator down to exit the building.


    If I wasn¡¯t wrong, the closest location that our advertisement was being yed in public would be a short walk from here in the middle of the business district. The sidewalk was filled with people walking along busily when I arrived outside. The sun also felt brighter than usual but the wind felt quite nice. I began walking in the direction where ourmercial was being disyed.


    The walk there took slightly longer than I had initially anticipated, and I had to pause to catch my breath a little when I finally arrived there. Unlike that first day in the shopping district, there wasn¡¯t a crowd of audience in front of therge screen where ourmercial was ying on repeat. Unlike the buzz of the young and free crowd that were hanging out in the shopping district, the crowd here were probably too busy with work and just getting through the day to even pay any close attention to ourmercial.


    I took in a breath and let out a sigh when I realized that it would be harder to interview anyone like this. Different audience groups always have different characteristics and also served different purposes in the sess of a campaign. I knew that although young audiences are easier to reach than older ones, the younger audiences are the least likely to make any donations simply because of the low disposable ie that they had on hand. Most had not started working for real yet and didn¡¯t have money to spare to donate to any cause.


    On the other hand, older and more affluent audiences have the money to donate. The challenge is reaching them and capturing their attention long enough for them to want to support the cause. With their busy schedule at work or with life in general, it was hard to get even a fraction of their time. I stood around for a while in front of therge screen as I observed the reactions of the people passing by to ourmercial.


    To say that most people were not interested in ourmercial might not be exactly urate. It was more like they didn¡¯t have the time to stop by to watch it. I had thought that I might be able to talk to a few audiences and get some insights on their views of making donations, but things didn¡¯t quite work out the way that I had nned.


    Suddenly, my phone started vibrating in my hand and I looked down to see that I had received a text message from Ace. I wondered if he had already returned to the war room after taking his walk to think. It seemed likely enough that that would be the case. Surprisingly, the message that I got from Ace exactly mirrored my own.


    ¡®Where are you?¡¯


    I quickly typed up a reply and sent it to him. After that, I clutched at my phone while I stared at the screen as I waited eagerly for his reply. Even though I knew that there was a high chance that Ace would reply immediately, I was still surprised when my phone vibrated and the text that he sent to me was disyed on the screen.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 303 - 303 Going Easy on Me

    303 Going Easy on Me


    I gasped as I covered my mouth with my hand when I saw Ace¡¯s short message that told me to wait for him where I was because he was going toe over and see me. Instinctively, I turned around and started scanning the crowd of people walking by as if I expected to see Ace among them. He had just sent the message, so it didn¡¯t make sense for him to be here already. Although I knew that very well, I couldln¡¯t stop myself from looking around in search for him as my heart began racing faster in my chest.


    The moment of excitement quickly past and was reced by a slight sense of dread when I thought of how unfruitful my attempt was ining here. Ace would probably ask me questions and I didn¡¯t want to tell him just how useless my attempt had been. My mind quickly raced to think of something to tell him that wouldn¡¯t sound too unimpressive. Some passerby gave me curious looks as they walked past me while I shifted nervously from one foot to another. Time seemed to tick by at a slower pace as I stood there waiting for Ace to make his appearance.


    It didn¡¯t take long until I spotted Ace approaching me. He was either close to this ce or he walked from the office at a much faster pace than I did earlier. Ace lifted a hand up and waved in my direction. I lifted my hand and waved back to him hesitantly as I tried to put on my best smile. He would probably ask me what I was doing here, and I didn¡¯t have anything impressive to tell him apart from my little failure of a mission. That dreadful thought didn¡¯t stop my heart from skipping a beat in excitement at seeing Ace.


    ¡°What are you doing out here?¡± he asked when he came to stand right in front of me.


    I knew it. I knew that he would ask me something like this right away.


    ¡°This is the closest spot where ourmercial is on disy¡­¡± I replied before pursing my lips together.


    Ace¡¯s eyes nced over at therge screen behind me before shifting back to rest on my face. He had a slightly thoughtful look on his face that made me feel like he was about to ask me more questions.


    ¡°So, why did you decide toe here?¡± he asked while sounding very casual.


    A few people walked past us as I tried to find the right words and hide the sense of dread at how unproductive I had been. I wondered if Ace had already figured out the next move for the team while I was just standing here.


    .....


    ¡°I thought that I might learn something from talking to the people who saw ourmercial here¡­¡± I replied in a small voice.


    Ace turned to look at the people that walked by without paying any attention to therge screen where ourmercial was ying before his eyes refocused on my face again. My throat felt dry, and I knew that he was going to ask me even more pressing questions.


    ¡°Did you find out anything useful?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. People here don¡¯t seem to pay much attention to themercial and since I¡¯ve been standing here, I haven¡¯t seen a single person stop to actually watch themercial. Because of that, I haven¡¯t had the chance to ask anyone any questions¡­¡± I admitted sadly.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s too bad but it isn¡¯t really your fault. No need to sound so down. When Julianna wanted to ce ourmercial here, I had already expected that things would turn out this way. She still wanted to give it a try, though¡­¡± Ace replied before he smiled a little my way.


    I knew that he was probably saying that in part to make me feel a little better. It surprised me how kind Ace had gotten and I didn¡¯t quite mind that he was going easy on me from time to time. Hopefully, he appreciated the fact that I tried even if my efforts didn¡¯t quite yield any useful results.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little sad that I didn¡¯t manage to learn anything, though. What about you? I bet your walk was more productive than mine¡­¡± I inquired with genuine interest.


    ¡°I would say so. I just stopped by the war room to talk to Julianna before joining you here,¡± he replied like it was nothing.


    ¡°Did youe up with any ideas?¡± I pressed further.


    ¡°I gathered some files for Julianna that might help her for reference. She¡¯s going through them now with her team so we can rx a little and expect great things,¡± Ace said before shing me a confident smile.


    ¡°Were there many past projects that needed to draw in donations just like this one?¡± I asked in wonder.


    Apart from the yearly Ashfordpetition where the amount of donations was part of the winning criteria, I haven¡¯t heard of manymercial projects that had this as a requirement. I wondered if there were other cases that may be useful aside from the what thepany worked on for the Ashfordpetition in the previous years.


    ¡°Not many but there are definitely a few that we did well on. Julianna was luckily involved in one of those projectsst year. Of course, because of how profit-oriented ourpany is we don¡¯t get to deal with this type of project all that often,¡± he replied while sounding quite regretful.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s a little more fun when you¡¯re not trying to hard sell anything in yourmercial, right?¡± I asked to see what Ace thought.


    After working with him for a while, I still wasn¡¯t quite sure what Ace preferred when it came to work. He was just so capable of anything that it seemed like he could make any project work out. On top of that, he had been working on all projects as demanded by thepany¡¯s key clients regardless of their nature. Surely, there has been a good mix of projects; however, most of them are aimed at pushing sales of products or services.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 304 - 304 Never Too Busy for a Date

    304 Never Too Busy for a Date


    ¡°I guess¡­¡± Ace replied vaguely.


    I nodded my head slightly as I turned to stare up at therge screen. Themercial that we made looked so touching and beautiful up there that it made me feel sentimental about it. I was probably biased and saw more than what was actually there because I could vividly recall the hard work and all that we had to go through just to put that work up there on the screen like that.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head back to the office,¡± I suggested after turning to face Ace again.


    ¡°Are you free for dinner tonight?¡± he asked invitingly.


    I stared up into his face as my heart started to race from excitement. He was just asking me out for dinner, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel like it was something major. I was happy for a moment before I realized that with what was going on at work, it may not be the right time for us to go off on a dinner date together.


    ¡°Umm¡­are you sure that it¡¯s, ok?¡± I asked as I hesitated.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± he asked as if he couldn¡¯t understand why I was hesitating.


    ¡°Well, you know¡­with all the problem at work and all that¡­¡± I replied as I shifted a little nervously on my feet.


    Ace gave me a confused look before he chuckled in a very carefree manner. Suddenly, it seemed like I was worried about nothing at all. I wanted desperately to believe that everything was fine, and that Julianna would work something out based on Ace¡¯s advice just as he had told me.


    .....


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m sure that we¡¯ll work something out before the end of the workday. I n to chase everyone except Julianna and her team back home at the end of the day anyways. There¡¯s no point in having everyone camping out in the war room if all we can do is wait for the next set of numbers toe in,¡± he replied as he offered me his hand.


    ¡°I truly hope so¡­¡± I murmured.


    ¡°Do you want to drop by and buy something to eat before heading back? You haven¡¯t really eaten, right?¡± he asked knowingly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do that¡­¡± I replied decisively.


    I was worried about the project more than I let on. While walking back to the office, I made a silent oath to myself that I was going to help Julianna with whatever I could so that I could rest easyter in the evening when I went out with Ace for our dinner date. If I can make sure that Julianna had concrete next steps for what she wanted to do to handle the situation, then I could rest easy and enjoy my dinner with Ace and that would be like killing two birds with one stone.


    ¡°Wee back¡­¡± Julianna said without looking our way when we entered the room.


    No one seemed surprised that Ace and I returned to the war room together but since none of them asked any questions, I just focused on acting normal. Ace took his seat while I chose to sit next to Jeremy. The atmosphere in the war room was as intense as it was before I left. Julianna and her team seemed more focused than ever on their work. I wondered whether they have figured something out from the files that Ace had given them.


    ¡°That took you a while¡­¡± Jeremy mumbled.


    ¡°Oh, I went out. Actually, I wanted to snoop around and ask some of our viewers for their opinions but that didn¡¯t quite work out,¡± I replied regretfully.


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked curiously for more details.


    ¡°Well, you know, the closest spot that ourmercial is showing is actually just down the street, right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yup, I¡¯ve walked past there but just only once before,¡± Jeremy replied.


    ¡°I went there and discovered that no one around here pays any attention to ourmercial. I guess, just like us office workers, everyone is too busy with their lives to pay any attention to amercial ying on the side of the road. Everyone just walked past it without a care. I mean it, I was standing there for a while, and no one even gave it a nce¡­¡± I grumbled.


    Although I tried my best to sound neutral and professional about it, I knew that it probably sounded like I wasining. Jeremy listened to me intently before his brows creased in a frown that made his face appear years older than he actually was.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean toe across so gloomy. Anyways, because of that, I didn¡¯t get a chance to talk to anyone and I didn¡¯t learn anything useful. Basically, it was all just a waste of time except that I got a good chance to exercise from walking there and walking all the way back,¡± I said beforeughing to disguise how fowl my mood had be just from recalling my failed mission.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. I haven¡¯t had much luck in helping out the team either. Ace seemed to have found something useful and had given it to Julianna and her team already. I¡¯m sure that they can figure something out soon enough,¡± Jeremy replied as he always tried to smile.


    ¡°Ace seems very confident that Julianna will figure something out too. I think out of all of us, Ace is the calmest about all this¡­¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s clearly been through situations like this much more often than we have. Plus, we still have time before the end of thepetition. It has pretty much just started,¡± Jeremy said before he turned to refocus on hisptop screen.


    ¡°I guess so¡­¡± I mumbled while still feeling very worried inside.


    Jeremy tried his best to smile at me but I could tell that he was also very worried about the project. Just like me, he was busy trying not to let all of his worries show. I felt like I understood him best because I was in a very simr situation and feeling pretty much the same thing that he did.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 305 - 305 Smells Like Trouble

    305 Smells Like Trouble


    Suddenly, my phone started vibrating on the table in front of me. The vibrations caught Jeremy¡¯s attention as well and that made me quickly grab my phone in my hand. Jeremy¡¯s attention returned to his work while I clutched my phone in my hand as my heart started to race and it wasn¡¯t from joy. It was brief but I was quite certain that I had seen Kyle¡¯s name on my phone screen.


    Why is he calling me?


    I told him not to call me anymore and it had seemed that he was doing well on that deal. My brows furrowed together as I stared at my phone which was still vibrating in my hand. Instinctively, I started to feel extremely guilty, and my eyes nced over at Ace who was sitting at his usual seat at the head of the long meeting table. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what Kyle was calling me about; however, there was no chance in hell that I would answer a call from Kyle right in front of Ace while my other colleagues were sitting with me in the same room.


    I must have been staring at Ace for a while as my phone continued vibrating in my hand because our eyes met. I felt so startled and had to look away from him immediately. In my panic, I quickly declined Kyle¡¯s call. There was no way that I could answer the call anyways and I had no intention and no good reason to.


    Since Kyle had gotten out of my hair and left me alone, my life with Ace had been decently peaceful. Of course, there were still things that Ace hasn¡¯t told me but I didn¡¯t have to deal with as many doubts and insecurities like I did when Kyle was involved. I had no idea what his rtionship with Elizabeth was like, but it seemed tooplex for my liking and I didn¡¯t want to get involved.


    I nced over at Ace to find him looking at me with a lightly curious look on his face and that made my heart leap in my chest. It took a lot of effort but I somehow managed to ster a smile on my face that I hoped looked natural and normal. If Ace thought that something was off, he didn¡¯t ask me about it or pursue the matter any further and I was so thankful for that. I stared down at my phone before breathing out a sigh of relief when Kyle did not give me another call.


    Before I might get another call from Kyle, I decided to shove my phone into my bag where it would remain out of sight. With that out of the way, I stood up from my seat and walked over to where Julianna was working with her team. It was high time that I tried to do something to help them out. I had not forgotten the little promise that I made to myself on the way back to the office. Despite feeling slightly shaken by Kyle¡¯s call, it didn¡¯t take me long to gather my wits together and soon I was looking forward to my dinner date with Ace.


    ¡°Hey¡­how is it going?¡± I asked softly.


    ¡°Not too bad, I guess. Do you want to have a look at our new n? It might be good to get some thoughts from you,¡± Julianna replied as she turned to face me.


    .....


    ¡°Oh, in that case, maybe I should call Jeremy over too. Might as well get this done together,¡± I suggested.


    At Julianna¡¯s nod of agreement, I raised my hand and waved in Jeremy¡¯s direction as I called out his name to get his attention. Jeremy directed his attention in my direction immediately before getting out of his seat and heading over to our side. We bent over to stare at the monitor as indicated by Julianna. I had to say that Ace was right that Julianna would figure something out.


    ¡°You guys came out with all this in such a short time¡­¡± I murmured in amazement.


    ¡°This is quite detailed¡­¡± Jeremy chimed in.


    ¡°I know, right? This isn¡¯t bad given the time that we had, right?¡± Julianna said confidently.


    ¡°Can we really put this all into ce by tomorrow?¡± Jeremy asked curiously.


    I had my own doubts as well. Julianna¡¯s n involved a lot of social media marketing that may help improve on the donations by directly linking the audiences to their online payment channels where they can make their donations directly. It seemed like a good idea and also incorporated a smoother journey for the audiences toplete their donation. However, it was clear that a lot of work was involved in setting it all up.


    ¡°We don¡¯t really have another choice so we¡¯re going to try our best¡­¡± Julianna said before gesturing to her team members.


    ¡°Editing themercial and making graphics out of it to make it suitable for social media is going to take some time but we have all night¡­so yeah¡­¡± one of Julianna¡¯s team members said beforeughing a little.


    Although the situation seemed dire, it was clear that everyone on Julianna¡¯s team was in high spirits. From the looks and sounds of it, the whole team would probably be staying over at the office or at least tillte at night or early in the morning.


    ¡°We just need to push through this and then we can go partying after this is all over and done with. They¡¯ll be a big party and hopefully some big bonuses as well when we win thispetition,¡± Julianna said as her eyes sparkled.


    ¡°I really hope so. I feel like we really deserve it at this point after all the work that we¡¯ve put in¡­¡± I agreed softly.


    ¡°Did you hear that, Boss? We¡¯re all looking forward to a very big bonus,¡± Julianna said as she turned to look at Ace.


    Ace looked up briefly from hisputer screen before his gaze went immediately back to focus on the work in front of him.


    ¡°It¡¯s still a long way until the end of the year¡­¡± he replied quite simply.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 306 - 306 Ignoring Signs

    306 Ignoring Signs


    ¡°Sometimes, I just wish that he would be a little more encouraging¡­¡± Julianna hissed aint.


    Iughed a little at her as she rolled her eyes. Ace did not respond and the team went back to work. Jeremy made somements and suggestions here and there while I made some suggestions of my own. I looked forward to seeing how things will turn out tomorrow. Hopefully, things will turn around for the better and we would see some outstanding results. Now that I felt a little at ease that there would be some kind of progress, I felt less guilty about going out to dinner with Ace. It wasn¡¯t like we could help with any of the work even if we stayedter in the office.


    I let out a sigh when I realized that Ace was right again when he told me that we should simply leave things in Julianna¡¯s capable hands. It was clear to me that she knew what she was doing and if things didn¡¯t quite go as nned, I was sure that Ace would step in to help her fix it. After a few more hours of working, the official workday came to an end. As if on cue, Julianna stood up and stretched her arms above her head boldly.


    ¡°You guys can leave. Seriously, we¡¯ll be fine here¡­¡± she said before shing everyone a bright and confident smile.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked in small voice.


    ¡°Yup. We¡¯ll handle this. Honestly, there¡¯s not much that you can help with so there¡¯s no point in wasting your time. Don¡¯t stay here and just go home. Something might turn up that will require your effort tomorrow, so you¡¯ll need the energy for that,¡± Julianna replied.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any ns for tonight so I can stay with you guys¡­¡± Jeremy volunteered almost at once.


    ¡°No need. Just go home and catch up on some sleep or something. Better yet, you can go out drinking in our ce, so we feel better about camping here tonight,¡± Julianna replied with augh.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Jeremy asked with clear concern.


    .....


    Now that the time had arrived, I still felt quite guilty for leaving Julianna and her team to handle and deal with everything. Of course, she was right about the fact that there wasn¡¯t much that I could do even if I stayed the night here with them. I couldn¡¯t do graphics work and I had no experience with social media marketing. Clearly, it wasn¡¯t a skill that I could pick up and put to work overnight. I thought about the dinner date that I had nned with Ace, and I suddenly started to feel even more guilty than before.


    ¡°It¡¯s as Julianna said. The truth is if irrelevant people stay here, we would end up as inconveniences. To put it bluntly, we will get in her way. With that being said, everyone who is not formally a part of Julianna¡¯s team, please just go home¡­¡± Ace ordered bluntly to put an end to our conversation.


    His authoritative tone told everyone that the conversation must end there and that there wasn¡¯t any room for debate or negotiations. Jeremy closed hisptop and shoved it into his bag before standing up from his seat. I quickly did the same and after that the rest of the people who were not on Julianna¡¯s team also got up and left. Ace was the first one out of the door as if he wanted us to swiftly follow his example. Everyone basically did that as they filed out of the war room in silence.


    I took onest nce at Julianna, and she shed me a smile before she shrugged carelessly like there was nothing that she couldn¡¯t handle. I mouthed the words ¡®thank you¡¯ before I also left the war room. By that time, Ace was nowhere to be seen but I figured that he would be waiting for me at his car in the parking lot. I reached for my phone to check it and was surprised to find multiple miscalls from Kyle. I didn¡¯t think that he would give me another call after that. On top of that, there was a text from Kyle as well.


    ¡®Call me back¡¯


    That was all the text said. Almost reflexively, I deleted the text without even thinking about it. Although I was curious about what Kyle wanted, I didn¡¯t want him to stir up any more trouble between me and Ace. I also told myself that any issues that he had with Elizabeth wasn¡¯t my problem and that I should avoid getting into contact with him. With my mind made up, I decided to ignore Kyle and act like nothing had happened while I headed to meet up with Ace at his car.


    ¡­


    It didn¡¯t surprise me that our destination for dinner was a surprise. On the contrary, it made me feel oddly excited. Leaving the office with Ace in his car made me breathe a little easier. It felt like I had regained a bit of my freedom and could leave the trouble at work behind me even if it was just for a while. Ace did not volunteer any information on where we were headed. I had gotten quite used to Ace surprising me with various fancy and private restaurants for our dates that I didn¡¯t bother to press him on where he was taking me.


    ¡°Are you hungry?¡± he asked me casually.


    ¡°A little¡­¡± I replied honestly.


    ¡°The food is good at this restaurant. I think that you will like it,¡± Ace said lightly before he offered me a warm smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to have something to look forward to especially after a busy day, I guess¡­¡± I said followed by a softugh.


    The atmosphere in the car was unexpectedly peaceful and it felt like all the stress that had urred during the day had already worn offpletely. I truly enjoyed Ace¡¯spany even thought we didn¡¯t share much talk during our drive to the restaurant. Just being with him and sitting next to him in his car felt satisfying enough for me.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 307 - 307 Not Just Us

    307 Not Just Us


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Ace announced after he had parked the car.


    I watched as he got out before opening the car door to get out myself. Ace was by my side when I stepped out of the car, and he readily offered me his hand for support. I wasn¡¯t wearing particrly high heels, so it wasn¡¯t much of an issue getting out of the car; however, I took his hand without hesitation. To my surprise, the ce that Ace had chosen didn¡¯t seem like such a private or hidden ce at all. Unlike the other restaurants that he took me to on our secret dates, I found myself standing in front of a very tall hotel building.


    ¡°Is the restaurant in there?¡± I asked to confirm my understanding of the situation.


    ¡°Yup. This way¡­¡± Ace replied as he tugged on my hand for me to follow after him.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect when I followed Ace into the lobby of the very luxurious-looking hotel but I got the feeling that something private wasn¡¯t something that Ace had in mind for our dinner tonight. We were greeted by a man dressed in a smart suit who seemed to be a manager of the hotel. It was clear that he was expecting us.


    ¡°This way please, I have everything set up for you,¡± he readily informed Ace.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ace thanked the man quite passively.


    Suddenly, everything started to feel very nned and very formal. A slight feeling of worry started to form in the pit of my stomach when I sensed that this date wasn¡¯t quite like our usual one. I was still very concerned about people finding out that we were dating and Ace was aware of that as well. Plus, the deal with his father was still on and for that, we had to keep our rtionship a secret. I cocked my head to the side in confusion as I wondered why Ace didn¡¯t seem to care much about that for our date today.


    The sense of foreboding that had grown inside of me worsened when the manager led us to a table with a great view. Theck of privacy didn¡¯t bother me as much as the fact that the table that we were shown to was a table for four instead of a table for two. It could have just been a mistake, or he just wanted us to have arger table; however, I still found it strange that there were more than two chairs at the table.


    .....


    Is someone going to join us for dinner?


    That question was about to slip out between my lips when the manager turned toward me and offered me a pleasant smile. I hesitated about what to do as my mind conjured up countless possibilities of what could possibly go wrong.


    ¡°Please take a seat, Miss. Let me help you¡­¡± the manager offered as he pulled out a chair for me.


    ¡°Oh, thank you very much¡­¡± I murmured while my mind was still in a daze.


    My body felt stiff as I lowered myself down onto the chair that the manager held for me. It seemed like my suspicions came to life when Ace sat down in the seat next to mine instead of the seat opposite where I was sitting. My head snapped to the side in one rapid motion as my eyes widened and stared up at this face.


    ¡°I will lead your guest here when she arrives,¡± the manager informed Ace politely as he handed each a menu.


    The manager¡¯s words pretty much confirmed my suspicion that someone was going to be joining us for dinner. I wondered whom Ace had invited as his guest for dinner and why he didn¡¯t tell me in advance that someone would be joining us.


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary¡­¡± a cold voice rang out quite loud and clear.


    My breath felt caught in my throat as my entire body stiffened at the sound of a voice that had be familiar to me. I closed my eyes briefly as arge wave of dread swept over my body. Although I wanted to believe that my ears were just ying a harsh trick on me, when I managed to turn my head around in the direction of the voice that had just spoken up, I was forced to believe in what I was seeing and hearing. After all, I didn¡¯t think that both my eyes and ears could be ying a hostile trick on me at the same time.


    There standing with a bright smile on her face was Elizabeth Chase in the flesh. The pristine white suit that she had on felt like there could never be a crease on it and her make up looked wlessly perfect. Her eyes shed in recognition as her gaze shifted from Ace to me and then her smile widened.


    ¡°You¡¯re right on time,¡± Ace said in greeting.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like beingte,¡± she replied smoothly.


    The moment that Elizabeth took a few steps forward and approached our table was when I realized that she wasn¡¯t alone. Standing to her side while trying to look as insignificant as possible was Elizabeth¡¯s husband, Kyle. When our eyes met, he stared at me intensely and I could feel the usations behind his gaze that made me feel like he was ming this entire situation on me for not picking up his calls. If he could speak, he would probably give me an earful of ¡®I told you so¡¯ and something simr.


    Elizabeth took her seat opposite from Ace before Kyle followed and sat down in the seat opposite to mine.


    If we were friends or if the situation between us had been a little bit more normal, I could have considered the dinner a double date dinner of sorts. However, all I could feel at that time was the grueling tension between myself and our other two guests. Kyle red at me again as he took his seat while I tried my best to put a little smile on my lips as a way to apologize silently to him about not answering his calls.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 308 - 308 Double Date

    308 Double Date


    It became evident that Kyle had been trying to get in touch with me to tell me about this unexpected dinner of ours.


    ¡°Was the traffic bad?¡± Ace asked to make conversation.


    ¡°It¡¯s the usual. Should we order to get it out of the way?¡± Elizabeth suggested.


    She waved her hand elegantly and the manager quickly provided two more menus for Elizabeth and Kyle before he stood and waited patiently for us to ce our orders. I hadpletely lost interest in the food options avable by that time and it didn¡¯t matter that Ace had mentioned that the food here was good and that it would suit my liking. Whatever appetite that I had died a quick death and all I could focus on was trying toe up with a usible reason as to why Elizabeth was joining us on our dinner date.


    ¡°What would you like to have, Rina?¡± Ace asked as he turned to look at me.


    ¡°Umm¡­can you just order for me?¡± I replied without even ncing down at the menu in my hand.


    ¡°Sure¡­¡± Ace replied casually before talking to the manager to ce orders for us.


    I could feel Elizabeth¡¯s eyes on me and when I looked up, I found her looking straight at me with an unreadable expression on her face for a moment before her lips curved into what looked like a pleased smile. She seemed to be in a very cheerful mood despite having crashed my dinner date with Ace. On top of that, I had no idea why she decided to drag Kyle along.


    Did she willingly bring him here or did he drag himself along with her?


    .....


    For the life of me, I had no idea what was going on or why we were all having dinner together this way. The four of seated at one table together for dinner was one of the weirdest urrences that had ever happened in my life. Kyle looked a little tired like he hadn¡¯t been getting enough sleep for a period of time while Elizabeth looked radiant and perfectly dressed.


    Compared to her, I realized that I was probably not dressed to impressed at the moment. The walk that I went through during my little mission left my hair in a slight mess and my clothes were definitely far from being in pristine condition. I immediately regretted not touching up my make up before heading to join Ace at his car because I was just rushing to see him.


    I had no idea when the manager left us but when I looked up again the four of us were the only ones at the dining table. So far only Ace and Elizabeth had spoken while Kyle and I didn¡¯t seem to know what to say. I felt more and more ufortable with each passing moment.


    ¡°Elizabeth asked to join us for dinner today and I thought that it was a good idea,¡± Ace exined the situation in short.


    Why did he even think that it was a good idea for her to join us and did he know that she would be bringing Kyle along as well?


    That was what I wanted to ask but I bit down on my tongue and decided to keep silent until we were alone. I tried my best to appear polite and undisturbed by the fact that she was sitting right in front of me.


    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind us joining you. I even brought Kyle along because I thought that having him here will make the dinner feel less formal. He can talk to Karina while we discuss some business, you know¡­¡± Elizabeth said before she shed a smile my way.


    It took a lot of effort for me to return her smile. Frankly, I was too shocked to say anything. I was scared that if I opened my mouth, I would end up saying something that I shouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to bring me here along with you if this is just a business meeting,¡± Kyle mumbled what sounded like aint.


    ¡°Why? I thought you¡¯re always so interested in where I go and who I happen to meet up with. So I thought that it would be a great opportunity to invite you here with me this time around. After all, I found out from Ace that Karina would be here too,¡± Elizabeth said followed by a smallugh.


    I had no idea what she found so amusing about this whole situation and it was clear that she was trying to put both Kyle and me on the spot. Hopefully, Kyle had enough intelligent capacity to realize what his dear wife was doing. As for Ace, he didn¡¯t seem to care much about what the other couple was saying to each other.


    ¡°Elizabeth asked to have dinner with me this evening, but I told her that we already had ns. So, she asked if she could join. Honesty, I¡¯m a little surprise that she brought you along with her,¡± Ace exined to me casually before turning to address Kyle for the first time.


    It seemed like Ace didn¡¯t know that Kyle would be turning up along with Elizabeth. I could sense that Ace wasn¡¯t at all pleased to be sharing a dining table with Kyle and I could figure out why that was the case. He probably viewed Kyle the same way that I saw Elizabeth. Except, I haven¡¯t been meeting up with Kyle in secret. Well, not that often and not without a good cause anyways¡­


    ¡°Well, now that we¡¯re all here. Let¡¯s just enjoy this dinner together¡­¡± Kyle said diplomatically.


    ¡°There¡¯s actually not much business that we need to discuss today so we can keep things informal and just enjoy the evening together. Isn¡¯t that just a great?¡± Elizabeth chimed in with a musicalugh.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a bad idea for you and Karina to get better acquainted,¡± Ace said with an agreeable nod of his head.


    I was even more confused than I was before at Ace¡¯s words. Why should I get better acquainted with Elizabeth?


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 309 - 309 Peaceful Battle

    309 Peaceful Battle


    A nagging feeling at the back of my mind told me that somehow, she was going to be a part of my life. I hated the restless feeling that bubbled up inside of me and the shiver than ran up my spine just at the thought. Elizabeth didn¡¯t seem like someone that I could get along with no matter how she was supposed to be so good at her job.


    ¡°I see. Is that why you agreed to let me join your little date today?¡± Elizabeth asked teasingly.


    Watching Elizabethugh so brightly only added to my doom and gloom. Kyle had a very awkward look on his face like he wasn¡¯t sure how he was supposed to react as well. As for me, I wanted to strangle Kyle just so that I could take out my anger on someone in that moment.


    If he was with Elizabeth, howe he didn¡¯t talk her out ofing here?


    I told myself to calm down and to try to make the most of the situation in front of me. Perhaps it was the perfect opportunity for me to finally learn something about what was really going on between Ace and Elizabeth. My eyes narrowed suspiciously as I stared at the woman sitting on the opposite side of the dining table.


    What game is she ying now?


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard many great things about you from Ace regarding the work that you¡¯ve done and how you manage yourpany. I¡¯m sure that there are many things that I can learn from you,¡± I said with a polite smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re right about that. It¡¯s always good to learn from everyone around you. Just learn from everyone that you can. Always try to see the best in people. See what they excel at and learn from them,¡± Ace said to me encouragingly.


    My eyebrows almost shot up questioningly at his attitude and his words. I had no idea what I was supposed to learn from Elizabeth and why I had to learn from her of all people when she didn¡¯t even work at ourpany. It wasn¡¯t like I could learn anything about work from having dinner with her here in this luxurious restaurant. Once again, nothing was making any sense.


    .....


    Suddenly, my chain of thought was broken when Elizabeth startedughing even louder than before. I had no idea that Elizabeth couldugh so loud and so carefreely like that. Herughter caught the attention of a few people who sat at the tables surrounding ours, but she didn¡¯t seem at all apologetic. I stared at her while trying to keep myself from ring at her as I demanded silently for the exnation behind her sudden outburst.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Karina just looked so confused and lost that I thought that it¡¯s a little funny. Ace, you haven¡¯t told her anything at all, right?¡± she asked before shaking her head in mocking disapproval.


    ¡°We¡¯re not supposed to tell anyone. Have you told your husband?¡± he asked.


    Ace didn¡¯t seem to find anything funny, and he sounded as serious as he would have sounded in a proper business meeting. Overall, that confused me even more and I found it strange. This mix of informal yet business-rted talk wasn¡¯t something that I was used to at all. Then there was this thing that was supposed to be kept a secret. I was so frustrated at that point that I just wanted to go home, and I prayed that this misfit of a dinner woulde to an end as soon as possible.


    ¡°Of course, I haven¡¯t. You don¡¯t have to keep reminding me to keep it a secret. We even signed an NDA, so I¡¯m bound by that if nothing else,¡± she replied with a sigh.


    Her words did not surprise me because the nk look on Kyle¡¯s face was enough for me to know that he was as equally as clueless as I was about what was going on. I balled my fists under the table where hopefully no one would see it as I thought of how much I hated being on the same and unknowing side as Kyle while Ace was on the other side with Elizabeth. The thought was childish, and I knew that; however, I couldn¡¯t help how I felt at all.


    ¡°Is there some secret business deal that we¡¯re not supposed to know about?¡± I asked while trying to keep my tone light.


    Elizabeth did let it slip that there was an NDA between them, so it had to be something business-rted, right?


    ¡°Maybe. I¡¯m not going to say anymore, and Elizabeth won¡¯t either,¡± Ace replied with certainty.


    ¡°You know, I really pity you for being kept in the dark. I mean it, truly. I know just how ufortable this must be for you but please hang on for a bit. Everything wille to light soon enough,¡± Elizabeth said as she directed her words at me.


    I wanted to yell at her that thest thing that I needed in this life was her pity, but I couldn¡¯t do that. All I could do was ster a smile on my lips as my lips turned numb before that sensation spread to the rest of my face. I couldn¡¯t remember thest time that I felt that angry before. Suddenly all the things that Kyle did to me seemed insignificant because he probably got more than he deserved for marrying the wrong woman.


    I nced over at Kyle who was toying with something on his te with his fork absentmindedly. Joining a dinner and then being treated like you were invisible by your wife must have been a hard thing. If Kyle cared about how he was being treated very much, he didn¡¯t show it. For a moment, I wondered if he was used to be treated that way and perhaps this was how things usually were between them.


    ¡°Be patient. You¡¯ll find out soon enough, Rina,¡± Ace said.


    I knew that that was his attempt to console me and no matter how much I appreciated his effort, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to feel any better about the situation.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 310 - 310 Past Relationships

    310 Past Rtionships


    Ace wasn¡¯t supposed to be dumb, so I had no idea why he thought that it would be fine to let Elizabeth join use for dinner.


    ¡°It¡¯s just too bad that you have to find out along with everyone else,¡± Elizabeth said before grinning at me.


    Her attempt to show her fake care and concern for me made me feel sick inside. Thinking back on how we first met and all the things that had happened between me and her directly and indirectly, I couldn¡¯t see how she could hate me as much as she did. I felt like I was always the one on the receiving end of all the shitty things that had happened. Perhaps she hated me because Kyle chose to cheat on her with me. That was the only thing that I could think of; however, that felt like it happened a long time ago. So long that it didn¡¯t even feel like something that happened in this lifetime. I had long moved on from that, and since I¡¯ve started dating Ace, not once did I think of Kyle and the rtionship that we shared. He was just history and nothing more.


    ¡°Well, if an NDA is signed that I guess we all have to y by the rules. Ipletely understand that this is how things are supposed to be. I would rather find out at the same time as everyone else than to have Ace vite some terms in the NDA,¡± I replied as I tried to appear as unaffected by her taunting words.


    ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right about that. Sometimes there¡¯s no point in knowing something in advance if there¡¯s nothing that you can do to change it. I always tell you not to worry, right? Everything will work out,¡± Ace said calmly.


    ¡°I really hope that it does. I¡¯m also d that you¡¯re understanding of Ace¡¯s¡­umm¡­situation,¡± Elizabeth said before shing me a smile that I couldn¡¯t tell whether or not was genuine.


    ¡°It¡¯s honestly not easy but I would like to say that I¡¯m trying my best,¡± I replied.


    ¡°How is your father?¡± Ace asked Elizabeth.


    ¡°You shoulde visit him. He asks to see you almost every time that he sees my face. Honestly, it¡¯s getting on my nerves. It¡¯s like he wants to see you more than he wants to see his own daughter,¡± Elizabeth replied before rolling her eyes.


    .....


    I let out soft sigh when I felt the conversation being steered away from me. Although I had no idea if Ace did that intentionally to help me out or not, I was thankful for the oue. I was starting to understand now why Kyle had chosen to stay so focused on the food on his te. Maybe he had figured out earlier on that that was the best way for him to stay out of trouble. Despite how well that seemed to be working out for him, I didn¡¯t want to proceed along the same path because I didn¡¯t want to be invisible to Ace.


    ¡°Is that so? I¡¯m just afraid of all the questions that he¡¯ll ask me if we meet in person,¡± Ace replied with a chuckle.


    ¡°He¡¯d always seen you as his own son. He probably still feels that way¡­¡± Elizabeth murmured.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t call me as often as he used to. Don¡¯t worry, I think you¡¯re doing great,¡± Ace said before he smiled confidently.


    I listened intently to the conversation between Ace and Elizabeth as I tried my desperate best to piece the entire picture of what was going on together. Sometimes, it conveniently slipped my mind that these two used to be engaged before. It only made sense that Elizabeth¡¯s father was fond of Ace. Then again, I couldn¡¯t imagine anyone who wouldn¡¯t be fond of Ace. My opinion was probably very biased but that was what I honestly thought. If I had to guess, Elizabeth¡¯s father must have been sorely disappointed when they decided to call their engagement off.


    At first, I thought that it must have been because cancelling the engagement robbed him of the chance to merge thepanies together. Everything seemed to be all about business between these two, or so I had thought. However, what I was hearing was starting to change my mind. There seemed to be something a lot more personal in the rtionship that Ace shared with Elizabeth and also her father. Ace never really talked to me about it, and I never asked him about it.


    ¡°If he could choose, he¡¯d probably choose to have you as his son rather than having me¡­¡± she said sadly.


    Out of all the things that Elizabeth had said during dinner that night, I felt like that statement was probably her most honest one. I knew from my own life that everyone¡¯s life must beplex in each and their very own way. It seemed that even Elizabeth had someplexes of her own. Despite that realization, my heart did not at all sympathize with her and I did not me myself.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that even if it might be true,¡± Ace said with a wicked grin.


    Elizabeth didn¡¯t seem to have a goodeback so all she did was re across the table at Ace. I wondered if I would get some more answers if I asked some more questions.


    ¡°I never knew that you are close to Elizabeth¡¯s father,¡± I said to Ace.


    ¡°They¡¯re not just close. They¡¯re like father and son¡­¡± Elizabeth answered even before Ace could.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that there was a time when we were really close,¡± Ace replied.


    It came to my surprise that Elizabeth was the one who seemed more open to talk about it rather than Ace. In fact, she didn¡¯t hesitate to provide quite a lot of details. It must have been something that even Kyle didn¡¯t know about because he seemed interested all of a sudden as well.


    ¡°You know about that time when Ace basically ran away from home, right?¡± Elizabeth asked with an excited gleam in her eyes.


    ¡°He ran away from home?¡± I eximed in surprise.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t run away from home¡­¡± Ace quickly corrected.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 311 - 311 Troubling Complexes

    311 Troubling Complexes


    ¡°Call it whatever you will, but you basically ran away from home. Without going into the details, Ace and his father doesn¡¯t have a very friendly rtionship. You probably already know at least that much, right?¡± Elizabeth asked before she paused.


    ¡°Yes, I do¡­¡± I replied while telling myself to be patient and to ignore her rudeness.


    It was all for a chance to learn something new about Ace. Ace didn¡¯t seem to perfectly agree with Elizabeth¡¯s version of the story but at least he didn¡¯t stop her from continuing.


    ¡°The time I¡¯m referring to is that period when Ace quit his job at his father¡¯spany and went off to start his own thing. That was a pretty bold and extreme move at the time. Obviously, Ace¡¯s father was absolutely against it, but Ace also obviously didn¡¯t care. He just disappeared so I always refer to that period as Ace running away from home,¡± Elizabeth said before sheughed.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I murmured before I waited for her to continue.


    ¡°People thought that he disappeared from the social scenes to go off to do his own thing on his own and that he became easily sessful and all that. However, that¡¯s not really the entire truth. Ace struggled a lot when he parted ways with his father back then¡­¡± Elizabeth continued with her story.


    ¡°During that time, Elizabeth¡¯s father reached out to me and managed to convince me that I needed his support. Of course, I knew him well from before and it didn¡¯t seem out of ce for him to offer help. I wouldn¡¯t have epted his help, but he convinced me by saying that he would support me in whatever it was that I wanted to do. In the end, he did stick to his promise¡­¡± Ace jumped in to exin.


    ¡°People think that it¡¯s so easy to be sessful all on your own. The reality is very different. My father helped Ace and gave him advice all throughout the time when he was away,¡± Elizabeth chimed in.


    Elizabeth was right about the media painting Ace as being a genius who managed to be sessful all on his own after leaving his father¡¯s prestigiouspany to start his own ventures. Ace only came back when all his venture were sessful, at least that was how the story went. This was the first time that I was hearing some details about that phase of his life, and it was quite different from what was portrayed in the news.


    .....


    ¡°It¡¯s just like I told you earlier. You should learn from other people. Back then, I was young and probably a little too stubborn for my own good. To make up for that, I was eager to learn, and I felt like I had a lot of time on my hand to do exactly that when I quit my job. Elizabeth¡¯s father seemed like the perfect person for me to learn many things from at the time,¡± Ace exined.


    ¡°Wow. You should have told me this earlier¡­honestly¡­¡± I mumbled.


    It came as a pleasant surprise that Ace was more open now to talk about his past. Perhaps it was partly thanks to Elizabeth who brought up this topic and was willing to tell Ace¡¯s story from her point of view while highlighting the involvement of her father. Elizabeth went on to provide more details but my mind was too busy trying to connect the dots. Maybe it was because of how close Ace was to her father that they got engaged to each other.


    Maybe that was it¡­


    Although Ace had reassured me before that there was never any romantic feelings between him and Elizabeth, I still wondered if that was entirely true. From what I could see in front of me, Elizabeth truly had a way to get Ace to open up and how she seemed to manage to do it so effortlessly only made me jealous of her and the connection that they shared. Even if I would like to think that it bordered more on friendship, I still found myself feeling more than slightly anxious inside and I couldn¡¯t ignore how jealous I felt.


    Whenever I asked Ace about anything including his past, his responses were always vague and his attitude would suddenly turn cold and distant. It felt like there were lines and boundaries that I couldn¡¯t cross while Elizabeth seemed to have the license to roam around all over the ce so freely.


    ¡°Unlike Ace here, my father absolutely hates Kyle¡­¡± Elizabeth stated before sheughed.


    ¡°Can you stop saying that, please?¡± Kyle spoke up.


    ¡°Why? It¡¯s the truth and everyone knows it. Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of,¡± Elizabeth turned to say to Kyle.


    ¡°You know very well that I¡¯m trying my best to get him to like me,¡± Kyle muttered darkly.


    I could sense the tension between them and it seemed like this issue of theirs was a longstanding one. Kyle looked so frustrated and irritated at the same time while Elizabeth was a pro at taking this serous issue and treating it as a joke.


    A very bad joke¡­


    ¡°Like that time when you stole the idea of thatmercial from Karina and tried to pass it off as your own?¡± Elizabeth said before she shot him a look.


    Her sharp words and mean sense of humor confirmed for me once again that she was merciless. Kyle mmed up at herment and that only made Elizabethugh even louder.


    ¡°Seriously, I honestly don¡¯t think you should work too hard on making him like you. I mean, one of the main reasons that I¡¯m so attracted to you is probably because my father hates you. It¡¯s like¡­my way of getting back at him and acting rebellious because there¡¯s nothing else that I can do¡­¡± Elizabeth said with a scoff.


    ¡°Enough, Elizabeth. Let¡¯s not discuss this here¡­¡± Kyle warned softly.


    I was starting to think that I was too merciless on Kyle, and I had to admit that I started to pity him a little at that point. Perhaps, deep inside, I was a pure angel at heart after all.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 312 - 312 Old Flame

    312 Old me


    ¡°What about you, Karina?¡± Elizabeth asked as she turned her attention to me.


    ¡°What¡­about me?¡± I asked nkly.


    ¡°Does Ace¡¯s father like you? He knows that you two are dating, right?¡± Elizabeth asked bluntly.


    To be fair, I didn¡¯t think that the Chairman didn¡¯t like me as a person. After all, he clearly hasn¡¯t known me long enough to form any kind of opinion about me. However, there were many reasons rted to my social standing, the fact that Icked many qualities especially when it came to wealth and business assets and all thesecking qualities made him disapprove our my rtionship with Ace. That on top of the fact that we were not supposed to be dating because he is my boss. In the end, it might not be entirely wrong to say that the Chairman does not like me.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what he thinks of Rina. I like her well enough and that is all that matters,¡± Ace replied before I coulde up with something to say.


    ¡°Wow. Such bold words¡­¡± Elizabeth said in clear amusement as she pped her hands together.


    I nced over at Ace as I thanked him silently in my heart. Ace didn¡¯t seem bothered at all by her words and I thought that maybe I should start doing the same. I prayed over and over again that this dinner woulde to an end soon so that we could finally all go home.


    ¡°Instead of being worried about Karina, I think you should worry more about your husband. I¡¯ve told you many times before that you can¡¯t keep things this way. You have to find a way to patch things up with your father and you have to stop doing things to piss him off,¡± Ace advised sternly.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Even I know that you¡¯re right, but I just don¡¯t have the heart to do any of that. Unlike how he is with you, my father has been nothing but cruel to me,¡± Elizabeth said with a sigh.


    .....


    ¡°He just wants what is best for you. He can be very strict but I¡¯m very certain that he always means well,¡± Ace replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that¡­¡± she muttered darkly.


    A dark shadow clouded over Kyle¡¯s face as his positioned seemed to be discussed openly. I also did not miss the more than subtle hint that Ace made. One of the things that Elizabeth could do to make up with her father would probably be for her to divorce Kyle.


    ¡°We should go home,¡± Kyle spoke up.


    My best guess was that he probably couldn¡¯t take it anymore and the direction that the conversation was taking didn¡¯t seem to be heading in his favor. Elizabeth turned to Kyle with a deep scowl on her face that bluntly disyed her dissatisfaction.


    ¡°I have a lot of work to deal with tomorrow, so I don¡¯t mind keeping this dinner short as well,¡± Ace replied smoothly in agreement.


    ¡°That¡¯s too bad. I really enjoy chatting with you. We should do this more often, Ace¡­¡± Elizabeth suggested with a smile as she turned her attention back to Ace.


    ¡°Send your father my regards,¡± Ace replied with a small smile.


    ¡°Sure. He would probably give me another long lecture on how I should have married you back then¡­¡± Elizabethined but she ended upughing in the end.


    I had no idea what she had in mind, but I clearly didn¡¯t like what I was hearing. Kyle seemed restless to leave and I hated how this session of farewells seemed to be taking so long. Ace justughed along without replying to her while I wished that he would just inly tell her no.


    ¡°Seriously, maybe we should have gotten married¡­¡± Elizabeth said with a dreamy look in her eyes.


    I wanted to stand up and scream in her face. Just how crazy and bold could she be to say something like that right in front of me and her husband. Ace justughed it off like it was some bad joke and Elizabeth startedughing as well. Even if everyone tried to y it off as a joke, I didn¡¯t find it entertaining in the least.


    ¡°We should leave,¡± Kyle urged again.


    ¡°I think we have an early day tomorrow at the office. Let¡¯s go, Ace¡­¡± I quickly agreed as I stood up from my seat.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Rina,¡± Ace said to me as he stood up from his seat and took my hand into his.


    I wondered if he knew how conflicted I felt inside and how our dinner date truly turned out to be such a traumatizing disaster. Just thinking about how much I had looked forward to having dinner with Ace made a pain run through my chest. Ace took my hand and led me away from the table. I didn¡¯t even bother to look back at Elizabeth and Kyle. I was just so d to get myself out of there.


    By the time that we got back into Ace¡¯s car all the rotten emotions inside of me had transformed into a big hot ball of anger. It took all my self-control not to m the car door closed. If Ace noticed how spoiled my mood was, he did not mention it. Ace seemed calm and collected as always and that was probably one in the many rare asions where I did not admire his maturity and control.


    I bit on the inside of my lower lip to keep myself from saying words that I woulde to regretter. The silence in the car felt full of tension but I thought that it was better than us shouting at each other. The truth was, I wanted to scream at him at the top of my lungs for inviting Elizabeth to join us. I stared out of the car¡¯s window at nothing in particr just because I didn¡¯t want to look at Ace and I didn¡¯t particrly want him to see my irritated face.


    ¡°We should be arriving soon. Hopefully, you¡¯re not too tired¡­¡± Ace said casually as we approached his building.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 313 - 313 Getting It Off My Chest

    313 Getting It Off My Chest


    I didn¡¯t even bother to reply to him as I tried to control the anger rapidly growing in my chest. To my slight disappointment, my mood had not improved at all even when we arrived back at his ce. There were so many things going on at work and I also knew that it probably wasn¡¯t the right time for me to confront Ace about the disaster that unfolded at dinner; however, I felt like my entire chest might burst if I continued to keep it in. Just when I made the decision to talk to Ace about it and to tell him honestly how I felt, Ace¡¯s phone started ringing.


    It was quitete in the evening, and I had no idea who could be calling. Before I knew it, I had started wishing that the one on the other end of thend wasn¡¯t Elizabeth. Ace took our his phone and answered the call in one swift motion. The stern look on his face told me that the call wasn¡¯t from Elizabeth or anyone looking for small talk in the evening to pass the time.


    ¡°Tell me about it¡­¡± Ace said in a serious tone.


    Without looking my way, Ace turned and walked into his private office. The sound of the door closing echoed softly, and I was left all alone in the living room. A loud sigh escaped from me as I started to feel my pent up anger and frustration boiling over. The call came at a very bad time, and I missed my opportunity to talk to Ace. Since the call seemed to be about work, I knew that he was doing the right thing in answering him. However, that didn¡¯t help calm the rage that seemed to be waging a war of its own inside my head.


    My head is going to explode¡­


    I almost ran to the bathroom and into the shower to cool myself down literally by taking a shower using cold water. I held in a cry as the cold water sshed down onto my hair and body from above. The cold felt so refreshing to both my body and mind. I stood still under the water as I enjoyed the coldness of the water sshing down onto my body from above.


    Calm down, Rina¡­


    A short whileter when I stepped out of the bathroom wrapped up in a bathrobe, I was refreshed enough and calm enough to at least not tremble with anger. At that point, I had no idea who I was supposed to direct my anger at anymore. Should I direct my anger at Elizabeth for all the things that she said to taunt me or should I direct my anger at Ace for letting all of that happen to me.


    It was all for Ace¡¯s sake that I didn¡¯t just get up and leave. A part of me knew that I shouldn¡¯t have to sit there and take all that from her; however, arger part of me didn¡¯t want to make a scene or do anything that would embarrass Ace. At the time, that was what felt like the best move to me. Looking back, I wondered if there could have been a better solution out for all of us from that appalling situation.


    .....


    ¡°You showered?¡± Ace asked casually when he spotted me walk out of the shower.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I replied softly.


    ¡°You look tired. You should dry your hair and go to bed,¡± Ace advised.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I quickly called his name before he could turn and walk away.


    For a moment, I thought that Ace looked more tired than usual. It had been a long day for us and the dinner that we just had made it feel all the more longer; however, it didn¡¯t seem usual for Ace to look so drained of energy. I wondered if something happened during the call just now that seemed to suck out a lot of life from him. I felt my nails digging into the palms of my hands and realized that I was feeling anxious as I searched for the courage to start the hard conversation that I had in mind with him. It might not be the right time for this; however, it didn¡¯t seem like I could get any sleep tonight or stay sane the morning after if I didn¡¯t get this ugly load off of my chest immediately.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked with raised eyebrows.


    ¡°Can we talk for a bit?¡± I asked before I would lose my nerve.


    Ace seemed a little surprise at my request, but he seemed open enough to talk to me. He nodded his head a few times before gesturing with his hand for me to follow him. I walked on my wobbly legs after him as Ace led the way to therge sofa set in his living room. It seemed like he let the force of gravity help him sink down onto the sofa. He breathed in a huge breath before letting it out in a sigh as he rubbed the skin in between his brows.


    ¡°What did you want to talk about?¡± he asked patiently.


    ¡°The dinner just now, I didn¡¯t know that Elizabeth would be joining us and Kyle as well¡­¡± I voiced my first concern.


    ¡°Did that surprise you that much?¡± he asked in response.


    ¡°Yes, I was more than surprised. I didn¡¯t think that we would ever have a dinner together like that,¡± I replied honestly as I tried to keep my voice from shaking from anger.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I agree that the circumstances were¡­very strange¡­¡± Ace replied calmly.


    I felt like this conversation of ours wasn¡¯t going to go anywhere if I didn¡¯t get more straight to the point. It didn¡¯t seem like the words exchange during dinner had much impact on Ace at all. Perhaps, the whole event had already started slipping from his mind but that wasn¡¯t the case for me at all.


    ¡°What did you think about the things that Elizabeth said to me over dinner?¡± I asked as I stared at him with narrowed eyes.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 314 - 314 Anger and Calm

    314 Anger and Calm


    ¡°What about what she said in particr?¡± Ace asked as if he didn¡¯t understand the point of my question.


    ¡°Everything. Everything that she said. Every¡­little and huge ass thing that she said,¡± I replied through gritted teeth.


    Ace seemed surprise at how much my anger was showing and I was surprised at how he didn¡¯t seem to realize just how angry I was. Regardless, Ace remained just as calm as before.


    ¡°I think she said some strange things and some of that must have bothered you. She can take her jokes a little too far but I¡¯m sure that she doesn¡¯t mean any real harm. If you¡¯re upset, I can apologize in her ce,¡± Ace told me before smiling a little at me.


    I gasped at his words especially the part where he was going to apologize to me on her behalf. It never urred to me how we could misunderstand each other this badly. I thought that Ace would surely understand what I thought and how I felt.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to apologize in her ce. I don¡¯t even want an apology from her. I just want to know why you allowed a dinner like that to happen? What with all the things you said about wanting me to learn from her and getting better acquainted with her? It just doesn¡¯t make any sense to me and it¡¯s driving me mad,¡± I confessed honestly as I started to lose my head.


    Ace listened to me vent my anger in silent without taking his eyes off of me. I took a pause as I struggled to catch my breath. Ace was silent for a moment as if waiting for me to continue and that was exactly what I did.


    ¡°I felt so horrible all throughout the dinner, didn¡¯t you realize that? I couldn¡¯t wait for it all to be over and done with, so that we could just go home. I hated everything that she said to me, and I don¡¯t even understand why she seems to hate me so much. I also hated that she seems so close to you¡­¡± I blurted out so fast that I had to pause again to catch my breath.


    To my surprise, Ace still seemed veryposed as he listened to mein on and on about all that I had suffered during the dinner that we just had. My shoulders trembled and then my entire body seemed to tremble as well. It felt like I was about to burst into tears, but I didn¡¯t want to cry. I felt too angry to let any tears out.


    .....


    ¡°How dare she say those things to me like that?¡± I spat before I ground my teeth together in my frustration.


    I could feel Ace¡¯s eyes on me and when I looked up, our eyes met. His hazel brown eyes didn¡¯t betray any emotion and I wasn¡¯t sure what he was thinking about what he was seeing and hearing from me. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath before letting it out. I repeated that a few times as I desperately tried to calm myself down.


    ¡°Do you feel better now?¡± Ace asked after giving me a moment topose myself.


    ¡°Yes¡­a little¡­¡± I replied truthfully.


    Letting it all out honestly made me feel slightly better but that did not mean that I had forgiven Elizabeth and Kyle for turning up out of nowhere to ruin the date that I had nned with Ace or all the insensitive things that she said to me all throughout dinner.


    ¡°Some people are like that,¡± Ace said softly before he shrugged like it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked in a shocked whisper.


    ¡°Elizabeth can be a horrible person just like you¡¯ve witness for yourself tonight. Unfortunately and for reasons that I don¡¯t understand, there are people like that in life and you¡¯ll end up meeting them. If you think Elizabeth is the worst, you can think again. You¡¯ll run into difficult situations that you want to get out of, but you can¡¯t, or at least, not immediately,¡± Ace said while still sounding very calm.


    I had no idea why he was lecturing me about life and its difficulties at this point in time and his calm and mature attitude truly got on my nerves. All the things that he said didn¡¯t quite match up with what I wanted and expected to hear from him. Why couldn¡¯t he just say that it was unfair that I had to take that and that he promise that it would never ever happen again?


    Instead of reassuring me, he was calming telling me that there are much worst people out there and that things like this might happen again. He may be right but that wasn¡¯t want I wanted to hear at that moment.


    ¡°Why are you saying this?¡± I asked as I held up a hand in front of my chest to gesture for him to halt his words.


    I held up my hand as I closed my eyes for a brief moment because I wasn¡¯t sure if I wanted to hear any more from him. My emotions were a mess and I felt like the smallest thing could trigger an unreasonable emotional breakdown that I wasn¡¯t sure that I wanted Ace to witness.


    ¡°Because you¡¯re supposed to be learning from this experience rather than crying and screaming over it, Rina. People will say unkind things to you, and you have to learn various ways to deal with it. I¡¯m not saying that what Elizabeth did was the right thing to do and it¡¯s not wrong for you to feel the way you do either,¡± Ace said before he smiled at me and nodded his head to show me that he understood how I felt.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just¡­I just hated it¡­¡± I muttered while feeling as irritated as before.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been quite concern about the time that I spend with Elizabeth so I figured that if you¡¯re so concerned about it, you should get used to seeing her,¡± Ace exined.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 315 - 315 Understanding Apology

    315 Understanding Apology


    ¡°Can you just not meet her?¡± I blurted out asking before I could hold myself back.


    It wasn¡¯t like I regretted my words. In fact, I was thankful for that extra burst of courage that made me say those words out loud. Life would be so much better for me and for us if he could just stop meeting her or contacting her in any way.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that. She¡¯s not that bad of a person when you really get to know her. She¡¯s just¡­she can be mean and very calcting with her words,¡± Ace said with a little chuckle.


    ¡°You seem to adore her¡­and everything that she does,¡± I muttered darkly.


    ¡°Not at all. I give her a hard time too whenever she steps over the line. However, I figured that today would be a good practice for you. One day, you¡¯ll be able to deal with people like her so effortlessly,¡± Ace said before shing me a confident smile.


    I shook my head in disagreement. If this was the way that he wanted me to learn and improve myself, then I would prefer that I stayed the way that I was before.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t think that you should have put me through all that regardless of what you say. No matter how much I could have learnt or grown as a person, I don¡¯t ever want to go through that again,¡± I said as I red at him.


    Ace nodded as he seemed to finally understand my anger. His wish for me to get along with Elizabeth just wasn¡¯t realistic. Even if there was nothing going on between the two of them, I had already started to more than dislike that woman.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s my bad, Rina. I didn¡¯t think that you would be this upset about it,¡± Ace apologized.


    .....


    ¡°It¡¯s not fine but I¡¯ll be fine soon¡­¡± I murmured.


    I felt so tired and arguing with Ace any longer wasn¡¯t something that I wanted to do. At least he seemed to understand why I was mad, and he had apologized properly. At that time, I didn¡¯t quite notice that I did not seed in convincing Ace that it would be better if Elizabeth and I never met again.


    ¡­


    The following morning, I woke up with a throbbing headache that told me that I didn¡¯t sleep well at allst night. When I opened my eyes, Ace was already gone from my side. We did go to bed togetherst night after having made up. The main reason behind my sleepless night was the fact that I wasn¡¯t sure if we had properly made up yet. Ace did apologize and we did end our argument with some understanding and it was peaceful after. However, the lump in my throat made me feel like we had left somethings unsaid and unsettled between us.


    It was a strange feeling that kept on nagging me at the back of my brain and I didn¡¯t have a good idea on how to make it go away. I got out of bed swiftly and went on my search for Ace. I woke up very early so there was a high chance that he was still in.


    ¡°Morning, Rina¡­¡± Ace greeted mezily.


    It was early but he was already dressed and seemed quite ready to leave. I guessed that it was another day where he would leave for the office before me. I smiled at him before rubbing my puffy eyes.


    ¡°Good morning. Are you leaving for work already?¡± I asked while trying to sound normal.


    In my own defense, I thought that I did quite well on that front. Ace smiled at me as he approached me. Soon, I felt the warmth of his hand on my shoulder as he patted it. I stared up into his face and our eyes met while I wondered what he was doing.


    ¡°Do you want to go to the office together?¡± he asked, and it sounded like a very pleasant invitation.


    ¡°Why? We could be seen so maybe it¡¯s not a good idea¡­¡± I replied as my brows knitted together.


    For a moment, I had no idea what he was thinking anymore. Arriving at the office together in the morning was basically like telling the whole world that we spent the night together. If people saw us together, I didn¡¯t even want to think of what disaster could unfold.


    ¡°It won¡¯t matter if no one sees us¡­¡± he replied without a care.


    ¡°That¡¯s the point. Someone might see us,¡± I countered.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll be careful, I guess. Go and get dressed. I¡¯ll wait for you, but I won¡¯t wait forever¡­¡± Ace saidzily.


    I watched in confusion as he walked away from me before sitting himself down on the sofa. He crossed his legs gracefully before taking out his phone. I stared at him as I struggled to process the situation and what I should do next.


    ¡°Get dress, Rina¡­¡± Ace instructed again without looking my way.


    ¡°Ok¡­¡± I murmured.


    My mind was still confused as my body moved to shower and quickly get dressed before I left Ace waiting for too long. The nervousness of arriving at the office together made me forget temporarily about our argument from yesterday as I sat next to him in his car.


    ¡°I think you should let me off here. I can walk from here easily¡­¡± I told him when we neared the office.


    ¡°Why do you need to walk? We¡¯re almost there anyways,¡± he replied as he shrugged off my suggestion.


    I rolled my eyes as I looked away. He was intentionally doing this because there was no way that he didn¡¯t know what I was concerned about.


    ¡°Someone might see us¡­¡± I hissed.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Stop fidgeting. The more you act suspicious, the more people will suspect that something is going on,¡± Ace advised.


    That was really the point, though. Something was going on¡­


    Since Ace refused to stop the car, I ended up arriving at the office with him. When we had to stop at the security check point, I tried desperately to hide my face from the security guard.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 316 Extra Care

    Chapter 316 Extra Care


    I sighed when I realized that there was no way that no one would see us together. The security guard was basically staring into the car when Ace rolled down the window. I had no idea why he had to do that when the guard could already tell that it was Ace. I mean, he¡¯s the CEO for crying out loud.


    ¡°Good morning!¡± Ace greeted the guard loudly.


    The flustered reaction of the guard told me that it wasn¡¯t a daily urrence that Ace would do this. I cursed him silently in my mind as I desperately turned the other way.


    ¡°G-Good morning, Sir¡­¡± the guard replied in a shaky voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m just here with my secretary because we¡¯re supposed to always be together. It¡¯s nothing unusual, ok?¡± Ace said in a teasing tone.


    ¡°Y-Yes, Sir¡­¡± the guard stammered.


    I literally began pulling at my hair in my frustration. I wondered but then decided that I didn¡¯t even want to know why Ace did something like what he just did. When the car moved forward again, I turned around and red at him.


    ¡°Rx¡­¡± Ace whispered before he started chuckling to himself.


    ¡°I truly hope that no troublees from this,¡± I muttered in a low whisper.


    ¡°I likeing to the office together like this in the morning. We should head back together too. he thought about us.


    ¡°Thank you, for thinking about us. Let¡¯s¡­think about that when the timees¡­¡± I replied with a Carpool is supposed to be good for the environment, right?¡± he said jokingly.


    I wanted to shrivel up and die inside all the while I waited for him to park the car at his allocated spot.


    ¡°It¡¯s bad enough that we came here together. Let¡¯s do things like usual, ok?¡± I suggested almost pleadingly.


    ¡°I think work will be busy again and we¡¯ll have less time together. Plus, I enjoy spending time with you in the car,¡± Ace said carefreely.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t think that it¡¯s a good idea. It will be bad if people find out that we¡¯re dating,¡± I argued desperately.


    ¡°They¡¯ll find out eventually. You don¡¯t n to keep our rtionship a secret from the world forever, do you?¡± he asked as his hazel eyes red at me.


    Of course, that wasn¡¯t my intention at all. However, as long as he¡¯s my boss and I¡¯m his personal secretary that was the way that things had to be between us. If I could choose, I wouldn¡¯t want things to be this way, but it wasn¡¯t like I had much say in the matter.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that,¡± I replied weakly.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it for a while now. After I resign from my post here as the CEO, I¡¯m thinking of making our rtionship public. Well, I¡¯m not nning to post it on arge billboard on the highway or anything like that, but we shouldn¡¯t keep it a secret anymore,¡± Ace said before he smiled at me sweetly.


    I had no idea that he had been thinking about that given how busy and critical Project Alpha has been. It did make sense that when he is no longer my boss, we could make our rtionship public. Hopefully, by then, his father will be fine with it as well. I didn¡¯t like the fact that we had to keep our rtionship a secret; however, I wasn¡¯t sure what I thought about our rtionship being so public either. Regardless, at that moment, I was just grateful and happy that Ace thought about me and that he thought about us.


    ¡°Thank you, for thinking about us. Let¡¯s¡­think about that when the timees¡­¡± I replied with a small smile to hide my nervousness.


    My heart started racing in my chest for no good reason at all as Ace kept on staring at my face as if gauging my reaction to his words. I felt a warm blush creep up my cheek as he kept his eyes on me and in the end, I had to look away from him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s¡­go to work. I don¡¯t want us to bete,¡± I told him as I reached to open the car door.


    There wasn¡¯t that much time left for Ace here as the CEO; however, up until thest moment of his time here, I wanted to keep our rtionship a secret. Recalling the uproar and the chaos that urred thest time that there were rumors of us dating already gave me a headache. Going through something like that again would be a real-life nightmare for me and I wanted to avoid that at all costs.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name softly when we were both out of the car.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try to be careful. There¡¯s not a lot of time left, and we¡¯ve been trying so hard to keep our secret¡­so¡­let¡¯s be careful until the very end, ok?¡± I suggested hopefully.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why it would make much of a difference at this point but if that¡¯s what you want then I¡¯ll go along with it,¡± Ace finally agreed.


    ¡°Thank you, Boss¡­¡± I thanked him with a bright smile.


    Ace just nodded and that slight issue between us was thankfully dropped. It didn¡¯t seem like anyone paid us any extra attention when we entered the office together. Although I tried to keep a slightly wider distance between Ace and myselfpared to normal. It may have been the case that everyone in thepany had gotten used to seeing us together.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look so worried. Let¡¯s keep it together,¡± Ace said before he gave me an encouraging smile.


    ¡°Yes, we have to¡­¡± I replied readily in agreement.


    It probably took too long for me to realize that he was putting in extra effort to take care of me in his own way. Although he had already apologized properlyst night, Ace might be just as worried as I was that what happened might have put an unnecessary strain on our rtionship. Maybe this was his way of trying to make up with me. That or I was just overthinking things.


    ¡°Ace, you¡¯re here!¡± Julianna eximed as she shot up from her seat.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 317 Shared Thought

    Chapter 317 Shared Thought


    We entered the war room to find Julianna and her entire team there. From the dark circles andrge bags under their eyes and the fact that everyone was still wearing the same outfit, it was clear that they really did spend the entire night in the war room. I was impressed at their dedication but more impressed at how high their team morale seemed to be despite all they had gone through.


    ¡°You sound excited¡­¡± Acemented without much emotion.


    Julianna turned with a smile on hers lips before she started giggling a little evilly to herself. Something good must have happened for her to have a reaction like that. She looked like she was the verge of exploding to tell us the good news.


    ¡°Did something good happen?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know but I really hope so,¡± she replied before winking at me.


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± I asked as my curiosity started taking over.


    ¡°She probably did something and is still waiting for the numbers to roll in,¡± Ace replied without any excitement.


    I watched as he walked past Julianna to his seat at the head of the long meeting table. Julianna continued to giggle like a kid who had a very naughty story to tell. If this wasn¡¯t a working environment, I would have thought that she had sessfully pulled a prank on someone.


    ¡°Did everything go wellst night?¡± I asked hopefully.


    ¡°Yup. We managed to finish everything plus a few extra things. Everything is done, the graphics and all the set up of social media advertising cements. Everything is done!¡± Julianna dered excitedly.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t get any sleep but she¡¯s right. It¡¯s done,¡± one of her team members spoke up before closing his eyes and sighing loudly.


    ¡°We did everything we could. The donations better start rolling in,¡± another added.


    ¡°It will. I have a feeling that we¡¯ve got it right this time around. Things will work out,¡± Julianna told her teammates with confidence.


    ¡°Karina,e over here. You want to see what they¡¯ve done, right?¡± Jeremy asked as he waved me over to his side.


    Julianna was too busyughing with her team members to show me anything, but it was alright. I didn¡¯t want to bother her or any of her team members after the all-nighter that they had just pulled. I walked over and sat down next to Jeremy as I waited for him to pull up what he wanted to show me on hisptop screen. My eyes wandered tond on Ace, and I realized that he had not shown much interest in what Julianna and her team had done although they had put so much effort into their work.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called out to him before I realized what I was doing.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he replied tly.


    ¡°Do you want to see? I mean, the advertising work on social media¡­¡± I asked before smiling a little over at him.


    Ace closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh before he slowly got out of his seat. To my surprise, Ace headed over to where Jeremy and I were sitting and sat down next to me. Jeremy turned hisptop screen toward us so that we could see.


    ¡°These are the main graphics that are being disyed to social media users right now. These are the cements which I think covers pretty much everything. Oh, you two should watch this mini clip. It¡¯s the edited version of themercial to make it shorter and more appropriate for social media,¡± Jeremy exined excitedly.


    ¡°Wow¡­they managed to edit so well in such a very short time,¡± I mumbled admiringly as my eyes stared at the shorter version of ourmercial.


    Themercial was visibly shorter and got the main point much faster than the original version. It felt very rushed and the various options that the audience could choose from to make their donations were clearly made visible right at the end of themercial. Themercial¡¯s essence was still preserved but I felt that some of the artistic beauty and various touching moments had been lost.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little different from the original, don¡¯t you think?¡± Ace murmured to me as if he could read my mind.


    Ace probably thought the same thing when he saw the shortened version of ourmercial. I wouldn¡¯t say that the change was a bad one and I fully understood that the changes made were necessary.


    ¡°I was just thinking the same thing¡­¡± I replied as I stared at Ace¡¯s face.


    ¡°I guess this is what has to be done to grab the audience¡¯s attention on social media. It¡¯s not a bad adaptation given the constraints of how short the entire clip is supposed to be,¡± Acemented.


    ¡°The donations options are much clearer now too so hopefully that will help move the needle on the donation amount,¡± I added thoughtfully.


    ¡°We¡¯ll know soon enough whether this will work or not,¡± Ace replied.


    He did not sound concerned at all, and I wondered if that was because he was certain that this would work out. For me, I was so on edge even though I had decided to believe in Julianna and her team. Their work was outstanding and how they managed to operate under pressure was even more impressive. I could definitely learn a thing or two from Julianna on team management and handling pressure.


    ¡°We¡¯ll keep monitoring the numbers. The first report with anything meaningful after the change should being in soon,¡± Jeremy informed us with a smile.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we view the donation amount live?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Unfortunately, because the donation is being made directly to the foundation, we have to wait for them to announce the numbers. They announce the report to everypany participating in the contest at the same time,¡± Jeremy exined.


    ¡°Oh, I see. That¡¯s too bad¡­¡± I muttered in disappointment.


    ¡°Well, the foundation isn¡¯t a professional marketingpany so don¡¯t expect them to have live reports like we do on every single metrics,¡± Jeremy said.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I mumbled in reply.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 318 Glimpse of the Future

    Chapter 318 Glimpse of the Future


    ¡°I think you all should go crash at home,¡± Ace said as he turned to address Julianna and her team.


    ¡°We¡¯ll stay here till the first reportes in,¡± Julianna replied while sounding quite stubborn.


    ¡°Fine. Do what you want¡­¡± Ace muttered in resignation.


    ¡°Thank you. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re fine¡­¡± Julianna replied with a smile.


    I could understand why Julianna didn¡¯t want to go home. If I were her, I would probably do the exact same thing. After spending the entire night working with her team to fix the situation that we were in, who wouldn¡¯t want to be in the office along with everyone else to see their effort bear fruit. I prayed that everything would be smooth sailing and that the result would turn out just as Julianna had expected.


    ¡°Is there something that I can help out with?¡± I asked Ace hopefully.


    ¡°Nope. Nothing at all. Let¡¯s wait patiently for the report toe in. In the meantime, if you have anything to take care of, you can go ahead,¡± Ace replied casually.


    There wasn¡¯t much on my te, but I felt so restless that I couldn¡¯t seem to sit still the way that Ace could. Since I couldn¡¯t think of anything productive to do, I decided to head to Ace¡¯s office to help tidy things up and sort some documents into storage. It seemed like the least that I could do, and it would also serve the purpose of keeping me busy.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be in your office then¡­¡± I told him softly.


    With a nod of approval from Ace, I silently left the war room to head to his office. Being back at my usual work desk felt pleasantly rxing in a strange way. I guessed after being away from it for quite some time, it was nice to return. There wasn¡¯t much on my desk, but I was sure that there were documents that I could help sort out and manage in Ace¡¯s room.


    Seeing Ace¡¯s personal office without him inside it made me feel slightly empty inside. The room was silent and that made me feel a little lonely as I stepped in and closed the door behind me. Ace alternated between the war room and his private office. After all, there were probably work and calls that he couldn¡¯t work on in the war room with many team members around.


    ¡°How did his desk end up so messy?¡± I murmured to myself as I approached therge table.


    It could have been considered half my fault for allowing his desk to clutter up into the state that it was in because I was his personal secretary. Normally, I would help him clear up and organize documents on his desk periodically so nothing like this has ever happened before.


    ¡°Where do I even start?¡± I mumbled as I reached out and began gathering the documents.


    I knew that Ace trusted me with handling the documents and I valued the trust that he had in me. Because some of the documents may contain confidential information, I exercised caution and made sure to never read the contents even if I had the had the chance too. It wasn¡¯t like I was going to tell anyone and intentionally expose thepany¡¯s various secrets, but I thought that it might be safer if I didn¡¯t read anything at all.


    That was what I thought all along until the moment that my eyesnded on a document that truly stood out from the rest. It was probably of itsrger size that made the document catch my attention to begin with and then it was the content printed on the pages that drew me in.


    Why is something like this here?


    I stared down at therge blueprint that I held in my hands. Of all the documents that I¡¯ve seen Ace work with, I have never seen a blueprint like this before. For some reason, I couldn¡¯t stop staring at the blue print of what appeared to be a mid-sized building. I didn¡¯t know what to make of it and it didn¡¯t help that I didn¡¯t see how it was connected to any of the projects that Ace was working on. After all, thepany wasn¡¯t at all a constructionpany, and I have not heard of us building a tiny mini office building because there was simply no need for it considering how big our office building was already.


    After a moment of staring at the blueprint and failing toe up with a reasonable exnation of why Ace would have something like this on his work desk, I started considering the possibility that this may not be rted to his work.


    What if this is something personal? Does that mean that Ace is nning to have this building constructed somewhere?


    Before I knew it, I was biting on my thumb as my mind raced in thought. I knew that I shouldn¡¯t pry and that there was that whole thing about him trusting me not to fool around with the documents on his desk, but my body didn¡¯t seem to move in sync with what my mind was thinking. My thumb disappeared from between my lips and then I was frantically flipping through the pages of the entire blueprint.


    Pages flew by in front of my eyes as I scanned the content of the blueprint. Honestly, there wasn¡¯t much to see beyond the briefyout of the floorn and the exterior view of the building from various sides. Nothing on the page answered the countless questions that flooded my mind at that moment. When I flipped back to the very first page of the blueprint and ced it back down onto Ace¡¯s desk, I felt a wave of coldness churning around in my belly.


    Something told me that this blueprint had something to do with what he intended to do after he left this ce and his position as CEO behind. Without knowing it, I must have gotten a glimpse of the future that Ace had in mind for himself.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 319 - 319 Walking on a Wire

    319 Walking on a Wire


    This was probably a part of what he had been trying desperately to hide from me. Even after seeing it, I still haven¡¯t discovered what he nned to do except to perhaps have a building constructed. I didn¡¯t even know where the building was going to be located or what it was going to be used for.


    Suddenly, I felt slightly nauseous, and my temples started to throb as I struggled to deal with the void of emptiness that seemed to have taken shape inside of me. Although I had been trying desperately to deal with it silently and telling myself to be patient, I still hated the fact that Ace was keeping secrets from me.


    The worst part out of all of this was the piercing painful feeling that sprang up in my chest when I thought that Ace did not want to share his future with me. It felt like I was an outsider, and he was treating me like one. Not telling me anything and always keeping me in the dark. I stared down at the blueprint again as I wondered if the future that Ace envisioned for himself had me in it.


    ¡°Rina¡­¡±


    I turned around so fast that I almost fell forward onto my face at the sound of Ace calling my name. To say that I was surprised would be a vast understatement. Reflexively, my hands moved to hide the blueprint away behind me as I tried desperately to shield it away from Ace¡¯s sight using my body.


    Why am I hiding it?


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I whispered his name before I tried my best to offer him a smile.


    ¡°Did something happen?¡± he asked as his eyes searched my face.


    ¡°No¡­nothing happened¡­¡± I replied as my heart raced painfully fast in my chest.


    .....


    ¡°Are you, ok? Your face looks kind of pale...¡± he asked.


    That¡¯s probably because you walked in so suddenly while I was doing something that I shouldn¡¯t have and that made me feel like a criminal who had just been caught red-handed.


    I couldn¡¯t believe how flustered I was. Even my hands were shaking, and it was amazing to me how I could still manage to have a conversation with Ace.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take note to apply more blush on tomorrow,¡± I replied teasingly to cover up how nervous I actually was.


    I wished that he would just leave. Wasn¡¯t Ace supposed to be in the war room along with the others?


    I wasn¡¯t done clearing his desk because I got so distracted with the blueprint that I found and my own messy thoughts that came about as a result of my unexpected discovery. Ace didn¡¯t seem convinced with my little joke because he continued staring at my face with a worried look on his.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. You don¡¯t have to worry. I thought you were working with the others. Do you need something here?¡± I asked as my hand shoved back the blueprint behind me.


    I had no idea if Ace even knows that he left that blueprintying around here on his desk or not. However, I didn¡¯t want him to know that I had seen it.


    ¡°You,¡± he replied before he grinned at me.


    ¡°¡­Me?¡± I murmured nkly.


    ¡°Come with me, Rina. The report just came in so I thought that you should know,¡± he replied before chuckling at my flustered reaction.


    I breathed a sigh of relief when Ace turned on his heels and headed for the door. If things were normal, I would have been so excited that the report had finally arrived after all that Julianna and her team managed to do by working all nightst night. However, the situation was far from normal and all that I had on my mind was that blueprint, all of Ace¡¯s secrets that he was keeping from me, and the fact that I had somehow broken the trust that he had ced in me.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t youing?¡± Ace asked.


    ¡°Y-Yes. Of course¡­¡± I replied while stuttering.


    At that moment, Project Alpha and the wholepetition didn¡¯t have any space in my mind at all. I was too shaken about what I had just seen. I stared at Ace¡¯s back as he walked in front of me while I tried to tell myself to calm down. It was possible that I was just overthinking things. Just because Ace had a blueprint of a building on his desk doesn¡¯t mean that he¡¯s thinking of getting it built and it may not even be for himself.


    I bit down hard on my lip when I thought that everything would be much simpler if I could ask him. To be more urate, everything would be much simpler for us if he would answer all of my questions. At first, I didn¡¯t have the courage to even have a proper conversation with Ace. As time went by, I grew closer to him, and I finally got used to talking to him and spending time with him. I even conquered my fears and managed to ask him so many questions; however, Ace still refused to answer all the key questions that I had asked him regarding the future.


    ¡°Come, Rina¡­¡± Ace said as he turned and offered me his hand.


    ¡°I¡­¡± I began saying but realized that I wasn¡¯t sure what I wanted to say.


    I shut my mouth and casted my eyes downwards before slipping my hand into his muchrger one. As always, Ace¡¯s hand felt warm as it enclosed around mine.


    ¡°Why do you look so down? Are you nervous about the result in the report?¡± he asked with a smallugh.


    ¡°I guess¡­¡± I replied although it wasn¡¯t even half true.


    Ace stopped walking and suddenly ced his hands on my shoulders. Then he pulled me close and leaned down until his lips were right beside my ear. I could feel the warmth of his breath brushing against my earlobe and my heartbeat quickened automatically.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I murmured his name.


    ¡°It¡¯s much better that I could have imagined. We really did it this time¡­¡± Ace announced softly as he whispered close to my ear.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 320 - 320 Promising Results

    320 Promising Results


    We did it?


    ¡°Really? Did the amount of donation go up?¡± I asked as his words caught my attention.


    Ace smiled warmly down at me before he slowly nodded his head in confirmation. My eyes widened even further, and for a moment, I was at a loss for words. Thankfully, we were finally seeing some positive results and some good news. I let out a sigh of relief before I tried my best to smile up brightly at Ace.


    ¡°Come along. You can listen to Julianna b about her sess,¡± Ace said as he grabbed my wrist.


    He turned around and began pulling me along with him down the hallway. I let him lead me wherever he wanted me to. I was just so relieved that Project Alpha seemed to be back on track. There wasn¡¯t a lot of time left until the announcement of the winner of thepetition and then everything that I had been waiting for and dreading would happen all at once.


    Ace would quit his job and he would no longer work here. I wouldn¡¯t have the chance to work with Ace like this anymore. I stared down at his hand holding onto my wrist as we continued walking and it brought a painful tightness to my chest and then a stinging sensation to the back of my eyes. I had to look away and sniff a couple of times to keep my tears away. It was just so heart wrenching when I thought that our time working together would be cut short. Regret felt heavy and painful, and it made me realize that I wished that I could have had more time with Ace.


    On the bright side, I¡¯ll finally find out what Ace had nned for himself after his retirement from this ce. Maybe he would follow his passion and I was determined to support him no matter what it was. There was a small hope inside of me that he would allow me to be part of the future that he dreamt of.


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± Ace called my name.


    ¡°Huh?¡± I murmured as I suddenly snapped out of my thoughts.


    .....


    ¡°Stop spacing out. What are you thinking about?¡± he asked as he stared down into my upturned face.


    ¡°Umm¡­about how great it is that we got some positive results,¡± I replied.


    ¡°You should see for yourself,¡± Ace said as he pushed the door to the war room open.


    I quickly pulled my hand out of his before anyone saw us. It would be bad if people found out about secret rtionship now of all times. Everyone¡¯s focus, including mine, should be on ensuring that Project Alpha turned out to be a sess. There was no time for anyone to lose focus, at least, that was what I tried desperately to remind myself.


    ¡°Oh, Ace you¡¯re back¡­¡± Julianna said as she pped her hands together.


    ¡°Rina is back too,¡± Jeremy added.


    The two of them headed over to greet me and I could see the clear excitement on their faces. Ace must have been understating the level of sess when he told me about the positive results. Judging from my two colleagues¡¯ reactions and the joyous atmosphere in the room, it felt like thepetition was already ours.


    ¡°You¡¯re making me so excited too. May I see it?¡± I asked with a smile.


    ¡°You have to! Everyone has to see this,¡± Julianna announced proudly before pulling on my arm.


    She led me to therge monitors that she usually gathered around with her team members before urging me to take a seat. My eyes immediately went to the chart that disyed the campaign¡¯s donation amount. Immediately, I gasped and covered my mouth with both my hands. Juliannaughed a little next to me before she sat down on the chair right next to mine.


    ¡°This is amazing. No, it¡¯s beyond amazing¡­¡± I said in awe as I kept staring at the chart.


    The t line that Jeremy had shown me before now showed a sudden spike. Of course, there was no guarantee that this trend would continue but this was surely the great leap that we had all been waiting for. I turned toward Julianna to see her beaming a proud smile at me.


    ¡°It¡¯s a wonder how much we can achieve after pulling an all-nighter¡­¡± she said with augh.


    I was d that all-nighter was all it took to turn things around like this. If the donation figures did not improve, I didn¡¯t know what else we could have done. I was thankful that it didn¡¯te to that because I didn¡¯t want to see Ace stressed about work.


    ¡°You¡¯re amazing. This is almost unbelievable,¡± I said excitedly.


    ¡°The social media work that we did really help to save the day,¡± she replied with a broad smile.


    ¡°Can we expect simr figures daily from now on?¡± I asked while thinking that I can quickly put in some analysis.


    ¡°We think so. We¡¯ll see tomorrow. I¡¯m happy enough that we got through today. Usually the trend would continue,¡± she said before winking at me.


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s good¡­¡± I said with relief.


    ¡°Yup. There¡¯s nothing for you or anyone to worry about now,¡± Julianna announced.


    ¡°Which is why you and your team should head home,¡± Ace said sternly from behind us.


    I turned and jumped a little in my seat when I saw that I was right about Ace standing right behind our seats. Now that Julianna had seen the results of her long hours, Ace was right that she should head home.


    ¡°Thanks for worrying but I¡¯m fine¡­¡± she replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m not worried about you. I¡¯m worried about my project. This is a war and not a battle that willst one day. You have to work tomorrow and maybe you have to work even harder the day after that. Go home and rest before you copse,¡± Ace ordered without backing down.


    His gaze was serious, and I was d that I wasn¡¯t the one that he was staring at. Julianna let out a soft sigh while closing her eyes momentarily as she gave in.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 321 - 321 Dealing with Secrets

    321 Dealing with Secrets


    I felt a little bad for her, but I had to admit that Ace¡¯s suggestion was probably the right one.


    ¡°Everything will be fine here now, thanks to you¡­¡± I whispered to her softly.


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll go home. Let¡¯s go home, you guys!¡± Julianna mumbled before turning to yell at her team members.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you all tomorrow¡­¡± I said before I thanked everyone who was leaving.


    Since the results of Julianna¡¯s work turned out much better than we could have imagined, there honestly wasn¡¯t much work to do for the rest of the day but to monitor the campaign. If anything, the people in the war room spent time celebrating their little victory by going out to get coffee or softly chatting to one another while doing some work.


    Everything was so peaceful until my phone suddenly vibrated on the table. I quickly grabbed it when I saw the notification that I had just received a new message. My heart skipped a beat when I saw that the message was from Ace. I nced over to see him working diligently on hisptop and I had to admit that Ace was such a good actor. No one would have guessed that he had just sent me a message secretly.


    ¡®Let¡¯s go home together,¡¯


    The message was short and sweet; however, his sweet request weighed heavily on my mind. I thought we had already sorted this out that we were going to head back from work separately. After sessfully repressing the urge to roll my eyes in frustrations, I typed back a short reply.


    ¡®Let¡¯s head home separately as we¡¯ve agreed,¡¯


    .....


    I typed up some emails on myptop while waiting for a reply message from Ace. After almost ten minutes and multiple nces that I shot his way, I figured that Ace wasn¡¯t going to reply to my message. Now that there wasn¡¯t much going on, my mind wandered off on its own tond on the blueprints that I saw earlier in Ace¡¯s office. Once again, I wondered if Ace would tell me about it if I asked. I shook my head from side to side to clear my mind.


    He probably won¡¯t tell me anything just like always.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Ace asked.


    His eyes were on me when I stood up from my seat and headed for the door. I turned to offer him a polite smile before making up some excuses to get away.


    ¡°I have something to do about scheduling with the other secretaries¡­¡± I replied vaguely.


    Ace had no idea what went on in the secretarial department and based on my past interactions with him, he had absolutely no interest in finding out. Honestly, finding that blueprint had my mine thinking of so many random and extensive scenarios. Although I knew that all of them were my own baseless assumptions, my mind wouldn¡¯t stop conjuring up those scenarios. It made me anxious and restless.


    Once out of the war room, I walked along the hallway before my legs came to a stop as a sudden thought hit me. Talking about secrets, I remembered another thing that I have tucked away in the corner of my mind for far too long.


    ¡­


    I was sure that besides Jeremy and myself, not that many people came down here to visit the archives. That was precisely why I couldn¡¯t quite understand why I couldn¡¯t seem to find what I was looking for. It was probably my fault for not remember where I found it thest time and where I had put it. When I arrived at the archive the same old guard that I met before gave me a funny look as if he was wondering what I was doing down there.


    After showing him a little smile, he let me in without asking any questions. By then, I was sure that he must have already remembered me. It wasn¡¯t like he had an endless list of faces to remember from the few people that actually visited the ce. After entering, I headed straight for the cabs that housed folders and documents of Ace¡¯s previous works.


    It has to be here somewhere¡­


    With how busy things had gotten at work, I had more than temporarily forgotten about the promise that I made to myself toe back to take a look at this. Ever since discovering this document that had been stashed away and most likely forgotten, I still haven¡¯t made peace with it. Ace and I were both too busy to deal with something like this and I had been forced to put the matter for rest at least for the time being. Now that we had some downtime, I thought that it would be perfect for me toe back to take a better look and digest this surprising discover of mine.


    Oh, I finally found it!


    After searching and narrowing down my search area, I finally found the document that I was looking for. The document wasn¡¯t a very lengthy one but that wasn¡¯t the main point. My hand shook as I stared down at the content printed on the pages. I read and then re-read the document over and over to make sure that it was real and that I wasn¡¯t just imagining things.


    Why is this here?


    I knew that I had to talk to Ace about this too on top of everything else that we had to talk to each other about. A funny feeling stirred in the pit of my belly just at the thought of bringing this up to Ace¡¯s attention. I wondered how he would react before I wondered if something like this was possible or if I was just connecting the wrong dots. Time seemed to fly by, and I wasn¡¯t sure how long I spent there lost in my own thoughts.


    It wouldn¡¯t count as stealing if I returned it back¡­right?


    Before I would lose my stupid courage, I nced around before slipping the papers carefully into myptop bag. Suddenly, those few pages of paper felt like it weighed so much.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 322 - 322 Mysterious Find

    322 Mysterious Find


    While trying to tell myself to calm down and act normal, I headed towards the exit of the archive. The same guard was there at the exit and that made me feel quite nervous. It went without saying that I had never stolen or inappropriately ¡®borrowed¡¯ a document like this before.


    I shed the guard a little smile before casually walking past. After taking a few steps away. I honestly thought that I had made it; however, things didn¡¯t quite end as smoothly as I had hoped.


    ¡°Littledy, if you put that back where you got it from, I will look the other way and pretend that this never happened¡­¡± the guard muttered in a low voice.


    My body froze at his words when I realized that my stupid attempt to smuggle the document out had failed spectacrly. He must have been watching on the security camera and caught on to what I was up to. It was regretful but I had no other choice except to return the document from where it came from.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± I mumbled a soft apology as I turned around.


    To my surprise, the guard didn¡¯t seem angry. Actually, he had azy look on his face like he couldn¡¯t care any less.


    ¡°It¡¯s not really fine, but it¡¯s fine. I have no idea why any of these old papers interest you or why you would want it so badly that you would go as far as to steal it¡­¡± he said before shrugging his shoulders.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we just say that I¡¯m borrowing it?¡± I asked as I tried to push my luck.


    ¡°Put it back, littledy¡­¡± the guard snapped without giving my suggestion any thought.


    .....


    ¡°I would very much prefer it if you could really look the other way while I silently walk out of here¡­¡± I suggested before showing him a sweet smile.


    ¡°Stop pushing your luck. I can¡¯t let you take anything out of here; however, you can snap up some photos¡­¡± he replied in a firm voice.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± I whispered before letting out a sigh of resignation.


    ¡°That¡¯s the best that I can do for you. After you¡¯re done, please put the papers back where you found them,¡± he instructed as he red at me as if to make sure that he was getting his message across.


    ¡°Yes, Sir¡­¡± I replied with a fake salute gesture of my hand.


    I could feel his gaze on me as I almost stomped all the way back to the cab where I had found the document earlier. Although I knew that I wasn¡¯t supposed to try to steal it and that the guard had really been lenient on me by just forcing me to put it back in its ce, I still felt like it was such a shame that I couldn¡¯t take the document with me.


    ¡°Goodbye for now¡­¡± I whispered to the document as if it had ears that could hear me.


    With a depressing sigh, I took the guard¡¯s advice and took out my phone and began snapping up photos of the documents. I made sure to capture the details carefully on all pages. When I was satisfied with the photos that I got, I ced the document back in the folder where I had found it and stuffed it back into the cab before closing the doors.


    It was unfortunate that I can¡¯t show Ace the real version of the papers, but I had to make do with these photos. They probably won¡¯t have the same impact as showing him the original version of the papers. While telling myself to give up on the idea because there was nothing that I could do about it, I walked back toward the exit where I knew that the guard would be waiting for me.


    ¡°I put it back already¡­¡± I reported grudgingly to the guard.


    To my surprise, the grumpy voice of the guard did not answer me. The silence suddenly made me feel ufortable. I looked around and couldn¡¯t find the guard where he was usually stationed. I wondered where he went because he was just here scolding me to return the papers that I had nned to snug out.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± I called out to him again.


    Once again, there was no reply. I began frowning as I continued looking around. Thinking that he may have entered the archive while I was inside and we had missed each other, I took a few steps back into the archive. Although there was no real good reason for me to look for him, I ended up doing just that out of curiosity.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    I closed my eyes and pursed my lips together into a tight line at the sound of Ace¡¯s overly familiar voice. He seemed to have suddenly gotten much better at appearing out of thin airtely and I hated the feeling of being caught red-handed although what I was doing wasn¡¯t exactly a crime. I tried to tell myself that since he had some secrets he wanted to keep from me, I also had the right to have some secrets of my own.


    Ace was standing there with a curious look on his face. I had no idea how he found me here unless he followed me here. That thought spooked me a little bit as I managed to paste a smile on my lips.


    When did he get here? Did he hear me talking to the guard just now?


    ¡°I¡­came to check out something¡­¡± I murmured while my eyes darted around to look for the guard.


    Where did he disappear to?


    ¡°I told the guard that I would appreciate some quiet time alone in the archive. He¡¯s taking a break right now and probably won¡¯t be back for a while,¡± Ace said as if he could hear my unspoken question.


    Being alone with him just made me feel even more on edge. I was sure that he thought that my behavior was suspicious; however, I didn¡¯t actually do anything wrong. With that thought in mind, I took in a deep breath and straightened my back.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 323 - 323 Don鈥檛 Come Any Closer

    323 Don¡¯t Come Any Closer


    ¡°What exactly are you looking for? Do you need some help?¡± he asked as his eyes continued staring at my face.


    ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m done here already¡­¡± I replied softly.


    I prayed that Ace wouldn¡¯t ask for more details about what exactly I was doing down here in the archives. My heart thumped so loudly in my chest that it made me wonder if he could hear the sound of my rapid heartbeat. My hands started to sweat, and for once, I was thankful that the guard had gotten me to put back that document. I wanted to talk to Ace about it soon enough after the end of Project Alpha but it would be terrible if he caught me with it now.


    Ace¡¯s sharp gaze kept on staring at me, and I started to feel like a prey that had been cornered. If only the guard would return from his break now, that would save me a great deal. I knew that that was just wistful thinking. Somehow, I had to find a way to deal with Ace and get out of this situation. While my mind raced toe up with an reasonable excuse, Ace took a few steps slowly toward me. All the while his eyes were glued to my face. Without thinking, I started shrinking back as I took a few steps backward to maintain the distance between us.


    It was such a failed attempt and Ace managed to close the distance between us in no time at all. He wasn¡¯t a fool and I wasn¡¯t the best actress at pretending that nothing was going on. Precisely because of that, Ace was extremely suspicious of what I had been up to.


    ¡°Umm¡­Ace¡­¡± I murmured as he slowly backed me into the archive.


    I cursed myself silently in my mind for not getting my ass out of there any faster. The archive was dead silent except for the thunderous beating of my own heart that seemed to echo in my ear. It felt like I was in a suspense movie that somehow bordered on being a horror movie as well. Ace¡¯s face was stern as he kept on staring at me. With every step that he took forward toward me, I took a step back.


    I have to say something¡­


    After taking another step backward, I felt something hard and cool against my backside and realized that he had backed me up all the way against the wall. I didn¡¯t think that it would be this difficult toe up with an excuse that would sound valid. The way Ace¡¯s hazel brown eyes were staring at me, only made it difficult for me to think and speak.


    .....


    ¡°Ace¡­why are you here?¡± I asked in voice barely above a whisper.


    Hisrge frame loomed in front of me as he stared down into my upturned face. Our eyes met and I knew that I had to look away but I just couldn¡¯t move. My body seemed to have frozen in ce. Ace didn¡¯t make an attempt to answer my question at all. Instead, his face came closer to mine.


    Is he going to kiss me? Here?


    I wasn¡¯t sure what I was hoping for, but my body seemed to move on its own when his lips came closer to mine. My eyes slowly drifted close as if I had been waiting for him to kiss me. I didn¡¯t feel the pressure of his lips on mine and slowly opened my eyes to see Ace looking at me with a curious look on his face. My lips suddenly felt dry and I had to wet my lower lip with my tongue. It was probably my hidden guilt that made me feel so nervous to be alone and so close to Ace.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I whispered his name as if it would help make him stop.


    He was so close, and I could feel his breath softly against the side of my neck and then his hands were on my upper arms as he held me in ce. It wasn¡¯t like I had anywhere to run to anyways. The way my heart leapt in my chest gave me a very good idea of what was about to happen.


    Are we really going to do it in a ce like this?


    My eyes widened as I started to panic. Considering that this was Ace, I could really picture him seducing me and doing me in the archive. I had no idea how that was supposed to make me feel. Before my thoughts could take shape in my mind, I shook it off as I tried to focus on the man in front of me.


    I have to stop him.


    ¡°Umm¡­there are security cameras here¡­¡± I whispered a warning.


    My eyes looked up and darted around the archive and surely there were a couple of cameras that I could see from where I stood. When my eyes returned to Ace¡¯s face, he was still staring intensely at mine.


    ¡°So?¡± he murmured without a care.


    His slightly cold voice murmuring softly close to my ear made my entire body tremble. His hands only tightened around my arms as he moved his body even closer to mine until I could feel the heat of his body pressing against mine.


    ¡°So¡­¡± I mumbled as I tried to look away from him.


    This can¡¯t be happening.


    Ace is supposed to be mature, reasonable, and in control. I found that to be true in all circumstances except for when it came to controlling his desire. Despite how dangerous the situation was, it didn¡¯t stop my body from reacting to his closeness. The heat from his body and his familiar smell made my core clenched tightly. The swelling ache in my lower abdomen told me without a doubt that I had at least started to want him.


    Stop it, Rina¡­


    Doing it with Ace in the archive was one thing. Doing it with the cameras recording our passionate little affair was an entire different thing altogether. It also had not slipped my desire-clouded mind that we were still in the office building even if we were not precisely in the office.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 324 - 324 The Easier Choice

    324 The Easier Choice


    ¡°Ace¡­please, let¡¯s stop¡­¡± I pleaded desperately.


    ¡°Stop, what?¡± he asked with some interest.


    I bit down on my lower lip in frustration before I red at him as if doing that would send some telepathic message across to him. My real frustration stemmed from the fact that I was certain that he knew what I was referring to but had chosen to act all innocent.


    ¡°We can¡¯t do it here. There are cameras¡­everywhere¡­¡± I pointed out without backing down.


    Ace stared at me for a moment in silence and that made me feel so open and vulnerable in front of him. I wished that he would stop staring at me like he could see through me even if that was how it was really was. It was bad enough that we were this close and already on camera.


    ¡°Do what?¡± Ace asked before the corners of his beautiful lips curved upwards into slightly teasing smirk.


    Slowly, his fingertips stroked their ways down my arm, and I wanted to let out a moan at the fleeting yet pleasurable sensation. He was teasing me mercilessly and I hated myself for responding so much to his yful seduction.


    ¡°Tell me, what do you have in mind, Rina?¡± he asked.


    His hands slid down my arms slowly before he quickly captured and held onto my wrists. My mind wentpletely nk for a moment, and I wasn¡¯t sure what to do.


    .....


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait till we get home¡­or¡­we can go to your office¡­¡± I mumbled.


    As soon as those words left my lips, I wanted to die from embarrassment. However, I couldn¡¯t see another way out. I knew that I should push him away, but it seemed impossible. If Ace really started seducing me, there was a very high chance that we¡¯ll end up going all the way. I closed my eyes and let out a sigh. To my surprise, the slight pressure of his hands around my wrists disappeared and then I felt Ace moving away from me.


    When I opened my eyes, Ace was standing at a respectable distance from me with an unbelievably calm expression on his face. To say that I was surprised would be an understatement. However, I did feel very relieved that he seemed to have heard my desperate plead for him to stop.


    ¡°Are you done with your business down here?¡± Ace asked.


    ¡°Yes¡­I am¡­¡± I replied in a murmur as my mind struggled to take in this sudden change.


    ¡°Then follow me,¡± Ace instructed.


    I watched as he turned on his heels and walked toward the exit of the archive. My legs started following him without a moment of hesitation. Suddenly, the archive felt so suffocating and I couldn¡¯t bear to be there any longer. My heart still beat wildly in my chest as I pressed my hand against it and let out another sigh.


    ¡°Why did youe down here?¡± I asked curiously when I caught up to his side.


    It felt too awkward to be walking along with him in silence, so I put in all the effort that I had to start a conversation.


    ¡°No reason. I was just looking for you and someone in the lobby told me that they saw you heading down here,¡± Ace replied with a casual shrug of his shoulders.


    ¡°Why were you looking for me?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°We should go home together. I managed to wrap things up decently early so I thought we could go home together. I did send you a text,¡± he replied.


    ¡°But I thought we already agreed that we¡¯ll head back separately,¡± I pointed out.


    I was too focused on him to realize that we were in fact heading in the direction of the parking building.


    ¡°Should we head back to the archive?¡± Ace asked mercilessly.


    He shot me a look that managed to hush me up. I looked around nervously to see if anyone saw us together.


    ¡°Stop panicking. I think you should start getting used to this,¡± he advised.


    ¡°You mean¡­¡± I murmured as I tried my best to keep up with his pace.


    ¡°People at work and everywhere else seeing us together,¡± he pointed out.


    I didn¡¯t think that I would have a problem with people seeing us together if it wouldn¡¯t lead to any trouble. However, with how things currently are, there was no guarantee when the consequences of our actions would end up exploding in our faces.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t want to stir up trouble,¡± I argued my case.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If anything happens, I¡¯ll handle it¡­¡± Ace replied.


    With that, he pulled opened the car door and urged for me to get in with a smooth gesture of his hand. Getting into his car or heading back to the archive wasn¡¯t exactly a difficult choice to make. I let out a sigh as I lowered myself into Ace¡¯s car.


    ¡°So, tell me, what were you doing down there in the archive? Were you looking for something?¡± Ace asked once we were on the road.


    I couldn¡¯t get the suggestive look that the guard gave me when he saw me in Ace¡¯s car out of my head. If our rtionship gets out to the public, I could be sure that that guard was the source of all the rumors. Ace didn¡¯t seem bothered and I wondered if he ced too much trust on that man.


    ¡°Umm¡­yeah. I go down there sometimes to look for inspirations, I guess¡­¡± I replied vaguely.


    ¡°I bet no one really goes down there. I don¡¯t even remember thest time I was down there,¡± Ace said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even know that the ce existed until Jeremy showed me,¡± I said as I tried to lighten the atmosphere around us.


    ¡°When did he show you?¡± he asked.


    ¡°When we were working on Project Alpha together and we were struggling toe up with a way to make themercial more emotionally engaging. He suggested that we go down there to look for some inspiration,¡± I told Ace honestly.


    ¡°It must have been useful,¡± Ace replied before shing me a smile that I thought was very charming.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 325 Buried Past

    Chapter 325 Buried Past


    My poor little heart couldn¡¯t help but skip a beat and I had to turn away a little to hide my blush. Ace let out a softugh which made me feel even more shy and self-aware than before.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that you two would search for inspiration in thepany¡¯s old archive but I have to say that the ideas you two came up with wasn¡¯t at all bad. Seems like it was worth the effort of digging through all those old files,¡± Acemented.


    I smiled a little at him before Ace turned to focus his eyes back on the road ahead. The traffic was unusually light for rush hours during a weekday. While watching the attractive view of Ace¡¯s side profile, I wondered if he knew that all his old works were actually quite carefully stored in thepany¡¯s archives. More urately, I figured that Ace probably wasn¡¯t at all aware because he did mention that he threw everything out. While I had no idea why he did that to his precious work documents, I was as equally curious about who had saved his work and stored them in such an orderly fashion in the archive.


    ¡°Did you know that a bunch of your past works are kept in the archive?¡± I asked after deciding that it probably wouldn¡¯t hurt to bring it up.


    ¡°My work? Really?¡± Ace asked with clear surprise after a moment of silence.


    The car conveniently got stuck at a red light and that gave Ace the opportunity to turn his attention to me. His soft brown eyes searched my face as if he could find the reason why his work ended up there. I wished I had the answers to that as well.


    ¡°Yes, really. You didn¡¯t know?¡± I asked in return.


    ¡°No¡­¡± Ace replied with a nk look.


    ¡°Well, I have to say that it¡¯s great that all your work hasn¡¯t been lost. To me, they¡¯re sort of like a treasure that should be discovered and rediscovered over and over again,¡± I said before beaming a smile.


    It was hard and I couldn¡¯t help but enter into my fangirl mode. Aceughed awkwardly and I picked up right away that this topic seemed to be making him ufortable; however, I didn¡¯t quite understand why. I opened my mouth to ask him about it but then closed it again when I realized that now wasn¡¯t quite the time.


    ¡°What is it? We¡¯re almost home,¡± Ace replied with his eyes on the road.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s¡­nothing¡­¡± I replied hesitantly.


    ¡°It¡¯s all in the past. Not everything down there is going to be useful to you, so I don¡¯t rmend that you go down there often. A lot of things that are outdated shouldn¡¯t be used anymore,¡± Ace said with a clear hint of warning in his tone.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. It¡¯s a little hard to resist taking a peek at your old work papers,¡± I admitted truthfully.


    ¡°A guess a peek is fine¡­¡± Ace muttered.


    What if¡­I took more than a peek at it?


    That was what I wanted to ask but I managed to hold my tongue and ended upmending myself for doing so. I thought Ace would be a little bit more interested or exciting at learning that his old works were still safe and stored in thepany¡¯s archive; instead, he didn¡¯t seem at all impressed. I guess being the creator and owner of the work, he probably favored his old works a lot less than the newer ones just like some artists who are more proud of their new work because of all the learning and polishing that they¡¯ve done to their skills.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name softly.


    ¡°What is it? We¡¯re almost home,¡± Ace replied with his eyes on the road.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s¡­nothing¡­¡± I replied hesitantly.


    I wanted to ask him why he threw his old works away but then realized that he would probably tell me something along the lines of how the past isn¡¯t as important as paying attention to the present or preparing for the future. Maybe that was how things really were for Ace. I held in a sigh before letting it out as silently as possible.


    ¡°Why does it look like it¡¯s going to rain?¡± Ace said as he opened the door and got out.


    I did the same thing and looked up at the sky above when I stepped out of the car. It was probably because I was too focused on Ace during our drive that I didn¡¯t have the capacity to notice just how dark the sky had gotten above us. Evening was approaching but the sky was filled with dark and gloomy rain clouds.


    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s going to pour¡­¡± I murmured in agreement.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head inside,¡± Ace said as he offered me his hand.


    ¡°Ok¡­¡± I said softly as I slipped my hand into his.


    By the time that the elevator opened up on his floor and we headed into the living room, the rain had already started to pour. It was fortunate that we got back to his ce before the rain started because getting stuck in traffic wasn¡¯t my idea of fun even if I had Ace as mypany. The traffic always immediately worsened whenever it rained.


    ¡°It¡¯s reallying down¡­¡± I said as I walked toward therge ss window.


    The beautiful city view that usually stretched beyond my eyes could see was marred by the rain falling down and I couldn¡¯t quite make out the city anymore. It started raining harder than before and it seemed like a full-fledged storm had started. The sound of the rain beating down echoed in the room and I started to feel uneasy inside. I didn¡¯t have fond memories associated to the rain while I had many dark ones.


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± Ace called my name softly.


    I looked over my shoulder just in time to feel his arms slowly pulling me back against his warm and tall frame. His arms around my waist as he held me to him made me feel secure and safe. Ace probably didn¡¯t think much of it, but his embrace made me feel like he was sheltering me from the storm and all the dark times from my younger years that it reminded me of.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 326 Lusty Continuation

    Chapter 326 Lusty Continuation


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I murmured his name.


    His arms tightened around my body, and he held me in silence for a short moment before his hands began exploring the curves of my body. Ace¡¯s hands moved boldly to stroke my waist before quickly moving upwards to grope my breasts.


    ¡°Ah! Ace¡­¡± I let out a cry of surprise when he squeezed my breasts sharply.


    The sensation of his touch seemed to have awoken all my senses and suddenly my entire body felt so sensitive. I felt his hot breath against the side of my neck for a brief moment before he began kissing me there. The pace at which his small teasing kisses transformed into wild sucking and licking told me that he wasn¡¯t really going to take it slow.


    ¡°Ace¡­what are you doing?¡± I murmured before I started moaning from the pleasure of his lips teasing my sensitive skin.


    ¡°Continuing from where we left off¡­¡± he murmured close to my ear.


    I let out another moan as my mind struggled to remain in control. I knew that he was referring to that little episode that we shared in the archive. Back then, I managed to luckily convince him not to continue but it seemed like I wouldn¡¯t have any more reasons or excuses to stop him this time.


    His hot breath brushed against my ear and then the wetness of his tongue teased my earlobe. Loud and lewd sucking sounds filled my ear as he began teasing my earlobe with his skillful lips. It made my legs feel weak as my mind was filled with dirty thoughts.


    ¡°Ace¡­wait¡­¡± I murmured weakly.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it always a good idea to properly celebrate sess¡­¡± Ace murmured close to my ear.


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± I moaned softly before letting out a sigh when I felt his teeth softly sinking into my earlobe.


    My legs felt weak as I pressed my thighs tightly together. Another moan left my lips as I felt my pussy clenching. It really felt like a continuation of our unfinished affair that he had started in thepany¡¯s archive.


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± I moaned before biting down on my lower lip when he pulled me roughly backward against him.


    My eyes widened when I felt this hardness pressing up against my back. His cock was already so hard, and my hips began moving to grind back against him. His hands massaged my breasts a little rougher than before and that made me cry out from the pleasure. Ace began grinding his hard cock against my ass as his hands slipped into the opening of my clothes.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I moaned his name.


    Heat swirled in my lower belly as my desire and lust for Ace clouded my mind. The sound of the rain beating outside began to fade as my mind focused on the pleasure of his seductive caresses and kisses. I turned my head back to offer him my lips and his lips were immediately on mine. His tongue snaked boldly between my parted lips and began mingling with mine in an intimate dance. I moaned as his taste and heat filled my mouth. Ace skillfully sucked and teased my tongue with his until I felt like I was about to melt in his arms.


    My body felt so hot, and my nipples grew so taunt that it started to throb painfully. Ace¡¯s hands slipped between my clothes and soon I felt hisrge manly hands cupping my swollen breasts. He let out a satisfied sigh into our kiss as his hands moved to pleasure my naked breasts. It was my turn to moan repeatedly into our heated kiss. Ace kissed me from various angles while capturing my cries of pleasure as his hand pumped my breasts.


    His fingertips captured my sensitive nipples in between them and began tugging on them roughly. My body writhed from the pleasure as I thrusted my chest toward his hand. As if he could sense my unspoken plead for more pleasure, Ace pinched hard on my nipples at the same time. I moaned loudly into our kiss as my body jerked around.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I panted his name as I struggled to catch my breath.


    Ace broke our kiss and slid his hands down the curves of my body from my chest down the sides of my body to my waist. I took in a sharp breath when hisrge hand cupped my hips and then moved to caress my buttocks.


    ¡°Come here¡­¡± he urged seductively.


    Ace grabbed my wrists so easily in his hand before nting them against the window. My eyes widened at the blurred city view obscured by the curtain of rain in front of me. The ss felt slightly cold to the touch. Leaning against the ss gave me a different type of thrill that made my body tremble from a mix of slight fear and excitement. Ace didn¡¯t waste any time exposing my behind to him. In one swift motion, he pulled my skirt up around my waist and my entire ass was exposed to him.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I moaned his name when I felt his hand against my buttock.


    His hand felt so hot, and it made me moan even louder than before. Ace chuckled from behind me before he pressed his hand up against my wet crotch. I wonder if he could feel my pussy twitching beneath his touch given how wildly my pussy was clenching in anticipation of the pleasure of his caresses.


    ¡°Your pussy is so wet. It looks like it wants to be fucked¡­¡± Ace murmured.


    I turned back to see Ace staring at my crotch with an amused smirk on his beautiful lips. My core throbbed and I could feel another rush of my juices leaking out from my love hole. Ace didn¡¯t bother to remove my underwear. His fingers slipped under my panties and stroked my slippery wetness.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ahhh¡­¡± I moaned from the pleasure of his fingers teasing my wet entrance.


    My breath fogged up the ss with each shaky breath that I breathed out. Ace¡¯s fingers moved expertly to locate my swollen clit. I cried out his name when he pressed his fingertips hard against my hardened pleasure spot.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 327 - 327 Dealing with Pleasure

    327 Dealing with Pleasure


    My hips began moving and thrusting backwards to grind my clit against his fingertips as I wished for him to stroke it faster and harder.


    ¡°When did you get this horny, Rina?¡± Ace asked teasingly.


    ¡°I¡­Ahhh!¡± I cried out and I quickly forgot about his tempting question.


    Ace suddenly screwed two fingers all the way into my hole in a single thrust. I could hear the wet lewd sounds of his entrance into my wet love tunnel loud and clear. My pussy clenched hard around his thick and long fingers as it seemed to celebrate him and the pleasure that he was making me feel. I was dripping wet by that time and his fingers could move smoothly against my well-lubricated pussy walls.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahh! Ahhh!¡± I cried out against the ss as Ace moved his fingers inside of me.


    He felt around my insides without thrusting his fingers inside of me just yet. My hips moved as I tried to ride his fingers for even more pleasure. Ace¡¯s fingers pressed up against my pleasure spot and made me cry out. His fingertips then moved to stroke that spot teasingly as my body writhed from his merciless teasing.


    ¡°Ace¡­please¡­¡± I begged him.


    ¡°Your pussy is sucking up my fingers. Did you get wet since we were in the archive?¡± he asked devilishly.


    I was too embarrassed to answer him, but I was certain that Ace wouldn¡¯t believe me no matter how much I denied it. As if he wanted to punish me for turning him down back in the archive, he roughly jerked his fingers out of my hole before thrusting it all the way in again. I cried out and then whimpered against the ss as his fingers pumped in and out of my hole.


    .....


    ¡°No¡­don¡¯t¡­¡± I murmured before I went back to moaning to deal with the overwhelming waves of pleasure that drowned my senses.


    His fingers plunged fast and hard into my wetness as I screamed from the pleasure. Ace kept on thrusting his fingers against my sensitive spot and it was driving me wild with my need for him. He stroked my pleasure spot and then thrusted hard against it until it felt like I couldn¡¯t take it anymore.


    I want to cum¡­


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ace¡­Ahhh!¡± I moaned and cried out his name.


    It felt like he was driving me insane and robbing my mind of the ability to think straight. The heat of my passion burned and consumed my body as I focused on trying to stay standing so that I could continue to feel the joy of his fingers messing up my insides. His fingers began spreading up my insides and stretching me as he parted his fingers. I cried out and closed my eyes tightly at the renewed pleasure.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cum just yet, Rina¡­¡± Ace warned knowingly.


    I couldn¡¯t take it anymore and I was truly on the verge of climaxing with each thrust of his fingers deep inside of me. My pussy spasmed around his fingers before clenching even tighter than before as if it never wanted to let him go. I was surprised at how much my body lusted for Ace although I should have gotten used to it by that time considering the various times that we¡¯ve made hard and rough love to each other.


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­I¡¯m¡­¡± I whimpered weakly.


    Even if I wanted to control it, it was too much for me. My body seemed to have a will of its own and it was starving for its release. I could feel the tight knot in between my legs throb and tighten and I knew that I was close. I moaned louder as my hips moved lewdly to capture his fingers inside me.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahhh¡­¡± I cried out as I felt so ready to climax.


    Just as I was about to reach the peak of my passion, Ace quickly pulled his fingers out of my pussy. I cried out in pure frustration and disappointment as my release was robbed from me. My pussy clenched hard around the void that his fingers had left inside of me.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I moaned his name.


    ¡°Not just yet¡­¡± he muttered with a hint of warning in his tone.


    I felt like I was on the verge of tears, and I didn¡¯t understand what was happening to me or why I had suddenly gotten so emotional like a child with no proper emotional control. My wetness trickled down my inner thighs at the removal of Ace¡¯s fingers from my flooded love pot. It wasn¡¯t like him to leave me so unsatisfied like this.


    ¡°Ah¡­Ace¡­¡± I called out his name as my eyes widened in surprise.


    His hand captured my thigh and lifted one of my legs up. I looked back as he angled my body and spread my legs upwards.


    ¡°You¡¯re very flexible. I really like it¡­¡± heplimented me briefly.


    Ace stepped in closer to me as he pushed my legs up against his body and his shoulder. My body shivered from the thought of his massive cock entering into me from this position. My pussy twitched in anticipation in its very widely-spread-open state. The angle felt crazy, and my body trembled as I imagined the pleasure of being filled by his cock.


    Ace¡¯s hands moved quickly to free his swollen and erect cock from his pants. I found myself turning my body and arching my neck back around to get a glimpse of his massive manly asset. His cock was already so hard, and it was clear that I wasn¡¯t the only one turned on and ready for our wild coupling.


    ¡°Sorry for the wait¡­¡± Ace said teasingly before he showed me a teasing smile.


    He conveniently wrapped his arm around my lifted leg to hold me securely against his body as he angled my pussy where he wanted it to be. I closed my eyes and moaned softly as I felt the heat from his cock lodge itself at my sopping wet entrance.


    He¡¯s so hot¡­and so big¡­


    Ace reared his hips back before thrusting forward sharply to bury his cock into my flooded pussy hole.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 328 - 328 Hot Love

    328 Hot Love


    My entire body jerked at the impact of his forceful thrust as my eyes opened wide and I cried out. His gigantic shaft stretched my opening widely open before pushing fast and hard into my depth. It felt like he was going to split my insides open as my pussy struggled to amodate his sudden entrance. My mind went nk for a moment as the pleasure pushed me fast over the edge and I ended up screaming as my climax hit me.


    ¡°Did you just cum from me putting my cock inside you?¡± he teased me.


    Ace never gave me the chance to reply. I was still floating around up in my own lusty heaven when I felt his cock quickly withdrawing from me. It felt so good that I didn¡¯t know how to react so I just enjoyed the pure bliss of his cock scraping against the sensitive walls of my pussy as he dragged himself out of my love hole. I braced myself for his entrance again and a heartbeatter, Ace pumped his cock all the way back into my pussy.


    Ace¡¯s hips moved naturally as he humped me from behind while making sure to bury his cock all the way into me with each thrust. My body moved along with him as he held my leg in ce to keep my pussy widely spread and ready to take in his cock. I felt my pussy getting wetter for him as it wrapped itself around his cock lovingly. Ace pumped his cock in and out of my hole as he groaned and moaned my name. Each thrust felt deeper and more powerful than the one before and I knew that his cock had expanded even thicker and longer inside of me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you love to be fucked from this angle?¡± he asked although it wasn¡¯t truly a question.


    ¡°Yes¡­Ahh¡­Yes!¡± I moaned and cried out in response.


    This angle felt so wild, and it made me feel his cock so deep inside of me. The best part was that each thrust seemed to push against my pleasure spot and I knew that it wasn¡¯t just a simple coincidence. His gigantic love pole rushed into me as he buried his entire length all the way deeply into my love hole over and over again. It felt so good, but at the same time, I wanted more. My need and desire for him seemed endless and I didn¡¯t want him to stop thrusting his hot rod inside of me. I wondered how much longer I could keep up with him before my body broke.


    ¡°So good¡­Ahhh! Ahhh!¡± I cried out before I went back to moaning like an animal in heat.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ever let anyone else fuck you this way, Rina¡­¡± Ace groaned from behind me.


    .....


    ¡°Fuck me¡­harder¡­¡± I managed to beg in between my pants and lewd moans.


    I couldn¡¯t imagine myself wanting anyone else besides Ace. Since having sex with him for the first time, I felt like he could satisfy me sopletely. Maybe it was because I was so in love with him that every single thing that he did to me seemed to feel more pleasurable than usual. That coupled with the fact that he was a very skilled and well-endowed lover made me yearn only for him.


    Ace began pounding his cock faster into my open cunt while I cried out his name in a passionate frenzy. His cock crashing against my womb felt so amazing and I couldn¡¯t wait for him to fill and then flood me with his hot seed. I felt another wave of pleasure washing over me and realized that it wouldn¡¯t take too long for me to reach my limit and my release.


    ¡°I¡­I¡¯m cumming. I¡¯m cumming! Ace...¡± I cried out as my body writhed and I threw my head back.


    My mind went white and empty when I surrendered myself willingly to my mind-shattering orgasm. My entire body felt so weak, and I was sure that I didn¡¯t remain standing from my own strength. Ace¡¯s cock pumped into me non-stop as I rode out the effects of my climax. I heard him groan my name before moaning like a wild animal and then his cock twitched uncontrobly deep inside of my wet love hole.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to cum inside you, Rina¡­¡± Ace announced before shooting his load deeply into my cunt.


    ¡°Cum¡­inside me¡­¡± I urged in a seductive whisper as I clenched my pussy hard around his thick cock.


    I could feel his cock pulsating and moving inside me before his seed erupted from his cock and filled me up inside. His heat filled my lower belly as he shot his semen into me in endless streams. I whimpered his name weakly as he continued to fill and then flood my womb with his release. He was so virile, and I loved that about him along with the fact that our bodies were verypatible.


    ¡°You¡­came so much¡­¡± I murmured although it wasn¡¯t truly aint.


    Ace slowly eased his cock out of my hole while I whimpered at the pleasure of feeling his cock slowly sliding against my throbbing pussy walls. Carefully, Ace lowered my leg and nted it back down on the ground. I slowly opened my eyes to see that it was still raining although the stormed that had suddenly arrived had subsided somewhat. The many small droplets of rain sitting on the ss looked extremely captivating and alluring in that moment. I let out a sigh and let my eyes drift closed once again before my lips curved up into a little peaceful smile.


    Thankfully, the ss didn¡¯t end up breaking¡­


    ¡­


    The sound of the rain was the first thing that I remembered when I finally came to my senses. It was a soft and blurry sound that seemed to gently echo all around me. With my eyes still closed, I took in a deep breath that helped me to rx. My body felt heavy and so did my eyelids. I must have fallen asleep.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name softly.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 329 - 329 Lingering Desire

    329 Lingering Desire


    ¡°Are you awake or not really?¡± he asked in a low murmured that I found so alluring.


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± I repliedzily.


    Despite my vague answer, I did seed in opening my eyes to look at him. I found Ace sleeping on the bed on his side with his eyes on my face. Suddenly, I felt nervous and a little shy so I couldn¡¯t truly meet his gaze. The sound of the rain outside coupled with the way that Ace was staring at me made the environment suddenly romantic. Waking up to spend time with Ace in bed felt like a treat that I didn¡¯t hesitate to enjoy.


    ¡°Is it morning already?¡± I asked while sounding very sleepy.


    ¡°Unfortunately, dawn has broken but it¡¯s still very early,¡± Ace replied before smiling my way.


    His alluring smile made my chest feel tight and that reminded me of how lucky I was to still have Ace by my side. Although I wasn¡¯t sure what exactly brought us together, I was thankful for it. Whether it was just a stroke of wild luck, a fateful encounter nned by the heavens, or simply just a non-meaningful coincidental meeting, I felt thankful for it.


    The sound of the rain always brought back memories of the darkest days of my life. Many years have passed by since then, but the memories of that rainy day still felt fresh in my mind whenever it rained and I had a quiet moment to myself that was enough for my thoughts to wander. The sudden cancetion of my schrship back then made me feel like the entire world had copsed around me and that I no longer had a future in front of me.


    Looking back, those dreadful thoughts that ran through my head that day seemed irrational. Losing my schrship clearly wasn¡¯t the end of the world for me or for anyone for that matter. Being so young back then, I couldn¡¯t see it the way that I see it now. On the bright side, that means that I¡¯ve grown stronger and hopefully more than a little wiser as well.


    It was the same as always, every time that the rain made me recall that day, I would be reminded of that inspiringmercial that I happened toid eyes on and how much impact it made on my life. It wasn¡¯t just at that moment that it changed my mind for the better and gave me hope to keep on living, but thatmercial also set the ball rolling for the pursuant for the dream of my career. In more ways than one, thatmercial and that moment gave me hope and a purpose in life that I wanted to pursue.


    .....


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Ace asked in a slightly teasing tone.


    I must have gone quiet for a while when I got wrapped up in my own thoughts. My lips curved into a regretful smile after I had snapped myself out of my thoughts and returned my entire attention back to the handsome man in front of me.


    ¡°Nothing. Just something random that I recalled because of the rain¡­¡± I replied.


    ¡°It is still raining¡­¡± Ace murmured although his eyes did not stray from my face to look out of the window.


    Ace¡¯s intent gaze made my heart beat faster and suddenly a tingly sensation started to stir in the pit of my stomach. I looked away before that slight feeling of temptation would turn into something much greater. My cheeks burned with warmth when I thought that it was so unlike me to want him again after the hot and heavy sex that we had just the night before.


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± Ace called my name in a husky whisper.


    I was thankful that I wasn¡¯t looking straight at him because I feared the face that I would make at the extremely seductive tone of his voice. My body shivered as I felt the bed shift beneath me and then I could feel Ace¡¯s presence close behind me. His hand glided over the curve of my body from my back down along the side of my waist.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I murmured his name.


    His hand moved in front of me to stroke the soft skin of my belly as he shifted his body even closer to mine. It was all that I could do to stop myself from moaning when his hand boldly slid up to my chest to cup my naked breasts. The heat of his naked skin along with the hardness of his muscr body pressing up against my back made me aware of his desire and the fact that he was so close.


    ¡°Ace¡­wait¡­¡± I murmured weakly.


    Hisrge hand groped my breast before squeezing it and fondling it. I couldn¡¯t handle the pleasure of his seductive caress and ended up whimpering and moaning softly. My nipples hardened immediately at his touch as hisrge manly hand moved to y with my soft flesh. I whimpered again as his hand moved from one breast to pleasure the other. My breath came in short gasps and then my body started to writhe in bliss. The heat of desire sparked and began burning deep within my core as my pussy throbbed uncontrobly.


    It was hard for me to believe how turned on I could be even after all that we didst night. Ace¡¯s other hand moved to caress the sides of my waist before sliding quickly down to cup the side of my hips. I moaned and closed my eyes as thoughts of Ace flooded my mind along with my desire and yearning for him. His hand moved to stroke my buttocks teasingly before slipping in front and in between my legs.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± I moaned despite myself.


    ¡°You¡¯re so wet, Rina. Your pussy is dripping wet¡­¡± Ace whispered seductively into my ear.


    ¡°Ace¡­ahhh¡­¡± I called his name before I went back to moaning.


    My body always betrayed me when it came to wanting Ace. His fingers delved into the wetness in between my thighs and began stroking it. I could feel how slippery and wet I was down there as his fingers smoothly glided along the wet folds of my pussy. My hips began moving in rhythm to the movement of his skillful fingers.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 330 - 330 Pleasure and Rain

    330 Pleasure and Rain


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± I let out a muffled cry and lifted my hips.


    Ace¡¯s fingers slid easily into my warm and wet hole as my legs loosened. I moaned his name before I spread my legs and thrusted my hips wantonly against his hand. His other hand moved to pump my breast before moving to pay extra loving attention to my nipples in turn.


    ¡°Your nipples are hard and your pussy is flooded, Rina¡­¡± Ace informed me as if I should be made well aware of that fact.


    ¡°No¡­please¡­¡± I whimpered weakly as I felt like I was about to lose my mind and drown in the desire that he was making me feel.


    ¡°Your body is basically begging me for it¡­¡± Ace murmured into my ear.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± I moaned loudly when he began kissing my earlobe.


    My moans only got louder when his tongue licked my ear and began sucking on it. All the while, his hands moved to pleasure my breasts and my most feminine part. He pinched my nipples and made me cry out. My body writhed endlessly when his fingers began moving in between my legs. He skillfully found and rubbed my swollen clit until I was panting and moaning his name.


    ¡°It¡¯s hot inside¡­¡± Ace murmured before he chuckled in my ear.


    His fingers sunk smoothly into my wetness before he immediately began thrusting it in and out of my body. My hips moved against his hand as my body begged him for more pleasure. I wanted nothing more than for him to finger me faster and harder.


    .....


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I moaned his name again.


    His fingers moved faster inside of me and made my pussy even wetter than before. The loud wet noises that erupted from between my legs as he continued to mess up my wet insides made me feel shy and embarrassed. However, those emotions onlysted for a moment before I parted my legs even wider and thrusted my hips to grind my pussy against his hand for even deeper pration. Ace¡¯s fingers found my sweet pleasure spot and thrusted boldly against it.


    ¡°Ace¡­I can¡¯t¡­anymore¡­¡± I managed to say before my words were swallowed up by my passionate moans.


    I was on the verge of my climax when Ace quickly withdrew his fingers out of my pussy. Without wasting any time, he flipped me onto my back and got on top of me. His hands moved to lift and spread my legs wide open in one smooth motion before his hips settled in between them.


    ¡°Ace¡­Ahh¡­¡± I moaned when I felt the heat of his hard and gigantic cock settle at my entrance.


    Ace entered me in one smooth motion that pierced his cock into my core before pushing it all the way in until he was buried to the hilt in my wetness. The celebration that he had in mind for the progress that we made for ourmercial seemed to extend well beyond our first round of lovemaking. If this was the extent of his celebration for the progress that we¡¯ve made, I didn¡¯t want to imagine his way of celebrating our victory when the time woulde.


    ¡°Ah! Ahh! Ahhh!¡± I cried out each time his cock thrusted hard against my womb.


    ¡°Your pussy won¡¯t stop mping down on my cock,¡± Ace teased from above me.


    My pussy only clenched even tighter around his cock at his mischievous words. I couldn¡¯t deny the effects that he had on me and my body. My pussy hugged itself lovingly around his cock like it was hanging on to dear life. His cock pumping in and out of my hole felt too good and I just couldn¡¯t get enough of him. We enjoyed each other¡¯s body andpany all throughout the morning until I fell asleep again.


    This time, I woke up with a start as I bolted upright in bed into a sitting position. My head felt clear, and I felt like I was ready to take on the world. My body didn¡¯t quite share the same feeling and the wild lovemaking with Ace did take its toll on my body. Ace stirred next to me before turning onto his side to face my way. I watched as his eyelids twitched and then slowly opened. Although I knew that I should greet him with a sweet ¡®good morning¡¯, those were not the first words that escaped my lips.


    ¡°We have to go to work¡­¡± I said in a shocked whisper.


    My eyes widened before my hands flew to cover my face. I should have realized that we would bete to work if we went for another round like that. Not to mention the fact that I fell asleep right after it ended because I was so exhausted and also probably too satisfied.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Saturday,¡± Ace¡¯s slightly cold voice pointed out.


    A Saturday?


    Slowly, I turned to face Ace to see him grinning at me before he shook his head slightly from side to side.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± I mumbled as his words started to sink in.


    It was a Saturday so that meant that we didn¡¯t need to work and didn¡¯t have to go into the office. With the many things that were going on, it did cross my mind that Ace might opt to work the weekend but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. I stared at Ace before a smile crept onto my lips. Just the thought of spending time alone with him brought me so much joy. Ace came closer before his hand snaked out and pulled me back down onto the bed with him. His strong arms circled my waist and pulled me into a loving and tight embrace that left meughing from pure joy.


    Perhaps this time, things would be different and in the future whenever it rained, I would recall my time in Ace¡¯s warm and loving embrace instead of the dark days from my youthful past. The pleasure and security that I found in his arms felt like the warm rays of the sun that would light my path forever.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 331 - 331 Facing the Inevitable

    331 Facing the Inevitable


    The unexpected rain that I thought would be short and temporary ended upsting a few days. On and off, the rain fell from the sky and made the weatherpletely unpredictable. Although I knew that I shouldn¡¯t let something like the weather affect my mood, it was still hard for me to control myself and I ended up feeling quite gloomy at work. Travelling around with an umbre in my bag at all times became a burdensome necessity.


    Despite the gloomy weather, everything at work was working out so superbly that it was fabulously surprising. Sometimes people tell me that it¡¯s more exciting to leave the result unknown right until the end or thest moment. I would agree with that on some cases; however, when it came to the result of thepetition, I wanted to be assured way earlier on that we would turn out to be the winner. I didn¡¯t mind at all if there was absolutely no excitement in the result announcement or the ceremony that would be held to dish out the awards.


    ¡°Let me do that for you,¡± I offered as I reached for Ace¡¯s necktie.


    ¡°Thank you, Rina,¡± he thanked me with a pleased smile.


    Everyone¡¯s attention would be on Ace when he gets up on that stage so I felt like the least that I could do was to help tie his necktie for him. Ace already looked so strikingly handsome in his formal suit and was beyond presentable. I was so sure that all photos taken of him at the ceremonious event tonight would turn out stunning. Charismatic and smart, Ace was the perfect face for thepany on top of being more than qualified for his role as the CEO.


    ¡°All done¡­¡± I said before lightly patting the tie in ce.


    I could feel Ace¡¯s eyes on me and when I tilted my face up to look at him, our gaze met as his hazel brown eyes held mine. Something in the way that he looked at me made me feel all warm and giddy inside. For a moment, I didn¡¯t know what to say and perhaps that was because there was nothing that needed to be said between us. Counting down the days to the day of the closing ceremony of the Ashfordpetition had been tough for me emotionally.


    Time did not stop to wait for anyone and there was no choice for me but to force myself to be as best prepared for it as much as possible. The evening of the award ceremony was now upon us and there was no other option than to face it straight on because turning back was never truly an option in the first ce. If Ace was excited or disturbed in any way by the uing ceremony, he did not show it at all. The advice that he gave to Jeremy to look confident was an advice that Ace seemed to abide by very strictly.


    ¡°Thank you, Rina. You should get dressed too,¡± he said with a gentle smile.


    .....


    ¡°I¡¯m not going up on stage, so I think I¡¯m dressed fine enough this way,¡± I replied before taking a few steps back to put some distance between us.


    My eyes swept down Ace¡¯s body from head to toe and I had to say that he looked very ready to take on the world and what it may have to present. As for me, I feltfortable enough in my regr business suit and matching skirt. The regr white blouse that I had on felt like a good luck charm to me and that gave my confidence a boost even though I knew that it was just being a little superstitious.


    ¡°Are you sure? You can choose to turn up in a dress if you want. It might make the photos turn out better,¡± Ace suggested.


    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. I¡¯m hoping to hide away from the cameras anyways. I guess I¡¯m nervous enough about this. If I dress up for it, it¡¯ll make me feel even more nervous. So, let¡¯s try to keep this like any other business conference or something along those lines,¡± I said beforeughing nervously.


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡± Ace said before putting the matter to rest.


    ¡°It would be strange if I turn up all dress up while the other people on the team turned up in their regr suit,¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Who knows? Everyone else might turn up all dressed up and you might be the only one in your regr suit,¡± Ace teased.


    ¡°I doubt it¡­¡± I retorted softly.


    Hisment did leave me slightly worried that that may be the case so I ended up taking out my phone and texting a few of my colleagues including Jeremy to ask about what they would be wearing. Thestminute wrap up for the project took a lot of time and was veryplex so that thest thing on my mind was to ask what other people were nning to wear to the closing ceremony of thepetition.


    ¡­


    ¡°Please just ignore me and do what you always do¡­¡± I told Ace while we sat in the back of his limousine together.


    Since the event was a very high-profile one, Ace¡¯s driver was driving us instead of Ace driving himself. In the end, I ended up turning to the event in my regr business attire. Everyone else was meeting us at the venue while I apanied Ace as his secretary. That being said, I had to make sure that Ace would behave in front of everyone, especially the press so that unnecessary attention won¡¯t be directed our way.


    ¡°I have no idea what that¡¯s supposed to mean. You¡¯re here with me so how am I supposed to just ignore you?¡± Ace asked with a disapproving shake of his head.


    ¡°Just focus on the event and I¡¯ll try my best to stay out of your way. I¡¯ll blend into the background with the team,¡± I replied a little sternly.


    ¡°You worry too much,¡± Ace said before turning away from me to look out of the car¡¯s window.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 332 - 332 The Start

    332 The Start


    ¡°I guess we¡¯re almost there,¡± I murmured.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Ace replied without turning to look at me.


    Now that the time was fast approaching and the event was about to start, I couldn¡¯t quite contain the mix of troubling emotions that bubbled up inside of me. I wished that I could feel calm inside or at least appear outwardly calm just like Ace could; however, I couldn¡¯t hide all the worries that started taking root deep inside of me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Just stick with the team. Julianna and most of the team members have been to this event beforest year and the ones before that as well. They know how things are supposed to go down, so you don¡¯t need to panic,¡± Ace said as he tried to reassure me.


    That just told me that it was in obvious to him that I was on the verge of losing it. I felt slightly disappointed in myself and all that I could do was nod my head a little to tell him that I understood and that I would follow his instructions. Ace shed me a smile before he reached for my hand and guided the back of it to his lips. The feeling of his warm and soft lips kissing my hand tenderly brought so much courage to me than I could have ever imagined possible.


    Although I didn¡¯t want to think about it, whenever I looked at Ace my mind would start thinking that this might be hisst event as the CEO of ourpany. That thought gave me very mixed feelings but none of them were anywhere near joyous. I wondered what it was that he was giving up his position for and what made him think that it was worth it. Ace didn¡¯t seem hesitant about this decision at all and that just proves how much thought he had probably put behind it. Regardless of what the future holds for us, it pained me in an indescribable way when I thought that someday soon, Ace would no longer be our CEO.


    ¡°Thank you, Ace. Don¡¯t worry about me and just do your best out there,¡± I told him before braving a smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I guess I really have to do my best to end my career at thispany on a high note. I hate to think that I¡¯m doing it for my father, but I guess I do owe everyone at thepany that much. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure that everything goes well for everyone right until the end,¡± Ace replied confidently.


    It was as if he could read my mind but that didn¡¯t seem to surprise me. I nodded my head slowly as I kept on smiling. I was scared to talk to him because countless questions about the future might end up pouring out from between my lips and we didn¡¯t have the time for that right now. The car slowed down as we neared the entrance of the venue where the driver was supposed to drop us off.


    .....


    The auditorium hall used for the ceremony was a veryrge and elegantly decorated one. Ace¡¯s arrival garnered a lot of attention from the press, which came as no surprise to me. Everything was progressing pretty much as we had expected. Ace was interviewed by the press immediately about his predictions of the results of thepetition. I watched as I stood at a respectable distance to the side as Ace smiled politely at the camera and addressed the reporters¡¯ questions.


    ¡°Of course, I would like to say that I¡¯m confident that we¡¯re going to win but this is apetition so anything can happen. No one can be certain of the oue until it is formally announced,¡± Ace replied.


    After he addressed a couple more questions, he excused himself and we were able to make our way into the main venue without incident. Just like before, everyone had predesignated seats that ensured that we got to sit with the other team members of Project Alpha that were able to attend the event. My mind was fixated on the schedule of the evening as I waited along with everyone else for the much-anticipated announcement of the winner of thepetition.


    Unfortunately, there were many agendas that we had to go through before arriving at the announcement of the results. To honor allpanies and teams that participated in thepetition, allmercials that passed the pre-screening were yed in turn on therge screen for all to see and admire. I have to say that although I had been tracking our keypetitors and theirmercials, this was the first time that I watched all themercials that passed pre-screening and were shown to the public audience.


    After that, the representative from themittee gave a speech that I found too formal to be entertaining. To be honest, it probably wasn¡¯t the speaker¡¯s fault but I was just too impatient to get to the main part of the event. I was certain that everyone felt the same way. The way Jeremy fidgeted in his seat told me that he was also on edge along with everyone else on the team. I looked over to Julianna who had her wide eyes glued ahead as if she couldn¡¯t really see or care less about the speaker¡¯s speech or his presence on stage.


    ¡°The suspense is really killing me¡­¡± I muttered underneath my breath.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s driving me crazy too,¡± Jeremy whispered back.


    The lights in the auditorium dimmed and a lone figure walked up on stage guided by a bright spotlight that shone down from above. It was finally the moment that we had all been waiting for. The announcement of thepetition¡¯s results was about to begin. I found myself leaning forward in my seat as I started gnawing at my lower lip.


    My hands were shaking from the excitement, and I had to sp them together on myp to keep them still. The host for the evening cleared his throat before moving closer to the podium. I wished that he could just spit the result out without going through all the preamble and the mini speech that he had prepared.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 333 - 333 Announcing the Winner

    333 Announcing the Winner


    ¡°Don¡¯t act so nervous. We¡¯ll be fine¡­¡± Ace whispered close to my ear.


    ¡°But you said that we¡¯ll never know what could happen until the results are announced¡­¡± I whispered back as I recalled his words from earlier.


    ¡°I just said that to keep the reporters on the edge of their seat,¡± Ace replied in a low whisper so that his words were for my ears only.


    ¡°Even if you say that¡­¡± I muttered softly.


    There were good reasons why Ace was so optimistic about the result of thepetition, and I could understand where he wasing from. I tensed in my seat as my heartbeat quickened. The host kept on speaking but all his words were lost to me. It was apparent that dealing with too much suspense wasn¡¯t something that I had a talent for. For our industry, this award was sort of like the Oscars when it came to movies.


    ¡°Now, the time that everyone has been undoubtedly waiting for¡­¡± the host said before he shed the audience a bright smile.


    A woman dressed in a sparkly gold dress walked onto the stage and handed the envelope that must have contained the verdict of themittee members to the host. The host held up the envelop as if to show everyone that he now had the results in his hand. I could hardly breathe as I got so excited. The anticipation was killing me, and I realized that because I was so desperately hoping and expecting that we would win, I was feeling this mix of torturous emotions. Harboring high expectations could truly be a dangerous thing.


    It didn¡¯t help that there were so many awards that the host had to dish out before it came time to announce the winner of thepetition. After going through a few rewards for creativity and for being environmentally friendly for the production phase, the host began announcing thepanies that came in third ce.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite unexpected¡­¡± Ace said before he began pping his hands together quite loudly.


    .....


    ¡°I agree. It is indeed quite unexpected,¡± I murmured in reply.


    I turned my head as my eyes followed the movement of the CEO of thepany that had just won third ce in thepetition. Both Ace and I were surprised partly because thepany was a small and very new one that had just opened less than a year ago. The CEO of thepany was also quite young, and he probably wasn¡¯t more than a few years older than I was. Once again, there was fresh and young blood making ripples in the creative industry that we worked. It made everything more interesting and exciting but also brought with it a harsh reminder that nothing was steady or set in stone.


    ¡°I guess themittee is really out for something new this year,¡± Ace said as he continued pping his hands together.


    ¡°I think so. I have to say that theirmercial is very creative although it didn¡¯t seem to ring a bell with the majority of the audience. The donation figure that they managed to secure is pretty low,¡± I pointed out while recalling some stats that I¡¯ve seen from the reports.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s because of the messaging in theirmercial or because theycked the budget to really generate enough traffic to drive the donations,¡± Ace replied before he turned to grin at me.


    ¡°We better keep our eyes on them for next year,¡± I said as I narrowed my eyes slightly.


    The host presented the young CEO with a small trophy and a certificate. The young CEO then made a short award eptance speech where he adequately thanked everyone in his newpany. That must have added much-needed publicity to thispany. If I were him, I would be super satisfied with what mypany had achieved in apetition of this scale.


    I didn¡¯t have much time to dwell on the results of the other rewards because it was finally time to announce the winner of thepetition. All I could hear for a moment was my heart thumping hard and fast in my chest. Unconsciously, my hand reached out in search for Ace¡¯s hand in the dimly lit auditorium. As if he was also seeking for my hand, Ace¡¯s hand reached for mine and held it. I gave his hand a squeeze as if I wanted to reassure him that everything was going to turn out fine. In fact, I was the one who needed reassurance andfort.


    Nothing was certain but so much had happened leading up to this moment that raised my expectations that we would emerge as the winner of thispetition. I had no idea how crushed I would be if the result turned out differently from what I had expected. Ace pulled my hand closer to him before he patted the back of my hand with his other onefortingly. I turned and tried my best to smile at him but all I could manage was a slight tug of a corner of my mouth which probably help out a strange expression on my face.


    ¡°Thank you everyone for your patience. It is finally time to announce the winner of the Ashfordpetition for this year. With careful consideration from all of ourmittee members, I have the honor to announce the winner for this year¡¯spetition¡­¡± the host said before pausing for effect.


    The host slowly opened the envelope which undoubtedly contained the name of thepany that was the winner of thepetition. It felt like time stood still in that moment as everyone seemed to hold their breath in while they waited for the announcement of the winner. For me it felt like time was ying a trick on me. It felt unbelievable how long that momentsted and how the host seemed to move in slow motion and everything that he did was too slow for my liking. In short, I was just too impatient to find out the result.


    ¡°And the winner of this year¡¯spetition is¡­¡± the host announced before taking another pause.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 334 - 334 Public Retirement

    334 Public Retirement


    ¡°This is crazy¡­¡± I muttered underneath my breath just to hear Ace chuckling softly from next to me.


    He must be used to how the host did something like this every year, but I was so far from being used to it. I chewed on my lower lip hard in my anxiousness as my hand squeezed Ace¡¯s tightly. Time passed by so slowly that I started praying silently in my hearts of hearts that we would win thepetition. What must havested a mere few seconds in reality felt like a year to me as I leaned forward in my seat with my eyes glued on the figure of the host who was standing on the stage as well as therge screen behind him.


    ¡°¡­Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s. Congrattions!¡± the host announced so loudly into the microphone that his voice seemed to echo endlessly in the hall.


    I didn¡¯t know how to react, but my body and instincts took over immediately. Without thinking, I jumped up from my seat and cheered so loudly as I pped my hands. Everyone on the team basically did the same thing. I turned and gave Ace a congrattory hug before turning to hug my other colleagues.


    We did it! We finally did it!


    Those words of cheer rang out over and over again in my head. It was hard for me to believe it, but it was really happening. We just won thepetition and secured the future of ourpany at least for the year toe. Our hard work and all the sacrifices that we made have finally paid off. I turned to smile at Ace to see him smiling before he nodded his head slightly at me.


    The spotlight found Ace almost immediately and its seemingly merciless light shown down on us. The host dutifully announced his invitation for Ace to join him on stage to say a few words and ept the award as the CEO of thepany. I looked at Ace longingly as I wished that I could throw myself into his arms once more. I wanted nothing more than to celebrate this victory with him in private; however, I also knew that had to wait along with the other things that could now be put in motion.


    Ace stood up from his seat with a professional smile on his face. I could tell that he was instantly in his CEO mode. I was d that he did bother to dress up for the event. Ace made his way to the stage while lifting his hand up here and there to greet the people that he knew that congratted him. It took a little while before Ace made it up onto the stage. I found out without much surprise that I was right that Ace would look stunning standing up on the stage.


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Ace thanked the host as he came to stand next to the host.


    .....


    The camera zoomed in on Ace¡¯s face and his face appeared sorge and clear on the screens all around the auditorium. The award felt like it truly belonged in Ace¡¯s hands. I could feel the team¡¯s excitement as they continued to cheer and p their hands. Of course, I was one of them. Our cheering probably went on too long and that ended up giving Ace a slightly hard time to start his award eptance speech.


    ¡°Thank you for this. This award is very important to me as well as everyone on my team who made this possible and everyone working at Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s. Needless to say, this wouldn¡¯t have been at all possible without the hard work and the many sacrifices that everyone on the team put in all throughout thispetition. My sincerest thanks go out to all of you and the talent that you possess. As always, I would like to promise that Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s will continue to do our very best to surpass your expectations and deliver only the best of the best¡­¡± Ace said with a practiced calm.


    I had no idea how other people felt about Ace¡¯s speech, but I was merrily soaking it all in. His words of praise and his passionatemitment really got to me. I was sure that he didn¡¯t prepare his speech word for word because of how natural and sincere it all seemed. His words felt even more touching because they felt so real and so truthful. Ace paused and smiled before ncing at the award that he held in his hand. His eyes then moved to focus on where he knew I was seated along with the other team members.


    ¡°Normally, I would be able to make that promise confidently. However, this year, I realized that I have to work even harder to keep that promise honest and true. As all of you are probably aware already, I have decided to step down from my position as the CEO of Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s. It is an honor to win this prestigiouspetition which will allow me to end my career at Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s on such a high note,¡± Ace announced unwaveringly.


    I could hear the various gasps of shock all around me from my team members and also from people from otherpanies that were also in the audience. Although Ace had announced his retirement, things were bing more real now that the effective date was just around the corner. Since we won thepetition, there was nothing holding Ace back from quitting his job as the CEO and moving on to whatever venture that he had nned for himself.


    ¡°Even without me leading, I am certain that Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s will continue to deliver more than we promised. Our repeated victory at thispetition is just the start. Our sess working with our clients and our spotless track record will continue. Thank you in advance for all the trust that you continue to ce in us,¡± Ace said as he was clearly addressing our existing and new potential clients.


    For many reasons that were all jumbled up in a mess in my mind, I felt tears stinging the back of my eyes.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 335 - 335 His Disappearance

    335 His Disappearance


    When Ace walked up on that stage, I never dreamt that he would give a speech that would mark his retirement from his role. Even though I knew that it wasing, I never imagined that he would end things so abruptly and publicly like this. I wondered if the Chairman knew in advance about Ace¡¯s announcement and then I highly doubted it.


    This long-awaited victory undoubtedly brought me great joy; however, it would be inurate to say that we didn¡¯t see thising. Even though I wasn¡¯t as confident as Ace and the other members on the team were, there were many things that led us to believe that we were most likely to win thepetition. Ace was probably quite certain of it and Julianna clearly felt the same way. Jeremy, being captivated by numbers and statistics, was also very well convinced.


    The amount of donations that we received to back the cause was a very impressive amount. The donation amount alone put us in first ce, leading thepetitor in second ce by miles. That coupled with the positivements and praise we¡¯ve received on social media from the audience and some industry experts, made a very firm case that we would win. In that sense, our victory didn¡¯te as much of a surprise but that doesn¡¯t mean that it was a cause for any less celebration.


    Ace¡¯s abrupt announcement truly stole the spotlight even if it wasn¡¯t his intention to do so. I wasn¡¯t sure how other people felt about it, but to me, the joy that came along with our victory faded in the blink of an eye. The disappointment of reality hit me hard and falling back to the ground from such a high point truly hurt emotionally.


    The shocked murmurs and whispers in the hall and all around me suddenly got louder. It didn¡¯t take long for soft whispers to gather motion and grow into people yelling out questions at Ace. Almost all at once, chaos seemed to have broken out in the auditorium. Some people stood up from their seats, the reporters started using their microphones and speakers to amplify their questions. I was immediately worried for Ace and his safety even though I knew that there were many security guards and bodyguards around.


    ¡°Everyone, please calm down and remain in your seats! You can ask questionster after the end of the ceremony,¡± the host almost had to scream into his microphone as he attempted to control the crowd.


    His words and efforts didn¡¯t seem to have much effect at all. Within a short while, the security team was called in to escort out reporters and other people who were causing trouble and disturbances. Throughout it all, I kept my eyes on Ace who didn¡¯t seem bothered at all by what was going on around him.


    ¡°I apologize for that, Mr. Hills,¡± the host apologized to Ace.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine. I did expect something like that but perhaps to a lesser degree. On that note, I don¡¯t think that the news that I¡¯ve shared is necessarily news. There¡¯s no need for anyone to feel so panicked. I¡¯m just stepping down from my role as CEO but that doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯ll be disappearing from the face of the earth,¡± Ace said before heughed jokingly.


    .....


    What does he mean when he says that he¡¯s not going to disappear?


    The hostughed along but I could feel that Ace¡¯s words and sudden announcement left the host in a very awkward position as well. I had no idea why Ace had to announce his retirement here or why he had to remind everyone that his time with thepany was pretty much up. Whether it was beneficial to thepany or not, I wasn¡¯t sure. However, it was undeniable that thepany would get a lot of attention from what Ace had done.


    ¡­


    Just like I had witnessed and participated in the years before when thepany won thispetition, almost everyone in thepany stayed behind after work to watch the live awards ceremony. I knew without a doubt that everyone must have cheered when the results came out. In my mind, I could see my colleagues, both the ones that I knew and those that I didn¡¯t know personally, holding their drinks in their hands and getting a little tipsy while watching the live broadcast of the ceremony. After the announcement, the full-fledge party would start and go on well into the night.


    With that in mind, it became the default option for all of us to return to thepany together in order to celebrate with the others. It felt like we were heroes returning from a long-waging war when we finally arrived back at ourpany. At least, that was the way that I felt with so many people waiting in front of thepany to greet us when we got out of the team bus. I could hear the cheers of the people even before the bus door opened.


    Everyone else on the team lifted their hands and waved proudly as they made their way out of the bus. I did the same although I felt slightly embarrassed inside. My mind wasn¡¯t fully on what was going on around me although it was a moment that I should have been taking in and living to my fullest. The truth was that I was too worried about Ace to focus fully on celebrating. Unlike that time at his birthday party, Ace somehow disappeared from the venue after leaving the stage. I tried calling him a few times, but his phone was switched off. Although I kept telling myself that he may have switched off his phone to avoid calls from the reporters or from his father, I couldn¡¯tpletely shake off the feeling that something was wrong.


    ¡°Karina¡­¡±


    I heard someone calling my name and turned around to see my ex-boss waving eagerly to me. Since moving from my old department to work with Ace and his team, I haven¡¯t had much time to visit my old department or my old boss.


    ¨CTo be continued.

 Chapter 336 - 336 The Search

    336 The Search


    ¡°You did it, Karina!¡± she yelled so that her voice would reach me.


    I quicky made my way over to where she was standing with a few of my other colleagues from my old department. It felt like a lifetime ago when Ace showed me the rmendation letter that she wrote to him regarding my transfer. Although it may not have been the start of my rtionship with Ace, I was certain that the letter that she had written to him was one of the things that brought Ace and me together. She probably had no idea how much impact that letter would have on my life even beyond my professional career.


    ¡°Thank you! Thank you for all that you¡¯ve done for me. Thank you for all the opportunities and guidance that you¡¯ve given me throughout the years,¡± I thanked her wholeheartedly as I felt tears welling up in my eyes.


    ¡°You did well. I knew that you could do it. Congrattions!¡± she replied with a few nods of her head.


    She looked like a proud parent, and I was so thrilled that I could make her feel that way. Perhaps I wasn¡¯t the best daughter to my real mother because I didn¡¯t have that many chances growing up to see such a proud look on my mother¡¯s face. Hopefully, from now on, I¡¯ll have many other opportunities to make her feel proud to have me as her daughter.


    ¡°Congrattions! We were cheering for you the whole way,¡± one of my colleagues said with a bright smile before others showered me with words of congrattions and blessing.


    ¡°Thank you. Of course, I couldn¡¯t have done this alone. It¡¯s all thanks to Ace and everyone on the team as well,¡± I replied humbly.


    My eyes scanned the crowd with the hope of spotting Ace, but he was nowhere to be seen. My heart sank when I thought that he might have run off somewhere instead of heading back to the office. He was aware of the team¡¯s n toe back to the office to celebrate with everyone just like the previous years. After exchanging a few more words, I seeded in excusing myself after telling them that I needed to meet up with my team members.


    It was half true because technically Ace was also on team Project Alpha.


    .....


    I quickly entered the office where the lobby was also filled with people in full party mode. It was frankly a mess, and the lobby was beyond recognitionpared to what it normally looked and felt like during normal office hours on regr working days. As quickly as possible, I slipped through the crowd and entered the elevator.


    Ace might be in his office¡­


    Although I knew that his phone was probably still switched off, I tried calling him again and again just to find out that hard work doesn¡¯t always pay off. By the time I stood in front of Ace¡¯s personal office, I was convinced that his office was empty. I felt like a fool after thinking that I should have gone back to his ce to check. These two ces just felt too obvious and when I thought a little longer about it, I realized that Ace wouldn¡¯t be there if he wanted to hide away.


    The real question was, what exactly is he hiding away from?


    I shook my head to drive that thought away. No matter how hard I thought about it, Ace didn¡¯t have a good reason to run away from anything or from anyone. His sudden disappearance didn¡¯t fit his character at all. I yanked the door to his office open to find that Ace wasn¡¯t inside just as I had expected.


    ¡°Where did you go?¡± I muttered to myself as my frustration boiled up inside of me.


    At that point, I wasn¡¯t sure whether I was more worried about him, or I was just t out angry at him for disappearing on me. I raced back to the elevator while giving Ace another call. By the time I was back in the lobby where everyone was still partying, Ace had not answered my call. I cursed under my breath before threading through the crowd of people toward the exit of the building.


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving already?¡±


    I turned to see Jeremy approaching me from the side. He had a surprised look on his somewhat red face. It was clear that just like everyone else, he had started drinking.


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m not feeling so well so I¡¯m going to leave now¡­¡± I replied with the first excuse that came into my head.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s too bad. Get well soon and get home safe,¡± Jeremy replied before waving a hand at me.


    ¡°Thanks. Don¡¯t get too drunk,¡± I replied teasingly.


    Since Ace probably wasn¡¯t in the office building, there was no reason for me to be there. Drinking the night away and partying wasn¡¯t how I nned to spend the evening anyways. I hailed a cab and gave Ace a few more calls on the way back to his ce. It didn¡¯t bother me much when none of my calls went through because that was exactly what I had expected.


    When I stepped out of the elevator into his ce, that familiar feeling that I had when I stood in front of his office came back to me and I knew without opening my mouth to call out to him that I was the only person in the vast suite.


    ¡°Ace! Ace! Ace!¡± I yelled his name as I went around checking from room to room.


    I felt like a very big fool going around his ce and yelling his name when I already knew that he wasn¡¯t home. Enough time had passed so he could have made it home way before me if he wanted to. I flopped down onto the sofa when I started to run out of any good and creative ideas of where he could be. I didn¡¯t think that the fact that he owned many properties would turn out into such bad news. It definitely made it hard for me to look for him. I didn¡¯t know where all his ces were, and it didn¡¯t help that he could be staying in any hotel in the city.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 337 - 337 The Fear

    337 The Fear


    The biggest problem wasn¡¯t finding him but figuring out why he had suddenly disappeared. The twisted sick feeling that I felt deep in my gut told me that something unpleasant was about to happen to us. After all that we¡¯ve been through, I hated it whenever I felt insecure, but insecurity was probably the most urate term to describe the mixed and very messy emotions that filled my heart before bringing tears to my eyes.


    Where did he go and why did it have to be now of all times?


    I stared at my phone screen as I prayed that he would just give me a call back. My hands trembled and felt very cold as I sat on the sofa in Ace¡¯s living room all alone. The ce had never felt so empty and void of life before. Anger welled up inside of me and I let out a loud growl of frustration that no one else heard apart from myself. Ace promised to tell me everything and let me know what was going on after thepetition was over. Now that the time had arrived, he just somehow disappeared, and I have not seen or heard from him since.


    Rina, you need to be more rational about this¡­


    My mind came up with a long list of reasons or excuses that could possibly exin Ace¡¯s sudden disappearance. He had some urgent business that he had to attend to. He got an urgent call from his father to discuss how things would progress after the announcement that he just made. He might be discussing with his management team members about how to handover the work now that the time had arrived for him to step down. The list of potential reasons just went on and on in my head.


    I couldn¡¯t stand to sit down anymore and stood up just to start pacing around in random circles all around the living room. My mind conjured up endless possibilities of what Ace could be doing or where he could be. All of them were just endless spections on my part and although I knew that those thoughts wouldn¡¯t bring me any closer to Ace, I just couldn¡¯t stop thinking of them.


    There was one thought that I wanted desperately to avoid at all costs because I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to believe that it could be true. That might be the real reason why I kept my mind so busy withing up with other reasons for why he suddenly vanished. The other team members did not seem bothered that Ace did not join in with the celebration. Unlike the rest of them, I was solely focused on the fact that Ace had gone missing.


    ¡°It¡¯s not possible¡­¡± I muttered to myself repeatedly as I continued pacing around the living room.


    I let out a sigh when once again the mocking and sarcastic voice of the Chairman came back to me as he did his best to warn me. No matter what, I couldn¡¯t seem to push his words or the expression on his face when he said them to mepletely from my mind.


    .....


    ¡®You don¡¯t seem to understand the position that you¡¯re in. If Ace quits his job, he¡¯s going to disappear again and he¡¯s going to leave you. Thest time he quit and went away, he left everything and everyone behind without a care¡­¡¯


    That was what he said, and I hated myself for remembering it almost word for word. Back then, I didn¡¯t believe a word of it. Even if a part of me believed what the Chairman said, arger part of my mind willingly shut down his warning. I trust Ace so much that I honestly thought that it would be possible for him to leave me. The Chairman clearly thought otherwise. Now that I thought about it, I didn¡¯t know any details surrounding the circumstances of Ace¡¯s disappearance years ago.


    Why exactly did he leave? Was it purely just to follow his passion?


    If what his father said was true, it just seemed like Ace dropped everything and left everyone behind just to go off to pursue his personal passions without a care for other people. I winced just at the thought of him leaving me behind.


    That¡¯s not possible, is it?


    I flopped down onto the sofa again when I felt like my legs had lost their strength. There was a cold and empty void in my chest that wouldn¡¯t go away. My anger quickly turned into raw fear. The fear of Ace abandoning me and suddenly disappearing somewhere far away where I wouldn¡¯t be able to reach or find him took over me.


    Before I knew that was going on, I felt warm wetness sliding down my cheeks and realized that I had started to cry openly. I blinked my eyes and more teardrops streamed down my cheeks. I covered my mouth with my hands and stifled the painful sounds of my cries and sobs. It felt hard to breathe, and I wanted to wail out loud like a baby that had been left behind.


    Leaving everything behind without a care just like an irresponsible person didn¡¯t sound anything like the Ace that I knew. However, I just couldn¡¯t find an exnation that could calm the worries and doubts that had started to swallow me up whole. I was at a lost and I felt so alone. My shaky hands seemed to move on their own and soon I was calling my mother.


    What am I doing?


    I blinked in disbelief at my own weakness. It had been years since I moved to the city, and I started working with the goal of being independent and here I was giving my mother a call when I¡¯m having an emotional breakdown. I quickly cancelled the call while feeling relieved that my mother had not answered my call yet. Thest thing that I needed was to cause her more trouble and unnecessary worry. She was shocked enough when I suddenly turned up at her door thatst time when I had a fight with Ace.


    I raised my hands to wipe away the tears from my eyes. Suddenly, my phone started ringing. I nced door through my still-blurry vision at the phone screen while expecting the call to be from my mother calling me back after she must have seen my miscall. However, the name disyed on the phone screen wasn¡¯t my mother¡¯s.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 338 - 338 Where I Belong

    338 Where I Belong


    My hand flew to cover my mouth as I jumped up from the sofa in my extreme shock. My phone continued vibrating as I gripped it tightly in my hands. For a moment, I was too stunned to know what to do. I cleared my throat as my eyes kept on staring at my phone screen in disbelief.


    It felt like the rain clouds in the sky had finally parted after the havoc of a rainstorm and suddenly there was soft warm orange ray of lights shining down on me like a spotlight of blessing from above.


    Ace was calling me!


    ¡°Ace! Where are you?!¡± I shouted into the phone so loudly that I was shocked at my more-than-little outburst.


    ¡°Rina, where are you right now?¡± Ace asked with clear urgency in his voice.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m at your ce. I¡¯ve been waiting for you. I tried calling you so many times, but I couldn¡¯t reach you¡­¡± I replied as my voice shook with emotion.


    ¡°Calm down. Just wait there for a bit. I¡¯ll pick you up in less than an hour,¡± he told me and this time his tone was back to its normal calm and reassuring mode.


    It must have been obvious to Ace that I had been crying. I nodded my head as I felt another tear rolling down my cheek. Relief flooded my chest and brought with it some warmth to thaw out the cold void that had been there since the moment that I realized that Ace had disappeared.


    ¡°Why did you just disappear? I tried looking for you. I was so worried¡­¡± I managed to croak out before I went right back to sobbing again.


    .....


    Although I knew that I shouldn¡¯t be crying and having an emotional breakdown like this, it was impossible to control. The sound of my crying must have been loud and clear to Ace who was on the other end of the line. I hated this weak and pathetic version of myself and wondered if Ace would get tired of me because of it.


    ¡°Why are you even crying, Rina? I¡¯ll pick you up soon and I¡¯ll exin everything. I promise,¡± he said.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I whispered his name and that was all that I could say.


    ¡°Stop panicking and stop crying, Rina. Wash your face and just chill while you wait for me. I¡¯m a little far away but the traffic shouldn¡¯t be bad at this time. I¡¯ll be there in less than an hour,¡± he told me, and I could tell that he was trying his best tofort me.


    ¡°Ok¡­I¡¯ll wait for you¡­¡± I replied before I sniffed and held back my sob.


    ¡°Good girl. Just hang in there until then,¡± he said.


    ¡°Ok¡­¡± I murmured.


    There were so many things that I wanted to say to him, but Ace had already hung up. It seemed that whatever I wanted to say to him had to wait until I met him face-to-face.


    ¡­


    That day I found out that one hour could feel as long as a year or even longer. I would be lying if I said that I managed to collect the pieces of myself together at once after receiving that call from Ace. The truth was, I spent more than ten minutes sitting there on the sofa as I tried my hardest to piece my mind and my emotions back together. It was difficult to understand what I was feeling when I was feeling so many different emotions all at once.


    On one hand, I was so relieved and happy that Ace finally contacted me. Most of all, it seemed like my dark fantasy of him leaving me behind and going out to some farawaynd didn¡¯t materialize into reality, thankfully so. On the other hand, I was still mad at him for letting me worry so much for him and also about us.


    ¡°This is such a mess¡­¡± I said to myself as I wiped my tears away from my eyes.


    I sniffed one final time and realized that I had calmed down somewhat although this whole episode was far from over. Ace, being as mysterious as he was, didn¡¯t tell me where he was going to take me or why he had suddenly disappeared like that. Once again, I had to hang in there and wait in order to find out anything at all.


    It was really close to an hour by the time that the elevator doors opened, and Ace entered his suite. I wasn¡¯t sure if I wanted to embrace him or hit him. I also wasn¡¯t sure whether I wanted to yell at him or simply cry in his arms so that he couldfort me all over again. The conflicts that raged inside of me seemed endless and I didn¡¯t know why I had to decide what I wanted to do with him.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I whispered his name once Iid eyes on him.


    Ace was still dressed in the same outfit that he wore to attend the award ceremony. Although his hair was slightly tousled, I thought that it made him look sexier and even more charming than before. I didn¡¯t have to debate much with myself because my instincts immediately took over and I was racing towards Ace. I flew into his opened arms and hugged him tightly to me. The scene must have looked like a very clich¨¦ along-awaited heartwarming reunion between two lovers that have been apart for years.


    The truth was, we had only spent a few hours apart but that didn¡¯t matter to me. I just wanted to hold him tightly in my arms and feel his warm embrace around me to reassure myself that he was really still here with me. Ace¡¯srge hand stroked my backfortingly as he held me tightly in his arms. My body trembled a little at first but soon I felt calm and truly at home with his strong arms wrapped around my body.


    ¡°What happened? You must have cried so much. Your eyes are all puffy and red¡­¡± Acemented sternly as his eyes stared at my face.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 339 - 339 Still Here

    339 Still Here


    He let go of me and put just enough distance between us so that he could peer into my face as if to inspect the damage that I had sustained. I wanted to yell at him to let him know that this was all because of him and how he vanished right after getting down from the stage during the award ceremony. A lump formed in my throat but no matter what I wanted, I couldn¡¯t say anything mean to him.


    ¡°I thought that you were gone¡­¡± I confessed softly and shyly.


    ¡°Gone? What do you mean by that?¡± he asked with a nk look on his face like he truly didn¡¯t know what I was referring to.


    ¡°You just disappeared without telling me anything and I couldn¡¯t get in touch with you no matter how hard I tried. I also didn¡¯t know where you were¡­¡± I said usingly.


    ¡°Were you scared that I would leave you?¡± Ace asked needlessly.


    I despised myself for acting so childish and helpless and that emotion channeled itself into my irritation and anger toward Ace. He whispered my name tenderly as he reached a hand out to stroke my hair and then cradle the back of my head. I stared up at him as I felt tears welling up in my eyes. Not daring to blink in fear that those tears would fall, I stared up into his warm hazel eyes and simply nodded my response.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you would think that. Sure, I was gone for a couple of hours but thinking that I¡¯ve abandoned you is really a stretch, don¡¯t you think?¡± Ace said in a light tone as his hand continued to stroke my hair.


    I didn¡¯t know what to say because after thinking about it, he was probably right. In short, I did jump to my own conclusions and perhaps a little too fast as well. That didn¡¯t mean that it was fine for Ace to ignore my calls like that when he probably knew that I would be worried about him.


    ¡°Anyways, I don¡¯t think that you should just ignore my calls. You could have at least sent me a message to let me know that you¡¯re fine or when you¡¯re going toe back¡­¡± I argued my case as I felt a tight frown form in between my brows.


    .....


    ¡°You¡¯re right about that. Things were a little hectic and getting out of there was a little challenging. A few things happened while I was away although it¡¯s only been a couple of hours,¡± he exined calmly.


    ¡°Still, you could have texted me so I wouldn¡¯t have to be so worried¡­¡± I muttered darkly.


    To my own surprise, I wasn¡¯t willing to just let this slide by. I could do better but so could Ace and if we both tried harder together, I was absolutely certain that our rtionship and the bond between us would get stronger. It was hard for me to speak my mind directly, but I tried my best to force my words out because I knew that if I didn¡¯t say the things that I needed to then it would be my fault for not telling him what I wanted.


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯m sorry, Rina. I¡¯ll do better to keep in touch so that you won¡¯t have to worry so much like this next time,¡± Ace said with a firm nod of his head.


    ¡°Thank you, Ace¡­¡± I thanked him wholeheartedly.


    ¡°So, you can stop crying now. I don¡¯t know where you got those weird ideas of yours from, but you shouldn¡¯t overthink things. You should also trust me more, Rina¡­¡± Ace said softly.


    The solemn look on his face when he finished his sentence before he reached his hand toward my face to wipe away the tears from my eyes for me made my chest feel painfully tight with guilt and regret. I should have trusted Ace more just like he had pointed out. Once again, I let the words and actions of other peoplee between us. Before it was Kyle¡¯s and Elizabeth¡¯s words and actions that came between us and this time it was his father¡¯s words.


    I pursed my lips into a thin line before letting out a long sigh. The truth was I wanted to trust Ace more too, but it was just so difficult. It wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t trust him, but I was so scared of losing him at the same time. As a result, I was overthinking everything and also ended up feeling insecure about everything. To make matters worse, I ended up hurting his feelings because I couldn¡¯t trust him enough.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll try my best to trust you more¡­¡± I made a promise softly.


    ¡°Good¡­¡± Ace whispered as his brought his lips very close to mine.


    I could feel his eyes on my lips before his gaze shifted to stare deeply into my eyes. Although his eyes were enchantingly beautiful, there was something that I wanted more than to hold his gaze. I let my eyelids slowly slide closed as I tilted my face up to offer him my lips. I let out a soft pleasurable moan when I felt the tender warmth of his lips pressing softly against mine. His kiss started off so gently that it almost felt like he was teasing me.


    His arms held me tighter to him and I quickly looped my arms around his neck to pull his face down closer to mine. Standing on tiptoes, I worked to press my lips firmer against his as I kissed him back ardently. I wanted more and I wanted to taste him. My lips parted invitingly for him as I pressed my body up temptingly against his hard muscr frame.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ace¡­¡± I moaned and panted his name against his lips.


    Ace responded to my passionate pleading by thrusting his hot and wet tongue firmly between my lips. His taste entered my mouth, and I moaned in my throat from the pleasure of feeling his tongue moving in the wet depths of my mouth. My tongue moved eagerly to meet his as our kiss got hotter and deeper.


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 340 - 340 The Rest for Later

    340 The Rest for Later


    What was supposed to be a soft and sweet kiss to mend the temporary strain in our rtionship quickly turned into something much more. His hands moved along my back, stroking it up and down while his tongue danced around inside my mouth. I ground my tongue against his as my desire for him quickly mounted. My lower abdomen felt tight as desire welled up in between my legs in a pleasurable and greedy ache.


    I kissed him back with passion as his hands slid down my back to stroke my waist. Ace changed the angle of our kiss over and over until my body felt so hot. It felt like I was ready to melt in his arms as I continued moaning into our deep kisses. His manly hands stroked my waist before sliding even slower to cup my buttocks. My pussy clenched and I realized that I had already gotten so wet down there as my body reacted so strongly to his seductive kisses and caresses.


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± Ace called my name softly.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I replied seductively.


    I parted swollen lips as I panted a little while I waited for Ace to continue kissing my lips and fondling my body. My heart raced fast and hard in my chest in anticipation of even more pleasure. However, it was not to be. Ace slowly parted my body from his and held me at arm¡¯s length. I stared up into his face in a mix of confusion and disappointment at the abrupt change in the mood between us. It was apparent that Ace did not wish to continue our little passionate tryst.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough for now. There¡¯s somewhere that we need to be and that¡¯s why I¡¯m here to pick you up,¡± Ace said.


    ¡°Ok¡­¡± I managed to reply in a whisper that failed to hide my disappointment.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make that face We¡¯ll get back to it, I promise,¡± Ace said with a teasing grin.


    It seemed like I was making Ace make so many promises to me and that thought warmed my heart and brought a pleased smile to my lips. His hands dropped from my arms to his side and just like that our passionate make out session came to an abrupt end. I took in a deep breath to calm myself and the mes of desire that still danced so brightly in the pit of my stomach. Ace was suddenly serious so I had a pretty good idea that I would finally learn what was really going on if I just followed him.


    .....


    Where is he going to take me?


    ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­¡± I said and my voice was firm.


    I knew that it was no use asking him questions about where he was going to take me or whom we were going to meet. The fastest way for me to find out the answers to all the questions that I had was to quickly get there with him as fast as possible. Just like travelling through a dark tunnel, I knew that it was time to rush toward the tunnel¡¯s end now that I could see the light at the end of it all.


    Ace nodded and offered me his open hand. I braved a smile before cing my hand into his outstretched hand without any hesitation. The firm grip of his hand around mine gave me more strength than I could have ever imagined, and it made me feel that I could face anything that was toe as long as he was by my side and always holding my hand just like this.


    ¡­


    It was veryte at night when we got on the road. Ace was his usual silent self while he was driving, and I wondered what thoughts were going through his mind. As for me, I worked my hardest to stop myself from dreaming up nasty scenarios and overreacting. Lessons have been learnt and I decided to stick to reality and adopt the ¡®wait and see¡¯ approach before reacting to anything. I¡¯ve waited for so long for this so waiting until we arrived at our destination wouldn¡¯t kill me.


    When Ace took the expressway that would lead us out of the city center, I knew that he was going to take me somewhere that we haven¡¯t visited together before. I didn¡¯t want to keep making random guesses, but I did guess that he must be taking me to one of the residences that he or his father owned.


    Does that mean that I¡¯ll be meeting the Chairman? At this hour?


    I lumped formed in my throat and I turned to look out my side of the window to distract myself. Meeting the Chairman had never been a pleasant experience for me, and it was natural that I didn¡¯t look forward to it.


    ¡°It¡¯s been such a long day. Are you tired?¡± I asked to show my concern because I was really concerned for him.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m probably not as tired as you are,¡± Ace replied with his eyes still on the road ahead.


    Our casual conversation did help to pass the time and ease my anxiousness. It was close to an hour before we arrived at our destination, which was a veryrge estate located on the outskirts of the city. The tall walls and tall metal gate to the property gave the vibe that the ce was supposed to be off-limits. The presence of four security guards added to the intimidating atmosphere of the ce. The guards clearly were expecting Ace and did not raise any questions before opening the automatic gate for us to enter.


    I looked around at the dark and tall trees that surrounded both sides of the road. It was a short drive beyond the entrance until we arrived at a veryrge mansion. The lights were on and that was probably the only thing that helped to make the ce look more inhabited and less haunted. I was spooked by the gothic architecture and the fact that this ce seemed to be located in the middle of nowhere.


    Where is this ce? What is this ce?


    ¨CTo be continued¡­

 Chapter 341 Encounter

    "This is one of my family''s estates. It currently belongs to my father after it''s been passed down in the family," Ace exined as if he could read my mind.


    "Oh¡­" I murmured as my eyes canned the mansion up and down.


    "As much as I would like to say that you''re weed, my father isn''t going to like seeing us," Ace said before he chuckled like he couldn''t care less.


    "The Chairman is in there?" I asked without any excitement.


    Ace nodded his head before he offered me a smile that was supposed to heal my bleeding heart. It seemed like I wasn''t overreacting at all in the car when I considered that it may be possible that we would be meeting his father. I felt my heart sink and I hesitated to get out of the car. Ace got out and walked over to my side of the car before yanking the door open.


    "Come on. You''ll have to get out sooner orter so we might as well get this over and done with," Ace said with a smallugh.


    He was clearly enjoying my reactions while I wasn''t enjoying anything at all. I knew that he was right and perhaps I should be optimistic and feel thankful that at least he didn''t seem at all stressed about this. The ride here was around an hour and that made me wonder if Ace was here before.


    "Were you here before you came to pick me up?" I asked.


    Ace offered me his hand and I was forced to take it and let him pull me out of the car. Ace nodded his head once in response to my question. That exined where he had disappeared to during the few hours where I couldn''t reach him no matter how hard I tried. However, I still had no idea why he was here and what happened while we were apart.


    "Don''t look so worried. No one is going to bite you," Ace said followed by a chuckle.


    "Wait!" I eximed as he pulled me after him.


    He could have at least told me beforehand that we were going to meet his father. That way, maybe I could have mentally prepared myself. Ace didn''t give me time to remain shocked for too long as he dragged me after him to the entrance of therge mansion. I was reminded once again of how good he is at pushing me to my limits. Thanks to that, I have grown both professionally and as a person; however, there were times like these when I thought that it was a little too much.


    "What are we supposed to talk to him about?" I asked.


    Ace wouldn''t stop walking and I had to dig my heels into the ground for him to turn to face me. To my surprise, Ace stared at me before his face rxed to show me a warm smile.


    "You''ll find out soon enough. If you want to find out sooner, why don''t you walk a little faster?" he said before smiling teasingly at me.


    "Oh¡­please¡­" I said while letting out a tired sigh.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The mansion looked like any other luxurious mansion when we were inside. The first thing that I noticed was how silent it was inside. In fact, it was so silent that I was scared to breathe, fearing that the sound of my breathing would disturb the tranquil peace.


    "Follow me this way, Rina," Ace said to break the silence.


    With my hand still in his, Ace easily led me after him along a long hallway that was quite brightly lit with golden lights. Various oil color paintings ofndscapes hung on the walls and added countless colors to the mansion''s interior. I was dreading my meeting with Ace''s father too much and wasn''t in the mood to admire the beauty of the paintings as we quickly passed them by.


    "Is the Chairman in there?" I asked in a small voice when Ace came to a stop in front of a very tall and wide pair of wooden doors.


    "Yes. In fact, he''s eagerly awaiting your arrival," Ace replied casually before showing me a smile that was supposed to help reassure me that everything was going to be alright.


    I felt like now was the right time to pray because there was nothing else that I could do to save myself from the situation that I was in. It didn''t help one bit that Ace just told me that the Chairman was waiting for me.


    Why do I have to meet him? What does he want from me?


    "We''re here," Ace announced our arrival the moment that he opened the door.


    I was still standing in a dazed state in front of the room''s entrance with my heart racing in my chest and Ace had to pull me into the room after him. He could have given me a warning before suddenly opening the door like that. I felt a cold shiver run down my spine when I felt the Chairman''s eyes turn to rest on me.


    "Good evening¡­" I managed to say in a small voice.


    "Come and sit over here. It''s better to sit while we talk," Ace told me casually as he gestured for me to take a seat on one of the sofas.


    "Right¡­" I murmured.


    Ace sat down and pulled me down into the seat next to him on the sofa. I felt like a lifeless puppet because I was so panicked. Ace chuckled a little next to me and I knew that he found my reactions funny again. All the while, the Chairman kept staring at me and that made feel unbearably ufortable.


    The chairman looked like he was ready to say something but the tense silence in the room was broken by the sound of someone''s phone ringing. I felt so jumpy that the sound made me panic even more and I reached for my bag just to realize that the ringtone wasn''t even mine. Ace didn''t make a move so that meant that the Chairman''s phone was ringing.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 342 More Company

    "Aren''t you going to take that? It could be important¡­" Ace said with a careless shrug.


    "Can anything be more important than what we''re going to discuss?" his father snapped.


    "Up to you¡­" Ace muttered like he couldn''t care less.


    After shooting a re at Ace, the Chairman sighed and stood up from his seat. With his phone in his hand, he exited the room to have a private conversation with the caller. I let out a long sigh when the door closed behind him, and I was left alone with Ace in the room.


    "Well, I guess the real conversation can''t start until everyone is in the room¡­" Ace said before leaning back leisurely on the sofa.


    "More people will be joining us?" I asked with widened eyes.


    "Actually, you''re thest of us to arrive because there were things that I had to get sorted out first," Ace replied.


    I narrowed my eyes at him as my mind raced to understand what was going on. Someone else was supposed to join us. I was biting down on my lip without realizing it as I tried to figure out the identity of the other party. The sound of the door opening caught my attention, and I turned toward the door while expecting the Chairman''s return.


    "You''re back¡­"


    A woman''s voice said before the door closed behind her. My mouth fell open and I didn''t even remember to bother to hide my shock. While running her fingers through her hair, Elizabeth chase entered the room and approached us with a confident smile on her lips.


    "How is he?" Ace asked before he grinned.


    Ace did not seem surprised to see her and that was when I realized that she had probably been here all along. Elizabeth turned and directed a smile at me before her attention returned to Ace. I watched her movements as if watching a rare and endangered animal making its entrance into the city as she lowered herself down onto the sofa opposite where Ace and I were seated.


    "Whatever you have imagined in your head is probably urate. It''s not looking so good," she said before giggling a little.


    "Do you think he''ll feel better after we tell him what we have nned?" Ace asked with a hopeful smile on his lips.


    "I''m not so sure but he better be fine about it¡­" Elizabeth replied before rolling her eyes upwards.


    What exactly were these two supposed to tell the Chairman?


    My eyes travelled questioningly from Elizabeth''s to Ace''s face while I tried to look for clues. I tried my best to ignore the rotten feeling that grew inside of me. It didn''t sit well with me that once again these two were talking about something that I had absolutely no idea about. It was like they were in their own little world, and I was the alien outsider.


    "Don''t look so upset, Rina. You''ll find out what this is all about when my father returns when he''s done with his phone call," Ace said as he reached for my hand.


    I wasn''t that impressed with his words, but I did let him take my hand. Ace held my hand in one of his while he stroked it slowly and gently with his other hand.


    "He went out to take a call?" Elizabeth asked.


    "Yup. He should be back soon, though," Ace replied.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Elizabeth nodded her head a few times before she turned her attention to me. No matter how many times I meet her, I could never get used to being in her presence. The way she looked at me made me feel uneasy and I didn''t have anything to say to her. I just sat there as she continued eyeing me with my body feeling stiff.


    "Sorry that we had to drag you out here along with us. It''s also a great day for you, winning thepetition and all. Congrattions to you and your team. It was very well deserved and I''m not just saying it. I''m not a biased person so you can trust my review," Elizabeth said before she smiled at me.


    Did she just¡­?


    I blinked in pure surprise at her sudden change in attitude. It was extremely shocking and difficult for me to believe that she had just apologized and then congratted me at the same time. After recovering from my shock, I managed to nod my head while I struggled to find my tongue.


    "Thank you¡­" I managed to say while feeling thankful that I seeded in not stuttering.


    What shocked me the most wasn''t her words or her sudden change in attitude, but it was the way that she made me feel that her words were sincere and without any hidden agendas.


    "Themercial is great. Rina and the team worked very hard on it. I''m not surprised that we won. I would have questioned themittee if we didn''t," Ace said quite sternly.


    "It''s great that we won. You''re right about us working so hard on it," I said in a small voice.


    "You''re always so confident when ites to your work. I really like that about you," Elizabeth told Ace beforeughing brightly.


    For whatever reason, Elizabeth seemed to be in a very good mood. Although their initial conversation hinted that the uing chat with the Chairman wouldn''t be an easy sailing one, the two of them didn''t seem at all bothered by it.


    "I''m not confident in everything¡­" Ace muttered.


    "How long is your father going to take on the phone? I hate waiting¡­" Elizabeth beganining.


    "No idea," Ace replied as he sunk back further into the soft leather sofa.


    Elizabeth let out a sigh before she sat forward in her seat and stared directly at me. Her eyes shone brightly like she just had an amazing idea.


    "Karina, do you know why Ace brought you here today?" Elizabeth asked.


    I didn''t¡­


    "Not this again¡­" Ace murmured before turning away.


    For some reason, Ace had decided against getting involved in the conversation that Elizabeth was trying to start with me.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 343 Their Secret

    "Not really¡­" I replied to her earlier question while feeling quite confused at what she was trying to get at this time around.


    "Ace, you didn''t tell her? Even after all that we discussed, you still didn''t tell her?" Elizabeth turned to ask Ace with clear surprise in her face.


    Ace looked slightly ufortable before his face returned to its calm and almost emotionless state again. Although his reaction was very brief, I didn''t miss it.


    "She''ll find out soon anyways¡­" he muttered.


    "I have no idea why he''s like this. Well, I guess he''s right that you will find out soon," Elizabeth said as she turned to me and then showed me a bright smile that left me even more confused than ever before.


    The way the two of them were acting stimted my curiosity. Suddenly, it felt like I could no longer wait to find out what exactly these two had been hiding from me. What was it that Ace was supposed to tell me?


    "Umm¡­what did you two discuss?" I asked with my eyes on Elizabeth.


    "Oh, let''s just say that Ace did an amazing job in convincing me that you have the right to know about our little secret a little bit before everyone else does," Elizabeth replied before she giggled like a young girl.


    The idea of having a secret between Ace and herself must have amused her greatly to the point that I felt like she was proud of this secret that they had managed to keep between them. At least, now she was openly admitting that there was indeed a secret that the two of them had been keeping from me and everyone else. As for what their secret could be, I had no idea.


    "Your secret?" I asked with widened eyes.


    "Yes, our secret¡­" Elizabeth said before pressing her index finger up against her lips.


    I opened my mouth to ask her directly about that secret that she had been so proudly unting in front of my face when the door to the room opened with a loud bang. I turned around toward the door to find out that that loud sound was the announcement of the chairman''s return. Apparently, his phone call was now over.


    His entrance caught everyone''s attention and brought an abrupt end to the conversation that Elizabeth had started. I cursed his timing silently in my head when I thought that his return had robbed me of the opportunity to find out anything about the secret that Elizabeth and Ace had been hiding. My eyes narrowed slightly as the chairman casually joined us and took his seat on one of the sofas.


    "I assume that everyone that needs to be here is here now," the chairman said as his eyes travelled from Elizabeth to Ace and then to me.


    "Yes, everyone is here," Ace replied coldly.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "So? Care to properly exin how you''re going to fix that massive mess that you''ve created?" the chairman directed his question at Ace with an unimpressed look on his face.


    I should have guessed that there was no way that the chairman would have been fine with Ace publicizing his retirement the way that he did. For a moment, I feared what would happen to Ace. The look in the chairman''s eyes was merciless and it felt like he was out for blood. Ace didn''t seem that bothered by his father''s hot temper.


    "Just like I''ve been telling you for the past hour or s, you have to calm down and stop talking to yourwyers and all those PR representatives before they drive you insane¡­" Ace suggested without much care.


    "How can I not talk to them? They''re the best at what they do and that is cleaning up after all the mess that you love to create," his father yelled as his face grew increasing red.


    I felt ufortable and didn''t know what to say as I watched father and son continue exchanging hurtful words. My eyes nced over to see Elizabeth checking out her perfectly manicured nails like she had nothing better to do. It surprised me how calm she could be when the only two men in the room were almost tearing out each other''s necks.


    "You really have to get use to this if you''re not already¡­" she advised without even ncing my way.


    My eyes returned to the chairman who was still busy lecturing his only son before my eyes shifted to Ace''s clearly irritated face. A brief thought did ur to me that this might be how the two of them showed their love and care for each other. After all, everyone has different ways to show their love and concern, and this might just be how it was between them.


    "So why did you insist on bringing her? She''s useless here. What can someone like her possibly do?" the chairman said.


    I gasped when the chairman pointed his index finger usingly at me. That optimistic thought that I had about these two having a loving rtionship evaporatedpletely from my mind. I felt the chairman''s intimidating stare on me, and my eyes quickly avoided his to search for Ace''s calm hazel eyes. Ace smiled at me when our eyes met before he nodded his head slightly as if to tell me that everything would be alright. Just like the chairman, I truly wondered why he had to bring me here along with him.


    "She''s my girlfriend so it''s only right that she should know about this too. I''ve also gotten Elizabeth''s permission so if she doesn''t tell a soul about what we''re about to talk about then it shouldn''t be a problem. Right?" Ace exined before asking Elizabeth for her confirmation.


    "Right¡­" Elizabeth agreed before rolling her eyes upward to the ceiling.


    "And what is it exactly that we have to talk about? This better be good, Ace. I warn you, this better be something good. Once again, the share price is going to take a hit because of your selfish actions," the chairman asked challengingly.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 344 The Reveal

    It was clear that Ace''s father wanted nothing more than a solution to the problem that was right in front of us. Ace''s announcement had caused massive panic and the news did not take long to reach the eyes and ears of the public and that included the board of directors and the shareholders.


    "You have to admit that it''s not my fault that the investors like to overreact at every little thing that I did or didn''t do," Ace retorted like it wasn''t at all his problem.


    "Every time some juicy news about Ace appears, the share price tanks instantly. Like, you know, when they highlight his various affairs," Elizabeth whispered to me beforeughing.


    Despite the stressful atmosphere, Elizabeth seemed to be enjoying the show immensely to the point where I had no idea what truly ran through her head. I shook my head in disbelief when I recalled Ace''s words on how I should try to get along with Elizabeth and how I should learn from her.


    "How dare you say such irresponsible things!" the chairman yelled at his son again.


    I felt like this argument wasn''t going to get us anywhere at all. Ace had a strained look on his face that made me wonder how much longer he could take the chairman''s aggressive words.


    "If you calm down and stop yelling, I can finally tell you what I have in mind," Ace said before he pursed his lips tightly together and then offered his father a pleasant smile.


    The scornful look on the chairman''s face only made the lines in between his brows look deeper and more prominent. After staring at Ace for a moment, the chairman let out a sigh and finally looked away. Silence settled in the room again and I found myself letting out a soft sigh of relief. At least, for the time being, it seemed like the storm had calmed down.


    "Say what you have to say," the chairman muttered while his eyes continued to re at Ace.


    I felt a tremor run through my body and wondered how Ace could appear so calm and unaffected. Ace cleared his throat as if he was about to make an important announcement to us all and that was probably what he had in mind. I had no idea what to expect and that made me so nervous as I waited for Ace''s next words.


    "Elizabeth will be CEO in my ce," Ace stated with absolute calm.


    ¡­what?


    I wasn''t shocked at first because the meaning behind Ace''s words had not truly struck me. On top of that, I found it so hard to believe that I didn''t think that it was true. I was more convinced that I must have misheard Ace or that he would soon correct himself. His words left my mind confused and in a dazed state for a brief moment before my mouth hung open as the seriousness of his words started to sink in. Then the shock hit me and then ran me over like a giant bus.


    "What?! What did you just say?!" the chairman yelled louder than ever before as he jumped up from his seat.


    Clearly, I wasn''t the only one shocked by what Ace had just said. Elizabeth had a small smile on her lips that told me that their secret was finally out of the bag. It was truly unexpected, and it sounded too crazy to even be true.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I said that Elizabeth will take over as CEO after me. I''ve discussed this with her for a long while now and we''ve finally reached an agreement. Now, to make this a reality, we simply need your blessing and support," Ace said before he smiled bravely at his father.


    He sounded like he was asking the chairman for his permission to marry Elizabeth and that didn''t quite sit well with me. That passing thoughtsted only for a few seconds before my mind zoomed into focus on the news that Ace had just shared. On top of his abrupt retirement, he nned to have Elizabeth take over his position after him.


    "That not possible. It''s absolutely absurd!" the chairman yelled again.


    His face had gotten so red that I was afraid that his head would explode just to let the steam out. I rarely agreed with the chairman, but in that instance, I had to admit that he was right. Elizabeth taking the role of Jessen''s and Hill''s CEO just sounded crazy and unreal. Ace still looked confident in his proposal, and I wondered what he really had in mind.


    How can Elizabeth be the CEO of ourpany when she''s still the CEO of her family''spany?


    Nothing was making sense...


    "Now''s the time for you to be open-minded and open to new possibilities," Ace said encouragingly.


    "Shut up! You didn''t drag me all the way out here just for me to hear another of your crazy, reckless, and impossible idea!" the chairman screamed.


    His chest visibly heaved up and down as he panted from all the intense emotions raging in his chest. I started feeling sorry for the chairman and the fact that he had to deal with Ace. Despite his father''s outburst, Ace remainedposed and ready to convince his father of his idea.


    "Please listen to what Ace has to say," Elizabeth chimed in at just the right moment.


    The chairman''s eyes focused on Elizabeth before he sucked in a deep breath as if to calm himself down. I wasn''t sure if that worked for him or not, but he did manage to lower himself down onto the sofa. Ace smiled a little before he nodded at both Elizabeth and me. It seemed like the main part of the conversation was about to start. I wasn''t sure how interested the chairman was, but I was truly interested to hear what Ace had in mind and why he was doing this.


    "What is there to hear? Once again, he''s pushing his responsibilities onto someone else and running away. Just like before when he left. The only change is that this time, he''s going to run off and push his responsibilities on you of all people¡­" the chairman said to Elizabeth before his jaw set in a hard line.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 345 Real Convincing

    "I think Ace''s idea is fantastic. You should hear him out. After all, you dide out all the way here¡­" Elizabeth said before she smiled at the chairman.


    "I don''t understand you two at all. He broke off his engagement with you and you''re still willing to cover for him?" the chairman asked Elizabeth with a suspicious look on his face.


    "I''m not doing this for him. I''m doing this for me¡­" she replied without backing down.


    The chairman was clearly surprised at Elizabeth''s response, and I had to admit that her words only made me more curious about what the two of them had nned. Everyone''s eyes were on Ace as we waited for him to exin everything. Ace was too calm and rxed for my liking and he didn''t seem to be in a rush to ease the tension in the room.


    "This isn''t truly my own original idea. In fact, I''ve pretty much recycled your idea but I''m going about it in a slightly different way," Ace began exining.


    "My idea?" the chairman asked with narrowed eyes.


    "Exactly. I know that you''re quite fond of Elizabeth but it''s obvious enough to everyone why you proposed that we get engaged back then. Since we did end up getting engaged, it was clear enough that Elizabeth''s father was in agreement. All of that was to unite the management of our twopanies together with the hope that it would lead to a merger between our twopanies eventually," Ace said calmly before he paused to let out a small sigh.


    "You want to make her the CEO as a way to merge our twopanies together?" the chairman asked with evident disbelief on his face.


    "Exactly. Just think about it, in this day and age, why must Elizabeth and I get married for something so simple like this to happen? Can''t you see that with your support, she can operate as the CEO for bothpanies and then with her father''s support, you two can go back to discussing the merger just like before," Ace said like it was no big deal.


    However, it was a really big deal. The twopanies have been at odds with each other due to theirpetitive position against each other for years. A merger just sounds so sudden, and I had no idea if it was even legally possible given the size of thepany and the influence that bothpanies have on the market that they operate in. Regardless of that, it was obvious to me as well why Ace''s and Elizabeth''s father went so far as to get their children and heirs engaged.


    "Does your father agree to this?" the chairman turned to ask Elizabeth with a stern look on his face.


    His mind was probably hard at work to evaluate the possibility of Ace''s suggestion. Elizabeth just smiled before she nodded her head.


    "He has to agree," she replied with confidence.


    Does that mean that he hasn''t really agreed to this n of theirs yet?<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "What does that mean? If you haven''t realized it yet, this is a very grave issue. I cannot consider a half-ass and uncertain response like that as an answer," the chairman replied.


    "I''ve made an agreement with my father and that will ensure that he will agree to this n," she said before offering another confident smile.


    I stared at Elizabeth''s face as I wondered what agreement she made with her father. The attention that I had on her didn''tst long before my attention returned back to Ace. I wasn''t sure if the chairman was satisfied with what Elizabeth had told him, but he didn''t voice any more concerns on that point.


    "Your idea is crazy. This isn''t a small matter and it''s not going to be as easy as you think it is," the chairman almost yelled at Ace again.


    Ace wasn''t at all affected by his father''s words. I didn''t think that Ace would suggest something that sounded so insane without having thought about it thoroughly. I nced over at Elizabeth when I was forced to realize that this secret between them must have been one of the reasons why the two had to meet in secret. If only this was really all there is to it, then I could put at least some parts of my mind and worries to rest.


    "I know that it''s not going to be easy but it''s not at all impossible. Just think about it, if you think that you can merge thepany through our marriage, why can''t it be done this way instead?" Ace continued to argue his case.


    "It''smon forpanies to merge under one CEO. This could be a perfect way to start the merging of ourpanies. Of course, I can make it so that my father is in favor," Elizabeth stated.


    "As for the benefits of ourpanies merging, I am sure that you know about that already and so does Elizabeth''s father. I''m sure that you two have discussed it extensively before things didn''t work out back then," Ace said with a grin.


    "Things did not work out back then because you decided to break off the engagement and disappear!" the chairman thundered as color rose to his face again.


    I didn''t know how I could act useful in that situation and decided to watch on in silence. My feelings were mixed, and I didn''t know whether I wanted the twopanies to merge or not or what that would even mean for Ace and myself.


    "Dad, you can''t turn this idea down without at least giving it a try. No matter what, I''m going to step down from my position as the CEO. This is a good choice for you if you don''t want to take full management responsibility of thepany yourself," Ace said convincingly.


    His father went silent for a moment as he seemed to evaluate his options. I prayed that he would be objective rather than letting his personal emotions and rage take over to decide. The chairman closed his eyes before raising his hand to rub his brows. For a moment, he looked much older than he did before, and I pitied how tired and stressed he seemed to be.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 346 For Our Future

    "I can''t make a decision on this right now. I''ll need to think this through, and I''ll also need to meet with Elizabeth''s father to discuss this further," the chairman finally said.


    "That''s good enough for now, I guess. I didn''t expect that you could decide right away. However, I just want to remind you that this will have to go through in some shape or form ording to the deal that we''ve made," Ace said as he stared directly at his father.


    "What deal?" the chairman asked.


    He can''t mean¡­


    "Don''t act like you forgot. The deal where I''m supposed to grow thepany. If I remember correctly, and I''m quite sure that I do, when we made that deal you agreed that I could use whatever method that I wanted. You would allow me to do things my way to grow ourpany. I remember that the set timeline is three years. Good news is, with this, it won''t take anywhere close to three years," Ace said with certainty.


    The chairman eye''s widened as if he finally fully understood what was really going on for the same time. As for me, I gasped and lifted a hand to cover my mouth when I realized that this was probably the solution that Ace hade up with for himself and also for us.


    ''You will grow ourpany to be asrge as the size of the twobined. I give you three years, if you can''t achieve this, I will never acknowledge your rtionship. That will also mean that you will keep your rtionship a secret until then,''


    That was what Ace agreed with the chairman. All of this came about because he had broken off his engagement to Elizabeth and also because he had decided to keep on dating me. I was overjoyed that Ace still intended to keep the promise that he made to me. If things went the way that he wanted and nned for it to, his father would acknowledge our rtionship and we didn''t have to live our lives in hiding anymore.


    Suddenly, it truly felt like we had a future together that might resemble that of a normal couple. The relief that flooded my chest made me feel warm inside and I was reminded of how much I love Ace; however, that warmth didn''te without a mix of guilt and worry. I had been doubting him all this time when he was actually trying so hard for the sake of the future of our rtionship.


    The chairman''s words caused me extreme worry and I couldn''t help but imagine the many reasons why this may not work out. I also wasn''t sure if what Ace and Elizabeth were trying to do could be counted as cheating. After all, the chairman clearly did not expect this when he promised to let Ace do things his way to achieve thepany growth target. I had to admit that although his n was sly, it would ensure that he would meet the harsh and almost unrealistic target that the chairman had set and also the fact that it would take a lot less than three years. That is, if the merger went well.


    "Was this what you had in mind when you made that deal with me?" the chairman asked with a scoff.


    Ace just smiled a little at his father before he nodded his head in affirmation. It was hard for me to believe that in that short amount of time, Ace hade up with this n to merge thepany by getting Elizabeth''s help. I also had no idea how Ace managed to convince Elizabeth to go along with his n.


    Did she want to be the CEO of Jessen''s and Hill''s that badly that she was willing to convince her father on thepanies'' merger?<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Elizabeth was indeed young to be the CEO of such argepany and I doubted how she would fare. Ace seemed confident in her abilities, but I couldn''t say that I truly agreed. Before I knew it, I was gnawing on my lower lips as my mind raced to evaluate the possibility of this n.


    It still felt very far-fetched and unrealistic to me.


    "This is interesting¡­" the chairman said.


    Unlike his outright rejection from before, the chairman had a perplexed look on his face and an unreadable look in his eyes that made me feel like there might be some crazy chance that the chairman may see this n seeding in reality. The idea of sess sent a tremor down my spine and all I could do was stare at Ace''s face.


    "Let us give this a try," Ace said with full conviction.


    "This won''t just depend on me. It is big and many things will be beyond our control. Since I agreed to let you have your way on the methods that you choose to employ, I will keep my word and see how this ys out," the chairman said sternly.


    "Thank you, father," Ace thanked his father with a smile.


    "Thank you. We''ll make sure that this works out. For your sake and also for mine," Elizabeth chimed in with a determined look in her eyes.


    "Do you really think that you can head thepany? All by yourself?" the chairman asked Elizabeth.


    "If you''d allow it, I would love to give it a try. However, I won''t truly be alone. I''m sure Ace won''t leave me alone and let me fail. Plus, my father will definitely lend a helping hand¡­and I guess so will you¡­" Elizabeth said before showing a bright smile.


    I wasn''t sure if the chairman was convinced by her words, but he did seem amused and interested enough by her idea. It didn''t escape me that if what Elizabeth said was true then Ace would probably be sticking around thepany at least for a while longer to make sure that everything goes well. The silence that crept up on us told me that the conversation for today hade to an end.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 347 Finally Time

    Ace must have gotten what he wanted because he pulled my hand into his and gave it a squeeze. That was the signal that we should both leave. Although I had a pretty good understanding of what had just happened, I still felt lost, and it was hard for me to digest everything. Figuring out how I felt about what I had just witnessed and heard was the biggest challenge for me and I doubted that I could get my feelings in order right away.


    "We''re leaving," Ace announced as he stood up from his seat while pulling me up to my feet along with him.


    As far as Ace was concerned the discussion was over. Even though his father had not outright agreed to Ace''s proposal, it was clear that actions would be put in ce to implement Ace''s n. Elizabeth also stood up as if she wanted to leave along with us.


    "I should be leaving too. I think we''ve pretty much updated you on everything today. Thank you for listening to our selfish request," Elizabeth said to the chairman.


    "I will talk to your father," the chairman replied sternly.


    "Thank you. I''ll make sure that my father is up to speed for the discussion with you as well. After all, nothing is allowed to go wrong. Isn''t that right, Ace?" Elizabeth said before she smiled.


    "We''ll be heading back now," Ace said before tugging on my hand and leading me to the door.


    I turned back to see Elizabeth smiling as she followed us while the chairman had a concerned look on his face. It felt like the three of us had returned to apletely different world when the door closed behind us. I wasn''t sure which world I would have preferred to be the real world but that probably didn''t matter because the world beyond the door and where we were standing were one and the same.


    "It''s veryte, you should go home," Ace told Elizabeth dismissively.


    "Don''t you owe me a big ''thank you''?" she asked before teasingly crossing her arms under her chest.


    "If you manage to keep your end of the bargain, you''ll be the new CEO soon¡­" Ace said without offering her his thanks.


    "You know that that isn''t what I''m talking about¡­" she mumbled before rolling her eyes with evident disappointment.


    Ace''s mind seemed far away, and he clearly did not have the effort or the intention to entertain Elizabeth right at that moment. She must have sensed this as well because she turned her attention to me instead. With all that had transpired, I was still confused, and I naturally had countless questions that I wanted to ask Ace in private. My eyes met hers and I wondered when this woman would disappear and leave us alone.


    "What is it?" I asked after bearing her stare for a moment.


    "You should talk things out with Ace properly. He doesn''t like to talk much so it might be hard for you. Well, good luck and keep up the good work," she advised before sheughed a little to herself.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    I didn''t think that I needed or wanted her advice. Elizabeth turned and began walking away from us while I held my tongue. Talking to her would just lengthen our conversation and that would dy the talk that I needed to have with Ace. I didn''t need Elizabeth to tell me that my conversation with Ace was going to be a difficult one. Talking to him was one thing and getting him to talk was yet quite another challenge. I let out a long sigh before I could stop myself.


    "Let''s go," Ace repeated once again.


    "Yeah¡­" I agreed softly.


    The walk back to his car went by inplete silence. The mansion looked as gloomy as it did when we arrived there, and I felt quite ted to leave the ce. The atmosphere had been nothing but suffocating and filled with tension and that made me thankful when we finally stepped foot out of the mansion and into the open. The air outside felt refreshing, and I found myself breathing in deeply before letting out a long silent sigh.


    That refreshing feeling did notst very long because when we got into Ace''s car, the atmosphere was more than slightly strained. Although we did not have an argument, I found it hard to start a conversation with Ace now that we were finally alone together and that was probably because there were just so many things that I needed to talk to him about that I truly did not know where to start.


    What should I start talking or asking him about first? Should I start by double and then triple checking that I understood everything that was going on correctly?


    It was veryte at night and there wasn''t another car in sight on the suburban road that we were on. The night felt lonely and very empty, which was a stark contrast to the mess that filled and twisted my mind as I desperately tried toe up with the right words to strike up a conversation with Ace. I never thought that I would be this nervous when the time came for me to finally talk to him. Although I had wished for the arrival of this moment, I quickly found out that I was far from prepared to talk to Ace.


    "Are you angry?" Ace spoke up with his eyes still on the road.


    His words took me by surprise, and I figured that he must have misunderstood my silence for anger. I had been too lost in my own thoughts to even pause to consider how exactly I was feeling. However, anger probably wasn''t what I was feeling.


    "I¡­I''m not angry¡­I guess¡­" I replied softly.


    "Does that mean that you''re angry?" he asked before his eyes shifted to rest on my face briefly.


    "No, I¡­sorry, I''m just very confused right now¡­" I confessed directly before letting out a sigh.


    "I see. Then, maybe we should talk about thister when you''re ready," Ace suggested without pushing me any further.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 348 Promising Start

    I appreciated his concern and how he seemed to beposed and calm as always; however, that wasn¡¯t something that I wanted. Putting this off would just kill me off slowly.


    ¡°No, I think that we should talk right now,¡± I said before I would lose my resolve.


    ¡°I should stop the car¡­¡± Ace said with a nod of his head.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I agreed softly.


    A momentter, Ace found a spot on the side of the road where he could stop the car. The fact that no one else seemed to be out during that time of night helped us a lot. It felt like we had the world to ourselves even if it would be just for a short while.


    ¡°It¡¯ste but I don¡¯t really want to spend the night in that ce,¡± Ace said as if he wanted to exin to me why we didn¡¯t just sleep over at thatrge mansion.


    I figured that Ace must have been referring to that mansion that we had just departed from. Although I wasn¡¯t sure if his dislike of the ce stemmed from the fact that his father was there or if the ce belonged to his father. Regardless of what it was, I was quite relieved that he felt that way because I also didn¡¯t want to spend the night there. It was very dark outside and the only lights that lit the way were the streetlights on one side of the road.


    ¡°We can find a hotel around here if you don¡¯t want to travel anymore. It iste¡­¡± Ace suggested, and I knew that it was all for my sake and not his own.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We should head back to your ce,¡± I said before forcing a smile.


    It would probably take around an hour and no more for us to get back to Ace¡¯s ce. I didn¡¯t even want to think of the arrival of tomorrow or how hectic things would be at work. Without a doubt, everyone in the office must still be celebrating because the celebrations usually went on until dawn broke or even until morning. I told myself that before thinking about tomorrow, I should focus on getting through today first.


    ¡°Is that fine with you? I can drive but it¡¯ll be close to an hour,¡± he said with worry.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s head back. You must be tired as well¡­¡± I replied.


    ¡°If you say so,¡± Ace readily agreed.


    The atmosphere during the ride back was less tense than the first part of our journey together and that was probably thanks to our unspoken agreement to continue with our serious conversation when we were back at Ace¡¯s ce. I took it as a good opportunity for me to collect my thoughts together. There were just so many things floating around in my mind all over the ce and I wasn¡¯t sure how to string everything together. Ace¡¯s sudden retirement, Elizabeth taking over as the new CEO, the secret that they shared, the blueprint that I found in his office among other things. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    I nced over at Ace who had his eyes correctly glued to the road ahead while I wondered what he was thinking. Ace seemed too calm, and I envied howposed he could appear almost at all times. I had to admit that I never suspected Ace to be full of mysteries when I started dating him. Sure enough, I never thought that our rtionship would be a smooth one, but I didn¡¯t think that it would turn out to be such a twisted rollercoaster ride either.


    Ace¡¯s ce never felt so weing to me as on that day when we arrived back. It felt like rushing into someone¡¯s warm awaiting embrace when I finally made it into his familiar living room. Sitting down on the sofa made me feel like sitting down on a puffy soft cloud up in heaven. This must be what people meant when they said that there was no ce quite like home. Compared to that room in the mansion, this ce truly felt like heaven indeed.


    ¡°Do you want to take a shower first?¡± Ace asked as he sat down next to me on the sofa.


    I was tired and I could use a warm shower to rest up; however, there were more important things that I needed to do. Without wasting any more time, I turned to face Ace and our eyes immediately locked. He must have realized that I wasn¡¯t willing to dy our conversation any longer because Ace became silent, and his eyes turned serious. Before I could open my mouth to say what I had prepared, Ace was the one who spoke up first.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Rina. I know that I should have told you earlier but¡­¡± Ace apologized without breaking eye contact with me.


    ¡°The NDA?¡± I took my best guess.


    Ace¡¯s beautiful lips curved into a regretful smile before he nodded his head once to affirm that I had gotten it right. It was Elizabeth¡¯s words that helped me to make this guess. Without a doubt, things were hard on me, and my mind couldn¡¯t rest at all given how worried I felt; however, with that same logic, things must have been difficult for Ace as well.


    ¡°Did you ask Elizabeth to bend the rules a little just to let me know?¡± I asked as a strange stirring feeling started bubbling up in my chest.


    ¡°Pretty much. She¡¯s going to have something to use against me for a while, but I figured that it¡¯s probably worth it. I can¡¯t have really had you finding out the truth along with everyone else when it gets announced, right?¡± he said with a wry grin.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t think that she¡¯s a nice person¡­¡± I muttered more to myself than to Ace.


    Despite how hushed my tone was, Ace¡¯s slightughter told me that he had heard every word that I had uttered.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m handing her my position as CEO so I guess that should satisfy her,¡± Ace said with a smallugh.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 349 Weighing Decisions

    I should have known by that time that stepping down from his position as CEO probably meant nothing at all to him, but I still felt like it was such a big deal. His decision would affect our lives, our rtionship, and the direction that we would head toward in the future. At least, that was how I felt at the time.


    ¡°Are you really fine with this?¡± I asked before I could stop myself.


    ¡°Fine with what?¡± he asked like he wasn¡¯t sure what I was referring to.


    ¡°Well, quitting your job and letting Elizabeth take over. Also, merging the twopanies together¡­¡± I replied while sounding quite troubled.


    I didn¡¯t think my tone sounded troubled enough to urately represent the amount of trouble and fear that gued my mind. Perhaps I am someone unustomed to change. To put it in another way, I guess that I wasn¡¯t a very adaptive person. Someone else might have reacted more positively and more optimistically than I did.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve thought about it a lot and maybe more than you may believe. There are things that I¡¯mpletely fine with and then there are things that I¡¯ve had to weigh the pros and cons toe up with a decision,¡± Ace said with pondering look on his face.


    ¡°Can you tell me more?¡± I asked while daring to hope that he would open up to me even if it was just a little bit more.


    ¡°Sure. For instance, quitting my job as CEO is a no-regret move for me. I guess I don¡¯t hate this job but at the same time, I¡¯m not going to lie and say that I¡¯m in love with it either. I¡¯m sure you already know that. Quitting this job doesn¡¯t hurt me, I¡¯m just worried about making sure that the transition is smooth. We just won that award too so that¡¯s another load off my chest,¡± Ace exined before he smiled warmly my way.


    Ace shifted his weight slightly on the sofa and then he wrapped an arm around my shoulder before easily pulling me closer to him until my body was pressed up against his. I was surprised at first and my body stiffened; however, it didn¡¯t take long for me to enjoy the warmth of having his body against mine and I started to rx next to him.


    ¡°I see. So, what did you have to really decide on?¡± I asked further.


    ¡°Merging thepany was a very hard one for me and it has nothing to do with Elizabeth, before you even ask¡­¡± he replied before shooting me a knowing look.


    I pressed my lips together and offered him a smile instead of denying that I hadn¡¯t thought that something was really going on between them because I didn¡¯t want to lie to him. For a time much longer than I would have liked, I truly suspected Ace of cheating on me with her. To be honest, I wasn¡¯tpletely certain that nothing romantic or intimate went on between them. There was nothing to go by but Ace¡¯s words and the gut feeling that I got when I saw them together.


    I can always feel a special bond between them; however,tely I¡¯m starting to believe that that special bond that I¡¯ve sensed might be nothing more than a brotherly and sisterly bond between them. They did share a history that was supposed to be romantic, but I could believe that they were both forced into an engagement without any feelings involved. Elizabeth clearly did not seem to harbor any hard feelings toward Ace from him suddenly breaking off their engagement either. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°Honestly, I wasn¡¯t a big fan of merging the twopanies together¡­¡± Ace confessed after he figured that I had nothing to say.


    ¡°Why is that?¡± I inquired curiously.


    ¡°I used to think that the cultures of the twopanies were just too different and¡­I guess in my dream world, I wished that Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s could take another path that is a little more inspirational than what it is doing now,¡± he exined while picking his words carefully.


    I wasn¡¯t quite sure if Ipletely understood what he was getting at. Plus, it just didn¡¯t make sense for him to insist on the merger and putting Elizabeth as the new CEO if he didn¡¯t believe that the twopanies should be merged into one.


    ¡°Then why did you suggest it? Why did you say that you want the twopanies to merge with one another?¡± I asked as I felt a tight knot form in between my brows.


    I couldn¡¯t help but frown as I stared up into Ace¡¯s attractive face. He looked tired but that didn¡¯t distract me or take away from how handsome he looked. Ace seemed to consider his words for a short moment before his hand stroked my shoulder leisurely as if he was petting a cat.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t going to sound very impressive but if I had to be honest then it¡¯s probably because I didn¡¯t have another choice¡­¡± he said beforeughing a little nervously.


    I turned and blinked a couple of times as I tried to process his words because I wasn¡¯t sure what he meant when he said that he didn¡¯t have a choice.


    ¡°You mean, you ran out of ideas on how to grow thepany after you made that deal with your father?¡± I asked with raised eyebrows.


    Frankly, I thought that the deal that Ace made with his father was absurd. Growing thepany to that size in just three years sounded crazy enough but with how confident Ace had acted, I always thought that he must have some borate n in mind to make that happen. Of course, I never suspected that he wouldn¡¯t have anything nned.


    ¡°Not exactly. I didn¡¯t have many other options avable if I wanted to get this done and over with as soon as possible. Growing thepany in three years is one thing but to be able to do it almost right away is a different matter,¡± he said before he grinned at me.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 350 His Impatient Confession

    ¡°But the chairman did give you three years¡­¡± I murmured while still not quite getting why he was so rushed about this.


    If Ace didn¡¯t truly like the idea of merging thepanies together, I didn¡¯t see why he had to rush things forward when he had close to three years left toe up with another n. There was also the option of keeping that as hisst resort in case all of his other ns did not work out. Ace was suddenly silent, and I ended up staring at him while wondering what he was thinking about again. For some unknown reason, my heart clenched in my chest as I waited eagerly for his reply.


    After a short moment that felt like itsted so long, Ace turned to stare deeply into my eyes before his lips curved up into a very charming smile. The look in his warm hazel eyes was bright and for an instant, he looked very free of stress. A slight fluttering feeling overwhelmed my chest, and I had no idea why I suddenly felt a little excited.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to wait three years. It is quite a long time when you actually think about it¡­¡± he said as if still pondering that thought.


    Oh¡­I should have realized that working as the CEO for the next three years might have been a painful experience for Ace. He did mention a couple of times that he wasn¡¯t a big fan of his job and that he was mostly doing it for his father¡¯s sake. On top of that, it wasn¡¯t like he had a great and loving rtionship with his father either. In the end, Ace was probably doing it out of a sense of responsibility. Looking at it from his point of view, three years in a job that he wasn¡¯t quite fond of would probably feel like a long time. Ace probably also had other and better things that he wanted to do with his life during those three years in question.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. Waiting three years to leave your post as CEO will probably feel like a very long time for you¡­¡± I replied while still feeling regretful that that would be the case.


    Ace continued staring at me but the look in his hazel eyes had changed and the beautiful smile that graced his lips suddenly vanished. I didn¡¯t quite understand what was going on, but it felt like I had just said something that I wasn¡¯t supposed to. I blinked a couple of times as his intense gaze started to make me feel ufortable.


    Did I say something wrong just now?


    After staring at my face with a look that resembled disappointment on his face for a short while, Ace looked away and heaved a loud sigh. That was when I was convinced that I must have said something to offend him although I wasn¡¯t absolutely sure what was wrong with what I had just said. All I did was try my best to understand things from his perspective and I even told myself that I had to be as supportive as I could be. The way Ace began shaking his head slightly from side to side only confirmed the fact that I had probably misunderstood him.


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± he called my name as if to make sure that he had my undivided attention.


    ¡°Y-Yes?¡± I replied as I sat up straight like a student that had just been called out in ss by her strict teacher.


    It truly felt like I was in trouble, and he was going to give me a good scolding for it.


    ¡°Listen properly to what I¡¯m going to say,¡± Ace instructed as his eyes continued staring at my face.


    ¡°Ok¡­¡± I whispered in a small voice that I thought was barely audible. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    I secretly bit the inner of my lower lip as I waited nervously for him to tell me what I had done wrong. It wasn¡¯t the most pleasant of feelings, but I knew that I had to bear with it and that it was probably worth it if I could find out what Ace was really thinking.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to wait three years to marry you¡­¡± Ace confessed calmly.


    Marry me?


    I was too shocked to say anything so all I could do was stare at him with widened eyes with a stunned expression on my face. My eyes grew so wide that it felt like my eyeballs might just pop out of their sockets. My heart raced uncontrobly in my chest and then I started to blush wildly. It was all too much, and I couldn¡¯t bear to look him in the eyes. I was so shocked that I must have started denying what I had just heard by telling myself inside my mind that I must have misheard him as I averted my eyes away from him.


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± Ace called my name as he reached for my hands and pulled them firmly into his muchrger ones.


    ¡°Yes¡­?¡± I replied but I still couldn¡¯t look him in the eyes.


    It isn¡¯t what I¡¯m thinking¡­


    ¡°Are you even listening properly to what I just said?¡± he asked with a hint of disbelief in his tone.


    To him, I must be acting really ridiculously. However, I just couldn¡¯t help it. His direct confession truly caught me off guard and I found it hard to believe that he went through all that trouble just for the sake of pushing our rtionship forward.


    ¡°Umm¡­¡± I mumbled hesitantly.


    Ace let out another sigh before bringing my hand up to his lips where he kissed the back of it gently. The warmth of his lips against my icy cold hand calmed me down in a strange and unexinable way. My heart skipped a beat for a different reason than before as I stared at the sight of his lips kissing the back of my hand.


    ¡°Calm down and listen, Rina. I¡¯m not rushing all of this because I can¡¯t wait to quit my job, although that might be partly the reason as well if I¡¯m being honest. The truth is, I don¡¯t think that I can wait three years to date you properly or to marry you,¡± he said while staring deeply into my eyes.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 351 More For Me

    I was supposed to remain calm just as he had instructed me to but how can he possibly expect me to remain calm and wellposed after what he had just said?


    My heart raced dangerously fast in my chest again as I stared wordlessly at his handsome face. Ace¡¯s face rxed and he smiled at me again while my mind was lost in a daze.


    ¡°I think keeping our rtionship a secret will be increasingly difficult as time goes by. I find it suffocating that we can¡¯t do everything that we want to do together and I¡¯m pretty sure that you feel the same way. Actually, I think you¡¯ve got it worse than I do,¡± Ace said before he reached out a hand and patted the top of my head.


    Frankly, I was still too shocked to say anything although I heard every word that he had just said to me. My chest just felt tighter and tighter with each word that he spoke to me as my emotions started welling up inside of me. The familiar stinging sensation at the back of my eyes told me that I was about to start crying.


    ¡°I guess I can always whisk you away from here. We could elope and run away somewhere far away together and all that¡­¡± Ace said wistfully as hisrge hand continued stroking my hair gently.


    ¡°Did you really think that?¡± I mumbled as I kept on staring at his face.


    ¡°Not really, simply because I know that it¡¯s not right and not realistically an option for us. You can¡¯t have a normal life that way. You¡¯ll be far away from your mother and my father will find a way to nag us endlessly until he dies, or we do, whicheveres first¡­¡± Ace continued before he let out a soft chuckle.


    Despite the fact that this was supposed to be a serious conversation, I failed to hold in myughter and ended up giggling. At that moment, I thought that it was the strangest thing in the world how he could make me want to cry one moment and then make meugh just seconds after. It still amazed me how far he was willing to go for the sake of our rtionship. It wasn¡¯t like I had the right to me him for not putting his all into our rtionship and I didn¡¯t think that he wasn¡¯t taking proper care of me. However, with how busy we both were at work and with all the secrets that he had been keeping from me, I had to admit that there were times when I thought that he wasn¡¯t thinking about our future together.


    I bit down hard on my lower lip as I tired my absolute best to keep my tears from spilling over. The pain in my chest felt overwhelming when I finally realized just how wrong I had been about him. The guilt ate up at me when I realized that Ace had probably been thinking about our future all along. It hurt even more when I thought that unlike me, who just worried endlessly about it, Ace was actually busy and working hard to make things work out for us.


    Three years is actually a long time¡­


    To spend that amount of time dating in secret would be difficult and I was in the position to confidently say that given the secret rtionship that I had with Kyle. Just thinking about it made my mood darken even further. Needless to say, that ill-fated rtionship ended inplete failure for me. Looking back on it, I was forced to ept that the fact that I had to keep our rtionship a secret probably allowed him to use me the way that he did. While I was cherishing the secret loving world that we had created and shared between us, Kyle was probably using it to conveniently hide our affair from the world. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    I believed that everything must be different with Ace and that he wasn¡¯t using me; however, I had to agree with Ace that having our rtionship out in the open would be much better. If nothing else, we could go on dates openly. We could have dinner in public like everyone else. We could go to crowded ces and go on trips to popr holiday destinations. The endless possibilities of how we could spend our time together helped push the tears of guilt away from my eyes and reced the frown on my face with a small smile of hope instead.


    Things will get better for us. Thanks to Ace, things will improve at a much faster rate.


    ¡°Thank you, Ace¡­¡± I thanked him as I reached out and gave his hand a small squeeze.


    His hazel eyes widened slightly at me as if he was surprised that I was thanking him. Perhaps he didn¡¯t expect me to thank him for all that he¡¯d done. However, I felt that he more than deserved all the thanks and appreciation that I could shower on him.


    ¡°There¡¯s really no need to thank me for anything,¡± he said before he smiled so charmingly at me.


    I felt thatyering that precious smile on top of everything else that he had done for us wasn¡¯t at all ying fair. How could I possibly make it up to him or be good enough for him?


    ¡°Of course, I have to thank you. I really mean it, Ace. Thank you for all that you¡¯ve done for us. Thank you¡­for thinking of our future¡­¡± I thanked him repeatedly and once again I felt like I would start crying.


    ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s too early for you to thank me. It¡¯s still just an idea and a n, nothing more. The merger isn¡¯t happening yet. My father hasn¡¯t acknowledged our rtionship and everything else,¡± Ace said before showing me a slightly sad smile.


    How he sounded quite regretful while saying that as if he felt like he could have done better for us just tore at my heart. If Ace thought that what he had done for us wasn¡¯t good enough, then I had no excuse to say for myself for basically having done nothing but rely on him for help and support almost all the time.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 352 Reward For Him

    ¡°I know that I probably don¡¯t have the right to say this but¡­I think the thought and effort really counts. It¡¯s enough for me to know that you¡¯re thinking of our future and thank you again for working so hard for us,¡± I said before showing him what I hoped would be aforting smile.


    ¡°Thanks, Rina¡­¡± he thanked me as well although I didn¡¯t think that I deserved any thanks.


    Words were just words. My words are just words¡­


    Before my mind could process anything, my body seemed to have grown a mind of its own. I leaned closer to him and boldly pressed my lips against his. The soft warmth of his lips against mine made me immediately crave for more. What started off as a soft brush of our lips quickly turned into something much more. I pressed my lips firmly against his against and kissed him while moaning softly in my throat from the pleasure. I moaned louder when I felt Ace¡¯s hand behind my head, pressing my face closer to his and crushing my lips more firmly against his.


    ¡°Mhhmmm¡­¡± I moaned as his tongue sought entry into my mouth.


    My lips parted for him without a second thought to wee the warm wetness of his tongue. His sweet taste filled my mouth and I found myself moaning into our heated kiss. His tongue explored the depth of my mouth fervently as he tasted me. Our tongues met and entwined in a greedy dance that only made us want more of each other. I looped my arms around Ace¡¯s neck to pull him closer to me.


    My body pressed up against his so tightly that my breasts were squished against his hard chest. Ace changed the angle of our kiss and kissed me even deeper than before as I ran my fingers through his soft hair. His hand moved down from my head to tease my shoulder before slowly sliding down my back. I moaned into our kiss as his hands moved to stroke my back skillfully before dipping down even further to my waist. Ace bit teasingly on my lower lip as my body writhed slightly from the pleasure of his seductive caresses.


    Although I still had my clothes on, it felt like I could feel the heat of his hand on my naked skin. I closed my eyes and focused on the pleasure that he was making me experience before I kissed him back passionately. Our tongues crushed against each other as our desire seemed to take over. My body heated up and it started to feel difficult to breathe. I had no doubt that I wanted him so badly.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ace¡­¡± I panted is name when our lips parted.


    I gazed lovingly into his eyes and loved the look of heated passion that I saw there. His lips crushed onto mine again and I weed it with every fiber of my body. My core burned with my desire for him as it throbbed. I wanted him to touch me and fondle my body until I cried out uncontrobly from the pleasure. His tongue entered my mouth and quickly found mine. He kissed me so deeply that it felt like he was devouring my body and soul. My fingers clutched at his hair as my body seemed to have melted in strong arms as he held me tightly against his hard frame.


    ¡°Stick out your tongue, Rina¡­¡± Ace instructed. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    I quickly did as I was told without holding back. Ace stuck out his tongue and I moaned when one tongue entwined together again. It felt so sexy and so hot to be doing this with him. A shiver ran through my body like an electric current as Ace turned me on even more. His hands came between us and began groping my breasts through my clothes while I made small whimpering sounds of bliss in my throat. His tongue felt hot against mine as we continued to taste each other.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I whimpered his name as his hands moved to squeeze my breasts.


    I wanted him to touch me more and I knew that he had the same thing in mind when his fingers began undoing the buttons of my shirt. While panting hard from the aftereffects of our intense kiss, I quickly shrugged off the suit that I had on before letting it fall to the floor. Ace¡¯s hands slipped through the unbuttoned front of my shirt and immediately cupped my breasts. I still had my bra on, and it never felt more like a nuisance before in my life.


    ¡°I love ying with your breasts¡­¡± he murmured seductively.


    His hands peeled the cups of my bra away from my breasts and I felt my womanly assets spilling out into his awaiting hands. The heat of his hand against my cool skin felt amazingly pleasurable. I cried out his name when he groped and then massaged my breasts.


    ¡°Let me help you¡­¡± I offered as I moved to shrug off the shirt that I had on.


    Another piece of clothing fell to the floor and was immediately forgotten. I threw my head back and moaned as I stuck my chest out and pushed my breasts into his exploring hands. Ace squeezed my breasts rougher than before, and I cried out as I felt my nipples grow harder against the palm of his hands. Wanting to remove all obstacles that were in the way, I reached behind my back and unhooked my bra before quickly slipping the straps off my shoulders before flinging it away.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ace¡­¡± I moaned as he continued to pleasure my breasts with his skillful hands.


    My core throbbed as my pussy spasmed. I felt so horny, and I couldn¡¯t stop all the lewd sounds that were escaping from my lips. I moaned his name at the same time that I felt a rush of wetness spurting out from my love hole to wet my panties. Without a doubt, I knew that my pussy was already flooded with my love honey. My pussy throbbed and clenched in rhythm to Ace¡¯s hands pumping my breasts together.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 353 Passionate Pampering

    ¡°Your nipples are so hard¡­¡± Ace said, and I could feel his heated gaze on my heaving breasts as I continued to pant.


    His hands stilled for a moment as his eyes admired my womanly flesh before his fingertips moved to capture my swollen perks in between them. I cried out his name again when Ace rubbed my nipples in between his fingertips. My erect nipples felt so sensitive and jolts of pleasure rushed through my body in waves as he continued twirling them while applying slightly more pressure to them than before.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­it feels so good¡­Ace¡­Ahhh¡­¡± I moaned before crying out.


    Ace pinched my nipples at the same time, and I threw my head back and cried out from the exquisite pleasure that pulsated from the twin perks that he was ying with before coursing through my entire body.


    ¡°Justy back and enjoy,¡± Ace advised before he chuckled.


    I let out a soft cry when he pushed me down onto the sofa with ease. The softness of the sofa against my back feltfortable but my attention was wholly absorbed by the sight of Ace¡¯s attractive face looming over me. His hand moved to pull and hike my skirt upward. Inch by inch, my skirt slid up my thighs while his hungry gaze took in my exposed skin. My pussy twitched in anticipation of his loving attention, and I wanted to spread my legs for him.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I murmured his name.


    I felt like I should be the one giving him pleasure as some kind of reward for all that he¡¯s done for us but I was the one who ended up being pampered. The heat of his hands against my bare thighs made me let out another lewd moan. His hand felt so hot on my naked skin as he slowly stroked my thighs up and down. I felt goosebumps form on my legs from his seductive caresses.


    ¡°Do you like this? Your body is trembling, I can feel it,¡± he said knowingly.


    ¡°Yes¡­it feels so good¡­Ace¡­¡± I said in a breathless whisper.


    I moaned his name again when his fingers slowly stroked their way up my thighs before slipping inwards to stroke the soft skin of my inner thighs. My pussy clenched hard, and I couldn¡¯t wait for his teasing fingers to reach the hot wet mess in between my legs.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get rid of this¡­¡± Ace said as he hooked his fingers into the stic waist of my panties.


    I nodded my head eagerly in agreement as my hips started moving about slightly on the sofa. Ace pulled my panties over my hips while I lifted my hips off the sofa to aid his efforts. In one smooth motion, Ace removed my panties from my legs.


    ¡°Ace!¡± I cried out his name in surprise.


    After getting rid of my panties, he grabbed my thighs and then quickly spread my legs wide apart. I could feel his intense gaze on my pussy as his hands held my legs in ce.


    ¡°Please¡­don¡¯t stare at it¡­¡± I whimpered pleadingly as my embarrassment started taking over.


    ¡°Your little pussy is dripping wet, Rina¡­¡± Ace said teasingly.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± I moaned before biting down hard on my lower lip. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The lewd sound of my moan made Ace chuckle at my reaction as his fingers began stroking the wetness in between my legs. Although he was just slowly tracing his fingertips up and down my slippery slit, it already felt so good. My hips lifted up and began moving as my body tried its best to beg Ace for more.


    ¡°You love it when I y with you like this¡­¡± Ace said knowingly as his fingertips moved to press down on my swollen clit.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahhh!¡± I cried out as my hips jerked uncontrobly.


    The pleasure of his touch felt too intense. Ace chuckled as he enjoyed my reaction before he applied even more pressure onto my sensitive clit. I cried out his name as my hips thrusted up and down on the sofa, rubbing my sensitive little nub against his fingers for more pleasure. Ace¡¯s fingertips moved to swirl my pleasure nub in circr motions before he pinched it hard.


    ¡°Ahhh! Ace¡­Ace¡­¡± I cried out as I moved my arm to cover my eyes.


    The pleasure felt too intense for me to take, and it felt like I was ready to cum at any moment. I could feel Ace¡¯s eyes on my pussy where his fingers were still busy teasing me mercilessly. My pussy got even wetter, and I could feel it. My body writhed from the pleasure, and I ended up shaking my hips before another gush of wetness leaked out of my flooded love hole.


    ¡°You¡¯re getting wetter and wetter¡­¡± Ace said observantly.


    My lower abdomen clenched as the throbbing ache in my core intensified. I was so turned on and all I could think of was Ace as he gued my mind with my desire for him. His fingers left my clit and moved downward to stroke the outer lips of my pussy before he began spreading me open with his fingers.


    ¡°Ace! No¡­please¡­¡± I cried out in embarrassment.


    I could feel my pussy being spread open and I knew that he was staring at it. Heat rushed to my face as my pussy spasmed. Despite my efforts in trying to press my thighs closed, Ace did not have a difficult time keeping my legs widely spread with him sitting in between them.


    ¡°Ace¡­please don¡¯t¡­¡± I pleaded desperately.


    ¡°You say that, but you pussy just keeps getting wetter¡­¡± he teased me again.


    His fingers began stroking my wet entrance again and I let out a very lewd-sounding moan despite my protests. Everywhere he touched me felt amazing and my body was reacting to his stimtions without any restraints.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t stare at it¡­please¡­¡± I pleaded again in a strangled voice.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to stare at it, then maybe I should lick it instead¡­¡± Ace suggested like he was confident that it was the best idea in the world.


    ¡°Wait!¡± I cried out.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 354 Wet Heat

    Ace lifted my thighs up and spread them even wider than before and then his face was between my legs. I cried out his name when I felt the heat of his tongue against my wetness. Ace dipped the tip of his tongue into my wetness before he began swiveling his tongue around to taste my juices.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahhh!¡± I cried out like I had gone mad from the almost-unbearable pleasure.


    He licked my wet slit up and down slowly and I could clearly feel each stroke of his tongue sliding against my slippery pussy folds. The pleasure felt unbelievable and made my entire body tremble. The texture of his tongue as it moved against my sensitive pussy top up my juices left me panting and writhing in ecstasy.


    Loud slurping sounds erupted from between my legs as Ace began sucking and licking up my love honey. It felt so embarrassing, yet I was so turned on by what he was doing to me. I cried out his name repeatedly as he continued to eat me out passionately. I looked down to see his head buried in between my thighs. When the tip of his tongue finally found my pleasure seed, I cried out as my hips thrusted sharply upward off the sofa. The slightly rough texture of the tip of his hot and wet tongue pushing teasingly against my swollen clit sent me straight up to heaven.


    ¡°Ahhh! Ace! Ahhh¡­¡± I cried out when I felt like I was on the verge of climaxing.


    It just felt too good. As if he could sense how much I was enjoying myself, Ace flicked the tip of his tongue repeatedly against my erect clit. His fingers parted the little hood overing my clit so that his tongue could pleasure that spot of pleasure directly. I felt a tremor run through my entire body all the way down to my toes when he pressed his tongue against my pleasure seed before he beganpping fast at it.


    ¡°No¡­Ace¡­I¡¯ll cum¡­¡± I moaned while my hips continued thrust my pussy upwards toward his face and his mouth.


    Ace did not respond to me with words, instead, he kissed my clit before taking it into his mouth and sucking hard on it. The pleasure that ambushed my body was too much for me to take and I ended up screaming his name as I climaxed spectacrly. My pussy twitched and clenched as I felt my juices spurting out of my love hole into his mouth. He kept on sucking harder on my clit while I rode out my long and intense orgasm.


    ¡°I¡¯m cumming! Ace¡­I¡¯m cumming¡­¡± I cried out over and over again.


    My body wouldn¡¯t stop cumming as another wave of wetness gushed out of my love hole into his awaiting mouth. It was extremely embarrassing how Ipletely lost myself in my own pleasures, but I just couldn¡¯t stop my bodily reactions. My wetness continued leaking out of my love hole like it would never stop. Ace¡¯s tonguepped at my opening as he worked to suck up my juices.


    ¡°You came so much, Rina¡­¡± he said when he finally removed his mouth from my pussy.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I murmured his name weakly.


    ¡°Your cum tastes as good as always,¡± he said with clear satisfaction.


    ¡°Ahh¡­please¡­¡± I murmured before moaning again.


    Ace smoothly slipped his fingers into my flooded wet hole. My insides were so well lubricated with my juices that his fingers sunk easily inside of me. I gasped and then moaned at the sensation of my pussy being stretched and then filled by the thickness of his fingers. Ace pushed his fingers deeper into me until my pussy had eaten up the entire length of his fingers. It felt so good to be filled by him and my pussy rejoiced by clenching hard around his fingers.


    ¡°So wet and warm inside. It¡¯s like your pussy is begging me to fuck you,¡± Ace said in a sexy drawled. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°Ahh¡­please¡­¡± I moaned passionately as my hips began moving against his fingers.


    ¡°Your pussy is clenching around my fingers. It really isn¡¯t letting me go,¡± Ace said teasingly.


    He slowly pulled his fingers out of my hole before shoving it forcefully all the way in again in one fast thrust that made me cry out. His fingers moved around inside of me as if searching for something. I¡¯ve just about had enough of his teasing, and I couldn¡¯t wait to feel his thick cock pounding fast and hard into me.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahhh! Ahhhh!¡± I cried out as my hips pumped up and down.


    Ace¡¯s fingers pumped in and out of my wet hole when he finally found my g-spot. Each thrust pushed hard against my pleasure spot and made me cry out. I was panting hard as my entire body seemed to have caught on fire from the burning heat of my yearning for him. His fingers withdrewpletely from my hole just to pound their way deep inside.


    ¡°Does this feel good, Rina?¡± Ace asked although he probably already knew the answer.


    ¡°Yes¡­Ahhh¡­Yes¡­Yes!¡± I moaned before crying out again.


    Suddenly, Ace jerked his fingers out of my love hole while I moaned my dissatisfaction. My disappointment onlysted a moment before I heard Ace undressing his lower half and knew that I would soon be getting what I had been lusting for. I sat up a little when I remembered that I had been the only one of the receiving end of his passionate and pleasurable pleasing and that I hadn¡¯t yet done anything for him.


    ¡°Umm¡­Ace¡­¡± I murmured before my eyes fell onto the thick and erect pole standing up in between his legs.


    He¡¯s huge¡­


    ¡°Do you¡­want me to suck you?¡± I offered as I stared up into his beautiful hazel eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Rina. Justy back and let me fuck you. Spread your legs for me¡­¡± Ace replied with an amused smile on his lips.


    ¡°Ok¡­¡± I whispered beforeying back down onto the sofa on my back.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 355 Daring And Inviting

    Just as he had instructed, I lifted and bent my legs before spreading it as wide as I could for him. My pussy twitched in anticipation of the entrance of his cock. I was confident that my pussy was warm and more than wet enough to wee his cock lovingly.


    ¡°Please put your thick cock inside me, Ace¡­¡± I pleaded sweetly and temptingly.


    At the same time, I reached my hands down in between my legs before parting my pussy lips to the side with my fingers. Being lost in the heat of the moment gave me a spurt of courage and I knew that I was acting more daring than I usually would. Ace seemed pleased as he stared down at me with a clear look of desire in his eyes. His evident desire only turned me on, and I couldn¡¯t wait to finally be one with him.


    Ace positioned the thick head of his cock against my throbbing wet opening, and I felt the heat from his cock against me. I could already feel how hard he was, and my pussy quivered at the thought of having that massive thick rod entering me. I kept my legs widely spread as I waited for Ace to thrust his cock all the way into me. Although I tried my best to prepare myself to receive his cock, it was still an overwhelming experience when Ace finally thrusted his hips forward and prated my love tunnel with his erect love stick.


    ¡°Ahh! Ace¡­Ahhh! So¡­deep¡­¡± I cried out as my eyes widened at how deep his cock had buried itself inside of my wet love hole.


    In one powerful thrust, Ace buried his cock deeply into my eagerly awaiting pussy. His cock was much thicker and hotter than his fingers and I could feel him stretching my pussy walls as he moved in to fill me to the brim. It was unbelievable how deep he was inside of me with just a single thrust. Ace stilled for a moment for my pussy to adjust to having his gigantic member inside me. My pussy clenched around his cock as my hips began squirming beneath him for more pleasure.


    It felt so satisfying to finally be one with him and there was no denying that his cock fit very well within my pussy. Perhaps after all the times that I¡¯ve taken him inside of me, my pussy had learned to remember the shape of his cock. I let out a small moan when I felt his cock moving slowly against my pussy walls as he withdrew his cock from me. The sensation of his cock scraping along my pussy walls made my entire body shiver although I felt even hotter than before.


    Ace reared back his hips and pulled his cock out of my hole almostpletely before he thrusted his cock all the way back into me again. This time his thrust felt more forceful, and his cock prated even deeper into me and made me cry out as the thick head of his cock rammed up against my womb.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahhh! Ahhhh!¡± I screamed so loudly that I feared that someone would hear me.


    Without warning, Ace began pumping his cock wildly in and out of my hole. Each thrust pushed against my womb as he continued pounding my insides with his hot rod. My hips moved eagerly to match the rough rhythm of his wild mating as I cried out his name. Ace groaned before his hands gripped the sides of my hips, sinking his fingers into my soft flesh just as his cock was sinking deeply into my wet love tunnel. The feeling of his cock scraping along the insides of my sensitive pussy wall felt unbelievably pleasurable and I could feel myself getting wetter for him again. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°That¡¯s it, Rina. Squeeze my cock with your pussy and cry out louder,¡± Ace groaned as he urged me on.


    ¡°Ah! Ace!¡± I cried out as my pussy clenched even harder around his cock at his seductive words.


    His wild thrusting only intensified as he pumped his cock in and out of my hole faster and harder than before. I could feel his cock ramming against my womb, and it felt like he was crushing it. My pussy made lewd wet noises as his cock messed up my honey pot and stirred it. His thrusts felt merciless and rough, but I found myself enjoying it and wishing for more. It hurt a little at first, but I soon forgot the pain as my pussy began to adjust to his rough lovemaking. I was certain that I would be bruised and sore the next morning, but it was a price that I had learnt was worth paying.


    ¡°Harder¡­fuck me¡­harder¡­¡± I whimpered as I pleaded with him to do me harder.


    I just wanted more of him, and I didn¡¯t want him to stop pumping his thick shaft wildly into me. Ace leaned over me and nted his arms on the side of my head as he pounded his cock into me again. This time it felt even deeper than before, and I could see his face much closer to mine. I opened my lips and stuck my tongue out invitingly. Ace¡¯s tongue tangled with mine before his lips captured mine in a heated kiss that made me feel like my insides would melt even further.


    His tongue moved restlessly in my mouth as his cock plunged into the wetness in between my legs. My hips thrusted up and down to meet his wild thrusts halfway, burying his cock even deeper into me with each thrust. The passion of our wild coupling drove me closer and closer to the edge.


    ¡°Ace¡­Ahhhh¡­¡± I moaned his name when he finally broke our kiss.


    His brown eyes seemed darker and clouded with lust as he stared down into my own eyes. I was panting hard as my body struggled to keep up with him. Ace was sweating and I found that his body was so hot when I wrapped my arms around his back and dug my nails into his suit.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 356 Passionate Night And Peaceful Morning

    I wed at his suit in my desperation to control the endless pleasure pouring into me. His cock rammed hard against my pleasure spot again and I dug my nails into his back as I cried out his name.


    I¡¯m going to cum¡­


    Each strong thrust drove me closer to my climax and it was amazing that I had somehow managed to hang on for as long as I had. I couldn¡¯t bear it any longer and it didn¡¯t take long for the heat of our passion to sweep me away as I got lost in the storm of my intense orgasm.


    ¡°I¡¯m cumming! Ace¡­Ahhh! Ahhhh!¡± I cried out so loudly as I threw my head back.


    My climax hit me hard, and I lost all control of my body as I arched my back while throwing my head back to scream. Then my hips thrusted up and down greedily to capture his cock inside of me and ride him for extra pleasure. Ace did not stop ravaging my wet pussy hole with his cock even as I experienced my climax. It felt too good, and I couldn¡¯t me him. His low growls of lust and pleasure filled my ears and made my pussy clench tightly around his invading thick shaft.


    ¡°Rina¡­Oh¡­Rina¡­¡± he groaned in between his wild panting next to my ear.


    I could sense that he was close from the way he was moaning my name and the way his cock had started twitching deep inside of me. Ace cried out my name and buried his cock deeply into me one final time before he stilled above me. At the same time, the heat of his release flooded my insides as his cock nted his seed into me in gushes.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ace¡­¡± I moaned as his cock continued to pump his semen into me.


    I held him tightly to me and felt his body tremble slightly from the effects of his orgasm. A smile came to my lips when I thought of the pleasure that I could make him feel. If nothing else, I hoped that the passion that we shared gave him some much-neededfort and encouragement.


    ¡­


    When morning came, I found out immediately that I was spot-on right about the state that my body would be in the following morning. After our first round on the sofa, Ace recovered unexpectedly fast and carried me to the bed where we went at it until I had to beg him to stop. I didn¡¯t dare move my legs for a while after I finally woke up. For once, I didn¡¯t care what time it was, and I wasn¡¯t concerned about getting out of bed.


    Ace was still sleeping peacefully next to me on the bed with one arm draped over my midsection. The peaceful look that he had on his face was one that I had unfortunately not seen for a long time and that reminded me of how things must have been difficult for him.


    ¡°You¡¯ve really been holding it in, haven¡¯t you?¡± I whispered under my breath as I stared at his restful face.


    A twinge of guilt made my chest feel tight when I thought of how negligent I had been of what Ace had been going through. For the longest time, all I thought about was myself and what I wanted. I didn¡¯t pause to think long enough of what Ace was trying his best to achieve. Thankfully, I did not end up disturbing his sleep and his breathing seemed regr. I tried my best to keep very still as I continued enjoying the sight of Ace¡¯s handsome sleeping face. Knowing that I wouldn¡¯t get to see such a peaceful and rxed expression on his face when he woke up made me feel slightly sad.


    If we get married, I¡¯ll probably get to see this peaceful expression of his more often¡­ <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    All those things that Ace said about us getting married must have gotten to my head and I had already begun to think about it. To my surprise, I wasn¡¯t at all against the idea. Perhaps not now or sometime too soon but eventually, I did want to marry Ace. It wasn¡¯t really a thought but more of a feeling because I couldn¡¯t truly find any logical exnation for why I thought or felt that way.


    That didn¡¯t mean that the idea of marriage didn¡¯t scare me. It still felt like a very alien topic for me and surely it still felt too early. Suddenly, I began to worry about the issue of our marriage although it wasn¡¯t supposed to happen any time soon. Then again, I knew that Ace was a very persistent person so this topic woulde up between us sooner orter.


    What am I supposed to tell him then?


    Would he feel offended if I told him that the idea of getting married scares me and that I think that it¡¯s still way too soon for us to consider that?


    Will that make it sound like I¡¯ve gotmitment issues?


    Do I really havemitment issues?


    ¡°Why are you frowning?¡±


    Ace was the only other person in the bedroom with me so I shouldn¡¯t have been surprised that he had spoken but I did end up feeling slightly stunned. While I was lost in my own thoughts, Ace had woken up from his peaceful slumber.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake. Good morning, Ace¡± I replied as I tried to offer him a smile.


    I had no idea that I had been frowning as my thoughts and insecurities ran wild again. Since Ace mentioned that I was frowning, I must have been frowning for real.


    ¡°Why were you frowning? Did something happen?¡± he asked with a slightly worried look on his face.


    I was right about that peaceful and carefree look disappearing from his face when he woke up. Now he was the one frowning at me and it was all because of me. After all this time, I was still pretty much a big burden to Ace.


    ¡°Umm¡­¡± I murmured hesitantly as I debated with myself on what I should tell him.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 357 Persistent Proposal

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t ask you to marry me right away,¡± Ace said before heughed softly.


    ¡°That¡¯s not¡­¡± I began denying but then realized that it was useless.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you¡¯re worried about?¡± Ace asked before he grinned knowingly at me.


    Just like he had told me countless times before, he really could read me like an open book.


    ¡°Sort of¡­¡± I admitted softly.


    ¡°I remember you mentioned that to me before. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t propose to you right away because I¡¯ll probably just get rejected,¡± Ace said before heughed again.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°When the merger be public, at least, we don¡¯t have to keep our rtionship a secret anymore,¡± Ace said and the way that he smiled after saying that warmed my heart.


    ¡°That would be good¡­¡± I agreed with a genuine smile.


    ¡°You don¡¯t sound so happy,¡± Ace pointed out.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m very happy. It¡¯s just¡­a little hard for me to believe. Sort of like, it¡¯s too good to be true?¡± I said as I cocked my head slightly to the side.


    ¡°So, when do you think we should get married?¡± Ace asked as he propped his head up into his hand and stared directly at my face.


    His intense stare and the fact that his face was so close to me made me ufortable. Just when he had just mentioned that he wasn¡¯t going to ask me to marry him any time soon, he was already pestering me about when we should get married.


    Unbelievable¡­


    ¡°I¡­¡± I began saying while my mind struggled toe up with an answer.


    ¡°What about in six months?¡± he suggested brightly.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that too soon?¡± I replied with a gasp.


    ¡°Then, what about in a year?¡± Ace suggested a longer time horizon that wasn¡¯t so much longer than the one that he suggested before.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± I mumbled as I continued to hesitate.


    ¡°How long are you nning on making me wait?¡± he asked before he moved even closer to me. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    His arm wrapped around my body and pulled me closer to him as he also scooted closer to me on the bed although we were not even far apart to begin with. Ace¡¯s body felt warm against mine and that just made my heart leap in my chest. I couldn¡¯t tell whether Ace was serious about his question or if he was just teasing me. If I had to guess, then it must have been a mix of both.


    ¡°I¡­maybe we should take it step by step¡­?¡± I suggested because I couldn¡¯te up with a definite timeline that I could confidentlymit to.


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right,¡± Ace said with a thoughtful look on his face.


    To my relief, Ace decided to leave it at just that. Although I was certain that this topic woulde up between us again, I was satisfied enough to have more time to think about it. I was convinced that taking it step by step was the right approach. The merger had not started yet and there were so many uncertainties for us to be nning our wedding date at that point.


    ¡°Thank you, Ace¡­¡± I murmured against his chest when he pulled me into his warm and loving embrace.


    ¡°Why are you thanking me again?¡± he asked followed by a soft chuckle.


    I could tell that he must be smiling down at me although I couldn¡¯t see his face with my face buried against his chest.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± I murmured against his chest before puckering up my lips to kiss his firm muscles.


    I still had many questions that I wanted to ask him, but it wouldn¡¯t hurt to keep them forter.


    ¡­


    ¡°I guess you probably know this already, but you have to keep everything that we talked about a secret for now. Of course, there¡¯s the matter of the NDA but there are other factors that we should be careful about. Things will definitely get out of hand if information leaks to the press,¡± Ace reminded me.


    Despite the very active and passionate night that we shared before, things between us felt unbelievably calm the morning after. Although my body was sore from over exertion, my spirits felt mended and whole. While dragging my heavy legs, I managed to fix us a simple breakfast and some good coffee for Ace. As a result of my efforts, I got to observe the man that I love sitting across the dining table from me with a satisfied look on his face as he sipped on his coffee from his favorite mug.


    ¡°I get it. You don¡¯t have to worry. I¡¯m not going to tell anyone and even if I did, I doubt that anyone would believe me or take me seriously,¡± I replied before I grinned at him.


    ¡°Well, I guess you could be right about that. It does sound a little too far-fetch, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Ace said before he chuckled yfully.


    He seemed to be in a very good mood, and I was thankful for it. Finally winning thepetition was supposed to be the be all and end all of everything; however, it only felt like the real war was about to begin after we had just won a battle. Last night was a very good way to celebrate our sess and the progress that we¡¯ve made while rewarding Ace at the same time for all that he¡¯s done and trying to do for us. I realized that I was still staring at Ace like I had nothing else better to do. His phone vibrated and he picked it up to check the notification that had popped up on its screen.


    Suddenly, my chest felt tight, and I started to feel uneasy. Peaceful moments like these had be so rare and therefore so precious to me. Whenever I thought of the merger and the various uncertainties rted to it, I couldn¡¯t help but worry about our future.


    Would one of these precious moments that we share one day be our final moment together?


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± Ace called my name from across the table.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 358 All For Me

    I blinked rapidly to snap out of my ominous thoughts to find Ace staring intensely at my face as he rested his chin on the back of his hand. Automatically, I offered him a smile to hide the fact that I was in fact quite stressed out at that moment despite how well everything seemed to be progressing. His hazel eyes seemed to appraise my face and I could tell that he could read me and what I was thinking.


    ¡°Yes¡­?¡± I replied while trying to keep my tone light.


    ¡°Should we go to the office today or should we just call in sick?¡± Ace asked before heughed a little.


    I was very tempted to go with his more than subtle hint that we should just call in sick and take the day off together; however, I couldn¡¯t quite bring myself to hog Ace all to myself when I knew that everyone at thepany must be waiting for him to make an appearance like some superhero. Unwarranted rumors could go spreading around thepany as well if the CEO did not turn up to work after publicly announcing his retirement like that.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the office. I¡¯m sure many people are waiting for their hero to make an appearance,¡± I stated my decision before I would change my mind.


    ¡°Hmm¡­I thought you would choose to sleep in with me for the day,¡± Ace said.


    I giggled as I watched him stretch his arms while turning his body from side to side. How he was stretching reminded me of a cat but due to his size and also his apparent prowess, I thought that arge tiger might be more suitable as an analogy.


    ¡°I have to admit that the idea is indeed very tempting, but I still think it would be best for you to turn up to the office today. Everyone will be worried if you don¡¯t turn up. Plus, I¡¯m sure that everyone is waiting to congratte you,¡± I said before smiling brightly.


    ¡°Umm¡­¡± Ace made a sound that told me that he was absolutely unconvinced.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t been to the office since the announcement of our victory. Everyone must be waiting for you so please just do it for them?¡± I suggested a little pleadingly.


    Ace didn¡¯t look at all happy with my suggestion although I could tell that he knew that I was right about this one. He was probably justzy, but I knew that he was a very responsible person. After a moment of what truly resembled him sulking, Ace let out a sigh of resignation.


    ¡°I guess I can do it if it¡¯s for you¡­¡± Ace murmured as if he was talking to himself before he slowly got up from his seat.


    ¡°Thank you, Ace¡­¡± I thanked him as I stood up from my seat as well. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    I thought that our conversation was over as he both got about our daily routine of getting ready for work. Needless to say, we were alreadyte for work, but it was pretty customary for the workday to startter the day after the celebration. That was how things were every year. I would be extremely surprised if this year was any different and if I didn¡¯t spot anyone hungover at work.


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± Ace called my name softly.


    I turned to see him emerging from his dressing room and my eyes widened at the change from his homey mode to his professional CEO one. This wasn¡¯t the first time that I had seen such a transformation, but it never failed to impress me and make my heart skip a beat. I wasn¡¯t sure which mode I liked better or preferred and that was probably because I was so in love with him either way. The dark grey suit that he had on suited him very well and made him look very mature. It was a stark contrast to the white t-shirt that he had on before along with his slightly tousled hair look that he always got after waking up.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I inquired with a smile as I wondered what he wanted.


    Ace seemed to hesitate for a brief moment before he came to stand right in front of me. I was slightly taken aback by how close he was standing over me and the fact that his tall andrge frame was looming over me. His hazel eyes seemed serious as he stared down into my upturned face. Before I could take a good guess of what had gone wrong, Ace spoke up.


    ¡°What do you think about moving in?¡± he asked but it also sounded like an invitation to me.


    ¡°Umm¡­¡± I murmured reflexively as my mind struggled to process his sudden proposal.


    ¡°Let me rephrase that. Rina, you should move in and live here with me,¡± Ace said while sounding quite resolute about it.


    It was true that I was spending more time with Ace at his ce and spending the nights with him. As we got closer, it became natural for me to sleep over at his ce after meeting up after work or having dinner with him. However, I still spent many nights back at my apartment where I could enjoy some rxing time and some privacy. I wasn¡¯t a stranger at Ace¡¯s ce anymore and he even gave me all the keys and card ess to his ce so that I coulde and go as I wished. However, I still felt that moving in to properly live with him was a different matter and that made me hesitant.


    Ace¡¯s hazel eyes kept staring at me as he waited for my answer. On one hand, I was d that he was proposing that I move into live with him because it does go to show hismitment in our rtionship. I was d that he was willing to take things a step forward and we could spend more time together that way. Although I knew that there were definitely merits to it, those merits did not stop the uneasiness that I felt sprouting up in my chest.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 359 Commitment

    I guess, after all is said and done, I really do have somemitment issues¡­


    ¡°If you want, I can spend more time with you here or if you want me to sleep over more often, we can discuss that¡­¡± I replied while carefully trying to discreetly evade the topic.


    ¡°If you move in here, we can spend more time together and we can sleep together every night,¡± Ace pointed out.


    Spending time together and living together felt like two entirely different things to me. If I moved in with him, I¡¯ll be with him all the time and I won¡¯t have much private space or time. Sometimes being around Ace made me self-conscious and I couldn¡¯t quite rx properly. I wasn¡¯t sure how I could exin something like that to him, though.


    ¡°Do we have to discuss this now? I¡¯m sure you¡¯re so busy with everything else¡­¡± I said as I attempted once again to evade the topic.


    ¡°This is as good a time as any other. I honestly don¡¯t see why we have to put this off. I can hire people to help you with the move if you think you have a lot of things to take care of,¡± Ace offered with a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that¡­¡± I murmured as I debated with myself on my next move.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been spending a lot of time here anyways. It won¡¯t be that much of a change,¡± Ace said as he tried to convince me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­I still think that it would be better if I still kept my own ce. Of course, I can spend more time with you here if that is what you prefer¡­¡± I said as I tried my best topromise.


    I liked spending time with Ace both during the daytime and during the night as well, but I wasn¡¯t sure of living with him all the time. Of course, if we get married then that will have to happen eventually, but with all the uncertainties that came with the unknown future, it just made me feel safer and more reassured for me to have my own ce.


    ¡°Why should you rent out another ce when you can just move in here with me? Or is it that you don¡¯t like this ce?¡± he asked as a look of concern crept into his attractive features.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± I began exining but Ace held up his hand to halt my words.


    ¡°I should have known¡­maybe the kitchen is a little small? The balcony isn¡¯t so spacious either¡­¡± Ace said as he started rubbing his chin.


    I stared at him in disbelief as I asked myself how he could honestly be ming my hesitation on the mega-big suite that he has to himself. We don¡¯t even cook that often, so the size of the kitchen wasn¡¯t at all on my list of concerns.


    ¡°Listen, Ace, there¡¯s nothing wrong with this ce. It¡¯s great¡­¡± I said before shing him a smile. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to pretend to like it for my sake. If you want a bigger ce or one with a differentyout, why don¡¯t we find some time to check out the other ces that I have? You¡¯ve never seen all of them, right?¡± Ace suggested with a hopeful look on his face.


    I just felt like the conversation had started heading off on the wrong tangent and I wasn¡¯t quite sure how to steer it back in the right direction. I opened my mouth just to find out that I wasn¡¯t sure what I wanted to say. Ace looked at me with a curious look on his face before his eyes lit up.


    ¡°It¡¯s the interior and the furnishing, isn¡¯t it? We can get this ce renovated if you want and I¡¯m fine if you want to choose everything. Honestly, I didn¡¯t pick much of anything when this ce was decorated either. I just left it up to the interior designers but if you don¡¯t like it, we can have this ce renovated,¡± he said before smiling warmly at me.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I said his name.


    ¡°We should still go check out the other ces that I have. I¡¯m not particrly attached to this ce or anything, it¡¯s just the closest to the office out of all the properties that I own,¡± he said with a careless shrug.


    ¡°Ace, listen to me, ok? This has nothing to do with this ce or any of your properties. This ce is fine. Actually, it¡¯s more than fine. This ce is great. The problem is, I¡¯m¡­not sure if I¡¯m ready to move in with you¡­¡± I confessed softly.


    The look of disappointment that killed the shimmering light in Ace¡¯s eyes and his apparent excitement filled my chest with a blunt stabbing pain. Admitting that I wasn¡¯t ready was already challenging but having to see that look on Ace¡¯s face made everything seem a thousand times harder than before.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I guess I just got a little ahead of myself. I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to rush you¡­¡± he said before he wentpletely silent.


    I wanted to scream and pull my hair out for my own foolishness, and I hated the regret that flooded my mind and senses. Perhaps I should have readily agreed to his proposal or at least been more openminded about giving it a try.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not your fault. Honestly, I¡¯m very happy that you¡¯re asking me to move in with you. I also don¡¯t think that it¡¯s a bad idea but¡­I¡¯m just a little worried because I¡¯ve never lived with a man before¡­so¡­¡± I tried my best to exin.


    ¡°I get it, Rina. You don¡¯t have to worry about it, and you don¡¯t have to push yourself if you¡¯re not ready,¡± Ace said before smiling a little at me.


    It was clear that he was willing to let it go and put the conversation to rest; however, I was the stubborn one that wasn¡¯t able to just let it slide. After all, by that point, I had learned many times over what a simple misunderstanding could lead to.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 360 Rewarding Agreement

    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry about this. If you¡¯re ok with letting me slowly adjust then I guess eventually it would be possible for me,¡± I suggested with a small hopeful smile.


    ¡°I get it, you don¡¯t have to worry about it too much. Just take it at your own pace,¡± Ace readily agreed without pushing me any further.


    To my surprise, Ace was less adamant about his demand than I thought that he would be. By that time, a part of me had gotten used to being pushed to my limits by Ace on both my professional and personal fronts that it came as a slight surprise that he was letting me take things at my own pace when it came to this. Needless to say, my pace was always slower and a few steps behind his.


    ¡°Thank you, Ace. I¡¯ll try to stay over more often,¡± I promised.


    ¡°What about tonight?¡± he asked invitingly.


    ¡°Sure¡­I can start with that¡­¡± I found myself agreeing without thinking much about it.


    ¡°Good. When you move in with me, you can stop renting your apartment too. It¡¯ll help you save up on rent,¡± Ace pointed out another good reason for me to move in with him.


    ¡°I guess that makes me feel kind of bad. You know, I¡¯ll be relying on you again¡­¡± I murmured as I hesitated.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you pay me rent if that¡¯s where this is going,¡± Ace said with a clear look of disapproval on his face.


    I had to say that I expected as much; however, that didn¡¯t make me feelpletelyfortable with living with him without helping him bear any of the expenses although he probably didn¡¯t need my help when it came to anything financially rted. I wondered how this ¡®money issue¡¯ worked out between other couples from very different financial backgrounds and standings.


    ¡°Well, guess I¡¯ll have to find other ways to earn my keep¡­¡± I said before shing him a smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t over think it. When you stop renting your ce, you can just use that money to buy your mother something nice or you can give it to her to save up,¡± Ace suggested.


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty good idea¡­¡± I mumbled when I thought about sending more money to my mother.


    Living in the city is expensive and after taking care of rent and every other expense, I didn¡¯t have much to spare to send to my mother. If I could save on rent, it would be a big help and maybe this time my mother can stop working and rest up for a while. The unfortunate truth was that my mother wasn¡¯t going to get any younger as the day passed us by.


    ¡°I know that it is, that¡¯s why I¡¯m suggesting it. Anyways, just let me know when you¡¯re ready for it,¡± Ace said to conclude our discussion on the matter. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    I smiled at him as I willingly let that conversatione to a close. Honestly, I felt thankful to Ace for suggesting that we move in together and a part of me wished that I could have just leapt without thinking at the opportunity. I kept my eyes on Ace¡¯s face as I wondered if once again, I was making him pay for the mistakes that he didn¡¯t make.


    ¡­


    The fact that so many people were gathered in front of the office building only showed how much the employees cared about their CEO. It felt nothing like the time when we returned from the event of the announcement. As if everyone knew that Ace would be arriving, the whole crowd went wild when Ace stepped out of the car. Loud cheering sounds echoed everywhere along with the sounds of people calling Ace¡¯s name.


    ¡°Come along¡­¡± Ace said to me softly as he waved for me to scoot over to exit the car.


    I should have known that something like this was bound to happen, and I should have known better than to join Ace on his ride to the office together. Ace¡¯s personal driver was used to having me share rides with Ace but the same couldn¡¯t be said about the rest of thepany employees.


    ¡°You should go ahead, I¡¯ll just go to the parking lot with the driver,¡± I quickly suggested.


    Ace immediately shot me a look of clear disapproval before he offered me his hand. Everyone was waiting for Ace to get out of the car as if they had never seen Ace in person before. That just meant that I didn¡¯t have too much time to hesitate or argue my case.


    ¡°Come, Rina¡­¡± Ace repeated once again.


    ¡°I can get out myself. Thank you¡­¡± I said just so that I wouldn¡¯t have to hold his hand.


    Getting out of the car with him in the morning in front of the crowd like this was bad enough withoutyering in cream and adding a cherry on top by holding his hand. I waited a few solid seconds before getting out of the car after Ace. Once I was out of the car, I found that I was probably worried all for nothing. No one paid me any attention at all, and it felt like I didn¡¯t exist in the world to them. Everyone¡¯s attention was on Ace and everything that he was doing. The feeling I got when we returned to the office after winning thepetition made me feel like some kind of hero but the way everyone seemed to revere Ace made me feel like he was God or some holy being.


    I did not mind theck of attention that people were paying me and used that opportunity to blend in with the crowd before slipping away. As expected, Ace got caught up and had to shake a few of the people¡¯s hands and answer some questions. All in all, I thought that he handled everything smoothly and he looked so radiant in his CEO mode. That was what I observed before slipping away in the crowd to head to his office.


    ¡°That was¡­tiring¡­¡± Aceined loudly as he shrugged his suit off.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 361 Next Assignment

    I turned around to see Ace looking like he had a part of his life sucked out of him by the time that he arrived at his office. Of course, something like that was bound to happen and I had thought that he would be used to it by now. I guessed that much attention might have been too much even for someone like Ace.


    ¡°I think you did great,¡± I said as I quickly took his suit out of his hands for him.


    ¡°Thanks¡­¡± he thanked me, and I wasn¡¯t sure if he was thanking me for my words of encouragement or the fact that I had helped him with his suit.


    Not that it mattered at that point.


    ¡°I guess that was too much even for you? You¡¯re lucky because you have some free time before your first meeting of the day, so you can rx for a bit¡­¡± I said before smiling a little his way.


    ¡°Do I?¡± he muttered although it sounded like he couldn¡¯t care less.


    Ace lowered himself down onto the sofa before leaning his head back. I watched as he closed his eyes and let out a long unsuppressed sigh. Just when I opened my mouth to offer him some words offort, Ace opened his eyes and sat up on the sofa.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°Come here, Rina,¡± he said as he beckoned me to him with a wave of his hand.


    The bright look in his hazel eyes made me hesitate. It seemed like he had just gotten some great idea but for some reason, I wasn¡¯t quite sure if I wanted to find out.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I said as I came to stand close to him.


    ¡°Sit here,¡± he said invitingly.


    I didn¡¯t have much time to act confused before Ace pulled me down next to him on the sofa. Immediately, his arm looped around my shoulders and pulled my body close against his.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name softly as I tried my best not to lose my bnce.


    ¡°Rina, a bunch of work is going to pour in now that we¡¯ve won thepetition. It happens every year when we win,¡± Ace said excitedly.


    I guessed that having more work was great for the business and all that, but I didn¡¯t quite understand why Ace was so excited about that. Just as he had mentioned, it does happen every year after the end of thepetition. Clients, new and old, would flock to sign deals with thepany to get their newmercial designed and produced. Some clients would even sign a one year exclusive contract with us to use only ourpany for theirmercials.


    ¡°Ok¡­¡± I murmured as I continued wondering where this was leading us.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that at least one of them is going to be interesting for you. Why don¡¯t I show you the listter and we can pick your next project together?¡± Ace suggested before he showed me a very charming smile.


    ¡°You mean, you¡¯ll assign me to another project?¡± I asked to make sure that I understood him correctly.


    ¡°Yup. Of course, I¡¯ll let you choose¡­¡± he replied before he smiled at me again. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at his all-too-good offer. Deep down, I knew that Ace was kind, but I also knew that he didn¡¯t always let me get my way, especially when it came to work. If I had to ssify him into a type of boss, his type would be the ¡®bossy boss¡¯ or the ¡®pushy boss¡¯ type. That was why I couldn¡¯t help but feel that he was hiding something because the usual Ace would pick out a project for me. He would make sure to staff me on a project where I would be pushed to my limit. I would suffer and then emerge as a stronger and more experienced person by the end of it.


    That could only mean¡­


    ¡°Umm¡­are you hiding something from me?¡± I asked before I could stop myself.


    ¡°No, what makes you think that?¡± he replied before his lips curved into a gentle smile.


    That was probably when I was convinced that he was hiding something from me. Again.


    ¡°Sure. Why don¡¯t we sit down together when you have the list, and we can discuss and decide together?¡± I proposed.


    ¡°Sounds good. For now, let¡¯s just take it easy while we wait for the new projects toe pouring in. I¡¯m sure our sales department is flooded with work requests right as we speak,¡± Ace said with a joyful chuckle.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that you¡¯re right. Let¡¯s hope that thepany does well again this year,¡± I said wistfully.


    ¡­


    **A weekter**


    Everything and everyone seemed to have settled and life seemed to have progressed as per normal once again. It took a few days for everyone to get over the fact that we had won the Ashfordpetition and for the party vibe to die down. The years before, I wasn¡¯t in much of a position to feel the real change, but I definitely felt it this year. Before, I could only feel that people were festive and then things would get busy for some of us.


    This year, however, I felt the change directly. After going through the list of new projects with Ace, he helped to shortlist a few that he thought would be great for me. I didn¡¯t particrly have a preference, but I got attracted to a particr project after learning that Jeremy had chosen it.


    ¡°Nope. You can¡¯t work on this one,¡± Ace said as he shook his head from side to side.


    ¡°Why? If I can¡¯t work on this one, then why did you even short list it in the first ce?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°Jeremy decided to work on that one, so you¡¯ll have to pick another,¡± Ace replied without any more rification.


    ¡°Umm¡­is it because we can¡¯t have two designers on this project? I used to work with him before and I think we get along quite well together¡­¡± I said with clear regret.


    ¡°You should learn to work with other people besides Jeremy. Don¡¯t use him as yourfort zone, Rina,¡± Ace replied curtly.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 362 New Pairing

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t nning to¡­¡± I murmured.


    ¡°Regardless of what you say, you¡¯ll have to pick another project. What about this one?¡± Ace suggested as he took out a small pile of paper and ced it on the table in front of me.


    I flipped through a couple of pages and found that it seemed to be another advertisement for a clothingpany. There wasn¡¯t anything outstandingly interesting about the project. At least that was what I thought until my eyesnded on a particr name.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Work with Richard instead. He¡¯s nice and strict so I¡¯m sure that there are many things that you can learn from him. You didn¡¯t really get a chance to work closely with him on Project Alpha, so this is a good opportunity,¡± Ace said quite seriously.


    I felt like the words ¡®nice¡¯ and ¡®strict¡¯ shouldn¡¯t really go together. Ace was surely half right when he said that Richard was ¡®strict¡¯. Richard was probably one of the strictest person that I knew in my life but I wasn¡¯t sure if he was also ¡®nice¡¯.


    ¡°You¡¯re not doing this to bully me, are you?¡± I asked before showing him a hopeful smile.


    ¡°Nope. Why would I ever do that?¡± Ace asked in return before he chuckled.


    Any hope that I had that he would change his mind died a sudden death in my chest and I heaved a soft sigh. Working with Richard wasn¡¯t going to be a walk in the park like when I worked with Jeremy. Jeremy was just too nice and so super supportive.


    Richard¡­well¡­


    ¡°I think that he¡¯s¡­a little scary¡­¡± I admitted softly.


    ¡°All the more reason why you should learn to work with him. He¡¯s a great guy and very smart,¡± Ace said with confidence.


    He wasn¡¯t just smart; he¡¯s also rumored to be a genius, but I had to say that his cold attitude is really a turn off although he was very pleasant to look at. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. It never urred to me that I might have to work closely with Richard.


    ¡°He¡¯s the Ace from the nning department. It¡¯s not bad for your career to work and learn a few things from him. If you don¡¯t have any good reason to refuse, I¡¯ll staff you on this project with Richard,¡± Ace said with a firm not of his head.


    ¡°Ok¡­¡± I agreed in a weak voice.


    There was no way that I coulde up with an eptable reason or excuse to rebut Ace¡¯s decision. Just like that, my next staffing was decided.


    ¡­


    It wasn¡¯t long after that conversation that I had with Ace that I found out that something very simr was happening to everyone that was staffed on Project Alpha. Since the project hade to its official end, everyone else was also being staffed to other projects. Essentially, that meant that we were all going our separate ways, at least for the time being. One final meeting was held where Ace gave a very inspirational speech about how we all should focus on our personal and professional development. As a result of that, Ace had ideas for our next assignment. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°Does this happen every year?¡± I asked Julianna who happened to be standing next to me.


    ¡°Yup. Project Alpha is a very big project and that is why it required all of us here. Now that it¡¯s all over, we¡¯re back to working and assisting other more regr projects,¡± Julianna replied casually.


    Since it was my first time experiencing this as a member of the CEO Office, I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect. Julianna turned and showed me a teasing smile.


    ¡°I heard that our CEO paired you up with Richard,¡± she said in a whisper.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I replied in short.


    ¡°Good luck. He¡¯s very strict but don¡¯t you think that cold expressionless face that he has one when he works is like super attractive?¡± she asked with widened eyes.


    I nced over at the cold expression of the man in question and felt a shiver run up my spine. Julianna must have seen my reaction because she ended upughing softly next to me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that¡­¡± I murmured in reply.


    ¡°Well, Richard can be scary at times, but I think no one is as scary as Ace¡­¡± Julianna said before she winked at me.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± I mumbled.


    I had been with Ace for too long and somehow, I had forgotten a little how scary Ace could be. When I first met him and when I started working for him, I was so frightened and intimidated by him that it felt like I was walking on broken ss all the time when I was around him. I had no idea when that changed or perhaps it was because the change was gradual. Now that I thought about it, Ace seemed a lot less scary than he was before. Either that, or I had somehow gotten used to being around him. I couldn¡¯t help myself and I ended up shifting my gaze in his direction. Ace was chatting with someone, and he had a smile on his face.


    Maybe it was just my own imagination, but I think that Ace has been smiling more often since the end of thepetition. If I could somehow deal with Ace, then maybe I have what it takes to work alongside Richard as well. I had no idea how long this optimistic streak of mine was going tost but I was determined to do well on my next assignment.


    After walking out of the meeting room, Jeremy approached me. It had been a while since I had a chance to see him and that made me quite happy that we could catch up for a bit.


    ¡°I heard you¡¯re pairing up with Richard for your next project,¡± Jeremy said to me.


    ¡°Oh, yea¡­¡± I replied with a slightly sinking feeling in my heart.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look so sad. He¡¯s very helpful even though he doesn¡¯t quite look it,¡± Jeremy said before he shed me a bright smile.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 363 Tough Love

    I knew that he was trying his best to cheer me up. Jeremy, just like the rest of us, was assigned to a new project as well.


    ¡°You¡¯re alone on your new project, right? As in, no one else from the CEO¡¯s office is going to be there with you,¡± I asked.


    ¡°Guess it¡¯s my time to shine all alone now. It will be quite lonely, though¡­¡± he replied.


    ¡°I bet you¡¯ll end up missing having me with you, right?¡± I said teasingly before Iughed.


    ¡°Probably¡­¡± he replied before looking away.


    ¡°Oh, I have to go. I¡¯ll catch up with youter, ok?¡± I quickly said when I realized that I had a meeting with my new team starting soon.


    ¡°Good luck on your new project, Karina,¡± Jeremy said before he lifted his hand and waved at me.


    ¡°Thank you! You too!¡± I called back and returned his wave.


    ¡­


    **A few dayster**


    It was almost midnight and I felt bone tired from the many long days of working. The days just seemed to drag by ever since the new project started. To be fair, there wasn¡¯t anything particrly wrong with the new project that I was working on. As a person, I felt like I had the average level of interest when it came to women¡¯s fashion. Because of my financial situation up until recently, I didn¡¯t exactly have the money to splurge on expensive or fancy clothing and so I wouldn¡¯t ever consider myself a fashionista. Regardless, I was interested in fashion enough to have the passion to work for this new advertising campaign.


    I let out a loud sigh in the dark and empty office where I sat behind my secretarial desk. It was so silent at night in the office that I could hear the sound of my own breathing and the ticking of the clock on the wall. I closed my eyes and immediately, I could see Richard¡¯s cold gaze.


    ¡°Arghh¡­¡± I made a sound of disgust while forcing my eyes to snap open.


    Working with Richard had proven to be a nightmare for the past few days. On top of being staffed on the same project, we were paired to work together as well. Even though Richard wasn¡¯t at all strong on the creative front, he was paired up with me to help with the research and design phase. Just being close to him felt suffocating and the cold way he looked at me made me feel like everything I was saying and doing was just absolutely incorrect.


    Suddenly, I heard a creaking sound. It must have been a soft sound, but it felt so loud given how silent it was. Light crept into the office as the door was pushed open further.


    ¡°So, you were here. Why didn¡¯t you answer my calls?¡±


    I was in his office, so I had no idea why I was still surprised that it was Ace who had entered. The light stung my eyes a little as my eyes struggled to adapt after being in the dark for too long. I took out my phone from my bag to see almost ten miscalls and they were all from Ace.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± I apologized immediately.


    My hands flew to cover my eyes when the light in the entire office suddenly lit up. Ace had switched on the lights. When I opened my eyes and sneaked a peek through the gaps between my fingers, Ace was leaning against the door frame with an unimpressed look on his face. For a moment, I felt so scared that I almost jumped out of my skin.


    ¡°You look quite dead. What happened?¡± Ace asked. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Ace approached my desk before sitting leisurely on it with his legs crossed. He turned to stare directly at me, and I quickly pulled my hands away from my face.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Ace asked again with his face just inches from mine.


    With the way his hazel eyes scanned my face, I guessed that he might already have a good idea about what was wrong.


    ¡°Nothing much. The usual work stuff¡­¡± I replied vaguely.


    ¡°Richard giving you a hard time?¡± Ace took a great guess.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± I replied without feeling the need to exin further.


    I peered up into Ace¡¯s face and our eyes met. It was just so like Ace to understand what was going on. My heart leapt in my chest when I thought that Ace would surely sympathize and find a way to help me out even if it was just a little.


    ¡°Good. You should suck it up. This should be a great experience for you,¡± Ace said before he smiled sweetly at me.


    What¡­?


    ¡°Aha¡­¡± I murmured while trying not to show my disappointment.


    I should have known that Ace, being the Devil CEO that he is, wouldn¡¯t offer me any help on something like this. Tough love sure is tough¡­


    ¡°Instead ofining, why don¡¯t you think of all the things you are learning from Richard instead?¡± Ace asked challengingly.


    ¡°Like¡­how to deal with someone who is overly strict and bordering being rude?¡± I retorted before I could stop myself.


    ¡°Was he really rude to you?¡± Ace asked with raised eyebrows.


    ¡°Not really¡­¡± I muttered as I was forced to admit that Richard wasn¡¯t exactly rude to me.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s all good. I¡¯m looking forward to some promising results. I think you two will make a good team. The rest of the team members are decently talented as well,¡± Ace said with a nod of his head.


    ¡°Everyone is so nice¡­except for Richard¡­¡± I said softly as I recalled the first time that I met everyone.


    Everyone on the team was so weing that it surprised me at first. Richard, on the other hand, seemed to be used to it. It didn¡¯t take me long for me to figure out that the change in people¡¯s attitude toward me was because I was part of Project Alpha. Like it or not, that branding would be stuck with me for as long as I worked at Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 364 Levelled Up

    ¡°We¡¯re so lucky to get not just one but two elites joining our team!¡±


    ¡°This project is going to be a huge sess. Thank you for agreeing to help us out with this one,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really looking forward to learning from you two. Thank you for joining us,¡±


    While Richard stood with a face void of any emotion next to me, we were weed by everyone in our new team. I had never had such words of wee orpliment showered on me like this at the start of a project before. Being called an ¡®elite¡¯ made me feel slightly ufortable because I wasn¡¯t certain if I was suitable for such a title. While I felt d yet a little unsettled, Richard seemed used to this kind of reception that we were getting.


    ¡°Thank you. I look forward to working with everyone,¡± I said before showing what I hoped was a very friendly smile.


    While being branded as one of the ¡®elites¡¯ in thepany because I had a track record of being part of Project Alpha and an active member of the CEO¡¯s office brought manypliments, it also brought with it a whole lot of expectations. Before, I thought that there were high walls that I had to scale in order to prove myself to get promoted, to get staff on bigger and more challenging projects, and to get opportunities toe my way. Then the boss at my previous department and then Ace stepped in and gave me so many opportunities to propel my career forward.


    I smiled at the team members who were beaming at us while actively trying to hide the dilemma that I hade face to face with. It felt like behind the team members gathered in front of us were walls so high like I had never ever seen before. Their expectations of me seemed endless and I wasn¡¯t at all sure that I could meet them.


    Am I supposed to climb a wall that high?


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I whispered his name.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked as he kept his eyes glued to my face.


    For a brief moment, he seemed concerned. I pursed my lips tightly together as I tried to find the right words. In the end, I just let my instinct take over.


    ¡°How do you deal with people who have such unrealistically high expectations of you?¡± I asked as I stared back deeply into his captivating eyes.


    ¡°Hmm¡­is this what you were thinking about just now?¡± he asked as he seemed to think about how to respond properly to my question.


    ¡°Yes¡­sort of¡­¡± I replied softly.


    ¡°Well, first of all, what makes you so sure that their expectations of you are ¡®unrealistically high¡¯?¡± he asked before he grinned at me.


    ¡°Well, I¡­¡± I mumbled as I struggled to answer his question.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that just your opinion of things and not the facts?¡± he asked in a voice so gentle that I wanted to just throw myself in his arms.


    Despite what I wished to do; my body did not move from the chair that I was sitting on. Maybe I was just over thinking things and worry too much again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It just feels like they expect so much from me, and unlike Richard, I¡¯m not sure if I can live up to their expectations,¡± I replied a little sadly. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°Expectations can be quite scary, I think. Instead of assuming the worst, you should work to align on what they expect of you. Maybe then you¡¯ll find out whether or not they¡¯re asking for too much,¡± Ace advised.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try¡­¡± I mumbled although I wasn¡¯t certain if I could do something like that.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, Rina. People are just excited to work with you and you have to get used to that. You may not realize it, but I think you¡¯ve levelled up quite a lot during Project Alpha. The you right now, isn¡¯t the same as the you before you joined my team,¡± Ace said as he reached across the table and took my hand into his.


    His warm touch gave mefort, and more importantly, it gave me courage.


    ¡°You really think so?¡± I asked softly.


    ¡°I do. I really think so¡­¡± he replied without any hesitation.


    His steady gaze as it held mine told me that he probably wasn¡¯t just saying it to make me feel better about myself. Ace wasn¡¯t someone who would pay lip service and I knew that well enough.


    ¡°Thank you, Ace¡­¡± I thanked him and found that I was able to smile naturally again.


    ¡°So, why are you still here thiste at night?¡± he asked to suddenly change the topic.


    ¡°I could ask you the same thing,¡± I said.


    ¡°Well, I asked you first so maybe you could start by answering my question. The project just started so I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re still here thiste at night,¡± Ace asked as he gave my hand a squeeze.


    ¡°I split up some research tasks with Richard and I¡¯ve been working on that sincete in the afternoon. Before I knew it, it was already thiste¡­¡± I confessed before letting out a sigh.


    ¡°Did you make good progress?¡± he inquired.


    ¡°I wish¡­¡± I muttered.


    Even if I did make a lot of progress, I doubt that I managed to cover as much ground as Richard did. That was probably why I worked even more diligently than normal so that I would have something solid to show him in the meeting tomorrow.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. You¡¯re doing really well, Rina,¡± Ace said warmly.


    I nced up when I felt a slight weight and warmth on the top of my head. With hisrge hand on the top of my head, Ace smiled down into my upturned face. I never knew that Ace could look so kind just like this. Although he was just encouraging me about my work, I couldn¡¯t stop my heart from skipping a beat. The small little butterflies in the pit of my stomach started to fluster their wings and my face felt a little warmer than usual.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 365 Sudden Urgent Desire

    ¡°Thank you, Ace, even if you¡¯re just saying that tofort me a little¡­¡± I thanked him in a small voice.


    ¡°I meant what I said but I am also trying tofort you a little,¡± he replied as he stroked my hair.


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± I thanked him again because I didn¡¯t know what else to say.


    ¡°Just make sure that I¡¯m the only one whoforts you,¡± he said.


    ¡°Ace¡­mhmm¡­¡± I murmured his name as his face approached mine.


    Ace leaned over across the table and pressed his lips to mine. I moaned immediately when our lips connected. His lips felt soft, warm, and even moreforting than his words were a moment ago. His hand moved to cup the side of my face as he crushed his lips even harder against mine.


    ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± I made soft whimpering sounds in my throat when I felt his wet tongue flicking against my lips as he sought entry into my mouth.


    My lips slowly parted as I found myself surrendering to him without any hesitation. His hot wet tongue thrusted firmly into the depths of my mouth and quickly found mine. Ace deepened our kiss as our tongues entwined and began engaging in a very passionate dance. I could feel my breath quicken as my core started to heat up. His taste, his scent, and the heat from his body started a fire deep inside of me that I didn¡¯t quite know how to control.


    ¡°Ace¡­Ah¡­mhmm¡­¡± I moaned his name before his lips captured mine again.


    Ace changed the angle of our kiss just so he could kiss me even deeper than before. His tongue teased mine relentlessly until I was kissing him back like I couldn¡¯t get enough of him.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while¡­¡± Ace whispered close to my lips.


    I moaned into our heated kiss when his lips pressed against mine again and his tongue quickly invaded my mouth. The way my core throb told me just how much I wanted him already. I had no doubt about what Ace meant when he said that it had been a while.


    It had been a while since we had sex in the office like this¡­


    By the time his lips let go of mine, I was a panting mess. It waste at night, and it was probably best if we just headed back to his ce; however, the way Ace was looking at me told me that he probably couldn¡¯t wait that long. Ace moved so fast that for a moment I was confused as to what happened when hended on his feet right next to me on my side of the table. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I whispered his name in astonishment.


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether to praise him for his athletic abilities or to praise my dear working desk for its sturdiness when he climbed over it to my side. There wasn¡¯t enough time for me to reach a conclusion to that thought of mine because Ace suddenly pulled on my arm, and I found myself being pulled up to my feet. His arms were around my body and his lips were on mine again.


    The sensation of his strong andrge frame pressing up against my body made me tremble slightly in his arms. His tongue slipped into my mouth, and I kissed him back eagerly. The way my body reacted so naturally to his seduction both scared and excited me. His hand stroked their way down my back to my waist before dipping even lower to cup my buttocks. I moaned into our deep kiss when his hands both pushed and lifted my hips against his body.


    ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± I moaned loudly into our kiss as his tongue continued its assault on my mouth.


    I could feel the evidence of his arousal pressing up against me. His cock was already so hard, and he was grinding my pussy against it as he lifted me up. My hips moved to grind my pussy against the hard outline of his cock before I even realized what I was doing. My entire body felt like it was on fire and my love juices were already leaking out of my love hole. Our hips moved to grind our sex together. I wrapped my arms around his neck to pull myself up as my hips worked to grind my pussy against his hardness.


    His hard cock rubbing against my sensitive clit made me cry out into our kiss. By the time Ace stopped kissing me, my mind was filled with nothing but him and my desire for him. My legs felt weak, and it was thanks partly to Ace¡¯s strong arms around my waist that I was able to remain standing. My lips felt swollen and hot from his kisses and the desire burning in his intense gaze told me that it would be a while before we could head home for the night.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ace¡­¡± I moaned before I whimpered his name.


    Ace had buried his face in the side of my neck. His teeth nibbled teasingly on my sensitive skin before his lips trailed soft kisses against my jawline before proceeding down along the side of my neck. I arched my neck to the side to wee his kisses as I bit down on my lower lip to hold in some of my lewd moans.


    I felt his warm breath against my earlobe for a brief moment before he kissed and then began licking me there. Jolts of pleasure ran throughout my body, and I trembled in his arms as my legs immediately became weak. Ace knew all my pleasure spots and he knew very well just how sensitive my ears were. Wet lewd sucking sounds filled my senses as he sucked harder on my earlobe.


    ¡°I want to fuck you so badly, Rina¡­¡± Ace whispered seductively right into my ear.


    ¡°Ahh¡­please¡­¡± I moaned before I managed to stop myself.


    I bit hard on my lower lip before I would resort to beg for him to fuck me and fuck me hard. A gush of wetness spurted out in between my legs, and I was sure that my poor panties were drenched by that time.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 366 Merciless Seduction

    His words and how his lips, tongue, and hands were teasing my body only made me want him more. His hand moved to cup my breast as his other hand squeezed my ass. My eyes widened at the pleasure and soon his hands moved up and began unbuttoning my shirt. Ace was panting and he was in a rush to undress me. After slipping two buttons out of their holes, he ended up pulling hard on my shirt until the remaining buttons went flying.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± I moaned with intense satisfaction when his hands dove under the cups of my bra to cup my breasts directly.


    I cried out as hisrge manly hands squeezed my breasts. His caresses were rough but the pleasure that I felt as he pumped my breasts felt mind-numbing. It felt like I was about to lose my mind from all the pleasure that he was making me feel. My body stiffened a little when I was reminded that we were in the office and not even in his personal room.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I murmured his name.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Ace made a questioning sound, but I could tell that his attention was still on my breasts.


    ¡°Can we¡­turn off the lights?¡± I pleaded softly.


    The light felt so bright, and I started feeling quite conscious of the fact that he could see everything. It felt embarrassing and I started to feel slightly shy. It had been a while since we did it together in the office and I couldn¡¯t say that I was used to it anymore.


    ¡°Are you still feeling shy? After all this time?¡± he asked teasingly.


    Ace didn¡¯t truly give me a fair chance to answer him when he wedged his hand in between my thighs. I whimpered as his hand urged my thighs apart and began moving upward underneath my skirt. His hand felt hot as it slid along my inner thighs on its journey upward. My pussy throbbed and clenched in anticipation of his touch.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­Ace¡­¡± I moaned when I felt the pressure of his hand cup my wet pussy through my panties.


    Ace sucked in a breath, and I knew that he could feel just how drenched I was down there. His fingers began stroking my pussy and made me moan louder as he stared into my face to gauge my reaction. I clutched tightly on his suit as his fingers began pushing against my sensitive clit through my panties. My pussy spasmed and I could feel my core throbbing even more pleasurably than before from the attention of his fingers.


    ¡°Someone¡­mighte¡­¡± I whimpered before I moaned again.


    His fingers stroked against my swollen clit relentlessly and I could feel myself getting wetter. Ace chuckled into my ear before increasing the pressure of his fingers against my pleasure spot.


    ¡°No one will evere here, Rina¡­¡± Ace whispered into my ear with confidence.


    My worries of being caught in the act onlysted for a brief moment before I forgot everything else when overwhelming waves of pleasure flooded every cell of my body. Ace skillfully pulled the drenched fabric of my panties away from my love opening.


    ¡°Ahh¡­it feels so good¡­¡± I said in a breathless whisper when his fingertips finally caressed the hot wet mess in between my legs directly. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The pleasure of his fingers stroking my wet opening directly felt so much more pleasurable than when he was ying with me through my panties. I closed my eyes and bit down on my lower lip hard as I moaned repeatedly. My entire body felt so hot, and my hips had begun to move to grind my pussy against his exploring fingers. His hand moved in between my legs as his fingers continued stroking the length of my flooded wet slit.


    ¡°You¡¯re flooded, Rina¡­¡± Ace hissed into my ear.


    ¡°Ahhh! Ahhh¡­¡± I cried out at the same time that his fingers suddenly thrusted upward into my love hole.


    His thick and long fingers stretched my opening with his sudden entrance before burying its length all the way inside of my love tunnel. I was so wet and slippery that his fingers managed to glide into me all in one smooth thrust that left me so satisfied at the sensation of being stretched and filled my him. My skirt hiked up my thighs and my hips as I hung onto him like I was hanging on to dear life. All strength seemed to have left my legs when Ace began moving his hand in between my thighs, thrusting his fingers along the sensitive walls of my pussy.


    ¡°Oh¡­Ace¡­Ahhh¡­¡± I moaned as I pressed my upper body against his.


    ¡°Tell me, Rina, do you like this?¡± he asked teasingly.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­yes¡­yes!¡± I cried out as his fingers continued diving into my wetness.


    Ace¡¯s fingers felt around my insides, and it didn¡¯t take long for him to find the my pleasure spot. I dug my fingers into his arms when I felt his fingers pounding against my sensitive spot. It was a miracle that I could stay standing given how weak my legs felt. Ace knew well how to pleasure my insides with his fingers. His fingers thrusted faster and harder into me as he made sure to stroke and push against my sweet spot. Wet lewd sounds echoed around us from between my legs as I moaned and panted.


    ¡°Ace¡­I¡¯m about¡­to cum¡­¡± I confessed in the midst of my heated passion.


    ¡°Not yet¡­¡± he coaxed seductively.


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± I whimpered weakly.


    Ace quickly pulled his finger out of my drenched pussy before I would reach my sweet climax. My juices leaked out of my hole and trickled down my thighs as I tried to press my thighs together. The void inside of me throbbed with the desire to be filled. I wanted to climax so badly that I was so close to begging Ace for it.


    ¡°You need to learn to be patient, Rina¡­¡± Ace lectured me teasingly.


    I wanted to retort that it was probably him rather than me that had to learn something about patience.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 367 Cant Be Gentle

    If only he had agreed nicely to head back to his ce with me, we wouldn¡¯t be in the position that we were in. Ace¡¯s hands moved to stroke my hips before he squeezed my buttocks. I moaned his name as my pussy clenched repeatedly.


    ¡°Ace¡­please¡­¡± I pleaded breathlessly.


    ¡°Touch me¡­¡± he instructed.


    Ace captured my hand in his and quickly led it to the bulge in his pants. I let out a gasp when I felt the clear evidence of his arousal in my hand. His cock was already hard, and I could feel it throbbing slightly as I cupped him. Instinctively, I began stroking the bulge of his manly asset as I imagined the pleasure that his massive love tool could bring me.


    ¡°Undress me,¡± Ace instructed as he pulled me closer to him.


    His captivating hazel eyes were filled with burning passion when he stared down into my face and our eyes met. He grinned at me and nodded his head with a challenging look in his eyes. My hands moved to unbuckle his belt and then unzip his pants while I still kept eye contact with him. Ace sighed when his manhood was finally freed from its restrictive cage. His cock sprang to life and into my hand where I felt just how hard and thick it had be.


    ¡°Ah¡­Rina¡­¡± he moaned my name before closing his eye for a brief moment as he enjoyed the pleasure of my fingertips trailing along his impressive length.


    His cock stood proudly up in between his legs as it twitched slightly from my seductive caresses. There was probably no need to stimte him any further given how hard and ready his cock was for the use that we had in mind for it. Regardless, I wanted to please him a little before putting his cock inside of me. I wrapped my finger around the thick girth of his cock before moving my hand along its length. Ace let out a low groan as his cock twitched in my hand.


    I could feel his cock getting hotter before growing thicker and longer in my hand as I continued to pump his cock up and down. I applied slightly more pressure in my grip as I continued to pump his manhood. The erotic look on Ace¡¯s face as he enjoyed the pleasure from my hand turned me on even more and I could feel another rush of wetness erupting from my love hole.


    ¡°Enough, Rina. I want to fuck you now,¡± Ace groaned in a voice thick with lust.


    ¡°Ah¡­Oh¡­¡± I moaned with a slight mix of surprise when his hand moved to lift my left leg up.


    His other hand cupped my ass before he began lifting my body slightly and I could tell that he was about to take me while standing. Ace lifted my body and angled my leg until my dripping wet opening was positioned at the right angle to take in his erect cock.


    ¡°Let me know if it hurts, I don¡¯t think I can be gentle with you,¡± Ace said it like a warning. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°Ahh! Ahhh! Ahhh¡­¡± I cried out at the suddenness of his entrance.


    I didn¡¯t have time to mentally prepare myself because after giving me his warning, Ace positioned his cock at my throbbing entrance before thrusting his cock deeply into me. His cock was so hot and big that my pussy struggled to take him in. Ace was right about hisck of gentleness as he rammed his cock into me. Without pulling out, he pulled my hips closer to him to take in more of his cock.


    His thickness pounded into me repeatedly until his cock was buried into me to the hilt. I moaned like I had lost my mind as my pussy clenched around his love stick. I could feel his heat and the hardness of his cock everywhere inside of me as he stretched and then filled me to the brim.


    ¡°Why are you so tight today? Haven¡¯t I been fucking you often enough?¡± Ace asked but I knew that he wasn¡¯t at allining.


    Ace reared his hip back and I felt his cock scraping along the inside of my love tunnel. He did not let me rest before he pounded his entire length all the way back into my love hole in one powerful thrust. His hold on my leg and my hips gave meplete control and ess to my body and he did not hesitate to use it to allow him to ram his cock fast and hard into me.


    Ace pumped his cock in and out of my hole as I wrapped my arms around his neck for support. I was sure that if he let go of me, I would slide down into a useless puddle on the floor at our feet. I could feel his desperate need and his burning hot passion as my hips began moving to the rhythm of his wild thrusts. Each time his cock plunged into my wetness; lewd wet sounds erupted from between my legs where we were joined. His cock reached so deeply inside of me until he pounded against my womb with every thrust.


    The pleasure of his cock stroking my pussy walls before kissing my womb started to be too much for me to handle. I cried out his name as he continued pushing me closer and closer to the edge. I knew with certainty that it wouldn¡¯t be much longer before I climaxed. My pussy twitched as my wetness poured out of me without break. Ace groaned my name as his fingertips dug into my skin where he was holding my hips and my leg up.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Rina¡­¡± he groaned before thrusting his cock all the way into me again.


    ¡°Ahh! So deep¡­Ace¡­it¡¯s in so deep¡­¡± I cried out and moaned before I went back to panting to catch my breath.


    His heat burned deep inside of me as his cock pounded into me without any signs of slowing down or stopping. I could feel his cock getting thicker and longer.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 368 Better Each Time

    Each thrust felt better than the one before and my body begam trembling when I was very close to my orgasm.


    ¡°Ace¡­I can¡¯t¡­I¡¯m about to¡­cum¡­¡± I managed to say in a broken voice as my passion took over.


    My hips moved wildly as I hugged my arms around his neck with my back arched. I threw my head back and cried out his name when my climax finally caught up to me. I came so hard that I didn¡¯t quite know what was happening for a moment. Having lost myself in the heat of my climax, my mind becamepletely nk. The only thing that reminded me that I was still alive and well was the sound and sensation of Ace¡¯s cock pumping into my wetness.


    ¡°I really want to cum inside you, Rina¡­¡± Ace groaned passionately.


    I knew that he was about to do just that from the way that his cock had started twitching inside of me. Just when I thought that Ace couldn¡¯t pound his cock any faster in and out of me, he proved me wrong. I screamed until my voice broke when the thrusting motion of his hips sped up. I could tell that he was close from the way that he was racing to his release. I couldn¡¯t wait for him to fill me up with his warmth as he poured his seed into me.


    ¡°Cum inside me¡­Ace¡­¡± I pleaded like my life depended on it.


    Ace moved my hips as his cock slid in and out of my pussy. I cried out at the pleasure of his thrusts as it made me feel like I was about to climax once again. After a short while of ramming his hot rod inside of me, Ace finally reached the peak of his passion. He cried out my name at the same time that his semen spurted out from his cock and flooded my love tunnel. He came so much inside of me as he held me in his arms. My pussy spasmed around his cock as his cock kept on shooting his seed into my womb.


    ¡°Ahh¡­you came so much¡­¡± I whimpered weakly as my pussy greedily sucked up his seed.


    His warmth invaded my belly and made me feel so full and satisfied inside. Ace slowly slid me down his body until both my feet reached the floor again after he was done pumping his seed into me. My pussy felt sore and swollen from the force of his wild lovemaking. Ace¡¯s cock was still hard when he slowly removed it from my flooded love hole.


    ¡°Ace¡­Ahh!¡± I called out his name before letting out a small cry when he suddenly turned me around to face my work desk.


    My legs felt so weak that I struggled to keep my bnce when he let go of me. Instinctively, my arms reached for the desk as I nted my palm t against its surface to steady myself. I could feel Ace¡¯s presence close behind me and then his hands were pulling up my skirt. The cold air against my buttocks made me turn around to find Ace staring at me with lust swimming in the depth of his eyes.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I whispered his name when I realized what he had in mind.


    ¡°Did that feel good?¡± he asked as hisrge hand began stroking my rear.


    I nodded at him as his hands wedged themselves in between my thighs and urged for me to spread my legs for him. My pussy already felt slightly sore and overutilized by that time and I knew that if I parted my legs for him, he would take me rough and hard from behind. Despite knowing that my body willingly parted my thighs as I bent forward on the desk to thrust my hips up toward him in lewd invitation. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ahhh¡­¡± I moaned breathlessly before closing my eyes tightly in embarrassment.


    The wet and sticky feeling of our mixed love juices pouring out from my pussy made me moan. Ace¡¯s stroked my ass with his hands seductively and I felt goosebumps form on my skin while I felt his gaze in between my legs.


    ¡°It¡¯s really leaking everywhere¡­¡± Acemented before he chuckled.


    ¡°Ace¡­I¡­¡± I began protesting in a small voice.


    ¡°Shhh¡­I¡¯ll make you feel good,¡± Ace said it like a confident promise as he positioned himself behind me.


    I could feel his presence close to me as he positioned his hips close to mine. A momentter, the heat and thickness of the tip of his cock prodded my love opening. My eyes widened as I bit down hard on my lower lip to prepare myself for his entrance. Ace¡¯s hands moved to hold the side of my hips as he positioned me where he wanted me.


    ¡°Once really isn¡¯t enough¡­¡± Ace murmured as if he was talking to himself.


    My entire body jerked against the table when Ace thrusted his cock firmly into my wet depths. My poor work desk made soft creaking sounds from the impact of our bodies moving against it as Ace pounded his cock into me from behind. He took me hard and fast like a wild animal mating with its mate during rutting season. The way he groaned from pleasure and moaned my name did make it seem like he was really rutting. His cock pounded against my womb from a different angle than before, and it drove me crazy.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahhh! Ahhhh!¡± I cried out louder and louder.


    My throat stung but I couldn¡¯t stop yelling because it felt like I was about to lose my mind. His cock pierced into me as his hips humped against mine. My back arched as I threw my head back and cried out his name. His cock pounded into my wetness from various angles as our bodies made lewd pping sounds. My wetness dripped out of my pussy, and I was sure that I had dirtied the floor at our feet with the mix of our juices.


    ¡°You always clench hard around my cock when I pound you here,¡± he hissed before ramming his cock all the way into my pleasure spot.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 369 Sending Me To Heaven

    I cried out as my pussy automatically wrapped around his cock just like he said that it would. The way his cock moved to mess up my insides felt amazingly pleasurable. I cried out his name with each thrust that pushed against my womb until I felt like I would lose my voicepletely. Ace reared his hips back until his cock exited my holepletely before pushing it all the way back inside of me.


    The table let out another loud creak when Ace leaned over me. I could feel the hot heat of his body against my back before he panted into my ear. I moaned when his hands reached in front of me to grope my breasts. His touch was so rough that it hurt a little as he squeezed and pumped my breasts with hisrge hands.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ahhh!¡± I moaned as I closed my eyes to surrender myself once more to the ecstatic pleasure.


    As his thick member beat into my hot wetness, I could feel my orgasm approaching again. I moaned and clenched my pussy tighter around his invading cock. As if Ace could sense that I was close, he focused on ramming the thick head of his cock faster against my pleasure spot.


    ¡°I¡¯m cumming! I¡¯m cumming¡­¡± I cried out.


    I squeezed my eyes shut as my entire body spasmed from the effects of my release. This climax felt even more intense than the one that I had before. My body felt wasted, and I didn¡¯t have the energy left to do anything anymore. Ace was apparently at his limit as well and after a few rough strokes of his cock plunging into my love hole, he also came while groaning my name.


    ¡°I¡¯m cumming¡­Rina¡­¡± he groaned before his cock pushed one final time against my womb.


    Ace stilled on stop of my back as his cock jerked and spasmed deep in my hole. Although I was already overflowing with his seed, Ace did not stop until he emptied another lot of his hot load deep inside of me.


    ¡­


    **A few dayster**


    Work was beyond busy for me, and I figured that something simr if not worse was happening on Ace¡¯s end. I got many requests from him to cancel most of his regr meetings or send someone else in his ce. Although I was curious, I held myself back from asking him for any details. At the back of my mind, I knew that he was busy with something that must be rted to the merger and that probably included dealing with his father.


    To make him feel better, I actively kept my promise of spending more time and more nights with him at his ce. Ace did not make anyment that implied that he was in a rush for me to move in with him again and I figured that that was for my sake. In appreciation of his patience, I put in some effort on my end to deal with my ownmitment issues.


    It would be inurate to say that I felt ufortable or not ¡®at home¡¯ when I was with Ace or at his ce; however, I still feared not having a ce of my own to return to in case something went wrong, and I had to hide away in private. I couldn¡¯t keep on running back to my mother¡¯s ce and into her arms whenever something did go wrong. I knew that all of this were signs that I had some seriousmitment issues and those fears mostly stemmed from how my rtionship with Kyle had gone so wrong.


    To activelybat that, I made the decision to slowly move some of my things over to Ace¡¯s ce. Staring with small things here and there and then more clothes. Work kept me at the officete into the evening for most of the days, so it was an immediate priority for me to move some stuff of mine to Ace¡¯s ce when I had the rare chance to get out of work early in the evening.


    ¡°One second¡­¡± Ace spoke into his phone before he turned his attention to me.


    ¡°Good evening¡­¡± I greeted him to announce my arrival. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°What¡¯s all that that you¡¯ve got with you?¡± he asked as his eyes fell to therge luggage and a few paper bags that I had with me.


    ¡°Oh, you know, I¡¯m just¡­moving in some of my clothes¡­¡± I exined before shing him a smile.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s trying hard to be a good girl,¡± he said before returning my smile.


    ¡°You should return to your call,¡± I replied to remind him that he had just put someone on hold.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± he muttered.


    When I returned back to the living room after arranging my clothes into the closet, Ace was done with his phone call. He turned toward me and smiled warmly at me when he saw me emerge from the dressing room.


    ¡°Come here, Rina,¡± he said as he lifted his arms and waved me over.


    ¡°Finally done with work?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Work is endless like always but I¡¯m good for the day,¡± he replied before letting out a sigh.


    I felt like the tranquil atmosphere between us would just turn sour if I asked him for more details. Ace didn¡¯t like toin about his work to me. After spending the entire day working, I could sympathize that he didn¡¯t want to waste another moment talking about it and I had to say that I felt the same way.


    He reached for my waist when I was about to sit down next to him on the sofa and pulled me onto hisp instead. His arms wove around my waist and pulled me securely close to his body. His scent and the warmth of hisrger frame enveloped me. It felt good to be in his embrace like this and I let my body rx against him.


    ¡°What about you? Are things getting better at work?¡± Ace inquired lightly.


    ¡°Sort of. It could be better but I¡¯m learning to hang in there,¡± I replied before turning to show him a brave smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s my girl,¡± he said before kissing my hair.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 370 Unexpected Companion

    The truth was Richard had been unknowingly giving me a hard time. I was sure that that was just the way that he was and that it wasn¡¯t anything personal. He would probably be as strict, as demanding, and as challenging to work with had he been paired with someone else. I knew that I shouldn¡¯t take it personally, but that didn¡¯t make it any easier for me to meet his demands. Rather thanining about that to Ace, I decided to take his advice and just step up my game.


    ¡°You are aware they this is aplete rebranding project, right?¡± Richard asked as he turned his sharp gaze to me.


    ¡°Yes, we were briefed about it in the scope¡­¡± I replied.


    ¡°Well, then why does your idea seem like the exact same concept that they¡¯ve been using for the past twenty years or so?¡± he asked sarcastically.


    ¡°Basically, what you¡¯re trying to say is that I should propose a bigger change, right?¡± I asked in return.


    ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s start all over again. This isn¡¯t going to fly with the client for sure,¡± he said before getting out of his seat.


    ¡°Ok¡­¡± I mumbled as I stared at the presentation that I had prepared.


    That was the third time that Richard had outright rejected my idea. I wasn¡¯t hurt by his rejection, but I had to admit that since it wasn¡¯t the first time that I had had to revise my work, it had started to frustrate me to a certain degree. I stared at the details of my proposal as my brain raced to figure out another angle that might work.


    ¡°Richard, let¡¯s have another go at this together tomorrow, ok?¡± I suggested hopefully.


    ¡°Sure, let me know if you need any help before then,¡± he said before walking away.


    I let out a sigh when he was gone before gathering my wits and courage to push on. Working with him was indeed difficult; however, I tried to tell myself that this would make me emerge as a better person in the end. All the challenges and hard times that he was putting me through would help hone my professional skills and I would be a better asset to thepany and to my team in the future. With that thought in mind, I gathered my things into my bag before heading out for lunch.


    Needless to say, Richard wasn¡¯t the type to invite me to have lunch with him and neither did he like to take his breaks with me. I smiled a little to myself when I thought that things might be better this way because I wasn¡¯t sure if I would be able to smoothly swallow down my food if I sat down alone with him for lunch. I walked out of the room while thinking of what lunch option would be fastest for someone who had to eat all alone like myself.


    ¡°Karina¡­¡±


    The sound of someone calling my name softly caught my attention. I looked in the direction of that familiar voice and found Jeremy standing there with a warm smile on his lips. Immediately, I returned his smile while I wondered what it was that he needed.


    ¡°Jeremy, what are you doing here? Do you need me for something?¡± I asked nkly because now that we were working on separate projects, I wasn¡¯t sure how I could be of assistance to him.


    ¡°Have you had lunch?¡± he asked. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°Umm¡­not yet. I¡¯m about to head out for lunch right now¡­¡± I replied.


    Lunch time had just started, and it was a miracle that I was about to take lunch on break on time without having to push through with work and skipping lunch. It seemed like Jeremy had not had lunch as well. I looked at his slightly excited face when I thought that someone might be in the same boat as me.


    Just how tough is work at his new project?


    ¡°I guess you haven¡¯t had lunch either, do you want to grab some lunch with me?¡± I said with a smile.


    ¡°That would be great. I¡¯m so hungry¡­¡± he readily agreed.


    I ended upughing a little as we walked side by side along the hallway of thepany toward the elevator. Jeremy looked cheerful enough but something about him didn¡¯t seem normal. The fact that he was here alone searching for me told me that something must be bothering him in his new team. My new team members invited me out to lunch almost all the time but since I have been glued to Richard, I¡¯ve had to decline most of their invitations in order to power through the work.


    Jeremy left the restaurant choice to me, and I chose the first restaurant that didn¡¯t seem too crowded as we strolled by. I couldn¡¯t keep my eyes off Jeremy when I sat down opposite him at the small dining table set up for two. Without knowing it, I had started to seriously worry about him. After cing our orders, I decided to ask him straight on if something was bothering him at work. After making some casual small talk, I decided that it was time that I dived in and asked him what was on my mind.


    ¡°So¡­how¡¯s working with your new team members?¡± I asked as I tried to keep my tone light.


    ¡°It¡¯s all good. They¡¯re nice enough,¡± he replied without providing any more details.


    That vague reply of his only made me worry about him more. Perhaps it was because I wasn¡¯t having such a great time in Richard¡¯spany that I felt like he might be going through something simr with his new team members.


    ¡°Are you sure? You seem a little down¡­or is that just my own imagination?¡± I asked as I cocked my head a little to the side.


    ¡°I¡¯m still adjusting to the new team, but overall people are nice and weing,¡± he replied before showing me a small smile.


    I was about to say something, but the waitress brought us our order and we both got distracted by her.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 371 Just Trying To Help

    Jeremy didn¡¯t seem so open about the situation that he had with his team, and I wasn¡¯t willing to let it slide by taking his words at face value.


    ¡°To be honest, working with Richard is much harder than I first thought¡­¡± I confessed while thinking that telling him about my situation first might be the right way to get him to open up to me more.


    ¡°Really? I¡¯ve worked with him before but not that closely. He¡¯s famous for being like that but I didn¡¯t think that it would be that bad,¡± Jeremy said as his brows drew together in a look of concern.


    ¡°Yeah. Oh, but don¡¯t worry about me too much, I¡¯m working hard and I¡¯m managing to hang in there somehow,¡± I said as I tried to reassure him.


    The doubtful look that he gave me told me that my words didn¡¯t quite sound credible. For a moment, I wondered if it was a mistake to bring this up. Maybe I was causing my dear colleague more worry even though I wanted to hear more about the problems that he was facing.


    ¡°Is that so? I¡¯m sure that he doesn¡¯t have any ill wishes. Let me know if there¡¯s anything that I can help out with,¡± he offered with a smile.


    ¡°Thanks, but there¡¯s really no need for you to worry about me. Umm¡­are things really going well with you and your new team?¡± I asked as I stared directly at him.


    ¡°Well, the project itself isn¡¯t extremelyplex or challenging but the project manager is kind of traditional and strict. The team members are great, though. It¡¯s a good mix of people, honestly, and I¡¯ve made some new friends too,¡± Jeremy replied.


    ¡°Really? That sounds great¡­¡± Imented vaguely.


    The conversationpsed into silence as I wondered why he was eating all alone with me if everything was all great and rosy just as he had just told me. I didn¡¯t want to think that he was lying but maybe, just like me, he didn¡¯t want me to worry about him.


    ¡°Well, if anything happens, you can always tell me about it, ok? Even if I might be able to help you fix it, it would still be good to let it out and confide in someone, right? You know, we can always catch up over lunch just like this,¡± I suggested with a smile.


    ¡°Really? That would be great. I¡¯ll drop by to invite you out to lunch,¡± Jeremy said before he showed me a cheerful smile.


    ¡°Sure,¡± I replied without hesitation.


    The fact that his mood seemed to have lifted made me feel like I had somehow seeded in my little mission. Our conversation naturally drifted away from that topic to talk about other things that were going on in our new project assignments. I learnt that themercial that Jeremy was working on was for a famous skincare brand. It seemed like something new that Jeremy didn¡¯t connect so firmly with but, just as always, he seemed open to learn new things and cover new industries.


    ¡°We should head back. That was so fun, and time just seemed to fly back just like that,¡± I said regretfully when I realized that our lunch break was quicklying to an end.


    If we left now, we would probably make it back to the office on time and I wouldn¡¯t get any cold res from Richard.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, we should head back. Let¡¯s grab lunch together again soon,¡± he said.


    I had to walk faster than normal on our way back to the office just so that I would arrive on time. Jeremy didn¡¯t seem like he was in a rush and offered to walk me to my project room. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°I¡¯ll walk you there,¡± he offered.


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no need to. You might end up returningte to your project room,¡± I said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯re not crunched, and I doubt the other people will be back on time either,¡± he replied with a small chuckle.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I murmured.


    Without making a big fuss, I let him do what he wanted to do. I nced at my watch to see that I was right on time by the time that we reached the door of my project room.


    ¡°Thank you for having lunch with me,¡± I thanked him with a smile.


    ¡°I should thank you,¡± he replied quite casually.


    The warmth that I felt as I smiled at him quickly evaporated when I felt like someone was staring at us. I almost jumped out of my skin when I turned around to see Richard standing there not too far from us. His cold gaze stared at me, and I couldn¡¯t quite read the expression that he had on his face.


    ¡°Hi, Richard¡­¡± I greeted him in a small voice.


    Instead of replying to me, Richard turned his attention to Jeremy, and I felt the need to exin what was going on although there wasn¡¯t anything going on before things got out of hand.


    ¡°We just got back from lunch¡­¡± I exined briefly.


    ¡°Yup. Anyways, I should head back to my project room now,¡± Jeremy said to quickly excuse himself.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Umm¡­we should also discuss what we have to discuss,¡± I said to Richard.


    Richard just nodded his head slowly at my words. Without saying anything, Richard opened the door to the project room and walked inside. I let out a sigh before waving to say goodbye to Jeremy and then followed Richard inside. I didn¡¯t feel that there was something wrong with having lunch with another colleague and that was because it wasn¡¯t something wrong. When I sat down at my desk, I truly thought that Richard would say something when he turned to stare at me, but in the end, he didn¡¯t say anything about the matter.


    ¡­


    A few weeks went by without much change in our daily lives. It was quite shocking to me that nothing much had changed at all. Initially, I had thought that change woulde so fast like lightning striking down from above.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 372 Hope And Disappointment

    Ace would quit his job and disappear from thepany and my life. I wouldn¡¯t see him anymore and everything would be chaotic for everyone. There would be a sudden change in management and then there¡¯s also that matter to do with the merger.


    In reality, the only big change that impacted my life seemed to be my new staffing with Richard and the new team members that I had to work with. The other change was that Ace and I got even busier, and it wasn¡¯t umon for the two of us to be spending timete in the office together. I had no idea whether I should count myself as lucky that the changes that I had feared did note too suddenly or drastically or if I should fear the fact that the inevitable was just being dragged on.


    When I tried to think about it realistically, it did make sense that Ace wouldn¡¯t just up and disappear while leaving thepany and all his employees behind. Also, it wasn¡¯tpletely feasible for such a huge merger to be finalized in a matter of days. I wasn¡¯t sure what steps were involved in such a merger, but I was sure that it wasn¡¯t just about the two chairmen signing some papers.


    Another dimension of challenge that I had not anticipated when working with Richard was that it would be hard for me tomunicate with Ace. The fact that I was his personal secretary served as a great excuse for me to receive calls from Ace, but I still had to be mindful to keep our conversation professional. Maybe it was Richard¡¯sck of trust in me that led him to sit himself next to me all the time. It was like he was watching and monitoring the progress of my work. Overall, it made me ufortable, but I soon got used to it. What I could never get used to were the times when I got text messages from Ace that had nothing to do with work.


    ¡®I should be free this evening. Dinner?¡¯


    I knew that reaching for my phone in a rush would just be suspicious, but it was hard to control my reflexes. ncing over at Richard showed that he still had his eyes glued to hisptop screen. That didn¡¯t make me feel that much safer. This kind of problem did not exist when I was partnered up with Jeremy on my previous project. I felt more rxed, and I felt like I had my own personal space. After grabbing my phone, I quickly texted a reply back before cing it facedown back onto the table.


    ¡®Sure. Where do you want to go?¡¯


    A few minutester, I checked my phone to see that Ace had sent me a text reply with the name of the restaurant that he wanted me to meet himter.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    I almost jumped out of my seat at the sound of Richard¡¯s voice suddenly asking me a question. Panicked and worried mixed around inside of my head and I ended up hiding my phone away from his sight. Richard gave me a funny look like he had no idea what I was doing.


    ¡°Umm¡­just¡­you know¡­finishing up thisst slide here for the meeting tomorrow,¡± I replied while stuttering.


    ¡°Are you nearly done? We can have a look at it together. I¡¯m almost done with my part,¡± he said without any emotion.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m really almost done. Yes¡­let¡¯s review it¡­together¡­¡± I replied while sounding very robotic.


    Richard gave me another funny look before he returned his attention back to hisptop screen. A dinner date with Ace was definitely something to look forward to and it was with this particr goal in mind that I worked hard to clear my work by the end of the workday.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow¡­¡± I quickly said as I shoved my things into my handbag. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°Ok,¡± Richard replied in short.


    Ourst meeting wrapped up pretty well and now my dinner with Ace was just a ride away. I wanted to make my escape out of the office before someone would invent some work or some reason that would stop me from leaving. I made my way down the elevator to the lobby of the office building without incident. A lot of people were leaving the office as well and the lobby was quite crowded. Suddenly, my phone vibrated in my hand. I felt a little excited when I saw that the call was from Ace.


    ¡°Hi¡­¡± I said cheerfully when I answered the phone.


    ¡°Rina¡­.¡± Ace said my name and something in his tone of voice told me that something wasn¡¯t quite right.


    ¡°I¡¯m about to get a taxi¡­¡± I informed him.


    ¡°About that, Rina, something came up and I can¡¯t make it to dinner anymore. I¡¯m very sorry,¡± Ace said, and he sounded kind of rushed.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine. I guess work is still as very busy for you as always,¡± I said while trying to keep my tone light to hide my extreme disappointment.


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry about this, Rina. I¡¯ll see you back at my ce, ok?¡± he said while sounding very apologetic.


    ¡°Sure, good luck!¡± I said cheerfully.


    The line disconnected and I stood on the pavement in front of the office building with an empty feeling deep inside. I had been looking forward to having dinner with Ace and spending the evening with him ever since I got his text. Although I knew that ns could be changed and it wasn¡¯t rare for something to turn up at work, I couldn¡¯t stop myself from feeling very disappointed. I backed away from the pavement when I realized that I no longer needed to call for a taxi.


    Where am I supposed to go for dinner now?


    ¡­


    After that phone call, Ace did not contact me again. I wanted to give him a call but figured that something must be going on at work that demanded his attention. Afraid that I might disturb his work, I just waited for him to get in contact with me instead.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 373 Hes Not Alone

    Because Ace had asked me to wait for him at his ce, I decided to order in a simple dinner. It was when I had finished eating that I realized that Ace did not mention when he would be back and that was probably because he didn¡¯t know.


    The dining room was quiet, and it felt quite lonely to be eating alone. I wondered what Ace was up to and I hoped that everything was going well on his end. Not knowing what to do, I pulled out myptop and decided to do some work to pass the time. It was ironic how my date night with Ace turned out to be a working session, but I thought that it would be better to get some work done than to just sit around and worry.


    After a few hours of working, I realized that it had gotten quitete and there were still no signs of Ace. I hoped that he had a chance to eat something for dinner. I stared at the entrance of the ce as I started to worry about him. Debating with myself just made me feel even more hesitant about giving him a call so I just reached for my phone and started dialing his number. I waited impatiently as I waited for Ace to answer his call.


    In the end, the line never connected; however, the door to the suite did open. I got out of my chair so fast as I raced toward the door to wee him back home. I was d to see Ace, but I wasn¡¯t quite prepared for the shock that apanied his return. My feet refused to take a step forward and I was too shocked to realize what kind of face I was making at that moment when I saw that he wasn¡¯t alone.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I whispered his name in shock because I didn¡¯t know what else to say.


    Ace took a few steps forward as I stayed glued to the same ce. He looked at me with a conflicted look and he seemed apologetic for what had happened. It was like time stopped for a few seconds when I came face to face with our apparent visitor.


    ¡°Elizabeth¡­¡± I mumbled her name softly.


    ¡°Sorry for barging in¡­¡± she said before she grinned at me.


    ¡°Come in. You can sit wherever you want,¡± Ace said as he gestured with his hand for her to enter.


    ¡°Wee¡­¡± I murmured as my mind went momentarily nk.


    Why is Elizabeth here? Why didn¡¯t Ace mention anything about bringing her over?


    Elizabeth smiled a little at me as she walked past. I turned and watched her take afortable seat on the sofa in the living room where she joined Ace. Tension seemed to escte in the room, and it took a lot of willpower to force my body to move toward the sofa. I eventually took a seat on the sofa as my eyes flickered from Ace to Elizabeth and then back again. I stared at Ace as I implored him with my eyes for him to exin to me what Elizabeth was doing in his ce.


    It didn¡¯t take me long to figure out that the burning ache in my chest was a mix of anger because it did not escape me that it was very probable that Ace had cancelled the dinner that we had nned because of her. Something must have happened, and I wasn¡¯t willing to wait for much longer to find out what exactly that was. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°Did things work out at work?¡± I asked to start the conversation.


    ¡°Not quite, which is why she¡¯s here with me right now,¡± Ace replied while sounding uncharacteristically tired.


    His response made me feel even more curious than before as I hoped that there was a very good reason for what was happening. Elizabeth did not seem like herself. She was more silent than usual, and she had a distraught and worried look on her face like she was very bothered by something.


    ¡°Did something happen?¡± I asked without beating around the bush.


    Ace didn¡¯t immediately reply, and I saw his eyes ncing over at Elizabeth¡¯s face. I stared at her from where I was seated as I waited for her to exin. After a moment of silence, it was clear that Elizabeth was too upset to say anything. That was when Ace decided to take over to exin to me what was going on and why we had an unexpected visitor with us that night.


    ¡°I guess something did happen. After I managed to finish up my work for the day, I got a call from Elizabeth that her father demanded to see us immediately. Unfortunately, that was why I couldn¡¯t join you for dinner. Long story short is that the conversation that we had with Chairman Chase did not go well and he¡¯s trying to make it more of a personal matter and that is why Elizabeth is quite upset,¡± Ace exined.


    I could tell that something sensitive andplicated must have happened during the conversation that they had, and I also appreciated the effort that Ace seemed to be putting in to exin it to me; however, I wasn¡¯t quite sure that I understood the whole picture.


    ¡°What did the chairman have to say? It¡¯s about the merger, right?¡± I probed for more details.


    ¡°Well, at first, we understood that he called us to discuss the merger and that was why I decided to go. He told Elizabeth to tell me that it was something urgent and I had no other choice. I guess we did discuss the merger, but things got difficult when he started bringing up Elizabeth¡¯s marriage¡­¡± Ace exined before pausing.


    Her marriage?


    Elizabeth still had her mouth firmly shut when I looked over in her direction. She was clearly absorbed in her own thoughts and didn¡¯t want to participate in the conversation with us just yet. I didn¡¯t know before that Elizabeth had a difficult rtionship with her father and I wondered if it was as bad as the one that Ace seemed to share with his father.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 374 Dilemma

    Ace paused and since Elizabeth did not say anything to show that she minded Ace letting me in on what happened early in the evening, I decided to ask Ace for more details.


    ¡°Her marriage? Did something¡­happen?¡± I asked while feeling quite afraid that I would choose the wrong word.


    It indeed felt like a sensitive topic, and I wondered what her father had to say about their marriage now that they were already married. I was sure that Chairman Chase did not find Kyle an impressive man fitting for the role of his daughter¡¯s husband, but they were already married. Kyle had not gotten in touch with me for a while now and I was d to have peace and quiet at that end. I had thought that things must have been progressing smoothly for Kyle and Elizabeth but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case, at least, as far as her father was concerned.


    ¡°As you¡¯re already aware of, the chairman isn¡¯t fond of Kyle as his son-inw. Oh, and the two of them are not legally married on paper. Anyways, her father wants to find ways to force Elizabeth to divorce or to simply end her rtionship with Kyle¡­¡± Ace said before trailing off with a shrug of his shoulders.


    If I wasn¡¯t mistaken, Elizabeth¡¯s father wasn¡¯t the only one in favor of the two of them breaking up. I could still recall Ace¡¯s stern face when he told her to break up with Kyle as well because I was there when he said it to her. I wasn¡¯t sure if the reasons behind his advice were the same ones that the chairman had. Regardless, Elizabeth¡¯s distraught expression told me that she was fully against it now that this matter had gotten so serious.


    ¡°Well, yes. I guess he¡¯s done some unimpressive things not too long ago as well¡­¡± I replied while referencing that time when he stole my idea and fed it to his wife.


    If anyone thought that I would forget about that or let go of it, then they were wrong. Just the thought of it made my body itch with anger. I hadpletely lost my faith in Kyle when I found out that he was two-timing me, and things only got worse from there when Iter found out that he had stolen my ideas and my work. I tried to calm myself down by reminding myself that it was all in the past now and that I should move on. In fact, I had already moved on quite some time ago.


    I had Ace now¡­and things are very different. Everything is much better for me now.


    ¡°I have no idea what he¡¯s thinking but he brought up her marriage as a condition for letting the merger go through,¡± Ace said.


    I gasped in shock at his words and my head started spinning a little. The message didn¡¯t quite register well with me, and I wondered if I understood correctly.


    ¡°You mean, he wants Elizabeth to break up with Kyle before he supports the merger?¡± I asked with widened eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s how things are now apparently which justplicates things for her¡­and for me and my ns as well¡­¡± Ace said before he showed me a regretful grin.


    Elizabeth seemed well on board with the n that Ace had regarding the merger before, and she seemed excited to take over as the new CEO. It was a big career advancement move for her and I was sure that she had been looking forward to it. Despite what I thought about her as a person, I had to say that Elizabeth was quitemitted to her work and her career. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°That¡¯s a little¡­random and extreme¡­I guess¡­¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t like this at first when we broke the news to him. At first, he seemed very in support of it going through. We did work hard to convince him. I met with him so many times, I showed him a bunch of attractive figures to convince him of the synergies and all the benefits of the merger. I truly thought that he was on board. Well, I guess the unexpected can happen sometimes¡­¡± Ace said before letting out a sigh.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t be discouraged¡­¡± I said before offering him aforting smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m not discouraged because I can¡¯t afford to be at this point, but I am very frustrated. Anyways, one thing led to another and then everything just blew up into an argument and Elizabeth lost it for a while. So that¡¯s why she¡¯s here instead of back home¡­¡± Ace surmised.


    I turned to Elizabeth to see that she was still staring at an empty spot in the air right in front of her face. Ace had given a pretty decent summary of what had transpired but I wasn¡¯t sure if Elizabeth heard even a word of it. Then again, if she¡¯s really in love with Kyle then what her father demanded must have put her in a very difficult position.


    Choosing between your love life and your professional career goals must be such a tough choice.


    What will she choose?


    If it were me, what would I choose?


    The room was silent for a short while as everyone seemed to retreat inwards into their own thoughts. With Ace working so hard on the merger, I had thought that everything would go smoothly although it would take more time than I had thought. Just like Ace, I probably underestimated how difficult it would be to convince the Chairman of Chase Creatives.


    Ace probably did not expect the Chairman to n this move either. I personally did not think that someone as senior as Chairman Chase would mix professional work with personal matters especially when it came to his daughter¡¯s marriage. After thinking about it for a while, it didn¡¯t seem so rare forpanies that used to bepletely family-owned to operate like this. I let out a soft sigh when I realized that Ace and my situation were kind of simr in a way.


    ¡°I have to say, I didn¡¯t think that Chairman Chase would use the merger to force his daughter to make such a tough and unfair decision. It must be so hard to choose between love and your professional career,¡± I said softly.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 375 Her Side

    Ace nodded solemnly without saying anything. An ufortable moment of silence filled the room like a void that refused to disappear. What made me the most ufortable was the fact that Elizabeth had not said anything at all since taking her seat.


    ¡°Umm¡­have you two had dinner? Should I order something nice or maybe make some coffee or tea?¡± I offered as I tried to y the good host.


    The truth was, I wanted to get away for a while to give Elizabeth some personal space and myself some time to think things over. The tension in the air was too high for me to take.


    ¡°Some coffee might be good. I¡¯m not hungry and Elizabeth¡¯s clearly not in the mood to eat,¡± Ace replied for both Elizabeth and himself.


    ¡­


    When I returned with coffee for the three of us, Elizabeth was still staring absentmindedly into space. Ace was seated at the exact same spot, and it seemed like the two of them had not spoken to each other since I got up and left to prepare us all some coffee. Unlike me, Ace didn¡¯t seem bothered by the silence.


    I wanted to talk to Ace alone and a huge part of me wondered if there was something that I could do to help Elizabeth out with her situation, although, I doubted that there was anything that I could really do to be helpful.


    ¡°Some coffee?¡± I offered while trying to sound cheerful.


    To my surprise, Elizabeth turned and offered me a smile. Instead of letting me put the coffee mug onto the table in front of her, she took it from my hand before bringing it to her lips.


    ¡°Thank you¡­this is nice¡­¡± she thanked me softly before her lips returned to the rim of the mug.


    Many questions ran through my mind that I dared not ask right away as I sat down on the sofa again. Just like Elizabeth was doing, I started to sip on my coffee as I let my mind consider my next move. I wondered what Elizabeth was going to do and what she would decide. Then I started to wonder if Kyle even knew what was going on.


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t always like this¡­my father¡­¡± Elizabeth murmured so softly that I didn¡¯t quite hear her at first.


    After being silent for so long, I was a little astonished that she had decided to break the silence. Despite the daunting situation that she was in, Elizabeth sounded quite calm; however, there was a hint of sadness in her voice.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t how things are supposed to be. Honestly, when I spoke to him before about the merger, he was very hesitant about it. But when I told him that Ace would allow me to sit as the new CEO, my father thought that it was a very promising opportunity for me and a great chance for me to propel my career forward. Because he had this merger in mind before, it didn¡¯t take him long to understand the synergies that coulde about. In the end, he really agreed to it¡­¡± she exined her version of the story. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Ace didn¡¯t seem surprised as he nodded along, and it was clear to me that he had heard this part of the story from her before. I didn¡¯t say anything as I waited for her to continue with her side of the story.


    ¡°He was supportive, but he wasn¡¯t sure if Ace¡¯s father would agree to the deal after it had pretty much broken down once before when we cancelled our engagement. That did put quite a lot of strain on the rtionship of the twopanies and it wasn¡¯t very friendly in the first ce. That was when I reassured him that I¡¯ve been in contact with Ace and that he could bring his father around,¡± she continued before taking a pause as if to gather her thoughts.


    I knew how Ace managed to get the Chairman to agree to his demands. In the end, he kept his end of the bargain with Elizabeth, and everything should have progressed as nned.


    ¡°When Ace told me about the deal that he made with his father, I thought that it was a crazy idea. Actually, I thought that it was impossible because growing hispany to that size would mean eating so much of our market share. Of course, as the CEO of Chase Creatives, I can never let that happen. I really questioned how Ace would make it possible and that was when he told me about the possibility of bringing back the merger,¡± she said before she shed Ace a smile that I thought looked quite sad.


    ¡°Sometimes I feel like it¡¯s my fault for telling you too much¡­¡± Ace said softly.


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely not your fault. Just me it on me because I was the one who asked,¡± Elizabeth said before heaving a heavy sigh.


    ¡°What happened next?¡± I asked when I couldn¡¯t wait any longer to find out more.


    ¡°Do you remember when I told you that I¡¯m also in this for my own sake and not for Ace¡¯s sake?¡± she asked as she directed her gaze at me.


    ¡°Yes. I guess it does make sense for you because you¡¯ll end up as the new CEO,¡± I replied while recalling her words.


    ¡°Half correct. You are only half correct. It is true that I¡¯ll get to be the new CEO after the merger is sessful but that¡¯s only half of it. Looking back on it, I think what I did was very stupid and childish, but it was the only way that I could think of at the time,¡± she said before she paused with a faraway look in her eyes.


    I wondered what she was seeing or recalling from her memories during those few seconds when she was silent. My eyes nced over at Ace, and he showed me a little smile that told me to be patient.


    ¡°My father and I had an argument one day. I¡¯d been arguing with him about my rtionship with Kyle for ages now so it really was nothing new or so I thought¡­¡± she said before she pursed her lips into a thin line.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 376 Stalemate

    The story she was telling was finally taking a turn and it was for the worse instead of the better. The regretful look on her face told me that nothing yed out as she had nned or anticipated.


    ¡°That day things really got out of hand, and I guess I was very emotional when he told me that he would disown me if I didn¡¯t break up with Kyle. I mean, after all that I did for him and all that I had to take from him, how could he say something like that to me?¡± she said before her voice started to crack up with emotion.


    The look that she had on her face told me just how ridiculous she thought her father¡¯s suggestion was. I had no idea what Elizabeth had to go through to live up to her father¡¯s expectations, but I could guess that she probably had been working hard to please him all her life. Elizabeth quickly took a deep breath, and her face becameposed again. When she spoke once more, her voice was steady.


    ¡°Then a stupid idea shed into my mind that if Ace could pull that deal off with his father, then maybe it would work with mine too. So, I ended up proposing to my father that I would grow thepany to the size of the twobined to make up for the fact that I decided to marry Kyle instead of marrying Ace. Truth be told, Ace wouldn¡¯t have married me even if I had begged him, so I have no idea why my father even thought that that was an option to begin, but anyways¡­¡± she said before pausing to let out another sigh.


    ¡°You really did that?¡± Ace asked with apparent surprise.


    I guess Ace did not know Elizabeth¡¯s entire story and this was news to him as well. For the first time since the start of Elizabeth¡¯s storytelling, Ace reacted. Just like Ace, I was very surprised at that wild suggestion and gamble that she made with her father. I never thought that she would use Ace¡¯s idea and strike up the same deal with her father.


    Had the atmosphere allowed for it, I would have let out augh. Unknowingly, Kyle had somehow found himself in a very simr situation as I was in. Marriage clearly did not mean much to Chairman Chase if he did not approve of the groom and it seemed like everything could be undone on hismand. At least, the two of them managed to get married. I nced at Ace and wondered if that day would evene for us and just how much we had to go through to make our future together a reality.


    ¡°Yes, I did¡­¡± Elizabeth admitted before showing us a tight smile.


    She didn¡¯t need to say it out loud for us to get it that she wasn¡¯t at all proud of the decision that she had made. What I couldn¡¯t understand was what she saw in someone like Kyle. He was a deceitful and cheating loser, as far as I was aware. I let out a sigh silently when I thought that maybe other people would wonder the same thing about me if they found out that Ace and I were dating. Maybe they would ask what he actually saw in me.


    ¡°Did he end up agreeing to it?¡± Ace asked.


    ¡°Yes, he did¡­¡± Elizabeth replied.


    ¡°Then, what happened? What your father talked about today did not match with that deal that you made with him at all¡­¡± Ace asked, and he seemed genuinely worried for the first time. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    I remained silent as my eyes flickered from Ace to Elizabeth and back again as their conversation progressed. It really did make any sense. At first it seemed like Chairman Chase agreed that if his daughter could grow thepany, then she could keep her marriage with Kyle. Then, he changed his mind and won¡¯t allow for the merger unless they break up?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened. Maybe he changed his mind or maybe he¡¯s just not fine with us taking the approach to merge thepany in order to grow it,¡± Elizabeth muttered before she ran her fingers through her hair in frustration.


    Ipletely forgot about the coffee mug in my hand as I concentrated on the conversation.


    ¡°I guess you didn¡¯t make him promise to ept all methods like I did. Maybe I should have told you about that part as well,¡± Ace said before shaking his head slightly.


    The two of them went silent and the only question that seemed to hang there in the air between the three of us was: What do we do next?


    ¡°Well, anyways, that¡¯s why she had a huge argument with her father and¡­kind of ran away from home¡­¡± Ace said to further exin why Elizabeth had ended up at his ce.


    ¡°I see. Well, we do have a few spare bedrooms for guests¡­¡± I said quickly when I finally picked up that she wasn¡¯t just visiting but she would probably be staying the night.


    Ace shed me a look that told me that he was a little more than ¡®very sorry¡¯ for this sudden turn of events. I smiled a little back at him to tell him that it was ¡®fine¡¯. Needless to say, I never dreamt in my wildest dreams that Elizabeth would ever need to stay the night at Ace¡¯s ce like this. The three of us sleeping under one roof just felt extremely strange. Had this happened earlier, I might have died from suffocation; however, after hearing her story and seeing her look so down and depressed, I felt like I would be heartless if I didn¡¯t sympathize with her.


    Since I wasn¡¯t born an heiress like she was, it would probably be too much for me to say that I understood exactly what she was going through and what she was feeling. However, her situation with Kyle did seem to mirror the situation that Ace and I were in, at least in some respects, and that made me feel for her.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 377 Through This Together

    The least that I could do for her at the time was to offer to host her for the night, although, to be more correct, Ace would be hosting her since it was his ce and not mine.


    ¡°Rina, why don¡¯t you take Elizabeth to her room and help her settle in a little? Elizabeth, you should shower and go to bed early. You can figure things out tomorrow,¡± Ace suggested.


    Elizabeth seemed lost in her own thoughts again and only responded with a small nod of her head. I quickly got up from the sofa to lead the way to one of the guests¡¯ bedrooms. Without a word, Elizabeth got up and followed me while looking very absent-minded.


    ¡­


    ¡°She¡¯s taking a shower, then I guess she¡¯ll go straight to bed. It is quitete¡­¡± I reported dutifully to Ace when I returned to the living room.


    Ace was still sitting on the sofa, and he looked so tired that my heart ached for him. As he had instructed, I took Elizabeth to one of the guest bedrooms that hadn¡¯t been used for a while. Big thanks to the housekeeper for keeping the room clean and ready to receive guests all the time, because thanks to her, I didn¡¯t have to do anything much at all.


    At first, I feared that things may get awkward between us if we were left alone together, but I found out very quickly that I had nothing to fear. Elizabeth wasn¡¯t in the mood to throw any harsh words my way and she just wordlessly followed all the instructions that I told her. I did consider that she could have slept at any hotel that she wanted given how much money she obviously had but then I realized that she must be in need of quite a lot of emotional support right at that moment.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Thanks for doing all of this, Rina,¡± Ace thanked me with a look of relief on his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I just hope that she¡­you know¡­will feel better soon¡­¡± I replied as I lowered myself down on the sofa next to Ace.


    Naturally, he wrapped an arm around my shoulder, and I leaned my head onto his shoulder. I could feel his exhaustion as well as my own. There were many questions that I wanted to ask him, but I doubt that Ace would have the answers that I was looking for. While leaning my head on his shoulders, I realized that there were some answers that required us to work together to figure them out. It wasn¡¯t fair for me to simply open my mouth to burden Ace with my questions because I had the responsibility as his partner to stand by his side and help him unravel some of the riddles.


    We stayed silent for a while, and it truly felt enough for us to be breathing the same air. His presence felt reassuring for me, and I hoped that he felt the same way. Ace seemed to be thinking about something and I didn¡¯t want to disturb his chain of thought.


    ¡°Elizabeth should be all good when morninges,¡± Ace told me reassuringly.


    At that point, hosting Elizabeth for another night wasn¡¯t at the forefront of my mind at all. I had to admit that there were other more prominent concerns such as the future of the merger. I had never imagined that Elizabeth¡¯s father would be an issue given how certain she seemed of his agreement and support. Nothing was going smoothly, and yet again, another obstacle had been thrown our way.


    ¡°She can stay here for a while if she needs to. She seems¡­very troubled¡­¡± I whispered in reply.


    I felt Ace¡¯s arm tighten slightly around my body before he turned and ced a kiss on the top of my head. I found it strange and quite unexpected how worried I was about Elizabeth. Perhaps it was because she was still a fellow woman and women should support each other.


    ¡°Umm¡­does Kyle know that she¡¯s here?¡± I asked curiously. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ll leave it up to her to tell her husband,¡± Ace replied tly.


    ¡°Right¡­that¡¯s probably for the best,¡± I murmured in agreement.


    ¡°She¡¯ll toughen up tonight, and tomorrow, she¡¯ll be back to the Elizabeth that we all know so well¡­¡± Ace said with certainty before he looked down at my face and smiled.


    ¡°I really hope so¡­¡± I mumbled while still not daring to ask about the future of the merger.


    ¡°Let¡¯s shower and call it a day, shall we? Let¡¯s go to bed¡­¡± Ace asked invitingly.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I readily agreed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. There¡¯s always tomorrow and we can always worry then¡­¡± Ace advised jokingly before heughed a little.


    Hisrge hand ruffled my hair teasingly before I swatted it away yfully. Although we didn¡¯t get to have our dream dinner date together and things were not quite going well for all of us, I could still smile. It made me feel conflicted inside, but I was secretly d because it made me feel like we could get through anything together.


    ¡­


    **The next morning**


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to pick me up¡­¡±


    I woke up the next morning to find out that Ace¡¯s predictions were spot on correct. When we emerged from our bedroom, Elizabeth was already dressed and on the phone in the living room. She nced our way before putting a hand up to wave at us and then her attention returned to her phone call.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll be in the office today. Did you expect me to just ditch my work?¡± she asked sarcastically.


    Her tone was cold, and it was clear that she didn¡¯t quite like what she was hearing on the phone. Whatever hardship and emotional breakdown that she went through yesterday seemed to have passed and she was really back to her old self. At least, that was the way that it seemed to me. Although I knew that a part of what I was seeing was her acting tough, it still made me feel relieved and impressed with her fighting spirit.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 378 The Gap Between Us

    ¡°Like I said, you don¡¯t have to bother picking me up. I¡¯ll go to the office, so if you want to see me, you can see me there,¡± she said before rolling her eyes in apparent annoyance.


    I figured by that time that the poor soul on the other end of the line was no other than her husband, Kyle. Of course, I did not sympathize with him and the treatment that he was receiving from his wife. Elizabeth said a few more words before she hung up the phone.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± Ace greeted her casually.


    ¡°Good morning to you too,¡± she replied while still staring at her phone screen.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± I chimed in.


    ¡°Guess you¡¯re heading back to work?¡± Ace asked.


    ¡°Yes, where else would I go? Thepany doesn¡¯t run itself, unfortunately¡­¡± she said before she shed us a smile.


    The gloom and doom Elizabeth fromst night waspletely gone and the confident Elizabeth was back. At first, I disliked this version of her so much but after seeing her in the state that she was inst night, I had to say that I preferred her this way and I hoped that she would remain this way.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right about that. Don¡¯t overwork yourself and don¡¯t overthink things, ok?¡± Ace suggested with a hint of warning in his tone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to tell me that, but I¡¯ll keep it in mind,¡± she replied.


    Elizabeth shed us a smile before turning away. My eyes widened when I realized that she was leaving already. It just felt very abrupt and worried welled up in my chest.


    ¡°Are you going to leave already? Want some breakfast?¡± Ace asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I have meetings at the office. Thanks for the invitation but I¡¯m not a fan of breakfast. You two, enjoy,¡± she said before waving her hand at us.


    ¡°Good luck!¡± I called after her.


    ¡°I should be a gentleman and escort her out¡­¡± Ace said teasingly.


    ¡°No need for that. Oh, thank you, Rina¡­¡± she said to Ace before she turned to thank me.


    ¡°Oh¡­you¡¯re wee¡­¡± I replied softly while my mind was still struggling to process the fact that she had just thanked me.


    Before I could say anything in response, she offered me a smile and then the doors of the elevator opened, and she stepped inside without turning back. Ace reached for my hand and gave it a little supportive squeeze as we both watched the elevator door close and then Elizabeth was gone from sight.


    ¡°She suddenly turns up here and then she suddenly leaves¡­¡± I murmured softly. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°For a moment there it sounded like you didn¡¯t want her to leave¡­¡± Ace said with a chuckle.


    ¡°I¡¯m just hoping that she¡¯s really ok¡­you know¡­so many things are going on for her and all that¡­¡± I said as my eyes kept staring at the closed elevator door.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine. She¡¯s stronger than you think and if she¡¯s not strong enough, she¡¯ll just have to be stronger,¡± Ace said before he gave my hand another reassuring squeeze.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right about that¡­¡± I murmured in agreement, but I was still worried about her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat breakfast, I¡¯m hungry¡­and I feel like I need coffee¡­¡± Ace said with a hint ofint in his tone.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make coffee¡­¡± I quickly offered as I snapped out of my thoughts.


    The unrushed and peaceful breakfast that we had together that morning was such a sudden change in pace, and it made me question whether the events fromst night really took ce. Ace sat across from me in his regr seat at the dining table while he sipped the coffee that I made for him. His eyes were on his phone as he read through something that I guessed must have been his email. The smell of the simple breakfast that I had prepared drifted in the air around us and made the atmosphere feel so homey.


    It was hard for me to believe that not so long ago, we were having such a tense conversation with Elizabeth that did not bear any good news in the living room. It had been less than an hour after Elizabeth took off from Ace¡¯s ce to go back to her office. As if the fight with her father did not happen, Elizabeth had returned to work to proceed with her life as normal.


    ¡°She¡¯s very impressive¡­¡± I murmured softly to myself.


    ¡°Elizabeth? She is¡­¡± Ace said without taking his eyes off his phone.


    ¡°I wonder if she¡¯s really fine¡­¡± I asked wistfully.


    ¡°Why are you so worried about her? I thought you didn¡¯t really like her¡­¡± Ace said before he shed me a teasing smile.


    I was still quite sure that if I had to pick then I would choose to think that I disliked her more than I liked her; however, I had to acknowledge that what she was going through was extremely tough and I couldn¡¯t quite stop myself from sympathizing with her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­I just hope that she¡¯ll do well. You know, everything just seems so tough on her¡­¡± I said while thinking particrly of her father.


    ¡°She just needs to have another more reasonable talk with her father when both of them calm down. He¡¯s a reasonable person and that¡¯s probably why he¡¯s really pushing Elizabeth to do what is best for herself,¡± Ace said as he put his phone down firmly on the table.


    I could tell that he was referring to her rtionship with Kyle. Although I dated Kyle for two years in secret, looking back, I didn¡¯t quite know a lot about him and his family. From what I could tell, he was from a well-off family. They were above average for sure; however, it probably made sense that his family wasn¡¯t at all on par or anywhere close to the level of the Chase family. From a business perspective and the perspective of an overbearing father, Kyle was clearly not a great choice for Elizabeth to marry.


    ¡°Is it so wrong to be¡­not as rich?¡± I asked in a mumble.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 379 No Other Option

    I wasn¡¯t sure if I wanted a response from Ace or if I was just pondering that question. Kyle wasn¡¯t poor because poor was what I was for the vast majority of my life. He just isn¡¯t as rich as Elizabeth and the Chase family.


    ¡°It¡¯s wrong if you want to marry Chairman Chase¡¯s only daughter. Otherwise, there¡¯s probably nothing wrong with it,¡± Ace replied without even spending time to think about it.


    ¡°I guess¡­¡± I murmured softly.


    I stuffed some sd into my mouth and began munching on the green vegetables although I couldn¡¯t taste much at that point. My mind was too consumed with my own thoughts as I let time slip pass us by in silence. If not being rich was wrong for someone marrying into the Chase family, I wondered if it was also wrong for the Hills¡¯ family as well.


    ¡°What will happen to the merger?¡± I asked in a small voice.


    That was the closest question that I could think of to the question that I truly wanted to ask. I wanted to ask Ace what was going to happen to us but then realized that his father¡¯s eptance of our rtionship depended on the oue of the merger.


    ¡°It will happen,¡± Ace replied before showing me a confident smile.


    ¡°Why are you so sure?¡± I asked before I could stop myself.


    It wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t want to believe in him or the things that he was telling me, but I just couldn¡¯t help but worry. I wasn¡¯t foolishly optimistic enough to believe that everything about the merger would progress and pass smoothly. However, the event that seemed to explodest night was a blow much more devastating than I could have ever imagined or ount for. Even Ace was surprised about this unfortunate and sudden turn of events.


    ¡°Because it has to. The merger has to go through,¡± he replied, and his words sounded absolutely.


    The determination in his eyes when he looked at me stunned me into silence. I didn¡¯t dare say anything anymore about the merger. It felt like I could be punished by him if I still doubted that it would happen. I let out a soft sigh when I realized that Ace was probably right. All I could do was believe in him and the merger because there was no other choice.


    ¡°We could always elope¡­¡± I murmured while wondering if it might actuallye to that eventually.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound so bad¡­¡± Ace replied.


    I found myself smiling when he smiled at me with a teasing look in his eyes. If everything went south, we could just pack out bags and run away. In that moment, having this little n at the back of my mind gave me so muchfort because it was so much better than not getting to see Ace again.


    ¡­


    **A few dayster** <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°Karina¡­Karina¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­yes?¡± I murmured as I blinked rapidly.


    The sound of Richard calling my name snapped me out of my jumbled up thoughts. The look that he shot me told me that he had been calling my name for a while now and I must have looked so spaced out to him. Richard took in a deep breathing before letting out a very loud sigh as he shook his head from side to side with a look of disappointment on his face. I hadn¡¯t been zoned out for no good reason, but I couldn¡¯t tell Richard what was really going on.


    Ace hadn¡¯t updated me about anything rted to the merger and the stillness of the situation made me worry even more than before. As a result of that, it became quite difficult for me to concentrate at work. My mind would drift off here and there just to settle on the conversation that we had with Elizabeth that night when she visited.


    ¡°You should focus on work. I don¡¯t need to tell you this because you should know this already, right?¡± he said sternly.


    I wished that I could tell him that I had very important things on my mind too that concerned the future of thepany. If only I could tell him that, he might just understand me a little more.


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry¡­¡± I apologized because there was no way that I could tell him anything about the merger.


    ¡°Are you sleepy? You¡¯ve been zoned out and staring out into space for a while now. If you¡¯re sleepy, go wash your face,¡± he suggested curtly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll go wash my face¡­and buy coffee¡­¡± I mumbled as I stood up from my seat.


    I could feel his eyes staring at me disapprovingly as I made my way out of the room. The truth was, I was far from sleepy, but I wouldn¡¯t turn down an opportunity to get away from Richard for a short while.


    If only he knew what was going on and what I was going through¡­.


    The rest area in the office was surprisingly empty when I got there after washing my face and touching up my makeup slightly in the toilet. A peaceful moment alone was all that I needed, and I started feeling strangely thankful to Edward for chasing me out to refresh myself. Although I knew that thinking about the merger wasn¡¯t going to solve any problems and that things were pretty much out of my hands, I still couldn¡¯t keep my mind off of it. I wondered how Ace was doing and if any progress had been made with Chairman Chase since that night that Elizabeth stayed over with us.


    After thinking about that, my thoughts naturally wandered to think about Elizabeth¡¯s marriage. Her situation was indeed very tricky and sticky, and I wondered how she was handling that. If she couldn¡¯t get her father to ept their marriage and back off, then she would have toe to a decision sooner orter. I sighed loudly when I thought of how unfair it was that she had to pick between her love life and her career.


    Then again, it wasn¡¯t like everyone could simply have their way and have it all. Unfortunately, life wasn¡¯t that easy.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 380 Inappropriate Closeness

    ¡°Oh, Karina¡­¡±


    A familiar voice called my name from close by. I turned my head to the side to see Jeremy standing there with hisptop in his arms. Just like me, he must be in need of a break as well.


    ¡°Jeremy. Taking a break?¡± I asked while offering him a smile.


    ¡°Yup. You, too?¡± he asked in return.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I replied before forcing a smile.


    ¡°You look stressed out¡­¡± he pointed out as he sat down next to me.


    ¡°Do I? I guess it really shows¡­¡± I murmured while hating how tired I sounded.


    ¡°Richard still giving you troubles?¡± he made a guess.


    It wasn¡¯t Richard, or at least, it wasn¡¯t just Richard. With the other issues weighing on my mind, working with Richard has felt like a walk in the parktely. I might have gotten used to him already, either that or the other bigger problems made all issues rted to Richard seem miniscule inparison.


    ¡°A little¡­it is getting better, though,¡± I replied while apologizing to Richard softly in my head.


    Because I couldn¡¯t tell Jeremy what was truly worrying me, I had to pin the me on Richard. He nodded with understanding as a look of sympathy crept into his face.


    ¡°Should we go out for lunch of dinner together sometime?¡± he asked invitingly.


    ¡°That would be great. I get off work kind ofte and at unpredictable times nowadays, so maybe lunch would be better?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°You can just text me when you¡¯re good for lunch,¡± he replied with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that¡­¡± I said with a slight nod of my head.


    Lunch with Jeremy might just be what I needed to get my mind off my project with Richard and all the other problems that I was aware of. I wished that I could confide in Jeremy about everything that was going on, but I also knew that that wasn¡¯t a viable option. Everything needed to be kept a secret and all that I could do was smile and steer our conversation toward more neutral ground.


    ¡°I think there¡¯s a new restaurant that just opened up close to the stations. Maybe we should give it a try for lunch?¡± I suggested brightly.


    ¡°Really? Sure, I¡¯m not a picky eater,¡± he replied casually.


    ¡°I better get back to work before Richard misses me, you know. I¡¯ll text you soon for lunch,¡± I said as I got up from my seat.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll wait for your text,¡± Jeremy replied before showing me a warm smile.


    ¡­


    My lunch with Jeremy happened much faster than I thought because the day after we made our promise to have lunch together, we were both free for lunch. The new restaurant that opened up near the station turned out to be a very impressive addition to the food options around the office. Unlike thest time that we had lunch together, Jeremy seemed more rxed and chatted with me naturally. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The other change that I realized was that we spoke a lot less about work. Maybe that was because we didn¡¯t have much toin about to each other anymore. It was a good change to talk to him about other topics besides work and I learned a little more about him and his personal life. Although I¡¯ve worked with him before and we spent so much time together, I didn¡¯t know that much about Jeremy and his personal life.


    ¡°My mother is a single mother because my father passed away when I was very young. It was quite tough for us, so yeah¡­¡± I said before trailing off.


    Somehow, we started talking about our family and I learnt that Jeremy was from a loving family and that he had many siblings. I¡¯ve always wondered what it would be like if I had siblings so hearing him tell me about his older sisters and younger brother really drew me in. On my end, I didn¡¯t have many heartwarming stories to tell.


    When we made it back to the office and ran into Richard, I was consumed by a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. The look that he gave me as his gaze flickered from my face to Jeremy¡¯s and then back again made me feel ufortable.


    ¡°Have you had lunch?¡± I asked before trying my best to smile at him.


    ¡°I have. Thanks for asking,¡± Richard replied tly, and I didn¡¯t feel any genuine thanks behind his words.


    ¡°I should go back to my team room now. I¡¯ll see you around, Karina,¡± Jeremy quickly excused himself.


    He must have felt ufortable under Richard¡¯s intense stare as well. Unlike Jeremy, I didn¡¯t have the excuse of going back to join my team to escape from Richard.


    ¡°Should we head back to work too?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°You two seem close¡­¡± hemented as his eyes continued staring into my face.


    We seem¡­close?


    ¡°I guess so. I worked with him for a long while on Project Alpha, so I guess we did get closer¡­¡± I replied before smiling a little.


    The dark look that crossed Richard¡¯s face told me that he wasn¡¯t at all impressed by what he had seen or by what I had just told him. I sat down at my work desk and Richard immediately took the seat next to me. Looking around I could see that most of our team members were not back from lunch break yet and there weren¡¯t that many people in the room besides Richard and me.


    ¡°Karina¡­¡± he said my name softly.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I replied right away.


    ¡°You should be careful,¡± he warned in hushed whisper like he was telling me some secret.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I whispered back although I had no idea why we had to be whispering to each other.


    ¡°You and Jeremy, you both should be careful,¡± he whispered as he stared back into my face.


    ¡°Just because we went out to lunch together?¡± I asked while trying to hold back myself from scoffing at the ridiculousness of the idea.


    I had no idea why Richard was giving me that warning because there could never be anything going on that could even border anything romantic between Jeremy and me.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 381 Inviting Trouble

    We were just colleagues who got closer because we were working together on the same project. I had no idea since when it became a crime for us to have lunch together.


    ¡°You should be careful,¡± he repeated his warning sternly.


    I looked around to make sure that we were not attracting any unnecessary attention from the other people in the room before returning my attention to Richard. This would truly get out of hand if he got the wrong idea.


    ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re getting these ideas just because I went out to lunch with him but there is nothing going on. Thank you for the warning¡­¡± I said in a desperate whisper.


    ¡°Romance between employees is strictly forbidden in thispany. If I were you, I wouldn¡¯t do things that would attract suspicion,¡± he said before shooting me a re.


    I took in a deep breath before letting out a loud sigh. I was certain that there were many other instances of colleagues going out to lunch alone together. Just because we had lunch a couple of times alone and just because we talk now and then at the office doesn¡¯t mean that we were romantically involved.


    ¡°I know that just as well as you do and that¡¯s why I¡¯ve been trying to exin to you that you¡¯ve got it all wrong. He¡¯s just a colleague and a good friend,¡± I repeated defensively.


    ¡°That better be the case because I don¡¯t want to be reporting you two to the HRmittee about something like this,¡± he muttered darkly.


    I wanted to roll my eyes at how ridiculous the situation was. His warning scared me, but it wasn¡¯t because he was concerned about my rtionship with Jeremy. Although Richard didn¡¯t know it, I was in fact dating someone from ourpany. He probably couldn¡¯t imagine that of all the people in thispany, I was dating our CEO. The thought of Richard or anyone else finding out about that made me feel sick inside.


    ¡°You won¡¯t have to report anything. We¡¯re just friends, honestly¡­¡± I said before offering him a smile.


    I prayed with all my might that he would just drop the issue. Richard stared at my face as if he wanted to judge whether or not I was lying. I felt extremely ufortably but managed to stand my ground by not breaking eye contact with him. After a short moment that seemed to stretch on forever, Richard let out a sigh and looked away.


    ¡°I¡¯ll believe you for now, but you should take my advice and be more thoughtful about your actions,¡± Richard advised with a serious look on his face.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll be more mindful¡­¡± I replied in a small voice. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    I had to admit that his warnings may really be for my benefit. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was hard for someone like Richard to voice his concerns directly like that, but it would have been hard had it been someone else. I couldn¡¯t imagine initiating such a hard conversation like this with any of my colleagues. It hadn¡¯t urred to me until that moment that he was probably doing this for my own good. If push truly came to shove, as thepany¡¯s employees, we were expected to report misconduct of our colleagues to HR.


    Richard shot me another look of warning before he turned his attention back to his work without saying anything more on that topic. Just as suddenly as the conversation started, it came to an abrupt end. I let out a silent sigh of relief when I realized that the storm was now over. I spent the rest of the day feeling slightly conflicted and depressed. I never thought that anyone would read into my rtionship with Jeremy that way. Of course, I had no romantic feelings toward him, and I truly believed that he felt the same way. I enjoyed spending time with Jeremy so much during our lunch breaks that I didn¡¯t want to stop seeing him.


    Regardless, I told myself that I had to be more careful. Maybe I could find a way to spend time with him that wouldn¡¯t cause any misunderstandings. One of the best ways might be to stop going out to lunch or spending time with him alone.


    ¡­


    Juggling between my working for the project that I was staffed on, and the tasks required of me as Ace¡¯s personal secretary did get easier as the days went by. At first, I truly struggled during the earlier days of Project Alpha. From learning and experience, I have improved quite a lot in managing both workstreams. I could proudly say that I was a lot more efficient at my secretarial work and that it didn¡¯t take me as long as it took me before and that meant that I could focus more of my efforts on the project for my client.


    ¡°How are things going?¡± I asked although I only had one thing that I wanted to ask about and that was the merger.


    I never dared voice that word on the premises of the office even if I was alone with Ace in his personal office. It just felt too risky and supposedly the walls have eyes and doors have ears. If this were to leak out, the damage would be way beyond repair.


    ¡°It¡¯s stillplicated. It¡¯s sad, but there¡¯s not much progress¡­¡± Ace admitted before showing me a tight smile.


    Although not that much time had passed since Elizabeth stayed over with us, I had expected her to clear things up with her father right away after returning home. It just didn¡¯t feel like her to keep things unsettled for too long. Maybe her father was the one being difficult again. I couldn¡¯t ignore the possibility that Elizabeth might be indecisive in choosing between giving up Kyle or the merger.


    ¡°Well, I hope there will be some progress soon. How is Elizabeth?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°She¡¯s holding up quite fine, much better than I thought. You don¡¯t have to worry, she¡¯ll figure something out,¡± he replied before winking at me.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 382 Bright Idea

    ¡°Are you going out today?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll be here to clear up some work. I¡¯m leaving things on that end in Elizabeth¡¯s hands for now until I hear back from her again,¡± Ace replied before showing me a warm smile.


    ¡°Alright, then. Please try to make it to your meetings on time. I¡¯ll be heading over to my project room now if there¡¯s nothing else¡­¡± I said politely as I switched into my secretarial mode.


    ¡°Good luck, Rina. Enjoy your day at work,¡± Ace said before he smiled at me again.


    ¡°Thanks, you too,¡± I replied simply.


    The outlook for the day did not look bleak at all. Everything seemed bright enough although there were always uncertainties around us. I had a spring in my steps when I left Ace¡¯s office to go to my project room where Richard was undoubtedly waiting for me. I told myself once again that I would work hard, do my best, and impress Richard one way or another.


    Seeing Richard reminded me a little of the warning that he gave me. It bothered me that someone might have misunderstood the friendship that I shared with Jeremy. Although it troubled me, I did not bring this topic up to Ace simply because I thought that it wasn¡¯t at all that important. There was also the risk that Ace might also misunderstand and then we might get into apletely unnecessary argument.


    When it was almost time for lunchtime, I found myself taking peeks at my phone with the hope that Ace would send me a text. Since he was in the office for the day, I thought that it might be possible for us to sneak a private lunch together at his office. My first two tries did not bring any rewarding discovery but my third time peaking at my phone showed that there was a message.


    ¡®Are you free for lunch? It can be my treat!¡¯


    There was a message on my phone, but it wasn¡¯t a message from Ace. The joyful tone of the message reminded me of its sender. If this had happened before that conversation that I had with Richard, I wouldn¡¯t have felt anything about it. However, the invitation out for lunch that I received from Jeremy had me feeling troubled.


    ¡°Karina¡­¡± Edward called my name.


    ¡°Y-Yes?¡± I asked as I turned quickly to face him.


    I wondered if he saw the message on my phone screen and then realized that it was impossible for him to read anything from where he was sitting.


    ¡°Your friend is here to see you,¡± he said with a strange emphasis on the word ¡®friend¡¯.


    He pointed toward the door of our work room and soon I saw that he was right about me having a visitor. Jeremy was standing there with a friendly smile on his face. While I wondered how he got here so fast since I just saw his message on my phone, I realized from the time stamp on the message that he had actually sent the message around ten minutes ago. Since I didn¡¯t reply, he must havee along to check up on me.


    ¡°Right. Umm¡­we¡¯re going out for lunch¡­¡± I stammered although I tried to tell myself to stay calm.


    It¡¯s just lunch¡­there¡¯s nothing wrong with it¡­


    Richard gave me a challenging look as he narrowed his eyes at me. His words of warning came back so clearly to me inside my head; however, Jeremy was already standing there in front of me. I wasn¡¯t sure how to get myself out of that situation. Of course, I could tell him a lie like I had work to do and couldn¡¯t go out to have lunch with him, but I didn¡¯t want to lie especially when I didn¡¯t need to. Furthermore, even if I could lie to him to avoid having lunch with him today, what would I tell him next time?


    ¡°Richard¡­umm¡­do you want to join us for lunch?¡± I asked before mustering the most sweet and pleading smile that I could. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Everything would be solved if I didn¡¯t go out to have lunch with Jeremy alone, right?


    ¡°Why would I go out to lunch with you guys?¡± he asked like it was the most outrageous idea in the world.


    ¡°Well, I want to treat you to thank you for always helping me¡­I guess¡­¡± I replied with the most pleasing answer that I could think of.


    I smiled hopefully at him again. Honestly, I did not think that it was a bad deal. I was even willing to throw in money to pay for his meal as well, although I doubt that he was running on a tight budget like I was.


    ¡°Sure¡­but I get to pick the restaurant,¡± he replied before grinning evilly at me.


    Suddenly, I felt like I had made a decision that my poor bank ount was going to suffer for. Despite that, I quickly nodded my head enthusiastically in agreement before Richard would change his mind.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Thank you so much¡­¡± I thanked him.


    ¡°I¡¯m only going because you¡¯re offering to pay,¡± he muttered.


    I had no idea whether that was true or not, but I chose to be optimistic and believe that Richard was doing this out of the pureness in his heart to help out a colleague in desperate need.


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Jeremy greeted me.


    ¡°Hi¡­¡± I replied.


    The smile on his face evaporated right in front of my eyes when Richard came to stand next to me. Jeremy seemed instantly confused and I didn¡¯t me him for his reaction.


    ¡°Umm¡­Richard is going to join us for lunch today. I thought that it would be great for the three of us to eat together¡­¡± I said before Iughed to hide my nervousness.


    ¡°Oh, sure. It¡¯ll be good for us to have lunch together¡­¡± Jeremy replied while still looking quite confused.


    ¡°Yea, I think so too. Anyways, I think Richard knows a good restaurant, so he¡¯ll take us there¡­¡± I said before smiling at both of them.


    Just like that, the three of us ended up having lunch together.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 383 Odd Group

    It was probably the first time that the three of us went out to lunch together out of our own free will. It was strange but after spending months working together, we had never gone out to lunch together in our free time. The tense atmosphere that seemed to drift around us as we sat down together at the table in the center of the restaurant was clear evidence of that fact.


    The restaurant was busy since it was lunchtime and I had never been so thankful to have all the other tables filled with people before. I had a feeling that the awkwardness between the three of us would just get worse had we been the only patrons in the restaurant on that day.


    ¡°Umm¡­should we order?¡± I asked hesitantly after we had been staring at our menus for a while in silence.


    It wasn¡¯t like I had made up my mind about what to order but that was the only thing that I could think of to break the silence. At that point, I didn¡¯t think that it mattered anymore what I ordered for lunch because I was sure that I wasn¡¯t going to enjoy the food unless I could find a way to turn the mood of our strangebination of a group around.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jeremy replied in short.


    Richard didn¡¯t even bother to answer or react to my question. I waved a waitress over to join us at our table and we ced our orders with her. The moment that the waitress left, silence settled between us again. I should have known that inviting Richard would kill the fun, but it just seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Although I wasn¡¯t at all convinced that having lunch alone with Jeremy could spark any rumors or cause any trouble for us, it still felt better to be safe rather than sorry. If anyone doubted anything was going on between me and Jeremy at that point, it would probably be Richard who had so tantly raised his concern. The simplest solution to that was to prove him wrong by inviting him out to lunch with us.


    ¡°How is your project going?¡± I asked Jeremy while trying my best not to sound too friendly.


    ¡°Well, enough, I guess¡­¡± he replied vaguely.


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s good¡­¡± Imented nkly.


    Richard stuffed food in his mouth and didn¡¯t join in in our conversation, but I could feel that he was paying attention to us. The conversation that I tried so hard to start died down almost immediately despite my efforts. I chewed on my food as I wondered how to strike up a conversation that could involve both Jeremy and Richard. It didn¡¯t take me long to realize that a topic like that probably did not exist. Richard did not show any signs at all that he was bothered by the silence as he continued eating.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since Project Alpha ended. It was such a challenging project, and we went through so much but now that it¡¯s over, I find myself missing it and also the team members too,¡± I said before smiling.


    In the end, the only thing that I coulde up with that the three of us had inmon was the fact that we were all staffed on Project Alpha.


    ¡°I guess it has been a while. Feels like it was just yesterday that we were out in the fields with the production team and filming crew,¡± Jeremy said as he seemed to recall that day.


    ¡°The dogs were really cute, weren¡¯t they?¡± I asked before giggling a little.


    I could still clearly remember the dogs that were part of the cast for ourmercial. Jeremy nodded as he smiled at me. I nced over at Richard and wasn¡¯t at all surprised at how emotionless his face was. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°It¡¯s great that we won at the end. When we found that that our storyboard had been stolen, I almost fainted, honestly. Even though Ace and I had a backup n, I still felt ready to faint,¡± Jeremy admitted with augh.


    ¡°Really? You both looked so confident that I couldn¡¯t tell at all,¡± I replied with genuine surprise.


    ¡°Was that how it looked to you?¡± Jeremy asked with a smallugh.


    It was the first time that he seemed to be enjoying himself even if it was just a little ever since lunch started and it made me feel slightly relieved. Richard seemed to be paying some attention to our conversation now as well.


    ¡°I really miss our team. I hope everyone is doing well on their new projects,¡± I said as I thought of my other colleagues.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯re doing fine. We should arrange for a dinner or something so that we can all get together,¡± Jeremy suggested.


    ¡°Yes! That is an awesome idea,¡± I readily agreed while sounding very excited.


    ¡°Before you start worrying about other people and their projects, why don¡¯t you worry about yourself and your project?¡± Richard reminded me before staring at me coldly.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right about that, but I do have you worrying about me enough already,¡± I said before showing him a smile.


    I was used to his cold attitude and words enough by then not to let it get to me personally. In my mind, I told myself that Richard means well regardless of how he phrases things. I also knew that he had agreed toe alone although there was no real need for him to. There was no way that I could force him so I was sure that he was here for my sake so that there wouldn¡¯t be any unnecessary rumors.


    ¡°We better head back. I don¡¯t want to bete,¡± Richard said as he ced his fork down firmly.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get the bill,¡± I said with a smile.


    After paying the bill, the three of us made our way back to the office. The walk was pleasant with a decent amount of wind although it was slightly crowded.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 384 Sudden Mayhem

    There were manyrge office buildings in the area and people take lunch break around the same time of the day, so it was to be expected and I had nothing toin about. Just getting to have a proper lunch with my colleagues already felt great. Although it started off as quite a big challenge, I think that the lunch ended decently well, and I was kind of d to have lunch with Richard. Maybe I could get closer to him and learn more from him just as Ace had suggested when he staffed me on this project.


    We were very close to the office when I felt my phone vibrating in the pocket of my suit. One look at the screen and I found out that the call was from Ace. My first thought was that the call might be about something urgent at work and that made me answer the call immediately.


    ¡°Ace?¡± I said his name questioningly.


    ¡°Where are you?¡± he asked, and his tone felt rushed.


    ¡°Umm¡­¡± I murmured.


    ¡°Where are you right now?¡± he repeated his question, this time with more urgency than before.


    Something about his tone told me that something was wrong. Ace usually did not sound so flustered and disturbed like this. For a moment, I wondered if I was in trouble or if I had done something to make him mad. It was strange because no matter how much I racked my brain for a possible reason for him to react like this, I couldn¡¯te up with anything.


    ¡°I¡¯m...walking back to the office from lunch¡­¡± I replied softly.


    ¡°Don¡¯te back. Just go home,¡± Ace said loud and clear through the phone.


    I had no idea what he was talking about at that point. His instructions sounded very serious, but I didn¡¯t understand it at all. The workday was far from over and I had a lot of work to do, there was no way that I could just go home.


    Why do I have to go home?


    ¡°Go home?¡± I asked with clear confusion.


    ¡°Yes, go home. Go back to your ce and not my ce,¡± he instructed hurriedly.


    ¡°Is something the matter¡­?¡± I asked in a small voice although I already knew that something was wrong.


    I froze in my tracks as I stood on the opposite side of the road from where our office building was. Since we had walked all the time while I was on the phone with Ace, we had arrived right opposite our office building. Richard and Jeremy stood frozen to my side as we all stared at the unusual crowd in front of the office building. There wasn¡¯t supposed to be any big event that would draw a crowd of reporters this big as far as I was aware of. What I saw in front of me and the call from Ace told me without any trace of doubt that something had gone very wrong during the short period that I was out having lunch with my two colleagues.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I whispered his name as I took in the scene unfolding before me.


    ¡°Go home, Rina,¡± he repeated and this time his tone was an absolutemand.


    I need to go home¡­but what about Ace?


    ¡°Where are you?¡± I asked in a shaky voice as my eyes travelled up the height of the building. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°I¡¯m in my office,¡± Ace replied to confirm the answer that I had already known and feared.


    ¡°You need to get out¡­¡± I murmured as I tried to suppress my feelings of panic.


    I had no idea what was going on, but if my gut feeling was correct, I was sure that the swarm of reporters in front of the building was here for Ace. As for why they were here for Ace, I had no clue, but from the tone of his voice, I was sure that it was nothing great.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯re not here to kill me. Just head home and wait for me to contact you,¡± Ace said while sounding quite carefree.


    ¡°Wait!¡± I quickly said but it was already toote.


    I removed my phone from the side of my face and stared at the screen after the line had disconnected.


    ¡°Something big must have happened¡­¡± Jeremy said from close to me.


    ¡°Is the CEO, ok? He just gave you a call, right?¡± Richard asked observantly.


    I did say Ace¡¯s name out loud a few times, so it was no wonder that they figured out who I was conversing with on the phone. Since Ace sounded so worried and troubled when he called, I hadpletely forgotten that I wasn¡¯t alone. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t recall saying anything that would give away our secret rtionship.


    ¡°I think he¡¯s fine. He just gave me some instructions to run an errand for him, so I¡¯ll be leaving for the day¡­¡± I replied with the best cover up that I could think of.


    ¡°I guess that can¡¯t be helped,¡± Richard muttered.


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry. I can still work, though, so if there¡¯s something that you need me to do by today, you can just email it over,¡± I told him with a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I doubt anything would take precedence over the CEO¡¯s orders,¡± Richard replied with a serious look on his face.


    If only he knew that I was just ordered to go home for the day, I wonder what kind of face he would make. I stared up at the office building to the top floor where I now knew that Ace was. This was far from the first time that something like this had happened, so I didn¡¯t know why I felt so worried all of a sudden. Arge group of security guards were out already to secure the perimeter of the building.


    ¡°Can we even get back in there? This is such a hassle¡­¡± Jeremy started toin.


    ¡°There¡¯s a staff-only entry at the back. It¡¯s really a walk away but I guess we have no choice,¡± Edward replied thoughtfully.


    ¡°Guess we¡¯ll have to use that entrance. Hopefully, the guards haven¡¯t sealed it off,¡± Jeremy said before he heaved a sigh.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 385 Rekindle Flame

    Our little lunch outing had quite an unexpected ending. The two men began talking about something rted to the crowd in front of the building but what they said was lost to me as I began to worry more about Ace.


    ¡°I should get going. I¡¯ll see you guyster,¡± I said as I took a step away from them.


    ¡°Right, good luck with your errand,¡± Jeremy said before shing me a smile.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I thanked him before turning to nod at Richard.


    Without any hesitation, I turned and walked away from them and away from the office. I had no idea what was going on and I was scared, confused, and extremely worried. Despite all that, I realized that if Ace had bothered to give me a call while all this hell had broken loose, then the best that I could do for him was to follow his instruction and as soon as possible. I walked away as fast as I could as I controlled my urge to turn back and stare at our office building. My hand clenched around my phone tightly as I prayed for Ace to be fine. Although I was curious about why so many reporters were gathered in front of our office, I decided to bury my curiosity and walk away.


    I was too worried that I didn¡¯t quite remember anything in detail about my journey back to my ce. The familiar scent of home filled my nostrils when I entered the room. After closing and locking the door behind me, I felt slightly better to be in a familiar environment. I had not heard from Ace since the call that he had given me, and my worries were quickly spiraling out of control.


    After sitting down on my bed, I took out my phone and began browsing through the inte. If that many reporters were gathered, then something would have hit the news already. There must be something online that would at least give me a clue about what was happening. My hunch was right, and it took no time at all for me to find what I was looking for.


    My face suddenly felt cold and numb as I rapidly scrolled through countless articles that featured pretty much the same news just written in different ways. The photos featured told me the whole story without having to read the entire article. Although it was not clear, the photos were definitely of Ace and Elizabeth getting out of the car together and then there were many photos of them entering Ace¡¯s building. There were also other photos of them together that seemed to have been taken in secret by the paparazzi.


    All the articles spected that the two of them had rekindled their rtionship with the photos as proof. The details even went as far as to describe their dinner dates and how he took her back to his ce. If I wasn¡¯t with them the night that those photos of them entering the building together, then I would have gotten the wrong idea about them too. Although the photos weren¡¯t super clear, I could make out the same outfit that Elizabeth had on that night that Ace brought her back to his ce with him after she had a fight with her father about the merger and her rtionship with Kyle. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Before I knew it, I was clenching my teeth together and then a growl of frustration escaped from me. At least, this time, I was certain that it was all just a misunderstanding. However, I also knew that this news was nothing but trouble. I was sure that whoever wrote the articles had no idea what was really going on, but this was definitely a great story that would attract a lot of attention. All articles recapped their past rtionship and their engagement before they finally decided to end it and call off their engagement. The buzz had all returned and every article spected that the two of them would get engaged again.


    Ace probably knew about this already and this must be the reason why he had ordered me to return to my ce. I could definitely bet that Ace¡¯s ce was swarming with reporters right now as well. I sighed again when I realized that the average person would probablye to believe that the two of them were now back together if they saw these misleading photos. It was hard to believe that they were being stalked by the paparazzi but that was clearly the case.


    It was a messy affair on top of all the troubles that we were already facing but I tried to tell myself that it wasn¡¯t the biggest deal in the world. Ace just needed toe out and deny it along with Elizabeth and that would bring an end to it all. The most surprising thing that I found was that the articles seemed to disregardpletely Elizabeth¡¯s marriage to Kyle. He wasn¡¯t at all mentioned and this new rtionship between the Ace and Elizabeth wasn¡¯t tantly condemned as an affair.


    I didn¡¯t need to read between the lines to sense that many of the articles seemed to be cheering them on. Double standards really do exist, and for a moment, I started to feel anger boiling up inside of me. Although everything written in the article was far from the truth, it didn¡¯t sit well with me how the article made it sound like every living soul on the thought that the two were perfect for each other and that everyone hoped that they would get engaged again and eventually get married. It didn¡¯t seem to matter to them that Elizabeth was already married or that Ace wasn¡¯t in love with her.


    It''s all just gossip for attention¡­


    Even though I should have known that better than anything, I still couldn¡¯t stop it from ruining my mood and causing me to worry. Time and time again, I told myself that it was just worthless gossip and there was absolutely no truth behind it.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 386 Dark Isolation

    Turning on the television just made matters worse. Live broadcasts on the television and on social media channels were not difficult to find and I could watch the situation in front of my office building. It had been a while since I got home but the crowd had not thinned and there were no signs of anyoneing out of the building to address the crowd. The building¡¯s security team was present to control the situation but that was it.


    I wondered if Ace was still in the office or if he had managed to use another exit to make his way out. Usually, Ace wouldn¡¯t panic over something like this, but his tone of voice revealed that this matter had shaken him and that made me even more worried than usual. I knew by that time that I was a pro at overthinking and getting paranoid about everything; however, the sickening feeling that developed in the pit of my stomach told me that there was something lurking beneath the surface that no one knew about.


    What if someone is behind this sudden development in the media?


    But who would it be and what could they want?


    I stared at my phone as ity lifelessly next to me. Ace had not made an attempt to contact me, and I didn¡¯t dare give him a call either. After staring at the television for a while, I switched it off when I realized that nothing good woulde out of consuming unreliable news. It was better for me to wait out the storm and wait for Ace to give me a call. Once he gets himself out of there or he figures out how to deal with the situation, I was sure that he would get in touch with me.


    I just have to sit tight and be patient¡­


    Afterying down on my back on my bed, I lifted a hand and ced the back of it on my forehead before heaving a loud sigh. My apartment room was silent again after I had turned off the television, but I thought that it helped me to focus my mind. Once again, I realized just howxed we had beentely about keeping our rtionship a secret. I came and went to and from Ace¡¯s ce like it was nothing. Instead of Elizabeth, I could have been caught on camera with Ace on any random day when we were there together. Since our discussion about having me move in with him, I had spent more nights with him there based on our agreement and that could have given the paparazzi multiple opportunities to take photos of us.


    But that didn¡¯t happen¡­


    My brows drew into a knot so tight that it hurt, and I had to use my fingertips to pull them apart. An uneasy feeling filled my chest and I felt even more restless than before. Time ticked by too slowly for my liking and I wondered what was happening to Ace right now. I hated how helpless and useless I was at that moment. By sending me home, Ace made it clear that he didn¡¯t want to get me involved in whatever this was. I closed my eyes and started to pray that this storm would pass and soon because that seemed like the only thing that I could do at that time.


    ¡®Have you seen the news?¡¯


    My phone vibrated and the light from the screen caught my attention. I nced over to read the message that had appeared on my phone¡¯s screen. The first thing I felt was disappointment because the message wasn¡¯t from Ace. I sighed when I saw that the message was from Kyle and then I figured out that I wasn¡¯t at all surprised like I had half expected him to get in touch with me. From thest time that Elizabeth slept over at Ace¡¯s ce, I had no idea if she even bothered to tell her husband that things have taken a turn for the worse for their rtionship.


    I did consider the possibility that Kyle may have been kept in the dark. Although I knew how lonely and isted that could feel, I didn¡¯t sympathize much with him if at all. I didn¡¯t even want to imagine how he would feel if he found out about this from the news and didn¡¯t know what was really going on. If I were Elizabeth, I would never tell Kyle about the merger because he couldn¡¯t be trusted.


    ¡®Yes,¡¯ I replied in short before hitting the send button. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    I wondered how long their rtionship wouldst without much trust between them and then I started to wonder if that was one of the reasons why Ace wanted the two of them to break up. My phone started to vibrate, and this time Kyle was calling me instead of simply sending me a text message. I hesitated before deciding to answer his call.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked coldly.


    ¡°What is going on? You¡¯ve seen the news, right?¡± he asked, and he sounded angry and panicked at the same time.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve seen it¡­¡± I replied without much emotion.


    ¡°It¡¯s not true, is it?¡± he asked, and I felt like he was about to lose his mind.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask your wife?¡± I asked before letting out an exasperated sigh.


    ¡°Because she doesn¡¯t tell me anything!¡± he shouted so loud that I had to hold my phone away from the side of my face to preserve my eardrums.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to take your anger out on me, I¡¯m hanging up¡­¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± he quickly said, and I could hear him sighing.


    It seemed like my guess about Elizabeth keeping him in the dark about everything might be right judging from his reaction. I wasn¡¯t sure if I should tell him what I knew at least about the fact that there didn¡¯t seem to be anything going on between his wife and Ace beyond their business deal. When a small grin formed on my lips, I came to the sudden realization that I probably just didn¡¯t want to.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 387 Say It Isnt So

    Although I couldn¡¯t see him, I could imagine Kyle squirming and suffering endlessly through that. While I wouldn¡¯t call myself a sadist, it did amuse me to see him suffer. Unfortunately for him, there seemed to be a very dark spot in my heart, and I must have been a mean person. I could have easily told him something to reassure him, but I didn¡¯t feel the slightest urge to say anything that would ease his pain or worries.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything. Maybe, just like you, I¡¯m just Ace¡¯s ything. So, he doesn¡¯t tell me much. If you want to know anything, you should just ask your wife...or you can simply just watch the news,¡± I replied lightly.


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± he growled, and I could feel his anger.


    A part of me wished that I could see his face at that moment. Even though I knew that I had nothing to gain from his apparent suffering apart from my own satisfaction, I still couldn¡¯t find it in me to help him.


    ¡°My name is Karina,¡± I replied coldly.


    I did wonder what else he had to say to me, but I didn¡¯t wait long enough on the line to find out. Before he could say anything else, I just hung up. It was sad but I had to admit that he wasn¡¯t the one facing problems, I had problems of my own to deal with as well.


    When will Ace get in touch with me?


    The seconds turned to minutes and then the minutes turned to hours. Time passed by painfully slowly and it took a lot of self-control to suppress the urge to bite on my nails. Waiting for Ace never felt this torturous before. Unlike the times before when I doubted him, this time I was consumed with my worry for him. Whatever Ace was facing wasn¡¯t something pleasant and I felt like a failure for not being there by his side even though I am hiding away based on his orders. I just wished that there was something more that I could do for him.


    It was quitete in the evening when I heard the sound of my doorbell ringing. Immediately, I jumped out of my bed and headed for the door. Ace told me that he would get in touch with me, but I had not received a call from him. That was precisely why I was pleasantly surprised to find Ace standing right in front of my door.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I said his name in a breathless whisper when I opened the door wide to greet him.


    ¡°May Ie in?¡± he asked teasingly before shing me a charming smile.


    If I hadn¡¯t known about all the chaos that was going on, I would have been tempted to believe that it was just any other normal evening and Ace was just paying a surprise visit to my room. The fact that he seemed to be fine and in one piece filled me with relief. Although it wasn¡¯t like Ace went out to war in the practical sense, it still felt pretty much like it.


    ¡°Yes. Pleasee in,¡± I replied as my eyes kept staring at his face as if to make sure that he was real and that he was really here with me.


    After Ace entered the room, I couldn¡¯t help but look up and down the hallway to make sure that no one was there and that no one had seen us. I felt so alert and that made me feel like we were criminals on the run although we hadn¡¯t done anything wrong. I hated it and it made me feel like I was ready to go crazy at any moment from my consuming worries. Without wasting any more time, I closed the door and quickly locked it.


    ¡°Is everything ok?¡± I asked the first question that came to mind before regretting just how stupid it sounded. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Of course, everything wasn¡¯t at all ¡®ok¡¯.


    Ace had made himself quitefortable as he sat on the side of my bed. I watched as he slowly shrugged off his suit. He seemed tired but apart from that, it looked as though there was nothing off about him.


    ¡°Come here, Rina,¡± he said before he smiled a little my way.


    I was too worried about him to do anything and ended up just standing there and staring at him. His invitation got me moving and I approached the bed before sitting down next to him.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name softly and my voice was filled with worry.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look so worried. This isn¡¯t the first time that the media is just trying to attract attention with fake news and gossip,¡± Ace said before showing me a reassuring smile.


    I stared up at his face while thinking that it wasn¡¯t easy for me to stop worrying. If I could control my state of mind perfectly like magic, then life wouldn¡¯t be so hard or so painful at times. It hurt me that Ace had tofort me on top of dealing with his own problems. Regardless, I appreciated the warmth of his hand as he stroked my back gently tofort me.


    ¡°It¡¯s not true¡­right?¡± I asked just to make sure.


    ¡°Did you worry that it might be?¡± he asked in return before he chuckled softly.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I whispered his name.


    Without warning, Ace suddenly wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a tight embrace. The warmth of his chest against my cheek made me smile a little despite the dire situation that we were in. I didn¡¯t think that there was something going on between him and Elizabeth, but I couldn¡¯t stop myself from asking him.


    If nothing else, I probably just wanted to hear him say it to put all doubts to rest. After seeing Elizabeth so miserable because of her father and his disapproval of her marriage to Kyle, I could sense that she did not have any romantic feelings towards Ace. They had a special rtionship that I didn¡¯t fully understand but I was certain that it bordered more on a sibling¡¯s love and respect for each other.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 388 Pulling The Strings

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that this happened, and you have to worry so much,¡± Ace apologized softly.


    His hand moved to stroke my hair while I listened to his steady heartbeat. The regr rhythm of his hand stroking my hair and the sureness of his presence helped to calm me down.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault so why are you apologizing?¡± I asked as I hugged him a little tighter to me.


    ¡°We should have been more careful, Elizabeth and I¡­¡± he replied calmly.


    ¡°The photos were of that night when you two came back together, right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right but then there are many others as well. Of course, all of them taken out of context¡­¡± Ace said before letting out a sigh that sounded so regretful.


    I agreed that when taken out of context the photos of them together made them look like the perfect couple. Given the history that they were engaged before, I could understand that people would have biased view when seeing those photos. Photos of them sitting together or just walking side-by-side could be misinterpreted given how biased people were already from the fact that they shared a past rtionship. On top of everything else, the public probably did not know that Ace and Elizabeth were never truly romantically involved.


    ¡°It¡¯s just so ridiculous how far they would go just to produce gossip to attract people¡¯s attention,¡± I said before having a sigh.


    ¡°It is¡­¡± Ace agreed readily although he didn¡¯t sound upset.


    He seemed to be so used to it and I found that fact so depressing. It must have been hard living almost his entire life in the spotlight and I began to really wonder if all those things that I¡¯ve read or heard in the news about Ace were true at all. For the time being, I decided to believe in the man that was holding me tightly in his arms. My eyes narrowed when I thought of the perfect timing of this rumor that was spreading around like wildfire and the fact that Ace¡¯s rtionship with Elizabeth was being highlighted although I was the one that spent more time with Ace.


    Was it simply just because our rtionship made the rounds once already and wouldn¡¯t attract as much attention as before, so they had to find another target? Was that it?


    My eyes narrowed in suspicion as my body stiffened in Ace¡¯s arms. He must have sensed the change in me because his hand stopped stroking my hair and then he loosened his arms from around my body. That gave me the opportunity to sit up in his arms so that I could look up into his face.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I whispered his name as I tried my best to gather my thoughts and find the right words.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m just over thinking things but¡­don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s a little strange?¡± I asked before I paused a little.


    ¡°What¡¯s strange?¡± he inquired, and I could tell that I had his full attention. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°Well, Elizabeth dide to your ce once, but I¡¯ve beening over to your ce so often especiallytely. So, I was wondering why they never took photos of me or of us together¡­¡± I told him what was guing my mind.


    Ace was silent for a moment as we stared deeply into each other¡¯s eyes. If eyes were really the windows to someone¡¯s soul, then at that moment, Ace¡¯s soul seemed to be calm and at peace.


    ¡°So, you did realize as well¡­¡± he said before smiling a little at me.


    The way he smiled at me and the way his handnded softly on top of my head made me feel like he wasplimenting me for realizing. Ace chuckled softly after smiling at me and I wondered what he found so amusing when I was trying to be serious about all this.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I murmured as the nagging feeling at the back of my mind became stronger.


    ¡°I thought that it was strange as well that something like this had to happen just when we¡¯re in the middle of discussing the merger. The timing just seems too perfect, and it hasn¡¯t been long since Elizabeth had that fall out with her father,¡± Ace stated his observations before he grinned wryly at me.


    The knot in the pit of my stomach twisted and a sense of dread came over me when I thought that my suspicions may be spot on after all. Ace was right about the timing being too perfect. That and the way that the press seemed so focus on digging up things between him and Elizabeth and then there was that fight that they had with Chairman Chase.


    ¡°Do you honestly think that her father did this? Really?¡± I asked after I gasped from shock.


    How could he go that far just to pressure his own daughter into doing what he wanted?


    Although I thought that it was highly probable, I just didn¡¯t want to believe it. There was no proof but if he was the one pulling the strings behind this, then everything would fall into ce and make sense. At that time, I didn¡¯t fully understand why the chairman would do such a thing and how that would help him get what he ultimately wanted; however, it would exin perfectly why there were no gossip regarding the rtionship that I had with Ace.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure, and I don¡¯t have any proof. But if I had to make a guess, then I¡¯ll bet that he¡¯s the one behind this,¡± Ace replied.


    ¡°Does Elizabeth know about this already?¡± I asked while wondering how she would feel to learn that her father might be the one behind this.


    ¡°She does. Well, I know that she shares the same suspicion that I do. She¡¯s probably confronting her father right now¡­¡± he replied before pressing his lips together and staring deeply into my eyes.


    ¡°Oh¡­that¡¯s¡­¡± I murmured without knowing what to say toment on the harsh situation that Elizabeth was undoubtedly going through.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 389 Baseless Speculation

    ¡°She¡¯s not the type to just sit down silently and take it so I¡¯m sure that she¡¯s demanding for the truth from her father as we speak,¡± he said before letting out a long sigh.


    ¡°It¡¯s just so hard for me to believe that he would go this far. It¡¯s just crazy¡­¡± Iined outrightly.


    ¡°It may seem so to you but it¡¯s not unusual to get the press and the public involved to apply pressure,¡± Ace stated like it waspletely normal.


    ¡°But¡­why would he do that to his own daughter? It¡¯s not going to help with anything, will it?¡± I asked as I failed to connect the dots together.


    ¡°He¡¯s probably doing this as a way to pressure Elizabeth to dissolve her marriage¡­¡± Ace surmised simply.


    It can¡¯t be¡­


    I hadn¡¯t realized that I had been chewing down hard on my lower lip until a wave of pain shot through my senses. The truth was just too sad for me to ept. I didn¡¯t care about Kyle, but I thought that it was too harsh for Elizabeth to be ced in a situation like that. When I first heard of their n regarding the merger, I never could have imagined that things would get this messy or this far out of hand.


    ¡°What¡¯s going to happen? What are you going to do?¡± I asked as I felt a frown form in between my brows.


    ¡°I¡¯ll wait a little while to see how things turn out and also for the storm to past, at least on the public front¡­¡± Ace replied without pausing to think.


    He must have thought this through already even beforeing over here to my ce. His arms around my body tightened as if he wanted me to feel safe. It was probably the right choice at the time to wait and see rather than acting recklessly without more information. As far as I was aware, neither Ace nor Elizabeth nor theirpany representatives had given a public statement to address the rumors.


    ¡°That might be for the best¡­¡± I murmured in agreement.


    ¡°We should wait until we hear back from Elizabeth. Her father may or may not be involved. We don¡¯t know that for sure right now,¡± he reminded me.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s all just spection at this point,¡± I mumbled softly with a nod of my head to show him that I fully understood what he was saying.


    We both fell into silence for a while as we seemed lost in our own thoughts. Ace still held me in his arms and his hand moved to stroke my back. The feeling of hisrge hand stroking my back while he held me in his strong arms gave me strength andforted me. I also thought and hoped that stroking me and holding me may serve as a source offort for him.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name softly after a while.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± he made an inquiring sound that urged me to go on with what I wanted to say.


    ¡°What do you think Elizabeth will do? Will she really break up with Kyle?¡± I asked in a small voice as I feared the worst.


    I could tell that she was truly on the fence. It must be hard for her to decide between the two, but I couldn¡¯t see her giving up her career and all that she worked hard for. I could have been biased because I could no longer see what was good in Kyle or why she should be desperately holding onto him. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°There¡¯s probably no other way if she wants the merger to go through,¡± he replied solemnly.


    ¡°Do you really mean it?¡± I asked as a sinking feeling formed in my core.


    He can¡¯t really mean it. Was there really no other way that could serve as a happy ending for all parties?


    ¡°Elizabeth will have to break up with that husband of hers,¡± Ace said with a nod of his head.


    His eyes told me that what I was thinking was absolutely correct. But I just had to ask one more time¡­


    ¡°Is there really no other way?¡± I asked while still daring to hope that the world couldn¡¯t be so cruel.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­¡± Ace replied before showing me a regretful smile.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there something that you can do to help her?¡± I asked although I knew that I was being overly persistent and demanding of him.


    Ace¡¯s face was solemn as he seemed to think through the various options avable to him. Even I realized that there probably wasn¡¯t anything that Ace could really do to help Elizabeth out of her situation. If there was something that he could do to help her, then I trusted that he would have done it already. However, no matter how I thought about it, it was just too sad and unfortunate that she had to be forced to make such a drastic decision about choosing the future of her family and the business over her marriage.


    Her father clearly thought that this would be better for their business and family but what about Elizabeth¡¯s feelings?


    ¡°She¡¯s probably devastated about this¡­¡± I murmured.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t openly talk about her feelings that easily so I¡¯m not sure how bad it is,¡± Ace said before letting out a soft sigh.


    I could sense his worry for her and that made my belief that Ace is such a kind person even firmer than before. Unlike his father or Elizabeth¡¯s father, Ace wasn¡¯t wholly driven by money. He really cared about the people that he worked with and the other people in his life. That was probably what really drew me to him and made him respect him so much as a person.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t her father care about her feelings at all? She¡¯s really hurt about all this as it is¡­¡± I murmured sadly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that he cares in his own way,¡± Ace replied.


    ¡°Like a very twisted way. He¡¯s got a strange way to show that he cares¡­¡± I muttered and I realized that I had gotten angry.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 390 Under His Protection

    ¡°I think at his age, he¡¯s more worried about the long-term future of his daughter. He might not be taking such a kind approach but I¡¯m sure that he¡¯s doing what he thinks is best for his daughter,¡± Ace exined calmly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that¡­¡± I mumbled because I couldn¡¯t quite agree with Ace on that point.


    I honestly did not like the fact that he seemed to be defending Chairman Chase even if there may be some truth behind his words. My body seemed to be boiling with anger and I knew that most of it was from the fact that Ace was dragged into this as well. The merger was one thing and the issue with Elizabeth was bad enough; however, what probably bothered me the most was seeing people get the wrong idea about my own boyfriend.


    No matter how hard I tried, I could never fall in love with the idea of people misunderstanding that my boyfriend was in a rtionship with someone else. The fact that it wasn¡¯t true did not make the matter easier to swallow. To make matters worse, while everyone was under the impression that Ace and Elizabeth had rekindled their romance, my real rtionship with Ace had to be kept a secret. It was hard not tough and then cry at the irony of it all.


    ¡°Do you remember thest time this happened?¡± Ace asked.


    The sudden change in the direction of our conversation caught me slightly off guard. The memories of thest time that something like this happened came flooding back to me and sent a shiver down my spine.


    ¡°Oh¡­of course, I remember. Those were some pretty dark days...¡± I said before shaking my head in an attempt to rid myself of the thought.


    ¡°When the news came out, we couldn¡¯t get into this ce. Do you remember?¡± he asked before letting out a chuckle.


    ¡°Yes, I surely remember that¡­¡± I replied.


    I remembered that we came back to my ce together and couldn¡¯t get in because the reporters were swarming the ce and blocking the entrance of the building. The day the news came out, how everyone around us reacted, and how I almost lost my job because of it, all the memories came rushing back to me. Ace pulled me into his embrace and gave me a hug before he smiled at me reassuringly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for bringing it up. I didn¡¯t mean to scare you. This time things are also different¡­¡± he coaxed gently as if speaking to a child.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. Thank you for saving me and protecting me back then,¡± I thanked him before showing him a brave smile.


    Actions truly spoke louder than words. I finally understood why Ace was so adamant for me to leave the office earlier in the day. It was all for me to get away so that I didn¡¯t have to recall such disturbing memories or the difficult times. Suddenly, Ace beganughing. The carefree sound of hisughter was a stark contrast to the gloomy atmosphere that hung about the room due to our worries. I watched himugh in pure confusion because I couldn¡¯t see what was entertaining in this situation.


    When Ace caught me staring at him with a dubious look on my face, he tried his best to stopughing. I continued giving him a questioning look until he managed to stopughingpletely. I stared at him as I demanded silently for an exnation.


    ¡°Sorry, I just thought that it¡¯s very ironic and funny that we¡¯re hiding out at your ce right now. Back then, this ce was off-limits and so unsafe but now it¡¯s almost like the safest ce for us. I¡¯m d that you¡¯re still renting this ce instead of taking my advice and moving inpletely with me,¡± Ace exined before he chuckled softly at the thought. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°Well, if you put it that way then I guess it really is ironic. Things have really changed¡­¡± I replied before I startedughing a little myself.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. This too shall pass¡­¡± Ace advised lightly.


    ¡°I just wish that there was something that I could do to help you too¡­¡± I mumbled softly.


    ¡°Honestly, I think you¡¯re doing enough already by just being understanding. I¡¯m sorry for this mess¡­¡± he said before showing me a tight smile.


    I opened my mouth with the intention of telling him that it was fine but the sound of his phone ringing disturbed the flow of our conversation. Ace stared at his phone and then his eyes immediately met mine. The message in his gaze wasn¡¯t at all hard to understand. The call was from someone important, and my sense told me that it must be a call from Elizabeth.


    ¡°Elizabeth¡­¡± Ace said her name sternly when he answered the call.


    To my surprise, instead of walking away from me to take the call in private outside, Ace remained by my side. Unlike before, it seemed like he was willing to let me listen in on his conversation with Elizabeth. It made me happy that he was allowing me closer to him in this regard.


    ¡°Hold on a second. Rina is here too so should I put you on speaker?¡± Ace suggested.


    My eyes widened in surprise at his sudden suggestion. I had no idea that he wanted me to be that involved in their conversation.


    Did Elizabeth want to talk to me too?


    ¡°Wait¡­there¡¯s no need¡­¡± I protested softly as I waved his suggestion away with my hand.


    ¡°I see. That would work as well. It¡¯ste, though¡­¡± he said into the phone.


    I had no idea what they were talking about, but it seemed like there was no need for Ace to put the call on speaker anymore. Ace looked at me before he showed me a smile that told me that things might work out. I wasn¡¯t sure if I just wanted to be optimistic about it or if Ace seemed to be in a better mood than before.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 391 Full Involvement

    ¡°Well, let me ask her¡­¡± Ace said before removing his phone from the side of his face.


    I kept staring at his face and then he turned to face me directly. My heartbeat sped up as I wondered what Elizabeth had just told Ace because it seemed to concern me.


    ¡°Rina, Elizabeth wants to meet but it¡¯s veryte now, so she¡¯s asking if you¡¯re free tomorrow¡­¡± Ace informed me.


    ¡°She wants to meet me too?¡± I asked without hiding my surprise.


    It made sense for her to meet up with Ace, but I didn¡¯t quite understand why she wanted me to join them. The merger and her issues with her father did not directly involve me like it did with Ace.


    ¡°Apparently so¡­¡± Ace replied with a small shrug of his shoulders.


    Although Ace did not look confused, I could tell that he didn¡¯t quite know why Elizabeth would want me to join their meeting. It would be too extreme to say that I had a bad feeling about it at the time.


    ¡°Is it fine for me toe along?¡± I asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s the one inviting you so it should be fine, right? Do you want toe?¡± Ace asked in return as his eyes watched me intently.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go. I¡¯m free tomorrow so I¡¯ll go with you,¡± I replied before I would chicken out.


    ¡°Rina is free tomorrow. We¡¯ll meet up then. You can text me the meeting ce and time,¡± Ace spoke through the phone to Elizabeth.


    All I could think about was why she was inviting me. Ace exchanged a few words with Elizabeth and then the call came to an abrupt end. The phone call was much shorter than I thought that it would be, and it didn¡¯t seem like Elizabeth had told Ace much over the phone apart from asking to have a meeting with us.


    ¡°What did she say?¡± I asked softly because I couldn¡¯t hold back my curiosity.


    ¡°Nothing much as you¡¯ve probably figured already. She still doesn¡¯t know anything for sure but suggests that we should meet to discuss the situation,¡± Ace replied before letting out a soft sigh.


    ¡°I see. I guess we¡¯ll learn more about what is really going on when we meet her,¡± I said with a little nod of my head.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. For now, we¡¯re not going to do anything at both the individual level and at the corporate level. Chase Creatives isn¡¯t going to issue a statement, and neither will ourpany. The best we can do right now is rx and get some rest,¡± Ace said before shing me a warm smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to rx. Hopefully our meeting with Elizabeth tomorrow will present us with some solutions,¡± I said hopefully.


    ¡°I¡¯m just hoping that she wouldn¡¯te up with anything too crazy¡­¡± Ace said before letting out another sigh.


    ¡­


    Naturally, Ace ended up spending the night at my ce. My little apartment came into good use, and I felt like giving myself a few pats on the back for sticking firmly to my decision to keep my own ce despite Ace¡¯s convincing. I wasn¡¯t sure how thetest development was going to impact our n to slowly move in together. Saving on rent would be great but having my own ce seemed like the right move. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    What would happen to me if I couldn¡¯t stay at Ace¡¯s ce because of some incident like this?


    Just thinking about it gave me a slight headache and I realized that I shouldn¡¯t conjure up any problematic scenario because we were already supposed to be very busy with the problems that were right in front of us.


    ¡°Are you ready to go?¡± Ace asked before smiling brightly at me.


    Ace was already dressed in a smart-looking navy suit that seemed to work well for both business and more smart-casual meetings. The way he offered me his arm made me feel like we were going out to a party for the evening instead of to our stressful meeting with Elizabeth.


    ¡°Yes, thanks¡­¡± I replied as I slipped my hand into the crook of his arm.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look so anxious,¡± Ace teased me with a smallugh.


    ¡°Do I look that anxious?¡± I asked with widened eyes.


    ¡°A little¡­¡± he replied with another lightugh.


    To my surprise, the ce that Elizabeth had chosen wasn¡¯t a luxurious restaurant or some private meeting venue. Instead, she had chosen what Ace told me was a small house that used to be owned by her grandfather and had been passed down to her when he passed away.


    ¡°It¡¯s like her family home?¡± I asked curiously when we were in the car and on our way to meet her there.


    ¡°Sort of. She stayed there for a short while when she was a girl and her grandparents were still alive, I think,¡± Ace replied casually.


    ¡°I wonder why she chose this ce¡­¡± I murmured.


    ¡°Don¡¯t read too much into it. It¡¯s probably just because it¡¯s private,¡± Ace replied without much care.


    The ce turned out to be a very private one tucked away in the heart of the city. Despite the modest size of the house, the surroundingnd and garden were very spacious and that meant that the property was worth quite a lot of money. Ace opened the car door for me and offered me his hand.


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± I thanked him softly as I ced my hand into his.


    Stepping out of the car, I looked around at the lush green garden surrounded by many tall trees that seemed to hide this ce away from the bustling city outside. The two-story house surrounded byrge trees hid itself among many tall skyscrapers. It was so rare to find a hidden gem like this in the heart of the city where an old building hadn¡¯t been demolished and thend used to build a skyscraper.


    ¡°Wee!¡±


    I turned around at the bright sound of Elizabeth¡¯s voice to see her approaching us. Unlike all the times that I¡¯ve seen her before, Elizabeth was dressed in a very casual white linen dress.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 392 Culprit And Bad News

    The entire vibe about her seemed to change and I thought that she fit very well into the casual and homey atmosphere of the house.


    ¡°Thanks for inviting us¡­¡± I replied before smiling her way.


    ¡°Do you want to look around the garden first?¡± she suggested with a smile.


    I was tempted to say yes to her random invitation but one look at Ace told me to hold my tongue. Despite the bright and cheerful atmosphere that Elizabeth wanted to present, the situation probably didn¡¯t leave us with much time to pay attention to her well-tended garden.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside where we can talk,¡± Ace replied in my ce.


    ¡°You¡¯re just killing the mood, Ace¡­¡± Elizabeth said jokingly.


    Despite her initial enthusiasm, Elizabeth did not push the matter any further as she turned and led the way into the house. Unlike the modest exterior of the house, the inside of the house was decorated quite luxuriously. I assumed that her grandparents used to live here and there was no reason why the ce wouldn¡¯t be decorated to suit their tastes.


    ¡°This house used to belong to my grandparents. I inherited it from my grandfather when he passed away,¡± she exined as she led the way.


    ¡°Ace told me something to that effect¡­¡± I replied.


    ¡°He did? I¡¯m d that he still remembers,¡± she said before letting out a joyousugh.


    ¡°This ce has not changed¡­¡± Ace muttered.


    ¡°Have you been here before?¡± I asked as his words caught my attention.


    ¡°A few times. It was a long time ago,¡± Ace replied without offering anymore information.


    ¡°Ace used to visit us, but yes, it was a very long time ago,¡± Elizabeth chimed in.


    She led us into a cozy room that had a round table positioned right in the center of the room. With a graceful gesture of her hand, she invited us to take a seat.


    ¡°Some tea or coffee? Don¡¯t expect too much from me, though. I¡¯m the only one here right now and there¡¯re no maids around,¡± she said beforeughing at her own joke.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I replied.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to make this quick, then. What we¡¯re about to talk about needs to be kept very confidential. I didn¡¯t want to risk any leaks because the staffs do work for my father too¡­¡± she said before rolling her eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We understand,¡± Ace said, and I could sense the impatience in his tone. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°Right. Then, let me start by telling you some bad news. My father has not given up on getting me to break up with Kyle and he¡¯s still using thepany¡¯s merger as a hostage for me to do what he wants,¡± Elizabeth said before she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.


    It was indeed bad news; however, I had expected something like this. If everything could be resolved so easily with her father, then we wouldn¡¯t be here having this meeting. The tension seemed to skyrocket in the air around us and I was too scared to make a sound.


    ¡°As for the rumors that are spreading about in the news, he did not owe up to that, but I am very certain that it¡¯s his doing. Of course, I asked him directly about it, but he refused to give me a straightforward answer,¡± Elizabeth reported, and her tone sounded very cold and distant.


    The conversation that she had with her father must have been a strange and extremely ufortable one. I couldn¡¯t imagine having a conversation like that with my mother where I had to ask her if she was the one who spread false rumors about me in the news. A shiver ran up my spine and my body trembled for a short moment.


    ¡°If he didn¡¯t outright deny it, then he probably did it. Honestly, it doesn¡¯t matter much who¡¯s behind this. The gossip is out there, and the damage is done,¡± Ace stated with a shrug of his shoulders.


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right but I disagree. He¡¯s not your father so you may not feel anything about it but¡­¡± she said before trailing off.


    Her face was red with anger, and I could tell that she was about to let out some impressive swear words had she kept on talking. Elizabeth probably knew that as well, so she decided to mp her mouth shut and swallow those words before they would materialize.


    ¡°Anyways, it¡¯s not the same. It pisses me off that he¡¯s done something like this to me. Embarrassing me in front of everyone,¡± she spat heatedly.


    ¡°I hate to say it but the gossip and everything written doesn¡¯t seem negative even though it¡¯s not at all true,¡± Ace pointed out.


    I agreed with Ace but decided to stay silent. From what I¡¯ve read and seen, the articles were very supportive of Ace and Elizabeth getting back together. The vibe that I got from those articles was simr to the vibe when the people¡¯s favorite celebrity got engaged or married. The public seemed to approve of the match and was happy for the two of them.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sorry to say this but I don¡¯t want a career boast from some fake news that I¡¯m dating you,¡± Elizabeth said as she red at Ace menacingly.


    ¡°I won¡¯t take any offense in that. I don¡¯t want people to understand that I¡¯m in a rtionship with you either,¡± Ace said, and I could tell that he wasn¡¯t at all bothered by her words.


    ¡°Well, at least we¡¯re on the same page about that,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°So?¡± Ace asked as he stared across the table at Elizabeth.


    ¡°So, what?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Have you decided on what you¡¯re going to do? Are you breaking up with that husband of yours?¡± Ace asked without beating around the bush.


    I bit down on the inside of my lower lip at his blunt question. Somehow, I wished that he would have been more careful and considerate in how he phrased and asked that question given how sensitive the topic must be for Elizabeth. My chest tightened a little as I nced over to observe Elizabeth¡¯s reaction. To my surprise, she didn¡¯t seem hurt or bothered by his directness.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 393 Doesnt Matter

    ¡°You know, I really did think about doing exactly that¡­¡± Elizabeth said before smiling our way.


    My mouth immediately fell open and I was speechless at how easy-going she sounded. I had thought that the matter was a grave one, and based on the devastated state that she was in thest time that she came over to Ace¡¯s ce, I thought that she must be having such a hard time deciding between her career advancement and the preservation of her love life. Apparently, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. What happened since that day to cause such a change in her, I had no idea and couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine.


    Ace also seemed surprised at her reaction. After telling her so many times for her to break up with Kyle, it seemed like he was getting something akin to a positive response for the first time. I wished silently in my mind that she would exin to us what was going on and how she managed to reach that conclusion.


    ¡°Have you decided or are you just ying around? Care to exin?¡± Ace demanded as he stared across the table at Elizabeth.


    Elizabeth seemed unfazed and she clearly wasn¡¯t in a rush to tell us what we really wanted to know. She sat back in her seat and let out a soft sigh before letting her eyes drift close. For a moment, she truly looked rxed as if she was meditating and the casual clothes that she had on just helped to contribute to that vibe. It was probably then that it urred to me that Elizabeth might have been hiding away in that small house to get away from her troubles. Living alone for a few days while rxing might just be the right steps to take to make up someone¡¯s mind on a challenging matter.


    ¡°It¡¯s just as I said, I truly considered it¡­¡± she said before pausing.


    ¡°And? What have you decided?¡± Ace asked impatiently.


    ¡°Honestly, after days of thinking it over, I realized the most amazing thing¡­¡± she said with a satisfied look on her face.


    By that time, my curiosity and the suspense in the atmosphere was driving me insane. When Ace let out a sigh, I realized that he didn¡¯t seem to like waiting either.


    ¡°And that is?¡± Ace urged her to go on.


    ¡°You see, after days of thinking so hard about it that I lost sleep, I finally realized that it doesn¡¯t really matter,¡± she replied before she went back to smiling.


    The relief look on her face and the way that she smiled made me feel like she had just lifted a heavy burden off of her chest. However, what she said didn¡¯t make any sense to me at all. Maybe I wasn¡¯t intelligent enough to follow what she was saying because I was genuinely confused. It was like she had answered Ace¡¯s question, but she had not answered it. After all that she had said, I still had no idea whether or not she was breaking up with Kyle.


    ¡°Ok, I think you¡¯ve lost some major parts of your mind during these past few days. Maybe we should leave you alone for a while longer and you can call us again once you¡¯ve made up your mind,¡± Ace said without hiding his irritation.


    At first, I didn¡¯t think that Ace meant what he said about leaving her alone until he began standing up from his seat. My eyes widened when I realized that he was truly going to leave although we had just gotten there.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name as I reached my hand out to pull on the sleeve of his suit. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°Why are you so hot-headed today, Ace? Sit down¡­¡± Elizabeth said teasingly.


    ¡°Ace¡­I think we should hear everything that she has to say. I mean, we dide all this way¡­¡± I suggested as I tugged again on his sleeve.


    Ace looked over at Elizabeth before turning to look at me. The look in his eyes was stern but the hard look that he gave me softened a little when I offered him a smile that I hoped was encouraging. Without saying a word, Ace sat back down again to my utter relief. I prayed that Elizabeth would just spit out what she really had to say now that she could tell that Ace wasn¡¯t here to joke around.


    ¡°Umm¡­please go on¡­¡± I said before offering her a smile that I hoped would patch things up a little.


    Elizabeth cleared her throat before she sat up straighter in her seat. I could sense the shift in mood and knew that Elizabeth was now ready to be serious. That was probably why her next words surprised me even more than before.


    ¡°You two might think that I¡¯m joking around but that is not exactly the case. I did mean it when I told you that whether or not I break up with Kyle probably doesn¡¯t matter when ites to the merger,¡± she said before taking a pause.


    ¡°Go on¡­¡± Ace said curtly.


    ¡°Honestly, after all that my father has done to me, I think that it¡¯s about time that he needs to learn that he¡¯s not going to always get what he wants,¡± Elizabeth said before she grinned at us.


    Suddenly, I had a very bad feeling about where this conversation was going although I couldn¡¯t quite pinpoint why I felt that way.


    ¡°If I were you, I would be an obedient girl and just do what your father says. This merger needs to go through, and its implications stretch far beyond you or your marriage,¡± Ace reminded her sternly.


    ¡°Sure, it does. Don¡¯t worry, I haven¡¯t forgotten that your rtionship with Karina is riding on this as well,¡± she replied with a smirk.


    ¡°What do you have nned? You have a n, don¡¯t you?¡± Ace asked and I could tell that he was about to run out of patience again.


    I stared across the table at Elizabeth and the look that she had on her face told me that more trouble was on the way.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 394 Outrageous Engagement

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you agree with me or not, but I feel like my father is ying games with us. Even if I break up with Kyle, I don¡¯t think that he will support the merger. Instead, he¡¯ll start to demand more from us. The more desperate he feels that we are, the more bargaining power he¡¯s going to think that he has. That¡¯s the type of person that he is,¡± Elizabeth exined.


    It was difficult for me to listen to Elizabeth speak about her father that way. I didn¡¯t even want to imagine what their rtionship was like. Everything just sounded like business and very transactional without any feelings at all in the mix. Unlike me, Ace didn¡¯t act at all surprised.


    ¡°Even if what you¡¯re saying is true, you could always start by pleasing him by dumping your husband first. What do you think?¡± Ace suggested coldly.


    ¡°I could do that, but do you think that it¡¯ll honestly be enough?¡± Elizabeth asked rhetorically.


    ¡°This is his only demand,¡± Ace pointed out.


    ¡°For now¡­¡± Elizabeth shot back with widened eyes.


    I watched the two rapidly exchange words as a sense of dread came over me. The situation was alreadyplicated enough but now it seemed like the list ofplications just became longer.


    ¡°I take it that you¡¯ve decided to break things off with your husband?¡± Ace asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re taking a break, that¡¯s for sure. About permanently calling things off, I haven¡¯t thought that far. You see, when I realized that it probably doesn¡¯t matter, I just stopped thinking so hard about it,¡± Elizabeth said.


    ¡°For your own benefit, if not the merger¡¯s, you should break things off with him. I don¡¯t know how many times I have to say it,¡± Ace muttered.


    ¡°Well, I never tell you to break things off with your precious girlfriend¡­¡± Elizabeth pointed out.


    I had to admit that she was right on this one. No matter how many times she had caused misunderstandings between Ace and me, she didn¡¯t really say that she thought that Ace should break up with me or that he deserved someone better.


    ¡°You might be right about that but that doesn¡¯t solve the problem that we have in front of us,¡± Ace reminded her darkly.


    ¡°The biggest challenge isn¡¯t me breaking up with Kyle. It¡¯s to make my father believe that I¡¯ve broken up with Kyle,¡± she said as she stared straight at both of us.


    Make him believe¡­?


    ¡°How many times have you lied to your father to make him lose all trust that he has in you?¡± Ace asked sarcastically.


    ¡°Just think about it. Do you honestly believe that he¡¯s going to just take my word for it when I tell him that I¡¯ve broken up with Kyle? We¡¯re also not legally married so we can¡¯t just sign some divorce papers either. It¡¯s not that simple, unfortunately,¡± Elizabeth exined convincingly.


    Now that she mentioned it, I remembered that the two of them were not legally married and that she was right that it was probably going to be hard to prove that the two of them had broken up already.


    ¡°So, what are you proposing that we do?¡± Ace asked the exact same question that was on my mind.


    The only good thing about everything that was going on was the fact that Elizabeth seemed to have formted a n. My hands fidgeted restlessly on myp under the table as I waited for her to disclose to us her genius n. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°Ace, I really need your help¡­¡± she said before smiling hopefully his way.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m going to help you and help us. So, can you please just tell us what you have in mind already?¡± he demanded.


    ¡°Ace, I need you to be my fianc¨¦ again,¡± Elizabeth said with a straight face.


    ¡­What?


    What?!


    I had no idea how long the silence in the room stretched out for as Ace and I both stared back at Elizabeth. The entire room was so quiet that all I could hear was the heavy beating of my own heart. It just felt so unreal that I wasn¡¯t sure if I heard or understood her properly.


    Why is she asking Ace to be her fianc¨¦? Does she want them to get engaged? Why? How?


    Endless streams of questions filled my mind as I struggled to wrap my mind around her outrageous proposal. I turned to stare at Ace when I could get my body to move again.


    Surely, he won¡¯t agree to something so crazy, would he?


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± Ace called my name.


    ¡°Y-Yes?¡± I replied in a shaky voice.


    Although he had called my name, his eyes were on Elizabeth and not on me. The sound of the chair scraping against the wooden floor seemed to echo so loudly around us as Ace stood up from his seat again.


    ¡°We¡¯re going home, Rina. She¡¯s clearly lost her mind,¡± Ace said as he offered me his hand.


    I nced at his hand and then my gaze shifted to look at Elizabeth¡¯s face as I hesitated about what to do. Sure enough, I also though that Elizabeth¡¯s proposal was just crazy. I had no idea where that outrageous idea came from, but I was d that Ace didn¡¯t seem the least bit inclined to go with it.


    ¡°Ace, please wait¡­¡± I pleaded with him before I could stop myself.


    Although my mind was telling me that we should walk away from her crazy proposal, my instincts were telling me that there was something more about her proposal. If we walked away now without hearing her out, we may be missing out on a way to get the merger underway. Unfortunately, so far there hasn¡¯t been any other clear solution to our problem.


    ¡°Ace, why don¡¯t we listen to what she has to say? I¡¯m sure that she¡¯s got a good reason to say something like this,¡± I said without standing up from my seat.


    Ace didn¡¯t say anything, but his brows furrowed as he stared down into my eyes and my upturned face.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 395 Roleplaying

    ¡°Are you seriously going to make me listen to her crazy idea?¡± he asked as he stared at me with apparent disbelief.


    I couldn¡¯t me him at all for his reaction. After all, I couldn¡¯t quite believe that I was asking my boyfriend to listen to a n that involved him ying the role of another woman¡¯s boyfriend. Even if it wasn¡¯t supposed to be real, I knew that it was a very risky move. However, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to hear her entire n before we made our decision.


    ¡°All I¡¯m saying is that maybe we should listen to her n first. It¡¯s not like we have to agree to anything even after hearing all of it,¡± I pointed out in a small voice.


    I smiled a little at him with the hope that he would calm down and be a little more openminded even though Elizabeth¡¯s n sounded extremely crazy. Ace let out a growl that showed just how frustrated he was before sitting back down in his seat again.


    ¡°Thank you¡­for this¡­¡± I murmured softly.


    ¡°At least Karina still has her wits about her. Listen, you can¡¯t deny that it¡¯s going to be very convincing if I dump Kyle and get back with you, right?¡± Elizabeth said and I could feel her excitement.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t see it that way¡­¡± Ace replied tly.


    ¡°What about you, Karina? What do you think?¡± she asked as she turned her attention my well.


    Well, if I had to make ament about this then¡­


    ¡°I guess, it might help a little to convince him¡­?¡± I replied hesitantly.


    ¡°Definitely. Even if it won¡¯t convince him right off the bat, he will be distracted enough by it. Just think about it carefully. It¡¯s like my father¡¯s dream or something that I would end up marrying Ace and then magically ourpanies and well as our families would be joinedpletely. Happy ending for everyone, you know¡­¡± she exined very convincingly.


    ¡°I guess¡­¡± I muttered. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Although I did not like it, I had to admit that I could see why her father and many other people would see the two of them as a match made in heaven. Their family backgrounds were very familiar, their family business is in the same market, they share a history, and their marriage would be beneficial to their business as well as many other people involved. Everything seemed perfect except for one tiny little problem that the two did not love each other.


    ¡°This sounds too childish and too simple. If you¡¯re only doing this to get back at your dad, then you can count me out. You can dump that husband of yours and start dating another guy,¡± Ace said with clear disapproval.


    ¡°Well, I guess fooling my father that we¡¯re back together will really get his hopes up and then we can totally crush it when we tell him that he¡¯s been fooled all along. I think I am so in love with that idea. I mean, just imagine the look on his face when he finds out that he agreed to the merger just to find out that he was fooled by our fake rtionship,¡± Elizabeth said before beaming a confident smile at us.


    I was tempted to see how she would find that idea attractive. Elizabeth was still human despite how professional she was supposed to be. It surprised me a little at how much she was willing to act on her emotions, though. She might not have realized it, but it seemed like she was mixing personal matters with professional matters just as much as her father did.


    ¡°The deal is off if that is why you¡¯re doing this. I¡¯m not putting on some act to help you get back at your father. It will just make your family situation worst and it will bring about even more problems in the future,¡± Ace warned sternly.


    I had to agree with Ace on that one; however, I didn¡¯t miss the fact that there was still no solution on how to get Chairman Chase to agree to the merger. Then again, could the merger go forward if we all started lying to him?


    ¡°Come on, all you have to do is pretend to be my boyfriend or fianc¨¦. It¡¯s not the end of the world. I¡¯m not asking you to sleep with me. All you have to do is hold my hand as we walk side by side, let me cling to your arm here and there when we are in public together, and maybe we go out to some events together as a couple. That¡¯s it¡­¡± Elizabeth said with a shrug of her shoulders like it was nothing.


    Her descriptive words stunned me into silence. Without wanting to, my mind had already pictured various scenes of the two of them together acting like a couple. Ace holding her hand in his as they walked along together while they chatted and smiled at each other. Elizabeth leaning her head on his shoulder as she clung to his arm in front of everyone while they were at an event together. The scenes that yed themselves in my head made my chest clench ufortably even though I knew that it hadn¡¯t really happened. It seemed that the thought of them together, even if both of them would just be acting disturbed me more than I was willing to admit.


    ¡°Listen, Elizabeth, this is just taking it too far¡­¡± Ace quickly refused.


    ¡°Really? Then, do you have another solution to our problems? If we can just put up this act and make my father believe it, then at least, we can kickstart the merger. He¡¯ll be the advocate for us to convince the other big shareholders to vote for the merger. Once the merger is underway and everything is going great as it should, even if he finds outter, it would be extremely hard for him to turn the decision around. Plus, he can¡¯t just tell the other shareholders that the merger is now a bad idea because we¡¯re not really dating, right?¡± Elizabeth pleaded her case passionately.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 396 In My Hands

    I could tell that she truly believed that it would work out and maybe she wasn¡¯t just doing this to get back at her father. At least, I didn¡¯t think that that was her main objective, but it would probablye to that as well, which would be an additional bonus that would only add to her satisfaction. The atmosphere was so tense that I didn¡¯t dare let out a sigh. Ace seemed to be thinking of something as he refused toment on her proposal. It was clear that he was worried, and I could understand that Elizabeth¡¯s unreasonable demand and overly creative solution must be getting to Ace.


    I could feel Elizabeth staring at us as she waited in silence for Ace¡¯s answer. For a moment, I was scared of what Ace would decide, and if I had to be honest, I wasn¡¯t sure what I wanted him to choose. Perhaps, just like Ace, I was torn between the alternatives. If Elizabeth¡¯s n worked, then the merger would get back on track and so would my future with Ace. However, that would mean that Ace had to parade around as her fianc¨¦ for a while. On other hand, if we decided not to go through with it, then her father wouldn¡¯t support the merger and might not believe that she has broken up with Kyle. The ache in my heart came from so many reasons and it reminded me that I wasn¡¯t quite fine with Elizabeth being forced to end her marriage.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let Rina decide,¡± Ace suddenly spoke up to break the silence.


    ¡­What did he just say?


    My neck almost snapped in two as I turned my head to face Ace. His eyes met mine and then he smiled like his mind was finally at peace and made up. I didn¡¯t know how to react as I continued staring into his eyes because I couldn¡¯t believe that he was seriously going to leave it all up to me to decide. The sound of Elizabeth pping her hands drew my attention from Ace to her. I found her smiling and giggling a little as she pped her hand. She seemed very pleased with Ace¡¯s decision to let me decide.


    ¡°That¡¯s an excellent idea! You¡¯re such a genius¡­¡± Elizabethplimented Ace before she pped her hands louder than before.


    ¡°No¡­I¡­I mean¡­I can¡¯t decide something so important as this¡­¡± I denied in a shaky voice as I struggled to find the right words.


    ¡°It¡¯s precisely because it is so important that I want you to make a decision about this,¡± Ace stated with confidence while Elizabeth nodded her head in agreement.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think¡­¡± I began protesting again but Ace shook his head at me to silence me before I could go on.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who has to decide, and Elizabeth probably thought about this from the start and that¡¯s why she invited you here as well,¡± Ace exined.


    Elizabeth smiled at me as if to confirm that what was saying was absolutely correct. As for me, I still couldn¡¯t see why I had to be the one to make such an important decision. It was bad enough that I was conflicted about the two alternatives. I stared at Ace in disbelief as I struggled to understand why he would dump such a huge problem on me like this.


    ¡°I can¡¯t decide on something like this. This has to do with the business, our future, and the fate of so many people. Surely, we should properly discuss this ande up with a decision together¡­¡± I said as I tried desperately to convince Ace.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re not as smart as I gave you credit for¡­¡± Elizabeth said lightly before sheughed a little. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± I asked nkly.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take her home for the day? She can think this through and talk things over with you. After all, it¡¯s not like we have to make the decision today,¡± Elizabeth said before she grinned at me.


    I still couldn¡¯t understand why the two of them were so united in making me the one to decide the next course of our actions. My brows furrowed together as I started to truly stress out while my mind wondered if Elizabeth was right about me not being bright enough to understand Ace and how he arrived at his decision.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably for the best. This is a delicate matter so I think Rina will need time to think things over,¡± Ace readily agreed with Elizabeth¡¯s proposal to call it a day.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have that much time to make our next move, though. As the saying goes, we should strike the iron when it¡¯s hot. These gossips and fake news going around in the media as a result of my father¡¯s reckless intervention will work in our favor if we announce our rtionship or even our engagement soon. It will surely build the buzz and we can really turn things around if we can strike up the right deal with him,¡± Elizabeth said with a calcting smile on her lips.


    ¡°I get it, although I don¡¯t think that things will go as smoothly as you believe,¡± Ace said with concern.


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that. The old man might be so blinded by the idea of having you as his son-inw again that he may be swayed to do whatever it takes,¡± Elizabeth said before she chuckled.


    While the two of them were conversing, I was still struggling to ept that I had to make such an important decision. For the life of me, I couldn¡¯t see myself choosing any of the options because I had no idea which one was the right choice.


    ¡°We should go, Rina,¡± Ace said to me calmly.


    I was too wrapped up in my own worries to realize what was happening until Ace¡¯s hand came into my field of vision. When I looked up, Ace was already on his feet with his hand extended my way. While still in a trance, I slipped my hand into his muchrger one.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 397 Wont Back Down

    The peaceful and calm atmosphere of the house and well-tended garden vanished into thin air when we stepped outside again. Elizabeth was kind enough to walk us to the door and I had to say that she yed the role of the host perfectly.


    ¡°I look forward to hearing your positive answer. Of course, if you need my help about anything, please let me know. Thank you again foring to see me here,¡± she said before smiling brightly at us.


    I was too lost in my own worries and confusion to even offer her a reply or a polite smile. Instead, the corners of my lips just twitched awkwardly. Thankfully, Ace stepped in to save the day.


    ¡°Thank you for having us over. We¡¯ll get back to you with our decision. Until then, please take care of yourself and make sure that you get enough sleep,¡± he said calmly.


    My body felt stiff as I stood frozen on the spot next to Ace. I could feel Elizabeth¡¯s gaze shifting from Ace to me, but I couldn¡¯t quite meet her eyes.


    ¡°Take care of her. I think she¡¯s super shocked, which I guess is to be expected,¡± Elizabeth said while sounding very cheerful.


    ¡°We should be going,¡± Ace said as he tugged softly on my hand.


    My mind was in a daze and Ace had to pull on my arm to get me to get moving. I followed him in silence back to the car. Our eyes met when he opened the car door for me, and a sense of regret filled my chest when I saw the evident worry in the depth of Ace¡¯s hazel brown eyes.


    I¡¯m making him worry about me again¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± I said reflexively without thinking.


    ¡°You¡¯re such a bad liar¡­¡± he muttered softly before nudging me to urge me to get into the car.


    The ride back to my ce happened inplete silence. For once, I appreciated the silence in the car. Ace didn¡¯t make an effort to strike up a conversation and it was like he knew that I needed some peace and quiet to deal with my own tangled thoughts. Just watching the scenery pass by in silence helped my mind to focus. However, just being focused didn¡¯t help me get to the bottom of my feelings or reach the logical conclusion of what I should decide as our next move.


    Do we go ahead with Elizabeth¡¯s proposal or do we not?


    That question swam and danced in my mind until we reached my apartment. They say that time tends to fly by when you¡¯re having fun, I felt like the same could be said when I¡¯m stressed and wrecking my brain for answers. The next thing I knew, we had already arrived, and Ace was parking the car at my ce.


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± he called my name softly. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    I snapped out of my thoughts as I rapidly blinked my eyes. Looking out of the car window, I could see the familiar view of my apartment building. Ace got out of the car and came to my side to open the door for me. When I looked up into his face, I could see the worry that he felt, and it was undoubtedly because of me.


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± I thanked him when he offered me his hand.


    The walk to our room happened in silence but I could feel that Ace had something that he wanted to say. It wasn¡¯t so like him to hesitate, but I guessed that the situation was difficult for all of us but just in different ways.


    ¡°You know, you don¡¯t have to force yourself to decide about this¡­¡± he saidfortingly.


    His change in attitude made me even more worried about him. Although it was messy, I knew that at the end of the day, we were just worried about each other, and the loop of worries was just endless. I felt so drained of energy as I lowered myself onto my bed. Ace immediately came to sit next to me, but he didn¡¯t say anything more. It was Ace that said that I should be the one to decide but now he seems to have changed his mind and it was all because he thought that it was too much for me to take.


    Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯tpletely wrong about that. I honestly felt that it was too much for me to take and the decision was just too pivotal for me to be responsible for. However, the dissatisfied feeling that bloomed in my chest made me feel too stubborn to give up without a fight. If I had to back down then, at least, I wanted to know why Ace thought that I should be the one to decide.


    ¡°I¡¯ll force myself, you know, if it¡¯s worth it¡­¡± I said after turning to face him.


    My words seemed to surprise Ace as he stared back at me with slightly widened eyes. We just stared wordlessly into each other¡¯s eyes for what must have been just a few seconds, but it surely felt longer to me.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ace asked with interest.


    ¡°I mean, if you really think that I should decide this then¡­I guess, I can give it a try¡­¡± I replied.


    ¡°If you think that you need to do this because I told you to, then you can forget it. We¡¯ll find another way,¡± Ace said before showing me a smile that I knew was meant purely tofort me.


    After spending time with him, I had to give myself some credit for being able to tell his genuine smile apart from the smile that he put on for his various roles or for the sake of others. It always pained me slightly when he put me first and did things for my sake at the expense of his own. I knew well enough that if I wasn¡¯t there by his side, Ace wouldn¡¯t need to force himself to smile like that.


    ¡°Before that, can you please tell me the reason why you said that I should be the one to decide?¡± I asked as I stared deeply into his eyes.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 398 Difficult Decision

    ¡°Why do you think?¡± he asked me in return.


    It had already crossed my mind that if this was just about our rtionship then I should definitely have a say; however, this wasn¡¯t just about our rtionship. The impact of this decision would spread much further beyond my rtionship with Ace and our future together. Everyone involved in the twopanies would be affected and the rtionship between Elizabeth and Kyle would be greatly impacted as well. It was precisely for these reasons that I didn¡¯t quite understand how this should boil down to a decision that had to be made by me.


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­this isn¡¯t just about us¡­¡± I replied in a small voice as I pleaded with him with my eyes for him to have mercy on me and tell me what he was thinking instead of making me guess.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right about that. I¡¯m sorry again, I didn¡¯t want to apply that much pressure on you,¡± Ace said before pausing to smile a little at me.


    ¡°Then¡­¡± I murmured as I dared to hope that he would overturn his decision.


    At that point, I was satisfied enough to go along with whatever Ace would decide. Just as always, I wanted desperately for him to take the lead and make the decision for us. I trusted him so much that I was willing to go along with whatever he would decide. It would be much easier for me that way and I was certain that I could live with the consequences of his decision whatever they may be.


    ¡°But, for me, I think the most important thing is that you¡¯ll be ok with what we do next. You¡¯re right about this not being purely about our rtionship, but to me, it¡¯s probably the most important factor of all. Whatever we finally decide to do, I really want you to be fine with it,¡± he exined calmly before he smiled warmly at me.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I whispered his name as his words made my chest clench.


    It only just urred to me that he might have been forcing this decision on me because he really cared about my thoughts and feelings. In his own way, he may be trying to put me and my preferences first. However, that didn¡¯t change the fact that I was stuck with making such a difficult decision. Everything just felt so overwhelming and the decision that loomed right in front of me felt too big for someone like me to handle. I turned my face to see Ace staring intently at me and I hoped that he wasn¡¯t holding his breath while waiting for my decision because I hadn¡¯t decided on anything. His hazel eyes as they met mine felt gentle and sincere.


    ¡°Are you always stuck making such difficult decisions like this?¡± I asked as I tried to keep my tone light.


    Being in the position that he was in, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he had to make decisions with such high stakes and tradeoffs all the time. Many of the decisions that Ace had to make undoubtedly would impact so many people at such a widescale.


    ¡°Sometimes, but fortunately, not all the time,¡± he replied before grinning at me.


    ¡°You know, I think I¡¯ll be fine with whatever you decide¡­¡± I mumbled softly although I knew that it was probably impossible for me to make Ace change his mind about the matter.


    ¡°Even if that is the case, you need to make some decisions by yourself for yourself, Rina¡­¡± he lectured me quite sternly. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°I know¡­but that doesn¡¯t make it any easier¡­¡± I replied as the conflicted feelings made my chest feel tight again.


    Ace smiled at me and for a split second, I thought that I could see a very sympathetic look in his eyes. That small sign of his will wavering disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, and I knew that he was still adamant about me making the decision.


    ¡°Once the decision is made, everyone will have to y their role and their part,¡± Ace spoke up quite sternly.


    ¡°Our part?¡± I murmured questioningly.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Have you not yet realized it?¡± Ace asked before he grinned at me again.


    I did realize it and that was probably the main reason why I felt so conflicted. The concept of personal sacrifice for the greater good was just a faraway concept to me and I had never dreamt that I would be caught up in a situation where I had to choose. If I wanted to keep Ace to myself, then there was a high chance that the merger wouldn¡¯t go through. However, I was scared of the idea of Ace posing as Elizabeth¡¯s boyfriend and fianc¨¦. Just thinking about it, made me feel many knots forming in the pit of my stomach.


    All the dark thoughts and painful feelings that I had to go through when I thought that he was cheating on me with her came back to me so vividly that it made my head throb. It was no wonder that I thought that I wouldn¡¯tst if I had to relive those feelings again. Although I trusted Ace more now than ever before and I knew that it would just be acting with nothing that was supposed to be real, I wasn¡¯t entirely certain that it wouldn¡¯t bother me when the time really came.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I¡¯m¡­feeling very confused. I just can¡¯t decide¡­¡± I confessed as I squeezed my eyes tightly shut.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to rush yourself. We do have some time to make our decision, although not a great deal¡­¡± Ace replied.


    I felt the slight weight of his arm around my shoulders as he drew me closer to him. Naturally, I leaned my head on him for support as if it would make all my troubles magically melt away. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be that easy and I knew it well enough.


    With my eyes still closed, my mind continued working hard on exactly the same endless debate.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 399 Cant Be Selfish

    Ace was absolutely right about us not having that much time. Even now, he was still hiding away from all the reporters. Just like the times before, the reporters would not rest until a public statement was released. Even then, it may not be enough to calm them down. We couldn¡¯t just ignore this matter and pray that the storm would pass on its own. Sooner orter, I knew that the twopanies would have to make a public announcement to address the rumors.


    This was where my decision woulde in and it was probably what Chairman Chase had been hoping for. The real question was, what should we announce during the public announcement? Should we announce that the rumors are true, and that Ace and Elizbeth are in fact dating? Or should we simply deny the rumors of their rtionship?


    Now that I had to choose between my personal feelings and the greater good and the future of our rtionship in the long term, what should I choose?


    ¡°You¡¯ve gone awfully silent. What are you thinking about?¡± Ace asked softly.


    His voice was so tender, and I could tell that he cared a great deal about me. His loving attention as his hand stroked my upper arm brought a wave of warmth into my chest. With him close to me, suddenly I started to feel a bit more courageous.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking whether or not I should be selfish¡­¡± I murmured in reply.


    ¡°Selfish? The term is painted in such a bad way but I¡¯m sure that the selfishness that you¡¯re talking about might not be that bad,¡± he said before beaming a smile my way.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that. Sometimes I feel like I want to be more selfish, and I might have the right to do so. At the same time, I feel like I can do better and make the sacrifices that are necessary,¡± I replied thoughtfully before letting out a sigh.


    Ace¡¯s eyes lit up as my words seemed to have captured his attention and interest. I could feel his eye on my face, but I didn¡¯t have the confidence to hold his gaze.


    ¡°Have you decided?¡± Ace asked after a moment of silence.


    It felt hard to believe but when Ace asked me that, I suddenly felt like I had decided on what I should do. Of course, I wasn¡¯t sure if my decision was at all the right one; however, it was the only decision that I felt like I could live with at the time. Slowly, I nodded my head to tell him that I have made my decision.


    ¡°Let me hear it. What have you decided, Rina?¡± Ace asked before he smiled encouragingly at me.


    For many reasons, I had a feeling that my decision was going to end up surprising Ace.


    ¡°I think we should go ahead with Elizabeth¡¯s n. The merger really needs to go through,¡± I replied with a definite nod of my head.


    Before I could back away and lose my resolve, I gave Ace my answer. After debating about it endlessly in my own head, I finally arrived at an answer. In the end, I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to be selfish about it. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to put my feelings of possessiveness and jealousy first before the wellbeing of countless people that could potentially benefit from the merger including my colleagues and the other employees. I couldn¡¯t let the hurt that I will probably experience from seeing Elizabeth and Ace acting out as a couple drive Elizabeth to choose between her career and her marriage. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Ace asked with widened eyes.


    I was right when I thought that Ace would be quite surprised by my answer. Even I was surprised with my own decision. I could have chosen to be more selfish and put myself first, but when the time came, it just felt unreasonable and then it just felt impossible.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± I whispered as a sense of guilt overcame me.


    ¡°What are you apologizing for, Rina? There¡¯s nothing for you to be sorry about,¡± Ace said reassuringly.


    I quickly looked away as I brought my fingertips up to my eyes to wipe away some tears that had formed. My chest felt tight, and I felt like I could start crying out loud at any moment. I felt so guilty for not being strong enough. There was just no other way out.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ace. Because of me, you¡¯ll have to go through with this as well¡­¡± I replied as I tried to keep my voice from breaking.


    ¡°If you¡¯re worried about me ying my role as Elizabeth¡¯s boyfriend or whatever, then you don¡¯t have to worry. We¡¯re not strangers and I don¡¯t feel ufortable around her. I¡¯ve spent time out with her before so going to more public events together and the like isn¡¯t going to hurt or kill me,¡± Ace said, and I knew that he was being truthful while also trying tofort me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Even if you say that, I just feel so bad about this¡­¡± I whispered sadly.


    ¡°I should have expected that it woulde to this. You¡¯re just too nice and too kind to put yourself first before other people. Even now, you¡¯re more worried about me than you are about yourself. While considering your decision, you probably thought more about Elizabeth and the other people as well, didn¡¯t you?¡± Ace said knowingly.


    Since he was spot on right about everything, I didn¡¯t know what else that I had to say. Instead, I just nodded my head a little as I felt a sense of shyness sweep over me and I began blushing slightly. It felt quite embarrassing that he could read me so well. I guess I may not be entirely right about Ace being so surprised about the oue of my decision.


    ¡°Enough about worrying about other people, Rina. What about you? Are you really going to be fine with this?¡± Ace asked sternly.


    I could feel his concern for me, and I did not miss the future tense of his question.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 400 Teasing Demonstration

    Even if I was fine about it right now, he was right that I may not be fine with it in the future especially when the time came when I had to really see them together. I knew that he was right to be worried; however, there was no other way but for me to grow stronger so that I could take it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± I said before braving a smile.


    The fact that it took so much effort for me to get those words out without letting my voice and will falter told me that I wasn¡¯t quite ready for what was undoubtedly toe. The way Ace¡¯s arm suddenly tightened around my waist before he drew me even closer to his side made me believe that I had failed quite miserably in fooling him that I was totally fine with Elizabeth¡¯s n.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t worry¡­¡± I began saying before I couldn¡¯t form any more words.


    My eyes widened as my body stiffened in his arms when Ace suddenly crushed his lips on mine. It felt like my mind ceased to function at that moment and I wasn¡¯t sure any more of what I wanted to say to him or why I had to reassure him that I was fine. The way that his lips moved relentlessly against mine as he kissed me quite boldly and hungrily from various angles made me feel that he was no longer interested in what I had to say. His lips felt so alive on mine and so hot and it didn¡¯t take long before I felt the wetness of the tip of his tongue moving softly against my lower lip.


    ¡°Mhhmm¡­¡± I moaned as the tip of his tongue teased my lips slowly open.


    As soon as my lips parted, his tongue plunged all the way into the wet depths of my mouth. I let my eye drift close as I focused on the pleasure of his tongue moving seductively against mine. His hands did not rest as they moved to stroke my back before drifting down to pay loving attention to the sides of my waist. I could feel the heat of his hands through my clothes, and I couldn¡¯t wait to get closer to him.


    It felt like a small and fortunate miracle how his hot wet kiss and seductive touches managed to put all my worries to rest. His tongue entwined with mine in a passionate dance as our kiss grew even hotter and wetter. My body writhed in his arms as my tongue began moving desperately while his intoxicating taste filled my mouth. I could no longer think of anything including all the troubles that gued our lives as our kiss deepened. My body heated up as my desire for him started taking over and thoughts of him flooded my mind.


    ¡°Ace¡­Ahh¡­¡± I whimpered his name before I let out a soft moan when his hand moved up to caress one of my breasts.


    His deep and persistent kisses left me breathless, and I had to pant to catch my breath. Ace¡¯s hazel blue eyes as he stared at my face was filled with desire. I didn¡¯t have much time to catch my breath before his lips captured mine again. This time, I parted my lips immediately as I invited his tongue into my mouth. Ace did not hesitate to thrust his tongue deftly into my awaiting mouth. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Our tongues danced fervently together as his hand moved to massage my breasts while I made small whimpering sounds of pleasure in my throat. I clutched at his clothes as my back began arching to thrust my breasts into his hand. Ace yed with breasts softly and teasingly while he kissed me sweetly and then passionately. The sudden switch in pace back and forth left me feeling slightly confused and very desperate for more.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I whispered his name breathlessly when his lips left mine.


    My lips were wet, and they felt so swollen from his kisses. My mind felt light, but my body felt so unbearably hot. Suddenly, my clothes felt so ufortable that I could barely stand them. I wanted nothing more than for Ace to quickly strip me until I waspletely naked and in his arms. Our eyes met and l couldn¡¯t look away from him. I could feel that he was thinking of something as he stared deeply into my eyes. Slowly, Ace lifted his hand and then he began stroking my hair softly from the top of my head down to around my shoulders. The slow and gentle movement of his fingers running through my hair feltforting and mesmerizing at the same time.


    For a moment, I imagined that this might be what cats felt like when they were petted. It made me feelzy and I wanted to nuzzle my nose into therge and warm palm of his hand. I could feel Ace watching my every reaction as his hand continued teasing my hair.


    ¡°I wonder if you¡¯ll really be ok¡­¡± he murmured as he seemed to ponder some thoughts in his head.


    Ace had a very calm yet curious look in his eyes as his fingers ran through my hair before capturing a strand and bringing it up to his lips to kiss it. I knew well enough what Ace was referring to. Although I wanted to tell him that I would be fine, I didn¡¯t dare say it because it wasn¡¯tpletely true, and I knew that Ace would easily see through my half lie immediately.


    ¡°I may have to put my arm around her like this¡­¡± Ace said in a low whisper as his arm looped around my back.


    Although he was no longer kissing me passionately, the way he looked at me and the way his voice sounded made my heart race dangerously fast in my chest. I gasped a little when he pulled me a little roughly against his body. My hands raised up andnded on his chest in reflex as our eyes met. His face was so close to mine, and I found myself getting lost in the depth of his hazel brown eyes.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 401 Taking It All To Bed

    At moments like these, I was truly convinced that time coulde to a stop.


    ¡°I may have to hold her this close to me¡­¡± he continued in his sultry whisper.


    Although we were already so close, Ace pulled me even closer until I could feel the pressure of his chest against my breasts. I let out a surprise whisper as my breasts pressed up hard against his hard chest. Although I tried to distance myself from him, his arm around my body kept me exactly where he wanted me.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I pleaded as his words started getting to me.


    Ace was acting strange, and I wasn¡¯t sure what was going on or what he was thinking anymore. The passionate look in his eyes did not disappear; however, there seemed to be other emotions swimming in the depths of his eyes that I could no longer read and it scared me.


    ¡°I may have to hold her hand like this¡­¡± he said as he slipped my hand into his without breaking eye contact from me.


    I felt the heat of his hand against the palm of mine and then his fingers smoothly inteced with mine as he held my hand tightly. My throat constricted and I found it difficult to breathe as my heart raced even faster in my chest. Although he was just holding my hand tightly, I felt so affected.


    ¡°¡­and then kiss the back of her hand like this right in front of everyone¡­¡± he said in a voice as gentle as the way he slowly stroked his fingertips down the palm of my hand.


    I felt my breath catch in my throat when Ace slowly brought my hand up to his lips and then kissed the back of it. Although everything that he said, he was doing to me and my body that wasn¡¯t what my mind was seeing. I wanted to pull my hand out of his reach, but my body wouldn¡¯t move the way that I wanted it to. Like a butterfly caught up in his web of illusions, I couldn¡¯t free myself from the trap that he had set up in my own mind.


    Although my eyes were open, I could see the scene of Ace with Elizabeth very vividly in my mind. The fact that I had chances to witness the two of them together in the past only made my imagination seem more real. I had no idea what kind of face I was making but I could tell that Ace was watching me intently to judge my reaction.


    ¡°Will you really be fine, I wonder¡­¡± he whispered, and his voice sounded so mercilessly seductive.


    It wasn¡¯t a question that he wanted me to answer. It was his way of making me think and consider how I would really feel. Ace¡¯s lips curved into a mischievous smirk that only confirmed that he was testing and teasing me. I gasped again when he took my index finger between his soft and warm lips and began nibbling on it.


    ¡°Ace¡­please¡­¡± I pleaded with him to stop although I knew that it would take a lot more than that to stop him. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The way he teased me made my core throb with heat and I could feel the proof of my arousal spreading in the pit of my lower abdomen. His hot and wet tongue began swirling around my finger slowly and seductively as he continued staring deeply into my eyes. Ace looked so sexy, and his masculinity turned me on until I could feel my sticky love juices seeping out from the slit in between my legs.


    I wondered if Ace knew the truth that I could never possibly be fine with him acting as Elizabeth¡¯s lover. Even if I knew that it was all just an act, I doubt that I could ever fool myself into feelingpletely fine about it. However, what other choice did I have?


    Why did he have to make it so much harder for me?


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the bed, Rina,¡± Ace said invitingly after removing my finger from between his lips.


    It wasn¡¯t truly an invitation but more like he was telling me where he was about to take me. Before I could respond, Ace was already up on his feet with me carried princess style in his arms. It never ceased to amaze me how smoothly and effortlessly Ace could lift me up into his arms.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I murmured his name as I tried to look away from his alluring face.


    My heart skipped wildly around in my chest as my core throbbed with my desire for him. Ace grinned a little at me before he headed for his bedroom. I was d that he didn¡¯t say anything more because I was already quite embarrassed. I knew well enough that sleep wasn¡¯t what he had in mind when he decided to carry me to his bed. Despite the walk to his bed being a very short one, my emotions were in an even bigger mess by the time that we got there.


    Perhaps it was his words or perhaps it was his teasing and testing actions that made me feel frustrated. It did ur to me that it may have been both of those things along with what was happening all around us. Thinking of him with another woman drove me insane and the heat that burned in my chest would probably be best described as jealously. Although I knew what I was feeling and why I felt so frustrated and even hurt, I tried my best to ignore it. Whether I liked it or not, I knew that this was the price that I had to pay for making the decision that I did.


    It''s for the greater good and for our better future¡­


    That was the thought that ran through my head as Aceid me on my back on his bed. The softness of the mattress against my back felt rxing but rxing on the bed with Ace wasn¡¯t what I had in mind.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 402 Burning with Desire

    Chapter 402 Burning with Desire


    I must have surprised Ace somewhat when I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him on top of me. I crushed my lips against his and kissed him with wild abandon as the passion that I had been holding back sprang to life.


    1


    The thought of someone else taking him away from me, even if for just a moment, made me so desperate to hang onto him to keep him with me. I didn¡¯t want to let him go and as a result of that I kissed him repeatedly. I shocked myself when I thrusted my tongue firmly into his mouth in search for his own. If Ace didn¡¯t like what I was doing or how assertive I was acting, he did not show it. His tongue met mine eagerly and our kiss quickly deepened. I entwined my tongue with his until I felt so breathless.


    My body felt unbelievably hot, and my mind felt so clouded that I could no longer think of anything else but Ace and how much I wanted him. I could feel my pussy getting wetter for him and I was certain that my panties were drenched by that time. The more I thought about Ace spending time with someone else, the more the desire that I had for him grew inside of me until I could no longer wait to feel him inside of me. I wanted him so badly that I couldn¡¯t stop kissing him. Soon, I knew that kissing him was no longer enough to quench my desire.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I whispered his name in between my wild panting when I finally made up my mind to tear my lips away from his.


    The look of burning desire in his eyes turned me on even more and I could feel my pussy pulsating as my hips began moving a little beneath him. The weight and heat of his body on mine felt so pleasurable and I found myself yearning for even more.


    ¡°Ace¡­please¡­¡± I pleaded sweetly as I wrapped my arms tighter around his neck and pulled his face closer to mine again.


    This time, it was Ace who kissed me. I made small whimpering sounds of surrender as his lips kissed mine from various angles. His tongue thrusted almost immediately into the depth of my mouth, and it felt like he was devouring me and my soul. His hands moved to caress the curves of my body and started ying a little roughly with my breasts.


    I moaned into our heated kiss as his hands groped and then massaged my womanly mounds. The heat from the pit of my stomach quickly spread between my thighs and I had to writhe beneath him for temporary relief. My hands stroked their way down from his neck to his board and muscr back.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ace¡­¡± I moaned in between our kisses before his lips captured mine again.


    His kisses felt so rough and so bruising, but I enjoyed every single movement of his tongue dancing passionately with mine. His hands slowly slid down the sides of my body until they reached the sides of my hips. My hips arched slightly off the bed as he began stroking my hips. I wanted him to touch me more, and at the same time, I wanted to touch him more. Desperately, I ran my hand over his clothes before quickly tugging at his shirt.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­you¡¯re so warm¡­¡± I murmured in pure satisfaction when I finally managed to slip my hand under his clothes.


    The feel of his muscr back beneath the palm of my hands felt so rewarding. I could feel his muscles moving as his hands and arms moved to caress my body seductively. My hands rove around his broad back as we continued kissing. His hips moved between my spread thighs. I could feel the hardness of his arousal grinding against my most womanly ce. Naturally, my hips began moving along with his rhythm as I made sure to grind my clit against the hardness of the outline of his cock.


    ¡°Ace¡­please¡­I can¡¯t wait anymore¡­¡± I whispered breathlessly.


    ¡°You sound very impatient today¡­¡± Ace murmured seductively.


    His hands moved down to stroke my thighs and I quickly spread my legs further apart temptingly before letting out a moan of pleasure. Ace¡¯s hand slowly moved inward to stroke my inner thigh as his other hand helped to pull my skirt upwards to reveal my legs.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ahh¡­¡± I moaned softly when I felt the heat of his hand inching upward along my inner thigh.


    My pussy clenched and quivered uncontrobly in anticipation of his touch. I couldn¡¯t stop letting out such lewd moans as my mind imagined the pleasure of his fingers teasing my sensitive spot. I gasped a little when Ace pressed his fingers against my crotch.


    ¡°You¡¯re already very wet. I can feel it¡­¡± Ace said in a low whisper before he grinned at me.


    He applied more pressure as he pressed his finger up against the crotch of my panties before his fingers moved skillfully to stroke my wet slit up and down through the thin fabric of my panties. I could feel my love entrance twitching and heating up and knew that he was making me even wetter than before.


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± I moaned again before pressing my eyes closed.


    My lips parted as my face contorted into a mask of ecstasy while my hips lifted slightly off the bed to thrust my pussy toward his teasing fingertips. Ace slowly pulled the fabric overing my flooded entrance to the side and then his fingers were caressing my wet folds directly. The heat of his finger on the wetness in between my legs drove me wild with my desire for him.


    Ace did not waste much time before thrusting his fingers all the way into my tender love hole. He buried the entire length of his fingers into me in one smooth thrust that made me gasp for air. His fingers felt so hot and thick inside of me as they stretched my pussy walls and filled me.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 403 More Than Ever Before

    Chapter 403 More Than Ever Before


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ace¡­¡± I moaned as my pussy clenched hard round his fingers.


    1


    Ace¡¯s fingers felt around my insides as he observed my reaction. I moaned even louder when he began caressing my pleasure spot with the tip of his fingers. My pussy ached with need, and I couldn¡¯t wait for him to thrust his fingers in and out of my flooded love hole. It wasn¡¯t long before I found out that my dear wish wouldn¡¯t be granted.


    ¡°You should be wet enough already,¡± Ace said with confidence.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± I whimpered at the feeling of his fingers slowly brushing along the sensitive walls of my love tunnel.


    Ace slowly pulled his fingers out of me while I whimpered from disappointment. I could see just how wet I was from the traces of my love juices on his fingers. My pussy trembled with need and the desire to be filled by him grew inside of me until it became simply unbearable.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name with unmasked urgency.


    I sat up on the bed and my hands immediately went to the buckle of his belt. Ace stared down into my eyes as my hands worked diligently to unbuckle his belt. I couldn¡¯t wait to free his engorged member from his pants.


    ¡°Why do you seem so desperate for it today?¡± Ace asked teasing.


    Despite his words, he did not push my hand away and I managed to free his thick cock. His erect manhood sprang into my awaiting hand. I gasped when I felt the heat of his arousal against the palm of my hand. The size of his erect cock never disappointed me, and my fingers instinctively wrapped around its girth before I moved my hand up and down his impressive length. I thought that Ace would enjoy the loving attention that I was paying to his cock and that was why I was beyond surprised when he grabbed my wrist and urged for me to stop.


    My hand froze and for a moment I felt so confused as I wondered if I had done something to displease him. Ace had a mischievous look in his eyes as our gaze met and then he slowly pulled my hand away from his throbbing cock. I had to let him go as I wondered what was really going on. Without saying a word, Ace let go of my wrist and my arm fell limply away to my side. The fact that he didn¡¯t want me to touch him frustrated me.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name softly in wonder.


    Instead of replying to me, Ace distanced himself away from me. I was stunned and didn¡¯t quite want to believe that after carrying me to bed the way that he did that he wouldn¡¯t want to do it anymore. The way his cock responded to my earlier caresses told me a very different story that didn¡¯t at all match his actions. I watched in confusion as heid himself down on his back on the bed.


    ¡°Come, Rina¡­¡± Ace said invitingly.


    I stared at him with widened eyes as I struggled a little to follow the meaning of his words. My brows furrowed slightly as I wondered what exactly he wanted me to do. Ace chuckled softly at my reaction before patting the spot on the bed next to the side of his hip. Slowly, I obediently approached that spot before kneeling down there with my legs folded under me.


    ¡°Climb on, Rina¡­¡± Ace urge with a mocking smile.


    Climb on¡­him?


    ¡°Umm¡­¡± I mumbled as my eyes fell on his thick and erect member.


    Aceughed a little louder at my reaction before his hand reached out and gripped my wrist. My heart leapt dangerously in my chest and his touch on my arm felt like it had set up a spark.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want it, Rina? Get on top¡­¡± Ace instructed again as his hold on my wrist tightened slightly.


    I knew that he was teasing me again and that he could be merciless at it too. Staring at Ace who was still pretty much fully clothes with only his upstanding cock out in the open made my insides clench with raw desire. He probably had no idea how sexy and desirable he was. Ace waited for me silently while I tried to calm the wild beating of my heart and deal with my inconvenient feeling of embarrassment.


    Before losing my daring courage, I quickly straddled his hips. Ace¡¯s lips curved up in a smile of satisfaction as his hazel brown eyes stared up at me from where heid on his back on the bed. I spread my legs and positioned my knees on either side of his hips. It wasn¡¯t like I had never been on top of him or that I haven¡¯t rode his cock like this before. However, each time I did this, it felt so exciting and thrilling that I couldn¡¯t quite get used to it.


    ¡°Put my cock inside you, Rina. Come on¡­¡± Ace urged in a voice thick with lust.


    ¡°Your cock¡­feel so hot¡­¡± I whispered as my fingers wrapped around the thickness of his love stick.


    I couldn¡¯t wait any longer to feel that heat moving inside of me. Without wasting anymore time, I lifted my hips and positioned the head of his thick cock at my sopping wet entrance. The tip of his cock felt so thick as I moved my hips around to grind it against my opening. I could feel myself getting wetter and I cried out softly when his cock brushed against my swollen and sensitive pleasure seed.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ace¡­¡± I moaned as I closed my eyes.


    At the same time, I began lowering my hips down to take his gigantic cock inside of me. The pleasure of his cock prying my hole further open and prating into me was more than I could have ever wished for. It felt so good that I felt tears in my eyes. My pussy twitched as it greedily sucked in his cock further into my hole.


    ¡°Open your eyes and look at me,¡± Ace instructed.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 404 Keeping The Best To Myself

    I was so absorbed in feeling his manhood entering me that I forgot for a moment that I still had my eyes closed. The sensation of his heat moving upward into my wet love hole felt so addictive and my body seemed to be rejoicing at the joining of our bodies.


    ¡°Your pussy seems very excited to ride my cock¡­¡± hemented with a mischievous chuckle.


    His hand reached for the side of my hip as he urged me to lower my hips further down to take in more of his cock inside of me. I could feel more core getting hotter and it felt like his heat would melt my insides. I slowly lowered my pussy down onto his upstanding shaft while I moaned from the pleasure of his cock filling and stretching me.


    ¡°Oh¡­Ace¡­¡± I moaned as I panted.


    ¡°It¡¯s so hot inside you¡­¡± Ace whispered seductively as his fingertips dug into the soft flesh around my hips.


    Ace was quite right about me being ready to take him in. I didn¡¯t need much further stimtion given how hot and wet I was already. My love juices helped lubricate my insides and guided his cock smoothly into me. Utilizing my body weight, I mmed my hips down all the way while I cried out as his cock rammed upward all the way into the wet depths of my love hole.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahh¡­Ahhh¡­¡± I cried out and then moaned in extreme satisfaction.


    His thick and hot cock was already buried all the way deeply inside of my throbbing wet love hole. I was already so wet and ready for him, and my pussy was beyond d to be filled by his massive manhood. I rejoiced in the sensation of my pussy walls being stretched and then stimted by the size and heat of his love stick. Wanting to keep him all to myself, my greed began taking over me. Without needing to think, my hips began moving instinctively up and down.


    I rode his cock just the way that he wanted me to. Aceid back and let me enjoy the ride and control the pace of our coupling. His cock felt thicker and longer as it grew inside of me. Each time I mmed my hips down, it felt like his cock thrusted upward even deeper into my pussy. It felt unbelievably good, and I couldn¡¯t stop shaking my hips. I angled myself back a little to make sure that his cock would hit against the pleasure spot deep inside of my love tunnel before lifting my hips up. His cock slid out of my hole almostpletely before I lowered my hips to take his cock back inside of me. The thick head of his cock rammed upward against my womb as my pussy dly ate up his entire length again.


    ¡°You¡¯re so wild today. What¡¯s gotten into you, Rina?¡± Ace asked teasingly.


    There was no way that I could tell him just how my jealousy made me mad with my need for him. I didn¡¯t want anyone to experience his love or the joy of feeling his hot and swollen dick at work as we made love. Everything about Ace, I wanted so desperately to keep it all to myself. If was as if his words turned me on even more, my hips pumped up and down his erect rod faster and faster as I rode him in wild abandon. Ace smiled up at me as he watched me ride him.


    ¡°Does it¡­feel good for you too?¡± I asked in between mybored breathing.


    ¡°Of course, it does¡­but I¡¯m sure that we can feel better¡­¡± Ace replied in a seductive drawl. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    I let out a small squeal when Ace suddenly sat up and wrapped his strong arms around my waist. His sudden movement caught me off guard and suddenly his face and body were so close to me, and I found myself straddling hisp. His hands slowly stroked my back before sliding down to cup the side of my hips. I could feel his cock stirring deep inside of me where we were still joined, and it made me feel strange inside in a very pleasurable way.


    My arms naturally wrapped around his neck as I stared deeply into his captivating hazel brown eyes. Ace smiled at me a little before his fingertips dug into the side of my hips.


    ¡°You better hold on tight¡­¡± Ace whispered teasingly into my ear.


    Just when I had wrapped my arms a little tighter around his neck, Ace thrusted his cock sharply into me from below. My body shook from the impact of his cock messing up my insides.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahhh¡­¡± I cried out so loudly that my throat started to hurt.


    After thrusting deeply into me once from below, Ace didn¡¯t stop. His hips kept moving to thrust his massive cock upward into me. Ace shook my body up and down just the way that he wanted to ensure that his cock pounded deeper and deeper into me. His thrusts got rougher as his hardness messed up my insides.


    ¡°Ace¡­Ace¡­¡± I called out his name in between my lewd moans because that was all that I could do.


    It felt like I was quickly losing control of my senses and I didn¡¯t quite mind at all. Our bodies moved in perfect sync as our passion took over us. I cried out his name and dug my fingers into his back as he pumped his cock repeated into me. The pleasure of each thrust drove me wild, and I wasn¡¯t sure how much more I could handle before I came. Soon, I found out that I didn¡¯t have as much endurance at all. Ace was quickly rushing me towards the edge, and I was certain that I would fall off as my climax hit me.


    ¡°I¡­I¡¯m cumming. I¡¯m cumming¡­¡± I whimpered before I lost myself in my devastating orgasm.


    My mind went nk for a moment, and I wasn¡¯t sure how long I floated around in that state of bliss. The warmth and slight pressure of Ace¡¯s hand stroking my backfortingly brought me slowly back to reality again.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 405 Deeper Love

    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I murmured his namezily as my mind and body seemed to drift leisurely in another time and space.


    His hand stroking my back felt so calming as I closed my eyes and breathed in his familiar scent. Having our bodies connected helped me to feel closer to him in every way. It didn¡¯t start off as something easy or something that came naturally, but slowly, I was certain that I was starting to understand Ace more. Slowly, we got closer, and he had opened up more of himself to me. Although I couldn¡¯t fairly say that I understood everything that went on in his head, I was satisfied enough with my growing understanding.


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± I moaned softly when I felt Ace¡¯s hard manhood stirring inside of me.


    I opened my eyes and lifted my face from his chest to find him staring down into my face. The heat and hardness of his cock told me that there was more toe. Without fully understanding how I felt about going for another round with him, my body immediately began reacting to him and taking things out of my hands. My pussy clenched a little around the thick girth of his cock as I felt a twinge of desire dancing around in my heated core.


    ¡°Enough resting, Rina¡­¡± Ace whispered seductively into my ear.


    The warmth of his breath blowing softly against my ear made my entire body shiver uncontrobly. I could feel my nipples harden and my insides clenching at the sound of his seductive words. Before I could think of what to say in response, Ace¡¯s arms were already around my waist and the world seemed to take a strange turn around me.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ace¡­¡± I murmured in slight surprise as hisrge frame loomed over me from above.


    Aceid me down on the bed on my back in one smooth motion. The softness of the bed against my back was a stark contrast to the hardness of his body on mine. My breath caught in my throat at the look of intense desire in his hazel eyes as he stared down at me. As his hands moved down the length of my body to caress my thighs and part my legs, my entire body trembled in anticipation of what I knew was toe.


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± I whimpered weakly as I felt my thighs being pulled wide apart.


    Ace¡¯s beautiful lips curved into a devilish smirk as he watched me react to his seductive caresses. The heat of his hand on my inner thighs as he yed with my sensitive flesh drove me wild with my renewed desire to have him. I could feel my core throbbing with the heat of my own desire as my pussy clenched. My body seemed more than ready take his thick cock inside again and I knew that I was still flooded with my juices.


    ¡°I guess you can¡¯t wait any longer either,¡± Ace said with utmost satisfaction as his hand pressed down on my lower abdomen.


    The pressure of his touch made my insides feel even more sensitive and helped to intensify my need for him. I moaned despite my desperate attempt to hold it in. Although there was probably no point in trying to control my reactions or pretending that I didn¡¯t want it after all that we¡¯d already done. I reminded myself silently that I was the one who was desperate for this in the first ce. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°Please¡­¡± I begged softly for him to take me.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that it would turn me on this much to see you desperately begging for it,¡± Acemented before he chuckled lightly.


    I could see that he was pleased, and I wanted to tell him that his words turned me on so much more than before although I didn¡¯t know how that was even possible. The way I wanted him so badly that it hurt made me doubt how I could possibly want him more than I already did at that moment. I was too embarrassed to respond to him. I didn¡¯t have to worry about responding to him for long before Ace seemed to have other things in mind. Without waiting for my response, he pulled up my right leg and held it against his upper torso. My eyes widened as I gasped at the sudden change in position while Ace moved his hips closer to mine.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ahh¡­¡± I moaned softly as I felt his heat and hardness.


    While holding my leg with one hand against his chest, Ace angled my opening and moved his hip closer to mine. I moaned his name when I felt the hardness of his cock against my wet opening. He ground his hardness against the wet slit in between my legs before guiding the swollen head of his cock to my entrance. I felt the heat of his cock lodge itself in between my pussy lips only for a moment before I felt his hardness prating into me.


    ¡°Ahhh! Ahhh¡­¡± I cried out and then whimpered from the force of his sudden entrance.


    The sensation of his heated rod pounding into me and filling up my insides in a single thrust drove me wild with desire. I felt so full of him as Ace pushed the entire length of his cock into my sopping wet hole. It felt too good and all I could do was let out dirty lewd sounds to express the joy of our connection. The angle that he prated into me felt so much deeper than before.


    ¡°You seem to love this¡­¡± Ace murmured sexily.


    My pussy quivered around his thick love pole as Ace gripped my leg tighter. I felt my ass being lifted slightly off the bed as Ace pulled my leg up further up against is shoulder. He moved in even closer to me on the bed and my eyes widened at the same time that a gasp of surprise escaped from my lips. Although I thought that it was impossible at first, I couldn¡¯t deny the fact that his cock seemed to have prated even deeper into me.


    --To be continued

 Chapter 406 Passionate Adoration

    Chapter 406 Passionate Adoration


    ¡°Oh¡­Ace¡­it¡¯s so deep like this¡­¡± I said in between my lewd moans of pleasure.


    ¡°It feels amazing, doesn¡¯t it? Your pussy is clenching non-stop around my cock, Rina¡­¡± he said before he smirked devilishly down at me.


    Ace reared his hips back before mming his cock fast and hard all the way back into my wet pussy. He made me cried out again from the overwhelming pleasure. I could feel his cock twitching wildly inside of me. Ace reared his hips back again before pounding his cock back into me. I cried out his name as my hips moved in rhythm to his movement to meet his oing thrusts.


    The angle that his gigantic member prated into me felt unbelievably pleasurable. With each thrust, the thick head of his cock rammed against the pleasure spot deep inside of my flooded love hole. I moaned as his cock continued to nt kisses deeply against my womb. I couldn¡¯t stop my body from moving as if it had a mind of its own. Ace held onto my leg and kept it lifted as he continued to pump his cock even faster and harder in and out of my throbbing pussy.


    ¡°Oh¡­Ace¡­Ahh!¡± I moaned and then cried out as the thrusting motion of his hips got more intense than before.


    As if urged on by my words, Ace thrusted his hot rod harder into me before roughly pulling out. He reentered me again, this time even deeper and harder than before. I cried out so loudly that my voice broke but that did not stop Ace from pumping his massive member in and out of my heated hole. I could feel myself getting wetter as my hips rocked along with his.


    His motion intensified and so did the sound of my cries of pleasure. It didn¡¯t take long for all the pleasurable sensations to overwhelm me. It felt like I was ready to climax each time his cock pounded into me. Ace was panting hard as he exerted himself in burying his cock all the way into me with each stroke.


    ¡°No¡­Ace¡­please¡­¡± I pleaded in between my moans.


    ¡°Your insides feel amazing, Rina¡­¡± Ace groaned hispliment after pushing his cock all the way into my wet depths.


    ¡°No¡­Ahh¡­Ace¡­it¡¯s too rough¡­¡± I pleaded but I had to say that the way that I was moaning between my words did not make my words seem so convincing.


    I reached my hand and ced it against his firm abdominal muscles while I panted hard as I struggled to catch my breath even if it was just a moment. Ace¡¯s cock stopped moving inside of me and I immediately regretted asking him to stop.


    ¡°You were the one who asked for this and now you¡¯re asking me to stop?¡± he asked teasingly.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I whispered his name as our eyes met.


    My pussy clenched hard around his cock, and I could feel my intense desire for him. My body seemed to crave for him, and I wanted to feel his hot and hard love stick pounding me again.


    ¡°Should I continue, Rina?¡± he asked before he smiled confidently at me.


    He probably already knew the answer and I bet that he could feel how much I wanted him still. Every time he calls my name when we¡¯re in bed and making love, I can¡¯t help but get even more turned on. I wondered whether Ace was aware of this or not because he seemed to like calling my name. It was like he was using my weakness against me in the most adorable way.


    My pussy clenched even harder around his cock like it didn¡¯t ever want to let him go. The sound of our body and our sex pping against each other each time that he pounded his massive cock into me echoed all around us. Soon it literally became too much for my body and mind to take. It felt like I was about to go crazy from the pleasure of each and every of his deep thrusts.


    ¡°Ace¡­please stop¡­I can¡¯t take it anymore...please¡­¡± I pleaded softly.


    ¡°Just a little more, Rina¡­¡± he coaxed sweetly.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahhh¡­I¡¯m going to cum¡­Ace¡­¡± I confessed in between my broken moans of ecstasy.


    I could feel that I was so close, and it didn¡¯t surprise me when my orgasm imed me again a momentter. Ace¡¯s movements got even more aggressive than before as he continued giving it to me fast and hard even as I rode out the effects of my mind-shattering climax. The pleasure of his cock pounding hard against my womb while I climaxed made me feel like I was quickly losing my mind. My body spasmed uncontrobly while I moaned and whimpered his name softly.


    ¡°Oh¡­Rina¡­¡± Ace groaned my name as he plunged his gigantic cock all the way into my wet hole again.


    precious loving feeling for a while longer but that wasn¡¯t at all


    possible. When Ace thrusted his thick rod into me faster, all I could I could tell that he was extremely close to his release. The look of passion that he had on his face turned me on and made me adore him so much at the same time. I wished that I could treasure that precious loving feeling for a while longer but that wasn¡¯t at all possible. When Ace thrusted his thick rod into me faster, all I could think of was the pleasure that he was making me feel. My core throbbed with heat as my pussy wrapped tightly around his cock.


    Ace moaned louder and I was pleased that he was enjoying himself so much. After a few more thrusts that felt like they bordered tearing me up, Ace finally reached his climax while calling out my name. It felt like his cock danced around wildly inside of me as it shot his hot load deeply inside of my love tunnel. His heat filled mepletely as he flooded my insides with his seed. Ace panted and moaned softly as his cock pumped even more of his release inside me in endless waves. He came so much inside of me, and my loving pussy dly took it all.


    ¡°I love you¡­Ace¡­¡± I whispered as I reached my hand to stroke his back.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 407 Paying the Price

    Chapter 407 Paying the Price


    It was hard. Much harder than I thought.


    Although I knew that it was going to be hard, I never imagined that it would be this hard or this painful. I had no idea how I managed to convince myself that I was going to be fine. It was such a thin line between acting courageous and acting like a fool, and in that moment, I had no idea which side of the line I fell on.


    I could have escaped this situation or partially evaded it, but instead, I chose to face it in the name of maintaining my professionalism. The stinging pain in my chest made me doubt the correctness of my decision; however, there was nothing that I could do about it anymore at that point. There was no way that I could turn back time to undo my decision, and even if I could, I was sure that I didn¡¯t want to do that. It was just unfortunate for me that it would hurt and bother me this much.


    Just as Elizabeth had told us, if we wanted to act then we had to act fast while we still had the media¡¯s attention. That was exactly what we did after getting back to her that we would go along with her n of faking their rtionship. Within two days, which wasn¡¯t at all enough time for me to prepare myself mentally, a formal press conference was arranged to announce the ¡®hidden rtionship¡¯ between Elizabeth and Ace.


    As his secretary, I stood to the side in therge function room in one of the most luxurious hotels in the city where the press conference was taking ce. I could have avoided joining this event, but I chose not to. As his personal secretary, it was only right that I attend to help out where I could. As his real girlfriend, it felt like a must that I be here to support him even though I couldn¡¯t go up there on stage and be right at his side. Even if it meant that I had to see and hear things that I didn¡¯t want to, I didn¡¯t hesitate to attend the press conference.


    ¡°Thank you everyone for your time today. It is time for the event to start now. Thank you for your patience, I now invite Miss Chase and Mr. Hills up on the stage,¡± the host spoke through the microphone to get the attention of the reporters and everyone else in the room.


    All the noises in the room died down immediately as everyone¡¯s attention turned to Ace and Elizabeth who were seated next to each other on a sofa in front of the room. As for me, I have always had my eyes on them even though it would probably be better for me if I looked away. It was probably just my imagination, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel that they were sitting way too close to each other. It also did not help my poor heart and bruised spirits that the two of them looked very well-suited together. The tightness in my chest worsened but I still wouldn¡¯t pull my eyes away.


    Ace stood up from the sofa first when they were urged by the words of the host to get up on stage where they would make their announcement. I watched with a slightly sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach as he turned to offer his hand to Elizabeth. Although I was standing quite far away to see everything single detail clearly, I could see in my mind¡¯s eyes the way Elizabeth smiled alluringly at him before cing her hand into his. Once again, I could have looked away, but I didn¡¯t. It didn¡¯t take me long to realize that this was my way of taking responsibility for the decision that I made. If it wasn¡¯t easy for me then I had no real reason to believe that it was easy for Ace.


    With my eyes glued to Ace and his every movement, I couldn¡¯t help such a public ce with so many people gathered.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name while sounding quite tired and sleepy.


    but recall the brief conversation that we had in bed a few nights before after a few rounds of passionate lovemaking. I caught myself before I would recall the intense pleasure from when we shared our bodies and soul with each other in case it would make me blush in such a public ce with so many people gathered.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name while sounding quite tired and sleepy.


    After a few rounds of rough and heavy sex, Iid in bed with my head pillowedfortably on his arm as he held me naturally. My body felt heavy andzy from the aftereffects of our wild lovemaking, but I had nothing toin about that.


    ¡°Hmm? You sound tired, why don¡¯t we call it a day?¡± Ace replied with a hint of teasing in his tone.


    I wanted nothing more than to fall asleep from exhaustion in his arms. Then perhaps I would wake up and everything would just be a nasty dream that wasn¡¯t connected in any way to the real world. I knew well enough that that was nothing more than wistful thinking and that I had to face my problems head on. The best way to start with that was to make sure that Ace and I had an agreement and that we were absolutely on the same page. After that, I could reward myself with some peaceful and restful sleep in the warmth of his embrace.


    ¡°Ace, I think we should go ahead with Elizabeth¡¯s n. I know that it¡¯s not going to be easy for us, but I still think that it¡¯s going to be for the best,¡± I said as I stared deeply into his eyes.


    Ace¡¯s face had an unreadable expression on it, and I could tell that he had very mixed feelings about the decision that I had reached. After clinging on to him so desperately during our passionate session, I knew that it was time for me to be less greedy. I didn¡¯t want to share Ace with anyone but if I considered that it wouldn¡¯t be for real, then maybe I could somehow find a way to live with it.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 408 The Perfect Couple

    Ace¡¯s silence as he kept on staring into my eyes made me feel ufortable.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you have to go through with this, but it is for our future together. So please, let¡¯s both hang in there a little longer¡­¡± I said pleadingly before I would lose whatever courage I had and just call it quits.


    Ace continued staring at me and then his hand began slowly stroking my back. Without saying anything, his hand slowly moved upward along the curve of my waist and then up my arm. His lips curved into a little smile exactly at the same time as when hisrge handnded on the top of my head.


    ¡°You know, sometimes I wish that you would act a little more jealous and demanding¡­¡± Ace said before heughed softly.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if I understood what Ace was thinking. His words were very unexpected, and they caught me off guard and confused me. However, I was relieved at the same time that Ace no longer seemed angry or irritated. The look in his hazel eyes had softened as he smiled at me adoringly while hisrge and warm hand caressed the top of my head. The warm sensation that welled up in my chest and made me smile must have been love or something very close to it.


    ¡°You want me to be jealous and unreasonable?¡± I asked teasingly.


    ¡°Acting a little jealous could be kind of cute but not too much and none of that unreasonable business,¡± Ace replied before he grinned at me.


    ¡°Wow. Someone surely is picky¡­¡± I replied yfully and I quickly found that I couldn¡¯t stop smiling.


    ¡°Don¡¯t me me because you were the one who asked,¡± Ace replied like it really wasn¡¯t his problem or fault.


    ¡°Umm¡­will you do it?¡± I asked before biting down on the inside of my lower lip while I waited in anticipation for his response.


    ¡°Only if you¡¯re going to be fine with it and only because you¡¯re asking me to¡­¡± Ace replied with a serious look in his eyes.


    His gaze held mine as if he wanted to test and see if I would truly be fine with going ahead with Elizabeth¡¯s n. The truth was, I wasn¡¯t at all sure how fine or affected I would be. However, I knew that if I looked away from him now, we would be back at square one because just like he had just told me, Ace wouldn¡¯t go ahead with the n. Because I was simply scared that my voice would waver if I answered him, I decided to nod my head once firmly to affirm the choice that I had made.


    The sound of apuse that echoed in the room all around me snapped me out of my thoughts. I was once again back in the auditorium filled with reporters and Ace was doing a fabulous job of ying Elizabeth¡¯s boyfriend. He led Elizabeth by the hand and helped support her up the few steps up onto the stage. I flinched slightly when he ced his arm around her waist to support her. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Although I knew that it was all just an act, I couldn¡¯t quite calm the rapid beating of my heart or the way that the palms of my hands had started to sweat. The two of them were all smiles when they sat down next to each other on the seats that had been prepared for them on stage. The many microphones from the press agencies were in front of them and the whole room seemed eager to finally hear what they had to say.


    ¡°Thank you everyone for your time anding all this way for us¡­¡± Elizabeth said before she paused to smile at the crowd and then at Ace.


    ¡°Thank you foring. Since we know quite well just how busy everyone is, we¡¯ll try to keep this short and very direct. Of course, we¡¯re fine with answering any questions you may have so please save your questions for the end,¡± Ace spoke quite formally.


    ¡°As everyone is undoubtedly aware, there have been some rumors circting in the media for a few days now about us and our rtionship. After discussing things with Ace and our twopanies, we have reached the decision to set up this conference to address the rumors,¡± Elizabeth exined patiently.


    I felt my mouth go dry and it became difficult for me to swallow as I stood in the same ce and watched the announcement unfolding. Even though I knew what the two of them would announce, I still felt anxious as I waited for the announcement to be made. The tension in the room was getting to me and so was the way that the two of them paused to stare lovingly at each other.


    It¡¯s all just an act¡­


    I repeated that phrase over and over in my head to separate the truth from the reality that I was seeing right before my eyes. Seeing isn¡¯t always believing and what you see right in front of you may not be true.


    It was all supposed to be just an act, but I couldn¡¯t help thinking just how real everything looked and felt. Without me knowing it, maybe the two of them had taken acting sses because they truly looked like the ideal perfect couple. Even if it wasn¡¯t real, I could understand why the public would be keen on supporting their rtionship given how great they looked together.


    After staring at each other for a moment, it seemed like an agreement had been reached between them and it was Elizabeth who leaned forward to approach the microphone. I squeezed my hand together as I waited for her to finally make the announcement.


    ¡°We would like to apologize for the confusion that we¡¯ve caused, and we would like to use this opportunity to confirm that the rumors about us dating is in fact true¡­¡± Elizabeth announced before smiling confidently at the audience.


    Her confirmation clearly surprised everyone in the room. Silence was immediately disturbed by various murmurs from the audience. The well-organized atmosphere was gone, and everyone had started chatting with each other and many questions were raised.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 409 Acting Our Part

    ¡°Is it really true that you two are back together?¡±


    ¡°Will there be an engagement soon?¡±


    ¡°Will you two finally get married this time?¡±


    Many reporters stood up from their seats and shouted their questions toward the couple seated on the stage. As if led by the example of others, many other reporters stood up and started yelling out their questions as well. Chaos erupted along with the loud voices of the reporters. The sound of camera shutters going off and camera shes filled the room as cameramen rushed forward to get a better shot of the couple.


    ¡°Security, please help out¡­¡± I said into the microphone attached to the cor of my suit to make sure that the members of the security team were on top of things.


    There wasn¡¯t much for me to worry about, at least in terms of security. With the two CEOs gathered in the same ce, the security consisted of teams from bothpanies. Ace and Elizabeth did not look at all worried about all the ruckus that was happening in the room. In response to the storm of questions that was being hurled at them, the two of them just sat side by side and smiled. That was what was agreed upon before the start of the conference and it seemed like the two of them were going to be quite strict in how they handled the questions.


    ¡°Just to make this clear, although I guess you already know as much, we will not answer any questions that requires us to make anymitment regarding the future. For example, things rted to our future engagement and marriage and how thing will progress¡­¡± Elizabeth warned sternly as she sat opposite us across the table.


    After making up our mind to go ahead with her proposal, Elizabeth swiftly set up another secret meeting for us to visit her at the same house where we had met her before. Unlike the first time meeting her in that ce, the conversation of our second meeting was more concise, and it felt more like were really on the same team. Whatever was going to happen from then on, we would be in it together as a team. It felt strange to say the least to be on the same side as her.


    ¡°I know that already but thanks for the reminder,¡± Ace replied passively.


    Despite agreeing to go ahead with the n based on my decision, I had to say that Ace had been grumpier than usual because of it. It must have taken a lot of control to stop himself from snapping at Elizabeth. As for me, I didn¡¯t want to risk facing his wrath and decided to stay silent until his mood improved.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that Ace already understands the reasons behind this thinking, and he seems to be in a rotten mood so I¡¯ll exin to you instead so that we¡¯re all on the same page here,¡± Elizabeth said before smiling at me.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± I murmured.


    Ace faced the other way as he stared off into space as if he was d that he was finally being excluded from the conversation. I let out a soft sigh while thinking of how I could possibly improve his mood before this tension between us killed me. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°It¡¯s all for future negotiation with my father. If we announce that we already n to get engaged or get married, then we¡¯ll have less chips to bargain with. Therefore, we should notmit to anything and then as the merger progresses, if needed we can bring out more cards onto the table,¡± Elizabeth exined like she had all of this calcted and figured out.


    Simply put, I was amazed at how in control she was and how far she had thought ahead about all this. I could see the merit in her words, and I was also relieved that they didn¡¯t have to announce their engagement or host a fake wedding ceremony right away. Hopefully, it wouldn¡¯t ever have toe to that because it might be too much for me to watch.


    ¡°I understand. Thank you¡­¡± I said before showing her the best smile that I could put on at that moment.


    The sound of the security manager talking to me through the Bluetooth earphone that I had inserted in one of my ears brought me back to the present. His report that everything was under control as far as security was concerned did not surprise me. I could see with my own eyes that the various bodyguards had already formed quite an intimidating line between the reporters and the fake couple on the stage.


    ¡°Thank you. Hopefully this will end soon¡­¡± I replied while stating my dearest wish.


    My attention returned to Elizabeth as she seemed ready to address the questions from the crowd of reporters. Ace sat close to her with a calm smile on his face as he yed the role of a very supportive boyfriend. It was clear that he was going to let Elizabeth do most of the talking and I also thought that that was a pretty smart and energy-saving move.


    ¡°We are unsure about what the future holds for us, but for now, we are extremely happy to be back together. Hopefully soon, we will have some more good news for everyone,¡± Elizabeth replied smoothly before smiling beautifully.


    The reporters asked some more questions, but Elizabeth only replied vaguely without making anymitments while Ace sat with a polite smile by her side. It didn¡¯t take long for the press conference to wrap up ande to an end. I couldn¡¯t wait to have Ace back by my side although it hadn¡¯t been that long since I lent him out to Elizabeth. Thinking of it that way made me feel like I was treating Ace like an object and that made me feel even guiltier than before.


    ¡°Good job, Rina¡­¡± Aceplimented me with a kind smile as they both came to stand in front of me.


    Some reporters were still around but they were already making their way out.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 410 The Hidden Girl

    I knew that Ace was probably thanking me for helping to organize the event on such short notice but also for hanging in there while I watched their perfect performance as the perfect couple on stage.


    ¡°Thank you. Should we head back to the office?¡± I suggested while trying to sound polite.


    It went without saying that now that Ace was officially dating Elizabeth instead of being a hot and avable bachelor while he was secretly dating me like before that I had to be extra careful about our interactions. I needed to y the role of his secretary perfectly and make sure that our rtionship appeared nothing but professional.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll apany Elizabeth back to her office first. You don¡¯t have to wait for me,¡± Ace replied with a nod my way.


    ¡°Oh, sure¡­¡± I replied while trying to hide my slight disappointment.


    Elizabeth smiled at me before Ace led her away. I stared at them until they exited the room and were out of sight. All the while, I couldn¡¯t keep my eyes from the way that she clung to his arm as she pressed her body against his side. I knew that they were both still acting to fool everyone that happened to be around, but seriously, can¡¯t a grown woman walk straight without clinging to a man¡¯s arm?


    ¡°Thank you so much for helping us organize this event on such short notice¡­¡± a voice spoke up from behind me.


    I turned around to see Elizabeth¡¯s secretary standing there with a pleasant smile on her face. Since this press conference was rted to work, I got the opportunity to work with Elizabeth¡¯s secretary on the preparations.


    ¡°A big thank you to you too. I couldn¡¯t have done this without you and your team,¡± I replied politely.


    ¡°Usually having these joint events isn¡¯t something easy but working with you has helped to make all the preparations run smoothly,¡± she said before shing me another smile.


    Unlike Elizabeth, who appeared very cold and stiff in her working mode, her secretary was warm and extremely friendly. Her name is Helen, and she appears to be quite a number of years older than I was and more experienced in her line of work. We exchanged a few more words before parting ways. There were a few things that needed to be done to sessfully wrap up the event. Helen was one of the only reasons why I counted myself lucky.


    I rolled my eyes upwards before letting out a sigh. It was bad enough that I was Ace¡¯s secretary. Thank heavens that Helen was Elizabeth¡¯s secretary and not Kyle. Although I didn¡¯t want to think of him, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what he was up to and what he thought about his wife ying Ace¡¯s girlfriend. That thought urred to me only for a brief moment before I swatted it away with a dismissive way of my hand as if shooing off a disgusting fly. Kyle was more than lucky enough to have Elizabeth looking out for him. In my opinion, she was more than he would ever deserve, and he should have nothing toin about given the fact that she did not dump him right off the bat just as her father had suggested.


    ¡­


    Taking care of the event gave me a convenient excuse not to work at the office for a few days while I waited for the buzz about Elizabeth and Ace¡¯s rtionship to die down. However, now that the press conference was over and done with, I had to return to the office even if I didn¡¯t want to. Being away for a short while meant that I was behind on my work. I reminded myself that I owed Richard many big thanks and perhaps a few meals for covering for me while I was away.


    Stepping into the lobby of the office building told me that I was wrong to expect the buzz to die down that fast. Basically, every word that I overheard had something to do with Ace and his rtionship with Elizabeth. The rumors floating around in the news brought about a lot ofmotion in the office already and now the confirmation brought along with it an evenrger wave of gossip than before. It felt like everyone had to talk about it and couldn¡¯t stop talking about it. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    I quickly made my way to the elevator while praying that no one would stop and talk to me. Somehow, I managed to arrive at my project room without running into anyone that I knew. Before I could celebrate this small victory internally, a figure stood in front of me the moment that I opened the door to the project room.


    ¡°Hi¡­¡± I mumbled when I saw my project manager standing there.


    For a second there, I thought that I had truly gotten into trouble of some kind. The serious look in the manager¡¯s face quickly melted and was reced by a look of pure curiosity. That was the moment that I wanted to turn on my heels and walk away as fast as I possibly could.


    ¡°Oh, Karina is here!¡±


    ¡°You have to tell us all about it!¡±


    ¡°What is going on? I can¡¯t believe this¡­¡±


    ¡°I always thought that our CEO was single. This is like¡­super surprising¡­¡±


    ¡°Are they really dating? Do you know something about it?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, did you know about this beforehand?¡±


    ¡°They were engaged before, right? Are they seriously back together now?¡±


    ¡°Are they going to get married?¡±


    I felt like my head was spinning from all the questions that my colleagues bombarded me with. The only person in the room who did not ask me about Ace and his newly announced rtionship was Richard. I nced over at where he was sitting at his desk while pleading for him to help me out with my eyes. Richard only grinned at me before his attention returned to the work in front of him and that only made my heart sank. I should have known better than to expect that he would help me out with this.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 411 Good Liar

    ¡°Umm¡­¡± I murmured as I wondered how I should best deal with their questions.


    ¡°You work as his personal secretary, so you must know something¡­¡± a team member asked with excitement in her widened eyes.


    I could feel everyone¡¯s gaze on me, and I just simply wanted to disappear. Of course, I should have known that something like this was bound to happen. It was such a shame that thepany didn¡¯t have solid rules against gossiping in the office although there was a rule against office romance in ce. A wild idea entered my mind that maybe I should suggest an anti-gossiping rule to Ace because that just might make my life a little bit easier.


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry to disappoint you guys but I honestly don¡¯t know much at all about his personal life¡­¡± I replied before showing them what I hoped looked like a regretful smile.


    ¡°Aww¡­that can¡¯t be true¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°You work so closely with him and you two spend so much time together, how can you not know anything?¡±


    Their dissatisfied reaction was to be expected. I kept a regretful smile on my lips while I thought of how everyone would react if they were to find out the truth about what was really going on. For the sess of the merger, I had to make sure that everyone was fooled and believed in the announcement that Elizabeth just made.


    ¡°It¡¯s true that I work as his secretary but that¡¯s only for work, you know. I don¡¯t know anything about his personal life or who he dates¡­¡± I replied with a tant lie.


    ¡°This is so disappointing that it¡¯s driving me crazy!¡±


    ¡°I would try to find out all the dirty details if I were in your shoes,¡±


    A few colleagues continued expressing their frustration over the fact that I didn¡¯t give them any juicy pieces of gossip for them to chew on. I had no doubt at all that if I were to say something, it would spread all over the office like an uncontroble wildfire. Precisely because of that, I knew that it was best that I shouldn¡¯t say anything or even make ament.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for disappointing everyone. Working for the CEO is already hard, and I do want to keep my job, you know¡­¡± I exined with a small nod of my head.


    I just hoped that everyone would let it slide. It wasn¡¯t easy for me to see the two of them together and dealing with everyone gossiping and asking me about it made it worse. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how much longer I had to deal with something like this. It would probably be best if I got used to it. With that thought in mind, I put another smile on my lips to keep any words from escaping between them.


    If only they knew the truth, I wonder what kind of face they would all make. If only they knew that the person that Ace had been dating all along was me. What would happen then? How would everyone react? How would everyone take our rtionship?


    The thought that started out as an entertaining one quickly turned into a very worrying one for me. One day sooner orter, we would have to tell everyone that we were dating. When everything is over and done with, whatever that means, we would have toe out and tell everyone the truth. Although I had no idea what our lives would be like by then, I was certain that we couldn¡¯t keep our rtionship a secret forever. I stared at the curious eyes of my colleagues with a heavy heart. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Just like everyone else, I had been taught since a young age that lying was a bad thing. Precisely because of that, I found it quite sad that I had to tell so many liestely. Even worse than that, sometimes, I felt like the life that I was living was kind of like a lie too.


    ¡°Can everyone just get back to work already? Karina¡¯s been away for a few days and work has been piling up on our end,¡± a very stern and deep voice spoke up.


    ¡°Richard¡­¡± I whispered his name.


    Everyone turned around to see Richard standing right behind them with a very unimpressed look on his face. I almost felt tears stinging the back of my eyes and it felt like a hero had flown down from above to save me. Richard made a disgusted face as he stared at our colleagues.


    ¡°If anyone has free time on their hands, I¡¯m more than happy to share my work¡­¡± he stated with an icy cold re.


    ¡°We¡¯re also¡­quite busy¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    A few of our colleagues replied in a humble mumble. Just like when the bell rang out at the end of a school break, everyone dispersed immediately and went back to their work desk without much of a fuss. Just like that, the grilling session was over for me. I looked over at Richard as I mouthed the words ¡®thank you¡¯ to him silently. In response, Richard just rolled his eyes at me before turning away to return to his work desk.


    ¡­


    **A weekter**


    Nothing happens like magic. I should have known that by then, but I was still sorely disappointed. It had been around week since Ace and Elizabeth announced their rtionship to the public and things have not yet died downpletely both at the office and in the press. Apparently, the news of their dating and being seen together was something that the press could milk for good publicity and money. I woke up to news of them being featured every morning and went to sleep with more gossip and spections about their rtionship in the evening.


    Surprisingly, I did get used to it. Although I wasn¡¯tpletely immune to seeing news and hearing gossip about them, my skin was definitely getting thicker. What I couldn¡¯t seem to get used to was seeing them together in person.


    --To be continued¡­


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 Chapter 412 Right By His Side

    ¡°I have to admit that I never thought things would turn out like this when he called you over to help him,¡± Richard confessed to me softly.


    I looked up from myputer screen to see him looking at me with passive eyes. Life had returned to normal on the surface, at least for me. Working in the office with my team on my project with Richard became the expected norm; however, that wasn¡¯t all that I had to handle.


    ¡°Yeah¡­it¡¯s still very surprising for everyone¡­I think¡­¡± I replied before forcing myself to smile.


    ¡°Hang in there. Don¡¯t worry too much about this project,¡± he said while sounding quite bored.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if I misheard him at first, but it sounded like he was trying tofort me and cover for me at work. While staring at Richard, I couldn¡¯t help but recall Ace¡¯s words when he told me that he had decided to staff me on the same project as Richard. Although it seemed impossible and unbelievable at first, I was starting to think that maybe Ace was right, and that Richard might not be as bad as he seemed. I had to admit that despite his cold and sometimes sarcastic attitude, when it came to work Richard was very dependable and he always made me feel like everything would turn out fine in the end.


    ¡¤?¦Èm ¡°Thank you¡­so much¡­¡± I said in just above a whisper.


    Richard did not bother to reply to me as he shifted his attention right back to his work. I wanted to focus more on the project at hand, but it was impossible to do so with the many tasks that I had to get done as Ace¡¯s personal secretary. Maintaining the public fa?ade of his fake rtionship with Elizabeth required quite a lot of effort from the both of them and as a result, I had more work cut out for me as well.


    For the past week, I had to attend various public events with Ace and Elizabeth. While the two of them acted as the perfect couple in front of the public eyes and the cameras, I was stuck paired up with Helen. Thankfully, she was an angel to work with but that did not make me enjoy seeing Ace and Elizabeth getting so close.


    ¡°Are you heading out already?¡± Richard asked when I started gathering my things.


    ¡°Yes¡­I¡¯m sorry for this¡­¡± I apologized sincerely.


    He watched in silence as I got up from my seat and shoved a few items into my handbag. Today was another day where I had to apany Ace to an event that Elizabeth would be attending as well. I fully understood that this was necessary to hammer the point home to everyone that the two of them were really dating, but sometimes, I felt like it was a bit much.


    ¡°What are you apologizing for? This is part of your work too,¡± he said emotionlessly.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± I murmured in agreement.


    Richard was right that this was part of my job too and I had to do my best at it. After smiling a little his way, I headed for the door. Ever since the press conference, Ace and I had to be ultra-careful of keeping our rtionship under wraps. For the first time ever, Ace seemed serious about protecting our secret and it all made sense. This time, it wasn¡¯t just about me getting in trouble because of the no-dating rule, the merger of the twopanies and our future was at stake. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    I pushed the door to Ace¡¯s personal office open without knocking because I knew that he was expecting me. So far, we have managed to keep our interactions in the office strictly professional. That was at least strictly true during working hours and before sunset.


    ¡°Are you ready to go?¡± I asked without much enthusiasm.


    Ace was sitting on his usual chair behind hisrge work desk, and I could tell that he wasn¡¯t at all looking forward to the event. He looked bored and the pristine grey suit outfit that he had on seemed to be the only thing ready for the uing event.


    ¡°Yes, because I have to be¡­¡± he replied before heaving a soft sigh.


    ¡°Should I call and tell them that you¡¯re sick and unable to make it?¡± I suggested with what I hoped was a sweet and healing smile.


    ¡°No need for that. We all have our roles to y. I¡¯ll do my job and you¡¯ll do yours¡­¡± Ace replied before grinning my way.


    ¡°Let¡¯s both hang in there¡­¡± I said as I reached out a hand to him.


    Ace stared at my open palm for a moment as if he was at a loss as to what he should do. All I wanted to do was help pull him up from his seat since he looked so tired, so I didn¡¯t quite understand why he had such a thoughtful look on his face.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name softly.


    Instead of pulling me up, I found that I was the one being pulled down. I let out a small cry of surprise when he turned me around and pulled me down onto hisp. Immediately his strong arms were around my waist as if preventing my escape.


    ¡°Wait¡­Ace¡­¡± I protested softly when I felt the heat of his breath against my ear.


    My back was pressed so snuggly against his chest that I could feel his body heat. Ace did not respond to me and soon I felt the heat of his lips against my earlobe as he began kissing me softly yet extremely seductively there. All my senses seemed to snap to life, and it took a lot of self-control to stop myself from moaning out loud. Ace kissed my earlobe repeatedly as the sounds of his kissing evaded my senses. Although I knew very well that it wasn¡¯t the time to be doing something like this, I couldn¡¯t deny that I enjoyed his seductive kisses and caresses as his hand moved tantalizingly all over my waist before moving up to grope my breast.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 413 Have To Stop Here

    ¡°Ace¡­please¡­¡± I pleaded although I wasn¡¯t truly sure if I wanted more or if I wanted him to stop.


    ¡°Just rx¡­¡± Ace whispered seductively into my ear.


    The way hisrge hands and long fingers fondled and massaged my breasts felt too good for me to handle and it wasn¡¯t long before I started moaning softly from the pleasure. I could feel my soft womanly flesh changing shape in his hands. I let out a louder moan when his lips moved to suck harder on my earlobe.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ace¡­¡± I moaned his name as I felt my body getting weaker and weaker.


    His hand massaged my breasts a little rougher than before and I could feel my nipples tightening while my core started to throb with desire. There wasn¡¯t a lot of time left before we had to leave the office otherwise, we would bete to the event, and I was sure that Elizabeth wouldn¡¯t be at all impressed by that. Despite knowing this, I couldn¡¯t quite stop Ace and his intimate advances.


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t¡­¡± I protested softly.


    I felt the heat of his palm against the side of my face as he urged me to turn my head around. Not surprisingly, his lipsnded firmly against mine in a demanding kiss that made my heart skip a beat in my chest. Ace crushed his lips to mine from various angles a few times before thrusting his tongue in between my lips and into the depth of my mouth. I moaned into our kiss as my body got increasingly hotter. His tongue danced around wildly in my mouth, and it felt like he was about to devour me. His arms tightened around my body, and I could feel his hardness rubbing against my backside.


    The way his tongue moved fervently against mine in a passionate dance made me want to go even further with him. I could feel Ace¡¯s arousal rubbing against my back as I felt my pussy starting to moisten. With all the control that I could muster, I managed to turn my head away to break our kiss. The look of surprise that quickly turned to a slight scorn on Ace¡¯s face made me regret my abrupt action slightly. However, there was no other choice but for us to stop this if we wanted to make it to the event on time.


    ¡°It¡¯s still¡­working hours¡­¡± I managed to remind him in between gasps of my own harsh breathing.


    ¡°Does that mean that we can continue with thister?¡± he asked although I knew that it was more of a request.


    Since having to keep our rtionship a secret even more so than before, we had agreed on some ground rules that would keep us safe from suspicion and that mainly included where we could meet and spend time together. Sadly, after all the effort of moving so many of my things to Ace¡¯s ce, that ce was now off limits based on my suggestion. On top of that, we had to be extra careful when Ace visited my ce as well.


    ¡°If we don¡¯t leave now, we¡¯re going to seriously bete for the event,¡± I quickly pointed out.


    Ace made a face that showed his dissatisfaction, but he didn¡¯t make a move to kiss me again. His arm slowly loosened from around my waist and then I heard him let out a sigh of depression. I fully understood that holding back must have been hard on him because it was hard on me too.


    ¡°I guess, we can alwayse back to the office when we¡¯re done with the event¡­¡± I said in a soft murmur.


    ¡¤?¦Èm I could see Ace perk up immediately at my words and the implication behind it. I loved the way his lips curved into a smile as he looked at me with desire dancing in the depth of his captivating hazel eyes. Since our ces were pretty much off limits, we had to make do with enjoying our time together in the office. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Sometimes the most dangerous ce could turn out to be the safest¡­


    ¡°So, shall we¡­save this forter?¡± I asked with a bright smile.


    Ace ced a soft and lingering kiss on my cheek as if sealing my offer as a promise. If it gave him something to look forward to at the end of the day, then it was good enough for me.


    ¡°I guess we have to¡­¡± he replied with a wry grin.


    ¡­


    ¡°Watch the time¡­¡± Elizabeth said heatedly as she tapped her index finger against the face of the expensive luxury watch on slim wrist.


    ¡°Yeah yeah¡­¡± Ace muttered as he adjusted his tie.


    Thanks to the superb driving skill of Ace¡¯s driver, we somehow made it on time to the event where we met up with Elizabeth before joining the other guests. Appearing before the public for these two felt like appearing on a television drama. Both of them had to talk the details out of what they were going to do or say as if everything had to be nned and rehearsed beforehand. Of course, the person who was strict and had suggested this was none other than Elizabeth.


    ¡°Are you listening to me?¡± Elizabeth asked demandingly.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Ace replied with clear annoyance.


    The dynamic between the two made me want tough sometimes and it was quite hard to hold in my giggle. After seeing the way that they really were together behind the scenes, it was hard to imagine Ace and Elizabeth really dating. Helen was also there with us as she made sure that Elizabeth¡¯s dress looked wless. The way she worried over Elizabeth made me feel like she was more of a superstar personal manager than simply a secretary.


    ¡°Let¡¯s make sure that they get some good-looking couple shots of us before we enter the event. Shall we slip in a kiss?¡± Elizabeth suggested.


    I felt a knot form in the pit of my stomach at her suggestion of them kissing even if it was just supposed to be roleying.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 414 Close Yet Faraway

    ¡°No¡­¡± Ace replied without missing a heartbeat.


    ¡°You can kiss my cheek. How¡¯s that?¡± she suggested with a modified solution.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need for that. I¡¯ll just wrap an arm around your waist and hold you close,¡± Ace proposed before yawning.


    ¡°That works too. The meeting with the board of directors and some other major shareholders is already next week so let¡¯s do our best until then,¡± Elizabeth said before lifting her hand to fix her hair a little.


    ¡°That¡¯s fast¡­¡± Acemented but he didn¡¯t seem excited.


    ¡°If things go well, we should get their greenlight to discuss the merger. It¡¯s going to take a while to get them all on the same page but at least we¡¯re starting somewhere,¡± Elizabeth exined with some excitement.


    ¡°Hope things would really be that simple,¡± Ace muttered.


    ¡°You should be there to convince them,¡± she suggested.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it supposed to be an internal meeting?¡± Ace asked.


    ¡°Well, since we¡¯re dating with some future in mind, I don¡¯t think that my father or the other people would mind. Don¡¯t you think?¡± Elizabeth replied with a littleugh.


    ¡°If your father is fine with it, then I¡¯ll be there,¡± Ace replied and for once he seemed to show genuine interest.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave the convincing in your capable hands,¡± Elizabeth said.


    I was sure that having Ace there would help to convince them to see the merits of the merger. I prayed for things to go well as nned so that we can all stop this act. Ace always tried his best not to do anything that would make me feel overly ufortable. On my end, I tried my best not to be overly sensitive or let my difort show in front of Ace so that he wouldn¡¯t have to worry too much about me.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s about time¡­¡± Helen notified all of us politely.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go¡­¡± Elizabeth said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with¡­¡± Ace said passively. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The moment that the two of them stepped outside, they were magically a well united couple that seemed to get along well in every single aspect. As for me, I quickly transformed into what I hoped was the perfect professional secretary as I walked behind them while keeping a suitable distance with Helen by my side. It was a shame that I couldn¡¯t be the one to walk proudly at Ace¡¯s side, but I was thankful enough that I was in a position to watch over him.


    The event was hosted to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of one of Chase Creatives¡¯ biggest and longstanding clients. Even I¡¯ve heard of this ount before and the numerous attempts that was made by Ace and his father to acquire them into our portfolio of clients, although without any sess. Normally, Ace wouldn¡¯t be invited to attend an event like this but since he was dating Elizabeth now, he was more than weed as her guest and escort. The client also sent Ace a personal invitation to the event as if acknowledging the prowess of ourpany for the first time ever.


    I watched on in silence as Elizabeth and Ace posed together as the perfect couple in front of arge group of reporters and cameramen. shes from the camera seemed to explode everywhere around them as the reporters swarmed them to ask questions. None of the questions were out of the ordinary and the two did not have any trouble in addressing them all smoothly. After hearing these simr questions asked over and over again, I had lost interest in actively listening in. That was until a particr question caught my interest.


    ¡¤?¦Èm ¡°Now that you two are back together, are there ns to merge your businesses?¡± a middle-aged reporter asked in a very loud and booming voice.


    I felt like my eyes were about to pop out of their sockets at his question. Although it was just a question and there was no evidence that news of the merger had leaked out, it still made me panic. For someone to mention anything akin to a merger made my body stiffen because I was so on edge. My eyes were glued on Ace and Elizabeth as I waited to see how the two of them would react. If they panicked even a little, the two of them did not show it at all. Elizabeth just smiled before looking at Ace as if asking for him to step in to take control of the situation.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be great?¡± Ace said before beaming a wide smile at the crowd of reporters.


    He sounded casual and friendly instead of serious about it. Ace then startedughing to pass it off. The reporters seemed satisfied with his answer and the positive attitude that Ace showed which seemed to be in support of a possible merger. Elizabeth just smiled andughed along with Ace as he pulled her closer against his side.


    To my utter relief, another reporter asked them another question that steered the conversation away from the sensitive topic of a merger. I let out a sigh of relief as I stood in my position to the side. With the discussion happening next week, it would be bad if anything appeared in the news now. Hopefully, Ace¡¯s passivement will go unnoticed.


    ¡­


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work today as well,¡± Helen said before handing me a bottle of water.


    ¡°Thank you for your support as always,¡± I replied with a polite smile.


    ¡°Yes, who knows how many more events we¡¯ll have to work on together,¡± Helen said before heaving a sigh.


    Helen was probably the only other person besides the three of us and Kyle that knew that Ace and Elizabeth were faking their rtionship. Elizabeth apparently trusted her well enough to tell her what was going on. That was to be expected given that we really needed to help to make things run smoothly. I had to admit that I would probably struggle to do everything alone without her assistance.


    ¡°That felt like it took forever¡­¡± Aceined in a mutter.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 415 Continuing What We Started

    ¡°Stopining. I think it well pretty well. All except for that reporter asking that question¡± Elizabeth said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope that it was just random coincidence and that he doesn¡¯t really know anything,¡± Ace replied while loosening the tie around his neck.


    ¡°I think you handled it pretty well,¡± I chimed in before smiling at Ace.


    ¡°You think?¡± Ace muttered while sounding dead tired.


    ¡°I think so, too. At least, putting a positive note on it is going to help get the media on our side. I mean, they think everything you say is good is good, you know¡­¡± Elizabeth readily agreed with me on this one.


    ¡°It¡¯s always a good idea to have the press on our side,¡± Ace said while nodding his head slightly.


    Ace looked tired and more than ready to take his leave. I smiled at everyone before thanking them again.


    ¡°It is quitete already. If there¡¯s nothing else, then we¡¯ll take our leave for today,¡± I said politely.


    ¡°Of course. Thank you again for today,¡± Helen replied just as professionally.


    The driver was there to pick us up and I was relieved when we stepped into the back of the car. Ace shrugged off his suit and I took it from him so that he could rx.


    ¡°Back to the office,¡± Ace instructed the driver with a hint of impatience in his tone.


    I doubted that the driver truly understood the reason behind Ace¡¯s impatience the way that I did and perhaps that was for the best.


    ¡­


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I managed to say his name only once before his lips covered mine.


    The door to his office had just closed behind us and I already found myself with my back against the cold wall. Ace pinned me against the wall with ease before his hand cupped the side of my face. Almost immediately, his hot lips crushed onto mine in a very demanding kiss. The entire office building was almostpletely dark by the time that we arrived, and I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if we were the only people left in the office at that hour of night besides the usual security guards that went on hourly patrol throughout the office. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    His lips moved against mine as he kissed me from various angles. I could feel his hunger and his desire in his aggressive kiss. It didn¡¯t surprise me given the way that we had left things unfinished before heading out to the event. Because I had no valid reason to resist him, I simply closed my eyes and let my natural instinct take over. My lips moved naturally to receive his kiss before my lips parted to wee the hot wetness of his tongue.


    Ace did not hesitate to thrust his tongue firmly into the depth of my mouth. I heard myself letting out a soft moan of satisfaction when his tongue entwined with mine. His hands roved around my body restlessly as he made sure to stroke every single curve of my body where he knew would give me pleasure. His hand slipped down from my cheek to my shoulder beforending on my breast while his other hand stroked my waist and then the side of my hip.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ace¡­¡± I moaned and gasped when his lips left mine.


    I was panting hard by that time as I struggled to catch my breath. Ace¡¯s lips were on mine again as his hips moved in closer against me. I could feel the hardness of his arousal against my belly. Everything happened so fast and all at once that I didn¡¯t quite know what to do besides surrender myself to him. His tongue dipped into my mouth and engaged mine in a hot and passionate dance. I wrapped my arms around his neck to draw him closer to me as his hands stroked the sides of my hips.


    My core throbbed with the heat of my own desire. The hardness of his cock and his arousal turned me on even more. The heat and pleasurable ache in my lower abdomen felt so unbearable. His hands tugged up my skirt until my thighs were exposed before moving down to cup my ass. I moaned as he lifted me up slightly.


    ¡°Ace¡­Ahhh¡­¡± I moaned and called out his name in between the breaks of our deep and wet kisses.


    ¡°Spread your legs, Rina¡­¡± Acemanded in a voice dripping with lust.


    His words and his tone of voice and everything about him made me want him so badly. As Ace lifted my body further up until my feet were off the ground, I made sure to spread my legs for him just the way that he wanted. His hands supported my thighs on either side of his hips as he positioned himself closer to my core.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± I moaned with my eyes closed from the pleasure of feeling his hardness against my most sensitive ce.


    Ace kissed me again and all I could do was moan into our wet kiss. It felt like he was ready to devour me whole and the way that he began grinding his hardness against my pussy was driving me insane with need. I could feel the hardness of his arousal so clearly through his pants as he rubbed it teasingly against my pussy through my panties. I moaned louder and louder as my hips began moving to grind my pussy against is hardness. His cock pushing against my swollen and sensitive clit sent waves of pleasure throughout my body.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ace¡­¡± I moaned before calling his name.


    I wanted to feel his cock inside of me right away, but I knew that he was having too much fun teasing me and making me yearn for him. Lewd moans escaped my lips each time the hard outline of his cock pushed against my clit. I could feel my pussy twitching as I got wetter for him. My hips wouldn¡¯t stop moving as he ground his sex against mine while pushing me back and trapping my body between his and the wall behind me.


    ¡°Do you like this?¡± he asked needlessly.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 416 Long-Awaited Satisfaction

    ¡°Ahh¡­it feels so good¡­Ace¡­¡± I moaned seductively as if begging him for more.


    His head dipped down and soon I felt the heat of his lips kissing the side of my neck. He knew so well where all the sensitive pleasure spots on my body were, and he didn¡¯t mind using that knowledge to tease me.


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± I moaned when I felt the wetness of his tongue against my tender skin.


    Ace swirled the tip of his tongue on my skin as his lips worked to kiss me there softly. The teasing gentleness of his kisses were a stark contrast to the rough thrusting motions of his hips as he ground his cock against my flooded entrance. My pussy felt so wet, and I was sure that my pantie were already soaked with my love juices.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to fuck you, Rina¡­¡± Ace whispered into my ear.


    His words sent a shiver throughout my body and made my pussy spasmed uncontrobly. The truth was that I couldn¡¯t wait for him to have his way with me either. Since his ce had be off limits, we haven¡¯t had the chance to spend the night together. Ace¡¯s office became the new destination where we shared our desire for each other.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the sofa?¡± I suggested weakly.


    ¡°What aboutter?¡± Ace countered.


    His hand reached between my legs and soon I felt the pressure of his fingers pushing up against my wetness through my panties. I moaned from the pleasure as my hips thrusted against his exploring finger.


    ¡°You¡¯re flooded down here¡­¡± Acemented, and I could hear the satisfaction in his voice.


    ¡°Ahh¡­please¡­¡± I begged him shamelessly for him to touch me there.


    ¡°When did you get this wet? Were you wet during the event as well?¡± he asked before grinning at me.


    I didn¡¯t dare answer him. Lewd moans escaped my lips repeatedly and it wasn¡¯t long before I felt Ace peeling the drenched thin fabric covering my love hole to the side. Then his fingers found the wetness in between my widely spread thighs.


    ¡°Ohh¡­Ace¡­¡± I moaned as my body writhed to get more of his attention.


    His fingers stroked my flooded slit up and down teasingly. I could feel my pussy clench each time his fingertip moved closer to my small seed of pleasure. My love juices leaked out of my hole and lewd wet noises sounded from between my legs where his fingers continued stroking me. I wanted him to caress and y with my swollen clit so badly.


    ¡°Ace¡­please¡­¡± I begged as I panted.


    ¡°What do you want, Rina?¡± Ace asked as his hazel brown eyes bore into mine.


    ¡°Please¡­touch me¡­touch my clit¡­¡± I begged so openly that I felt ashamed of myself.


    ¡°Like this?¡± he asked before a satisfied smirk appeared on his beautiful lips. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    His fingertips brushed ever so softly against my swollen pleasure nub. I moaned and then cried out his name from the exquisite pleasure that flooded my senses. He stroked my clit soft and slowly in circr motions. It felt so good, but it wasn¡¯t enough. I wanted more and I wanted him to be rougher with me.


    ¡°Ace¡­harder¡­¡± I begged as my hand clutched at the top of his arms.


    ¡°You¡¯re getting very greedy,¡± he said mockingly.


    Despite his teasing words, Ace¡¯s fingers moved to do as I wanted. He stroked my clit faster and harder until I was almost screaming in wild ecstasy. I cried out his name when he pushed his fingertips hard against my pleasure nub. Being pleasured after waiting so long for it made everything feel so much better. Another whimper escaped my lips when I felt another gush of wetness rush out from the hole in between my legs. Suddenly, it felt like I was on the verge of cumming.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahh!¡± I cried out.


    Ace suddenly screwed his thick and long fingers into my flooded love cave. I could feel his fingers stretching my entrance before prating further into me. My wetness lubricated my pussy walls and helped his fingers slide very smoothly all the way into me. I moaned his name sweetly as the satisfaction of being filled overcame me.


    ¡°It¡¯s wet and very hot inside you, Rina. Can you feel your pussy sucking in my fingers?¡± Ace asked teasingly.


    I could feel everything. His fingers as he began moving them inside of me and the way my pussy walls clenched hard around his fingers. Ace felt around my insides for a short moment before he withdrew his fingers almost all the way out of me. I braced myself just in time for when Ace thrusted his fingers roughly all the way back inside of my flooded hole.


    ¡°Ah¡­Ahhh!¡± I moaned and cried out as the sensation of his fingers filling and stretching my insides.


    From that moment on, the thrusting of his fingers only intensified as he shoved his fingers faster and harder in and out of me. I could feel myself getting wetter from the loud squelching sounds that my pussy was making each time Ace pounded his fingers into me. After hooking his fingers upwards towards the upper wall of my love cave, it didn¡¯t take long for Ace to find my pleasure spot.


    ¡°Ace¡­it¡¯s so good¡­so good¡­¡± I moaned as his fingers stroked my g-spot skillfully.


    ¡°I know you love it when I y with you here¡­¡± Ace said knowingly.


    ¡°Ahh¡­please¡­make me cum¡­¡± I begged inplete surrender.


    I could feel the tension and heat quickly building up in my core as his fingers continued to tease my pleasure spot. The faster his fingers thrusted in and out of me, the closer I could feel my orgasm approaching. Soon enough, I could no longer deal with the pleasure that had umted inside of me and I climaxed while moaning his name.


    ¡°Did you cum already? How adorable¡­¡± Ace murmured seductively as his fingers continued pounding my flooded hole.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ace¡­¡± I moaned deliriously as I enjoyed riding out my release.


    Ace slipped his fingers out of me while I whimpered weakly.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 417 Fulfill His Passion

    Slowly, he slid me down until my feet reached the ground again and that was when I found out just how weak and useless my legs had be. I could barely stand on my own two feet without Ace supporting me. My wetness poured out of my unplugged hole while I panted fast while struggling to catch my breath. The effects of my climax still felt so fresh on my body and my mind felt so light.


    ¡°I want to fuck you right now, Rina¡­¡± Ace confessed boldly.


    His voice was thick with lust as his hand moved to grope my ass before urging my body to turn around until I had my face toward the wall. It wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t see thising. With how much he wanted it, I had doubted that we would be able to go anywhere to do it properly. The nk wall right in front of me would have to y the role of our assistance for a while until we were done with our passionate little tryst.


    Before Ace needed to instruct me, I nted my hands t against the wall while feeling its coldness seep into the palm of my hands. Bending down a little and sticking my ass up the way that he liked it must have been a feast for his eyes. Our rtionship had never been smooth sailing, but I had long gotten over feeling bad for myself. This ordeal with Elizabeth was different for me because it made me feel bad for Ace instead of worrying about myself. If there was something that I could do to help him out, then I wouldn¡¯t hesitate to do it. Unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t much that I could do on the business front.


    I heard Ace chuckling softly as hisrge hands began stroking the sides of my hips and I could tell that he was pleased. That fact brought a small smile to my lips while I thought that helping him out in this way was far from the worst. My pussy throbbed with need and in anticipation of what was toe. Strangely, I found my heart beating faster and louder in my chest and I had to admit to myself that I was very excited.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ace¡­please¡­¡± I whimpered weakly when I felt his fingers pulling my panties to the side to uncover my flooded entrance.


    I couldn¡¯t wait to feel his thick cock ramming into me, and I also knew that Ace was at his limit. The event took too long, but hopefully soon, Ace would no longer need to attend as many events like that anymore. That thought crossed my mind before I was distracted by the sound of Ace undressing his lower half. I had to resist the urge to turn around to admire his cock. Instead, I focused on sticking up my ass so that he could prate me smoothly. Although I was wet, being taken from behind while bending over against a wall wasn¡¯t a position for beginners.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re already so wet¡­¡± Ace murmured from behind me.


    I felt his hand grip the side of my hip as he guided his cock toward my pulsating hole. A lusty moan escaped my lips when I finally felt the heat and hardness of the head of his thick cock lodging itself between my pussy lips at my entrance. My pussy clenched immediately in response, and I prayed that he would just shove it all the way into me.


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± Ace groaned my name. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    I cried exactly at the same time when Ace suddenly thrusted his cock deeply into my flooded hole. My pussy made an embarrassing wet sound that apanied his entrance. His cock felt so thick and so hot as it pushed in further to fill me up deep inside. The thick head of his cock stretched my love entrance before his length filled me up. Although I knew that it would feel good, I was so impressed by the pleasure that flooded into my core and made it quiver and heat up.


    ¡°This feels amazing¡­¡± Ace said with extreme satisfaction.


    I agreed with him wholeheartedly. As if he could hear my silent plead, Ace pushed his cock further into me until it was buried to its hilt. I let out a satisfied sigh as my pussy quivered around his thickness. It felt too good that it was simply unbelievable. Having to wait until we finished our duties beforeing back to reward ourselves made it feel even better.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ahh¡­Ahh!¡± I moaned and then cried out as Ace began moving his hips.


    His hands gripped the side of my hips as he thrusted his cock in and out of my love hole. I could feel his cock getting hotter andrger as he ploughed it into me repeatedly. Each thrust felt like it reached deeper than the one before. Our sex made wet lewd sounds echo from between my legs where Ace was beating his cock in and out of my wetness. I moaned and then cried out uncontrobly as endless waves of pleasure flooded my body and mind.


    Ace¡¯s thrusting got wilder and more aggressive as he groaned from behind me. His fingertips dug into my ass as he drove his cock all the way into my wetness once more. The feeling of his cock scraping against the sensitive wall of my pussy as it moved in and out such an impassion rhythm drove me wild. My hips shook as I tried to keep myself braced properly against the wall. The force of his thrusting made it hard for me to control my body.


    ¡°Ace¡­it¡¯s so¡­rough¡­¡± I whimpered in between my wild moans of passion.


    Ace didn¡¯t seem to take my slightint seriously and I was d that he didn¡¯t stop piercing my hole with his cock. I could feel my wetness trickling out of my hole and down my thighs each time he withdrew his cock from my pussy. My body felt sensitive all over and my pussy felt so swollen and ripe as it clenched and massaged around Ace¡¯s cock.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 418 Like It Hard

    ¡°Don¡¯t you like it when I pound you hard like this?¡± he asked although it wasn¡¯t really a question.


    The movement of his hips did not slow down at all. Ace pumped his cock harder into me as he made sure to hit the pleasure spot deep inside of my love tunnel with each thrust. The mind-numbing pleasure also made my legs feel weak and I wondered how much longer I could remain standing. The wall worked well as a support and Ace¡¯s hands guided my hips where he wanted them. My moans got even louder although I knew that I should be worried about someone hearing us. The thick head of his cock ramming fast and hard against my womb drove me wild with ecstasy.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ahhh¡­¡± I moaned as I felt getting very close to the edge.


    I was certain that he would make me climax very soon with the way that he was pounding me. Taking me fast and hard seemed to be enjoyable for Ace and also for me as well. The lewd sound of our aggressive mating only worked to turn me on even more. The more pleasure I could sense Ace experiencing, the better it felt for me. It felt like an endless loop, and I was surely enjoying every moment of this adventurous ride.


    ¡°Rina¡­Oh¡­Rina¡­¡± Ace groaned my name.


    His cock pierced deeply into my sopping wet love hole again and I felt my mind almost ck out from the pleasure. His cock pushing against the pleasure spot deep inside of me made me want to explode in my climax. I could feel my pussy spasmed uncontrobly and I knew that I was very close.


    He¡¯s going to make me cum¡­again¡­


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I moaned his name.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make you cum, Rina¡­¡± Ace promise in a growl.


    His cock felt hotter as it moved relentlessly inside of me. Ace worked too hard to uphold his promise of making me climax. His passionate movements as he rocked his hips to pound his cock into me quickly sent me over the edge. It didn¡¯t take long for me to reach my limit and my climax rose up to im me spectacrly.


    ¡°I¡¯m cumming¡­Ace¡­Ahhh!¡± I cried out when I finally climaxed.


    Ace panted close behind me as he jerked his cock out of my hole before thrusting it all the way in again. I cried out as I felt both my mind and body be useless. Losing myself in the height of my climax felt so liberating. I could feel that Ace was also close to his release. His movements became more desperate as he pumped his cock faster in and out of my flooded pussy. Our sex pped against each other a few more times as he pounded me with deep and strong strokes.


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± he whispered my name before groaning at his release.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ahhh¡­¡± I moaned sweetly as I enjoyed the pleasure of being flooded by his seed.


    Ace finally stopped thrusting into me as his cock stilled inside of me. I could feel his cock throbbing and spasm as it shot his hot release deep into my womb and flooded my insides. My eyes drifted close in bliss as my pussy hugged his cock lovingly. The afterglow of our lovemaking made me feel soplete. Ace¡¯s arms circled my waist and then pulled me back to hug me against his chest. His face buried into my hair as deeply breathed in my scent.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I whispered his name when he started moving again.


    ¡°That was good¡­¡± Acemented with utmost satisfaction. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    I moaned a little when he eased his cock out of me. My mind still felt so empty and light, but I could somehow stand on my own two feet. My insides felt so empty now that we were no longer connected. Ace turned me around to face him and then he softly nted a kiss on my forehead. His gentle and loving gesture made me smile as I stared up into his face.


    ¡°Up you go,¡± he said as his arms wrapped around my hips.


    I gasped in surprise as he hoisted me up into his arms with ease. My eyes widened when I wondered what he was nning to do to me. Ace beganughing softly at my reaction while I draped my arms loosely around his neck.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the sofa as promised,¡± Ace said as he stared deeply into my eyes.


    I wanted to tell him that there was no point in taking me there anymore since he had just taken me against the wall, but I didn¡¯t have the strength nor the willpower to argue with him. Ace walked toward the sofa with me still held in his arms.


    Ace sat down on the sofa before positioning me on hisp. Straddling him that way gave me naughty ideas as I wrapped my arms around his neck. I found myself getting captivated and easily sucked into the depth of his beautiful hazel eyes.


    ¡°Should we take it nice and slow this time?¡± Ace suggested before his lips curved into a mischievous smirk.


    I worked so hard to suppress my giggle when I realized that Ace just wanted to do it again. The first time was rough and rushed and although it was thrilling and pleasurable in its own way, I wouldn¡¯t mind tasting another kind ofzier pleasure.


    ¡°Why are you hard again?¡± I muttered my question with a hint ofint.


    ¡°Because I want to do you, why else?¡± Ace answered like it was supposed to be obvious.


    The way his hands moved to caress both sides of my hips told me that he was more than ready for round two. My core pulsated and a pleasurable ache developed boldly in between my legs. I bit down on my lower lip when I realized that my body was more than eager for us to start our second round as well.


    ¡°Shall we?¡± Ace murmured seductively.


    ¡°You¡¯re so demanding¡­¡± I whispered my mockingint.


    Regardless of my words, I couldn¡¯t stop myself from smiling at him while I lifted my hips up from hisp.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 419 Just Can鈥檛 Get Enough

    His cock was already upstanding and ready. I guessed the event was just boring to him but didn¡¯t make him genuinely tired given how much stamina he seemed to possess. With his encouragement, I lifted my hips and gently guided his cock to my love entrance. I tried my best to rx when I felt his hardness probing against my opening.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, Rina¡­¡± Ace urged in a voice dripping with lust.


    ¡°It¡¯s so hard¡­¡± I whimpered as I slowly lowered my hips to guide his cock inside of me.


    Slowly, I felt my pussy lips being spread open by the thick head of his cock. I gasped at the sensation of its thick head piercing into me. My lust gathered in my lower abdomen as my pussy clenched hungrily around his cock. I moaned his name while lowering my hips down onto his upstanding cock to take even more of his impressive length inside of my love tunnel. Inch by inch, his cock pushed upward into my pussy until its entire length disappearedpletely into my hole.


    ¡°Your pussy is greedily sucking on my cock¡­¡± Acemented before he chuckled.


    I could feel his cock twitching with joy deep inside of me. His thick length filled up my insides and made me feel so full of him. It felt blissful to be one with Ace again. This time he did not rush me, and he did not move. I knew that he wanted me to take it slow and at my own pace and that was what I intended to do.


    ¡°Does it¡­feel good for you?¡± I asked as I began rocking my hips.


    I felt his cock sliding against my pussy walls as I moved my hips up and down. My pussy grinding and sliding along the length of his erect cock. His cock slid slowly and tantalizingly against my pussy walls while I whimpered softly.


    ¡°Yes, it does¡­¡± Ace replied warmly.


    After moving for a while, we got into a very pleasant rhythm that seemed to satisfy us both. Despite wanting to take it slow, it was hard to stop my breathing from quickening and my heartbeat from hiking. Each thrust made me feel even better and I began moving my hips a little more boldly as I rode up and down his hard manhood.


    ¡°It must be so hard on you¡­¡± I murmured what was on my mind.


    ¡°Not really, you¡¯re the one doing most of the moving,¡± Ace replied with a chuckle.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­that¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about,¡± I quickly corrected.


    ¡°Then? What are you talking about now of all times?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Nothing¡­¡± I replied after deciding that it was probably best not to bring it up now.


    ¡°Hmm¡­should I take over?¡± Ace suggested.


    ¡°If you want¡­¡± I murmured in agreement.


    Ace¡¯s hand slide under my ass and urged for me to sit up and raise my hips a little. I braced myself by cing both my hands on his shoulder. Ace positioned my pussy where he wanted it before thrusting his hips up from the sofa and pushing his cock firmly upward into my pussy.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­yeahh¡­¡± I moaned from the extreme pleasure of his cock hitting against my good spot.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother holding in your moans, Rina. I know that you love this¡­¡± Ace teased me mercilessly.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Oh¡­Ahhhh¡± I moaned repeatedly as he screwed his cock upward into me faster and faster. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    It felt very different from when I was the one doing the moving. The faster he pounded upward into my love hole, the closer we were getting to breaking our promise of taking it nice and slow. Of course, I didn¡¯t mind it at all.


    ¡­


    ¡°I feel so sleepy¡­Ace¡­¡± I murmured softly with my head rested on hisp.


    ¡°You can take a nap if you want. We have all the time in the world right now,¡± Ace replied.


    I closed my eyes again and then I felt his fingers running through my hair. Hisrge and warm hand stroked my hair in a regr rhythm that worked so well in luring me to sleep. After making love for the second time on the sofa, Ace was finally satisfied and allowed me to take my rest.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name softly as I forced my eyes open.


    ¡°What is it this time?¡± Ace asked with a smile as he looked down into my face.


    I stared up into his face and I felt a wave of tenderness flood my heart with warmth. Slowly, I reached my hand up and cupped the side of his face. Almost immediately, I felt the secure warmth of his hand as it ovepped mine.


    ¡°About what I was saying before. I guess, it must be hard on you too, you know, acting as her fianc¨¦ and all that¡­¡± I said while trying not to sound like I pitied him too much.


    Ace seemed surprised for a split second before the look of astonishment in his eyes softened and he smiled down at me again.


    ¡°Not really. That¡¯s not really the hard part¡­¡± he replied softly without taking his eyes away from my face.


    ¡°Hmm? Then¡­¡± I mumbled questioningly.


    ¡°The hardest part is keeping my hands off of you,¡± Ace replied with augh.


    ¡°That¡¯s not funny¡­¡± I muttered darkly.


    Despite my words, I ended upughing along with him. Even if it was hard on him, he probably didn¡¯t want to admit it because he didn¡¯t want me to worry about him. Then again, I was sure that there was some truth to his words because most of the time we were not free to be together.


    ¡°It¡¯s sad that we can¡¯t do everything that we want to together,¡± he said after sobering up.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just do your best and concentrate on what you have to,¡± I replied while hoping that my words could console and encourage him at the same time.


    ¡°I have a great idea. Should we just sleep together at the office?¡± he suggested suddenly.


    His abrupt and crazy-sounding suggestion caught me off guard and snapped me out of my sleepy state immediately.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 420 All I Could Do for Him

    Chapter 420 All I Could Do for Him


    Slowly, I sat up while my body felt heavy and slightly sluggish.


    ¡°As in stay the night here?¡± I asked to make sure that I correctly understood what he meant.


    ¡°Yeah, it would solve a lot of problems. We could buy a bed and just put it here,¡± Ace replied excitedly.


    His suggestion made meugh and the way that Ace seemed so serious about it made meugh even louder than before. Ace gestured to the empty space where a bed would fit if we decided to go along with his n.


    ¡°I guess no one would question you if you turned one of the meeting rooms into a nap room of sorts¡­¡± I said to entertain his idea a little.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that, right? They all know how hard I workte into the night and all that¡­¡± Ace said before smiling brightly my way.


    I guessed he might be right about that in the very short run. We wouldn¡¯t be caught together going to or leaving his ce or mine; however, people in the office would find out about us sooner orter. Ace probably didn¡¯t understand well enough how fast our colleagues picked up on gossip, especially those rted to him. Despite that thought, I couldn¡¯t quite resist his proposal. The way he seemed so excited and convinced that it was a genius idea tugged at my heart strings and I could feel myself going all soft.


    ¡°I guess we can add a single bed in one of the meeting rooms, but I still think that we shouldn¡¯t spend the night together here,¡± I said while trying to sound serious and stern.


    Adding a king-sized or a double bed might be a little suspicious, but a single bed should be fine. That was what I told myself to ensure that I was still reasonable to a certain degree.


    ¡°A single bed sounds good. We can cuddle closer¡­¡± Ace readily agreed before grinning at me.


    ¡­


    **A few dayster**


    ¡°Yes, please get it delivered and assembled as soon as possible. Thank you very much for your help. Yes¡­even if I¡¯m not here in person another secretary can help lead the way. Thank you¡­¡± I spoke through the phone before hanging up.


    The pace of my life was changing again, and I was quite sure that it wasn¡¯t for the better. I stared at the phone in my hand before a depressing chuckle left my lips. Ever since that night that we spent together in his office, it had been increasingly harder for me to see Ace. The main reason was because he was busy with working outside, more precisely, at Chase Creatives headquarters.


    ording to him, it was necessary for him to work closely with Elizabeth to prepare materials for the merger presentation. The meeting with Chase Creatives board of directors wasing up and they didn¡¯t have much time to spare. I wanted to volunteer to go along with him in case I would be of help but then realized that I just wanted to do that out of my personal desire to be close to Ace. I also had to admit that I felt ufortable leaving him to spend time with Elizabeth even though I knew that it wasn¡¯t like they would be working all alone together in a room.


    After reminding myself that I had to stay professional and try my best to separate my personal rtionship from work, I just smiled and wished Ace good luck. The text message confirming the date and time of the delivery of the new bed that I had ordered for Ace acted as a harsh reminder that this was all that I could do for him. As promised, I had ordered him a bed that could be put inside one of the meeting rooms on his personal floor.


    leaps and bounds.


    ¡°Should we go for lunch?¡± I invited Richard with a hopeful smile.


    That was it¡­


    ¡°Back to work, Rina. Back to work¡­¡± I spoke to myself like a mad person.


    Although there wasn¡¯t anything that I could do for Ace to support him regarding the merger, there were many things that I could aplish by working on the project that he had assigned to me with Richard. Before I would think of any more ominous thoughts, I left Ace¡¯s office to head to my team room. With Ace gone from the office, my role as his personal secretary died down as well. There were no meetings for me to schedule and nothing for me to prepare for him. That meant that I spent my working day working just like any regr employee on the project that I had been assigned.


    Looking at it in a good light, it was an opportunity for me to focus on my work and professional growth and development. It felt strange for a bit, but I soon got ustomed to focusing on my work and even working alongside Richard. Turning over this new leaf and earning some recognition from Richard felt like I had improved leaps and bounds.


    ¡°Should we go for lunch?¡± I invited Richard with a hopeful smile.


    The look he gave me made me feel like I had just made an out of ce marriage proposal although I was just inviting him for a simple lunch because we managed to wrap up our work early.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s a no¡­¡± I muttered without much regret.


    At least, I tried¡­


    I raised my hand above and head and stretched while twisting my body to the side on my seat before grabbing my phone and shoving it into my handbag. It seemed like I needed to have lunch alone again today. At least, that was what I thought when I arrived at the door in front of the project room.


    ¡°Karina¡­¡±


    I heard Richard¡¯s voice and was surprised to see him standing close behind me. For some reason, he had a conflicted look of hesitation on his face as he stared down into my face. Just when I was about to ask him what he wanted, he began speaking again.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go for lunch,¡± he said simply.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 421 Not Meant to Be

    Chapter 421 Not Meant to Be


    ¡°Huh? I mean¡­sure¡­¡± I replied without hiding my confusion at his sudden change of mind.


    With a shrug of my shoulders, I turned and walked out into the hallway. My confusion at Richard¡¯s words must have been the cause for me to almost run into someone right in front of me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± I apologized automatically.


    ¡°Oh, Karina. I thought you had already left for lunch. It¡¯s great that I waited¡­¡±


    The voice that greeted me so casually sounded so familiar that I had no doubt about the identity of its owner. However, I was still stunned to see Jeremy standing right in front of me when I looked up into his face. For a moment, I wasn¡¯t sure how to respond and it wasn¡¯t simply just because I was surprised that he suddenly turned up.


    ¡°Hi¡­¡± I managed to say after a pause.


    Jeremy was all smiles, and nothing seemed off about him at all. My eyes travelled to Richards cold and emotionless face as I wondered if he had seen Jeremy before I did and if that was the reason why he had a sudden change of heart and decided to join me for lunch.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Richard said as he walked past me.


    ¡°Right. Umm¡­Richard and I were about to go grab lunch so you cane with us¡­¡± I told Jeremy while praying that I sounded natural enough.


    ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t think that he would want to join us for lunch,¡± Jeremy replied with a smile.


    Since Richard had invited me first, it felt like the correct thing to say would be that Jeremy was the one joining us and not the other way around. After finding out that I had returned back to my regr work at the office after the press conference came to an end, Jeremy had invited me out to lunch quite often. Usually, Richard wouldn¡¯t do anything and would just watch me leave silently with Jeremy or let me go eat alone on the days when Jeremy didn¡¯t turn up.


    I couldn¡¯t help wondering as I stared at Richard¡¯s back as he walked in front of me, why he had decided to join us for lunch when he clearly did not have a good time thest time when we went out as a party of three.


    ¡­


    The day that Ace was supposed to have a meeting with Chase Creatives board of directors finally arrived. Ace was busy right up to thest minute and we hardly had time for each other. It didn¡¯t help that the client of my project had been throwing fitstely regarding the progress of the project. In the end, that meant that we were both busy. I cursed myself and my luck every time that I missed seeing Ace in the office.


    It was rare for him to be at the office considering the work that he was doing with Elizabeth, and I wanted to be there with him when he came in. However, it was just not to be. The brief moments that usuallysted less than an hour that Ace happened to be in the office would always coincide with some meeting of mine. Just like that, I always missed the chance to meet him.


    ¡®How did it go?¡¯


    After not hearing anything from him on that day, I gathered up my courage to send him a text. I truly wanted to call him so that I would get to hear his voice; however, I was certain that things were busy for him. Even though it was already the end of the workday, I wasn¡¯t sure if his meeting with the board of directors had ended or not. Plus, it wasn¡¯t at all umon for such a meeting to end with a follow up dinner.


    After staring silently at my phone for a while with my heart racing hard in my chest in anticipation, I figured out that Ace wasn¡¯t in a position to answer my text or give me a call at the moment. Although I should have expected as much, I still found myself feeling unreasonably disappointed.


    ¡°Focus¡­focus¡­¡± I whispered to remind myself that I also had work piled up so high right in front of me on my desk.


    I could feel Richard¡¯s eyes on me and when I looked up, I caught him staring at me with an unreadable expression on his face. Not knowing how I should react, I just smiled at him a little before returning my focus back to my work. I thought that if I worked for a few hours, I would eventually hear from Ace. Even if the chances of him returning to the office after his meeting were very slim, I was still willing to wait it out. The sad truth was, I didn¡¯t have anything to look forward to back at my lonely apartment and because of that, I might as well work my ass off and get something done that I could be proud of.


    ¡°Are you leaving already?¡± I asked in surprise when I saw Richard packing his things.


    Needless to say, it was surprising that he was going to leave before me. It hadn¡¯t been that long past working hours. He turned to face me with an emotionless face that I had gotten used to.


    ¡°I¡¯m meeting a friend,¡± he replied bluntly without any other exnation.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± I murmured while noting that he didn¡¯t owe me any exnation.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to leave?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just wrap this part up. It shouldn¡¯t take long,¡± I replied before showing him a smile.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± he replied without any further questions.


    I watched as Richard left the room. By that time, I was the only one left in the project room. As expected, no one stayedter at work than Richard and me. I already felt so tired and heading back to my apartment felt like the best idea ever even if I knew that Ace wouldn¡¯t be waiting for me there. I picked up my phone to see that I still haven¡¯t received a text back from Ace.


    Just what is he up to¡­?


    ¡°Karina,¡±


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 422 A Troubled Friend

    Chapter 422 A Troubled Friend


    The sound of someone calling my name immediately caught my attention. I felt my heart race for a brief moment as excitement bubbled up inside of me. The feeling was only fleeting and was soon reced by a sinking feeling when I realized that the voice that had just called my name did not belong to the man that I was yearning to see.


    ¡°Jeremy¡­why are you still here? Did work endte for you too?¡± I asked while trying to contain my sense of disappointment.


    I tried to remind myself that it wasn¡¯t his fault that he wasn¡¯t Ace and that I should still treat him kindly despite my sour mood. While putting on a smile that I hoped looked natural, my mind was still thinking of reasons why Ace hadn¡¯t replied to my text. Hopefully, the meeting went well, and I would hear some good news from Ace soon.


    ¡°Yup, we just managed to wrap things up. Are you done for the day?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m done¡­¡± I replied before reaching for the lip of myptop and closing it.


    I watched in silence as Jeremy waited for me while I gathered my things to get ready for my trip home. Since he didn¡¯t say anything, I didn¡¯t know what he wanted from me and why he had turned up. I nced over at him while wondering if he needed my help with something.


    ¡°Are you done?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t have much to take back home with me today,¡± I replied casually.


    Jeremy stood to the side of the door to allow me out of the room. I took a few steps along the hallway and realized that he was following me silently. Of course, this was the way to the elevator which we had to take down to the lobby of the building and our way out, so it wasn¡¯t strange that we were walking the same path. At least, that was what I tried to tell myself as a strange feeling that I couldn¡¯t quite identify started growing inside of me.


    We got into the elevator together and it was just the two of us. It wasn¡¯t usual for Jeremy to be so silent like this around me and that made me feel a little ufortable as I stood next to him in the enclosed space of the elevator.


    ¡°How are you going home today, Karina?¡± Jeremy asked me.


    ¡°Oh¡­I¡­I¡¯ll just take the cab,¡± I replied when he suddenly asked me a question.


    The elevator door opened right at that moment and Jeremy let me step out first. There were a few people in the lobby, and everyone seemed in a hurry to head home. I thought that I should hurry home as well because I could freely give Ace a call when I¡¯m alone without worrying about anything overhearing our conversation.


    ¡°I can give you a ride. I have my car with me today,¡± Jeremy offered with a smile.


    ¡°Thank you for the offer but I¡¯m fine. There¡¯s no need to bother,¡± I declined his offer without thinking much into it.


    I was used to travelling back to my ce from work alone and truly didn¡¯t see why Jeremy had to be bothered to help me. At my response, Jeremy had a slightly troubled look on his face.


    ¡°Are you feeling, ok?¡± I asked before I could stop myself.


    Jeremy looked hesitant to answer my question and I immediately took that as a sign that he wasn¡¯t fine. Something was bothering him, and I have had that nagging feeling for a while now that that had to be the case. I looked at the time and figured that having dinner out wouldn¡¯t be so bad while waiting for Ace to contact me.


    ¡°Umm¡­are you hungry?¡± I asked brightly.


    ¡°A little¡­¡± he replied softly.


    ¡°If you¡¯re free, should we stop by for dinner?¡± I invited him with a smile.


    Jeremy did not reply to me in words, but he immediately nodded his head. I felt a little victorious while thinking that I could use this opportunity to squeeze the truth out of him about what was making him look so down. I would like to think that we were close friends and colleagues by now and that was why I wanted to be there for him to help him when he faced problems. Then again, if I couldn¡¯t help him, I could at least listen while he blew off some steam.


    ¡­


    ¡°Let me drive you back as thanks for having dinner with me,¡± Jeremy suggested.


    ¡°Yeah¡­sure¡­¡± I replied softly.


    By the time that dinner had ended, I was even more confused than before about what was wrong with him. I wouldn¡¯t go as far as to say that dinner with him felt awkward, but it did make me feel slightly ufortable and the main reason was because Jeremy barely talked. Simply because I couldn¡¯t take the silence and dead air that seemed to stretch on unnaturally, I began talking a lot just so that silence wouldn¡¯t overtake us.


    I was sure that the food tasted great, but I could hardly taste anything at all. Talking and going on and on by myself to entertain Jeremy and to keep the conversation going drained me of a lot of energy. I found myself feeling so tired when the dinner came to an end that I was no longer bothered to argue with him about driving me home.


    ¡°Thanks¡­¡± I thanked him when he opened the passenger door to his car for me.


    When I got in the car, I wondered what I had to do to get Jeremy to talk to me about what was bothering him. Although I was worried about him, I couldn¡¯t stop my thoughts from wandering to Ace as I questioned what he was up to at that moment and how he was faring.


    ¡°Oh, let me input in my address,¡± I offered.


    My ce wasn¡¯t far from the office so it wouldn¡¯t take us long to get there. Since I had been with Jeremy, I didn¡¯t dare give Ace a call.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 423 Stay Out of Trouble

    Chapter 423 Stay Out of Trouble


    I wished with all my heart that he was doing fine before returning my attention to Jeremy who was now sitting in the driver¡¯s seat of the car.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± he thanked me softly.


    Just like I had feared, the conversation died down without my attempt to keep it alive. I stared out the window of the car at the view of the somewhat busy sidewalk that passed by while I failed to understand how things could get so awkward between Jeremy and me. Usually, our conversation flowed easily and naturally. From our past interactions, we had built up a reasonable amount of trust and friendship between each other, at least, that was what I thought.


    It also wasn¡¯t the first time that I dined alone with Jeremy and things had never felt this suffocating and ufortable between us. Just where did all this dead aire from, I had absolutely no clue. There were clearly benefits to living close to the office and I had to recognize that once again as the ride with Jeremy came to an end. Although it felt like forever had passed due to the stuffy atmosphere in the car, it was actually a very short ride from the restaurant to my ce.


    ¡°Thank you very much for today. I had fun¡­¡± I said while hoping that my polite little lie would go undetected.


    It used to be so much fun just hanging out with him and working together side-by-side, but it just didn¡¯t feel like that anymore. A sinking feeling of disappointment formed in the pit of my stomach when I thought that we might have grown apart now that we were working on different projects and not spending as much time working together as before at the office.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡± he replied.


    Once again, the way he looked at me with a look of hesitation made me sense that he had something else that he wanted to say. That look on his face onlysted for a brief moment before it was gone and reced with a friendly smile.


    ¡°Thanks. I should go now. I¡¯ll see you at the office,¡± I said my farewell before returning his smile.


    I got out of his car but when I was just about to close the door, I heard Jeremy call my name. I turned to find him leaning over and looking at me.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I replied questioningly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do this again sometime¡­¡± he said softly.


    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s do that¡­¡± I replied.


    That night, I watched Jeremy drive off with a confused feeling in my chest. I waved and watched his car turn the corner before heading into my building.


    ¡­


    Work became busy for me again as our clientunched another wave ofints although there honestly wasn¡¯t anything going wrong with our project. Ourst meeting with the client left Richard visibly irritated. It was fortunate that he remained very professional while leaving it the project manager to do his job in dealing with the client.


    ¡°We¡¯ll just have to work harder to meet the client¡¯s expectations,¡± the manager told us in the team meeting that we had right after.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± I mumbled along with the rest of my team members.


    There was simply nothing else that could be done, and we just had to step up our game to please our client. That kept everyone very busy and the vague difort that I experienced with Jeremy thest time that we went out for dinner disappearedpletely from my mind.


    While working with Richard, my phone started to vibrate on my work desk. One nce at my phone screen and I almost jumped up from my seat.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I whispered his name.


    I saw Richard nce over at me and I smiled a little at him before getting up from my seat to excuse myself. It had gotten quite rare for Ace to call me during working hours, and I wondered if there was anything that he needed. Just like the days before, Ace wasn¡¯t in the office.


    ¡°Are you busy with work?¡± Ace asked while sounding quite casual.


    ¡°A little. Are you in the office?¡± I asked while trying to suppress the hope that naturally sprang up inside of me.


    ¡°Unfortunately, not¡­¡± Ace replied regretfully.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Umm, did I mention that the bed that you ordered has arrived? It¡¯s now in the one of the meeting rooms¡­¡± I reported dutifully.


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s good news. It¡¯s truly unfortunate that I¡¯m too busy to go into the office these days,¡± he said and for a moment he sounded quite drained.


    ¡°Are things still busy over there?¡± I asked although I guessed I already knew the answer.


    ¡°More than ever. Things are progressing quite well so I¡¯m hoping to have another meeting soon to drive the message home to those who are still hesitating to support the merger,¡± Ace exined.


    ¡°Right. Sounds like a great n,¡± I replied.


    I stood in the empty hallway while looking up and down asionally in case someone woulde along. Although our conversation didn¡¯t go into any personal details, I still didn¡¯t want anyone over hearing me speaking to Ace.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to meet up with you soon. I¡¯m very sorry about this. Make sure that you stay out of trouble until I get back,¡± Ace warned me teasingly.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who should stay out of trouble¡­¡± I muttered a little darkly.


    My response earned me augh from Ace and even though I was worried about him, I ended upughing along as well. It was a shame that Ace wasn¡¯t back in the office because at first, I thought that he may have given me a call because he came in unexpectedly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that,¡± I replied while trying to hold in my giggles.


    When I made that cheerful promise to Ace, I truly did not know just how hard it was for me to keep out of trouble. Try as I may, trouble seemed to follow me wherever I went.


    ¡°I¡¯lle by to see you soon, Rina. Please hang in there a little longer,¡± Ace said through the phone.


    The warm tone of his voice and the sincerity that I heard in his promise warmed my heart and gave me strength to suck it up for a little longer.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 424 Suddenly Summoned

    **A few dayster **


    ¡°Is Miss Karina here?¡±


    Having been too caught up with thoughts of my work for hours, I wasn¡¯t sure if I had heard correctly that someone seemed to be looking for me. With quite tired eyes, I looked up from myputer screen to find that many of my colleagues had left already while I had been too focused on work. Apart from Richard and me, there were only a few people left in the project room. My attention turned to the middle-aged woman standing in the doorway to the room.


    Her tidy suit and matching skirt clearly weren¡¯t meant to make her stand out. It didn¡¯t take me long for me to realize that I had never seen this woman before and that was precisely why I had no idea what business she could possibly have with me.


    ¡°Umm¡­I¡¯m Karina. Are you looking for me?¡± I asked although it was obvious that she was searching for me.


    The stern look that she had on her face as she turned her attention in my direction made my stomach turn and my body stiffen at the same time. Like a student that had been caught red handed in an inappropriate act, I started to panic a little. I had no idea why she was looking for me or what business she had with me but the look that she had on her face told me that it couldn¡¯t be anything good.


    ¡°There you are. Pleasee with me for a moment,¡± she said sternly.


    ¡°Umm¡­¡± I made a hesitant sound as my eyes returned to myptop.


    What about all this work that I still had to do?


    It was quite amazing even to me how I could still worry about work when I felt like I could be in some kind of trouble. The woman must have caught on to my hesitation because she heaved quite a loud sigh.


    ¡°It won¡¯t take long if we hurry,¡± she said although I felt no reassurance or support in her cold tone.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± I mumbled.


    Because it seemed like I didn¡¯t have a choice in the matter, I decided to leave the project room silently after her. Even when we were alone in the silent hallway, she did not state what business she had with me. Instead, all she did was tell me to follow her as she promptly led the way. At first, I had no idea where she was taking me; however, soon enough the path that we were walking became a little familiar to me.


    It felt like I had been along this path before, and I still remembered where it led even though I didn¡¯t quite want to remember. An ufortable lump formed in my throat as a sense of dread filled my chest. The back of the woman walking in front of me started to look very intimidating and it felt like one of those moments when I wished with every fiber of my body that I was wrong about everything when I already knew that my sense of foreboding must be spot on correct.


    ¡°Umm¡­are we¡­¡± I began asking but the woman did not even turn my way. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    ¡°Please just follow me,¡± she said without even casting a nce my way.


    The sound of her heels clicking against the hard floor as she proceeded along the hallway only added to my anxiousness. I told myself that I had done nothing wrong and that there was nothing that could possibly happen. The walk felt too long for my liking, and I found it quite amusing to feel a sense of relief when the woman finally stopped in front of arge door.


    ¡°Themittee is waiting for you inside,¡± the woman informed me politely and without any emotions.


    I understood that she was just doing her job and I also decided that I was going to do my job and y my part as well.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I thanked her simply.


    She stepped to the side and motioned with her hand to invite me to open the door and enter the room. I stood in front of the door before taking in a deep breath and holding it. Unfortunately, my sense of foreboding had been absolutely correct. Now as for the reason why I was summoned to this ce, I truly had absolutely no idea. While feeling the woman¡¯s eyes on me, I firmly pushed the door open to meet whatever was waiting for me on the other side.


    The room felt as cold as I had remembered thest time that I was here. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if someone intentionally set up the room to be cold as a way to make it feel even more intimidating. Clearly, there was no need for that becauseing face-to-face with the disciplinarymittee was frightening enough that there was no need to add the overly cold air conditioning to the equation.


    ¡°Please take a seat,¡± one of themittee members instructed with a polite smile.


    While still not knowing why I had been summoned, I already knew that I must be in some sort of trouble. The first thought that ran through my head as I headed for the only unupied chair in the room was whether or not they had finally found out about my rtionship with Ace. I had thought that we did a pretty decent job of hiding it from the world but perhaps that wasn¡¯t entirely the case.


    I could feel everyone¡¯s eyes on me while I told myself to remain calm. All my efforts went into putting up a calm and collected front even though my mind was racing on the inside. It just didn¡¯t make any sense to me at all. Everyone knew by now that Ace was supposed to be dating Elizabeth after they made such a public announcement, so it didn¡¯t make sense of themittee to call me here regarding that matter.


    Then, what else could it be?


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that you would ever return here after thest time that you were here,¡± anothermittee member said with a stern look on his face.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 425 Accusations

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think so either¡­¡± I mumbled softly before I could stop myself.


    Everyone stared at me in silence for a while as if they were waiting for me to blurt out a confession regarding the various crimes that I havemitted. Of course, feeling as confused and as clueless as I was at that moment, I didn¡¯t know what to say. The only thing that I could do was stare back at them as I tried my best not to fidget on my seat from the tension and nervousness.


    ¡°Well, now that she¡¯s here, let¡¯s get this started so we don¡¯t take up so much of everyone¡¯s precious time,¡± another woman on themittee said.


    My eyes inherently travelled to the seat where Ace was sitting thest time that I was called into this same room. Back then, I was here because Kyle had stolen my work which was sensitive and secret information to thepany. This time, instead of Ace, there was an older man seated in that seat. A sudden ache stung my heart and I realized that it wasn¡¯t because I was scared because Ace wasn¡¯t there on themittee to help me, but it was because I realized just how much I truly missed him and the times that we spent together.


    ¡®I¡¯ll try to meet up with you soon. I¡¯m very sorry about this. Make sure that you stay out of trouble until I get back¡­¡¯


    Ace¡¯s words came back to me and made the corners of my lips curve up a little at the thought. I could recall his teasing tone when he said those words to me to remind me to stay out of trouble. I highly doubted that when he said that he would have imagined that I would end up in the disciplinarymittee room not so long after.


    ¡°Miss Karina, do you have any idea why we have called you here to meet with us today?¡± a woman asked before showing me a polite smile.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry but I have no idea,¡± I replied truthfully as I tried to control my voice from shaking.


    I wondered if Ace knew where I was right now and that this was happening to me. If he knew, he might find a way to help me again just like he didst time and that was thest thing that I wanted him to do. Being a burden to Ace and making him go out of his way for me was probably one of the top items on the list of things that I hated. Especially when I knew very well that he was busy with much more important things. I sat up a little straighter as I suddenly felt a bit braver just because I knew that I had to be.


    ¡°What is your rtionship with Mr. Jeremy like?¡± one of themittee members asked without beating around the bush.


    I was thankful for his directness and the clear implication in his question. However, it shocked me that out of all the things, I had been summoned because they suspected that Jeremy and I were dating.


    Do they honestly think that we¡¯re dating?


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny, Miss Karina?¡± a woman asked, and her tone was quite sharp. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    That was when I realized that I had started giggling without knowing it. Just the thought of us dating made it hard for me to hold myself back fromughing and I couldn¡¯t understand how anyone could have arrived at that idea.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Umm¡­it¡¯s just that that scenario never crossed my mind before. You see, Jeremy and I are just colleagues and friends. Nothing more¡­¡± I said while trying to make myself very clear.


    ¡°To be honest, we¡¯re not calling you here because we are certain that you two are dating or that you have broken the rules that we have in ce regarding the matter. However, there¡¯s been rumors going around that I thought that you should be made aware of them,¡± another woman on themittee exined.


    ¡°I see. I was not aware of that¡­¡± I replied nkly.


    It never urred to me that there would be rumors going around about Jeremy and I dating. I didn¡¯t think that the two of us drew attention from anyone in any way and I was honestly confused about the rumors. Despite that, it was good enough for me that themittee didn¡¯t seem convinced that we were dating because we were definitely not dating.


    I wonder if Jeremy knows anything about this yet.


    ¡°Prior to inviting you here, we had a separate chat with Mr. Jeremy already and it seems like he is also unaware of the rumors that are going around,¡± another man added with a stern nod of his head.


    The way he looked at me told me that he wasn¡¯t entirely convinced of my story, but it was clear that without further evidence he would have to let it slide. I was too stunned to say anything for a moment and all I could do was listen to the representative of themittee recite the rule prohibiting romance between employees again as if I haven¡¯t heard it enough times already since my orientation.


    ¡°There is nothing for you to worry about. I assure you that we are just friends and colleagues. We happened to work together on Project Alpha, and we started being friends since then,¡± I exined again.


    ¡°Let¡¯s say that we believe you and we understand you. However, when a man and a woman is seen together very often when there is no need for them to be together, it can lead to rumors¡­¡± the man said before shooting a look my way.


    I still found it hard to believe that in our creative and innovative industry, stiff and extremely conservative people like him still existed. His words finally connected the dots for me as Richard¡¯s warnings came back to haunt me. He did warn me about this, but I was just too stubborn about it all. It seemed like having pure and honest intentions were not enough for someone to survive unscathed in this world after all.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 426 Regretful Mistake

    Simply because I wasn¡¯t dating Jeremy, I thought that we could do anything because we didn¡¯t have any dirty secret to hide from the world. It felt very different from when I was dating Kyle in secret. Back then, he made sure that I was more than extra careful about how I interacted with him at thepany and around the area. Looking back, that was probably more to keep our rtionship a secret for the sake of protecting his rtionship with Elizabeth rather than saving his career and his job.


    I should have paid more attention to Richard¡¯s warning, and I should have been more careful. I should have realized that although I didn¡¯t think of it as anything special each time that I went out for lunch or even dinner with Jeremy that other people may have perceived it otherwise. Always having to be careful and watchful was very stressful for me but it seemed like I couldn¡¯t just do whatever I wanted to. A heavy feeling filled my heart and I quickly realized that it was something very simr to regret.


    ¡°I understand. I am very sorry for all the trouble and all the rumors that have circted because I wasn¡¯t careful and thoughtful about my actions,¡± I apologized solemnly.


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re regretful of your actions then I think we can end the session here with just an official warning,¡± the same man from themittee said and I didn¡¯t miss the way that he stressed the word ¡®official warning¡¯.


    I stiffened a little in my seat at his words. Apparently, this matter wasn¡¯t just going to pass with just a brief verbal warning. I would be getting an official written warning and that would go down in my employee record at thispany. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t mean anything if I moved to anotherpany, but it still hurt a little to have a blotch like that on my work records and it was all for something so minor.


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± I said while not feeling thankful for anything at all.


    For a split second, I wondered if Ace would step in to get me out of this situation had he been here. My eyes returned once again to the seat that Ace upied thest time that I was here. Back then, being brought here was such a terrifying experience but now it has somehow turned into a wonderful and warm memory. I didn¡¯t remember all the nasty details of what happened that day or how rotten I felt. All I could recall was the kindness that Ace showed and the way that he managed to convince everyone to somehow agree with him just to save my ass.


    If only he were here¡­


    I have to admit that I did imagine Ace suddenly opening the door with a loud bang and bursting into the room to save me like some superhero. The thought alone could bring a small smile to my lips even in the dire situation that I was in. After all is said and done, nothing is going to ever be worse than these people finding about my rtionship with Ace.


    ¡°An official warning letter will be sent to you, and you can sign it and return it to HR ording to the procedures,¡± the woman said to conclude the meeting. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± I repeated again while keeping my eyes cast down to my hands that were folded on myp.


    Without the need for them to invite me out of the room, I quickly got up from my seat before nodding my head slightly to show my respect. I could feel their eyes on my back as I silently made my way out of the room. When I was alone in the hallway, I recalled that they mentioned that they had a session with Jeremy as well. I hoped that they were not too harsh on him and that he was feeling fine. What happened felt extremely unfair to us, but I had to be content that we got off without any severe form of punishment.


    I let out a loud sigh as another fear started developing at the back of my mind. It would be a huge disaster if Ace found out about this. With the position that he held and the fact that I was his secretary, naturally he would find out about what happened sooner orter. I heaved a louder sigh when I thought of the face that he would make when he finally learns about this. Instead of making him hear about this from someone else, I thought that he might as well hear it from me first so that I could exin myself, not that there was much to exin. It was all just a misunderstanding and that was it.


    I reached for my phone before I started to hesitate. Ace was busy and I wasn¡¯t sure if he had time for something like this. It may seem serious for me but in the end, nothing happened, and rumors are just rumors. I didn¡¯t get punished for anything although I would have to sign an official warning letter. I was still hesitating about whether or not to give Ace a call to let him know what just happened with my phone clenched in my hand when I arrived at the exit of the building.


    I should give him a call and as soon as possible¡­


    ¡°Karina¡­¡±


    It felt like my beating heart had sunk all the way down to my ankles when I heard a familiar voice calling my name. The owner of the voice stepped out and stood in front of me like he had been waiting for me to exit the building. Although nothing should have changed between us and I knew that we were just unlucky victims of the situation that we found ourselves in, I couldn¡¯t stop the awkwardness that I felt. It became impossible for me to act like normal or like how we once were.


    ¡°Hi¡­Jeremy¡­¡± I said in very little more than a whisper.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 427 Unfair Punishment

    It sort of felt like I had seen a ghost or it may have been because I wished so hard that he was just a ghost and that he wasn¡¯t really there in front of me. I tried my best to smile and act naturally without letting it show just how shocked and dismayed I was to see him. Although I knew that I would have to talk things out with him sooner orter now that we had both taken a trip to see the disciplinarymittee, I had hoped that it would beter and not when everything was just so fresh and such a mess in my mind.


    ¡°Can we talk for a bit?¡± he asked with a serious look on his face.


    It was evident that unlike me, Jeremy wanted to get this talk out of the way without waiting any longer. With a heavy feeling in my chest, I just nodded my head once. Jeremy did not say anything before turning to walk away. I walked slowly after him as he led us somewhere where we could talk. Although I knew that it was toote, I was so conscious of the fact that we were alone and sitting in a restaurant very close to the office.


    This ce was very popr with pretty much everyone working in the area and even I have been there a couple of times before especially for team dinners. I guess with how the rumors about us had already circted, there wasn¡¯t much that we had to be careful of for now. The rumors will die down soon enough and then we must turn a new leaf and be even more careful than before so that another wave of rumors won¡¯t hit us.


    I have to admit that up until that point my mind was so focused on worrying about myself and also about Ace and his reactions if and when he was to find out about this issue that I hadn¡¯t been worrying enough about Jeremy. However, when we finally sat down opposite each other at the dining table, I realized that I was also worried about Jeremy.


    ¡°Umm¡­I guess you were called to see themittee too¡­¡± I began our conversation in a soft murmur because I wasn¡¯t sure how to broach the subject.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m very sorry about this, Karina¡­¡± Jeremy apologized with a forlorn look on his face.


    I could feel the pain and guilt in his voice and that made me feel unbearably guilty. No one was to me for what happened and if someone was to me then it wasn¡¯t just him. I shared as much if not more me than he did.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t apologize. As we both know, it¡¯s all just a misunderstanding,¡± I quickly said before trying my best to smile encouragingly.


    It was difficult and now that we were face to face, I was forced to realize that Jeremy probably had more to lose than I did. In an industry where our professional reputation and credibility is almost everything, I had to admit that Jeremy had a much more wless profile than I did. Ever since the confidential data leakage scandal with Kyle, I could no longer say that I had a clean profile. Even if it wasn¡¯t intentional, I was aware that I was guilty of being negligent. The only person who might have truly overlooked that w of mine was probably Ace and no one else. Jeremy, unlike me, had a perfect professional record and he represented the hope and dreams of so many supporters in thepany.


    ¡°What did they say to you?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Probably the same thing that they told you, I guess. They told me that some rumors are going around that we are dating because we¡¯ve been seen together often. I guess they¡¯re referring to when we go out for lunch or for dinner together. It¡¯s just a bunch of nonsense¡­¡± I replied before pulling a little on a strand of my hair in my annoyance.


    ¡°They weren¡¯t too harsh on you, were they?¡± he asked with evident worry. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s my first time being called in there. What about you? They¡­umm¡­aren¡¯t giving you an official warning too, right?¡± I asked as I still harbored some hope that Jeremy may have escaped the same fate that I had to face.


    ¡°I guess we should consider ourselves lucky that that is all they¡¯re doing to punish us,¡± he replied before showing me smile that looked too carefree.


    ¡°So, they¡¯re going to give you an official warning to? Why would they do something like that? I mean, I¡¯m fine with it¡­but¡­with your perfect record and everything¡­it¡¯s just¡­¡± I said as the frustration building up in my chest made my entire body shake.


    How can they do something like this over some stupid rumors? Seriously?!


    Don¡¯t they realize that they¡¯re ruining his future and career just for the sake of punishing him for rumors spreading even though none of it is even true?


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Karina¡­¡± Jeremy said with a small shrug of his shoulders.


    ¡°It¡¯s not fine. I don¡¯t see a single part of it that makes it fine,¡± I replied heatedly.


    I had no clue how Jeremy could act so carefree and rxed about something like this happening to him. None of it made sense considering how much he should care about his career and all that life had to offer in his future.


    ¡°Listen, you¡¯re overreacting. It¡¯s really fine¡­¡± he said before showing me a very gentle smile.


    The real problem with Jeremy, which I had noticed quite a long time ago, was that he was too nice for his own good. He seemed understanding about everything and forgiving about every single thing as well. My wish that he would stand up more for himself only made me even angrier than before that someone as nice as him had to go through this and a part of it was my fault.


    ¡°It¡¯s not fine. Can¡¯t you see that they¡¯ve gotten it all wrong? Do you think we can still get themittee to change their mind? Your record is spotless, and I really want to keep it that way. Those people really have it all wrong this time!¡± Iined while rapidly letting out my anger.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 428 Inconvenient Triangle

    Chapter 428 Inconvenient Triangle


    Jeremy stared at me in silence, and I was disappointed and surprised at hisck of reaction. I wished that he would say something or tell me something along the lines of requesting for themittee to reconsider his case. Anything that would give me some hope that he wouldn¡¯t need to take the me for something that he didn¡¯t do. Since my words didn¡¯t seem to get to him, I pleaded to him silently with my eyes as our eyes met.


    ¡°Maybe they haven¡¯t gotten it all wrong¡­¡± he said in a whisper.


    What did he just say?


    At first, I wasn¡¯t even sure if I heard him correctly.


    ¡°I said that they might not be all wrong¡­¡± he repeated again this time clearer and slower.


    ¡°What do you¡­¡± I began asking what he meant before I trailed off without continuing.


    The way he looked at me told me that I should have known better. I was about to ask him what he meant by that, but it seemed like there was no longer a need to because I could already sense the answer.


    But¡­that couldn¡¯t really be, right?


    How can this be? How can things turn out like this?


    I wasn¡¯t sure whether I was more shocked or disappointed in the oue. All that was clear to me was that I had not expected this and that I didn¡¯t reciprocate the feelings that he had for me in the slightest. Everything just felt suffocating, wrong, and so out of ce. That initial reaction that I had to his feelings for me made me feel like a rotten person. Although I knew that he didn¡¯t deserve to be thought of in that way, I just couldn¡¯t stop the feeling that his feelings for me were such an inconvenience, and the timing couldn¡¯t have made it any worse.


    Richard probably saw thising and that was why he tried so hard to warn me about my close interactions with Jeremy. I regretted not listening to him so much but there was nothing that I could do about it at that point because there was no way that I could go back in time and change my actions and choices.


    Did he also suspect that we were dating? Was he the one who reported us?


    I rapidly pushed that thought away because I didn¡¯t believe that he was the one who reported us. Everything was starting to make sense including Richard¡¯s strange behavior and unexpected offer to take me out for lunch. I made a mental note to myself to thank him when I get myself out of this mess. I snapped out of my thoughts to find Jeremy staring at me from across the table as if he was waiting for my answer.


    If Richard saw thising, howe I was so oblivious?


    ¡°Umm¡­¡± I mumbled as I struggled to find the right words.


    Needless to say, it wasn¡¯t a daily urrence for someone to confess their feelings for me like this and I was far from being a pro at turning people down. In fact, I felt like it was something extremely challenging to do. Dealing with the person¡¯s disappointment and how my refusal could damage our rtionship was probably the hardest part.


    Ah¡­this is exactly why thepany prohibits romance between employees.


    How am I supposed to face Jeremy at work now after this?


    Even if we¡¯re working on different projects now, we¡¯re still on the same team as part of the CEO¡¯s office and that meant that we could end up working together on another project very soon.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t want to tell you this in this way or in a situation like this, but I really like you, Karina,¡± Jeremy said before he smiled a little my way.


    He likes¡­me?


    Although I already knew what he was going to say, hearing him confess to me made it even more unbelievable. I guessed this was what it felt like to live in denial. I just didn¡¯t want it to be true and for that, I felt like I was the worst person on earth.


    ¡°Thank you¡­and I¡¯m not angry at all about what happened but¡­¡± I said as I fumbled with my words.


    My hands clenched under the table in fists as I tried to force the next words out of my mouth. Jeremy stared at me intently while all I wanted to do was hide away.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t return your feelings¡­¡± I continued simply.


    To my further surprise, Jeremy didn¡¯t react at all to my words, and it felt as if he had anticipated my response all along. I wondered for how long he had romantic feelings towards me and then realized that I shouldn¡¯t even be interested. Jeremy is a great guy, and he surely has a bright future in front of him; however, he was so far from being my type and it was a shame because I liked spending time with him.


    ¡°Is it because of Ace?¡± he asked after a brief moment of silence.


    What¡­did he just say?!


    Why did he mention Ace just now?


    I was dumbstruck and for a moment all I could do was stare back at Jeremy. My heart started racing fast and hard in my chest as I wondered how I was supposed to respond to something like that. Endless questions flooded into my mind and all of them only caused me to worry more and more until I started to panic.


    How much does he know about Ace and me?


    Does he think that we¡¯re dating, or does he just think that I have a crush on Ace?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but, I don¡¯t see how Ace is rted to this¡­¡± I replied after deciding to y dumb.


    Jeremy kept on staring at me and that made me nervous and scared that he may be able to see through my act. I suddenly felt like I was at such a disadvantage while the only thing that I could do was pray silently inside my head that he doesn¡¯t really know anything.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 429 One of His Women

    Chapter 429 One of His Women


    Of course, I did whatever I could to be careful when I was around Jeremy and the rest of my colleagues so that they wouldn¡¯t even suspect that I was dating Ace. I wouldn¡¯t go as far as to think that I did the perfect job regarding that, but I still thought that I did a decent job. The way Jeremy was staring a little coldly at me was enough to tell me that he was not at all convinced of my acting.


    ¡°Of course, he¡¯s rted to this¡­¡± Jeremy said as he implored with his eyes for me to make a confession.


    The answer was simple. There was no way that I would ever confess to anything.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I really don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± I said while trying to stop my voice from shaking.


    By that time, I had already broken into cold sweat of nervousness. I felt like a criminal that had been cornered by the police and was about to be dragged off to prison without a route of escape. The only thing that I could do was deny and deny and then deny again all of my crimes. Acting like I had no clue what he was talking about seemed like the best option.


    ¡°Really?¡± Jeremy asked with a look of curiosity on his face.


    ¡°Yup. Really¡­¡± I replied before smiling a little at him.


    ¡°Karina, aren¡¯t you dating Ace?¡± he asked before his eyes narrowed dangerously at me.


    Although I knew that he suspected that something was going on between Ace and me, I hadn¡¯t thought that he would be that confident. The way he looked at me and the tone of his voice told me that he knew something and that his question wasn¡¯t truly a question.


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± I began saying before my words died on my lips.


    He knew.


    No matter what I say to him right now, Jeremy won¡¯t believe a word of it.


    I had no idea how he found out or where I messed up but at that moment, I was certain that he knew that Ace and I were a couple. Despite that, he still confessed to me.


    Why?


    ¡°You¡¯re not very good at keeping secrets and you¡¯re not very good at lying either,¡± Jeremy said before showing me another smile.


    My entire body felt like it had frozen over, and the restaurant suddenly felt very cold. To my utter relief, after darting my eyes around the restaurant, no one seemed to have overheard our conversation. Dating Ace wasn¡¯t something that I could confess to.


    ¡°I honestly have no idea what you¡¯re talking about. The CEO is dating Elizabeth Chase. You should already know this because it was all over the news recently,¡± I pointed out while trying to sound confident.


    Jeremy seemed to ponder something for a moment before he shook his head a little at me. Everything was moving along so fast and in the wrong direction that I was so confused, and my fear had started taking over.


    ¡°Exactly and that is why I don¡¯t know how you can live with having a rtionship with Ace when you know that he¡¯s not even serious about you. Are you seriously fine with being just one of his women?¡± Jeremy replied with clear frustration.


    My mouth hung open in shock. The picture that Jeremy had of me in his head was just tooplicated and also degrading that I didn¡¯t know how to deal with it.


    ¡°It¡¯s not true. I¡¯m just Ace¡¯s secretary and I would appreciate it if you would show me the respect that I deserve. This is all just a big misunderstanding. I am not dating Ace and I would never date a guy who already has a girlfriend,¡± I said through gritted teeth.


    I could hear the anger and the hurt in my voice, but they couldn¡¯t truly express just how furious I was at that moment. It felt like there was nothing for me to say anymore. My hands moved rapidly to take out my wallet from my bag so that I could pay for my share of the meal.


    ¡°Karina¡­¡± Jeremy called my name with worry.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got it all wrong. I am not dating Ace. I¡¯m going home¡­¡± I said coldly as I ced some banknotes on the table that should more than cover my share of the meal.


    Running away seemed like the best option at the time because it meant that I no longer needed to deal with Jeremy or his offensive words. I wished that our conversation would have ended on a better note, but I was frankly too angry to care about much at that point. I just needed to get out of there before I started yelling at Jeremy for him to take back his words.


    Jeremy stood up from his seat when I quickly got out of mine. It looked like he was about to stop me from leaving but after I shot him a sharp stare, he willingly backed away. I would have screamed and caused a scene had he tried to touch me, so I was thankful that all he did was watch me leave silently. I had thought that being summoned by the disciplinarymittee was already the worst thing that could happen to me on that day, who would have thought that my day could have gotten even worse.


    ¡­


    After almost running out of the restaurant, my mind was in such a mess that I didn¡¯t quite remember the journey back to my ce. I was already standing in front of my apartment building when I realized that I never got the chance to give Ace a call. The talk that I had with Jeremy shocked me on multiple levels starting from his sudden confession that he has feelings for me and then his usation that I was dating Ace. The difficult part was that his usation was spot on correct.


    Hell¡­


    I was walking along the hallway that led to the door of my room when I pulled out my mobile phone to check. Time had flown by while I was with Jeremy at the restaurant also the conversation that we had felt like itsted forever.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 430 A Stranger Visits

    Chapter 430 A Stranger Visits


    Why didn¡¯t I think of checking my phone before this?


    I cursed softly under my breath when Iid eyes on my phone screen. It felt like I was facing war on multiple fronts, and it was driving me insane with anxiousness and worry. While being swept up by Jeremy¡¯s unexpected confession and then the heated argument that I had with him, I hadn¡¯t paid any attention to my phone. Although I knew that it wasn¡¯t right to have my priorities backwards, I had to admit that I was too distracted by what was going on that I momentarily forgot about Ace and the fact that I had been waiting for him to contact me.


    ¡°Shit¡­¡± I whispered before grinding my teeth together.


    My feet began moving a little faster as I stared at the numerous miscalls from Ace that appeared on my phone screen. It wasn¡¯t usual for Ace to leave so many miscalls on my phone and that only meant that he knew that something was wrong. I sighed again when I realized that he must have found out about the little invitation that I received to visit the disciplinarymittee members and I had no doubt that he had also found out the reason why that was so.


    Thinking that Ace must be so worried about me made me feel even guiltier than before. Things were not going my way and my little wish to be the one to break this news to Ace wasn¡¯t granted either. My hand clenched tightly around my phone as I raced to think of a way to apologize to Ace and to exin things to him. I doubted that Ace would believe that there was anything going on between Jeremy and I, but it would still be better for us to talk it out. I was sure that all I needed to do was assure him that the rumors were just baseless rumors as always and that would be that. Internally I prayed that Ace would be mature and understanding of the situation.


    When I looked up from my phone, my entire body froze as it refused to take another step forward. I was so close to my room now that I could see the door to my apartment in front of me just a little further down the hallway; however, there was tall figure of a man that I did not recognize standing there. He was tall and dressed in a ck long coat and a hat that managed to hide most of his face. I didn¡¯t recognize the man, but I wouldn¡¯t have panicked the way that I did had I not been so on edge and had that man not been standing right in front of my room door.


    Who is he and what does he want?


    It already felt like a very long day for me, and I didn¡¯t need another hurdle to climb. I wondered if it would be a good idea to just turn back and ask the security guard to help me deal with the man or if I should just confront the stranger alone. There wasn¡¯t enough time for me to make up my mind regarding that matter because the stranger turned around. The hat that he wore conveniently cast a shadow that hid his face and that only added to the very mysterious and somewhat dangerous aura around him.


    I didn¡¯t think that I had done anything to make myself anyone¡¯s enemy but that didn¡¯t help curb the sudden waves of fear that flooded my chest and made my heart race. Although I couldn¡¯t see the man¡¯s face, I could feel his eyes staring intensely at me. I felt like I should no longer hesitate and that I should turn and make a run for it while I still had the chance.


    ¡°Rina¡­¡±


    My eyes widened so much that it hurt as my mouth dropped opened at the familiar voice calling my nickname in such an adorable way. My heart clenched in my chest as a mix of feelings took over me. At first, I was stunned and then I felt confused and then I started to feel relieved. It was frankly amazing just how many emotions one could feel at the same time and how fast one¡¯s emotions could transform.


    ¡°Ace¡­?¡± I whispered questioningly.


    Without saying anything, the tall man took a few steps closer to me. My feet felt like trees that had grown roots deep into the ground as the man came even closer to me. I just couldn¡¯t move as my heart raced faster and faster in my chest.


    ¡°You don¡¯t recognize your own boyfriend?¡± he asked with clear disbelief and a hint of irritation in his tone.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name softly but with certainty and confidence this time.


    Although the man standing in front of me wasn¡¯t dressed like Ace, I was sure from his sarcastic tone and the way that he called my name that he was none other than Ace. I stared up into his face before my eyes travelled down his body all the way down to his feet and then slowly making their way back up to his face again.


    Is this man really Ace? Why is he dressed up like this?


    ¡°Umm¡­why are you¡­?¡± I asked before trailing off.


    ¡°Is that the most important thing that we should be talking about right now?¡± Ace asked with clear impatient in his tone.


    His face came close enough to mine to see quite clearly that it was indeed Ace who was standing right in front of me. The sses that he had on made him give off a very different vibe, but I thought that he looked smart and very charming, nheless.


    ¡°Rina?¡± Ace called my name questioningly when I fell silent for a moment.


    I gulped when I was reminded of the slightly sticky situation that I had found myself in. Although it was surprising and a little scary that Ace turned up right in front of my door dressed up in a disguise, I had to say that I was very overjoyed to finally get to see him.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 431 Pleading Innocent

    Chapter 431 Pleading Innocent


    We were not meeting in the best of circumstances, but I guessed I had my bad luck and all the false rumors to thank for. After all, without them, I wouldn¡¯t have had a chance to meet up with Ace like this.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± I asked before I could stop myself.


    It was true that I knew why he wanted or needed to talk to me, but it was another matter entirely for him to turn up right in front of my door. I began looking around and up and down the hallway anxiously in case anyone spotted us together. It seemed like luck was on our side because the hallway was empty save for our presence.


    ¡°Should we be talking here?¡± he asked before his lips turned up into a slight grin.


    ¡°Oh¡­pleasee in¡­¡± I quickly invited him in when I realized that it was risky to stay talking outside even if Ace was dressed up in a pretty decent disguise.


    I turned and started unlocking the door. Ace stood quite close behind me and that alone made my heart skip a beat. I felt a lot more relieved when we were alone in the privacy of my room. However, that feeling of relief did notst long when I was reminded that now I had to have another difficult conversation with Ace. More than anything, I was scared that he would be disappointed in me. Even if he might believe that there was nothing going on between Jeremy and myself, it was still a very troublesome inconvenience for something like this to blow up amidst everything else that he already had to deal with. That reminded me that I hadn¡¯t even heard from him about how the meeting regarding the merger went.


    Now that we were alone, I didn¡¯t quite know how to start a conversation with him. The truth was that I didn¡¯t know what we should talk about first or where I should even start.


    ¡°Those sses suit you¡­¡± Iplimented him a little teasingly although what I said was true.


    I personally thought that the hat was a bit much especially since it was nighttime, but it did serve its purpose of hiding away some part of Ace¡¯s face and it surely did make him less recognizable. Our situation may get even more troublesome if someone were to find out that Ace was in front of my room door at this time in the evening. Hopefully, no one would recognize him in his disguise. I guessed if he managed to fool even me,


    My words seemed to have caught Ace¡¯s attention as he turned to face me. Standing facing each other at such a close distance made my heart race in my chest and I couldn¡¯t stop staring into his beautiful hazel eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m d that you like it,¡± Ace replied before showing me a small smile.


    ¡°You should take a seat. Shall I help you with your coat?¡± I offered while returning his smile.


    ¡°Thank you, Rina,¡± Ace replied.


    Despite my initial regret of my slip of words, I was d that I started off our conversation on a light note because it made me realize that Ace didn¡¯t seem mad at me. Instead, he seemed calm, and he might be in a slightly good mood. Ace shrugged off his coat and passed it to me before sitting down on the side of my bed. After quickly hanging up his coat, I approached him before sitting down next to him on the bed. I had already lost count by that time how many times we talked things out while sitting side by side on the bed like that.


    Now¡­where shall we start with this?


    ¡°Umm¡­I guess you heard¡­¡± I murmured without daring to meet his intense gaze.


    ¡°I did¡­¡± he confirmed without saying anything more.


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry about what happened and how you had to hear it from someone else. I honestly wanted to be the one to tell you about it but¡­things got busy¡­¡± I apologized before making up ame excuse for why I didn¡¯t give him a call.


    I knew that I should have told him the truth that I had just met up with Jeremy, but it just didn¡¯t feel like the right time to do so. My feelings were still a mess as well and I didn¡¯t want to go through all the details with Ace just yet.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry too much about it. I¡¯m sure that things have not been easy on your end either,¡± Ace replied before nodding his head understandingly.


    Frankly, I was surprised at how calmly Ace seemed to be handling the news. Although I had expected him to be mature about it, I didn¡¯t quite expect him to act so unaffected and understanding. Despite how much he seemed to understand and sympathize with my situation, I still wanted to make one thing very clear.


    ¡°It¡¯s not true. The rumors and usations that I¡¯m dating Jeremy and that there might be something going on between us, all of it isn¡¯t true,¡± I said firmly as I pleaded with my eyes for him to believe told me that he was pleased with my direct confession. It took a lot of effort to blurt those words out, but it seemed like my hard work me.


    Ace seemed surprised at my direct words as he stared back at me. The way that corners of his lips slowly curved up into a little smile told me that he was pleased with my direct confession. It took a lot of effort to blurt those words out, but it seemed like my hard work was paying off.


    ¡°I have to say that I was very surprised when I got a call from the representative of the disciplinarymittee that my secretary might be involved romantically with another employee¡­¡± Ace said, and his voice suddenly turned stern.


    Ace stared at me, but it felt like he wasn¡¯t seeing me. His eyes had a faraway look in them, and his expression had turned serious. I figured that he must be recalling that moment when he received the call bearing that unexpected bad news.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ace. It really isn¡¯t true¡­¡± I said in a small voice.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 432 Building Understanding

    432 Building Understanding


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize if you believe that you haven¡¯t done anything wrong,¡± he replied bluntly.


    Although he was telling me that I shouldn¡¯t be apologizing, it made me feel like I should be apologizing all over again. Ace continued looking at me intently and I started to tremble slightly under his intense gaze. It wasn¡¯t like I truly believed that I was void of all fault.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± I apologized softly.


    ¡°Are the rumorspletely false?¡± Ace asked after a short moment of silence between us.


    Completely false?


    I didn¡¯t miss how he ced stress on the word pletely¡¯. I had just told him that the rumors are false but were theypletely false?


    Of course, I was more than aware that what I had done must have led Jeremy on in some way or another even if it was unintentional. I didn¡¯t think that we would end up doing anything inappropriate and I wouldn¡¯t consider sharing meals as going too far but I had to admit that I had failed to consider the full implications of my actions and how Ace might feel about it.


    My mind immediately recalled how much I hated just the thought of seeing Ace with Elizabeth and I didn¡¯t want to face the reality that he had probably been having more meals with her than with me as ofte. Perhaps simr to how I felt about that, Ace also felt the same way when it came to my interaction with other men.


    Was that it?


    Is this what this is really about?


    Is he¡­jealous?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I did something wrong. Even though, it wasn¡¯t my intention at all, I guess I spent too much time alone with Jeremy¡­¡± I apologized before trailing off.


    Ace¡¯s face was quite emotionless and frankly extremely hard to read, and I had no idea what he thought about my sincere apology just now. Since turning back time wasn¡¯t a realistic option, the best that I could do was make sure that I would do better in the future. Ace continued staring into my face as I struggled to keep calm.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let something like this happen again next time. I¡¯m going to be even more careful than ever before. I won¡¯t spend any alone time with him, and I won¡¯t see him unless it is strictly for work¡­¡± I promised while wondering if that was good enough for Ace.


    Although I thought that my offer was quite a good one, it didn¡¯t seem to impress Ace in the least. Ace looked at me with a passive look in his eyes like nothing caught his attention at all. My heart sank in my chest as I wondered what more he wanted from me. Just when I thought that I couldn¡¯te up with any more ideas, Ace spoke up.


    ¡°Are you sure that you can do something like that?¡± he asked with raised eyebrows.


    Thinking about it realistically, it will probably be very difficult and extremely awkward to keep on avoiding Jeremy forever. However, if that was what is required to satisfy Ace and smooth things over between us, then I was willing to go through with it. I wasn¡¯t going to lie to myself that it was going to be an effortless feat, though.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best to fulfill my promise¡­¡± I replied.


    I guess I didn¡¯t sound convincing enough because after staring at my face for a few seconds, Ace shook his head slowly from side to side. A stinging pain pierced my lower lip when I bit on the inside of it to hide my overwhelming frustration away from Ace. To be realistic, I wasn¡¯t sure if I could fulfill my promisepletely, but I was more than willing to try.


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± Ace called my name, and he sounded quite stern.


    ¡°¡­Yes?¡± I replied softly while not quite looking forward to what he had to say.


    ¡°What makes you think that you need to do something like that?¡± he asked.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± I asked as I cocked my head slightly to the side.


    ¡°Exactly like how it sounds. What makes you think that you need to do something like that?¡± he asked again.


    ¡°Well¡­I thought it might help reassure you that something like this wouldn¡¯t happen again,¡± I replied while still not quite following what Ace meant.


    ¡°Did I ever tell you that I wanted you to do something like that?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Well, no¡­¡± I replied while wondering where this conversation was headed.


    Of course, Ace didn¡¯t tell me what he wanted or didn¡¯t want me to do. I was the one who came up with that idea and proposed it to him in the hope that it would mend things between us for now and also help prevent the same problem from urring in the future. Despite how I felt, I sensed that Ace seemed to be against my proposal. After staring at me in silence for a short moment, Ace let out a soft sigh.


    ¡°There is no need for you to do something like that or to go that far,¡± Ace said before he smiled a little my way.


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked with clear disbelief as I failed to see why he would turn down my proposal.


    ¡°Really. You don¡¯t have to do anything as extreme as that. It¡¯ll just be hard on you, right?¡± Ace said warmly before he smiled at me again.


    ¡°But¡­¡± I began protesting but halted my words when Ace held up a hand to stop me.


    ¡°There¡¯s really no need for you to do all that. Not seeing Jeremy in your private time and alone is probably a passable idea but there¡¯s no need for you to be overly guarded,¡± Ace said calmly.


    I knew well enough that things would get awkward between Jeremy and me if it hadn¡¯t been awkward enough already. Thankfully, I managed to turn him down directly when he confessed. At least, that shouldn¡¯t give him any hope that our rtionship could develop into anything beyond just in friendship. I wondered if Ace would still say the same thing if he knew that Jeremy actually has feelings for me.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 433 For the Sake of Our Relationship

    433 For the Sake of Our Rtionship


    ¡°You might be right about that, but I rather be safe rather than sorry because I¡¯m in a very sorry state right now¡­¡± I said while sounding very tired.


    ¡°Getting an official warning letter isn¡¯t that big of a deal. If you¡¯re careful enough, time will pass and people will forget all about this,¡± Ace told me casually.


    ¡°I¡¯m just worried about¡­everything right now¡­¡± I confessed without telling him the details of everything that was running through my mind.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t worry too much. It will all pass soon, and you¡¯ll just emerge as a stronger and better version of yourself,¡± Ace said like it truly was nothing.


    Just like the many times prior to this, I knew that what he was saying was right and that it all made sense. However, I also knew that it wouldn¡¯t be easy for me. Time will pass and the rumors will die down. In the first ce, it wasn¡¯t such a big deal anyways and it wasn¡¯t like everyone in thepany knew about Jeremy and me and were talking about us non-stop. The rumor of us dating would never reach the scale of the rumors that had spread of me dating Ace or any other rumors rted to Ace for that matter. The hardest part wasn¡¯t dealing with other people but dealing with myself and my own mind. It all boiled down to the fact that I had to be mentally more resilient.


    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m a little bit more worried about Jeremy. Because of our thoughtless and careless actions, he will receive an official warning letter as well. That would be an ugly defect to his spotless professional record,¡± I said before letting out a long sigh.


    ¡°Do you want me to do something to help him?¡± Ace asked after listening to me intently.


    I knew that it was an unreasonable offer and that he was doing it purely for my sake. Ace would never bend the rules that way on his own even if it was practically possible. Knowing that just made me feel guiltier than before as a heavy throbbing sensation developed in my chest. Getting Ace involved in this problematic situation of mine was going to make it worse for both of us.


    ¡°No, things are alright this way. In a way, I guess we¡¯re just paying the price for our actions¡­¡± I replied before showing him a sad little smile.


    ¡°Hmm¡­if you say so¡­¡± Ace replied softly before dropping the topic entirely.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a shame because his record is just so spotless and he¡¯s really a genius at what he does and all that,¡± I said while trying to sound a little bit more cheerful or less gloomy.


    ¡°You¡¯re also a genius at what you do too, if you ask me¡­¡± Ace chimed in before grinning at me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so but thanks for saying that. My record is far from being spotless, though,¡± I replied before showing him a shy smile.


    Although I knew well enough that Ace was probably just saying that to please me, I couldn¡¯t prevent my heart from skipping a joyous beat at his words ofpliments. I might be steadily getting better at my job, but I was nowhere near being a genius just like everyone else in the CEO¡¯s office. However, I hoped that if I worked hard, I would one day get there.


    ¡°Take it as all part of the learning journey, Rina,¡± Ace advised before showing me a gentle smile.


    Sitting by his side and just talking reminded me of just how much I had missed Ace and hispany. Despite the not-so-great news, Ace seemed to be in a mellow mood. If anything, it felt like he was here to support andfort me rather than to seek out exnations for his own benefit. For that, I felt very thankful and lucky that I had his trust. I wondered if I could remain as calm as he did and hear him out had our roles had been reversed.


    ncing at his face, I wondered if it would be alright to tell him the second part of my story. Unfortunately, theplication did not end with just the disciplinarymittee misunderstanding Jeremy and me. Just as Jeremy had told me, it was half true. Without realizing the feelings that he had toward me, I had been spending time with Jeremy.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name softly to get his attention while my brain still actively debated if I should tell him the whole truth.


    ¡°Is there something that you want to tell me?¡± he asked as if he could guess what was on my mind.


    It was probably the trust that he ced in me that gave me the courage to confess everything that had happened to him. If we wanted to be a stronger couple, then we probably had to eliminate as many secrets between us as possible. With that thought in mind, I clenched my hands into tights fists while feeling my fingernails digging into the soft flesh of my palms.


    I have to tell him before he finds out from someone else.


    ¡°Actually, after leaving the office for the day, I ran into Jeremy. I think he was waiting for me¡­¡± I confessed softly.


    ¡°And then?¡± Ace prompted as if he could tell that there was more to the story.


    I reminded myself that if I wanted to tell him everything then I also needed to be as honest as I could. My throat felt so dry and so were my lips. After forcing myself to swallow, I strengthened my resolve to go on with my confession. Even if I thought that it wasn¡¯t really my fault, I couldn¡¯t help but feel guilty when I told Ace about this.


    ¡°He invited me out to have dinner with him somewhere close by the office and I agreed to go with him. I honestly just thought that it was a good opportunity to talk with him after we were both summoned separately to see the disciplinarymittee. I also wanted to find out what they told him and also about the punishment that he had to face,¡± I said before taking a pause to collect my thoughts.

 Chapter 434 Perceptive Feeling

    434 Perceptive Feeling


    ¡°I see,¡± Ace said without adding anyments.


    ¡°Umm¡­during dinner we talked, and he told me what themittee said and also about how he¡¯ll also be receiving an official warning about what happened. I am very worried about him, and I honestly think that it is so unfair that we both have to go through all this trouble when the rumors about us aren¡¯t even true in the first ce,¡± I said beforeing to another pause.


    Ace stared at me intently as he waited for me to continue with my story. A huge lump formed in my throat as I quickly approached the climax of the story and what I truly needed to confess to Ace. With each passing word and second, I was getting closer to telling Ace what I really needed to tell him and that made me feel maddeningly nervous. To my relief, Ace did not rush me as he waited in silene for me to continue.


    ¡°I guess I startedining a little too much about that. It was quite shocking to me at first how Jeremy seemed fine with everything and the punishment that themittee had decided on. I felt mad in his ce and then he told me something even more shocking¡­¡± I said while speaking quite fast before I had toe to another pause.


    The way Ace was staring at me with his impressive hazel eyes told me that I had his undivided attention and that made me feel a little more nervous than before. I bit down on my lower lip hard while telling myself silently in my head that I could do it and that I needed to say it.


    ¡°Jeremy told me that he¡¯s not mad because the rumors about us aren¡¯t entirely false. I didn¡¯t get it at first but when I asked him about it, he¡­told me that he likes me¡­¡± I unveiled everything while ending in not much more than a murmur.


    I wasn¡¯t quite sure what kind of reaction I was expecting to see from Ace but the very calm and then slightly thoughtful look that he had on his face wasn¡¯t quite what I had in mind. I had thought that he would be more surprised even if not as shocked as I was when I first heard Jeremy¡¯s confession.


    ¡°So, he really does like you¡­¡± Ace said with a slight satisfaction in his voice.


    Ace nodded his head slightly a couple of times as if all the dots had finally connected in his mind. His reaction confused me a little at first before it surprised me. It seemed like Ace already had a hunch that Jeremy might have liked me.


    ¡°You knew?¡± I asked without hiding my surprise.


    ¡°Not really, but let¡¯s just say that I had a feeling,¡± he said before smiling my way.


    ¡°How did you know? I mean, what made you think so?¡± I asked curiously.


    I felt the weight of his arm around my shoulder before he pulled me closer to him. I did not hesitate to lean my weight against him as I ced my head against his broad chest. The warmth of his embrace helped to calm me down, but it did not ease my curiosity.


    ¡°From seeing how he acts around you, I guess. Also, Richard tells me things¡­from time to time¡­¡± he said before letting out a small chuckle.


    ¡°Richard tells you things? You mean like, he¡¯s been reporting stuff about me to you?¡± I asked in pure astonishment after lifting my head off of Ace¡¯s chest so that I could meet his eyes.


    ¡°No, he doesn¡¯t really report to me. He¡¯s also not supposed to know that we¡¯re dating so why would he report about what you¡¯re up to to me? He does voice his worries to me when I have some chats with him. He¡¯s been on my team for a while so it¡¯s not like we¡¯re strangers. Plus, he¡¯s a very observant person,¡± Ace said before grinning at me.


    I had no idea that Richard was acting like a spy and reporting my every move to Ace. Even if he told me that Richard doesn¡¯t report to him, I was sure that Richard would tell Ace anything about me if he asked. I wondered how much Ace learnt about my everyday life while we were apart from Richard.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re not surprised at all. Here, I was struggling so hard to tell you the truth about everything,¡± I said before letting out a sigh of disappointment.


    ¡°I appreciate your effort and hard work, Rina¡­¡± Ace said before showing me a teasing smile.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe Richard has been spying on me. I wonder just how much he told you and I also bet that he thought that Jeremy and I were dating as well or something along those lines,¡± I muttered darkly as my eyes narrowed.


    At that time, I was convinced that I had a few things to say to Richard the next time that I saw him. The only silver lining in all of this was the fact that having him misunderstand the rtionship between Jeremy and me was way better than having him catch on that I was dating Ace.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so harsh on him. Let¡¯s just say that he¡¯s very worried about you as his colleague. I did tell you that he¡¯s a nice person, didn¡¯t I?¡± Ace said with a very amused look on his face.


    Just like always, Ace had managed to find a way to get some fun out of my sticky situation. Although I didn¡¯t want to admit it, I began to see that Ace might be right about Richard. That did not make me like the fact that he had been discussing me with Ace, though.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s better than him thinking that we¡¯re dating¡­¡± I muttered as I folded my arms defensively over my chest.


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± Ace called my name, and his tone was suddenly tender.


    When I looked up at his face, his face was so close to mine that our noses were almost touching, and his face wasing even closer.

 Chapter 435 The Only One for Me

    435 The Only One for Me


    Instinctively, my eyelids slowly slid closed and soon I felt the heat of his lips on my own. Suddenly, Ace was kissing me and even though his kiss didn¡¯t feel demanding, I was still surprised at his abrupt action. The soft moan that I made in my throat told me that I did not dislike this sudden change in the direction of our conversation at all.


    My arms moved naturally around his neck as his lips began moving sensuously against mine. I kissed him back softly and sweetly just like he was kissing me. With each passing second of our kiss, I wanted to get even closer to him. Giving me a taste of such sweetness only made me imagine something more and it didn¡¯t take long for me to yearn for more from him.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I whispered his name as my eyes fluttered open when his lips left mine.


    I wanted him to keep on kissing me and I could feel my lower lip quivering. Ace smiled at me with a teasing glint in his captivating hazel eyes before his hand approached my face. I felt the warmth and softness of the pad of his thumb against my lower lip and all words that I wanted to say to him felt stuck in my throat. All I could do was stare at the attractive face of my lover as I felt butterflies fluttering in the pit of my stomach.


    ¡°Your pouty face looked so adorable that I couldn¡¯t control myself¡­¡± Ace confessed softly as his eyes stared deeply into mine.


    I felt my heart skip a beat at his words and my core clenched with desire. Ace probably had no idea just how much I wanted him to continue with what he was doing to me. My arms around his neck tightened as I moved even closer to him.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to¡­control yourself¡­¡± I said softly and a little shyly.


    Ace seemed slightly surprised by my inviting words but the way the corners of his beautiful lips curved up told me that he wasn¡¯t at all displeased with what he had heard.


    ¡°Just how lovely can you be, Rina? I¡¯m not at all surprised if a few guys take a liking to you. Of course, as long as you¡¯re not interested in them, then it¡¯s not a problem that I need to be concerned about,¡± Ace said in a very alluring voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in them¡­whoever they may be¡­¡± I replied honestly.


    My mind was filled with only thoughts of the man right in front of me and it was hard for me to imagine myself feeling the same way about someone else. Ace had be so special to me that I found it hard to spare any attention for any other man. Ace reached out his hand and ced it against my cheek. The heat of his hand against my cool cheek feltforting and I found myself leaning my head slightly to the side to snuggle against the palm of hisrge manly hand.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted to hear,¡± Ace whispered seductively.


    Before I could respond to him in words, his lips pressed hard against mine. The gentle and sweet kisses that we shared beforepletely disappeared and in their ce was a kiss so demanding and passionate. I made small whimpering sounds in my throat as Ace pressed his lips firmly against mine. His lips moved expertly just the way that I liked it as he kissed my lips from various angles. My heart raced so fast in my chest when I felt the wet hot heat of his tongue caressing my lips.


    ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± I moaned as I parted my lips to wee the entrance of his seeking tongue.


    Ace¡¯s tongue slipped firmly into the wet depth of my mouth and began its ardent exploration. I made another whimpering sound of pleasure in my throat when his tongue found mine. The way his tongue moved against mine teasingly made my core clench and throb with my desire for him. I began kissing him back greedily as our tongues danced together in a passionate dance. Our kiss quickly got wetter and deeper while Ace¡¯s arms pulled my body hard against his.


    Ace changed the angle of our kiss before thrusting his tongue back into my epting mouth. I moaned as our tongues ground against each other. My body already felt so hot, and I could feel the moist wetness seeping out of my love hole as my pussy quivered. He sucked teasingly on my lower lip for a short moment before his tongue entered my wet mouth again. I wanted to cry out from the exquisite pleasure from his skillful seductive kiss.


    I was panting so hard from excitement by the time that he freed my lips from his. His eyes seemed several shades darker as he stared at me with evident desire burning in their depths. I knew that he wanted me and that only made me want him to have his way with me even more. It had been too long for my liking since thest time that we had time to freely enjoy each other¡¯s bodies. Just like my soul missed spending time with him, my body missed him quite badly as well.


    ¡°Can I stay the night here with you?¡± he asked seductively.


    ¡°Yes¡­please¡­¡± I replied without any hesitation.


    By that time, I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way. Even if he wanted to leave, I would have begged for him to stay so that I could experience the pleasure of his passionate love. Ace reached for me a little roughly before his hands began tearing at my clothes. It seemed like I wasn¡¯t the only one mad with desire and feeling eager for more.


    His hands parted my shirt to the side before he buried his face into the side of my neck. I let out a small cry when I felt his lips on my sensitive skin before his lips started sucking me there. My eyes drifted closed as my lips parted before letting out another moan of pleasure.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 436 Pleasure to Share

    Chapter 436 Pleasure to Share


    It felt so good, and my body started feeling more sensitive than before. The heat of his lips against the skin of my neck coupled with the wetness of his tongue as he sucked and then licked me turned me on so much.


    When he finally lifted his head and stared down into my face, I took the opportunity to strip him of his shirt. He watched the movement of my hand for a moment as I raced to undo the buttons of his shirt. Ace finally decided to assist me by pulling his shirt off his body and arms to expose his muscr torso. I didn¡¯t have much time to enjoy the sight of his firm muscles before his hand moved to pull my shirt off of me.


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± I moaned before biting hard on my lower lip to contain the lust bubbling up inside of me.


    Ace¡¯s hands dipped into the cups of my bra to cup my breasts directly. I could feel my nipples hardening and tightening at pleasurable caress of his hands on my womanly mounds. Ace reached behind my back and unhooked my bra before returning his attention to my breasts. Hisrge manly hands covered my breasts and began massaging them gently at first before his caresses grew bolder, rougher, and more pleasurable.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ace¡­¡± I moaned heatedly as my chest thrusted forward invitingly.


    His hands groped my breasts teasingly for a while as he watched mee undone at his seductive caresses before his fingers moved to pay loving attention to the upstanding perks of my breasts. My nipples felt so tight as they stood up to attract Ace¡¯s attention. His fingertips found my nipples as he began tugging on them and rolling them simultaneously between his fingertips.


    I cried out from the pleasure as I felt a gush of wetness leaking out from the love hole in between my thighs. It felt too good and I couldn¡¯t wait to see how else he would please and love my body. I missed Ace a great deal and my need for him only intensified with each caress. Ace pinched down hard on my nipples, and I cried out his name as waves of raw intense pleasure raced through my body all the way down to my toes.


    ¡°Please¡­let me¡­¡± I pleaded sweetly for him to stop.


    I didn¡¯t want to be the only one on the receiving end of this kind of addictive pleasure. Ace removed his fingers from my nipples, and I used the opportunity to quickly press my palms against the firm muscles of his chest. I ran my hands up and down the muscles of his chest while Ace moaned softly from the pleasure. I could feel his muscles tense under my fingertips for a moment before his body started to rx to enjoy the pleasure of my touches.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name softly before I ced my lips on his.


    Ace kissed me back passionately almost immediately before his tongue wedged itself between my lips and glided inside the depth of my mouth. I ended up moaning and making small whimpering sounds in my throat as his tongue entwined with mine and engaged it in a burning hot dance. Our kiss quickly deepened and for a moment I lost my focus and forgot all about caressing his chest.


    ¡°I love kissing you, Rina¡­¡± Ace said seductively before he grinned at me.


    By the time his lips left mine, I was panting hard to catch my breath and my lips felt bruised and slightly swollen. I bit down on my lower lip as I ran my hand slowly down from his chest to caress the muscles lining his abdomen. I heard Ace suck in a breath, and I couldn¡¯t stop myself from smiling at his reaction. It felt great to know that he was enjoying himself and that I could still excite him.


    ¡°Please stay still for a while¡­¡± I told him softly.


    I offered him a sweet smile when he nodded his head in agreement with my request. My hands moved to gently caress his abdominal muscles before I slowly bent my head down toward his chest. His chest muscles quivered slightly in front of my face before I kissed his corbone. Ace let out a sigh of pleasure as my hand moved upward again toward his chest. I continued nting soft kisses along his corbone as my fingers moved to caress his right nipple in circr motions.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ace moaned in a low voiceced with pleasure.


    His reactions were so adorable that I decided to please him even more. I moved my fingertips faster, stroking the base of his nipple in circr motions as I felt his nipple harden beneath my touch. My mouth began sucking on his skin as my other hand moved to pay loving attention to his other nipple. The sound of my sucking and his low moans echoed around us. My core throbbed and clenched as my body heated up with desire.


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± he whispered my name seductively.


    By that time, I was having so much fun ying and pleasing him. My lips let go of his skin before moving lower toward his chest. I used the tip of my tongue to flick against his erect nipple while I felt Ace¡¯s body tense a little. Ipped at his nipple beforepletely enveloping it with my mouth. Ace let out a soft growl when I began sucking on his nipple while tugging and ying with the other one. He seemed to like what I was doing, and his body was also very sensitive.


    His hands moved to stroke the side of my hips before I felt his hand slipping under my skirt and between my thighs. It seemed like Ace wasn¡¯t satisfied with being the only one on the receiving end either. I heard myself making whimpering sounds in my throat when I felt the pressure of his fingers pressing up against the crotch of my panties. My pussy was throbbing with the heat of my desire, and I was certain that I hadpletely drenched my panties with my love juices by that point.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 437 Burning with Need

    Chapter 437 Burning with Need


    His fingers began stroking my love opening through the thin fabric of my panties. The pleasurable movement of his fingers made my legs feel weak and it was harder to focus on sucking and stroking on his nipples. I could feel my pussy twitch uncontrobly in anticipation of his direct touch on my pussy. I wanted him inside of me so badly and that made me suck harder on his nipple in desperately as my hips began moving to grind my pussy greedily against his fingertips.


    ¡°I can already feel how wet you are¡­¡± Ace whispered seductively from right above my ear.


    At the same time, his fingers began peeling the soaked fabric covering my love hole to the side. I moaned while flicking my tongue around his hardened nipple. When his fingers stroked my wetness directly, I closed my eyes and surrendered myself to the pure bliss of his touch. His fingers stroked up and down my wet and slippery slit while I lifted and rocked my hips wantonly for more pleasure.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± I moaned loudly after releasing his nipple from my mouth.


    Ace grinned mischievously at me as he stared at my flushed face. I could no longer take the pleasure and heat building up in my lower abdomen. I wanted to feel his fingers inside me so badly that my pussy wouldn¡¯t stop spasming and I was certain that Ace knew what I wanted. As always, he seemed to enjoy teasing me until I wanted it so badly that I couldn¡¯t take it. His fingertips stroked my wetness faster before proceeding to caress the swollen pleasure seed at the top of my love entrance.


    ¡°Ahhh! Ace¡­Ahhh¡­¡± I moaned and cried out his name like I was ready to lose my mind.


    ¡°Your clit is swollen hard¡­¡± he hissed teasingly as his fingertips pressed roughly against my swollen seed of pleasure.


    My hips bucked before I let out another lewd moan. Ace stroked my sensitive clit mercilessly while I continued to moan louder and louder. He pushed his fingers hard against it and made me cry out from the jolts of wild pleasure that invaded all my senses. My hips wouldn¡¯t stop moving as it thrusted up and down wantonly. Ace petted my clit for a while before he captured the swollen seed in between his fingertips and pinched on it.


    ¡°Ahh! Ace¡­please¡­no¡­¡± I cried out as I felt like I could climax at any moment.


    I gasped when his fingers finally released my swollen clit. My breath came in short gasps as I tried to catch my breath and deal with the intense pleasure welling up inside of me. Ace did not give me long for my recovery because his fingers quickly moved to the entrance of my wet hole. His skillful fingers stroked my wetness and lewd wet sounds erupted from between my legs.


    ¡°Lay down, Rina¡­¡± Ace instructed in a seductive drawl.


    I barely had the time to nod my head before Ace was pushing me gently down onto the bed. I felt the softness of the bed behind my back but all I could focus on was Ace¡¯s attractive face and the dark passion in his eyes as he loomed over me from above. I moaned softly as I felt him position his thick and long fingers between my pussy lips.


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± I moaned louder before biting down on my lower lip and closing my eyes to enjoy the pleasure that he was making me experience.


    Ace had thrusted his thick and longer fingers all the way into my flooded love hole. I was so wet and so ready for pration that the entire length of his fingers slid into me smoothly in one powerful thrust that left me moaning in ecstasy. My pussy walls quivered and clenched around his fingers as I spread my thighs even wider to wee him.


    ¡°It¡¯s so tight and warm in here¡­¡± Ace said as he began wriggling his fingers inside of my tight hole.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ace¡­Ahhh¡­¡± I moaned and cried out his name as my hips thrusted up from the bed.


    Without waiting for me to calm down from the entrance of his fingers, Ace slowly withdrew his fingers from my hole before ramming it all the way in again. I cried out his name as his fingers pushed up against my pleasure spot. Everything that Ace was doing to me was well calcted and intentional. He knew where to thrust his fingers into me to make me feel utmost pleasure and how he could make me yearn for even more.


    His fingers moved faster and harder in and out of my pussy as I shook my hips to meet the thrusting motions of his fingers. I wanted to climax so badly that my pussy was eagerly sucking in his fingers. My lewd moans echoed all around the small room of my apartment along with the wet squelching sounds of his fingers diving in and out of my hot wetness.


    ¡°Does it feel good?¡± he asked me with a teasing smile.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Yes¡­Ahhh¡­¡± I barely managed to reply in between my moans of passion.


    Ace chuckled softly as he thrusted his fingers deeply into me. He felt around my insides before parting his fingers to stretch my love tunnel. I cried out as my hips lifted off the bed in reaction to the yful way that he was caressing my insides.


    ¡°Ace¡­please¡­¡± I begged as I felt my orgasm fast approaching.


    I wanted to cum so badly that I couldn¡¯t think of anything else.


    ¡°You have to be patient, Rina¡­¡± Ace replied softly as his fingers stilled inside of my hole.


    ¡°Oh¡­Ah¡­¡± I whimpered weakly as I felt his fingers slowly sliding against the sensitive walls of my pussy.


    This time instead of thrusting his fingers back into my flooded love hole, Ace removed his fingers from my bodypletely. I panted hard before using my arms to support myself up enough to take a good look at what Ace was doing. Instead of pleasuring me, his hands were now busy stripping the lower half of his body.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 438 Ravishing Punishment

    Chapter 438 Ravishing Punishment


    I had nothing toin about that because it only meant that he was taking us one step closer to where I wanted us to be.


    ¡°Are you ready? I want to fuck you now, Rina,¡± Ace said when he caught me staring at therge pole standing up in between his legs.


    His cock was finally free, and I could tell that he was more than ready to give me a good and wild ride with his cock.


    ¡°Yes¡­please¡­¡± I replied with my eyes widened and still glued to his thick love stick.


    Iid down on the bed and tried to rx my insides as Ace positioned himself in between my legs. His hands stroked my thighs before grabbing my knees and parting my thighs wider for him. I whimpered softly as I felt my wet entrance being stretched open. My core throbbed wildly as the fire of desire burned deep within me.


    At that moment, I forgot about all my troubles and all I could focus on was the fact that I was about to be one with Ace. Since I didn¡¯t want to ce any more burdens on him, I had always told myself not to be demanding now that he was going through a very important time of his life with his work. After waiting for what felt like too long, I would be in his arms again tonight.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I whispered his name as I felt the heat of his thick cock at my entrance.


    My eyes widened as my mouth dropped opened before I moaned louder in anticipation of his entrance. Ace moved his hips closer to mine as he positioned my legs where he wanted them. I sucked in a deep breath as I focused on rxing my insides to take in his massive cock.


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± he whispered my name alluringly.


    At almost the same time, Ace thrusted his hips forward and his cock prated into my wet love tunnel. I cried out at the pleasure of his thickness and heat stretching and then pushing into fill me. It felt like all that I had ever wanted and then even more. Ace thrusted forward, ramming his cock deeper into me as I spread my legs wider and lifted my hips to assist his entrance. His cock felt so thick and hard as it stretched my insides and suck deeper into me.


    ¡°Good girl. Just a little more, Rina¡­¡± he urged me as he reared back a little.


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± I moaned before panting hard.


    Ace thrusted his hips forward and plunged his cock all the way into me. I could feel him so deeply inside of me and that sensation filled me with bliss and peace at the same time. I relished the fact that I was finally connected and one with Ace again. At that moment, nothing else seemed to matter to me. Ace began moving his hips immediately, thrusting his thick manhood in and out of my hole in rough thrusts that made me cry out. His hot rod plunge all the way into my wetness and it didn¡¯t take long for me to feel the thick head of his cock hitting hard against my womb.


    ¡°Ahh! Ahh! Ahhh!¡± I cried out louder and louder.


    I knew that I was crying out too loudly and that there was a very high chance that my neighbors might hear me, but I just couldn¡¯t hold it in no matter how hard I tried. My body began rocking to the rapid rhythm of Ace¡¯s thrusts. I felt like I was about to lose control as my moans and cries of pleasure got increasingly louder. Not knowing what to do, I covered my mouth with one of my hands to keep my desperate cries of passion to myself as much as possible.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cover your mouth, Rina¡­¡± Ace said before shooting me a look of disapproval.


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­people will hear¡­¡± I replied in between my harsh breathing.


    Ace smirked at me before letting out a soft chuckle. I was thankful that he didn¡¯t push the matter further but at the same time, the fast thrusting motions of his hips did not slow down. In fact, Ace rammed his cock faster and harder into me while making sure to shove his thick dick into me from various angles. I could feel the thick head of his cock pounding against my pussy walls and stretching it from many angles. Each time he thrusted inside me, I felt a slightly different kind of pleasure.


    ¡°Ahh¡­Ace¡­Mhmm¡­¡± I moaned and cried out his name with my hand over my mouth to help muffle my cries.


    I could tell that Ace was very turned on and that he was enjoying himself immensely as he fed on my body and my passion. His thick shaft grew even bigger and longer inside of me as each of his thrusts seemed to reach even deeper inside of my flooded love hole. My hips moved wantonly to meet his thrust halfway as my pussy clenched hard around his cock. I truly wanted Ace desperately as well and my body really missed his rough lovemaking.


    The heat in my core grew hotter and I felt tears stinging the back of my eyes from the intense pleasure that he was making me experience. It felt too good, and I was getting emotional without truly understanding why or what was happening to me. Ace suddenly withdrew his cock from my pussy before I felt the thick head of his cock position itself at my quivering entrance.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± I cried out loudly.


    Ace screwed his thick shaft all the way into me in one powerful thrust that almost split my body into two. It hurt a little but the pleasure that flooded every inch of my love hole felt so overwhelming that I immediately forgot about all the pain. My hips jerked upwards before our bodies began moving in time with each other in a passionate rhythm that only we knew. I knew that I wouldn¡¯tst for much longer with how his cock was precisely pounding against the pleasure spot located deep inside of my love hole.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 439 Reassuring Message

    Chapter 439 Reassuring Message


    ¡°If you recall, I did warn you to behave yourself and to stay out of trouble¡­¡± he said with a hint ofint.


    I remembered when he told me that. Back then, I thought that he was just joking around. Of course, I tried my best to be careful and to stay out of trouble, but I didn¡¯t think that a trouble of this nature would spring out at me like some trap. My pussy clenched hard around the thickness of his hot rod as I thought about the joy of the method that he had chosen to punish me. Compared to dealing with the angry or stern version of Ace, what he was doing to me felt like paradise inparison.


    ¡°Do you still want me to slow down?¡± he asked before grinning knowingly at me.


    ¡°No¡­please continue¡­¡± I replied as I tried to rx my insides to take the impact of his rough thrusts.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I whimpered when I felt like I couldn¡¯t take it anymore.


    I¡¯m about to cum¡­hard¡­


    ¡°Go ahead and cum, Rina. I¡¯m very close too¡­¡± he coaxed me seductively.


    Ace pounded his thick pole faster and deeper into me until I was moaning out loud and crying out his name. The pleasure that I felt deep inside my love tunnel intensified in such an unbelievable way as he gave me his all. His passionate thrusts quickly pushed me toward the edge, and I could feel my orgasm fast approaching. My hips moved like they had a crazy will of their own as they rose up to meet Ace¡¯s thrusts halfway. I felt so greedy for his love and I could no longer control my own body as it writhed beneath his.


    ¡°Ace¡­I¡¯m cumming!¡± I cried out when I finally felt my climax taking over me.


    My entire body spasmed uncontrobly as my mind drifted into a peaceful haze when I surrendered myselfpletely to the arrival of my orgasm. Ace was moaning and groaning louder now too as he continued to ravish my body. His thrusts felt slightly rougher than before as he rushed toward his own release. I closed my eyes and let my body naturally respond to him as my pussy tightly hugged itself around the thick girth of his cock to give him even more pleasure. Ace moaned my name and it felt like a call from heaven that was filled with so much love and adoration. I lifted my hips before I felt his hands pushing my thighs further apart.


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± I moaned before biting hard on my lower lip.


    The way his cock rushed so maddeningly into my flooded love hole made me feel like I could climax again. His cock felt so hot as it began twitching inside of me. I could tell that he was close as he moaned my name softly.


    ¡°Cum inside me¡­Ace¡­¡± I pleaded like it was my dearest wish.


    I wanted to feel the heat of his release fill me up all the way inside until I waspletely full of him and his warmth.


    ¡°Rina¡­I¡¯m cumming¡­¡± Ace groaned before plunging his cock into me one final time.


    Ace stilled on top of me with the entire length of his cock buried all the way into my love tunnel. His cock twitched inside of me and then I felt his seed rushing out of his cock to flood my womb and my insides. Ace panted above me as a mask of ecstasy overcame his face. I whimpered softly as my pussy clenched repeatedly around his cock to suck in his virile seed.


    ¡­


    When I woke up the next morning, Ace was no longer by my side on the bed. I knew without being told that he must have had some morning meeting rted to the merger for him to leave so early in the morning like that. I silently wished that things were going well. That was also when I realized that we were so busy sorting out everything rted to the rumors of Jeremy and me dating that we never got around to discussing the progress of the merger.


    I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration when I was forced to admit that I had missed another chance to properly catch up with Ace. Who knew when I would have the opportunity to catch him again. Ace was just so busy, and I didn¡¯t want to butt in to take up his time when he didn¡¯t have much spare time on his hands. I told myself again to be patient and that my wait up until that point wasn¡¯t all for naught.


    After forcing myself to sit up on the bed, a sense of dread filled my stomach when I thought of going to work. I was worried that I might run into Jeremy. Although the odds of that happening were quite low considering that we were not working directly together anymore, it still worried me and weighed on my mind. Then again, he might turn up to see me. I wasn¡¯t sure if he still wanted to see me after what happened thest time that we met for dinner.


    ¡°This is such a mess¡­¡± I muttered before covering my face with my hands and rubbing it.


    For once, I wished that everything in life would just be simple andpany and started dating Kyle in secret.


    ¡°This is so tiring¡­¡± I murmured to myself before letting out a long peaceful. When was thest time I felt that my life was secure, and I didn¡¯t have to walk around while watching my back. It was probably all the way back when I was still studying. Way before I joined thispany and started dating Kyle in secret.


    ¡°This is so tiring¡­¡± I murmured to myself before letting out a long sigh.


    I didn¡¯t even want to go to work anymore although this was supposed to be the job that I had always dreamt of. All the excitement that I felt the day that I received my job offer had somehow evaporated into nothing over the years. It wasn¡¯t like the work no longer interested me, but I hadn¡¯t truly grasped that the work came along with so many other burdens and politics. More than anything, I hated how I was feeling. It felt demotivating and I hated that I was losing sight of my real goal and the passion for my work.


    When I reached for my phone which was on the nightstand next to my bed, I realized that there was a small piece of paper there that I was sure wasn¡¯t there before I went to bed. Quickly, I picked up that small note while my heart raced faster in my chest. Just as I had predicted, it was a handwritten note from Ace. The message was short, but it was all that I needed to hear from him at that moment.


    ¡®The merger is going well. Hang in there, Rina,¡¯


    The note was signed with his name and did not provide any further details or exnations. However, it felt like more than enough for me and more than I could have hoped for.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 440 Loose Ends

    Chapter 440 Loose Ends


    I clutched the small note in my hand as I pulled it close to my chest before closing my eyes and letting out my breath slowly. I can¡¯t describe just how thankful I was to Ace for letting me know that the merger was progressing well. He was right and I knew it. We just need to hang on just a little bit longer until we get through this together.


    Ace is doing what he must do and that means that I have to do what I need to do too.


    ¡°I thought you might bete¡­¡± Richard said to me while keeping his eyes on the screen of hisptop.


    ¡°Why on earth would you think that?¡± I replied like Ipletely had no clue.


    After hearing about Richard from Ace, I started to see him in a different light. Ace was probably right when he told me that Richard had been looking out for me in his own way. He might not be genius at expressing his emotions and showing how he cares but it was thanks to him that Ace did not take my rtionship with Jeremy the wrong way.


    ¡°Nothing. Let¡¯s just get to work,¡± he replied while soundingpletely bored.


    Jeremy did note around that day and he did not try to contact me in any way. In a sense, I was relieved because I wasn¡¯t sure how to face him. On the other hand, I was slightly worried. A long sigh left my lips when I realized that there was another issue at hand that had slipped my mind the night before.


    I thought of telling Ace about it but then we started making out and one thing led to another, and it just totally slipped my mind. Of course, it was hard for me to concentrate on anything else but Ace and the pleasure that he was making me feel right at that moment. However, I had hoped that I could tell him about it when I woke up in the morning. It was probably because I was tired that I overslept a little. Ace also left very early in the morning, and Ipletely missed my chance to talk to him.


    I need to tell Ace about it but what if it¡¯s already toote?


    Before I knew what I was doing, I had stood up suddenly from my seat. I could feel Richard¡¯s curious gaze on me, but I didn¡¯t have time to dissolve his curiosity. My feet were already taking me out of my team¡¯s project room. I would have preferred to break this piece of inconvenient and unfortunate news to him in person, but it didn¡¯t seem like that was a luxury that I could afford anymore. Time was of the essence.


    Although I knew that Ace was probably busy and that now probably wasn¡¯t the best time to give him a call, I dialed Ace¡¯s number on my phone after checking that no one was walking up and down the hallway. I just need to tell him a very short message and that would be it. I was certain that Ace could tell me how I should handle something like this or what I should do next. Before themittee hears about it, we need to do something about it because it could ruin all of our ns.


    ¡°Ace¡­please pick up¡­¡± I whispered into my phone as I waited for the line to connect.


    After a while, I was convinced that Ace wasn¡¯t going to answer my call and that was probably because he wasn¡¯t in a position to do so. Even so, I stubbornly waited for him to answer my call.


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± Ace¡¯s voice spoke softly through the phone.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name in a breathless whisper because I was so surprised.


    For a second, I almost forgot what I wanted to tell him. That was just how surprised I was that Ace had answered my call. His hushed tone told me that he had deprioritized something that he was in the middle of to answer my call and I wasn¡¯t going to waste this hard-earned chance of talking to him.


    ¡°Ace, listen to me¡­¡± I said before pausing to take a deep breath to calm myself.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°About Jeremy. You know, about yesterday. I forgot to tell you this but apparently, he knows about us¡­¡± I spoke quickly as my eyes darted up and down the hallway.


    ¡°What does he know?¡± Ace asked while sounding very calm.


    ¡°He told me that he knows that we¡¯re dating. I tried denying it but I¡¯m not sure if he believes me or not,¡± I quickly exined while trying to be concise.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. He won¡¯t tell anyone even if he knows,¡± Ace told me dismissively.


    ¡°Umm¡­how can you be so sure?¡± I asked as my brows furrowed.


    Could things really be that easy? Why does Ace sound so certain that Jeremy won¡¯t tell anyone?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about everything, Rina. Somethings are out of our control¡­¡± Ace said patiently.


    ¡°But if he tells someone or themittee then everything will¡­¡± I argued before I lost the will to finish my sentence.


    Everything woulde falling apart if news of our illicit rtionship came out. People would doubt Ace and Elizabeth¡¯s rtionship and then that might have an impact on the merger and all that we¡¯ve worked so hard for.


    ¡°That won¡¯t happen,¡± Ace said firmly.


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± I asked immediately.


    My anxiousness and frustration started eating at me and I felt a tightness in my chest that quickly became ufortable. I had no idea why Ace seemed to trust Jeremy so much. Was it because they knew each other well?


    I wanted to be optimistic and trust my friend too and that he wouldn¡¯t do anything that would put me in harm¡¯s way. Then again, friends don¡¯t have romantic feelings for each other. I would have trusted Jeremy without a problem before he confessed to me. With romantic feelings, things could get difficult andplicated. I knew that quite well based on personal experiences.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 441 Trust in Ace

    Chapter 441 Trust in Ace


    ¡°Just trust me, Rina. Everything will be fine. I¡¯ll be back in the office this evening¡­¡± Ace said, and I knew that he was quickly running out of time that he could spend with me on the phone.


    He¡¯s going to hang up soon and I couldn¡¯t find a valid excuse to stop him from getting back to his work. Ace had asked me to trust him. Although I couldn¡¯t bring myself to absolutely ce my trust in Jeremy, I didn¡¯t have an excuse for not cing myplete trust in Ace.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you in your office,¡± I replied simply.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ace said softly.


    The line went dead, and my arm dropped down loosely like it had suddenly lost all strength. The mobile phone that I had in my hand suddenly felt so heavy, just like the burdens that I carried on my shoulders. After taking a few steps back toward my project room where Richard and loads of work was waiting for me, I suddenly decided to turn around and headed for the woman¡¯s toilets instead to piece myself back together.


    When I returned to my work desk in the project room, I had gathered myself together enough to appear calm even though I felt like I was going mad on the inside. Richard nced over at me as I sat back down on my seat. I could feel his eyes on me for a few seconds, but he did not say anything to me. There were times just like these when I was thankful that Richard wasn¡¯t a nosy or talkative person. In a way, that stoic attitude of his also meant that he gave me plenty of personal space without butting in.


    me or give me a call. Everything seemed normal and calm and that scared me more than anything. Each time I nced over at the The day passed by so slowly and my body almost jumped from panic each time my phone screen lit up and vibrated to notify me that I had received a message. I was scared that Jeremy would text me or give me a call. Everything seemed normal and calm and that scared me more than anything. Each time I nced over at the door, it felt like I was expecting that samedy from themittee to walk to summon me.


    ¡°I¡¯m heading out first,¡± Richard informed me after we had both stayed after work for a couple of hours.


    Richard was working on something that seemed important while I was just there because I needed to wait for Ace toe back to the office that evening. While Richard undoubtedly got a lot of work done, I failed to concentrate on anything and as a result I waspletely unproductive. I hoped that Richard hadn¡¯t noticed the condition that I was in.


    ¡°Ok. Have a safe trip back home,¡± I replied while trying to sound cheerful.


    ¡°Karina¡­¡± Richard called my name softly.


    ¡°Do you need something?¡± I asked when I turned around to find him staring down at me.


    He was about to walk away from our desk, and he had hisptop bag with him already. I wondered what he needed because I didn¡¯t like seeing the worried expression on his face. The first thought that entered my head was that some big screw up must have happened at work, and I might be the one responsible.


    ¡°You know, if you really didn¡¯t do anything wrong, you don¡¯t need to worry about things so much¡­¡± Richard said before nodding his head slightly at me.


    The very passive and emotionless way that he said it made me unsure if I was hearing him correctly and whether he was trying tofort me or not. It felt like there was a click and then a lightbulb lit up in my mind when I realized that this must be his way of trying to cheer me up.


    ¡°Right. Thank you¡­¡± I managed to say after recovering from my shock.


    ¡°Good. I¡¯m off¡­¡± he dered.


    I watched him walk away and out of the room with raised eyebrows. Suddenly, my phone vibrated on the table in front of me and I didn¡¯t have enough time to dwell on Richard¡¯s words anymore. A hollow feeling formed in my chest when I thought that Jeremy might be calling me; however, one look at my phone screen brought me much needed relief.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I whispered.


    ¡°I¡¯m in my office. Where are you?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there. Please wait for me,¡± I quickly replied before hanging up.


    My hands automatically reached to grab my handbag and I was out of the door as fast as I could. It felt like my body could take me to Ace¡¯s office by reflex and I arrived there in no time at all. Little did I know back then that a super big surprise was waiting for me in Ace¡¯s office.


    Since it was after working hours and Ace was also expecting me, I didn¡¯t bother knocking on the door before entering his office. My body froze in ce when I saw that Ace wasn¡¯t the only person sitting on therge sofa set that he had in his office.


    ¡°You¡¯re here,¡± Ace said when he saw me.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± I replied in a soft whisper.


    My entire body suddenly felt very cold, and my fingers and lower lip had started to go numb. Although I wanted to look away, my eyes kept on staring at the other person sitting opposite Ace on the sofa.


    ¡°Come and join us, Rina,¡± Ace instructed before showing me a warm smile.


    It took a lot of effort for me to move my feet forward. I approached the sofa before taking a seat while my mind raced to figure out how things could have turned out this way. Despite trying my best to ignore it, I could feel the eyes of our guest on me. I sat down while wondering if Ace had nned this all along or if it was just some crazy coincidence. What was happening was beyond even my wildest imagination. It felt like my effort of trying to avoid my trouble had all been for naught.


    I mean, why is Jeremy here of all people?!


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 442 Lies and Truths

    Chapter 442 Lies and Truths


    The three of us sitting together in the reception space of Ace¡¯s office just felt like the strangest thing ever. I was shocked to see Jeremy joining us when I expected to meet only Ace. Now that I thought about it, Ace was the one who invited me to see him. I nced over at him while wondering if Ace had invited Jeremy here as well or could it be that this was all just a wild coincidence and Jeremy just happened to turn up here?


    Regardless of how the three of us ended up there together, I didn¡¯t doubt what Jeremy had to say. I sped my hand together on myp to stop them from shaking from nervousness while feeling thankful that at least I managed to give Ace a heads up that Jeremy seemed to know about us. Despite knowing that, I didn¡¯t know how Ace managed to appear so calm and in control. If anything, it seemed like Jeremy, and I were the only people feeling nervous and on edge in the room.


    ¡°It is getting a littlete. Shall we just start talking?¡± Ace suggested with a smile.


    I felt too tongue-tied to even say anything on top of the fact that I wasn¡¯t quite sure what to say. I waited for either Ace or Jeremy to start the conversation.


    ¡°What has Karina told you so far?¡± Jeremy asked.


    ¡°Pretty much everything, I think. You two were called by the disciplinarymittee and then you two met upter and went out for dinner. During that dinner, you confessed that you like her. She turned you down and then you told her that you know that she¡¯s dating me. Does that sum it up correctly?¡± Ace replied as he recounted everything that had happened.


    I had to say that Ace was spot on, but he clearly did not put in any effort to soften his words with Jeremy¡¯s emotions in mind. It was true that I rejected Jeremy right on the spot. It never urred to me that I could end up dating Jeremy. Even if I was single and not dating Ace, I still didn¡¯t think that we stood a chance in having a romantic rtionship with each other. Friends suddenly turning into lovers wasn¡¯t a concept that I personally believed in.


    ¡°Great. Then this shouldn¡¯t take a long time. Are you and Karina really dating?¡± Jeremy asked quite directly.


    ¡°No. We¡¯re not. I¡¯m just his personal secretary,¡± I quickly replied.


    The truth was that I panicked and couldn¡¯t keep silent any longer. For the sake of keeping our rtionship a secret, the best that we could do was deny it and then deny it some more. Jeremy seemed stunned that I suddenly spoke up and that was when I realized that I had just spoken in a voice much louder and sharper than I had intended.


    ¡°I already told you this before, so I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re asking Ace again. Ace and I are not dating. I¡¯m just working on his team and as his personal secretary,¡± I repeated again firmly.


    Now that I had started talking and lying, it didn¡¯t feel difficult for me to uphold my lie anymore. The words just flowed easily out of my mouth as I tried to hide my hesitation.


    ¡°Is that true?¡± Jeremy turned to ask Ace as if he wouldn¡¯t believe a word that I said without hearing it directly from Ace.


    I turned to stare at Ace as I waited for him to deny our rtionship. Once hearing from both of us that we weren¡¯t dating, Jeremy would probably give up on pursuing this matter any further. He might not want to believe it at first, but he¡¯ll have to believe it eventually. Although he seemed quite confident when he made his usation, I truly doubted that he had any solid evidence. Perhaps it really was for the best that we were having this conversation to clear things up. Once Jeremy believes us, things might not be as awkward between us.


    ¡°It¡¯s not true. The truth is Rina and I are dating,¡± Ace replied casually.


    ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been trying to tell you¡­¡± I quickly said in agreement.


    Wait¡­what did he just say?!


    Jeremy had a very shocked expression on his face but at that moment, I wasn¡¯t sure who was more shocked between Jeremy and myself. I thought that it was obvious what Ace was going to say that I automatically chimed in in agreement.


    ¡°Ace¡­what did you just say?¡± I asked after gasping in shock.


    ¡°I said that we are dating. It¡¯s not a misunderstanding on your part. I¡¯m dating Rina with the hope of marrying her someday soon,¡± Ace dered with a confident look on his face.


    My lips and fingertips went numb, and I was honestly convinced that I was about to faint. I was speechless as I failed to understand why Ace woulde and straightforwardly admit that we were dating. On top of that, he went as far as to mention that he wanted to marry me. I ced a hand over my eyes while focusing on taking deep breaths to calm the rapid beating of my heart.


    This can¡¯t really be happening¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised that you¡¯re admitting to it so easily. Dating in thispany is strictly against the rules not to mention the fact that you¡¯re her boss,¡± Jeremy pointed out.


    ¡°I¡¯m also your boss. In fact, I¡¯m everyone¡¯s boss one way or another in thispany. It¡¯s against the rules to date another employee in thispany and you know it, but you still fell in love with Rina, right?¡± Ace said before he smiled.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Jeremy muttered, and I could tell that he felt embarrassed.


    ¡°We¡¯re just poor and foolish humans who can¡¯t control our emotions. That¡¯s it. We¡¯re dumb but arrogant as well, so the more people tell us that we can¡¯t do something, the more we want to do it,¡± Ace went on before he shrugged his shoulders.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I whispered his name softly.


    Our conversation had taken a surprising turn and I wasn¡¯t quite sure if it was for the best because I had no idea where this would all lead.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 443 Guarding Our Secret

    Chapter 443 Guarding Our Secret


    It wasn¡¯t the first time that we broke the silence about our rtionship and revealed it to someone else. Elizabeth, Kyle, as well as Ace¡¯s father all knew that we were dating. However, this was the first time that a close colleague and friend of mine had found out. Unlike the other three that had found out before, I didn¡¯t see any reason why Jeremy needed to help us keep our rtionship a secret.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Rina. Sooner orter, people will find out the truth. It¡¯s all just a matter of time. Plus, I¡¯m sure that you¡¯re going through some tough times trying to keep this a secret from everyone,¡± Ace said empathizing.


    He was right about it being hard; however, it was a burden that I didn¡¯t mind carrying. I found myself biting on my lower lip as I found countless emotions flooding my chest and stinging the back of my eyes.


    ¡°You two can¡¯t keep this a secret forever,¡± Jeremy stated coldly.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t tell anyone!¡± I pleaded desperately.


    For some reason, Ace had decided to let Jeremy in on our secret; however, it would be bad if Jeremy tells other people. At that point in time, the disciplinarymittee and losing my job was the least of my concern. Dealing with internal conflicts and punishments was one thing but if this news were to leak outside, I didn¡¯t even want to imagine what would happen. Once again, I realized that this involved more than just Ace and me and our future together.


    ¡°You¡¯re asking me to keep this a secret?¡± Jeremy asked in disbelief.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m asking. You can¡¯t tell this to anyone,¡± I replied heatedly.


    ¡°Calm down, Rina¡­¡± Ace said as he stood up from his seat.


    I felt like I was going to start crying. Stress and exhaustion were getting to me all at once. All the emotions and hardship that I had been holding in threatened to spill out in the form of tears. Ace sat down next to me before he ced an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close to his side.


    ¡°Jeremy, you can do what you want with what I just told you but, as you can see, this is very hard on Rina more than anyone else,¡± Ace said as his hand softly stroked my back.


    His caring andforting actions only made me want to cry even more than before. Ace only mentioned how hard it was on me, but I was sure that it was hard on him as well. With all the responsibilities that he had; I was certain that it must be harder on him than it was for me. On top of that, because of my careless actions, Ace now had to deal with Jeremy as well.


    ¡°You know, I don¡¯t mind you telling the disciplinarymittee or whatever. I don¡¯t even mind losing my job at this point, to be honest. I know that dating Ace is against the rules, and I know that I¡¯m just being selfish, but can you please just give us some time?¡± I asked as I dug my nails into the palms of my hands in my desperation.


    If I can buy us some time, then maybe we could still save the merger. Jeremy gave me a look of utter disbelief and I wasn¡¯t surprised that he found my request ridiculous.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but Rina is getting a little emotional. I¡¯m sure that she¡¯s tired as well. Do you have anything else that you want to say to her right now?¡± Ace asked warmly.


    ¡°No¡­¡± Jeremy replied curtly.


    ¡°Then can you wait here for a minute. I want to take Rina to rest over there, then we can continue talking,¡± Ace said as he stood up.


    Ace gently pulled me by the arms until I was standing on my feet. I knew that he was right that I was being emotional. It was partly his fault because instead of just going along with my lie, he had to go and tell Jeremy the whole truth. He should have realized just how much was at risk and how much we had to lose if this leaked out.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name as I stared up into his brown eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be just fine. Why don¡¯t you just take a short nap on the bed?¡± Ace suggested before showing me a gentle smile.


    I wanted to argue with him, but I didn¡¯t really have the physical or mental strength for it anymore. My temples throbbed and I could feel a bad migraineing on. A short nap on the bed didn¡¯t sound so bad at all, although I doubt that I would be able to fall asleep. Ace took me into the meeting room where we had inserted a bed. Thinking back on when that happened, I never thought that I would be using the bed for an asion quite like this.


    ¡­


    ¡°Rina¡­¡±


    I heard someone calling my name softly close to my ear. I thought that I wouldn¡¯t fall asleep, but it seemed like I had dozed off without knowing it.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I whispered his name sleepily.


    It took a few seconds for reality to set in and for me to realize where I was and what had just happened prior to me falling asleep. I bolted right up into a sitting position before turning to face Ace with widened eyes.


    ¡°Is Jeremy gone? What did you two talk about?¡± I asked the first two questions that came to mind.


    ¡°Calm down. I finished talking to him a while ago. He left already but since you were sleeping, I thought I¡¯d let you get a little more rest,¡± he said before he smiled at me.


    ¡°How did it go?¡± I asked in a small voice while not daring to hope.


    ¡°Just fine. There¡¯s nothing for you to worry about. Everything will progress smoothly,¡± Ace replied before winking at me.


    I had no idea how things could turn out like that after all that had happened. Frankly, I was so confused that my head felt like it was spinning slightly.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 444 Withstanding the Storm

    Chapter 444 Withstanding the Storm


    ¡°What do you mean? Did he agree not to tell anyone?¡± I asked as I tried to keep myself from panicking.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Rina. He won¡¯t tell anyone,¡± Ace replied with certainty.


    ¡°How can you be so sure?¡± I asked as I started frowning from worry.


    Ace pursed his lips together as a thoughtful look overcame his handsome facial features as he thought about how he should answer my question. I waited impatiently for his answer as I kept on staring at his face.


    ¡°Well, it was just a feeling but if I have to put it into words then, I guess I can¡¯t imagine him doing anything to hurt the girl that he likes,¡± Ace finally replied before showing me a charming smile.


    ¡°Is that why you thought that it would be ok to tell him about us?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I guess that was partly the reason. Also, I thought that things might be a little easier for you at work if we just admit to it. As I said before, sooner orter, he¡¯s going to have to find out,¡± Ace exined calmly.


    ¡°I see. I hope things really work out the way that you think they will¡­¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°I have to admit that I¡¯m not a big fan of him liking my girl. So, telling him that we¡¯re dating will probably help him get over you as well. Better this way for him and also for us, if you ask me,¡± Ace said before smiling brightly at me as if he was proud of the solution that he had arrived at.


    ¡°Sometimes, I really don¡¯t understand how that mind of yours works,¡± I mumbled as I stared at him with widened eyes.


    ¡°Are you impressed?¡± he asked teasingly.


    ¡°Umm¡­I guess¡­¡± I replied hesitantly.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if things were going to work out the way that Ace hoped for or not, but I couldn¡¯t stop myself from smiling. Although I didn¡¯t want to be overly optimistic, I couldn¡¯t help but see the future ying out exactly the way that Ace wanted. It never urred to me that confessing the truth about our rtionship to someone could feel quite relieving.


    ¡°Let me know if something is bothering you. I can¡¯t help you if I don¡¯t know about it,¡± Ace said before grinning at me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. You¡¯re so busy with work and the merger. They¡¯re probably the most important things right now,¡± I replied softly.


    ¡°That may be true, but I can try to make time,¡± Ace replied without backing down.


    ¡°Right¡­I¡¯ll let you know. I¡¯m fine now, though. Thank you, Ace,¡± I thanked him with a genuine smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look so worried or you¡¯re going to make me regret my decision,¡± he said with a smallugh.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I just can¡¯t help but worry about it,¡± I confessed before letting out a sigh.


    ¡°Just like I told you before, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with our rtionship. With that in mind, I don¡¯t mind announcing it to the world that we¡¯re dating,¡± Ace said with confidence.


    ¡°You can¡¯t do that!¡± I eximed without meaning to raise my voice.


    ¡°We¡¯ll just have to wait for the right time,¡± Ace replied calmly.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I murmured in agreement.


    Personally, I didn¡¯t think that there was anything wrong with the fact that we¡¯re dating either. Simply because it wasn¡¯t conventional and widely epted for a subordinate to date his or her boss, that didn¡¯t mean that it was wrong. I¡¯ve always thought since the first moment that I heard of it that the anti-dating rule of thispany was just crazy and illogical as well. However, if we were to live and survive in this society, we had to y along with the rules. That was probably where Ace¡¯s and my thoughts started to diverge.


    ¡­


    **A monthter**


    After spending a few days walking on eggshells all around the office, I started to realize that the worst had passed and that nothing major would be happening. So far, I haven¡¯t heard a word from the disciplinarymittee and Jeremy has made no attempt to contact me. On one hand, I was extremely relieved that Ace¡¯s guess seemed to be right, and that Jeremy hadn¡¯t told anyone about our rtionship. However, I couldn¡¯t deny the fact that it felt like I had lost a precious friend in the process.


    I wished that things didn¡¯t have to turn out this way between Jeremy and me, but I also realized that that was just wistful thinking. While simply worrying about not getting my way, I knew that I was just being selfish. I was always considering how I felt and what I wanted without actively noticing just how hard it must have been for Jeremy. Although things did not unfold in the right order, he did put the effort into confessing his feelings for me properly.


    On top of that, he also had that conversation with Ace. Even though I wasn¡¯t there to sit through the entirety of it, I was certain that it must have been a very difficult conversation indeed. Perhaps not immediately, but over time, I hoped that we could mend things between up.


    The weeks passed by without any change in our lives while Ace continued to devote his time to pushing the merger through. All I could do was focus on my work while making sure to steer away from trouble just as Ace had strictly advised. Tagging along with Richard and making sure that I focused solely on my work helped so much in achieving my goals.


    It was a windy and cold evening when I received great news from Ace. The day that would change our lives started out as quite a normal one just like others. I woke up and went to work while Ace went out to deal with what he had to do. It waste in the afternoon when I received a call from Ace.


    ¡°Rina, shall we go out for dinner?¡± he asked invitingly the moment that the line connected.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 445 New Adventure

    Chapter 445 New Adventure


    I could sense that he didn¡¯t have much time to spend on the phone. Regardless, I was thrilled that he had given me a call and that he was inviting me out for dinner. My mind quickly took note of the date to see if today represented some kind of important day or asion, but I couldn¡¯t detect anything special.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯m free. I¡¯ll be looking forward to it!¡± I replied enthusiastically without hiding my excitement.


    ¡°Don¡¯t sound too excited, it makes me feel a little pressured,¡± Ace replied jokingly.


    I couldn¡¯t wait until the arrival of the evening so that I could spend time with Ace. After clearing my work for the day, I headed to the toilet where I could touch up my make-up and my hair. I wanted to look decent enough for Ace since it had been a while since we had had a proper dinner date together.


    ¡°This should do it¡­¡± I murmured to myself after having applied some lipstick to my lips.


    The reflection that greeted me in the mirror looked satisfactory and I ended up smiling a little to myself. That day seemed filled with small miracles that made me optimistic about life in general. It ¡°You make it sound like I¡¯m alwayste,¡± Aceined yfully.


    ¡°Oh, no. I¡¯m just happy,¡± I replied with a giggle.


    started off from that invitation to dinner with Ace and then Ace managed to turn up right at the appointment time without beingte.


    ¡°You¡¯re actually on time¡­¡± I said as I quickly got into the passenger seat of his car.


    It was a risky move but after looking around the quite empty parking lot without seeing anyone, I quickly got into his car before anyone would spot us together.


    ¡°You make it sound like I¡¯m alwayste,¡± Aceined yfully.


    ¡°Oh, no. I¡¯m just happy,¡± I replied with a giggle.


    I wanted to ask where he would be taking me, but I figured that I would find out soon enough. Ace seemed to be in a very good mood, and I could tell that something great must have happened. Time had truly taught me to be patient and I had gotten used to holding my burning questions about the merger to myself. Asking him about it on a daily basis wouldn¡¯t help move it along any faster and I would just be applying unnecessary pressure on Ace. I had also learned to control and manage my own anxiety and curiosity while I waited for Ace to update me now and then whenever there was notable progress. Something told me that today would be one of those days where I would get an update from him about the progress of the merger.


    ¡°I thought we should do something a little different for a change,¡± Ace announced when the car came to a stop.


    I looked outside and was quite confused that we had arrived at a two-story house instead of a luxurious building or private restaurant. No matter how I looked at it, the ce resembled a normal house rather than any dining ce.


    ¡°Are we seeing someone?¡± I asked the first thing that came to my mind.


    ¡°Sort of¡­¡± he replied before getting out of the car.


    I was left confused until Ace opened the car door for me and offered me his hand. I thanked him and let him help me out of the car. The breeze felt chilly as the strong wind blew strands of my hair back over my shoulders.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside. It¡¯s very windy tonight,¡± Ace said as he tugged on my hand.


    ¡°Ok¡­¡± I murmured as I followed after him.


    The yard surrounding the house was quite dark and that was probably why I thought that the ce did not resemble a restaurant at all. We arrived at the front door and Ace rang the doorbell. My heart beat a little faster in my chest as we waited for someone to answer the door.


    ¡°Good evening, we¡¯ve been expecting you,¡± a woman who looked to be in her mid-forties greeted us with a smile after opening the door.


    The warm orange light from inside the house leaked out from the doorway along with the warmer air inside. Ace exchanged some casual greetings with the woman as she led us inside the house. I was right that the ce was a house and not a restaurant. We arrived in what appeared to be a living room that had a dining table to one side.


    ¡°I hope the traffic wasn¡¯t bad and that you¡¯re not too hungry,¡± the woman said with a smile.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t so bad,¡± Ace replied.


    ¡°Right then, shall we get started?¡± she said as she pped her hands together enthusiastically.


    ¡°Umm¡­what are we¡­?¡± I asked hesitantly as I failed to understand what was going on.


    ¡°Oh, my bad. I forgot to mention it because it¡¯s also supposed to be a little surprise. Rina, we¡¯re going to cook dinner together today and Jacky is going to help us,¡± Ace announced while sounding a little proud.


    ¡°Oh¡­wow¡­¡± I eximed when everything started to make sense.


    ¡°Sorry for thete introduction, my name is Jacky, and this is my house that I also use as a cooking studio. I run private sses where people can enjoy dinner after doing a little cooking,¡± she exined.


    ¡°Great. So, what are we making today?¡± I asked while still feeling a little stunned at this unexpected activity.


    ¡°A couple of dishes that are not too challenging, so don¡¯t worry. Please follow me this way,¡± she replied with a smile.


    That was how the little cooking lesson that Ace had prepared for us started. Jacky had two more helpers who only helped us in the kitchen. It felt quite hectic at first, but nothing seemed too difficult as long as we followed their instructions. Soon enough, I started to rx and chatting along with Ace as our hands moved to chop vegetables felt like a good change of pace.


    ¡°Do you like this?¡± he asked as he stood next to me at the kitchen counter.


    ¡°Yes, surprisingly¡­¡± I replied before smiling brightly at him.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure if you¡¯d like something like this to be honest, but I thought it wouldn¡¯t hurt anyone to try it out. I just felt like going out to dinner like normal might be a little too boring,¡± Ace exined.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 446 It鈥檚 Happening

    Chapter 446 It¡¯s Happening


    ¡°This is a great idea. I just hope that what I¡¯m making is going to be edible¡­¡± I replied with my only concern.


    ¡°It will be. Don¡¯t worry, even if it tastes horrible, I¡¯ll eat it and tell you that it tastes great,¡± Ace replied jokingly.


    ¡°You seriously think that it¡¯s going to end up tasting bad, don¡¯t you?¡± I asked as I narrowed my eyes at him.


    ¡°It¡¯s up to you to prove me wrong,¡± Ace replied with augh.


    I let out a sigh as I shook my head in disbelief. The truth was that I wasn¡¯t confident in my cooking skills; however, the dishes were simple enough and we were given ample instructions along the way. I had to admit that it felt fun and kind of rxing at the same time. This sudden change in pace turned out to be exactly what I needed to get away from all the stress.


    ¡°This looks like it¡¯sing along very well,¡± Jackymented before showing us a proud smile.


    ¡°Thanks to your advice,¡± I replied.


    ¡°We¡¯ve set up the table for you two on the second floor. Sorry that you have to walk up, and the stairs are quite narrow but you can enjoy a private dinner together up there,¡± Jacky informed us with a bright smile.


    ¡°Thank you very much,¡± Ace thanked her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get my team to help carry up all the awesome dishes that you¡¯ve cooked,¡± Jacky announced as she waved over some of her team members to help out.


    ¡­


    Jacky wasn¡¯t lying when she told us that we could have a private dinner with just the two of us. Half of the second floor of her home had been transformed into a dining room with many tables. This was probably where people ate the result of their hard work during their cooking sses after they were done. The ce wasn¡¯t at all decorated to appear luxurious, but I found myself really drawn into the homey vibe of the ce.


    Since Ace and I were her only students for the evening, there was no one else there but us. After setting up the table and helping to ce our food on the table for us, we were left alone inplete privacy.


    ¡°Wow. I have to say that it turned out much better than expected,¡± I said as I eyed the food in front of me that we had cooked together.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a bad exercise before dinner, right?¡± Ace asked with a chuckle.


    ¡°I actually enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would. Thank you for thinking of this and arranging this,¡± I replied with a smile.


    It wasn¡¯t a candle-lit dinner in a romantic luxurious restaurant, but it warmed my heart and made me felt so happy. I wished that the food would taste delectable so that it wouldn¡¯t ruin the mood.


    ¡°Shall we?¡± Ace asked invitingly.


    ¡°We shall¡­¡± I replied as I picked up my fork.


    I could feel Ace¡¯s eyes on me as I forked up some food before putting it into my mouth. The mild taste filled my mouth and I realized that we were probably a little light on the seasoning; however, that just added to the homemade feel of the dish which ended making it taste more pleasant.


    ¡°How is it?¡± Ace asked with clear excitement.


    ¡°Good. I like it. It feels and tastes very homey. You should give it a try,¡± I replied.


    ¡°I was just checking to see that you won¡¯t die from eating it,¡± Ace replied yfully.


    ¡°Using me to test for poison, aren¡¯t¡¯ you?¡± I teased back.


    We ate the food and shared small talk as I waited for him to get the point of what he really wanted to talk about. Since figuring out that this was more like a marathon for us than a sprint, I had learnt to take things slow so that I could make it to the very end.


    ¡°I wish I could cook¡­like for real¡­¡± I said wistfully.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you start taking cooking sses?¡± Ace suggested.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll have the time for it,¡± I replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that you can find time if you want to. Don¡¯t overwork yourself at work and make sure that you have time to pursue some personal goals and passions,¡± he began lecturing me.


    ¡°It¡¯s easier said than done but noted, I will try to find time,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Maybe when things settle down after the merger,¡± Ace said softly.


    My ears perked up when I heard him mention the merger. I also did not miss the fact that he spoke about it as if it was going to happen. My eyes must have lit up with expectation because Ace started to chuckle at my reaction. I guess I couldn¡¯t hide anything from him, and he could really read me like a book.


    ¡°Well, about the merger¡­¡± I began asking before showing him a smile.


    Although I had decided not to ask him about it, he was the one who brought it up first and he had already caught on to the fact that I was more than interested and curious to hear more about it. It felt like there was no need to hold back any longer at that point.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to happen,¡± Ace announced simply.


    It¡¯s finally going to happen¡­


    ¡°Really? Wow¡­like¡­for real?¡± I said breathlessly half in disbelief.


    The certain look that Ace had on his face as he nodded his head firmly confirmed that it was finally going to be a reality. The merger was really going to happen after all the hard work that we had put in.


    ¡°For real. I shouldn¡¯t be telling you this and Elizabeth will probably freak out if she finds out that I¡¯m letting you know in advance when it¡¯s still supposed to be confidential. Anyways, it¡¯s happening,¡± Ace confirmed with a satisfied look on his face.


    I couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine how Ace was feeling. Of all of us, I was absolutely sure that Ace was the one who had put in the most effort to make sure that the merger would take ce.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 447 Acknowledgement and Support

    Chapter 447 Acknowledgement and Support


    ¡°Congrattions! Wow! I¡¯m not sure what to say¡­¡± I said as I felt a sense of overwhelming happiness.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not celebrate too early. The announcement doesn¡¯t happen until the day after tomorrow,¡± Ace said before winking at me.


    The day after tomorrow?


    ¡°That soon?¡± I gasped in shock as my eyes widened.


    Ace just grinned at me as if he had already anticipated that reaction from me. The news was a great one and one that I had been waiting for for quite a while now. Now things seemed to be progressing forward at such a fast pace that I was taken aback. The announcement of the merger would take ce the day after tomorrow already and it just doesn¡¯t feel real to me at all.


    ¡°Yup. Elizabeth and everyone involved have been working on it for a while so you can expect it to be great. Hopefully this will be good news for everyone,¡± Ace said while truly sounding hopeful.


    Unlike the times before he didn¡¯t soundpletely confident, and I could understand why. There was no guarantee that everyone would be a fan of the merger. For the employees, it would mean a very big change that may not benefit everyone. Although I haven¡¯t seen the organization chart of Chase Creatives, I could already guess that there were many ovepping teams that performed the same function between the twopanies. A shiver ran through me, and I didn¡¯t dare to think of the worst case that could happen.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that it will be fine¡­¡± I murmured more to reassure myself than tofort Ace.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re all working to make sure that everyone working at bothpanies won¡¯t get negatively impacted. Merging thepany is going to be hard on all fronts but we still think that benefit is worth it,¡± Ace exined calmly.


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to spoil the moment like that,¡± I apologized softly.


    ¡°Not at all. It¡¯s just like you to be thinking about other people and worrying about them. Then again, these people aren¡¯t really strangers, they are your colleagues and friends,¡± Ace said understandingly.


    ¡°I just hope that everyone will see the merit to this and that everyone can eventually be positive about it and take it well,¡± I replied.


    ¡°That is going to be challenging but it¡¯s a challenge that all senior managers, and of course, Elizabeth and I have decided to take on. You may not believe it, but we discuss the people aspect of things just as much as we discuss the business side of things. Without the people, we can¡¯t run the business especially in this industry where creativity is so important,¡± Ace exined calmly.


    By that time, I had forgotten about the food and all my thoughts of taking cooking lessons in the future. All I could think and worry about was the merger and its implications and the impact that it would have on the rted people.


    ¡°Everyone will be so shocked. Even I feel shocked now that it feels like it¡¯s really going to happen,¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that they will be. All managers and team leaders will have to work extra hard to ensure that we get themunication right for this one. It¡¯s going to be a very big deal for sure,¡± Ace said before smiling.


    ¡°Thank you for thinking about everyone and trying your best,¡± I thanked him honestly.


    The only thing that reassured me that things may progress smoothly was the fact that Ace was putting his all into it. Nothing was going to be easy about the merger, but I felt like I could leave things in Ace¡¯s capable hands.


    ¡°Let me know if there¡¯s anything that I can help you with. If there¡¯s anything at all, please don¡¯t hesitate to let me know,¡± I volunteered passionately.


    ¡°I will,¡± Ace said it like a promise.


    I wanted to ask him so many questions rted to our rtionship rather than the merger but decided to hold my tongue. Ace was going through one of the most crucial stages that might make or break the deal and I didn¡¯t want to distract him. Once this merger is decided, I wondered what would happen to our rtionship. Would there be changes that I would need to prepare for?


    The other thing that I wanted to know so badly was when Ace and Elizabeth could drop the act that they were dating. When the merger is approved and announced, would that be the right time to call things off between them?


    I knew that asking him that now would just sound so selfish on my end, so I decided against it. Instead, I just smiled at him to show him that he had myplete support in whatever he decided to do. Although he did not tell me directly, I knew that Ace had carved out a precious portion of his time to attend this cooking ss with me this evening and have dinner with me.


    ¡°Thank you for today and please do your best,¡± I said while meaning every word.


    ¡°Well, now that you know about it. I¡¯ll make sure that you have some role to y in the prep work,¡± Ace announced with augh.


    ¡°I would be d to help out. Let me know what I can do. I¡¯ll do whatever it takes to get it done,¡± I said determinedly.


    ¡°You sound like a heroic soldier going out to war. Thank you for your support and your patience, Rina¡­¡± he thanked me in return.


    ¡°That¡¯s ok. I mean, I¡¯m not really doing anything. It¡¯s you that¡¯s always doing all the hard work,¡± I said while stammering.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. We¡¯re all working hard in our own way,¡± he corrected me quite sternly before he showed me a calm smile.


    I thought that Ace truly had a way with words as his words tugged at my heart strings and made me feel all giddy inside with warmth and happiness. It felt great for him to acknowledge the effort that I had put in although it probably wasn¡¯t as much or as impactful as all that he had been going through.


    --To be continued¡­


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 Chapter 448 The Annoucement

    448 The Annoucement


    **The Day of the Announcement**


    The day that the upper management and the representatives of the twopanies would announce the merger finally arrived. Although I had promised Ace to help out with the preparations, the event was of a grander scale than an amateur like me could handle. Instead, professional event organizers were brought in to ensure that everything proceeded smoothly. The announcement was undoubtedly a big deal and that also made it arge-scale event.


    On top of the expectedrge crowd of reporters, the prominent shareholders and board of directors of bothpanies will also be there at the event. Trying to keep the news of the mergers under wraps also meant that Ace could not involve that many employees in the preparation of the event. Thinking of it from that perspective, I could understand why such an experienced team was brought in to handle the entire thing.


    ¡°Are you sure that you don¡¯t want to be there?¡± Ace asked me the night before the announcement.


    It was surprising enough that he had time to drop by to see me before the event took ce. Even though it was unexpected, it wasn¡¯t at all unwee. I had already made up my mind on what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be on that day.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure. I¡¯ll stay at thepany and¡­observe how people take it,¡± I replied honestly.


    ¡°Well, I guess it is up to you. You can watch me on television,¡± Ace said before he grinned at me.


    ¡°Good luck. I hope everything goes well,¡± I replied.


    ¡°The announcement will go well, there¡¯s no need for you to worry about that,¡± Ace replied.


    He smiled at me, and I could tell that he was brimming with confidence. It was like an unspoken thought hung between us that the hardest hurdle wasn¡¯t the announcement at all. The announcement was just the start of everything that was toe. The hardest part was what woulde after everyone learnt about the merger. Handling the panic and of the people and actual business changes that would need to ur after the merger would be much bigger challenges.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that it will. I¡¯m sure that Elizabeth and you will handle it wlessly as always,¡± I replied before smiling at him.


    I wanted to ask him about what would happen between the two of them after the merger was announced but I didn¡¯t dare ask him directly. After waiting for so long already, I knew that I couldn¡¯t ruin all the patience and effort that I had put in. When everything rted to the merger had settled down somewhat, I would ask him about their rtionship and also about the future of ours. Instead of asking anything, I just kept on smiling.


    ¡°Any ideas on what this big announcement is supposed to be about?¡± Richard asked as he came to sit down on the chair next to mine.


    ¡°No¡­¡± I replied while trying to keep a straight face.


    His sudden question snapped me out of my thoughts and returned me back to reality once more. To make sure that the announcement had everyone¡¯s attention, the central HR team sent an email to all employees to watch the live broadcast of the announcement without telling them the details. Because of that everyone seemed to have their own spections about what the announcement was going to be about. Of course, ourpany merging so suddenly with Chase Creatives wasn¡¯t on the list of spections that everyone had been talking about.


    It was the right decision to send thepany-wide email only a day before the announcement because the news truly stirred everyone and all they could focus on was the uing announcement. The way that everyone gathered as the time of the announcement approached to watch the announcement on therge screens throughout the office building reminded me of how everyone would watch the yearlypetition together.


    Although the situation was simr, the vibe in the air was drastically different from when everyone was excitedly cheering us on during the final round of thepetition. There was no excitement in the air, instead, there was anxiousness and a sense of panic hiding beneath the surface. Everyone seemed cautious as if expecting some bad news to hit them, but I guessed that it was only natural when faced with the unknown.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have to be there with Ace? He¡¯s leading the announcement, isn¡¯t he?¡± Richard asked perceptively.


    ¡°No. He didn¡¯t tell me that I needed to join¡­¡± I replied quite truthfully.


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡± he muttered.


    Something in his tone of voice told me that he suspected that I knew something more than I was letting on. However, I refused toment on anything or say anything more that may jeopardize the secrecy that needed to be upheld before the announcement was made.


    ¡°Want to move somewhere where we can see the big screen clearer?¡± I suggested while trying to keep my tone light.


    ¡°Sure¡­¡± he replied casually.


    When we arrived at one of the auditoriums where the staff could gather to watch the announcement on therge projector screen, we ran right into Julianna and a few other members of the CEO¡¯s office. It had been a while since we were all united like this since the end of Project Alpha.


    ¡°How have you two been? Is your project going well?¡± Julianna asked with a bright smile.


    I wasn¡¯t knowledgeable about the project that she was handling but it seemed to be going well judging by her attitude.


    ¡°Well enough,¡± I replied before returning her smile.


    She beckoned for us to join her, and we ended up sitting all together in the same row as we waited for the announcement to start. The other members of the CEO¡¯s office didn¡¯t seem anxious as far as I could tell but the same couldn¡¯t be said about the rest of the people that filled the auditorium. I let out a soft sigh before looking around to judge the reactions of the people around us. It didn¡¯t surprise me that the aces that were gathered by Ace himself would feel more secure about what was happening than the rest of the staff.


    --To be continued¡­


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 Chapter 449 Into the Unknown

    449 Into the Unknown


    The risk of us losing our jobs from the merger or whatever could happen to the business was lowpared to the other people. It was sad and unfortunate, but the truth we all knew was that if there was a downsizing in the workforce, it would be the poor performers who would have to leave first. In that respect, our job felt quite secure.


    ¡°I really wonder what this is about¡­¡± Julianna said lightly.


    ¡°Ace hasn¡¯t been around the officetely, so I bet that he¡¯s up to something again,¡± Richard muttered with his eyes glued straight ahead.


    ¡°Can I sit here?¡±


    I turned around toward the familiar voice that I hadn¡¯t heard in a while to see Jeremy standing quite close to me. It was the first time that I saw him in person ever since that day that he turned up to join us in Ace¡¯s office.


    ¡°Sure,¡± I replied with a little smile.


    Before things could get awkward between us, the lights in the auditorium dimmed slightly and that served as the signal to everyone that the announcement was about the start. I could feel the palm of my hands sweating when it hit me that the ball was really about to get rolling. The things that we had nned for what felt like so long were finally going to be put in motion. No longer would this be a secret that I kept between Ace and myself and a small group of people in the know. Within a few minutes¡¯ time, the merger would be public information to all.


    ¡°Everyone please take a seat. The announcement will begin in a few minutes,¡± a formal voice announced through the speaker.


    Suddenly, the tension in the air skyrocketed and silence filled the auditorium. It felt like no one was breathing and the only sound that I could hear was the rapid beating of my own heart. The silence onlysted a minute before the darkened screen came to life. The view of the venue appeared on the screen and there was Ace and Elizabeth sitting among many senior members of the twopanies. The Chairman, Ace¡¯s father, was there along with Elizabeth¡¯s father and other senior members of the Board of Directors.


    I didn¡¯t even dare swallow as I stared at the screen. Although I knew quite well what they were about to announce, I was still overwhelmingly nervous. I couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine how anxious the other people around me were. Before I knew it, I was already silently praying for the best oue. The host quickly introduced the members of the panel professionally before passing it on to the Ace¡¯s father to start the session.


    ¡°Thank you everyone for gathering here today for your time and I would also like to acknowledge everyone watching this including our employees,¡± the Chairman said formally.


    My heart began racing wildly in my chest and I could feel my palms getting sweatier. I could feel the increase restlessness of the people in the auditorium as they waited impatiently for the Chairman to make the announcement.


    ¡°With extremely careful consideration from bothpanies, Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s and Chase Creatives, we have jointlye to a decision that we are going to merge ourpanies into a new entity,¡± the Chairman announced without any further dys.


    The entire auditorium was bathed in absolute silence as I counted in my head from one to three. After those few seconds where everyone was stunned into silence, chaos exploded. Suddenly, everyone was talking all at once to express their shock at the news. As I had expected, everyone had something to say about how unexpected the merger was and the uncertainty that it would bring to their lives.


    ¡°Please keep your voices down and remain in your seat unless you want to leave. For those who would like to leave, please make your way to the exit quietly,¡± the woman announced sternly through the speakers to ensure that the audience did not get out of control.


    It was easier said than done. The murmurs of shock and various questions quickly turned into outright discussions that were loud and clear. The voices of people chatting and expressing their concerns got louder and louder all around us.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you all just shut up and listen for a moment? The Chairman isn¡¯t even done with his announcement,¡± Julianna turned and snapped at whoever was sitting in the row behind us.


    Richard had a stern look on his face, but he didn¡¯t look too bothered while Jeremy had a look of intense interest on his face. As I had anticipated, this announcement did not shake up the members of the CEO office the way that it did for the rest of the staff.


    ¡°Hush and listen¡­¡± Richard dered his warning with narrowed eyes.


    ¡°How are we supposed to remain calm in this situation?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We have no idea what¡¯s going to happen to us?¡±


    ¡°The twopanies are merging? That¡¯s super crazy¡­¡±


    Comments and questions like these felt endless. The Chairman continued with his prepared speech before handing it over to Ace and Elizabeth as the acting CEO of both of thepanies. My attention shifted to therge screen again when it was time for Ace to make his speech. I prayed that whatever he had to say would help put the staff¡¯s worries at rest even if it was for a while.


    ¡°As the Chairman had just announced, we are proud to inform all of you that the twopanies have decided to merge. I am sure that everyone here has many questions, and we would be more than happy to address all of them at the end of the session. First of all, I would like to address the shareholders of bothpanies that your interests will still be urately represented and that your investment will bear better fruit. For the business side, we expect a long list of synergies and cost optimization that will lead to a better bottom line and return for all of you. All of this has been outlined already in the information booklet is right in front of you,¡± Ace exined before pausing.


    --To be continued¡­


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 Chapter 450 The Start Of Changes

    I chewed on my lower lip as I wondered how Ace was feeling as he calmly delivered his speech. He sounded so professional and in control that it wouldn¡¯t be challenging to trust him to handle everything. After a moment of pause where Ace seemed to be looking in the direction of where the shareholders were seated, he continued with his speech where he addressed the other parties to ease them of their concerns.


    ¡°Last but not least, I would like to address our employees, everyone working for bothpanies. Undoubtedly, this is going to be a big change for everyone. However, we strongly believe that this will be a change for the better. From this, we will all emerge stronger and in a morepetitive position with a brighter and more secure future,¡± Ace announced.


    Although I was watching his speech on screen and he wasn¡¯t there right in front of me, he still felt so close, and I could hear the sincerity in his voice. I knew very well that Ace was very concerned about the wellbeing of his employees and the changes that they would have to go through as a result of the merger and that was probably why he was making sure to address their worries upfront. I wished desperately that his words and his good intentions would get to all the employees that were listening just like they got to me.


    If things went ording to n, after Ace¡¯s public announcement, the message would be cascaded down from thepany¡¯s upper management down to the middle management level before reaching the individual level in the form of small group announcements. Ace told me that that would ensure that everyone truly understood what was going on and it would provide them with the opportunity and tform for them to ask their questions.


    ¡°Finally, I have another very important announcement to make. As I have announced before a few times, I have decided to step down from my position as the CEO of Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s. With this merger on the way, I feel even more strongly about my decision. This is the perfect opportunity for me to take ourpany to greater heights and also pass this legend on to our new CEO¡­¡± Ace announced before he smiled and then gestured with his hand toward Elizabeth.


    Gasping sounds of shock and ¡®Oh¡­¡¯ of disappointment erupted from the audience all around me in the auditorium. As expected, Ace¡¯s announcement was very shocking and also a big disappointment to most if not all the employees of Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s. Clearly everyone knew that merging thepany would mean that there would be only one CEO at the end of the day instead of two. It was natural for everyone at Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s to hope that Ace would continue being the CEO instead of us getting a new CEO from Chase Creatives, our longstanding rival.


    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m Elizabeth Chase and I will be taking over as the CEO of this new entity,¡± she announced while sounding proud yet humble at the same time.


    Elizabeth went on to talk about how she would make thepany bigger, stronger, and better. She then continued to make promises to all relevant parties to reassure them just like Ace had done. All of her words seemed to fade into the background as my attention shifted to gauge the reactions of those around me. It might be useful if I could give Ace a good andprehensive download of the sentiments of the employees and my colleagues.


    ¡°Ace is really leaving¡­¡± Jeremy whispered from next to me.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I replied in short.


    ¡°Are you ok with that?¡± he asked softly so that his words would not be overheard by other people.


    I knew exactly what he was asking and why he was asking. Since he had found out that Ace and I were in a rtionship he must have figured out that it would trouble me if Ace no longer worked here. Honestly, I didn¡¯t quite know how to feel now that it was really happening. I had known for a while now about Ace¡¯s n to step down from his role as CEO and also his n to leave thepanypletely. That would mean that we would have less time together at work and that I would no longer be his personal secretary. However, that also meant that we no longer had to keep our rtionship a secret.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with whatever he decides,¡± I replied simply.


    I didn¡¯t bother to exin to Jeremy that I was certain that Ace had put in a lot of thought into his decision. In that thought process I was sure that he had somehow factored in how his decision would impact me. My immediate reaction was that I didn¡¯t want to be apart from Ace, but in the longer term, this was probably the best move for us and our rtionship. Going out on dates publicly with Ace without having to hide will have topensate for the fact that I would no longer see him at the office.


    Jeremy just stared at my face for a few seconds before looking away from me without asking anything else or making anyment. I felt that that was for the best because I wasn¡¯t in the mood to exin myself to anyone. Instead, I redirected my attention to the people around me to see how they were taking the announcement that was still going on. Elizabeth and Ace now took turns sharing some ns rted to the merger which sounded very interesting.


    The announcement ended with a Q&A session where people could ask everyone on the panel some questions. Not surprisingly, Ace and Elizabeth ended up answering most of the questions asked. While that was going on, the audience in the auditorium seemed to have very mixed reactions to the news of the merger. While some had faith that things would turn out fine, many were doubtful and fearful of the change and how it may impact them. Job security became one the most talked about topics among the murmur of conversations that erupted in the auditorium.


    --To be continued¡­


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 Chapter 451 Last Day

    ?


    **6 monthster**


    ¡°Karina, can you help take a look at this?¡± my new supervisor requested as she waved me over.


    ¡°Oh, sure¡­¡± I replied before making my way over to her side.


    Bending a little and looking down at the screen of herptop, I could see a very well-organized storyboard of the newmercial that we were working on. It has been six months since the announcement of the merger and many things have changed since then for the twopanies, its employees, and also for me as well.


    ¡°This part here, what do you think?¡± she asked as she pointed to a certain scene in the storyboard.


    ¡°I think it should help with the flow and make it easier for the audience to understand the benefits of the product,¡± I replied with what I honestly thought.


    ¡°Umm¡­I¡¯m not sure about it to be honest. I feel like the scene might feel a little out of ce here. What about moving it a littleter on? Maybe here instead?¡± she suggested as she directed her index finger to point to ater part in the storyboard.


    ¡°That could work as well. Let¡¯s go with that,¡± I agreed after a moment of picturing what the flow would be like in my head.


    ¡°Great. Can I bother you to adjust this based on our alignment please?¡± she requested.


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll do that now,¡± I replied with a smile.


    We were six months into the merger now and based on the n shared with all employees, we had now reached the end of phase one of the merger implementation n that was separated into three phrases with eachsting six months. Just as it was agreed and announced, Elizabeth took over as the CEO of the new merged entity and that meant that Ace no longer acted as the CEO. However, that didn¡¯t mean that Ace suddenly disappeared the next day after all the agreement papers were signed. In fact, the n was for Ace to stick around to help out with the transition until the end of the first phrase.


    The merger brought about as many new changes as opportunities for everyone involved. For starters, thepany still operated from two buildings because there wasn¡¯t a building big enough and immediately avable to house the twopanies once it wasbined. What that meant was that some departments had to move buildings to ensure that operations could run smoothly although there were now officially two headquarters.


    The biggest change that everyone experienced was the merging of teams between the twopanies. What that essentially meant was that all teams and functions became bigger, and everyone got a whole batch of new colleagues. Something simr applied to the members of the CEO¡¯s office as well as myself. Surprisingly, Elizabeth also had a team of elites that worked directly with her on key projects as well and it was with that team that the CEO¡¯s office was merged with. Now we reported directly to Elizabeth on key projects while working with experienced project managers for our other projects.


    My current supervisor, whom I had a challenging yet fulfilling work rtionship with, was also a project manager from Chase Creatives. The people that we worked with weren¡¯t the only thing that had changed, the clients that we worked for also changed. For my very first project after the merger, I was staffed under a manager from Chase Creatives to produce amercial for a long-standing Chase Creative client. It wasn¡¯t easy but I wholeheartedly weed to challenge to work under a new manager while also serving a client that I would never have the opportunity to serve had the twopanies never merged with one another.


    I stared at the unmarked date on my desk that I had memorized as I felt my heart skip a little in my chest. Although I had known quite some time ago that this day would eventuallye, now that it was here, I still felt unprepared to face it. Right at the date marking thest day of the month and marking the end of six months since the start of the merger, it was Ace¡¯sst day working at Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s.


    ¡°I just sent over everything. I¡¯ll see you guys tomorrow,¡± I told my teammates at the end of the day.


    There wasn¡¯t anything that could hold me back and make me leave work even a minuteter on that day. When I was out of the door of my team room, I was walking as fast as I could in my heels as I headed to the elevator. The ride down to the lobby never felt so torturously long before. My heart began beating faster and louder in my chest as my longing to see Ace quickly became overwhelming. Since it was his final day at thepany, we had decided to end it off with a celebration of our own to put a positive spin on things. I had Ace to thank for turning down the other multiple invitations that he had received to celebrate his early retirement from thepany to spend the evening with me. It made me feel like someone important and I couldn¡¯t wait to spend the evening with him.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I answered his call as I pressed my phone against the side of my face.


    ¡°Just wait in front of building, I¡¯ll pick you up there, so you don¡¯t have to walk to the parking lot,¡± Ace instructed.


    ¡°Oh¡­but¡­¡± I began protesting before I stopped myself.


    ¡°It¡¯s past working hours now so I no longer work for Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s,¡± Ace pointed out what I had just realized as well.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± I murmured.


    ¡°Just wait for me there,¡± Ace repeated his instruction again before he hung up.


    I stared with a slight feeling of confusion at my phone screen as I waited for reality to sink in. Ace¡¯sst day working for thepany was over, which meant that we no longer had a need to keep our rtionship a secret from anyone anymore.


    Wow¡­


    --To be continued¡­


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 Chapter 452 Sweet Reflections

    Chapter 452 Sweet Reflections


    Even though I was technically allowed to date Ace now, he was still technically in a rtionship with Elizabeth. Their rtionship seemed to be very much a cover up now more than ever before with the two not seeing each other much outside the context of work and now that the first phase of the merger hase to an end, the two will probably see less of each other. I wondered what was going to happen now that Ace was free from his role at thepany.


    Ace arrived shortly in his car, and for the first time in forever, I got into the car without having to look left and right to check if someone was watching us. It felt strange and I was sure that it would take some time for me to get used to this.


    ¡°It feels kind of strange that you were the one who organized everything although we¡¯re supposed to be celebrating yourst day at thepany,¡± I pointed out while feeling slightly regretful for not doing anything special for him.


    ¡°It¡¯s good enough for me that you¡¯re here. Thanks for sucking it up for this long,¡± he said before showing me a wry grin.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee, I guess¡­¡± I replied before smiling.


    As always, I didn¡¯t bother asking where Ace was going to take me. By that time, I had learnt to take things as theye and enjoy the suspense and the surprise that was in store. I started feeling a little funny inside when Ace started taking all the turns that would lead us back to his ce. Soon after, I found out that my gut feeling was spot on correct when we finally arrived at the building to his ce.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that you would bring me here,¡± I admitted as we stepped into the elevator together.


    ¡°Are you disappointed that we didn¡¯t go somewhere fancy?¡± he asked teasingly.


    ¡°Not at all. Your ce is the fanciest¡­¡± I replied yfully.


    By that time the elevator came to a stop before the doors opened and the familiar view of Ace¡¯s ce greeted us. I remembered just how nervous I was the first time that I came here. Now the ce felt like my second or third home and I could truly feel at peace when I was there.


    ¡°Are you hungry?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Not really¡­¡± I replied truthfully.


    It still felt unreal that Ace no longer worked for Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s. Thinking about it just made me feel weird inside and I wasn¡¯t sure what I should make of it. Food wasn¡¯t at all what was on my mind at that moment.


    ¡°I guess we can take it slow and talk for a bit while we wait for the food to arrive,¡± he suggested.


    ¡°You ordered something?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yup. I ordered some food from an old friend who runs a restaurant of his own now,¡± Ace exined simply.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. I¡¯m good with anything,¡± I replied casually.


    Ace rarely asked to talk to me so I figured that he must have something on his mind that he wanted to share. I also had a super long list of unanswered questions that I saved up over the months as well that I wanted to ask him. Although the merger still has a few ¡°Come and sit here,¡± Ace said as he patted the back of one the chairs at the dining table.


    phases left before it could be calledplete, Ace¡¯s involvement hase to an end. I hoped that that would mean that he would be less busy and also that he would have the time to answer all the questions that I¡¯ve saved up.


    ¡°Come and sit here,¡± Ace said as he patted the back of one the chairs at the dining table.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I thanked him as he pulled out the chair for me.


    I took the seat while thinking that the uing talk must be a very serious one because we were doing it at the dining table rather than casually on the sofa where we usually had our more casual conversations. I watched Ace intently as he took the seat opposite from mine.


    ¡°Umm¡­what is it that you want to talk about?¡± I asked because I felt like I could no longer wait.


    ¡°A couple of things actually. I¡¯m not working at thepany anymore and I¡¯m no longer your boss,¡± he pointed out.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± I murmured.


    ¡°You have no idea how long I¡¯ve waited for this day toe. The day where we no longer have to keep our rtionship a secret from anyone anymore. I¡¯ve never felt so free¡­¡± he said before letting out a loud sigh.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right about that. Honestly, it¡¯s still hard for me to believe that the day has finally arrived,¡± I quickly agreed.


    ¡°The merger is also in good shape and that means that I¡¯ve made good on the deal that I made with my dad. Hopefully, this would be enough for him to leave us alone¡­at least for a while,¡± he said while sounding very relieved and a little excited.


    ¡°But the merger isn¡¯tpleted yet,¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°The twopanies have merged. So, in terms of achieving growth, I¡¯ve more than exceeded my target,¡± Ace exined before smiling widely at me.


    I was d that he was proud of what he¡¯d achieved. After all the hard work that he went through both in terms of work and also the acting part of things, I have to say that he deserved nothing but sess and also recognition. As for me, I felt so proud of the fact that I was there to support him and help him out as much as I could throughout it all. The journey was a tiring and challenging one, but it was also an extremely rewarding one. I got to stand by the man that I love and support him in what he wanted to do while watching him take on various challenges. In addition, I got to take on so many challenges as well and ended up learning plenty both from Ace and the people that I had the fortunate opportunity to work with.


    --To be continued¡­


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 Chapter 453 Breaking Up

    Chapter 453 Breaking Up


    Most of all, I was thankful and proud of the fact that we were still together despite everything that happened and all the obstacles that stood in our way. I did realize that there were still many obstacles in our way, but I was certain that we would be able to ovee them somehow if we just stuck together like we always have.


    ¡°Congrattions, Ace. I¡¯m very proud of you,¡± Iplimented him openly before letting out a giggle.


    It was funny how I just couldn¡¯t stop smiling because I was just that happy for him and also for us. With the merger and our rtionship as boss and secretary out of the way, maybe we could focus more on our rtionship. It still felt kind of sad that I was no longer his personal secretary and that I wouldn¡¯t get to work with him anymore. It was so ironic how much I hated this position of his secretary when I first started working for him. I could still remember how against it I was back then. To make matters worse, I somehow convinced myself that he only wanted me to work for him because we happened to sleep together once.


    ¡°There¡¯s not much to be proud of. Because of me, things got messy, and you had to wait for such a long time,¡± Ace said while sounding extremely apologetic.


    ¡°Oh no, not at all¡­¡± I quickly denied it.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to say that for my sake. Anyways, I need to tell you something very important so that you can prepare yourself for it,¡± Ace said sternly as he stared directly at me from across the table.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked as I started to feel slightly anxious.


    ¡°Elizabeth and I are breaking up,¡± Ace dered.


    ¡°Oh¡­already?¡± I asked when I managed to recover from my shock.


    I knew that they both intended to end their fake rtionship sometime soon, but I didn¡¯t think that it would be this soon. It seemed like I didn¡¯t have to gather the courage to bring up this matter to Ace because he had beat me to it. I appreciated how upfront he was being with me about this and that meant that he had noticed my worries as well regarding this issue. Although I appreciated the fact that he was willing to deal with this issue promptly, I was a little scared at how fast things were moving.


    ¡°There¡¯s no point in dying it. I already spoke to Elizabeth about it, and she is of the same mind as well about this. Things will definitely get messy once the news gets out, so I just want you to be prepared to ignore whatever those random people have to say,¡± Ace exined.


    ¡°Are you nning to make a public announcement about your breakup?¡± I inquired.


    ¡°Yes, we have to. It¡¯s the easiest and cleanest way. Wee out and tell them straight up and apologize if we need to that we¡¯ve decided to go our separate ways but still remain friends,¡± Ace said with a firm nod of his head.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s the storyline that you two agreed on¡­¡± I murmured.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Elizabeth thought about it, and I just agreed to go along with her story. She also agreed to do all the talking,¡± Ace exined further.


    ¡°I see. Everyone is going to be so shocked about this¡­¡± I said before letting out a sigh.


    ¡°They will be and there¡¯s going to be a lot of fuss for a while. Anyways, I just want you to know this in advance so that when the timees you don¡¯t panic,¡± Ace said before smiling my way.


    ¡°Won¡¯t this have a huge impact on the merger and thepany?¡± I asked while thinking of the wellbeing of my colleagues.


    Things had just started to settle down for everyone and now this was going to happen. Thepany and its employees would be hit with another very dramatic news, and I wasn¡¯t sure what the impacts would be like.


    ¡°It¡¯ll have some impact for sure, but I don¡¯t think that it would be as bad as what you¡¯re imagining. The public and the shareholders will be shocked for sure but logically it doesn¡¯t matter much anymore. Regardless of whether or not Elizabeth and I are dating, I¡¯m no longer working for thepany. I¡¯m out and Elizabeth is the new CEO now¡­¡± Ace exined his view calmly.


    ¡°I see. I guess you¡¯re right¡­¡± I said softly.


    ¡°As for thepany, it¡¯s already merged. The merger is going well and we¡¯re already starting to see the benefits and synergies that we¡¯ve nned. The cost saving forecast is also spot on and starting to show. Even if we break up now, thepany will remain merged and the merger will go forward into the second phase smoothly,¡± Ace said with full confidence.


    ¡°That¡¯s good then¡­¡± I said, full of hope.


    It was because I trusted Ace so much that I started to feel confident when he was confident that things would turn out fine.


    ¡°After that, I guess we truly don¡¯t have to keep our rtionship a secret anymore,¡± Ace said with a satisfied smile.


    I wondered how people would react when they find out that Ace and I are dating. Of course, we were not going to make a public announcement about it to the world, but I still had to worry about the people that I knew. Most of all, I worried about how my colleagues would react.


    ¡°Why do you look so gloomy all of a sudden? What are you worrying about?¡± Ace asked knowingly.


    ¡°I was just thinking how people at thepany would react when they eventually find out,¡± I confessed softly.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about it. You¡¯ll find out when the timees,¡± Ace replied carefreely.


    ¡°That¡¯s easy for you to say. You¡¯ve already left thepany, but I¡¯m still stuck there so that means that I¡¯ll have to deal with the reactions from my colleagues,¡± I said followed by a sigh.


    --To be continued¡­


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 Chapter 454 Our Private Celebration

    Chapter 454 Our Private Celebration


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be stuck there you know¡­¡± Ace said before showing me a very charming smile.


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± I asked as I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously.


    ¡°Well, you could just quit and move in with me and live an easy-going life,¡± Ace replied teasingly.


    I knew well enough that he knew that I wouldn¡¯t do something like that. Given how wealthy Ace is, I had no doubt that he could live an easy-going life in luxury without ever having to work again his entire life. However, things were different for me, and I couldn¡¯t imagine myself living off of Ace like a leech. On top of that, I still had dreams and career aspirations of my own. I still enjoyed the job that I was doing, and I also liked my colleagues even though working with new colleagues from Chase Creatives could be challenging. I was determined to adapt and make the best out of everything.


    Since my mother is a single mother and we were not well off, I also needed to work in order to support her. I still remembered all the obstacles and the lows that I went through tond a job in my dreampany. There was just no way that I would simply choose to throw everything away just like that. There were still so many things that I wanted to learn and experience and that didn¡¯t quite include bing a housewife and living an easy life even if it was with Ace.


    ¡°What about you? Is that what you n to do now that you¡¯ve quit thepany?¡± I asked in return.


    Despite what he was saying, I couldn¡¯t quite picture the Ace that I know just sitting idly as time passed him by without doing anything. Just like me, I was certain that Ace had dreams of his own that he wanted to pursue. Now that he¡¯d pretty much settled the deal with his father and the burdens that he had toward his family, I wondered what he had nned for himself.


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure. I¡¯ll probably chill and rest for a while¡­¡± he repliedzily.


    ¡°I guess after working so hard for so long especially since the merger started, you do deserve a long rest¡­¡± I replied.


    Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and I figured that food must have arrived. Ace got up before I could and headed for the door. Not wanting to simply wait there for him, I decided to head toward the door as well. I helped Ace carry in the food that he had ordered while sniffing at the tempting aroma of the food.


    ¡°This seems like a lot of food¡­¡± I said as I ced the bags of food on the table.


    ¡°I¡¯ll grab the tes¡­¡± he said before beaming a smile my way.


    ¡°I can do that¡­¡± I quickly said but it was toote.


    Ace had pretty much beat me to it. I ended up staring at the bags of food before I started taking the food out of their packaging while I waited for Ace to return. I was spot on correct about Ace over ordering food. There was simply too much food for two people no matter how you looked at it. However, since it was definitely a special day, I didn¡¯t want toin to ruin the mood.


    ¡°Here you go¡­¡± Ace said as he startedying out the tes and utensils on the table.


    ¡°This looks and smells so good that it¡¯s making me hungry,¡± I confessed honestly.


    ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. Let¡¯s eat, Rina,¡± he encouraged as he sat down.


    ¡°Thank you for arranging this,¡± I said with a smile.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me for every little thing. I just ordered food in,¡± Ace pointed out with a chuckle.


    ¡°I still think that I should thank you every time that I feel grateful,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Then you should feel less grateful about the small things,¡± he said with a charming smile.


    As we ate the food, I couldn¡¯t stop myself from wondering what Ace had in mind for himself. Even though he said that he wanted to rest, I was sure that someone like Ace couldn¡¯t rest for too long before he would feel restless and unproductive. Ace might not like all the work that he does but he likes working and I¡¯ve seen that for myself. It was just a matter of time before he got himself involved in some work again. Hopefully, this time it would be something that aligned with his passion.


    ¡°Eating together like this is nice¡­¡± I said wistfully.


    ¡°I agree. Eating at home like this together with you feels blissful,¡± he replied.


    I blushed a little when I realized that I had stated my thoughts out loud, and that Ace had also agreed to it. Although I initially thought that going out to some ce fancy or having a party was the right way to celebrate Ace¡¯sst day working at thepany, I had to admit that I may have been wrong. It felt extremely pleasant to be sharing a casual and simple meal with Ace in thefort of his ce. The simple things can really lead to happiness. Eating with Ace reminded me of the time when I ate with my mother and that made me realize that Ace had started to feel like family to me as well.


    ¡°I¡¯m d that we decided to stay in and eat together today rather than going out to a party or some ce fancy. I really like this¡­¡± I said with a smile.


    ¡°We¡¯ll definitely have to attend many parties for sure, but I¡¯d like to save those forter. Many groups of people will definitely want to throw me a party whether I want them to or now and it¡¯s my job to attend all of them,¡± Ace said although he did not sound so grim.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re a very popr person,¡± I said to cheer him up.


    --To be continued¡­


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 Chapter 455 Start and End

    Chapter 455 Start and End


    ¡°You¡¯reing with me,¡± he said with a firm nod of his head.


    ¡°Me?¡± I asked with widened eyes.


    ¡°Of course. Who else? Don¡¯t you dare think that you¡¯re getting out of this one,¡± Ace said with a satisfiedugh.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious. You do realize that I¡¯m not longer your secretary, right?¡± I asked as I batted my eyshes at him teasingly.


    Although I wanted to tease him, it was true that I was no longer working as his secretary. The thought of being dragged to all the farewell parties along with him excited me a little but it also felt like a hassle. Above all else, I knew that I wasn¡¯t a big fan of big gatherings and meeting so many new people all at once.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going as my personal secretary. You¡¯re going as my girlfriend,¡± he replied like it was supposed to be obvious.


    ¡°Umm¡­isn¡¯t it too soon?¡± I asked as a frown formed in between my brows.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look so worried or you¡¯re going to make me feel bad,¡± Ace said although he ended upughing a little at my reaction.


    ¡°The news of your breakup with Elizabeth isn¡¯t even out yet so we can¡¯t be dating,¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± Ace with before faking an exaggerated pout.


    Now it was my turn to giggle because I found his expression so funny. Ace smiled at me, and I knew that I would end up following him to those parties regardless of what I had to say. That didn¡¯t mean that I wasn¡¯t worried about the announcement of their breakup. I prayed that things would go well and that this storm would pass over us and be gone soon.


    Fortunately, I didn¡¯t need to be there at their announcement. It was an affair just as big as when they announced the merger and for very different reasons. The crowd of reporters and everyone that gathered were different as well. Instead of shareholders and reporters purely covering business news, there was arge crowd of reporters working for tabloid magazines and online gossip channels. Some business reporters also turned up to cover the angle that their breakup may have on the performance of the business.


    As for me, I decided not to be there and instead opted to hear how it went from Ace. I could have watched the news, but the announcement did not interest me. What held my interest was what would happen after the announcement had been made. Just as expected, their breakup was a very big deal and the fact that no one saw iting just made it an even bigger spectacle. The news quickly went viral, and I caught myself reading through some articles and posts written about it online although I initially had no intention to.


    Surprisingly, the news of their breakup garnered more interest than the news of the two of them getting back together. I guessed people enjoyed seeing things fall apart rather than celebrating good news. This was their second time breaking up. Unlike all their rtionships that seemed to be fake or misunderstood by the public, their decision to go their separate ways always remained true.


    When I got the chance to talk to Ace, it was veryte at night after the announcement was made. He came back to his ce alone in the middle of the night after parting ways with Elizabeth at the venue of the announcement.


    ¡°I guess it went well¡­¡± I said after greeting him.


    ¡°Well, enough. It¡¯s good enough that we got the message out straight and clear,¡± Ace said before winking at me.


    ¡°You should rest, you look a little tired¡­¡± I suggested it with worry.


    ¡°Come here¡­.¡± Ace said as he urged me into his arms.


    I didn¡¯t move fast enough to satisfy Ace because he ended uping toward me before wrapping his arms around my body and pulling me into his embrace. I heard Ace let out a sigh and he sounded so relief. Another chapter had ended for him and Elizabeth and it also signaled a real start for our rtionship. I wrapped my arms around Ace and held him as we both enjoyed thefort of each other¡¯s embrace. I wanted to hold him close to me like this forever so that we wouldn¡¯t ever part.


    ¡°Do you want to drink something warm? It should help you unwind,¡± I offered with a smile.


    ¡°No, thanks. I would rather spend time with you than have you go to the kitchen,¡± he replied immediately.


    ¡°In that case, we should sit down,¡± I said as I tugged on his hand and led him to the sofa.


    I had lost count of the evenings that we spent together on the sofa as we talked and exchanged our thoughts. As we sat down, Ace naturally wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him.


    ¡°You look like you have so many questions that you want to ask,¡± Ace said as he stroked the back of my head.


    ¡°You seem to know it all¡­¡± I muttered.


    ¡°You have a very curious and slightly troubled look on your face so I can tell that you have many questions that you want to ask and that you¡¯re feeling slightly worried,¡± he exined although there was really no need to.


    ¡°Alright. You got me¡­¡± I confessed since there was no point in trying to hide anything from him.


    ¡°Ask away. What is it that you want to know?¡± he asked.


    ¡°What¡¯s going to happen now? I mean, you two made that announcement and everyone is going crazy about it but what is really going to happen now?¡± I asked the topmost question in my mind.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Many things might happen or not that many things will happen. All this gossip will fade away soon enough and people will move on with their lives. There will be newer and hotter gossip to draw their attention away and soon all will be forgotten,¡± Ace said with a shrug of his shoulders.


    ¡°What about thepany?¡± I asked in a small voice.


    --To be continued¡­


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 Chapter 456 Enough Pretending

    ?


    ¡°Are you suddenly worried about your job security or something?¡± he asked teasingly before he chuckled.


    ¡°You know well enough that I don¡¯t mean it like that¡­¡± I said before rolling my eyes at him.


    Ace justughed a little at my reaction. Although I was trying to be serious, Ace had no trouble finding some way to joke about it. I did realize that a part of why he was doing that was to make sure that I didn¡¯t overly stress about things.


    ¡°Nothing major will happen. Everyone will panic to a certain degree but soon they will realize that whatever personal rtionship that I have with Elizabeth isn¡¯t going to impact their professional careers and lives at work. That¡¯s just all there is to it. The merger will go on as nned and great things will happen now that thepany is merged into a big, experienced, and well-equipped monster,¡± Ace announced quite proudly.


    ¡°I really hope that that will be the case. I think we¡¯ve all had more than enough shock this year as employees of thepany,¡± I said as I pressed a hand t against my chest before breathing out slowly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that Elizabeth has a trick or two up her sleeves to handle the sentiments of her employees and also the shareholders, so you don¡¯t have to worry about that too much,¡± Ace said reassuringly.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I murmured.


    Mentioning Elizabeth brought up a new batch of questions that I wasn¡¯t quite sure how to ask. The fact that I had no idea how I felt about the matter didn¡¯t help at all.


    ¡°What about Elizabeth and her marriage?¡± I asked without wanting to mention Kyle¡¯s name.


    I still wasn¡¯t sure which side I was on for that one. On one hand, I felt bad for Elizabeth if she had to break up with Kyle, but I didn¡¯t like Kyle enough to wish him a happy ending either. Now that the merger was well underway and Elizabeth is the new CEO, her father probably didn¡¯t have much toin about even if she did end up breaking up with Ace.


    ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s thinking much about that right now,¡± Ace replied with a thoughtful look on his face.


    ¡°What does that mean exactly?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°Exactly as it sounds. I think she¡¯s too busy and too focused on her career to think about her love life or anything else. You might think this doesn¡¯t make sense because you haven¡¯t seen much of hertely. She¡¯s like a zombie right now because of overwork andck of sleep,¡± he said before letting out a chuckle.


    ¡°You look like you¡¯re having a good time watching her suffer,¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°A little. I like seeing her try so hard. She¡¯s doing very well, though. She¡¯ll continue to do well even when I¡¯m not there,¡± Ace said while sounding a little proud.


    ¡°That¡¯s good for her and her career, I guess. I¡¯m a little worried about her rtionship¡­¡± I admitted softly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Not everyone can be sessful at everything and get everything that they wish for. Being lucky in love and in the game isn¡¯t easy, you know?¡± Ace replied lightly before letting out anotherugh.


    ¡°You¡¯re right about that¡­¡± I muttered in agreement.


    Putting Elizabeth aside, I didn¡¯t think that luck came easily to me whether it was in love or in work. Challenges seemed toe my way too easily, though. Thanks to those challenges, I¡¯ve grown so much more as a person, and I¡¯ve also grown much closer to Ace than before.


    ¡°Thest time she asked me for advice, I repeated the same advice that I¡¯ve been giving her and that is for her break it off with Kyle. She should find another husband that at least knows that he¡¯s doing and can support her, even if it¡¯s just a little. Kyle is just an ugly burden¡­¡± Ace said bluntly.


    ¡°We¡¯ll just have to wait and see what she decides¡­¡± I replied before showing him a small smile.


    ¡­


    No one got any work done the day that Elizabeth and Ace announced that they will be going their separate ways. Adding their split on top of Ace¡¯s recent retirement from his position at thepany and there was enough chaos to distract everyone from their daily activities at work. I was surprised that they didn¡¯t announce for the day to the be a holiday for the employees to curb the chaos that also went on in the office.


    Unlike the announcement regarding the merger, employees were not notified to watch the announcement announcing the split between the two of them. It did make sense considering that their personal rtionship was supposed to be nothing but personal. However, the fact that we were not informed of the announcement in advance didn¡¯t mean much because the news spread like wildfire. All it meant was that not everyone got to watch the announcement live.


    Since I knew about it in advance, I did manage to catch some parts of the announcement live on one of the channels where it was broadcasted and on some social media channels as well. For those that missed it, I knew without a doubt that they must have watched the recording of it. Just as Ace had told me, Elizabeth handled everything smoothly.


    The two acted extremely apologetic for letting their supporters down for the second time in a row. Citing their irreconcble differences and their desire to focus on their professional career before their own personal love life, they announced that they had jointly decided to go their separate ways.


    ¡°We¡¯re still good friends and will remain good friends. I wish nothing but the best for Ace for his future ventures as well. Thank you for giving us this chance to rify everything regarding this matter to everyone. We are extremely sorry for this disappointing news. Although it was difficult, we¡¯ve made up our minds to end our rtionship and pursue a rtionship based on friendship instead,¡± Elizabeth said before smiling.


    --To be continued¡­


    Please check out my new book! Substitute Wife for the Mafia King

 Chapter 457 A New Start

    <h4>Chapter 457 A New Start</h4>


    ¡°Thank you for your time. We¡¯ll try our best to answer your questions at the end,¡± Ace wrapped up quite professionally.


    The reporters bombarded them with questions, but I wasn¡¯t interested to listen anymore beyond that point. It was enough for me that the announcement had been made. Finally, their fake rtionship was over for real. Just like that, it was over as if had never happened in the first ce. I still thought that it was ridiculous that they had to announce their rtionship and also the end of it in press conferences like that but that was just how things had to be.


    I spent the rest of the day listening to the reactions of my colleagues and what they thought about Ace and Elizabeth¡¯s break up. That was when I found out for myself just how many supporters they had. The majority of the people felt disappointed about their sudden break up. Employees that were originally from Jessen¡¯s and Hill¡¯s took the change much harder than those from Chase Creatives. Naturally, that was because with their breakup, they felt like Ace didn¡¯t have a connection to thepany anymore in anyway.


    ¡°It¡¯s just so sad¡­¡±


    ¡°I agree. Also, it¡¯s so sudden.¡±


    ¡°He also just quit as the CEO and now it¡¯s like he¡¯s really gone¡­¡±


    These kinds ofments echoed all around me wherever I went in thepany on that day. The way that everyone around me seemed to miss Ace in one way or another made me start to miss him too. Even though I knew that it wouldn¡¯t feel the same without Ace working in the samepany and in the same office, I didn¡¯t think that I would feel so empty inside like this now that it really hit me that he was gone. Of course, since he was still my boyfriend, I could see him and talk to him, but it still didn¡¯t feel the same.


    Since the end of Project Alpha, I didn¡¯t have the chance to work with Ace directly except for when I yed the role of his personal secretary. Then when everything started getting busy regarding the merger, I saw less and less of him in the office. However, I still felt secure just knowing that he was still there and working in the samepany.


    The way everyoneined about theck of his presence and also influence on thepany, made me realize that things have really changed, and it was very likely that even more changes were on the way. I wasn¡¯t sure what I was feeling inside but the sense of emptiness that welled up in my chest like a void refused to go away. It felt like I was suddenly lost, and it started to scare me more than a little.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much. You might not be used to working with her as the CEO yet but let me tell you that Elizabeth is extremely good at what she does and she¡¯s very responsible and reliable,¡± an employee from Chase Creative said with a bright smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that she is¡­¡± another man replied.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re not saying that she¡¯s not a good CEO or anything like that. It¡¯s just that¡­things won¡¯t be the same¡­¡± another woman chimed in with a regretful sigh.


    I silently listened to my colleagues chatting about it without making anyments of my own. She was definitely right when she said that nothing would be the same. Nothing would be the same for me without Ace working here.


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m going to step out for a bit¡­¡± I said to quickly excuse myself.


    Suddenly, I felt like I didn¡¯t have good control over my emotions. The sudden sadness that bubbled inside of me made my chest feel tight and I could feel my tears stinging the back of my eyes. I was scared that I might start crying randomly right in front of my colleagues if I stayed any longer to listen to their sentimental talk and discussion about the current situation.


    I took out my phone but all I could do was stare at Ace¡¯s name on the screen as I hesitated to give him a call. What was I supposed to tell him even if I gave him a call? It wasn¡¯t like I could juste out and tell him that I miss him so much at work and that I was so sad and terrified and unused to the fact that he was no longer here with me.


    ¡­


    **Two monthster**


    ¡°You should have moved in way earlier¡­¡± Ace said before letting out a sigh.


    I was sure that by that point he had gotten sick and tired of my stubbornness. Despite having agreed to move in with him once before, I changed my mind after he started dating Elizabeth even if it was just for show simply because I didn¡¯t want to invite trouble. Even after they announced their breakup to the world, I was still hesitant about moving in to live with Ace at his ce.


    ¡°It could have been troubling if people found out that we started dating soon after your breakup and that I had already moved in with you,¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°You really do worry about everything,¡± heined as he shook his head from side to side.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I didn¡¯t want to deal with any more rumors¡­¡± I apologized.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s good enough for me that you¡¯ve finally moved in,¡± Ace said with a smile.


    ¡°Thanks for helping me with the move. I honestly didn¡¯t know that I had so much stuff,¡± I said as I stared at the packed boxes that now stacked up in the middle of Ace¡¯s living room.


    It did not ur to me that moving into his ce would require so much effort. Ace helped out and he even hired some movers to help us pack and move everything as well. I thought that I hadn¡¯t purchased much of anything over the years since I started working but apparently that wasn¡¯t true at all. On top of that, throwing things out turned out to be a nightmare for me because I found it so difficult to let anything go.


    --To be continued¡­


    Please check out my new book! Substitute Wife for the Mafia King

 Chapter 458 End to Peaceful Days

    <h4>Chapter 458 End to Peaceful Days</h4>


    After reaching an agreement that I should simply stop renting my ce and move in with him properly, we scheduled a weekend to make sure that the move would happen. Of course, it was Ace¡¯s idea and his persistent insistence that made it all happen.


    ¡°Should I help you unpack?¡± he offered.


    ¡°Oh, no. That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll get it sorted myself,¡± I quickly turned down his suggestion.


    ¡°If you¡¯rezy, you can take it slow. There¡¯s no need to unpack everything today. The guest bedroom is free and so are some other rooms, so you can just put your stuff there for now,¡± he pointed out.


    ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll do that,¡± I replied.


    I understood why Ace was insistent, but I still had my reserves about our rtionship. It had only been around two months since Ace and Elizabeth announced their breakup. I could already imagine what people would have to say if they found out that we were already dating and that I had already moved into Ace¡¯s ce. I didn¡¯t need to be a genius to figure out how our rtionship would be portrayed. Everyone would think that Ace cheated on Elizabeth with me. The fact that I was his personal secretary would just add spice and seasoning to the matter and bring it up to a whole new level of juiciness.


    They would all point their fingers at me and me me for stealing Ace away from Elizabeth while condemning our affair. Then there would be people who thought that the two of them made a better match. At the same time, I couldn¡¯te out and tell everyone that I had been dating Ace all along and that his rtionship with Elizabeth was just a set up for the sake of the merger. Regardless of how I looked at it or how optimistic I tried to be; I knew that I would be the one who would take the me.


    I nced over at Ace and how he was happily going about his life. That was when I knew that my decision to keep this particr worry away from him was without a doubt correct. It had been two months since he quit his job, but it didn¡¯t seem like Ace was in a hurry to start doing anything. While I went to work during the weekdays, Ace either stayed home or went out asionally to meet up with his friends. He did not get another job and it didn¡¯t seem to me like he was working on anything.


    During the weekends, we spent time together and even found time to visit my mother. Given how things were pretty rocky the first and alsost time that she saw him, she was extremely excited to see me visiting with Ace. She refused our offer to take her out for dinner and opted to cook dinner for us instead. Overall, life was peaceful and there wasn¡¯t anything that I was discontented with. However, there were times when I felt uneasy.


    I would find out in less than two weeks that our peaceful life couldn¡¯tst forever¡­


    ¡­


    There was nothing notable about that day except for the fact that it felt extra cloudy and gloomy at the same time. Just like any other weekday, I headed to work where I focused on meeting the expectations of not just my client but also my new team manager. I remember someone telling me that the memories that you try hardest to forget are actually the ones that will continue to haunt you. I wasn¡¯t sure if I agreed with what that person said until I had to find out for myself.


    After returning from having lunch outside, I couldn¡¯t help but notice the strange stares and attention that people were sending my way. Everyone that I walked past would stop whatever they were doing to look at me before whispering to whoever was standing beside them. If I hadn¡¯t gone through something simr before, I would have thought that I was just merely imagining things. However, I knew better than to be optimistic like that. A strong sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu took over me and I quickly realized that whenever something like this happened, there was nothing but bad news waiting for me.


    While trying my best to ignore the stares that people were directing at me, I quickly made my way toward the elevator. I soon arrived at my project room where my manager was waiting for me with a very worried look on her face. The look on her face told me all that I needed to know and acted as a solid confirmation that something was indeed wrong.


    ¡°Is there something that you need to talk to me about or tell me?¡± I asked without beating around the bush.


    I wasn¡¯t lying to myself when I thought that I had gotten quite used to this. Although I didn¡¯t think that it was going to be possible at first, I had to admit that once again Ace was right. My skin truly got thicker, and I had developed a better sense of noticing when something had gone off course. It was strange to see the conflicted look on my manager¡¯s face as she seemed to debate with herself on how to approach the issue with me.


    ¡°There¡¯s a small meeting room over there so maybe it¡¯s best that we talk in there,¡± I suggested after deciding to take the lead and help her out a little.


    ¡°Sure, that would work,¡± she replied before leading the way there.


    I closed the door to the small meeting room behind me and locked it to ensure that we had the privacy that we needed to discuss whatever we needed to talk about. I sat down at the table as I watched my manager letting out a loud sigh.


    ¡°Is something the matter?¡± I asked softly.


    At that point, I wasn¡¯t sure what had happened even though I knew that it must have been very troubling. There was a brief moment when I did consider that something may have blown up at work or within the project that I was involved with; however, my gut feeling told me that whatever had gone wrong wasn¡¯t exactly work-rted.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 459 Secret and Truth

    <h4>Chapter 459 Secret and Truth</h4>


    If I had to take a guess, it must have been something rted to my personal life, such as my rtionship with Ace¡­


    ¡°I know that this isn¡¯t technically your fault, but I thought that you should know about this before it leaks out from the walls of thispany if it hasn¡¯t already¡­¡± she said before closing her eyes and letting out another long sigh.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked as I told myself in my mind not to panic.


    ¡°I heard that something simr happened before but there are rumors going around thepany that you are dating Ace Hills,¡± she said as she stared directly at me.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± I murmured without knowing what else I was supposed to say.


    If Ace was still working at thepany as my boss, then it would have been obvious enough to me that we had to keep our secret rtionship hidden away from everyone. However, now that he was no longer my boss and also no longer working at thepany, it wasn¡¯t like I would be breaking the rule that forbids employees from dating each other.


    ¡°Since Mr. Hills is on longer working here, I guess you won¡¯t be viting any rules but¡­people will still talk¡­¡± she said with a shrug of her shoulders.


    She stared at me again and I could almost hear the unasked question in her mind that seemed to reflect in her eyes. It made sense that just like everyone else, she also wanted to know if I was really dating Ace.


    ¡°Is that all?¡± I asked before showing her a bright smile.


    For a moment, she seemed taken aback by myck of reaction toward what she had just told me. I would have panicked quite a lot had this been the first time that something like this had happened. Since I¡¯ve been visiting and staying over at Ace¡¯s ce quite a lot ever since his retirement from thepany, it felt like I was just waiting for this day toe. It wasn¡¯t like we could be careful and hide the truth from everyone forever. In the back of my mind, I knew that well enough.


    However, just as I had told Ace that it might be too soon for everyone to know about our rtionship since it hadn¡¯t been long since he announced his split from Elizabeth. The cold stares and using looks that everyone directed at me as I walked past them only brought back painful memories.


    ¡°Umm¡­yes...¡± my manager replied hesitantly.


    ¡°Thank you for letting me know. Rumors like these start all the time and they¡¯ll be gone in no time at all,¡± I said before letting out a lightugh.


    ¡°Right¡­I see¡­¡± she said.


    I quickly stood up from my seat because clearly there wasn¡¯t anything else that we needed to discuss. Leaving right away was clearly the right thing to do because I wasn¡¯t sure what I should tell her if she asked me to confirm whether or not the rumors were true. As fast as I could without making things awkward, I left the room and headed back to my table. After turning on myptop, I pretended to be so busy with work that no one would talk to me or ask me any questions about what was going on.


    The truth was my mind was too busy thinking about what the manager had said. She did mention that the news had not yet leaked out from thepany, so that probably meant that the rumors somehow started within the walls of thepany and that no one outside was aware of it yet. I bit hard on my lower lip as I debated with myself whether or not I should give him a call to tell him about this. If the rumors had not yet spread out of thepany, then maybe there was something that Ace could do to stop it from spreading.


    I kept ncing at the door as I half expected someone from HR to waltz in to escort me to the disciplinarymittee. Regardless of whether or not the rumors were true, it surely was causing a lot of ruckuses in thepany, and it was distracting people from their work. For that, I knew that it was partly my fault. I prayed that no one woulde for me because I wasn¡¯t sure if I was fine with revealing our rtionship to everyone without consulting Ace first about what he wanted.


    The feeling that I felt was surely very different from the very first time that rumors went around that Ace and I were dating. I wasn¡¯t scared of being caught and I didn¡¯t fear losing my job. However, that didn¡¯t mean that I waspletely indifferent or unaffected. This time around, I worried more about our future and what people would think when they finally learn that we were really dating.


    Do we even tell them that we¡¯ve been dating all along? Would that even make sense?


    Just thinking about how to get our story straight already started giving me a headache. Having a rtionship that was somehow built on lies wasn¡¯t easy or fun at all. Before I knew it, I was clenching my phone tightly in my hand as I tried to suck in deep breaths. I couldn¡¯t concentrate at all at work, and I could feel people in my team stealing peeks at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m going out for some coffee¡­¡± I announced because I was sure that they were interested in knowing.


    I was out of the door and walking along the hallway before anyone could say anything. During the ride down in the elevator, I realized that stepping out now could be an error in judgement. I had no idea how far the rumors had spread. After stepping out of the elevator, I walked deeper into the building instead of walking out as I started looking up news rted to Ace and me.


    ¡°Nothing¡­¡± I whispered before letting out a breath of relief.


    Right at the moment, my phone began vibrating in my hand.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 460 Fuel to the Fire

    <h4>Chapter 460 Fuel to the Fire</h4>


    The call was from Ace and the moment that I saw his name on the screen of my phone, I knew that he had somehow found out about the rumors that had been going around. Although he was no longer in thepany, I guessed it wasn¡¯t surprising that he could still find out what was going on.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I said as I answered the phone.


    ¡°You don¡¯t sound so panicked,¡± Ace stared off byplimenting me.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the first time but¡­how I wish it could be thest¡­¡± I replied before smiling weakly although I knew that he couldn¡¯t see my face.


    ¡°I¡¯m actually very impressed. You¡¯re getting the hang of dealing with these things,¡± Ace said, and he did sound impressed.


    ¡°Thank you, I guess¡­¡± I replied before suppressing a sigh.


    ¡°Don¡¯t sound so down. Hang in there and keep your chin up. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong and none of this is your fault,¡± Ace reminded me reassuringly.


    I wished that I could see what kind of face he was making at that moment. Just the sound of his tender voice and the strength and care behind his words made my heart clench in my chest with intense emotions. Times were tough and they made have gotten much more challenging since I started dating Ace, but I had to admit that there wasn¡¯t a time when Ace wasn¡¯t there to support me through it all.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± I replied.


    ¡°I know this might be hard to swallow but it would be great if you could try to work as normal for the day. Don¡¯t let something like this impact your work and your life. That¡¯s the only way you¡¯re going to persevere and win, Rina,¡± Ace advised quite sternly.


    I could tell where he wasing from. If I kept letting these rumors mess up with my work and my life, then I wouldn¡¯t be getting anywhere. That being said, it wasn¡¯t so easy to focus on work and simply pretend that nothing was going on. Even if I could control myself, there was no way that I could possibly control the reactions of the people around me. In truth, I was distracted by them even if I didn¡¯t want to be.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to remain professional,¡± I promised.


    ¡°Let me teach you that there¡¯s a right time for everything,¡± Ace said with a hint of excitement in his voice.


    ¡°What does that even mean?¡± I asked as I started to get a pretty bad feeling.


    ¡°I¡¯lle and pick you up from work. What time do you get off?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Umm¡­¡± I murmured as I tried to figure out what he had in mind.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be nice and pick you up right at the end of the working day. How¡¯s that? All you have to do is hang on until then,¡± Ace suggested.


    ¡°Umm¡­why? Wait¡­Ace? Ace¡­¡± I called his name, but it was already toote.


    Ace had already hung up after telling me that he would pick me up at the end of the working day. I cocked my head slightly to the side as I wondered why he sounded so excited all of a sudden. A gasp escaped between my lips when I realized all toote that this might not be the best time for Ace to just randomly turn up at the office to pick me up.


    ¡°How can I forget something so important?¡± I asked myself before letting out a loud sigh.


    Ace¡¯s call surprised me, and I found myself so absorbed in hisforting words that I had forgotten the most important question that I wanted to ask him. Now I didn¡¯t know how Ace nned to deal with this mess or how I should act apart from the fact that I should go about my work as per normal. Suddenly, it felt like I was truly in need of some strong coffee.


    I wondered if Ace ever considered that if he turned up to pick me up at the office, it would be like pouring fuel on a fire that was already burning so brightly. The old me would have tried my desperate best to stop him but the new me was surprisingly different. It didn¡¯t mean that I didn¡¯t worry, because I did. However, I felt like I was worrying less than before and there was a sense of curiosity that also looked forward to seeing how things would y out. If Ace wanted to, then I didn¡¯t quite see what was wrong with my boyfriend picking me up at work.


    Ace was right. I needed to stop worrying too much and I had to live my life like I wasn¡¯t in the wrong because I really wasn¡¯t in the wrong.


    ¡­


    ¡°In you go¡­¡± I mumbled to myself as I packed my stuff into my handbag.


    I was aware that time was ticking by and in a few minutes, the end of the working day would finally arrive. It was a challenge keeping the promise that I made with Ace to focus on my work like normal. My colleagues were definitely not focused and that ended up hampering my progress at work. Surprisingly, I felt less and less bothered by their inquisitive stares and incoherent whispers.


    I headed for the door without saying any words of farewell to anyone in the project team room. If Ace said that he would pick me up when work ended, then I had no reason to believe that he would bete. I could already picture Ace waiting for me in his car in front of the building. Undoubtedly, his presence would draw everyone¡¯s attention. There wasn¡¯t a soul in this building who wouldn¡¯t recognize Ace.


    When the elevator doors slid open and I was in the lobby of the office building, my eyes immediately darted in the direction of the front entrance. Although I could not see him yet, something told me that Ace was already there waiting for me. My heart beat a little faster in my chest as the speed of my steps sped up as well.


    I want to see Ace¡­


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 461 Right Time for Everything

    <h4>Chapter 461 Right Time for Everything</h4>


    ¡°Mr. Hills is here¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°I think so. I think I saw him right there in front of the building,¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s back? Why?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure that it¡¯s him?¡±


    ¡°How can I possibly get it wrong? It¡¯s definitely Ace Hills¡­¡±


    The random phrases that floated in the air as I made my way toward the front entrance of the building confirmed that I was right about Ace¡¯s arrival. He definitely chose toe at the worst of times. The end of the workday meant that the lobby was crowded and so was the front of the building with people exiting the building on their way to return home from work.


    I squeezed through the crowd of people while feeling slightly frustrated that I couldn¡¯t get to Ace any faster. When I saw the exit in sight, I spotted a very bright red sports car that immediately captured my attention. I knew without any signs of doubt that it was Ace¡¯s car. It wasn¡¯t a car that I had seen before, and it was definitely much shier than the other cars that I¡¯ve seen him use tomute to and from work.


    ¡°I guess he¡¯s really not here for work¡­¡± I muttered to myself.


    By the time that I managed to exit the building, a reasonablyrge crowd had already gathered in front of the building as everyone stood to watch Ace. Ace smiled and his eyes lit up the moment that he saw me. The way he leaned casually against his sports car made it seem like he was here for a holiday. Unlike his usual business suit, Ace was dressed casually in a white shirt and a pair of simple blue jeans. His casual and effortless way of dressing did not dampen his attractiveness.


    ¡°Rina!¡± he called out to me with a bright smile on his face.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I murmured while feeling extremely aware that everyone¡¯s attention had shifted to me.


    I approached him while feeling quite mindful of the stares that seemed to pierce through my body. It felt strange for people to be watching us like this and I started to feel slightly anxious. Ace continued smiling at me before he turned and opened the door of his car.


    ¡°This is for you,¡± he dered as he shoved arge bouquet of bright red roses my way.


    The bouquet was sorge that I wondered for a moment how it could have fit in the car and how I hadn¡¯t noticed it right away. I could hear the murmurs and gasped of shock that erupted from the crowd that surrounded us. My body seemed to have frozen on the spot as my eyes widened in shock as well. I was probably as surprised as the other people were that Ace was suddenly offering me flowers. I would say that Ace is a pretty romantic guy; however, I wondered if he realized that what he was doing was going to bring us a lot of trouble.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I hissed as I red at him.


    ¡°Giving my girlfriend flowers because she seemed to have had a tough day at work. Don¡¯t you like it?¡± Ace replied before smiling innocently at me.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point. Why are you doing this?¡± I asked as I began looking around anxiously.


    It was already toote to erase what had happened from everyone¡¯s memories because they had already seen it. To make matters worse, many people in the crowd held up their phones and I knew without a doubt that they were snapping photos of what was going on or taking videos of us.


    ¡°Why not?¡± he replied with an innocent-sounding question.


    I couldn¡¯t believe that Ace was doing this without knowing where this would lead us. Everything that he was doing was going to invite trouble and I bet that he knew that well enough. That was why I was so confused as to why he was doing something like this.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just go¡­¡± I said as I took the overlyrge bouquet of flowers from his hands.


    ¡°Where do you want to go out for dinner?¡± he asked with a smile.


    ¡°Anywhere is fine. Let¡¯s get out of here. We¡¯re attracting so much attention,¡± I hissed at him before ring at him usingly.


    Despite how worried I was, Ace just chuckled carefreely despite the dire situation that we were in. Ace opened the door for me and bowed jokingly as he gestured for me to get into the car. I rolled my eyes at him but didn¡¯t want to say anything more because it would just dy our departure and I couldn¡¯t wait to get out of there so that I could get away from all the prying eyes that were staring our way.


    I was so relieved when we got into the car and Ace began driving. A loud sigh escaped my lips and I just wanted to hide away from the world. Although I knew that what Ace just did wasn¡¯t technically wrong, it still felt extremely embarrassing. I never imagined that such a romantic scene like that would ur to me in public with so many spectators watching on. I didn¡¯t even dare look back at the crowd that had gathered in front of the office building.


    ¡°Why did you have to do something like that?¡± I asked before heaving another sigh.


    ¡°Something like what?¡± Ace replied to me with a question of his own.


    ¡°You already know what I¡¯m talking about. What is up with this super big bouquet?¡± I asked as I stared down at the countless roses that now rested on myp.


    ¡°I told you already that there¡¯s a right time for everything,¡± Ace said while keeping his eyes on the road.


    Thankfully the traffic wasn¡¯t too bad and that meant that we could get far away from the office in no time at all. I wondered how long it would take for all those photos that people took of us to appear on social media and create a buzz.


    --To be continued¡­


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    Thank you!

 Chapter 462 Deciding for Us

    Chapter 462 Deciding for Us


    On top of the rumors that were already going around, Ace had to go and do something like that right in front of everyone at thepany. I wondered if any of my colleagues whom I was close with had seen that but then I couldn¡¯t bear to think about it anymore. My head throbbed and I still found it hard to believe that Ace would do something so outstandingly ridiculous.


    ¡°Right time for what? For you to show up with a little too many red roses?¡± I asked sarcastically.


    ¡°Now is the right time to tell the world about our rtionship. Let¡¯s juste out and let everyone know that we¡¯re dating,¡± Ace replied like it was the most obvious thing that we should do.


    ¡°Are¡­Are you sure?¡± I asked as my heart thudded hard in my chest.


    ¡°Of course. What are we waiting for? Do you have any objections?¡± he asked as he turned to face me.


    I could see his hazel brown eyes sparkling and I could tell that he was excited. My heart was racing hard, but it wasn¡¯t just from the excitement. I felt nervous, anxious, scared, but also extremely excited. Maybe Ace was right that this was the right time toe clean about our rtionship and tell everyone about it. The duration of our secret rtionship wasing to an end. I¡¯d been waiting for this moment to arrive for a long time now and we¡¯ve been through many things to meet the condition that Ace¡¯s father had set. I thought that it might be fine for us to reveal our secret now.


    ¡°You should have asked me this before going ahead and doing something like that,¡± I mumbled as I tried my best not to smile.


    ¡°I thought that you might hesitate, so I decided to make the decision for us,¡± Ace replied before grinning at me.


    I could tell that his mind was really made up this time around and that there was nothing that could stop him. Even if I wanted to turn things around, I doubted that that was even an option anymore at that point after what he had done and what everyone had seen already. Everyone would probably think that this is the start of our scandalous rtionship with no one knowing that we¡¯ve been together for quite some time. As far as I was aware, only the chairman, Elizabeth, Kyle, my mother, and Jeremy knew about us.


    ¡°Aha¡­¡± I murmured.


    ¡°Any moreints?¡± he asked before smiling brightly at me.


    ¡°Well, not really¡­¡± I admitted softly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t start worrying about everything, Rina. You¡¯ll age fast if you keep worrying about everything,¡± Ace warned jokingly.


    The car came to a stop at a red light and Ace used that opportunity to run to face me before his hand approached my forehead. My body stiffened a little when his fingertips stroked the soft skin between my brow to smooth out the frown that I had on my face.


    ¡°Stop frowning. I want to see you smiling more and just being happy about everything,¡± Ace instructed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try¡­¡± I replied before smiling a little at him.


    ¡­


    ¡°This ce is still as pretty as I remember it if not prettier,¡± I said as I gazed out at the view of the sea.


    The breeze blowing my hair back from my shoulders felt pleasant andforting against my skin. I could smell the sea with its unique slightly salty smell. The weather was perfect for a day out on the beach. The sand beneath my butt where I was sitting felt weing. Ace¡¯s slightughter as he wrapped an arm loosely around my shoulder before pulling me closer to his side felt heavenly.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to be back. I wish that we could have done this sooner,¡± Ace said as he ced hisrge hand on my head and began patting my hair slowly and gently.


    The sound of the waves felt so calming but at times it reminded me of the chaos that was going on in our lives at that moment. Just as we had both anticipated, the public went crazy about the sudden reveal of our rtionship. Photos of Ace turning up at the office to offer me a very eye-catching bouquet of roses went viral and racked up endlessments and attention. Although he advised me to stop paying the news and gossip any attention, my nerve wasn¡¯t made of steel like his was.


    I was undeniably curious although I was slightly scared at the same time. My curiosity had no problem winning the battle raging in my mind and I ended up reading through a couple and then a bunch of online articles and even morements that people posted about us. Reading through them just confirmed my fears from before. Although it felt very unfair, I knew that there wasn¡¯t much that I could do to convince people that I wasn¡¯t in the wrong.


    Putting it simply, a lot of hate and me was directed at me while Ace¡¯s sentence seemed much lighter. I could understand why they thought the things that they did. Ace had just broken up with Elizabeth and their dream of getting the perfect couple that they had always dreamt of was destroyed for the second time. Not long after, they found out that Ace was suddenly in a rtionship with the woman who used to work as his personal secretary. No matter how an outside would look at it, it just looks like an illicit affair had destroyed a great rtionship.


    ¡°I¡¯m d that we¡¯re back here no matter the reason,¡± I replied softly before taking a deep breath to calm my nerves.


    I never thought that escaping from the pestering attention from the public would give us the perfect reason and excuse to return to this private holiday destination. Regardless of the reason, I felt thankful that I got to spend a perfect holiday getaway with Ace by my side. It had been too long since we were able to enjoy each other¡¯spany peacefully like this.


    ¡°Let¡¯s rest and just forget everything,¡± Ace advised.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 463 Sweet Plan for Our Future

    Chapter 463 Sweet n for Our Future


    The way his hand was stroking my hair softly made me feel slightly sleepy. It felt like I was ready to doze off to sleep at any moment. It was great that we could enjoy the peace, but I wasn¡¯t foolish enough to believe that it couldst forever. First of all, my leave days were limited, and I couldn¡¯t be on holiday with Ace indefinitely. I also wanted to return to my job because there was still a part of me that wanted to make great progression in my career. All of that meant that sooner orter, we would have to go back to our regr life and face the reality of everything that was waiting for us.


    ¡°I wonder how we¡¯re going to deal with the mess when we get back,¡± I murmured sleepily.


    ¡°How do you want to deal with it?¡± Ace asked as he kept on stroking my hair.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± I replied honestly.


    It wasn¡¯t like I haven¡¯t been thinking about it and considering various options. However, I wasn¡¯t sure how best to handle the situation. It was hard enough for me to ignore all the mean and hurtful things that everyone had to say about me. Being much poorer than Ace didn¡¯t help with my situation at all. Being called a gold digger and someone eager to trade their body just to marry up wasn¡¯t fun at all.


    ¡°I have a few ideas,¡± Ace said before smiling my way.


    ¡°Pray tell me,¡± I replied immediately.


    ¡°I suggest that we wait for things to die down a bit and then we announce our rtionship with the stamp of approval from my father. There will be another wave of unrest but if my father could chime in that he approves, it might be viewed as good news. Regardless, we¡¯ll make our rtionship official and move on from there,¡± Ace exined.


    ¡°We need to announce it when everyone already knows?¡± I asked as I started to panic.


    ¡°Of course. Announcing it makes it more official and it also makes it look like we are very serious about our rtionship, which is true anyways. That way, they will gossip less about it, and it will pass faster,¡± Ace said with evident confidence.


    I can still remember all the times that he made announcements about this rtionship with Elizabeth. I never thought that there woulde a day when I would have to sit next to Ace at the table in front of the press conference as we announce our rtionship and answer any questions that members of the press may have for us.


    ¡°It sounds so unnatural¡­¡± I murmured inint.


    ¡°Because it isn¡¯t natural. You¡¯ll get used to it. I actually like the idea of making our rtionship official,¡± Ace said with a smile on his face.


    ¡°Why is that?¡± I asked before I could stop myself.


    ¡°If we announce it then everyone will know that you¡¯re mine,¡± Ace replied before grinning at me.


    The way he looked at me told me that he was serious although I initially believed that he must be teasing me as always. My heart skipped a dangerous beat when I saw the sincerity in his eyes.


    ¡°Stop teasing me¡­¡± I muttered as I turned away to hide my embarrassment.


    ¡°That aside, putting spections to rest will help people move on. The more we leave room for them to specte, the more they can dream up crazy theories that are so far from the truth. It¡¯s better to tell it to them straight and they can either like it or hate it, but in the end, they will get over it and move on,¡± he exined.


    ¡°I see. I hope everyone at work isn¡¯t too shocked and that they can move on too¡­¡± I said wistfully.


    ¡°Of course, they will. They have a job to do and a livelihood to make. They can¡¯t spend their entire day just thinking about your love life,¡± Ace said before chuckling.


    I hoped that he was right and that I was just overthinking things. Nothing would be better than to have everyone simply move on with their lives so that unnecessary attention would be directed at me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not think about this anymore. We¡¯re supposed to be on holiday and my leave days are definitely precious,¡± I reminded Ace and myself at the same time.


    ¡°You¡¯re right about that. You know, if you quit your job, you can have unlimited leave days and holidays,¡± Ace said before winking at me.


    He probably had no idea how tempting that idea was to me; however, I thought that my career was far from over. Unlike Ace who seemed to have done everything already, I still had so much that I wanted to do, learn, and experience.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to quit my job. You have no idea how hard I worked to get this job in the first ce,¡± I said before pouting at him.


    ¡°Actually, I might have a pretty good idea¡­¡± Ace replied before he suddenly stood up.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Come. The sea is waiting for us,¡± Ace said invitingly as he took my hand and pulled me up onto my feet.


    Iughed along with him as my entire body felt so light that I thought that I might be able to float a little in the air. Ace took me by the hand, and we ran together toward the sea where the waves were waiting to greet us. It felt like a rey of our date here earlier where he yed in the water together like we were children. Ace hugged me before lifting me up while I giggled like a little girl.


    ¡°I love you,¡± he said before he ced his lips on mine.


    I closed my eyes and surrendered myself to his kiss before I began kissing him back just as passionately. I hugged him back as his tongue delved into the depth of my mouth and met mine. Kissing Ace felt so heavenly, and I couldn¡¯t wait to enjoy all the private time that we had together. Our kiss quickly deepened as our tongues danced naturally against each other.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 464 Same Yet Different

    Chapter 464 Same Yet Different


    My entire body felt light and free at the end of the day as we sat close to each other where we could get a good view of the sunset. I was still finding it hard to believe that we were finally back here for another holiday of sorts. So far, our stay had been nothing short of amazing and the staff surely made sure that we had the privacy that we both needed.


    ¡°The sun is about to set¡­¡± Ace said softly to me.


    ¡°Yeah¡­it¡¯s so beautiful¡­and it feels so peaceful¡­¡± I murmured in reply as I kept my eyes on the horizon.


    Ace took my hand into his and held it loosely while I naturally leaned my head on his shoulder. We didn¡¯t say anything more because it felt like nothing needed to be said. All we needed to do was rx and enjoy the breathtaking view that nature had to offer. The sun had dyed the sky a beautiful mix of orange and pink pastel hues.


    The wind blowing my hair back over my shoulders felt rxing and the thought of dinner waiting for us added to the bliss that I was currently feeling. As I watched the sun slowly dip below the horizon, I was immediately reminded of the promise that we made to watch the sunset together again. Back then I had thought that we would get ample opportunities to enjoy such a view together from various ces. I had to admit that I was probably too optimistic given how busy I knew Ace was.


    Surprisingly, it felt even more special that we had returned here. Thest time our trip ended so abruptly so I was determined to somehow get it right this time around. Ace stroked my hair gently as the sky began turning dark. Thest rays of the sun were disappearing along with it, and I knew that soon enough the sky would turn dark and the stars woulde out to shine.


    ¡°It¡¯s getting dark. We should head back inside,¡± Ace suggested.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Are you hungry?¡± I asked with a bright smile.


    ¡°A little,¡± he replied.


    Ace was the one who got up first before extending a hand my way to help me up. I hadn¡¯t realized that I was feeling quite hungry until I saw the feast that the staff had prepared for us. It would have been nice to have something simple and light for dinner but the way that my stomach growled when Iid eyes on the food told me that I needed to eat my fill.


    ¡°This really feels like d¨¦j¨¤ vu¡­¡± I murmured as I recalled the dinner, we had here thest time.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that we¡¯re taking a holiday at the same ce. I promise to take you somewhere new next time,¡± Ace said apologetically.


    ¡°Not at all! I think this is perfect, actually. I love it here and I love the fact that we¡¯re back¡­¡± I quickly corrected him.


    I was also grateful that I was able toe back here with Ace. The fact that we were still together also felt kind of unbelievable as well. Although we were back at the same ce, our situation had changed more than quite a bit. At least, I was no longer worried about whatever secret rtionship Ace may have with Elizabeth.


    ¡°If you say so. We should go somewhere else next time we get time off for a holiday. Actually, I¡¯m very free because I¡¯m basically jobless¡­¡± he said before grinning my way.


    ¡°I guess enjoying some downtime isn¡¯t a bad thing. There¡¯s no rush for you to jump into starting anything new,¡± I said reassuringly.


    I honestly wondered how long Ace could stay still without doing any work. Although he may not like to admit it, I could tell that Ace was quite a workaholic. He is also very passionate about his work and his career and that was something that I truly admired in him from the very beginning. I was surprised that Ace was still spending his days idly; however, I also thought that it was good enough that he was enjoying himself.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t work too hard, Rina,¡± Ace advised.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m doing fine. I just hope that I can return to work normally soon,¡± I replied before letting out a soft sigh.


    ¡°Things will settle down soon. You¡¯ll see,¡± Ace replied confidently.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope so¡­¡± I said as I tried to put an end to this conversation before it would ruin both the mood and the taste of good food.


    ¡°This is really delicious. It must be the good weather, the view, and also because you¡¯re here with me,¡± Ace said sweetly before winking at me yfully.


    He must have realized that I didn¡¯t want to talk about work or our worries right at that moment. I was d that he picked up on it and had steered our conversation in another direction and saved me the trouble.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. My food tastes amazing too and it¡¯s probably because you¡¯re here with me,¡± I replied flirtatiously.


    Despite our efforts to sound romantic, we ended upughing quite loudly at all the cheesy things that we had said. The mood immediately lightened, and we shared small talk until we were satisfied with dinner.


    ¡°Do you remember what came after dinner thest time we were here?¡± he asked as he reached across the table to cover my hand with his.


    The way he began stroking my knuckles softly as he stared deeply into my eyes made my heart beat faster in my chest. Of course, I remembered very well what happened after dinner and that also meant that I understood what Ace had in mind.


    ¡°Shall we?¡± he asked with a very charming smile.


    I was too embarrassed to reply to him with words so all I could do was nod my head firmly once to let him know that I was willing to go along with what he had in mind. Our short journey back to our bedroom felt like a blur.


    --To be continued¡­


    Comment

 Chapter 465 Never Too Late

    Chapter 465 Never Too Late


    After entering our room, Ace immediately pulled me into his embrace and the next thing I knew, his lips were already on mine. His kiss was already demanding and aggressive right from the start. I found myself moaning softly into our kiss as he thrusted his tongue firmly between my lips and into the wet depths of my mouth. It felt all too easy to surrender myself to him. Something like this happened thest time that we were here, and I could tell what he had in mind for our evening together.


    The way his tongue skillfully seduced and teased mine made my core throb with desire as he melted my resistance into thin air. I kissed him back hungrily to express my love and my need for him. His kisses felt so intoxicating as he wrapped his arm around my body and held me close. It felt all too easy for me to lose myself and forget everything when he was kissing me this way.


    ¡°Wait a second¡­¡± I managed to say as I ced a hand on Ace¡¯s chest to lightly push him away from me.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Ace asked as he loosened his arm from around my body a little.


    The worried look that he had on his face made me feel immediately guilty. I wished that I could tell him that I didn¡¯t want him to stop kissing me either; however, if I let things continue the way they were then I would end up having sex with him before I got to say and do what I wanted to. When Ace mentioned about thest time that we had dinner and what we did after that, I was reminded of not just the passionate night that we shared but also the present that he had given me.


    Instinctively, my hand reached up to clutch at the pendant that I was wearing around my neck. Memories of that time when Ace gave me this ne still felt so fresh in my mind. I wanted to return the favor, but I kept on missing my chance. Over and over again, something always got in the way, and I couldn¡¯t quite find the right time to give him the present that I had prepared. As time slipped by, it felt increasingly difficult to bring this topic up with him. The fact that it was way past his birthday also did not help at all.


    ¡°Please wait a moment,¡± I said as I slipped out of his embrace.


    I could feel Ace watching me as I turned away from him. While hoping that he wouldn¡¯t take this sudden pause in action in the wrong way, I quickly reached for my bag. Since getting the present for him, I had been somehow carrying it in my handbag while waiting for the perfect chance to give it to him. Somewhere along the lines, I got so busy that it did slip my mind asionally. On top of that, I never thought that we would return here and that such a perfect opportunity would present itself like this. There was no way that I would miss this chance that seemed to be made in heaven.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that this is so dyed. I got this for your birthday present but with everything that happened on that day and after as well, I just missed the opportunity to give it to you¡­¡± I confessed as I felt my hand shaking.


    Ace looked at me with a clear look of surprise mixed with confusion on his face. I couldn¡¯t me him for his confusion because I was suddenly offering him his birthday gift out of nowhere. It must have felt very random and out of ce to him. Just when I was starting to regret my action, Ace smiled at me before closing the distance between us.


    ¡°Is this for me?¡± he asked with a smile.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sorry that it¡¯s sote. Happy birthday, Ace. This isn¡¯t anything amazing but¡­¡± I said hesitantly.


    ¡°You got this for me? Thank you so much, Rina¡­¡± Ace said as he took the small box from my hand and opened it.


    I watched as Ace¡¯s eyes seem to brighten when he saw the present that was in the box. I could still remember all the frustrations that I went through when I tried my best to pick out a present for him. That day that I went shopping for his birthday present was surprisingly fresh in my mind. It took a lot of time, effort, and support from the sales assistant for me to make up my mind and pucker up the courage to buy this present for him. The way Ace admired the present that I got for him just made me feel like all my effort was definitely worth it.


    ¡°I know that it¡¯s not much, but I hope that you like it,¡± I said with a timid smile.


    ¡°I love it. Is this supposed to match the ne that I gave you?¡± he guessed quite correctly.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± I replied simply.


    ¡°Thank you, Rina,¡± he thanked me again.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the dy on this¡­¡± I mumbled regretfully.


    ¡°What are you talking about? All this dy is probably because of me and no one else,¡± he replied before smiling at me.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault,¡± I quickly corrected him.


    After staring at each other for a few seconds, we both startedughing. Now that I thought about it, what happened to us was probably no one¡¯s fault. If anyone or anything was to me, it would probably be our fate. However, without fate at y, I doubted that I would have met Ace or that we would have started the rtionship that we started. Looking back on it, I realized that I wouldn¡¯t have had it in any other way.


    This time when Ace pulled me into his embrace, I didn¡¯t hesitate to hug him back tightly. After embracing each other for a while, Ace put just enough distance between us so that he could capture my lips with his again.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 466 Declaring Our Relationship

    <h4>Chapter 466 Dering Our Rtionship</h4>


    I parted my lips invitingly and Ace took the initiative to thrust his tongue into my mouth. His tongue stroked mine as I made small whimpering sounds of pleasure in my throat. His kisses felt so deliciously pleasurable that I didn¡¯t want him to stop kissing me.


    Hisrge manly hands began caressing my back before dipping down to my waist and then even lower to cup the sides of my hips. Everything felt so perfect and naturally smooth as his lips trailed soft tender kisses down the side of my neck. I moaned his name as I let myself surrender to the sweet pleasure of his seduction. Ace buried his face in between my breasts before kissing me there while I ran my fingers through his soft hair.


    The escape that we nned was truly worth it because I was certain that we both ended up forgetting about all the troubles that were waiting for us in the real world.


    ¡­


    **The day of the announcement**


    My first reaction was to run away from the press conference that had been nned. Although I knew that it was probably impossible for me not to turn up, I still expended quite a reasonable amount of time and effort in negotiating with Ace.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just do it by yourself?¡± I pleaded with him.


    ¡°You¡¯re actually going to leave me and let me handle it all by myself?¡± Ace asked as he acted overly shocked.


    ¡°You¡¯re basically a pro at this. You¡¯ve done this countless times before...¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that it¡¯ll be weird for me to say that we¡¯re dating all by myself without you there to actually confirm it? I¡¯ll look like a fool¡­¡± he pointed out beforeughing at the idea.


    I truly understood what he meant, and I knew very well that logically I should be there sitting right next to him when we confirm to everyone that we are indeed in a rtionship. Even knowing all of that, it was still hard for me to ept that the day that I dreaded had arrived. To make matters worse, Ace¡¯s father was actually in support for us to set the record straight.


    Since Ace had met all conditions of the deal, there wasn¡¯t much that the Chairman could say against our rtionship. That being said, I didn¡¯t think that he would be so epting now that the merger was well under way. Sometimes it made me think that he might have had this nned at the back of his mind all along. I could imagine him using this as a way to manipte Ace into doing what he wanted. It was clear that he still preferred to have his own son sitting as the CEO of the newly formedpany, but he also seemed satisfied enough with the business results.


    The oue of my argument with Ace was obvious enough and that meant that I couldn¡¯t find a way out of the press conference. Since there was no other option, all I could do was to prepare myself for it in every way possible.


    ¡°I just have a bad feeling that I¡¯m just going to end up embarrassing myself¡­¡± I confessed to Ace.


    ¡°No, you won¡¯t and even if you do, it doesn¡¯t matter,¡± he said in his attempt tofort me.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if his words worked to make me feel better but by then I had decided to get all the help that I could. Both Ace and Elizabeth were great at dealing with something like this so I thought that they could both help to coach me.


    ¡°Maybe I can just sit there and smile and just follow your lead¡­.¡± I suggested softly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that you can do better than that,¡± Ace replied before grinning my way.


    After going through the sequence time and time again with Ace and the organizer team, I thought that I had everything down. I was foolish enough to believe that I was ready for this. However, when I saw all the people seated in the venue with their eyes focused on the stage where Ace and I were supposed to make our appearance, I just wanted to bolt and run away.


    ¡°Calm down. Take a deep breath and imagine that they are sunflowers in a field¡­¡± Ace whispered close to my ear.


    ¡°That¡¯s not funny¡­¡± I muttered in reply.


    I felt a slight pressure on my wrist and realized that he was holding on to it to prevent my escape. Ace smiled teasingly at me before he began patting my back.


    ¡°There. There¡­¡± he coaxed softly to me as if I was a baby.


    ¡°Do I really need to do this?¡± I asked while praying that there might be some kind of miracle that could save me.


    ¡°You do. Let¡¯s go,¡± Ace said firmly.


    It felt like I was just drifting along as Ace led me up onto the stage where seats were prepared for us behind a long table. I could feel everyone¡¯s eyes on me, and I couldn¡¯t stop thinking of what people were thinking of me. My entire face felt numb, and my legs felt weak. That was why I was so thankful to finally sit on the chair. I didn¡¯t dare look up at the crowd of reporters or anyone seated in the room in front of me.


    ¡°Rx and focus¡­¡± Ace whispered from my side as he gave my hand a squeeze under the table where no one would see it.


    I nodded my head a few times as I tried to suppress my oing panic attack. All I could do was tell myself that Ace would handle everything and that it would all be over soon. The host introduced us as nned by the script and that it was time for Ace to make his announcement.


    ¡°Just to save everyone¡¯s time, I¡¯m going to keep it short and directly to the point. It is true that Karina and I are dating. We wish for your best wishes and blessing for our rtionship in the future,¡± Ace dered.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 467 Our Love is All that Matters

    <h4>Chapter 467 Our Love is All that Matters</h4>


    The atmosphere felt so tense, and everyone seemed stunned into silence for a couple of seconds. They probably didn¡¯t know just how long those few seconds felt to me as I waited to see how everyone would react. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t most worried about what the reporters thought of us or what they would have to say or write about. What worried me the most was the reactions of the people I knew and those that are close to me.


    I knew that it wouldn¡¯t be long until everyone at thepany found out about this. My colleagues, friends, and family would hear about this. The only thing thatforted me was the fact that my mother had known about this for a long while already and she wouldn¡¯t need to learn about this from the news.


    One moment, there was absolute silence and then everyone seemed to regain life as everyone rushed to ask their questions all at once. Camera shutters went off and many people got out of their seats toe closer to us. Ace did not panic but he did put his arm in front of me protectively. Security was tight and very professional. It took no time at all for the guards on duty to step in front of us to form a line to hold the reporters back.


    The sound of them yelling out their questions all at the same time felt so chaotic. I had never seen them lose control this badly before in all the events that I have hosted. This must have been big news for them. It took a while, but the guards finally managed to calm everyone down so that the session couldmence.


    ¡°Everyone, may I remind you to remain calm and please remain in your seats,¡± the host announced once again through the microphone.


    Once the crowd had settled down somewhat, we were ready to get into the questions section which would conclude the announcement. I was d that Ace kept the announcement part short to only a few sentences. Nothing much had to be said and we might as well focus on answering the questions that we werefortable answering instead. After all, even if we were to make our announcement lengthy, the reporters would still ask their questions anyways.


    ¡°When did you two start dating?¡± a reporter asked the question that was probably on everyone¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Not so long ago,¡± Ace replied vaguely.


    ¡°Miss Karina used to work as your secretary, right?¡± a woman asked bluntly.


    ¡°Yes, that is correct,¡± Ace replied emotionlessly.


    I felt so thankful that Ace was shielding me by answering all the questions by himself. The reporters were harsh in their questioning and every question seemed to have an underlying meaning that hinted that I might have had an affair with Ace during the time that he was supposed to be dating Elizabeth. The fact that I used to work as his personal secretary was also on everyone¡¯s mind and I knew exactly what they were thinking. It wasn¡¯t at all unexpected, but I had realized quite some time ago that I couldn¡¯t stop them from thinking what they wanted to think.


    This too shall pass¡­


    I repeated those words inside my head over and over again as I trained my brain to zone out a little so that I could ignore some of their questions. No matter how many times I told Ace that I didn¡¯t think that we should have a session dedicated to answering their questions, Ace was firm in his decision. He told me that it was the only way to get this over and done with and that hosting a session without addressing everything would just lead to even more questions. I had no choice but to trust him and leave everything to him.


    ¡°We really love each other so I don¡¯t see any issues about our rtionship at all,¡± Ace replied calmly.


    Although he couldn¡¯t see any issues, I was sure that the other people saw plenty. Ace squeezed my hand softly under the table before he turned to smile at me reassuringly. I tried my best to smile back while ignoring the camera shes that continued to go off. When a reporter took the opportunity to ask me toment on our rtionship, I wasn¡¯t sure what I should say.


    ¡°I love him, and I think that is all that matters,¡± I replied simply with my most honest feelings.


    At the end of the day, I honestly thought that nothing else mattered as long as we loved each other. I would be lying if I said that I always felt this way because it was far from the truth. In the beginning, I cared so much about what people would think of us and how our rtionship would impact my future, my life, and my career. That line of thought dragged me down with worry and it probably took me too long to realize what was really important to me.


    Saying those words out loud felt uplifting and my spirit suddenly felt light. It felt so right to voice those words and that made me certain that I had gotten it right. Nothing else should matter except for the fact that we loved each other. After going through so much together, it was high time that I realized that we could make it work. No matter what, we had to make it work.


    The way Ace turned and smiled at me made me feel like he was proud of me and that made me feel a little proud of myself. Not only did I realize how I truly felt, I felt like I had gotten my priorities straight and I was ready to move on forward at full speed into the future that awaited us. Everything would be fine as long as I had Ace by my side and as long as we had each other. This must be what Ace had wanted me to understand all along and for the first time, it truly felt like we were exactly on the same page.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 468 Waiting Out the Storm

    Chapter 468 Waiting Out the Storm


    Returning to work was more difficult for me than I would like to admit. I wished that I could have taken a week or two off after the announcement regarding my rtionship with Ace was made; however, I also thought that if I did that then it would be like I was admitting that there was something wrong with our rtionship. Honestly, I was scared to face the scornful reactions of people head-on. Unlike reading the vile and harshments online, facing them in person felt much more real.


    Everything unfolded almost exactly how I had imagined that it would inside my head. The people who didn¡¯t know me personally either did not pay much attention or said the exact same things that I had expected them to say when they gossiped with each other. The notion that I exploited some kind of nepotism to rise through the ranks was everywhere. Nepotism wasn¡¯t at all as extreme as the usations that I slept my way up. Many also believed that I was having an affair with Ace even when he was dating Elizabeth and that I had nned to steal Ace away from Elizabeth all along. The financial status of Ace¡¯s family did not help either.


    The only saving grace seemed to be the fact that Ace was no longer working at thepany and that meant that any acts of favoritism that may have happened in the past could no longer take ce. On top of that, everyone thought that I would be screwed for sure now that the news was out in the open because the one sitting at the very top as thepany¡¯s CEO now was none other than Elizabeth, my supposed love-rival. Little did they know that one of the people who worried about me the most turned out to be Elizabeth herself.


    ¡°I guess I don¡¯t need to ask you if you¡¯re fine or not because you¡¯re obviously not fine. Anything that I can do to make it better?¡± she asked after calling me to her office.


    I doubted that she realized that calling me to her office already made for another source of juicy gossip to go around. Regardless of that, I felt quite thankful for her concern.


    ¡°I guess there¡¯s nothing that you can do. It might get worse if you attempt to do anything. Let¡¯s just leave things as they are until everyone calms down,¡± I replied.


    ¡°You sound much more mature than before. Maybe Ace¡¯s influences have rubbed off on you. You seem more used to these kinds of things,¡± she said observantly.


    ¡°I guess. It¡¯s not easy but we¡¯ll get through it,¡± I replied simply.


    ¡°That¡¯s the right spirit,¡± she agreed with a soft nod of her head.


    Having the CEO intervening with this issue was going to bring more trouble than good. Elizabeth had a thoughtful look on her face as if she was pondering something.


    ¡°I have to say that this issue has caused quite the uproar and it¡¯s clearly hurting everyone¡¯s productivity,¡± she said sternly.


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry about this¡­¡± I apologized softly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. I guess I am more than partly to me for this as well. I¡¯m not saying this to me you, but it is an issue for me and I¡¯m still trying to find a way to get people back on track for their work,¡± Elizabeth said before letting out a sigh.


    ¡°Maybe give it a week and things will return back to normal,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°You might be right. A week¡¯s time feels like about the right time for people to move on,¡± she agreed before showing me a smile.


    It seemed like there was nothing else to discuss so I was ready to excuse myself so that I could go back to work and contribute something meaningful to thepany especially when everyone else seemed so out of focus.


    ¡°Karina¡­¡± Elizabeth called my name to get my attention.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I replied questioningly.


    ¡°What is Ace up to these days?¡± she asked as she leaned over her table with clear excitement.


    ¡°Nothing much, really. We took a holiday together to get away for a bit, but he doesn¡¯t seem to be doing much on a daily basis,¡± I replied truthfully.


    ¡°Are you sure? He¡¯s not¡­doing anything? Like, he¡¯s not working on anything?¡± she asked in disbelief.


    I could understand why she was surprised but that was the truth. Ace really hadn¡¯t been doing anything. I was going to give her more details about the rxed life that he was leading but then decided against it. Something told me that Elizabeth would have disapproved of Ace making such a choice and I didn¡¯t want her to do anything that would disturb Ace and his extended rest.


    ¡°He¡¯s still taking a break,¡± I replied in short.


    ¡°Hmm¡­I see¡­¡± she replied before making a disapproving face.


    ¡°What about you and Kyle?¡± I asked to change the direction of our conversation.


    Now that she had be the CEO and Ace was truly out of the picture, I wondered how her rtionship with Kyle would turn out. I got the sense that nothing would ever be smooth sailing for the two of them and that made me feel bad for Elizabeth. For a moment, I thought that Ace might be right for supporting them to go their separate ways.


    ¡°It¡¯s a littleplicated. My father has backed off somewhat on that issue although I can tell that he still isn¡¯t happy, and I doubt that he would ever be¡­¡± she replied before trailing off.


    I could see that this issue truly troubled her and she seemed to me thinking about something. It urred to me that she may have yet to make a decision about her rtionship with Kyle. Just when I thought that it might be better for me to take my leave, Elizabeth spoke up again.


    ¡°Even though my father has taken a step back from this, I know that I still have to seriously think about it and decide for myself. You know, sometimes when I think about it, I feel like it isn¡¯t so hard to decide. Maybe I was just being stubborn all along just to go against what my father wanted,¡± she said before heaving a sigh.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 469 Net of Support

    Chapter 469 Net of Support


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I murmured because I didn¡¯t know what I should say.


    ¡°We¡¯ll probably break up soon the way things are headed. I thought that it would be harder, but it doesn¡¯t feel like such a big deal anymore. My work is also keeping me super busy, and I have to admit that Kyle¡¯s been up to no good,¡± she said beforeughing lightly to brush it off.


    ¡°I think whatever makes you happy works best¡­¡± I said what I honestly thought.


    ¡°I agree,¡± she replied before showing me a smile that I thought looked very sincere.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave now. Thank you¡­¡± I said as I got up from my seat.


    ¡°Good luck with Ace!¡± Elizabeth called out to me just as I reached for the door.


    I turned and offered her a smile before I opened the door and left her office. Less than a week after that, Ace informed me that Elizabeth had decided to break things off with Kylepletely. Since they were not legally married, it didn¡¯t seem like such a big and troublesome ordeal. I was having dinner with Ace when he broke the news to me. At first, I was quite shocked despite the fact that Elizabeth had mentioned to me before that that would be the likely oue.


    ¡°Now her father is pestering me to introduce her to some suitable guys. I hate being a matchmaker more than anything and I doubt that there¡¯s any man out there that her father will think is good enough for her,¡± Aceined before reaching up a hand to rub the back of his neck while he looked so tired.


    ¡°Except for you¡­¡± I pointed out with a soft giggle.


    ¡°I¡¯m already taken. Thank you,¡± he replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m a little surprised that things ended so quiet and smoothly for them¡­¡± I said in wonder.


    ¡°The Chairman probably paid a hefty amount to get rid of him now that Elizabeth isn¡¯t hanging on to him anymore. Spending some loose change to get rid of that guy is probably a no-brainer for the chairman. I don¡¯t know if Elizabeth knew about it, but I have to say that it¡¯s great that it¡¯s over and with absolutely no news getting out and no chaos,¡± Ace said with a firm nod of his head.


    ¡°I just hope that she¡¯s happier now,¡± I said softly as my thoughts went out to Elizabeth.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine. She¡¯s got a huge empire to run to keep her busy now,¡± Ace said with augh.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right about that. Things are surely getting busier at thepany,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Many more clients, I suspect, which just means a lot more work,¡± Ace said knowingly.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± I said with a nod.


    ¡°Rina, I need to go a trip for a couple of days¡­¡± Ace announced suddenly.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± I said while feeling surprised.


    ¡­


    Even though I had braced myself for the worst when I returned to work and despite my brave words telling Elizabeth that I would be fine, it still felt like walking through either burning hell or a very freezing snowstorm with no clear end in sight. I was still convinced that it was the right choice to tell Elizabeth not to intervene. No matter what rules or policies she coulde up with, there was no way to stop people from talking and saying what it was that they wanted to say. On top of that, I didn¡¯t want anyone to be sent to the disciplinarymittee for badmouthing my rtionship with Ace.


    I tried my best to ignore all the attention that was directed at me as I tried to focus on my work. Thankfully, the people in my team got over the announcement regarding my rtionship with Ace pretty fast. There was no way that we could push toward our deadline had things turned out otherwise. Whenever Ace asked me how things were going at work, I would tell him that everything was fine. I wasn¡¯t sure if he was entirely convinced of my response, but he didn¡¯t press me any further on that point.


    As time went by, things tuned down a little or I got more used to it. Walking down the office hallway, getting into a crowded elevator, attending meetings with people from other departments, walking through the lobby filled with people at the start and end of the workday started to get easier with each passing day.


    ¡°I¡¯m very surprised at how unprofessional you are. You better watch what you say.¡±


    I turned around at the deep sound of a familiar voice that I hadn¡¯t heard for a while. As expected, Richard was there when I turned around and he was talking to a group of employees whom I did not recognize. Something told me that he said those words to them because of me or what they must have been saying because of me.


    ¡°Richard¡­¡± I called his name softly when I approached him.


    ¡°You¡¯re here. Perfect. Apologize to Karina right now before I take this to the disciplinarymittee,¡± Richard said sternly.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need¡­¡± I began interfering before things would escte further.


    ¡°Apologize to Karina right now,¡± Richard repeated.


    I had always thought that Richard was a scary and intimidating person even when he was in a decently good mood. At that moment, I realized just how frightening Richard could be and I could feel that he wasn¡¯t willing to back down until he got what he wanted.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± one of the women whispered.


    ¡°Me too. I¡¯m sorry about that,¡± another person said in a mumble.


    It felt like I was watching the headmaster disciplining the children at school. I wanted to be nice and tell them that it was fine, but I held my tongue because what they said about me wasn¡¯t at all fine. Instead, I watched silently as that group of staff quickly walked away after mumbling their apologies.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to do that¡­¡± I told Richard when they were gone.


    Despite what I said, I couldn¡¯t stop myself from smiling when I realized that Richard had just stood up for me and that there may be other people doing simr things without me knowing it.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 470 Everyone Knew

    Chapter 470 Everyone Knew


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have to do that, but those people shouldn¡¯t be talking like that,¡± he said as he red after them.


    ¡°You¡¯re right but let¡¯s not turn this into a big fuss. I already have enough to worry about at work as it is,¡± I said before letting out a softugh.


    ¡°How are you doing?¡± he asked, and I knew that he wasn¡¯t asking about my work.


    ¡°Fine. Don¡¯t worry,¡± I replied before showing him a brave smile.


    Richard¡¯s reaction surprised me. I knew that out of everyone in the CEO¡¯s office, he was the one that was strictest and worried most about the rules. That was why his reaction surprised me the most.


    ¡°Were you shocked to hear that Ace and I are dating?¡± I asked before I could stop myself.


    ¡°Not really¡­¡± he replied emotionlessly.


    ¡°Really? You were not surprised or shock at all?¡± I asked in disbelief.


    ¡°Why do I need to be shocked?¡± he asked in return.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s Ace and me¡­you know¡­¡± I replied before shrugging my shoulders.


    What more do I need to exin¡­?


    ¡°I had a feeling¡­¡± he said simply before walking away.


    ¡°Wait. What do you mean you had a feeling?¡± I asked as I tried to catch up with him.


    ¡°Exactly as it sounds. I had a hunch that you two were dating,¡± he replied like it was nothing.


    He knew? How and since when?


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± I mumbled instead of asking the various questions on my mind.


    I never thought that he would pick up on the fact that I was dating Ace. I thought that we did a decently good job at hiding it from everyone, so I was quite shocked to find out that Richard knew. On top of that, he never confronted me about it, and he didn¡¯t tell themittee or anyone about it.


    ¡°Why do you look so shocked?¡± he asked before he smirked at me.


    ¡°Well, I thought no one knew¡­¡± I replied honestly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just me. A few other people in the CEO¡¯s office picked up on it as well. Julianna knew too, for example,¡± he said before shrugging his shoulders to show that it didn¡¯t concern him.


    ¡°I never knew that¡­¡± I murmured.


    ¡°We talked about it only once and the consensus was that we would rather see Ace dating you than some celebrity or model that would bring unnecessary attention to thepany and his work,¡± Richard told me passively.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I murmured as I still struggled to take in what he had just told me.


    So, they knew all along?


    ¡°I guess I didn¡¯t have to worry¡­¡± I murmured to myself.


    ¡°Julianna would shout at anyone who has something to say about you and she¡¯d yell even louder if they dare badmouth Ace. That¡¯s why it¡¯s all so quiet in the marketing department,¡± Edward exined.


    ¡°I can actually imagine her doing that¡­¡± I replied.


    It amazed me so much that I had these people supporting me. I worried endlessly about how they would react that I had unconsciously been steering clear of them ever since news broke out that Ace and I are dating. I felt tears stinging the back of my eyes and realized just how lucky and fortunate I felt as warm emotions overwhelmed me. They knew all along and they never judged me or Ace for it and that felt more than enough for me.


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± I thanked Richard while also thinking of everyone else.


    ¡­


    **A few dayster**


    Ace has been on the trip that he mentioned to me for a few days now. Since he didn¡¯t offer any in depth details other than that he was going with some of his friends and that it was a random trip of sorts to catch up, I didn¡¯t ask him much about it. Ace seemed excited for once in a very long time and I thought that going out and about might do him some good. At that point, I felt quite worried about the fact that Ace might just be sitting there and watching his life pass him by. It wasn¡¯t like there was anything truly wrong about taking a break and rxing without doing anything, but it just wasn¡¯t like Ace to be in that state or such a long time.


    The news of Ace going on a trip and looking excited and energetic about it brought me some relief. It felt like he might have gotten on his feet again. Ace kept in touch with me as much as he could by calling me at all reasonable intervals of the day starting from the morning, then during my lunch break, and then at the end of work and onest time before I went to bed.


    We always ended up talking about how I was doing rather than how he was doing or what exactly he was doing on his trip with ¡®the boys¡¯. Whenever I probed him with questions his answers were vague and not quite informative. I decided to let it slide while reminding myself that I should trust him. Work kept me very busy and before I knew it, the day of Ace¡¯s return had arrived. During my lunch break, Ace called me right on time like clockwork.


    ¡°I¡¯ming back today so I¡¯ll pick you up from work,¡± Ace dered happily.


    ¡°Sounds great. I hope you had fun on your trip,¡± I said before smiling to myself.


    ¡°It was alright¡­¡± he repliedzily.


    Knowing that Ace was going to pick me up gave me the determination to push through the day. There was no way that I wouldn¡¯t get off work on time because I couldn¡¯t wait to see Ace. I wondered if he would tell me more about his trip now that he was back.


    ¡°I¡¯m off,¡± I announced as I quickly headed for the door.


    I could feel people¡¯s eyes on my back as I got into Ace¡¯s car. Ace made the right decision to remain in his car withouting out. Although we tried to live our life as a normal couple as much as possible, we still kept out of unnecessary trouble.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 471 Secretive Destination

    Chapter 471 Secretive Destination


    ¡°How¡¯s work?¡± he asked the moment that I got in his car.


    ¡°Busy. Super busy but I guess that just means that the business is doing well,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Guess Elizabeth is doing a good job. It¡¯s high season now for our industry so the tough part wille around in three or four months from now. We¡¯ll really see how she does then,¡± Ace replied with a chuckle before he started driving.


    ¡°How was your trip?¡± I asked brightly.


    ¡°It was alright¡­¡± he replied without providing any details.


    ¡°What did you do with your friends?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°This and that¡­¡± Ace replied vaguely.


    ¡°You¡¯re really not going to tell me anything?¡± I asked while trying to keep my tone teasing and light.


    By that time, I thought that I had been patient enough in waiting for his answers. I gave him the time away that he seemed to need without asking any questions because I didn¡¯t want to nag him.


    ¡°Where should we go for dinner?¡± he asked casually to steer our conversation away from what I really wanted to talk about.


    ¡°No idea. I¡¯ll leave it up to you,¡± I replied.


    ¡°I think I know a good ce but it¡¯s a quite far from here. Are you hungry?¡± he asked with a slightly worried look on his face.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go there. I¡¯m not hungry yet anyways,¡± I answered him truthfully.


    At that time, I was too curious about what kind of trip Ace went on with his friends and why he was so secretive about it. My body did not long for food at all and my mind was busy thinking about what I could do to make Ace answer my questions about this trip. I knew pretty well by that time that asking him the same questions again wasn¡¯t going to get me any closer to my answer.


    ¡­


    Ace was right about the restaurant where he wanted to take me being far from the office. After quite a drive, we somehow ended up in the neighborhood where I grew up. I never knew that there were any famous restaurants in the area but that might be because of the fact that we almost never ate out at all because it was too expensive for us to afford. Eating my mother¡¯s cooking and ordering some basic food was much cheaper than dining out at fancy restaurants.


    ¡°This is quite close to my mother¡¯s ce¡­¡± I murmured as I looked out of the car¡¯s window.


    ¡°Should we invite her out to dinner with us?¡± Ace suggested.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea but I¡¯m sure that she¡¯d already eaten by this time,¡± I replied regretfully.


    My mother would have been very surprised to see us suddenly drop by. That made me feel slightly guilty for not returning back home to see her more often. The merger only made everyone busier at work and travelling back home felt like something that was always in the back of my mind that I never got around to doing.


    ¡°Maybe we can drop by to say hi to her after we¡¯re done with dinner. It¡¯s been a since youst saw her, right?¡± Ace guessed quite correctly.


    ¡°That sounds good,¡± I replied with a smile.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there,¡± he announced as he took a turn.


    ¡°I honestly never knew that there were any noteworthy restaurants around here. I mean, you did drive all the way here, so this ce has got to be something, right?¡± I asked in wonder.


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that but I guess you will see for yourself soon enough,¡± he replied while not sounding so confident.


    I grinned at him when I thought that he might have driven us both all the way out here just to enjoy some bad food. Regardless, I did enjoy spending time together during the drive and Ace¡¯spany during dinner would be more important to me than the taste of the food served anyways.


    ¡°Is this the ce?¡± I asked curiously as I looked out the window when the car came to a stop.


    I didn¡¯t think that there was a luxurious or super shy restaurant in the neighborhood that I grew up in, but the building that stood in front of me didn¡¯t even look like a restaurant at all. On top of that, the way the entrance seemed to be sealed off told me that the ce was still under construction.


    ¡°Yup, this is the ce,¡± Ace announced before getting out of the car.


    I got out of the car while feeling even more confused than before. The building wasn¡¯trge, but it was big enough to be called a building. It was clearly newly constructed and didn¡¯t look fullypleted yet. Although some parts of the exterior were still covered up, there was something about the building that made it look kind of familiar to me. It felt like I had seen a building like this somewhere before, but I couldn¡¯t quite figure out where.


    ¡°Did wee for the pre-opening party or something like that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Something like that. Follow me,¡± Ace replied casually before taking my hand into his.


    I let him lead the way into the building without asking any further questions. Everything looked sparkling new and the building smelled so new inside. To my surprise, there was no one else there except for us but it didn¡¯t surprise me that the building itself was empty inside as well.


    ¡°Are you sure that we¡¯re at the right ce? It doesn¡¯t look like there¡¯s a restaurant here¡­¡± I murmured as I looked around.


    The interior of the building hadn¡¯t even been decorated and there was actually no furniture inside as far as my eyes could see. I wondered where we were and why Ace had bothered to take me there.


    ¡°Let me take you on a little tour before dinner,¡± Ace said before he smiled at me.


    ¡°A tour? What is this ce exactly?¡± I asked with raised eyebrows.


    ¡°Come along and I¡¯ll show you,¡± he replied before shing me a charming smile.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 472 New Direction

    Chapter 472 New Direction


    Even though the building was quite empty, I still felt excited as I let Ace lead me by the hand along the hallway in the building. I could tell even without the decoration and furniture that the building was supposed to be an office.


    ¡°This is one of my favorite areas in this ce. Thisrge area here is an open co-working space where people can gather to work together and share ideas freely,¡± Ace said while sounding excited.


    The area was indeed open and quite spacious. Thankfully, there was electricity in the building and that meant that we could turn on the lights.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite big¡­¡± I murmured as I looked around.


    ¡°Come look over here,¡± Ace said as he tugged on my hand for me to follow him.


    To my surprise, Ace took out some paper that had been stapled together. When he showed it to me, my eyes widened in pleasant surprise.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s kind of hard for you to imagine it right now with the current state that the building is in, but this is what it¡¯s supposed to look like when it¡¯s allplete and decorated,¡± Ace exined.


    I could tell from the outline that the image printed on the paper showed the exact same room that we were looking at. The minimal decoration highlighted with some colors added life and creativity to the space. I couldn¡¯t imagine why anyone wouldn¡¯t want to work in a space like that, especially if they worked on the creative side of things.


    ¡°Wow! This looks amazing. I can actually picture that being here,¡± I replied honestly.


    Ace went on to exin some other ideas that he had in mind while I tried hard to connect the dots. Now that I had time to digest things, I finally realized that the nagging feeling in the back of my mind was trying to tell me that I had seen this building before. Of course, I had never seen it before in itspleted physical state, but I had definitely seen it on paper before. That moment when I identally stumbled upon a building¡¯s blueprint in Ace¡¯s office quickly came back to mind.


    Although I couldn¡¯t remember in detail what was on the blueprint that I saw that day, I was very convinced that I was now standing inside the very same building that was shown in the blueprint. Back then, I had no idea why Ace had something like that in his office and what he was nning to do. Then again, I should have known that if he had a blueprint of a building then he must have intended to build it somewhere.


    ¡°Do you have a picture of what the exterior of the building is supposed to look like when it¡¯spleted?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°I do. It¡¯s on this page here,¡± Ace replied as he flipped quickly through the pages.


    Although the picture was colored, it still worked to confirm that my thinking was spot on correct. Ace had truly built the building that was on the blueprint and turned it into reality. As for the reason why he had this building built, I couldn¡¯t say that I was exactly clueless.


    ¡°Are you going to work here?¡± I asked what was on my mind.


    ¡°That¡¯s the n,¡± Ace replied with a wide smile.


    I should have known that there was no way that Ace would just sit back andze around on the couch at home all day while I went out to work. No matter how drained he was from his previous job, I should have known that he wasn¡¯t the type to take such a long rest without doing anything productive. I wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if he had a small project or two to ease his boredom on the side but supervising the construction of an entire building wasyering it on a little thick. I had to admit that it was leaps and bounds beyond my expectations, not to mention the fact that he had been doing this in secret and keeping it from me.


    ¡°Are you surprised?¡± Ace asked excitedly.


    For a moment, he looked and sounded so young. Like a child that had nned out a surprise birthday party for one of his friends and was now taking pleasure that he had managed to surprise his friend. He was surely right to feel pleased with his efforts because I was undoubtedly surprised.


    ¡°Very. I¡¯m very surprised. I was also surprised when you kept onzing around at home without doing anything. I thought you might have really lost all passion in life,¡± I said before letting out a smallugh.


    ¡°That will never happen. There¡¯re so many things that I still want to do in life,¡± he replied with conviction.


    I could imagine Ace having a bunch of things on his bucket list, but I didn¡¯t think that building a business office of his own was among those things.


    ¡°I¡¯m d to hear it. Honestly, I¡¯m surprised that you were building this office in the background without telling me anything. Since I¡¯m kind of happy that you haven¡¯t lost your passion and motivation, I¡¯m going to let this little matter slide,¡± I replied before shing him a smile.


    I wondered what kind of face Ace would make if I told him that his n wasn¡¯t truly apletely hidden secret. After all, I did manage to see that blueprint in his office even if I didn¡¯t quite connect the dots that he was up to something this big.


    ¡°I tried doing nothing for a few days¡­¡± he said before trialing off.


    ¡°I guess you couldn¡¯t go on like that after a few days, right? I bet you felt so restless and ended up feeling more stressed out because you didn¡¯t like being so free. You¡¯re such a workaholic,¡± I said knowingly.


    ¡°Something like that. However, from now on, I hope that I can choose to do the work that I want,¡± he said before letting out a soft sigh.


    His sigh sounded full of relief than exhaustion. That was probably when I was fully convinced that Ace was heading in the right direction for himself.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 473 Tempting Invitation

    Chapter 473 Tempting Invitation


    ¡°What kind of work are you nning to do here?¡± I asked.


    I did take note that the building was far too big for it to act as Ace¡¯s personal office and that meant that soon he wouldn¡¯t be working alone.


    ¡°Creative and impactful things,¡± he replied with a confident smile.


    ¡°Such as?¡± I prompted him to exin further.


    ¡°Something simr to Project Alpha but without the other non-impactful and just for the money type of work. No more making advertisements purely for the sake of selling toothpaste...¡± Ace replied with a small chuckle.


    Project Alpha¡­


    ¡°But don¡¯t all themercials we make for phnthropic funds and organizations free work? As in, we don¡¯t get paid for those or even if we do then, not so much¡­¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°You¡¯re right but that doesn¡¯t mean that we cannot find sponsors to pay for both the production of the campaigns and the advertisement of it,¡± Ace replied.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I murmured.


    I was finally starting to see what Ace had in mind. Now that I thought back on it, I could recall that there were times when Ace would ask me about what kind of work that I truly wanted to do. If I had to be honest, I truly enjoyed Project Alpha because of the impact that themercial produced could change people¡¯s lives, thinking, and make some kind of impacting change to the society and world that we live in. Of course, something like that wasn¡¯t at all achievable formercial work that focused on mizing a certain product or service.


    ¡°Decorating this ce until it is ready for opening will take a little more time but hopefully not too long,¡± he exined.


    ¡°What do you n to do until then? Are you going to start recruiting people to join your newpany?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m already doing that right now,¡± Ace replied before smiling sweetly my way.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if I understood him correctly but the way that he was staring at me told me that my suspicions might be right.


    ¡°Me? Are you trying to recruit me?¡± I asked as I pointed my index finger at myself.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I did take you all the way out to see this new office even though it¡¯s not evenpleted yet. What do you think, Rina?¡± he asked before showing me a brilliant smile.


    I wondered for a moment if anyone could truly turn Ace down when he smiled like that. His smile made me feel warm and giddy inside like my core had slowly melted. It was such a pleasant feeling that went straight to my heart and my head; however, I didn¡¯t fail to realize that my career was on the line.


    ¡°You want me to work here with you?¡± I asked because I was still finding it hard to believe what I was hearing.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I thought I¡¯d made it clear enough. Rina, if you¡¯re interested, it would be great if you could consider quitting your job at thepany and moving to work with me here,¡± Ace said slowly and clearly.


    He wants me toe here and work with him¡­


    My first reaction was to agree with his proposal right away. However, I mped my mouth shut before I would jump in and make amitment without properly thinking things through. The way it felt so natural for me to agree with him scared me. That didn¡¯t mean that it was going to be the wrong choice but since it was such a big deal that would dictate the direction of my future, I wanted to spend enough time thinking about it and weighing out the options.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to give me an answer now. I just want you to think about it. After all, it¡¯s better to have some options avable to you. You don¡¯t need to be stuck at thepany forever,¡± Ace told me calmly.


    ¡°Right. Thank you for inviting me. I can see that you¡¯re working hard to recruit people. I¡¯ll seriously think about it and let you know,¡± I replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s good enough for me. I really miss working with you but if you decide not to join me, I canpletely understand that. I¡¯ll have to make do with the fact that we¡¯re living together now,¡± Ace said before grinning at me.


    He surely knew how to apply pressure in his own subtle way. I would be lying if I said that I wasn¡¯t interested and I was certain that it wasn¡¯t just the prospect of working with Ace that drew me in. The possibility that I could work onmercials with high impact really got to me. After all, the reason I wanted to get into this career was to make impactfulmercials that could change society or people for the better. Lately after the merger of thepany, the work that had been pouring in was nothing butmonmercials for the sake of pushing sales.


    Although they still allowed me to exercise my creative muscles, I had to admit that theycked appeal sometimes due to theck of impact. That didn¡¯t mean that I wasn¡¯t enjoying my job and wanted to career change. It seemed like I truly needed to consider this properly before making my decision.


    ¡­


    Since the newly built office building couldn¡¯t offer us any dinner, we ended up going to one of my favorite local restaurants in the area instead. By that time, the ce was no longer crowded, and we managed to have the ce almost to ourselves. Spending time out of the city had its benefits for sure. For one, no one really recognized Ace or paid any attention to him. The odds that we were going to run into the paparazzies were also extremely low. I felt so at ease and that made me realize that I might have been on edge without knowing it every time that we went out together in the city.


    ¡°Should we drop by to say hi to your mother? It is kind ofte¡­¡± Ace asked.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 474 Good to be Back

    Chapter 474 Good to be Back


    ¡°What about I try giving her a call to see if she¡¯s still up?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Ace replied casually.


    After giving my mother a call, we found out that she was beyond delighted to have us over for ate night visit. The way my mother smiled and how her eyes lit up when she saw Ace standing in front of her door made me wonder if she was more pleased to see him or her own daughter.


    ¡°What a pleasant surprise! Wee. Pleasee inside,¡± my mother greeted us with a wide smile.


    ¡°I apologize for turning up sote like this,¡± Ace said apologetically.


    ¡°Not at all. I¡¯m very happy that you two are here. Thank you for driving Rina all the way here,¡± she said as she beckoned us to enter.


    Stepping inside my home felt immediately calming. The familiar sight and smell of the ce reminded me of all the fond memories that I share with my mother. I wasn¡¯t at all surprised that nothing seemed to have changed given the time that I was away. My mother seemed to be in high spirits, and I was d to see that she seemed to be doing well.


    ¡°Have you eaten?¡± my mother asked with a worried look on her face.


    ¡°Of course, we have. Don¡¯t worry about us. We just wanted to drop by to say hi,¡± I told her before she would fuss even more about us.


    ¡°Right. Tell me, how are things? There were¡­some messy things in the news¡­¡± she asked, and I could tell that she was trying to mask over her worries.


    Her efforts weren¡¯t that sessful, and I felt a pang of guilt when I realized that I must have caused my mother to worry again. I didn¡¯t even want to imagine how stressed she must have felt during that period of time. On top of that, she had to act tough in front of us so that we wouldn¡¯t worry about her.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing for you to worry about anymore. Everything is sorted out and I am making sure that Rina is happy and well,¡± Ace reported to my mother confidently.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s just like Ace said, there¡¯s nothing for you to worry about. They made everything over the top to attract attention. Everything is fine and normal now,¡± I confirmed reassuringly.


    ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s a relief. Many people have been asking me about how you are doing too,¡± she said before letting out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you worry, mum,¡± I said sadly.


    ¡°Well, if everything is all fine now then I guess we don¡¯t need to talk about it anymore. Anything else interesting happening at work?¡± she asked excitedly to change the topic of the conversation.


    We spent some time chatting with my mother and I had to say that the atmosphere was so rxing andid back. I loved it so much to talk to her and Ace at the same time like this. It still surprised me how Ace and my mother got along with each other so well. Despite my initial thought that the two of them did not have much if anything inmon at all, they managed to find endless topics to talk about and discuss. Sometimes I felt like they were more engaged in the conversation than I was.


    ¡°Rina, where are you going?¡± my mother asked when I got up from my seat.


    ¡°Oh, I was just thinking that I should go get some juice and some snacks at the nearby convenient store,¡± I replied with a smile.


    ¡°I cane with you,¡± Ace quickly volunteered.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to. Just stay here with mum, I won¡¯t take long. The store is just in front of the building anyways,¡± I said as I waved off his offer with my hand.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ace asked hesitantly.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine. She¡¯s all grown up now although I don¡¯t want to believe that¡­¡± my mother replied with augh.


    I smiled at them both before heading for the door. Since the two of them seemed to be having a good time, I figured that I might as well get us all some snacks to munch on while we chatted. It was apparent that my mother was enjoying her time with Ace and their session was probably going tost for a while longer. Although it was already quitete, I didn¡¯t want to butt in and cut their fun short. It wasn¡¯t often that we would get the chance toe visit my mother like this, so I wanted to make sure that she had her fill of us. I also made a mental note to myself that I shoulde and visit her more often.


    While scanning the shelves of snacks in the convenient store, I pondered the idea of moving to work with Ace at his new office. The new office building was located far from the city but very close to my mother¡¯s ce. If I moved to work here with Ace, dropping by to see my mother regrly would be easily achievable.


    ¡°Did he build the office here so that I could be closer to my mother?¡± I murmured to myself when the possibility crossed my mind.


    That was one way to think about it, but it also felt too far of a stretch for someone so sensible as Ace to build such arge property out here simply because it was close to my mother¡¯s ce. There had to be other reasons why he decided on this location for his new office. I dismissed that thought before I would delve into it any further as I headed to pay for my purchase. Being back in the old neighborhood where I used to live and grew up made me feel like I had returned to my roots, and I had to admit that I truly liked it.


    ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± I dered excitedly when I arrived back at my mother¡¯s ce.


    ¡°You seriously got too many snacks,¡± my mother said with a teasing look of disapproval on her face.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not worry about dieting today, ok?¡± I replied teasingly.


    That night we spent time talking until I could tell that my mother was visibly sleeping. I gave her a tight hug when we parted and made a promise toe and visit her more often in the future.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 475 Hesitation

    Chapter 475 Hesitation


    **A few monthster**


    ¡°What do you mean? You¡¯re really quitting?¡± I asked as shock took over me.


    ¡°Keep your voice down¡­¡± Richard warned as he looked around to see if anyone had overheard us.


    That was when I realized that I had raised my voice without meaning to. I was just too shocked when he suddenly told me that he was quitting his job at the end of the month. That meant that there was a little more than a week until hisst day at thepany. I never imagined that Richard of all people would be the one to leave thepany first out of everyone else at the CEO¡¯s office. He was so serious about his job and is also well known for his loyalty to thepany.


    ¡°Did something¡­bad happen to you after the merger or something?¡± I asked while stating my best guess.


    ¡°Not at all. Everything is fine. It¡¯s just the choice that I made, and it has nothing to do with thepany. There¡¯s nothing wrong with thepany,¡± he replied firmly.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I murmured.


    I didn¡¯t dare ask why he was quitting because by that time I figured that he must have found a better opportunity elsewhere. With the skill that he has, I wouldn¡¯t be at all surprised if some otherpany made him such a good offer that he couldn¡¯t refuse. I wanted to know where he was going but I wasn¡¯t sure if he would tell me if I asked him.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask where I¡¯m going?¡± he asked with a knowing look on his face.


    ¡°Will you tell me? Maybe I can join you too,¡± I asked teasingly.


    I had no idea where Richard was moving to work but I knew for sure that that new ce must be something if it could make Richard decide to quit thepany like this. Then again, even if I knew where he was going it wasn¡¯t like I was interested in joining him or that I had the capabilities to join him. If thatpany is only looking for elites like him then I probably won¡¯t stand a chance.


    ¡°It¡¯s a brand newpany actually so I¡¯m really taking my risk here,¡± he said although he didn¡¯t sound so worried.


    ¡°It¡¯s a newpany?¡± I asked in disbelief.


    ¡°You should know about it best. After all, the CEO is the man that you¡¯re dating,¡± he stated factually.


    He¡¯s joining Ace¡¯spany? Really?


    ¡°You¡¯re joining Ace¡¯spany? You¡¯re not kidding me, right?¡± I asked without hiding my shock.


    ¡°Keep your voice down, Karina,¡± he said with a disapproving re my way.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m just very shocked¡­this is very unexpected and¡­¡± I said as I struggled to take in what he had just told me.


    Ace did tell me that he was actively recruiting people to join hispany. He even tried to recruit me to join hispany as well, but I have yet to give him my answer. Since the day that he showed me the new office building, Ace had returned to his fully busy mode. I knew that he was busy with the preparations to start his newpany,pleting the interior of the building, and also recruiting people.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t tell anyone. Ace is telling me to keep it a secret as well,¡± Richard said with a nod of his head.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t poaching people from thepany against the rules or something?¡± I asked while feeling slightly worried for Ace.


    ¡°In general, probably, but I think Ace made some deal with the CEO so that he can poach people from his old team,¡± Richard exined with a shrug of his shoulders.


    I had absolutely no idea that something like this was going on behind the scenes. Ace absolutely did not tell me anything.


    ¡°Is anyone else from the CEO¡¯s office joining Ace¡¯spany?¡± I asked when it urred to me that Richard might not be the only one.


    ¡°Not that I know of. We¡¯ll probably find out soon,¡± Richard said like he couldn¡¯t care less.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± I murmured.


    ¡­


    That evening when I went back to Ace¡¯s ce, I made sure to interrogate him about what he was doing regarding the set up of his newpany, especially regarding the recruitment of people.


    ¡°Richard told me today that he¡¯s quitting his job and that he will be joining yourpany,¡± I said as I stared at Ace from my side of the dining table.


    ¡°He did?¡± Ace replied without much care.


    ¡°Yes, he did. Why didn¡¯t you tell me about this?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Because you never asked,¡± he replied teasingly.


    ¡°Who else? Is anyone else from the CEO¡¯s office team joining yourpany?¡± I asked with widened eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s confidential information,¡± he pointed out jokingly.


    ¡°Come on. There¡¯s nothing confidential about that. You can tell me¡­¡± I argued desperately.


    ¡°This information is reserved for those who have decided to join thepany only. If you want to know, what about deciding to join thepany as well?¡± he suggested with a sly grin my way.


    ¡°I¡¯m still deciding. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve turned you down,¡± I mumbled.


    It was true. However, I knew that I was taking my sweet time in making my decision. It was just such a difficult decision to make, and I have to admit that a certain part of my hesitation must havee from mymitment issues. I used the convenient excuse that work had been too busy for me to properly consider switching jobs. In the end, I knew that I was just scared of being even more dependent on Ace. If I moved to work with him, I would be with him all the time and my livelihood would also depend on him.


    As it was, I was already living with him after my move into his ce. If I were to work with him as well, then he would be my boss and my main source of ie. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t quite sure how to feel about that. Although I didn¡¯t want to think about it, there was always that possibility that we could break up and go our separate ways. If that were to happen, what would happen to me then?


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 476 Dilemma and Surprises

    Chapter 476 Dilemma and Surprises


    ¡°You can take your time. There¡¯s honestly no rush but it would be nice if you can just decide ande join me already,¡± Ace said beforeughing a little.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­a littleplicated for me,¡± I confessed softly.


    ¡°I think I know what you¡¯re thinking, Rina¡­¡± he said.


    I was surprised to see the sudden solemn look that crossed his face. It made me feel like he might actually understand what was going through my mind at that moment and all the worries that I was facing.


    ¡°I¡¯d still like to support you in the meantime while I¡¯m still making my decision. So, if there¡¯s anything that I can do, just let me know,¡± I said before trying my best to smile.


    ¡°Thank you, Rina. Don¡¯t worry about my business, just focus on your work,¡± Ace replied.


    We didn¡¯t discuss anything beyond that regarding my potential career move. Ace probably knew what I was worried about and had decided against pushing me. I was thankful that he was leaving this important decision up to me. Sometimes I hoped that I was braver or that I had more faith in our rtionship for me to take that leap of faith to quit my job and join hispany.


    ¡­


    Around two weekster, Ace officially started working at his newpany along with his first set of employees. The building wasn¡¯t exactlypleted but some floors were fully decorated and furnished, and ording to Ace, that was more than enough.


    ¡°I¡¯m having a little get together with my new employees this evening. Do you want to join us?¡± Ace asked.


    ¡°Is Richard going to be there as well?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Why? Do you miss him already? I thought you two didn¡¯t get along?¡± he teased me with a smirk.


    ¡°I never said something like that¡­¡± I mumbled.


    There might have been a period of time that I felt that way, but it felt like that was so long ago. Richard proved to be a very helpful and supportive colleague and I was proud to call him one of my friends. Although his cold and sarcastic nature didn¡¯t go away, I had somehow gotten used to it.


    ¡°He¡¯ll be there as well. It¡¯s our first get together so I¡¯m not letting him skip it,¡± Ace replied.


    ¡°I would love to join. I¡¯ll see you this evening at your new office,¡± I said.


    ¡°It¡¯s far. So, I¡¯ll pick you up and we can head there together,¡± Ace suggested.


    ¡°But won¡¯t that mean that you have to drive here and then back again for the gathering?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Nope. I¡¯ll be sorting out some things here in the city today so I can pick you up and head to the officeter,¡± he exined.


    ¡°Ok¡­¡± I said with a smile.


    It was true that his new office was very far from the city and that meant that it was far from where we were currently living and also where I was working. Tomute daily there and back was a hassle, but it wasn¡¯t impossible. I remembered that I used tomute daily too via public transport when I first started working in the city. Ultimately, I had to move into the city so that I could save my time and energy to focus on work.


    Maybe we should just all move¡­


    Once that thought entered my mind, I couldn¡¯t shake it off. I wondered if Ace had any good reason to remain in the city now apart from the fact that his ce was there. Since his new office isn¡¯t in the city, it felt like he had no reason to stay in the city. Although it was easy for me tomute to work from his ce where we were staying, it must have been hard for Ace to travel daily to his new office and back. However, if we moved to a new ce close to his office, I would have to travel quite far to my office. The dilemma felt very real as I juggled the options in my head.


    The office building looked more presentable and ready than the first time that Ace had taken me there. At least, there were no signs of ongoing construction, and the area was no longer sealed off. The inside was sparkling clean and decorated in a very modernized yet simple way.


    ¡°This way. Everyone is probably waiting for us to arrive,¡± Ace said as he reached for my hand.


    ¡°I feel so excited¡­¡± I confessed as I followed after him.


    ¡°Really? I feel the same way,¡± he said before smiling at me.


    Unlike the grand and sophisticated office where we used to work, the new building gave off a homier vibe. The room that Ace led me to was a medium-sized meeting room and couldn¡¯t have fitted more than ten people. It was in that room that I first met the people that Ace had recruited to be the founding employees of his newpany.


    ¡°Karina, you¡¯re here!¡±


    I was immediately greeted by a loud and familiar voice when I walked into the room. For a moment, it felt like I had seen a scene like this before. The smiling faces that greeted me were the ones that I already knew and was quite familiar with.


    ¡°She looks so shocked.¡±


    ¡°Come in, Karina. Don¡¯t just stand there.¡±


    While feeling tongue tied, I turned to Ace to demand from him an exnation as to what was going on. Ace grinned at me before leading me into the room and closing the door behind us.


    ¡°Let me introduce you to my new team members. This is Richard and Julianna,¡± Ace said before winking at me.


    Why are these two here?


    If they are here, then that can only mean that they¡¯ve joined Ace¡¯s newpany. It was hard to believe but apparently that was how things yed out.


    ¡°Wow. I¡¯m honestly very surprised. In a good way, of course¡­¡± I said as I tried to keep calm.


    Not only did he get Richard to join him, but he also managed to get Julianna to join hispany as well.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 477 Call of Fate

    ?


    477 Call of Fate


    It was frankly such an amazing feat because I was certain that these two were rising stars in their respective fields and well known within the industry.


    "Since Richard and I are here, we''re good for nning and marketing. Now, if only we have someone who can help us with the design and creatives," Julianna said before smiling meaningfully my way.


    "Don''t say that. You''ll just end up pressuring Rina into joining us,¡± Ace said with a smallugh.


    "But she should just join us. Right, Rina? I don''t even know why you''re hesitating for so long," Julianna said.


    As always, she was very direct with her words. She was also right that if I were to join Ace''spany along with them then they would have someone to work on designs and creatives.


    "Don''t worry. We''ll have more people joining us soon in a couple of weeks," Ace said happily.


    "Sounds good," Richard said emotionlessly.


    "I don''t mind working in a small team as long as everyone is talented and motivated. That being said, having a little more than three people would be good," Julianna said with augh.


    "I wasn''t sure how much work we''ll be getting at the start. Plus, you two are also very expensive already. Over-hiring will bankrupt thepany," Ace exined.


    "I don''t mind if you cut down on my pay when we don''t have enough work," Richard stated like it was nothing.


    "I''m not fine with it but I''m sure that you''ll have no trouble bringing in work," Julianna said with confidence.


    ?


    "Actually, you happen to be right. At first, I wasn''t so sure about the work but now that word has gotten out that I''ve just started a newpany, I''ve had a few potential clients contacting me already," Ace said with a smile.


    "You already have work?" I asked while feeling very impressed.


    "Yup. Nothing is finalized yet, but we should end up with more work on our hands than we can handle very soon and that is why I''m trying my best to recruit more people," Ace exined.


    "Is Elizabeth fine with you poaching her people like this?" I whispered to Ace.


    "She''s fine with it. I made a deal with Elizabeth that after I quit, I can offer for the people who used to work in my CEO''s Office team toe and join me if they wish," Ace rified casually.


    "Oh, I see..." I murmured.


    "What are some of the projects that might be in the pipeline?" Richard asked with keen interest.


    His question captured Julianna''s attention as well as my own. I was certain that the reason that these two moved over to join Ace''spany must have been because of the high-impact nature of the projects that they believed that they would get to work on. The details of thepany''s uing project surely had me interested as I waited to hear more from Ace.


    "We have a few but the most promising one will be amercial to promote the use of alternative sources of energy in smallmunities," Ace revealed with an excited smile.


    "Alternative energy. Clearly something that I have to read up on," Juliannamented with keen interest.


    "I don''t know much about the details either..." Richard admitted.


    It was clear that he had entered into his work-mode although this was supposed to be thepany''s first party. Ace went through some of the details about the project that he heard from the client while I felt slightly envious of how interesting their project soundedpared to the one that I was currently working on.


    ...


    I wished I could have said that it was my own free will and hardcore determination that pushed me to make the decision for myself regarding my career change; however, that wasn''t what happened. It was in the middle of the night when I received the call that would change my life quite significantly. It felt like fate was at work because I should have been fast asleep during that time of night. My phone was on silent mode and normally I wouldn''t even realize that it was vibrating. However, on that particr night, I needed to go to the toilet in the middle of the night.


    While I was returning from my quick visit to the toilet, I spotted the screen of my phone lighting up and showing that I had an iing call. The moment I spotted the name of my mum''s close friend and neighbor, I quickly answered the call while praying that there wasn''t some kind of emergency.


    "Hello?" I answered the call in a soft whisper so that I wouldn''t wake Ace up.


    "Karina? It''s your mother..." she said with clear panic in her voice. My mother?


    "What''s wrong with my mother?" I asked as I tried to keep calm.


    "I don''t know. She passed out and I called the ambnce and they''re taking her to the hospital..." Auntie informed me in a shaky voice.


    I could tell that she was also scared and panicking. I felt like passing out myself after hearing that my mother was being sent to the hospital in an ambnce in the middle of the night.


    ?


    "I''ll be right there. Thank you so much for letting me know," I thanked her.


    "Ok. I''ll wait for you at the hospital," she said before hanging up.


    "Rina, did something happen?"


    I turned to see Ace sitting up on the bed with his head turned my way.


    "My mother... is being taken to the hospital..." I replied in a voice that sounded so broken.


    My mind felt nk for a moment and my entire body felt cold. I wasn''t sure what I was supposed to do and the distance from where I was to my mother never felt so far. I could feel my hands shaking from a mix of shock and panic. A tightness enveloped my chest and it felt like I wanted to cry but I just couldn''t.


    "Come, Rina. I''ll drive you there right now," Ace said as he quickly came to my side.


    --To be continued...

 Chapter 478 Almost Too Late

    Chapter 478 Almost Too Late


    All I could do was nod my head as I felt Ace loop an arm around my shoulders to support me up. Everything felt like a blur, and I couldn¡¯t think straight. All the ominous thoughts that ran through my head were too distracting. Ace led me to the car and then we were on our way to see my mother at the hospital.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be alright, Rina. We¡¯ll get to the hospital soon and then we can talk to the doctor about your mother¡¯s condition,¡± Ace said calmly as he continued driving.


    Ace said something of that effect time and time again as he assured me repeatedly that everything was going to be fine. I prayed that nothing was seriously wrong with my mother. We just visited her not so long ago and she seemed fine. I promised that I would go back to see her soon and more often. Back then, I had no idea that something like this would happen and now I was scared that everything just might be toote. The feeling of guilt overwhelmed me, and I realized that I would never forgive myself if something were to happen to my mother. It just felt like it was my fault, and I couldn¡¯t stop ming myself.


    ¡°Rina, calm down. Your mother will be fine,¡± Ace said reassuringly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± I muttered before I started sobbing out loud.


    I could no longer hold it and I had already started weeping. Although I didn¡¯t know just how bad my mother¡¯s condition was, I still felt so guilty for being so far away and not being there to take care of her. Ace reached for my hand and took it in his before giving it a little squeeze.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to cry, you better do it now. When we get to the hospital, you¡¯ll have to be focused¡­¡± he told me calmly.


    ¡°Ok¡­¡± I murmured.


    ¡­


    ¡°Rina¡­¡±


    I had never felt so happy to hear my mother call my name. Even though her voice was raspy and soft, the way she called my name sounded like music to my ears. By the time we arrived at the hospital, my mother had already regained consciousness. She looked tired and had unhealthy dark circles underneath her eyes. I quickly sat down on the stool next to her hospital bed before taking her hands into my own.


    ¡°Mum, how are you feeling? What happened?¡± I asked as I tried to stop tears from welling up in my eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I guess I was just tired,¡± she replied before smiling at me.


    ¡°Auntie gave me a call. We tried toe as fast as we could. Thank heavens you are ok¡­¡± I said before bending down to give her a hug.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine now. I just feel a little tired,¡± she said as she stroked my back.


    When I got the call, I had imagined that my mother to be in much worst shape. When I saw that she was conscious and still able to exchange conversation with me, I felt quite relieved. However, I still needed to talk to the doctor to find out what exactly was wrong with my mother. After chatting with her for a bit, I excused myself to go talk to the doctor in charge of my mother¡¯s case.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back. Please stay with Auntie for now,¡± I told her with a smile.


    I followed Ace into the doctor¡¯s office where he was waiting for us. After greeting us briefly, the doctor went right into my mother¡¯s case. I could tell that he was very busy and that he needed to get right to the point, which was also what I wanted.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. She probably felt dizzy and fainted because of umted fatigue. Stress might have yed a factor in what happened as well. Then again, this can happen sometimes because of her age,¡± he exined.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I murmured.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already given her some vitamins and nutrients that should help through the IV drip so she should be fine after some good rest,¡± the doctor told us.


    ¡°Thank you very much, doctor,¡± Ace thanked him politely.


    ¡°Thank you for your help,¡± I murmured.


    We left the office after the doctor exined a little more on how we should take care of my mother. I was relieved that it wasn¡¯t something serious; however, it quickly dawned on me that something like this could happen again. My mother wasn¡¯t going to get any younger as the days went by. There was no guarantee that she would not faint or get ill again while she was living alone.


    ¡°You should go and spend some time with your mother. Don¡¯t take too long, we should probably leave her to get some rest,¡± Ace advised.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Thank you¡­¡± I thanked him again.


    I felt like I needed to thank him not just for driving me all the way to the hospital but also for being the calm and collected one. While I was losing it, Ace remained level-headed and helped guide me through what had to be done.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just stay at my mother¡¯s ce or a hotel somewhere nearby here,¡± I suggested.


    It waste and I didn¡¯t want to burden Ace with the trouble of driving back. We didn¡¯t pack anything because we were in a rush, but I was sure that we could survive one night.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine if that¡¯s what you want to do. Should we head to your mother¡¯s house or a hotel?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to a hotel¡­¡± I replied while thinking that it would be easier that way.


    Auntie had volunteered to stay in the hospital with my mother. Although I wanted to stay, my mother was adamant that I should head back with Ace. Not wanting to argue with her, I decided to take my leave after telling her that I would be back to visit her tomorrow.


    ¡°She should be discharged tomorrow. You don¡¯t have to look so worried, Rina,¡± Ace said as he wrapped an arm supportively around my shoulders.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 479 Back with Him

    Chapter 479 Back with Him


    ¡°You¡¯re right but I still can¡¯t stop worrying,¡± I replied followed by a loud sigh.


    My mind felt so bogged down with various heavy thoughts as we drove to a nearby hotel. Ace remained silent as if he was giving me time to recover from the shock. I was thinking of so many things all at once that it made it hard for me to focus. The unbearable feeling of guilt made it very clear to me that I had to do something to change the situation before it became toote. I didn¡¯t like to regret the decisions that I¡¯ve made, but at that moment, I began regretting my choice of moving to the big city and away from home.


    It felt like a necessity at the time when I was chasing money just to make ends meet for both me and my mother. Then it was about chasing my dream career so that I would get to do what I wanted to do with my life. My mother had been nothing but supportive of ever since I was very young, and she was still supportive of me up until today. She neverined and always put me first. Somewhere along the lines, I created too much distance between us while I was too busy chasing my own ambitious dreams.


    I started dating Ace and my life became so entwined with his that in the end, I didn¡¯t have much time toe home. Putting the me on Ace or anything else wasn¡¯t right at all because all I had to me really was myself. The fear that it might be toote if I dyed my decision any longer was the factor that gave me thest push required for me to make the decision that I should have made quite some time ago.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name suddenly to get his attention.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Ace made a curious sound as he kept his eyes on the road.


    ¡°Is that offer still on the table?¡± I asked as I felt my heart beat faster in my chest.


    ¡°What offer?¡± he asked like he wasn¡¯t sure what I was talking about.


    ¡°The job offer. The offer for me to join yourpany. Do you still need someone in design?¡± I asked before biting on my lower lip.


    It did ur to me that since it had been a while, Ace might not be looking for someone for that position anymore. Since hispany had just started out and the team size was small, I wasn¡¯t sure if he was still interested in hiring me.


    ¡°Of course, it is. Are you sure that you¡¯ve thought this through properly?¡± he asked as he nced my way.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just feel like all of this happened because I was taking too long hesitating,¡± I replied honestly.


    ¡°What happened to your mother is more like an ident. You shouldn¡¯t me yourself,¡± Ace reminded me again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. I keep thinking that things might have turned out differently if I had been there or if I had been nearby. I could have helped her or be at her side to support her sooner...¡± I said sadly.


    ¡°Rina. It¡¯s not your fault,¡± he said firmly.


    ¡°Anyways, I think that it might be better if I¡¯m closer to her. If I quit my job and move to work with you then at least, I¡¯ll be closer to her during the day,¡± I exined what I had in mind.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound bad but what about your work at your current job?¡± Ace asked.


    Even though I had been thinking about the tradeoff on and off for so long, the answer didn¡¯t be so clear to me until that moment.


    ¡°I think that I¡¯ll be happier doing what you and your team are doing. Maybe I¡¯ve had enough of the normal traditionalmercials already,¡± I confessed.


    ¡°If you¡¯re sure then you can let me know when you want to start,¡± he said supportively.


    ¡°You don¡¯t sound so surprised with my decision,¡± I noted.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m not. If you want, we should just move to live around here for a while. We¡¯ll be closer to the office and also closer to your mother,¡± Ace suggested, and it made perfect logical sense.


    ¡°Are you sure that you¡¯re fine with that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be? Honestly, the only reason that we¡¯re still living in the city is because you work there. I don¡¯t want youmuting so far every day when you don¡¯t even have a car,¡± Ace pointed out.


    ¡°But are you really fine with moving?¡± I asked in disbelief.


    I grew up in this neighborhood and I was used to living away from the big city, but I wasn¡¯t sure if the same could be said about Ace. If we moved, we would no longer be staying at his ce either. For a moment I was surprised how rxed and casual Ace seemed to be about this while I considered it to be a big change for us.


    ¡°Why not? It¡¯s nice and peaceful out here. We can rx better, and it feels like fewer people are watching our every move. I focus more on work and it¡¯s closer to my office,¡± he replied smoothly.


    ¡°But¡­¡± I murmured without knowing what else to say.


    ¡°I guess it was the right decision to build the office around here,¡± Ace said before letting out a soft chuckle.


    ¡°Did you foresee this happening or something?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°Not exactly but I was thinking of moving out of the city for a bit and thought that it might be nice to be close to your mother,¡± he exined.


    ¡°But what if you don¡¯t like it here or if things don¡¯t work out?¡± I asked worriedly.


    ¡°What won¡¯t work out? By the way, I like it here just fine,¡± he replied confidently.


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you say¡­¡± I muttered.


    I guess he did have many valid points and it seemed to make sense. Honestly, I didn¡¯t know what else to say and perhaps that was because there was no need to. Just like that, we made the big decision to move to my old neighborhood.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 480 Final Day

    Chapter 480 Final Day


    **Around a monthter**


    After making the decision to quit my job and move to work with Ace so that we could be closer to my mother, I submitted my resignation formally into the system. Given the thirty day notice period, that meant that I had one month left at my old job. That one month passed by in the blink of an eye with the many loose ends that I had to tie up.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be yourst day here soon. I¡¯m still finding it hard to believe,¡± Elizabeth said as she stared at me from her side of the table.


    ¡°I¡¯m finding it hard to believe too. Thank you for your support and sorry for all the mess, I guess¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°Not at all. I¡¯m happy that Ace seems to be happy. He¡¯s off doing something of his own now and you¡¯re about to join him,¡± she said without much excitement.


    ¡°You¡¯re running this big empire,¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°Things are so busy, and I¡¯ve lost quite a few good people,¡± she said before rolling her eyes.


    ¡°I was surprised to hear about the deal that you made with Ace,¡± I confessed with a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I had a choice. The people who want to follow him will end up following him sooner orter, just like yourself,¡± she pointed out with a careless shrug of her shoulders.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right,¡± I murmured.


    Maybe Elizabeth knew that I would be moving to work with Ace before I even knew it myself. Since myst day wasing up soon, I thought that it would be only right for me to have a short chat with her to thank her. Regardless of what she told me before, I knew that she was very supportive of Ace and me when we were handling all the rumors and news in the media.


    ¡°Good luck and please take care of Ace. I hope he doesn¡¯t do something crazy¡­¡± Elizabeth said followed by augh.


    ¡°I will. Thank you,¡± I thanked her again.


    Although I knew that I would be seeing more of Elizabeth in the future because of the friendship that she shared with Ace, it felt like a chapter between us hade to a close. I spent some time packing up my things from my desk at the office into boxes as I prepared for myst day. I didn¡¯t think that I had so many things to pack but it seemed like my possession had piled up from the first day that I entered thepany. I was surprised at the number of coffee mugs that I had at the office and also the various small gifts and token of appreciation that I¡¯d received from my clients over the years.


    ¡°I told you that you didn¡¯t have toe and help me with this¡­¡± I said to Ace.


    Ace was insistent on helping me pack my things at the office. At first, I thought that he must have missed the office and was using that as an excuse toe into the office after quite a while.


    ¡°Just let me help you. How can I let you carry all this stuff by yourself?¡± Ace asked teasingly as he took a box from me.


    ¡°It¡¯s not even that heavy,¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°It is a little heavy. Plus, it¡¯ll be much faster with my help,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you just doing this because you miss being in this office?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not really. I¡¯m here because I have something to pick up as well,¡± he said.


    ¡°You do? What is it?¡± I asked curiously.


    I didn¡¯t think that Ace left anything in the office after he quit his position. I was still working as his personal secretary back then right until hisst day in the office, so I was quite certain that all of his things were packed up. There shouldn¡¯t be anything that was left behind as far as I was aware of.


    ¡°Come with me. We should go get it together,¡± Ace said.


    ¡­


    The guard gave me a look that told me that he had expected me to be back before he greeted Ace politely. Ace had led me to thepany¡¯s archives after telling me that there was something of his that he wanted to take back with him. After stepping into the archive, I had a pretty good feeling on what that something might be.


    ¡°Are you here to take back your old works?¡± I asked with my best guess.


    ¡°Some of them,¡± he replied casually.


    We walked along the rows of cabs and shelves that stored the various documents and files in the archive until we reached the section that I had visited many times before. It felt like not so long ago when I was here looking through Ace¡¯s past works in search of inspiration.


    ¡°Can you take them with you? I thought that they belonged to thepany and that¡¯s why they have to be stored here,¡± I asked with a mix of curiosity and worry.


    I nced over in the direction of the entrance where I knew that the security guard was standing on duty. It wasn¡¯t like I hadn¡¯t tried taking out Ace¡¯s work from the archive before, so I had good reason to know that it was not allowed and not possible.


    ¡°Why not? It should be fine. It¡¯s not like anyone wille down here to take a look at them anymore now that you¡¯re not going to be working here any longer,¡± he replied with a chuckle.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked, still unconvinced that it would be that easy.


    ¡°Strictly speaking, this is my work even though it was produced during the time that I was employed by thepany. Anyways, thepany doesn¡¯t really exist anymore either. Since the merger, there is no more Jessen¡¯s and Hay¡¯s either,¡± Ace exined before smiling at me.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I murmured.


    I eyed the cabs filled with files of Ace¡¯s past work while wondering how we were going to carry all of it out even if we were allowed to.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 481 Securing His Treasure

    Chapter 481 Securing His Treasure


    There was just too much paper and we probably needed a few trips to transport it all out even if we had a trolley. Ace began looking through the folders as if he was looking for something in particr.


    ¡°Are you looking for something?¡± I asked with the hope that I could help him search for whatever it was that he was looking for.


    ¡°No need. I¡¯ve already found it,¡± he said as he took a folder out of the cab.


    I watched curiously as he opened the folder and began flipping through the pages of a document. From where I was standing, I couldn¡¯t see very clearly what he was looking at. It did surprise me that Ace seemed to care about this past work now all of a sudden when he showed no interest in it before. Someone had told him that his old works were all disposed of and he seemed fine about it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I already got what I came here for,¡± he told me casually.


    ¡°That¡¯s it? I mean, you¡¯re not going to take the rest of it with you?¡± I asked in slight confusion.


    I honestly thought that he was going to take all his old work with him now that he had left thepany for good. It felt strange that he was just taking that one folder and that made me wonder what exactly was in the folder that made it important enough for Ace toe back to fetch it like this.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just leave the rest here¡­¡± Ace replied before walking off.


    ¡°Oh¡­Ok¡­¡± I mumbled softly as I eyed the rest of the documents that were being left behind a little sadly.


    Since the documents were non-living and did not have a heart and mind of their own, I doubted that they felt any kind of sadness or emotions. So, I must have been the only one that felt my heartache a little at the miserable fact that they were being abandoned to sit in the archive.


    ¡°I hope someone discovers you soon. Just like some treasure,¡± I whispered before smiling a little sadly to myself.


    ¡­


    Although Ace was no longer the CEO, his influence clearly remained. I was surprised that he made no effort whatsoever to hide the file that he had extracted from the archive. What was even more surprising was the fact that the guard made no move to stop Ace. I looked at the guard in disbelief as I recalled all the trouble that he gave me when all I wanted was to borrow some documents for the archive for just a little while.


    Ace turned and took my hand in his before leading me after him. I must have been walking too slowly as I recalled the various interactions that I had with the guard in my head. While trying to ignore the clear double standard of treatment, I focused on feeling thankful that everything was going smoothly just as Ace had wanted. Just when I thought that we were done with sorting out our things from the office, Ace seemed to have a different idea.


    ¡°Come with me for a bit, I have something to show you,¡± Ace said as he tugged slightly on my hand.


    ¡°Did you forget something again?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not quite¡­¡± he replied casually.


    ¡°I think I packed all of your things from your office already. Do you want to head there to check again?¡± I inquired.


    Since Ace quit his job, his office had been cleared out but as far as I was aware it was still vacant. Elizabeth took another office as hers when she moved in to work at this building although she also had another office in the Chase Creatives building as well.


    ¡°No,¡± Ace replied without pausing to think.


    I was more confused than before about what he had in mind. Ace led me into the elevator before pressing a button to the floor where he wanted to go. If I wasn¡¯t wrong, the floor where we were headed was where the procurement department was. By the time that we arrived on the floor, most people had already left work for the day. I¡¯ve worked a few times with the procurement team, but it had been a very long time since I¡¯ve been on this floor.


    ¡°This way,¡± Ace said before leading the way.


    All the while he made sure to hold my hand in his. In a way, I was d that there was no one there to see us together this way. The rows of office desks came into view, and I had to say that the procurement department seemed more orderly than what I was used to in the design department. As I began wondering why Ace had taken me there, he came to a stop in front of a normal worktable that looked just like the rest. The table was located right to the side of the room next to the window and had a view of the garden outside. There were many items on the table that showed signs of its current owner but there was nothing noteworthy or anything that drew my attention.


    ¡°Do you need something from this department?¡± I asked with the only guess that came to mind.


    ¡°I used to work here,¡± Ace stated simply.


    For a moment, I was surprised and didn¡¯t quite know how to take what Ace had just said. I mean, I knew very well that he used to work in thepany, but I was also sure that he never worked in the procurement department.


    ¡°Here¡­as in¡­?¡± I prompted him questioningly for more rification.


    ¡°Back when I started working in this building, the procurement department wasn¡¯t on this floor. Instead, this used to be the design and creatives department. The department was much smaller in terms of headcount than it is now, and it used to be located right here on this floor,¡± Ace exined as he looked around the now-empty office.


    I never knew that. Of course, it was normal for departments to shift and swap floors and move around within the building, but it didn¡¯t happen that often.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 482 Dark Beginnings

    ?


    482 Dark Beginnings


    Everyone wouldin to a certain degree when we had to go through a move because of the hassle of moving our things. Ace looked around and I could tell that he must be recalling some old memories that he had of this ce.


    "This used to be my table," he said as he reached out a hand and tapped softly on the desk in front of us.


    "I see. This must bring back some very good memories for you," I said with a smile.


    "Not really..." he replied softly.


    Did he just say ''not really''?


    "Oh..." I murmured when I realized that I might have said something inappropriate without thinking.


    Ace turned to grin at me and for a moment he had a sad faraway look in his eyes. I had always thought that Ace''s career must have been all rosy and smooth sailing given his family background. Apparently, I couldn''t have been more wrong.


    "I started working here even before I graduated from college. My father helped establish thepany and this is our family business. So, from a very young age, I already understood that I would end up working here one day and it would be just a matter of time before I had to take over the family business as the next CEO," Ace exined.


    He leaned against the desk and seemed to rx a little. It felt like Ace was truly opening up to me by telling me this story about himself. His words touched me and so did his sincere attitude. I couldn''t wait to hear more of what he wanted to tell me, and I could feel my chest tightening up in anticipation.


    "I did all my internships here at thispany and my father was still very active and involved in thepany back then," he continued with his story.


    "Did you like it?" I asked with a smile.


    In my mind I could imagine a younger Ace excitedly working on his internships at thepany and then starting out his fulltime job here. I knew his profile very well, so I already knew that his first job was at thispany. That was before things went south with his father and he ended up making his escape to start his ownpanies.


    "I loved it. Sometimes I think my father was very sessful in ingraining all his lessons in me, and because of that, I ended up looking forward to working here and liking my job. Then sometimes, I would think that it may have been what I''m naturally inclined to enjoy on my own," Ace replied with a smile.


    I could tell that Ace liked his job, although not the entire bulk of responsibility that came with it. However, I was sure that he was in love with the core of what he did. Creating and directing impactfulmercials must have been at the heart of Ace''s passion for his work. I believed that to be true now as well as back then.


    "I really enjoyed all of my internships and my first job working here as well. It felt like I could put all the things that I''ve learnt and all my passion into good use all at the same time. Back then, I thought that it was the perfect job for me. On top of that, my father was pleased that I was following in his footsteps and was on the right track to take over thepany," he said before pressing his lips into a thin line.


    A strange feeling came over me and I knew at that moment that the flowery story where everything seemed to be going so well woulde to a swift end. Ace had a slightly conflicted look on his face for moment before his expression rxed as if he hade to terms with everything and was willing to take it for what it was.


    ?


    "At first things went well. I adapted fast to how the team was working, and I was churning out good results. The clients liked my work, and I got the opportunity to work on even more important projects. Then that time of the year came around..." he said before grinning meaningfully at me.


    "The Ashfordpetition," I murmured.


    "That''s right. The Ashfordpetition came around, and for the first time, I was staffed on the team to represent thepany in thepetition. If you think that the Ashfordpetition is a very big deal today, imagine how big and important it was to thepany back then," he said before nodding his head slowly.


    I couldn''t quite imagine how big of a deal it actually was, but I knew that it must have meant everything for thepany and everyone working in it. Jessen''s and Hay''s became even more famous after winning the Ashfordpetition repeatedly year after year. However, the firstpetition that Ace got involved with was years ago, so it was very likely that up until that point thepany did not yet have the track record that it had today.


    "It must have meant everything..." I replied in short.


    "I was very excited to be part of the team. I was so determined and fired up that looking back, I realized that I must have ignored many signs. There were rumors of nepotism and that I was only chosen because I was my father''s son. Of course, I was used to hearing something like that ever since I was much younger, so it didn''t matter much to me at the time," Ace said beforeing to another pause.


    "Soundsplicated," Imented while trying to keep my tone light.


    "Very. Inefficientlyplicated. At first, I didn''t pay it any mind at all. Then I started having head on arguments with the project manager. We didn''t have the same views and I was too confident in myself and too stubborn to take much feedback," Ace said as a dark expression clouded his attractive facial features.


    I didn''t even want to imagine what kind of memories he was recalling from back in the days.


    --To be continued...

 Chapter 483 Destined Connection

    ?


    483 Destined Connection


    I wished that I could say that I fully understood the struggle that he went through but that would be me overestimating myself and overly simplifying his problems. 1


    "What happened in the end?" I asked.


    "In the end, things got so heated between us that we were splitting the team into two, almost literally. There were people who agreed with the manager while there were also many that agreed with what I had in mind. The key problem with the storyline and storyboard that I came up with were two things. Firstly, the concept was very holistic and indirect, which many thought would be hard for the audience to understand. The second issue was that the budget required to produce themercial that I wanted was over the top expensive," Ace exined before taking a pause.


    I wasn''t sure whatmercial he was referring to exactly, but I could see Ace stubbornly pushing for the idea that he truly believed would produce the best oue regardless of what other people had to say.


    "The atmosphere at work became toxic quickly after that and the team wasn''t making any progress. The deadlines became choking, and we were on the verge of running behind schedule if a decision wasn''t made regarding the storyboard that we were going to use," he went on with his story quite grimly.


    "I guess you somehow got them to go along with your storyline in the end..." I stated my guess.


    "That''s right. In the end, my father was the one who decided to approve the additional budget and we went along with the idea that I had," he confessed.


    Although he got what he wanted at the end of the argument, Ace didn''t look at all that happy about it. I could sense that something must have gone wrong with that project and thepany''s performance at the Ashfordpetition that year. Ace was silent for a moment, and I didn''t dare to disturb his thoughts or rush him into continuing his story. I wondered why Ace was suddenly telling me all this and doing all of this reminiscing of the past. Perhaps because I was now leaving thepany, he thought that he would have even less connection to the ce.


    It was strange because Ace and his father still owned arge chunk of thepany even if he no longer worked there. As long as this was still their family business, I didn''t see how Ace would bepletely separated from it.


    "Rina, do you remember themercial that you mentioned during your job interview? You know, the one you said inspired you to join this line of work and thispany," Ace asked abruptly as he turned to stare right at me.


    I felt like he had put me on the spot and although I was very confused about where this was going, I did remember very well the job interview that I had years ago when I first joined thepany. I remembered it very well partly because it was the interview thatnded me my dream job at my dreampany. However, the other reason that I remembered it so well was the fact that Ace was there as one of my interviewers on that day.


    "Of course, I do. How could I ever forget?" I replied truthfully.


    "I made thatmercial..." Ace stated bluntly as our eyes met.


    He made...thatmercial?


    "I see. So, it really was you..." I said before letting out a long sigh and nodding my head.


    It wasn''t like I didn''t see thising, but I just hadn''t gotten around to confirming the facts with Ace. I had no idea why, but a strange sense of relief came over me after his confession. He really was the one behind thatmercial that saved me, inspired me, and gave me a purpose in life for me to keep on going.


    "You don''t seem so surprised," Ace said with a slightly surprised look on his face.


    "Well, the truth is, Jeremy took me down to thepany''s archives and while going through the files down there, I stumbled upon your old works coincidentally," I replied before smiling a little.


    "Are you sure that it was coincidence?" Ace asked before grinning knowingly at me.


    "Fine. He took me down there to take a look at your old works to look for some inspiration. Out of all the people that we know and admire, we both agree that you''re the best at engaging people emotionally with yourmercials," I confessed softly.


    "And?" Ace prompted for me to continue.


    Why do I feel like I had done something wrong, and now I have to confess to my wrongdoings?


    "I was looking through the files of your past works and I happened to stumble on it. You know, the file outlining the idea and storyboard of themercial that I mentioned in my interview," I said.


    "You mean this, right?" Ace said as he handed me the file that he had taken from the archive earlier.


    I took the folder that he handed to me and opened it to see the exact documents that I had flipped through before when I was in the archive. My eyes widened when I realized that it was the files associated with thatmercial that he had taken from the archive. Back then it was hard for me to believe that themercial that had so much influence on me was actually Ace''s idea and work. It felt like too much of a coincidence and I wasn''t sure how to deal with this kind of surprise. My eyes narrowed and I sucked in a rapid breath when I suddenly realized something.


    ?


    "You knew?" I gasped with widened eyes.


    If Ace was telling me this now, then it could only mean one thing. Ace already knew since the day of the interview just how much his work had impacted and influenced me. Despite all that, he never said anything. He didn''t say anything about his ownership of the work during the interview and he never mentioned anything to me up until now.


    --To be continued...

 Chapter 484 Wheels of Fate

    ?


    484 Wheels of Fate


    "Of course," Ace replied with augh.


    Ace''sugh didn''t quite help to lighten the mood as my mind still struggled to process this sudden turn of events. I was surprised but it also felt like we had a special connection ever since back then.


    "I see. So thatmercial was something that you made for the Ashfordpetition back then. I really liked it just like I told you before so I''m d that you managed to get your way with themercial," I said before I found myself smiling.


    "It honestly makes me feel good to hear you say that, but I have to say that you''ve got some peculiar taste," Ace said almost teasingly.


    "What do you mean?" I asked.


    "Well, you''re probably one of the very few people that I know that actually liked thatmercial," Ace admitted.


    "People...did not like it?" I asked softly because I found it hard to believe.


    "Yup. Thatmercial was a major flop. It wasn''t well received at all by the public and even the Ashfordmittee members had a hard time connecting to it," Ace said before grinning wryly.


    "Oh..." I murmured without knowing what else to say.


    "Do you remember what I said to you when you told me about themercial during your interview?" he asked.


    "Umm...you said some pretty harsh things about it. I think you said something like...what''s the point of themercial if people can''t even tell what it''s supposed to sell..." I replied as I recalled the harsh response that Ace had to one of my responses during my job interview.


    My eyes widened when I felt like I had finally connected the dots and understood what he was trying to get at.


    ?


    "Now do you get it? Themercial might have been touching and inspiring to you, but it sucked at getting across the main messages that it was supposed to help sell," Ace said with a helpless shrug of his shoulders.


    "I see..." I murmured.


    I didn''t even want to imagine the harsh reality that Ace must have gone through when themercial wasunched. After going through so much trouble to get his way because he truly believed that it was the best way, he had to deal with the failure of themercial. Nothing turned out the way that he wished and expected that it would. I bit down on my lower lip when I realized that Ace must have been med by everyone in his team or even in thepany for how things turned out.


    "It was a mess, I assure you. It was a mess all around when themercial''s performance data starteding in. The entire team was disappointed and frustrated. My father was outright mad because he had invested precious money. Everyone in thepany was shocked," Ace said quite emotionlessly.


    He must have lived through that nightmare on repeat for a while already, so I was d that he seemed to have gotten over it to a certain degree even if notpletely.


    "I''m so sorry..." I whispered as I felt like my heart was about to break for him.


    "It''s not your fault, Rina. It was my fault for being cocky and overly confident in my ideas. The world doesn''t turn the way that we want and sometimes there''s just nothing that we can do about it. I was still new in the industry, and I have to admit that that was a big blow to my ego at the time. I don''t regret what I''d done but I made sure to learn from it," Ace exined.


    "It must have been so hard on you. I can''t even imagine...going through something like that," I murmured sadly.


    ?


    "Honestly, I wanted to quit. I doubted myself and what I was doing. What I thought was great was greatly criticized instead. It was overall a very difficult time; however, it also made me realize what I wanted to do," Ace said before he smiled.


    "Is that why you decided to leave thepany to start your own businesses?" I asked after figuring out that that may have been the reason behind Ace''s sudden withdrawal from his father''spany.


    "Correct. Actually, something made me realize that I might have been right even though it felt like the world was against me,¡± he said beforeing to a pause.


    "What is it?" I asked curiously.


    "One day while I was sitting here with my very stressed out colleagues, one of the team members alerted that someone had sent an email to our central project email to praise themercial," Ace said before grinning at me.


    I blinked a couple of times in disbelief. It was so long ago and that minor action that I had undertaken at the time had totally slipped my mind. Now that I thought back on it, I supposed I did send an email like that. From the way Ace was looking at me, I could tell that he was probably referring to the email that I had sent. It was so long ago that I no longer remembered exactly what I had written. Of course, I never truly thought that someone would actually read the email that I had sent, let alone for that person to be Ace of all people.


    Why else would he be telling me this?


    "Don''t tell me that you don''t remember. After all, you did sign your name at the end of the email," Ace said as he stared at me intently.


    "I guess I sort of remember..." I murmured while feeling slightly embarrassed.


    I honestly never thought that Ace would end up reading the email that I sent. My mind was suffering andgging a little from the sudden information overload. It was hard for me to piece everything together.


    "How long have you known?" I asked.


    Many things that I thought were mere coincidences came flooding back to me. That time that I met Ace at the park next to the office where he gave me loads of cash before suddenly stealing a kiss from me in return. How I met himter during my job interview. All the things that he said to me after I mentioned themercial that inspired me and changed my life.


    --To be continued...

 Chapter 485 Unregretful Past

    Chapter 485 Unregretful Past


    ¡°For a very long time now. Even before we officially met during your job interview,¡± he replied before grinning at me.


    Although I couldn¡¯t deny the fact that I¡¯ve seen the signs and some evidence along the way, I was still t out stunned by the truth. With all honesty, I didn¡¯t know what to say. All the emotions that welled up inside of me made my chest feel tight yet warm at the same time and I was at a loss for words. It just didn¡¯t feel like any words that I could say would urately tell him how I was feeling. I was surprised for sure, but at the same time, I didn¡¯t fail to realize just how thankful I was that things turned out this way between us.


    Somewhere and somehow, our fates were interwoven together and brought us together. I had no idea that we were somehow destined to meet and be together from such a long time ago. Although back then I had no idea who Ace was in person, the fact that I could rte to his work made me feel like I had a special connection to him. Of course, I did not realize until muchter that he was the one behind themercial that changed my life for the better.


    At first, I was very scared and wary of Ace even though I had a lot of respect for him and his talent when it came to his work. Even though things definitely started changing between us after he overheard Kyle breaking up with me and after that steamy one night stand that I had with him, I never thought that we would grow even closer. I looked at Ace and realized that it was now very difficult for me to imagine my life without him in it. That was just how dear and important he had grown to be to me and also proof of the vast impact that he has had on my life.


    ¡°Honestly, everything slipped from my mind until I saw your name in the list of candidates. Back then, I just returned to thepany to take over as the new CEO. Looking back, it does feel a little strange, but I recognized your name right away,¡± Ace said as he seemed to recall what happened on that day.


    I had always thought that it might have been just a wild coincidence that Ace was there as part of the panel that interviewed me but perhaps that wasn¡¯t the case at all. His eyes held mine while I remained silent. There wasn¡¯t anything that I wanted to say. If anything, I wanted to listen to everything that Ace had to tell me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if this will make everything just lose its charm and be less romantic, but it wasn¡¯t truly fate or a coincidence that I met you at the park that day or that I ended up as one of your interviewers,¡± Ace said before he took a pause.


    I could tell that he was gauging my reaction to what he had just told me. It felt like a confession, but at the same time, I didn¡¯t sense any guilt from Ace. There was nothing for him to feel guilty about. I wasn¡¯t sure how I should feel but l surely felt quite d that he did what he decided to do back then. Looking back in hindsight, it was all of his reckless actions back then that somehow brought us together the way that we were now.


    ¡°Not at all. I still think that it¡¯s fate and that it¡¯s romantic¡­and reckless in its own way¡­¡± I murmured in response.


    Ace must have thought that myment was amusing to a certain degree because he startedughing softly. Talking about the past with Ace now felt like we were pleasantly reminiscing. It must have been because we have been through so much together that we could look back and smile andugh about it.


    ¡°I thought you were so prideful and stubborn when you kept on insisting to return the money that I gave you. Back then, I just had the urge to help you out. I¡¯m not quite sure what was running through my head at the time, but it seemed like you needed help. So maybe just like how your email helped to cheer me up and give me the courage to keep on believing in what I did, I wanted to help you out when you needed it,¡± Ace said, and he suddenly sounded very serious.


    I could still remember his sudden offer to help me on that day. I wasn¡¯t sure if handing me so much cash was the right way to help me, but it must have helped in some way or another. At least, I was able to purchase a suit and shoes that were presentable for my job interview. I did have to trade a kiss for it, though.


    ¡°You have a strange way of helping people¡­¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right about that. I have no regrets about what I did. If anything, it might have been better had I made you my secretary sooner,¡± he said before grinning my way.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we should regret the past¡­¡± I replied softly.


    I knew well what Ace was referring to. After starting work at thepany, I was just a newbie at thepany on my very first job and he was the CEO. It felt like we were worlds away from each other and naturally never had the chance to run into each other for work or for anything else for that matter. During that time, I was busy adjusting to living in the big city and focusing on my first job. On top of it all, I started dating Kyle in secret and the thought of Ace all but slipped from my mind.


    Sometimes I too wondered how things would have turned out had I begun dating Ace right away instead of ending up with Kyle. It was honestly hard to imagine that I could get together with Ace if Kyle


    hadn¡¯t dumped me, and I hadn¡¯t gone out drinking like I did that night.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 486 Beginning Together

    Chapter 486 Beginning Together


    What I told Ace was how I truly felt. We shouldn¡¯t look back and regret the past or wonder how the future would have turned out had we made different choices back then.


    ¡°I like how things are now and we might not be here today without the past so¡­¡± I said before ending with a smile.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right about that,¡± Ace replied softly.


    ¡°I¡¯m still very surprised but I¡¯m also d that we managed to make it this far together,¡± I confessed honestly.


    ¡°We still have much further to go together, Rina,¡± Ace replied without hesitation.


    Thinking of that oldmercial brought everything into the right perspective and I fully understood what Ace had made up his mind to do. He was surely going to produce even more of thosemercials and drive impact in the way that he wanted. I was sure that money wasn¡¯t an issue for Ace and that hispany would be sessful.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to start working with you and everyone else,¡± I said without hiding my excitement.


    ¡°I¡¯ll work you hard¡­¡± Ace said teasingly.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I murmured his name when he reached for my hand and pulled me closer to him.


    I instinctively knew that he wanted to kiss me and that he was about to do just that without holding back. My body stiffened as my eyes nced around the unfamiliar office space. Suddenly, I was very conscious of the fact that we were in another department.


    ¡°Umm¡­¡± I made a hesitant sound when Ace wrapped his arms around my body.


    He held me close and pressed his body against mine. His familiar scent overwhelmed my senses and it felt like my walls of hesitation and resistance were ready toe crazy down. I could feel his eyes on me, but I didn¡¯t dare look up to meet his gaze in fear that I might lose controlpletely if I got captivated in his hazel eyes.


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± Ace called my name in a seductive drawl.


    There were cameras for sure and it was obvious that we shouldn¡¯t be doing this. In fact, both of us weren¡¯t even supposed to be here in someone else¡¯s department. My heart began racing a little faster and harder in my chest as his hands began stroking the small of my back suggestively.


    ¡°We might get into trouble for this¡­¡± I pointed out in a whisper.


    ¡°Who cares? You¡¯re quitting anyways¡­¡± Ace replied without missing a heartbeat.


    Before I could think up a way to stop him, Ace¡¯s lips were already on mine. His hand at the back of my head with his fingers buried in my hair made sure that he could kiss me at the angle that he wanted. I made a soft murmuring sound in my throat as I willingly let my eyelids slip closed. The heat of his lips on mine told me that this was really happening.


    Ace crushed his lips against mine from various angles before boldly thrusting his tongue in between my lips and into the wet depths of my awaiting mouth. The heat of his kiss filled my mouth along with his desire as his hands pushed against my back to press our bodies even tighter together. His tongue entwined with mine and it didn¡¯t take long for the desire thaty dormant inside of me to take over. I began kissing him back as our tongues danced together in a passionate dance that disyed our desire.


    ¡°Ace¡­please¡­not here¡­¡± I begged breathlessly in between our wet and wild kisses.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry back,¡± Ace said after hesitantly breaking our kiss.


    ¡­


    **3 monthster**


    It has been around three months since I started working with Ace at his newpany. This time, I was fully in charge of design and didn¡¯t double as his personal secretary. In truth, I wouldn¡¯t have minded, and I did volunteer for that position so that I could help Ace out. However, in the end, it was Ace who refused my offer to lend a helping hand.


    ¡°You should focus on your work. I don¡¯t have as many meetings as before and ourpany is small. I can manage on my own whether you believe it or not,¡± Ace said before showing me a smile that was too charming for my heart to handle.


    ¡°Are you sure? I think I¡¯ll have some free time to help, and I can take some of your calls,¡± I offered again.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that you can but it¡¯ll be better for you to focus on your work, and I am sure that I can handle my schedule,¡± Ace said with a firm nod of his head.


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡± I muttered as I decided to give in.


    Ace was right that without having to serve two roles at the same time, I could focus more time and effort on my work and personal improvement. I truly took note of the fact that Ace was still very considerate of me and my career. That had always been the case ever since I started working directly with Ace. I wanted to think that I was special; however, that was also true for the other employees that he worked with. It was clear to everyone that Ace had the professional development of all of his team members in mind.


    ¡°Are you ready for the client presentation tomorrow?¡± Ace asked.


    ¡°Yes, I am¡­¡± I replied with some confidence.


    ¡°You better be¡­¡± Ace said before he narrowed his eyes at me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have it all down. I¡¯ve got a few ideas so they¡¯ll at least like one of them,¡± I replied with a smile.


    Just three months into working at Ace¡¯s newpany and I was already busy handling the storyboards and design of three projects simultaneously. Presenting my work to the client directly became a new norm. On top of it all, the projects that I handled were the right mix of interesting and impactful. Transitioning and settling into my new job felt silky smooth and I can confidently say that I enjoyed my work more than before. Although I wished that settling into our new daily routine after moving from the city back to my old neighborhood would be as smooth sailing, that would be quite inurate.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 487 A Wedding

    Chapter 487 A Wedding


    Unexpectedly, my mother was very against the idea of the two of us moving into the neighborhood so that we could be closer to her. She was shocked when she found out that I had quit my job and was moving back. To put it bluntly, she med herself for the decision that I was ¡®forced¡¯ to make. It took multiple attempts for me to exin to her that this decision was also better for Ace and myself given that we would be working at his new office building.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you just gave up on your dream job to move back just so that you could be closer to me. This is ridiculous. I don¡¯t want something like this,¡± she said with a deep frown on her face.


    Just like always, my mother was a pro at putting me before herself. She must have thought that she was the one holding me back from pursuing my dreams. She didn¡¯t quite believe it when I told her that working with Ace would probably lead me closer to my real dream. On top of that, I learnt the hard way that my dream would nevere true if my mother wasn¡¯t living happily as well. In the end, it was none other than Ace who managed to convince my mother. She seemed to have developed the habit of trusting him and whatever he says more than the words of her own daughter.


    We moved into arge house with arge garden that wasn¡¯t located far from my mother¡¯s ce and our new office. There were too many rooms for the two of us, but my mother was still adamant about living in her old apartment. She tly refused our invitation for her to move in with us. Spending time with Ace both at home and at work made me feel like we had grown even closer to each other. I realized that this must be what it would be like if I ended up marrying Ace. Going to sleep together, waking up the following morning in the same bed, and then having a simple breakfast together before going to work together. We did almost everything together, but I still felt like I couldn¡¯t get enough of Ace in my life.


    ¡°Are you free this Saturday?¡± Ace asked all of a sudden.


    I wondered what he had in mind as I stared at him from across the dining table where we were enjoying our simple breakfast without needing to rush. There were clear perks to living close to our office in an area where the traffic was light, and rush-hour didn¡¯t quite exist.


    ¡°I think so. Is there somewhere that you want to go?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°Just keep your day free,¡± Ace replied before grinning at me.


    ¡°Ok¡­¡± I murmured in reply as I wondered what kind of ns he hade up with.


    ¡­


    Saturday came around eventually and all I was told was to dress up pretty. That was exactly what I did while I wondered what kind of romantic date Ace had nned for us this time around. We travelled into the city for our date, and I soon found myself at a very famous church. Judging by how full the parking lot was, I could tell that some sort of event was taking ce.


    ¡°Is there an event of some sort happening here?¡± I asked curiously when we both stepped out of the car.


    ¡°A wedding, to be precise,¡± Ace replied before winking at me.


    ¡°A wedding¡­¡± I murmured.


    Since I didn¡¯t know anyone who was getting married on that day and had not received an invitation, I figured that Ace must have brought me along to one of his friend¡¯s weddings.


    ¡°Come along, Rina. I don¡¯t think we should bete for this one,¡± Ace said as he inteced his fingers with mine and held my hand tightly in his.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± I replied softly in agreement.


    Ace led me toward the church where we walked past a very nice garden. There was a crowd of people gathered as they waited to enter the church. A couple of people came up to greet Ace when they saw him. To be honest, I didn¡¯t recognize most of the people who came to greet Ace, but I could single out a few celebrities among the crowd.


    ¡°This is Karina, my girlfriend,¡± Ace introduced me smoothly to everyone without them having to ask.


    I guessed that the inquisitive way that they looked at me served as a question in and of itself. Ace immediately picked up on this and saved me the trouble of introducing myself. Although I found it slightly embarrassing and a bit much for him to directly introduce me as his girlfriend to practically everyone that stuck up a conversation with him, I found myself feeling rather pleased. Despite our public announcement regarding our rtionship, I was sure that many people still wanted to hear it directly from Ace in person.


    I made sure to smile pleasantly at everyone and reply to their questions politely. Despite my efforts to appear and sound natural, I was certain that I sounded awkward and robotic during our conversations with the first few people that came up to talk to us. As time went by, I felt like I was getting the hang of things and the conversations that we had seemed to flow a little smoother. I felt a little less nervous than before and I also started getting used to everyone¡¯s reaction when Ace formally introduced me as his girlfriend. Surprisingly, I didn¡¯t feel any hostility or resistance from the people that we met. If anything, I felt like everyone was simply curious and then pleasantly surprised and d that we were dating.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s time that we head inside. I think the ceremony is about to start,¡± Ace told me.


    I nodded my head and let him lead me into the church along with the other honorable guests. The church was decorated borately with so many white roses and lilies that it took my breath away upon first nce. Whoever was getting married didn¡¯t spare any expense on their flower decorations at all.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 488 Sometime Soon

    Chapter 488 Sometime Soon


    ¡°Umm¡­who¡¯s getting married?¡± I asked as I seated myself down next to Ace.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see soon enough,¡± Ace replied before showing me what I thought looked like a slightly mischievous grin.


    That grin of his made me wonder if it would be someone that I knew. Since we have been dating in secret for so long, I had to admit that I didn¡¯t know many of Ace¡¯s friends at all. Not long after our rtionship became public information and known to everyone, we decided to move out of the city, so I haven¡¯t met many of Ace¡¯s friends. I have not heard anything about a wedding happening before this either.


    A short while after everyone had settled down in their seats, the band began to y the ssical wedding march. My eyes along with everyone else¡¯s were drawn to the closed double door of the church where we knew that the bride would emerge with her father. Her groom was already waiting for her in front of the altar. I did not recognize the groom at all, but I had to say that he was very good looking, and his white tuxedo only added to his alluring charms.


    The door opened slowly, and the bride was escorted in by her father. The veil over her face made it hard for me to figure out who she was or if I even knew her. The music continued ying as the bride and her father walked along the aisle. Since I couldn¡¯t recognize the bride even after she had walked past the row where I was seated, I decided to simply sit back and enjoy the rest of the ceremony and event. It did ur to me that perhaps Ace just needed someone to apany him to this event, and as his girlfriend, I was his natural choice.


    ¡°You don¡¯t recognize her?¡± Ace whispered close to my ear.


    ¡°No¡­not really¡­¡± I replied back in a whisper.


    The two of them were now exchanging their vows and they were too far away for me to see their faces in detail. The bride was blonde, and she looked extremely happy, which made sense considering that it was her wedding day. The white wedding gown that she had on looked very stunning with all thece and the very long train that trailed behind her back.


    ¡°I¡¯ll introduce you to themter,¡± Ace said before grinning at me.


    ¡°Ok¡­¡± I murmured in reply.


    There was a reception out in the garden that naturally came after the ceremony. The beautiful garden at the back of the church was very spacious and beautifully decorated for the special asion. The weather made it feel like the perfect day to have a wedding celebration outdoors. The gentle breeze blew against my skin as I stood next to Ace while I eyed the food that was on disy.


    ¡°Hungry already?¡± Ace asked.


    ¡°A little¡­¡± I admitted with a smallugh.


    ¡°The newly married couple is here,¡± Ace informed me with a pleasant smile.


    I turned around just in time to see the bride and groom emerging out of the church. The bride had taken the time to change into a shorter white dress that looked much easier for her to move around in. When the couple came into full view, I felt slightly stunned that I could put a name to the face of the bride after all.


    ¡°udia?¡± I gasped in shock before turning to face Ace as I demanded an answer from him.


    ¡°Yup. Dear udia finally got the wedding that she wanted,¡± Ace said beforeughing a little.


    ¡°Oh¡­I see¡­wow¡­¡± I muttered as I kept staring at udia.


    By that time, she was no longer pregnant and had given birth. On top of that, she had already managed to lose all the weight that she gained judging by her slim figure. I couldn¡¯t stop staring at her as a warm feeling crept into my chest. Although she did put our rtionship through a tumultuous period, I had her to thank for the chance to test the strength of our rtionship. Through that incident, I truly believed that Ace and I grew closer and came to trust each other even more than before. The misunderstanding that she caused to get Ace to help her probably ended up paying off for both of us.


    For my case, I learnt to trust Ace more than before and to listen to what he had to say and exin. As for her, it was clear that she got the wedding that she had wished for. Thevish wedding that we attended was probably what she had dreamt of all along. It truly looked and felt like the perfect wedding that suited her image perfectly. udia looked so happy as she greeted her guests with her husband at her side.


    ¡°Congrattions you two¡­¡± Ace said when it was finally our turn to greet the couple.


    ¡°Thank you. d that you could make it. We need to catch up sometime soon,¡± the groom said with a smile before nodding politely my way.


    ¡°Congrattions on your wedding¡± I said before showing them a genuine smile.


    ¡°What about you two? When will you guys get married?¡± udia asked before smiling teasingly at us.


    I knew that she just wanted to tease us, but I felt my body stiffening at the question. It had been a while since thest time that Ace brought up the idea of marriage and I wasn¡¯t sure if I was ready for something like that. At least that was what I thought up until the moment that I was asked so directly about it by udia. Seeing her getting married and so happy did have an unexinable impact on me. It wasn¡¯t like I hadn¡¯t attended weddings before but that was the first time that I started feeling and seeing things differently.


    ¡°Soon,¡± Ace replied before I felt him wrap his arms around my waist.


    W-What?


    I turned to Ace with a stunned expression on my face at his confident reply. It just felt like he didn¡¯t even need the time to think it through. The funniest thing was that I had started to wonder how soon he meant by ¡®soon¡¯.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 489 The Right Move

    Chapter 489 The Right Move


    ¡°Great. We¡¯ll be waiting for the good news,¡± udia said before sheughed happily.


    It was hard for me to believe that this happy and cheerful woman standing in front of me was the same moody and aggressive woman that turned up while pregnant to see Ace in his personal office. I wondered if Ace ended up helping her in the end. Regardless, I was happy that she finally got what she wanted and that the both of them looked very happy. I watched the two of them walk away from us to greet their next guest.


    ¡°She looks so happy. I¡¯m so happy for her¡­¡± I said wistfully.


    ¡°This is the perfect time for them to get married before udia bes pregnant again with their second child,¡± Ace replied.


    ¡°They¡¯re going to have another one?¡± I asked with some excitement.


    ¡°I think so,¡± Ace replied with a smile.


    ¡°Seems like everything is working out well for her and her family,¡± I murmured as my eyes continued following udia.


    ¡°It¡¯s better that way. I hope things stay peaceful on all fronts so that she wouldn¡¯t disturb us¡­¡± Ace said before letting out a sigh.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right,¡± I immediately agreed with him on that one.


    ¡­


    After leaving udia¡¯s wedding, Ace mentioned the idea of going shopping together before we headed back. There wasn¡¯t anything that I wanted or needed to buy but I didn¡¯t mind tagging along to do some window shopping.


    ¡°Is there something that you need to get?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°Not really¡­¡± he replied casually.


    We spent some time just walking hand-in-hand as we checked out various fashion boutiques. It felt nice and rxing to wander around aimlessly with Ace. After a busy week at work, letting the mind rest seemed like the right way to handle things.


    ¡°Anything caught your fancy?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Everything looks nice and so trendy, but I don¡¯t want anything,¡± I replied honestly.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ace inquired with a slightly doubtful look on his face.


    ¡°Yes. Just looking around is good enough,¡± I answered before smiling at him.


    Ace didn¡¯t push the matter and we spent some more time wandering from boutique to boutique just enjoying what they had to offer. Suddenly, my phone started ringing in my handbag.


    ¡°It¡¯s mum¡­¡± I murmured as I felt my chest clench slightly with worry.


    I have to admit that ever since that incident where my mother was sent to the hospital in the middle of the night that I have always developed a sense of worry whenever I receive a call from her. Although I knew that it was unhealthy for me mentally, I couldn¡¯t stop myself from wondering if something had gone wrong again.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to answer that?¡± Ace asked when he realized that I seemed to be hesitating.


    ¡°Hi¡­¡± I answered the call while trying to sound as bright and cheerful as I could.


    ¡°Rina, what are you up to right now?¡± my mother asked on the phone.


    ¡°I went to a wedding with Ace in the city and now we¡¯re just window shopping at one of the malls. Is there something that you need?¡± I asked as I tried to suppress my worries.


    ¡°Oh, I see. I was just wondering if the two of you would be free for dinner tonight,¡± my mother asked invitingly.


    I nced over at Ace before mouthing the question to him. Ace quickly nodded his head to indicate that he was indeed free to have dinner with my mother. Since moving into our new house, having dinner with my mother wasn¡¯t an unusual urrence for us. I had dinner with my mother often when Ace had to go have dinner with the clients; however, it wasn¡¯t rare for Ace to join me and have dinner with my mother together. I felt extremely grateful for all the effort that he put in to keep my mother involved in our lives. I didn¡¯t want to imagine what it would have been like if Ace and my mother didn¡¯t get along.


    My mother was always in high spirits whenever we visited, and she got along well with Ace. It was clear that she found his presenceforting and enjoyable. It took me a while to convince my mother that she didn¡¯t have to cook for us and that it was easier to order food in instead.


    ¡°You¡¯re here!¡± My mother greeted us excitedly.


    ¡°Yup! Ace is here too,¡± I replied gleefully.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. I¡¯m so happy that you can join us for dinner today,¡± my mother said before her smile widened.


    ¡°We bought a lot of food,¡± Ace announced as he held up the bags containing the food that we had bought for dinner.


    Watching Ace and my mother chat over dinner was a source of peace for me. Moments like these helped to reinforce the fact that the decision that we made to move was the right one. For once in a very long time, everything in life felt settled and right. Everything was going well at work for me, and Ace¡¯s business was truly taking off. My mother seemed healthy, and the doctor told us that there wasn¡¯t anything to worry about thest time that we went for her health checkup.


    ¡°Rina, are you ok?¡± Ace asked all of a sudden.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m fine. Sorry, I was just spacing out a little¡­¡± I replied before smiling at both of them.


    I had to admit that I was too lost in my own thoughts to pay attention to what they were discussing. To gloss over that, I shoved some food in my mouth ands started chewing beforementing that it tasted great.


    ¡°Oh, I just remembered that I need to pick up something from a friend. I¡¯ll be back in a while,¡± my mother said as she got up from her seat.


    ¡°What is it? Do you want me toe with you?¡± I quickly offered.


    ¡°No need. I¡¯ll be fine and it won¡¯t take long. Just stay here with Ace,¡± my mother quickly replied.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 490 The Proposal

    Chapter 490 The Proposal


    She was already walking toward the door. I cocked my head to the side when the door closed behind her and I was left alone in the room with Ace.


    ¡°I wonder what¡¯s up with that¡­¡± I muttered curiously.


    ¡°I think she¡¯s giving us personal time and space with the hope that I will surprise you,¡± Ace replied before grinning at me.


    I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, and I ended up cocking my head to the side as I stared at the mischievous sparkle that shone in his hazel brown eyes.


    ¡°Surprise me?¡± I repeated his words questioningly.


    ¡°I guess we shouldn¡¯t disappoint your mother¡­¡± Ace said as he slowly stood up from his seat.


    I stared at him as I failed to understand what he was about to do. At the same time, all I could really do was stare at him in wonder because I didn¡¯t know how to react or what I was supposed to do. A strange tightness in my chest and a nagging feeling at the back of my mind told me that something major was about to happen although I wasn¡¯t exactly sure what it was supposed to be. Ace had a slightly amused expression on his face, and I could tell that he was enjoying teasing me with whatever it was he was nning to do.


    Ace stood close to me before suddenly dropping down on one knee. I blinked in surprise while telling myself that this couldn¡¯t possibly be what I thought that it was. It felt so random, out of ce, and extremely sudden. Within that short span of moment, I had already convinced myself that it was nothing and thinking that it was anything would just be me getting way ahead of myself. With that thought in mind, my mouth hung open when Ace brought out a small box that truly resembled a ring box.


    It can¡¯t be¡­


    Ace smiled at me charmingly before he slowly opened the box. I had no idea why I was so shocked at that moment, but I was so shocked that there was a diamond solitaire ring inside the box. The huge diamond sparkled in the light like it had a life of its own. My entire body stiffened as my heart thumped fast and hard in my chest. I must have forgotten to breathe for a few seconds and then I simply started to panic inside.


    ¡°You look so shocked¡­¡± Ace teased me before letting out a giggle.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± I muttered as my mind raced toprehend the entirety of what was happening.


    Ace¡¯s smile widened as he smiled up brightly at me. His smile only made my heart race faster in my chest. Once I managed to somewhat get a hang of myself, I quickly stood up to discover that my legs were shaking.


    ¡°Marry me, Rina¡­¡± Ace said simply before he showed me a smile that made my heartache with emotions.


    Although I should have known that a marriage proposal was on the way given the fact that he was down on one knee and he even had a diamond ring out and ready, I still couldn¡¯t quite believe it until those words came out of his mouth. Ace looked at me with longing eyes as he waited for my answer.


    Whenever I thought about us getting married, I would worry endlessly about what would happen to us and what the future would hold. It felt scary and it felt like there were just too many unknowns. However, I had to say that my mind couldn¡¯t have been clearer than it was at that moment.


    It felt like I knew by some ingrained instinct that this was also what I wanted. Whatever doubts and worries that I had beforepletely vanished from my mind, and I felt a sense of determination and courage. I felt so lost in Ace¡¯s mesmerizing gaze that I forgot for a moment that he was still waiting for my answer.


    ¡°I guess we can always have a baby together first before we get married if that is what you preferred,¡± Ace said before smiling up at me again.


    I could tell that he was probably only half joking. Having a baby with Ace surely didn¡¯t sound like a bad n at all.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get married first¡­you know¡­before we have a baby¡­¡± I replied softly.


    Despite feeling so shy and self-conscious all of a sudden, I couldn¡¯t stop smiling at the same time. Ace¡¯s eyes visibly lit up and I could feel his happiness as if it was my own feeling as well. His smile widened as he reached for my left hand and held it ever so gently in his. His touch felt so warm and so secure.


    ¡°I take that as a yes,¡± Ace said while sounding clearly satisfied.


    Ace looked so confident so I was sure that he knew that I wouldn¡¯t turn him down this time around. It felt impossible for me to reject his proposal given how much I also wanted to marry him and share a future with him. Building a family with Ace felt like the most magical thing ever and I couldn¡¯t quite believe that he was giving me the opportunity to stay by his side.


    Ace slowly slipped the wedding ring on my ring finger. The ring felt slightly cold as it slid down to the base of my finger. Surprisingly, the ring was a perfect fit, but I guessed that Ace could figure out a detail like this if he put his mind to it. The diamond sparkled so vibrantly as it reflected light. Ace smiled at me, and my heart skipped a beat as I stared directly into his eyes.


    ¡°I feel like I might faint¡­¡± I confessed before I could stop myself.


    I pressed my right hand t against my chest to feel the rushed beating of my heart. Ace brought my left hand to his lips and kissed the back of it romantically. Despite the fact that we were simply alone in my mother¡¯s humble apartment room, everything about that moment felt so perfect and right.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 491 Private Celebration

    ?


    491 Private Celebration


    "Don''t faint, Rina," Ace warned me yfully.


    That was when I realized that Ace was still on one knee. I quickly tugged on his arm with both my hands to urge him to get back up on his feet.


    "You should get up," I said as I pulled on his arm.


    "Thank you, Rina," Ace thanked me.


    "It''s not a problem..." I replied shyly.


    Ace continued to hold my hand even when he was up on his feet. He was standing so close to me, and I could feel his eyes on my face. We were acting so casually with each other up until not so long ago, so I wasn''t sure why I suddenly felt so shy and aware of his presence close to me. I could no longer meet his eyes.


    "I meant, thank you for agreeing to marry me, Rina," Ace said.


    "Ace..." I whispered his name as I felt warm emotions bubbling up deep inside my chest.


    Ace pulled me into his embrace as he wrapped his arm around me and held me tightly. I hugged him back immediately as I felt tears well up in my eyes. Reality was just sinking in that he had just proposed to me, and I had just agreed to marry him. Soon, we would be man and wife and we would spend the rest of our days together. The thought warmed me up inside and I hugged Ace even tighter as if I was scared that he might disappear into thin air along with what had just transpired.


    "I love you, Rina," Ace whispered to me passionately.


    Before I could tell him that I was truly in love with him too, his lips were on mine. His kiss felt so sweet and loving that my lips felt like they might melt beneath his. I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around his neck to draw him closer to me so that I could kiss him back. When his tongue sought entry into my mouth, I parted my lips willingly to ept its entrance. His heat filled my mouth as he thrusted his tongue inside its wet depths. I made soft whimpering sounds of pleasure in my throat as our tongues entwined.


    Our sweet kiss quickly turned wetter and hotter with our tongues engaging in a hungry and passionate dance. It felt like I couldn''t have enough of Ace, yet at the same time, I wanted to savor this sweet moment a little longer before our passion took over. Ace kissed me from a different angle before grinding his tongue against mine. I kissed him back without holding anything back as his hands stroked their way down my back to my waist.


    "Ace..." I whispered his name breathlessly as I struggled to catch my breath once he had freed my lips.


    Our eyes met and then his lips were on mine again. This time, our kiss was hot and filled with our need for each other right from the start. He thrusted his tongue deftly into my mouth and my tongue met his eagerly.


    Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. I almost jumped out of my skin at the sudden interruption. I quickly returned to my senses to realize that I had been kissing Ace in my mother''s apartment while waiting for her toe back.


    But...why would she have to knock?


    "I''ll get that," Ace said before grinning regretfully at me.


    Ace opened the door while I adjusted my clothes and concentrated on taking deep breaths to calm myself down. Without any surprise, it was my mother returning from her errand. What was surprising was what she held in her hands.


    "Mum?" I said questioningly as my eyes widened.


    "Congrattions, Rina!" she cried out happily as she thrusted the cake that she was holding in her hand toward me.


    I looked down at the glowing lit candles on the cake before my gaze returned to my mother''s smiling face. She clearly must have known that Ace was going to propose to me. I truly wondered when these two got up to nning this together.


    "Thank you..." I thanked her as I felt tears swimming in my eyes.


    "You better blow out the candles!" my mother reminded me excitedly.


    Blowing out candles and eating cake was always my mother''s way of celebrating everything. Just as she had always told me, I remembered to make a wish silently with my eyes closed before blowing the candles. My mother put the cake down on the dining table before turning to face me and opening her eyes up to me. I flew into her arms and hugged her tightly.


    "Wow, this is some ring..." my mother said when we finally ended our hug.


    She held my left hand in hers as she eyed the engagement ring that Ace had put on me. I could feel Ace watching us and couldn''t stop myself from turning to smile at him.


    "It''s probably too eye-catching," I mumbled my honest thought.


    "I don''t think so. I think that it looks perfect on you," Ace quickly corrected.


    "I guess when ites to diamonds, the bigger the better..." my mother agreed with augh.


    "You two nned this together, didn''t you?" I asked in a teasing usatory tone.


    It was no wonder Ace got my ring size perfectly right if he had my mother as his aplice in all of this. Ace grinned at me before turning to smile at my mother. I knew that I was spot on correct. I had thought that the two of them got along more than decently well but I realized then that they actually might have gotten along well even beyond my expectations.


    "Surprise!" my mother cried out happily beforeughing.


    The best thing about knowing that my mother was involved in nning this proposal was the fact that it meant that she truly approved of me marrying Ace. It wasn''t surprising given how she seemed to dote him on so much, but it did save us the effort of breaking the news to her. On top of that, I was so happy that my mother was there to share the moment with us.


    --To be continued...¡ü

 Chapter 492 Honoring His Promise

    ?


    492 Honoring His Promise


    "Thank you so much. This really is the perfect proposal," I said before smiling warming at the two of them.


    "Well, I''m d that you kept the promise that you made," my mother said to Ace.


    "What promise?" I asked with widened eyes.


    It felt like I had missed out on something important, and I didn''t quite like the fact that the two of them seemed to share so many secrets between them. I had no idea what my mother was referring to but it was clear as day that Ace knew exactly what she was talking about. I turned to Ace as I demanded silently with my eyes for his exnation.


    "Well, do you remember that day when we came to your mother''s house?" Ace asked calmly.


    "Which day? We came here so many times before..." I asked in return.


    "The day where we had that issue...with udia..." Ace replied.


    "Yes, I do..." I replied as I wondered where this was going.


    "On that day I had a chance to talk to your mother. More like she spent some time telling me off..." Ace exined before stopping and letting out a smallugh.


    "You did?" I turned to ask my mother.


    "Well, he did make you feel very upset," my mother replied before shrugging her shoulders.


    "Don''t me your mother, even I think she did the right thing at the time. If I were in her shoes, I would probably do the exact same thing. She basically told me that if I wasn''t serious about dating you, then she would highly appreciate it if I would leave you alone. Your mother was very serious and...she said that your life was already tough enough the way that it was..." Ace exined solemnly.


    I had absolutely no idea that such a conversation had taken ce between them. That misunderstanding was very harsh on us back then and I felt truly hurt back then. Thankfully, it didn''t take too long for Ace to clear up the misunderstanding. I came back to my mother''s ce and along with my arrival, I must have brought her many worries as well.


    "I might have been too aggressive, but I thought that if he wasn''t serious about you, then you two might as well just break up. So, I begged him to leave you if he had no intentions of marrying you in the future. To my surprise, Ace confidently promised that he would marry you soon when the time was right," my mother exined before smiling at us.


    "And here I am keeping my promise," Ace dered proudly.


    I was frankly rendered speechless. Ace did bring up the topic of marriage to me a few times before, but I found it hard for me to believe that he was truly being serious about it. Then again, I didn''t feel like I was ready for it back then. All this time, I was oblivious to the promise that Ace had made to my mother. His honest intentions made my heart swell in my chest as I appreciated him even more.


    "Thank you, Ace..." I thanked him with all my heart.


    ....


    **Around a monthter**


    Our wedding took ce on what I felt was the most perfect day ever. Ace was the one who picked the date because he ''couldn''t wait any longer'' for us to get married. I would have picked a muchter date that would allow for months of preparation, but Ace wouldn''t hear of it.


    "I''ll pay the organizers and they will do everything. Plus, you want to have a small and private wedding, right?" Ace pointed out quite correctly.


    "Right..." I murmured in agreement.


    Since so many parts of our rtionship was public such as that time when rumors of us dating leaked out or that time when we had to host a press conference to announce that we were really dating, I couldn''t bear to think that our wedding would turn out into such a public affair as well. It would prove to be a nightmare and that wouldn''t match the dream wedding that I had in mind at all.


    I wanted something small, private, and very simple. With what I had in mind, I doubted if we even needed an organizer. It was only when Ace picked a wedding date not so much over a month from the day that he proposed that I had to admit that getting help from some professionals might help. I couldn''t ignore the fact that I didn''t want to take time off from work to prepare for my wedding even if it was supposed to be a once in a lifetime event.


    After telling the organizers what I had in mind, they did a truly professional job of delivering. Although the wedding that I had in mind was supposed to be very private, that didn''t mean that we settled for a small venue. Ace''s father had a church in mind already that was closely associated with his family. Since I didn''t have a venue in mind, I didn''t mind going along with his choice to minimize any potential issues. To my surprise, Ace''s father congratted us upon hearing that I had epted Ace''s proposal and that now we were engaged to be married.


    Just like Ace, his father was a man of his words. He kept the promise that he made to Ace and to me after Ace had fulfilled the conditions that he had set. The Chairman seemed to havee to terms with the fact that Ace has chosen me to be his life partner. Although he wasn''t so visibly thrilled like my mother was, he acted respectful and reasonable.


    "Is this what you had in mind?¡± Ace asked as he stood by my side.


    We arrived at the church early in the morning to prepare for our wedding ceremony that would take ce in the next few hours. After the ceremony, there will be a simple lunch reception in the garden. The guest list was kept to a bare minimum with only close family members, colleagues, and friends.


    --To be continued...

 Chapter 493 Our Dream Wedding

    ?


    493 Our Dream Wedding


    To my surprise, Ace was firm with his father so that his business partners would not be on the guest list. At the end of the day, the Chairman had to give his approval for Ace to have his way. I knew that Ace must have done that out of respect for my wishes.


    The white church decorated with a mix of white and light pastel pink and blue flowers gave off the slightly fairytale vibe that I had in mind. In fact, the set up and decoration looked better than what I could have imagined in my mind. The inside of the church was decorated with the same theme of flowers.


    "This is better than what I had in mind..." I told Ace honestly.


    "I''m d to hear it. Let''s have a wonderful wedding, Rina," Ace said before showing me a smile so charming that my heart skipped a beat.


    He reached for my hand and entwined his fingers with mine before giving my hand a soft and encouraging squeeze. I suddenly felt so excited and the wedding that was about to start felt more real than ever.


    "You''re right. Let''s really enjoy this as much as we can," I replied happily.


    "We should get dressed..." Ace pointed out.


    "Absolutely, we don''t want to bete," I replied before letting out a giggle.


    ...


    Everything about our wedding was truly perfect. It felt like the heavens were smiling down on us along with the soft warm glow of the sunlight. It felt like the angels were singing us praise and sending us well wishes every time that the breeze blew gently. Since my father had passed a long time ago, he wasn''t there to walk me down the aisle. I was too young when he left this world for me to have any memories of him, but I found myself thinking of him on one of the most special days of my life. His absence wasn''t at all an issue because I still had my mother to do me the honors of walking me down the aisles.


    "Are you sure about this?" she asked when I brought the idea up to her.


    "Of course, I am. If not you, then who else? It just has to be you, mum," I replied as I felt tears stinging the back of my eyes.


    "Of course, I''ll do it. I''ll do anything for you," my mother replied before pulling me into her embrace.


    In the end, it was my mother who ended up getting emotional and crying on that day. After getting dressed, we were both ready to enter the church where the guests were waiting for us. Most importantly, I knew that Ace was waiting for me.


    "Just reminding you that I will count down after the band has started ying. Then the doors will slowly open. The spotlight will shine on you and that is your queue to start walking. Best of luck and watch out for your dress," the head of the organizer team exined to me onest time.


    "Are you nervous?" my mother asked teasingly as she gave my hand a squeeze.


    I was sure that she was just as nervous as I was. Simply put, I was so nervous that my legs were shaking, but at the same time, I couldn''t wait to walk in there and along the aisle until I could stand at Ace''s side in front of the altar.


    "A little..." I whispered in reply.


    When it was our turn to enter, the church doors slowly opened for us to enter. The sound of the live band ying a ssical wedding song surrounded us and added to the mood of the wedding. The golden light shining down on us felt like a sign from above. My close colleagues were there along with my close friends. Then there were people from Ace''s side of the family, his colleagues, and his friends.


    I didn''t realize much of anything partly because I was so nervous as I slowly made my way down the aisle with my mother by my side. The other part was because my attention was sucked it by the man wearing a white tuxedo who was waiting for me at the end of my walk at the altar. Ace looked much more stunning than the day when we tried on our wedding outfits together. I thought he looked bewitchingly attractive then as well, but the real day just hits differently.


    "Please take care of my Rina," my mother said softly as she ced my hand in Ace''s.


    "Of course, I will. I promise," Ace replied with a gentle smile.


    His hand holding mine felt warm and firm. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes, but I had to desperately hold them back because the ceremony was about to start, and I didn''t want to look like a mess. My mother turned to me and offered me onest smile before she left the two of us alone in front of the altar.


    We exchanged our wedding vows the very standard way. Just as I had requested, I wanted to keep everything as simple as possible. Now with the exchanging of rings, we would be Man and Wife. Feeling the wedding band slide along my ring finger to join thepany of the engagement ring that Ace gave me made me feel conscious of the heavy responsibility and also the overwhelming joy of bing his wife.


    "You may now kiss the bride," the priest announced happily.


    "I love you," Ace whispered as he wrapped an arm around my waist to pull me closer to him.


    "I love you too...so much..." I whispered back endearingly as I stared up into his hazel eyes.


    ?


    Ace''s face slowly came closer to mine and my eyelids automatically slid closed as I offered him my lips. Ace sealed our wedding vows and marked the end of our wedding ceremony with a soft and sweet kiss. I could feel his love so clearly from his kiss and I hoped that he could also feel the love that I felt for him.


    --To be continued...

 Chapter 494 Man and Wife

    ?


    494 Man and Wife


    The guests pped and cheered but I was so oblivious to them at that moment. All I could focus on was Ace while I cherished this memory that we were making together. It felt like a very bright and wonderful start to our future life as a married couple. The lunch reception that followed was slightly stressful for me given the fact that I didn''t have the chance to meet many people from Ace''s side of the family before. Regardless of my worries, it turned out that everyone was friendly enough even if it was for the sake of politeness.


    "Just smile, Rina. My bride looks so beautiful today," Aceplimented me openly.


    "Thank you," I replied softly.


    I knew that he was basically telling me to leave everything up to him and I didn''t mind letting him take the lead on this one. If I had to ce my bets on which one out of us was the best at handling his family members, then it would be him and definitely not me. To my surprise, Ace''s father was very active in managing the guests. His considerate actions made me feel wee even though he didn''t voice it directly to me.


    "Congrattions. You look very beautiful, and I can''t help but think that Ace is very lucky. We should go on a holiday together soon," a woman said before beaming a smile at me.


    "Thank you very much," I replied politely.


    "Thank you foring and thank you for the invitation. Let us know when you want us to join you," Ace replied.


    I figured that she must be one of his aunts although Ace had never mentioned anything about us going on a holiday with his rtives. Ace seemed a little stiff while talking to some of his rtives so I could tell that managing our rtionship with them probably wouldn''t be easy smooth sailing. After going around and greeting all our guests, we took our ce at the long table to enjoy a well- deserved lunch. I wasn''t at all hungry because of all the nervousness and excitement that I felt. Food was thest thing on my mind, and I wasn''t even sure if my stomach could expand any further given how tight the waist of my wedding dress was.


    "You''re not hungry?" Ace asked knowingly.


    "I''m too excited..." I whispered in reply.


    Ace smiled at me teasingly as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder. My eyes widened when he kissed my ear. My heart skipped a dangerous beat and I started to feel shy and also conscious that someone might be watching us.


    "Shall I feed you?" Ace whispered close to my ear.


    "Ace..." I called his name disapprovingly.


    "Come, open your mouth. I''ll feed you..." Ace offered as he scoped some food onto his fork.


    "Umm..." I murmured hesitantly.


    "No need to be shy. You should eat something. I can''t have you fainting from hunger on our wedding day," Ace said with mocking worry.


    "Umm...I can eat myself..." I protested softly.


    "That won''t do, Rina..." Ace replied with a yful grin.


    Ace turned away from me and lifted his other hand up in the air. Immediately, he caught the attention of a photographer that was walking around taking photos of our wedding. The man approached us immediately and I started to have a very bad feeling about what was about to happen next.


    "Please take photos of us," Ace requested while sounding very cheerful.


    ?


    "Of course," the photographer replied enthusiastically.


    "Here you go, Rina. Open your mouth..." Ace urged with a yful twinkle in his brown eyes.


    By that time the photographer had already taken loads of photos of us. It felt like I didn''t have any other choice but to y along and give in. I slowly opened my mouth and Ace fed me while the camera clicked repeatedly to capture every part of that moment. I wondered how many photos we were going to get of Ace feeding me.


    "Did you get that? Let''s try that again..." Ace asked the photographer before turning to smile at me.


    I found myself opening my mouth and letting Ace feed me. Ace seemed to be enjoying himself, and soon enough, I started to enjoy it as well. My worries started to fade away as I focused more and more on Ace and his flirtatious teasing. On top of that, the food tasted so delicious now that Ace was feeding me. Once I had started to rx, I couldn''t count the number of times that weughed along with each other. Each moment that we enjoyed and every memory that we created together on that day felt extra special. I was certain that in the future, we would look back on this day and reflect on just how lucky we were to have found each other.


    ...


    "Ace...not so fast..." I said as I tried to push him off of me teasingly. "It''s our wedding night,¡± he pointed out before burying his face into the side of my neck.


    I moaned despite myself when he began sucking softly on my sensitive skin. The weight of his body on mine felt so seductive and soon I was wrapping my arms around his back and stroking it as he nted soft kisses against the side of my neck. I had to say that he did a decently good job in waiting for us to arrive at our honeymoon destination before attacking me.


    With the fear that news of our wedding may leak and that we may be disturbed for our honeymoon, we made the drastic decision to take off right after the end of our wedding reception. That meant taking a private flight in the afternoon and arriving at our honeymoon destination early in the evening. Ace behaved decently well during the flight, but it was clear that he could no longer wait to have his way with me. It was our first night together as husband and wife and I was determined to give him everything that he wanted without holding back.


    --To be continued...

 Chapter 495 Wedding Night

    Chapter 495 Wedding Night


    Just like how I wanted to make our wedding unforgettable, I wanted our first night together as a married couple to be unforgettable as well. Ace carried me to the bed and climbed on top of me just after we had arrived at the resort that we would be staying at for our honeymoon. It felt like the sea and all that mother nature had to offer outside could wait for the moment. At that moment, all that really mattered was the fact that we were together.


    ¡°I want to fuck you already,¡± Ace confessed in a whisper close to my ear.


    His words and the way his warm breath tickled my ear sent shivers along my spine and I realized very quickly just how turned on I was already. Ace¡¯s lips moved from my neck to capture my lips in an aggressive kiss that did nothing to hide his desire to have me. I kissed him back just as fervently before parting my lips invitingly for his tongue to delve inside my wet mouth.


    ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± I moaned from the satisfaction of his tongue invading my mouth.


    My tongue weed his as they entwined greedily in a passionate dance while his hands moved to caress the curves of my body. I stroked his back as I spread my legs beneath him so that his hips could settle in between my thighs. His hands settled on my breasts and made me moan once again into our hot and wet kiss when he began massaging them. I could feel my core throb as heat gathered in between my legs.


    My hips began moving temptingly beneath his as I ground my pussy against his hardness. The hard outline of his cock pushed against my pussy as our hips moved in sync with one another. It felt like we were having sex with our clothes on, and the idea felt so sexy to me. His tongue continued invading my mouth as he ground his hard cock against my sweet opening. I wrapped my legs around his hips as our bodies rocked together in the same rhythm.


    My pussy felt swollen as love juices seeped out of my love opening to wet my panties. The heat that had gathered in between my leg started to ache and it wasn¡¯t long before I felt a rush of wet heat squirting out of my love opening. I wanted to feel his raw and hot cock piercing and then pounding deep and fast inside my flooded hole.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name in a seductive whisper when he finally freed my lips.


    The way his eyes bore down into mine made my entire body tremble beneath him. It felt like he couldn¡¯t wait to devour me, and I was quite sure that I wanted him to do just that. I tightened my legs around his hips as I pushed my pussy upward against his hard cock to make sure that my message of desire was clearlymunicated.


    ¡°Let me undress you,¡± Ace said as he stroked the side of my hips.


    I unwrapped my legs from his hips to free him so that he could work to free the beast locked in his pants. I had a simple dress, and it didn¡¯t take long for Ace topletely strip me of my dress and my underwear. We wanted each other badly but we did take the time to savor the precious moment as we worked to undress each other. Feeling Ace¡¯s naked body in my arms as we hugged and embraced each other on the bed felt like heaven. His warmth seeped into my skin as he pressed himself on top of me.


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± I moaned as I closed my eyes in bliss.


    My legs spread willingly to wee his fingers at my most womanly ce. The wet squelching sounds that my pussy made as his fingers began stroking my open erupted from between my legs. My hips moved and rotated on the bed as his fingers worked their magic to give me endless pleasure. My core burned from the heat of my intense desire for him as his fingers stroked up and down the wet slit in between my thighs. My pussy twitched and my insides clenched while my hips rocked faster.


    ¡°Your pussy looks like it can¡¯t wait much longer,¡± Ace said teasingly.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­Yes¡­¡± I moaned before biting down hard on my lower lip.


    At the same time, Ace¡¯s stroked my clit yfully before pinching it hard between his fingertips. He proceeded to pinch and roll my swollen clit in between his fingertips until I was moaning and crying out his name. My hip thrusted upwards as I offered him my pussy while I felt myself quickly inching towards my release. He was about to make me cum each time that he petted my sweet love button.


    ¡°You¡¯re really feeling it. Are you feeling extra horny tonight, Rina?¡± Ace asked yfully.


    ¡°Oh¡­yes¡­¡± I moaned before crying out when he suddenly buried his fingers into my wet depths.


    I spread my legs even wider apart as my hips moved up and down to grind my pussy walls against his fingers. The feeling of his fingers moving against my sensitive pussy walls drove me wild with lust and I could feel myself getting wetter and wetter. When he finally started thrusting his fingers in and out of my pussy hole, I cried out his name as I let my instinct take over. My pussy spasmed around his fingers as my hips humped up and down to suck his fingers in even deeper inside of me.


    ¡°Cry out all you want, Rina¡­¡± Ace urged as he fingered me faster and harder than before.


    ¡°Please¡­Ah¡­Ahhh! Ace!¡± I moaned and cried out as I felt like I was about to orgasm.


    Ace¡¯s fingers ramming fast and hard against my pleasure spot quickly sent me flying over the edge and I came magnificently while moaning his name in the heat of the moment. I was still riding out the aftereffects of my mind-shattering climax when I felt his fingers sliding out of me.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 496 Passionate Honeymoon

    Chapter 496 Passionate Honeymoon


    My body was hungry for even more pleasure, and I couldn¡¯t wait to feel something even hotter and thicker stretching and filling up my insides.


    ¡°Ace¡­please¡­¡± I begged him as I spread my legs wide for him.


    I reached up toward him with both my arms invitingly as I kept my pussy spread open to wee his cock. Ace¡¯s cock looked ready to burst and I knew that he couldn¡¯t wait to shove that massive tool inside of me.


    ¡°You look so sexy right now,¡± heplimented me with a look of raw desire in his eyes.


    ¡°Take me¡­please¡­¡± I begged shamelessly as I held my thighs spread open for him.


    Ace stroked my pussy lips before spreading them and positioning the thick head of his cock at my entrance. I whimpered his name when I felt the hot heat of his hardness pressing against my pussy. Our eyes met and my insides clenched wildly in anticipation of his entrance. Ace smiled down at me before he thrusted his hips forward and screwed his cock hard and deep into my flooded love cave.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± I cried out from the mix of pain and pleasure that apanied his entrance.


    His cock continued pushing and sinking further into my wet tunnel until he was finally buried all the way to the hilt. I whimpered as my pussy spasmed and tried to get used to the shape and size of his cock. The massive beast twitched and felt so hot and alive inside of me. Ace groaned from pleasure as he rotated his hips against mine.


    ¡°It feels amazing inside you, Rina¡­¡± he murmured before leaning to ce a kiss on my lips.


    ¡°You¡¯re in so deep¡­¡± I replied softly.


    Ace smiled down at me and I found my pussy clenching even tighter around his love stick. His massive shaft began moving inside of me, sliding against my pussy walls. Ace groaned my name as he thrusted his cock in and out of my wet cunt. I cried out as he drove his cock harder and deeper into me until his cock was crushing my womb with each thrust. The pleasure only intensified inside of me and all I could do was cry out as my hips swayed to match the rhythm of his cock entering me.


    Lewd wet sounds echoed all around us as his cock continued beating into my wetness. My pussy felt like a mess inside and the more turned on I became, the wetter I got. I lost count of the number of times that I felt my juice rushing out to flood my tunnel. Ace¡¯s cock pounded into to me, and I could feel it hitting hard against my womb. I cried out and wed at his back as our bodies struggled to get even closer to each other. His cock must have grown thicker and longer inside of me because it always felt like he was hitting me deeper than before.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, Rina. Squeeze my cock¡­¡± he urged as he pumped his cock into me again.


    ¡°It¡¯s so deep¡­so deep!¡± I cried out as my hips thrusted upward to receive his cock.


    Our wild moans and the wet sounds of his cock pounding repeatedly into my wet mess echoed all around us in the bedroom. I was so caught up in our passionate mating that I even forgot for a moment where we were. All I could focus on was Ace and all the pleasure that he was giving me. My mind became empty and I knew that I was getting very close to my release.


    ¡°Ahh! Ace¡­I can¡¯t¡­I¡¯m going to cum! I¡¯m¡­Ahhh!¡± I came crying out so loudly while digging my nails into his back and shoulders.


    My pussy squeezed tightly around his thick rod. It felt like I had lost all control over my body as my entire body spasmed.


    ¡°I¡¯m about to cum too, Rina¡­¡± Ace whispered to me.


    He withdrew his cock from my hole before mming it all he way back inside all in a single thrust. Over and over again, his cock prated and pounded my insides. Ace groaned as he exerted himself above me until I could feel his cock twitching wildly inside me.


    ¡°I¡¯m cumming¡­Rina¡­¡± he moaned softly as he stilled on top of me.


    ¡°I love you¡­Ace¡­¡± I whispered as I wrapped my pussy walls lovingly around his cock.


    The heat of his release erupted deep inside and flooded my womb and my love tunnel as his cock spurted his seed into me. Ace moaned my name as he experienced his climax and shot his load into me. My pussy dly sucked it all up as it worked to squeeze his cock. I panted hard as he held me in his arms so that we could ride out the effects of our climax together. After a bit of rest, Ace flipped me onto my stomach and began stroking the sides of my hips from behind. When his hand settled in between my legs to massage my erect clit, I knew that we had many more passionate roundsing up.


    ¡­


    **A few weekster**


    I should have known that getting married to Ace was just the start of many things toe. Although I thought that I had gotten used to the various pressures and expectations that were demanded from me even when I was just his girlfriend, I didn¡¯t quite expect that so much more would be expected from me when I became his wife.


    Thanks to Ace for sheltering me, we spent a very peaceful life working at hispany together while living away from the city. Those peaceful weeks that went by felt so surreal and our honeymoon trip abroad felt magical in so many ways. The private time that we got to spend together away from everything, and everyone, was just what we needed to take us into the next phase of our lives as a married couple.


    Our peaceful holiday onlysted until the end of our honeymoon. The moment that we returned; we were summoned to a meeting with Ace¡¯s father.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 497 Family Matter

    ?


    I could sense that more trouble wasing our way and that I wasn¡¯t going to quite like what he had to say.


    ¡°Why do you think your father wants to see us?¡± I asked in a shaky voice.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so scared of him,¡± Ace replied teasingly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­it just feels like there¡¯s something that he wants from us¡­¡± I murmured before letting out a soft sigh.


    ¡°Don¡¯t overly worry yourself over nothing, Rina. We¡¯re married now so I hope that you¡¯ll get used to my dad even if I have to say that he¡¯s not the easiest person to deal with,¡± Ace said before showing me a smile that I felt wasforting.


    ¡°He suddenly requested to see us, and we just got back,¡± I said while still sounding very worried.


    ¡°Maybe he has good news for us,¡± Ace said brightly.


    I highly doubted it, but I didn¡¯t want to voice my thoughts out loud. There was a possibility that Ace might be right but that probably was probably very slim. The main estate for Ace¡¯s family felt as intimidating as ever when we arrived. The chairman was waiting for us in the living room, and I quickly realized that it was still very hard for me to see him as my father-inw.


    ¡°Wee back,¡± he greeted us without sounding weing.


    ¡°I would like to say that we¡¯re d to be back, but the truth is that I would have preferred for our honeymoon tost even longer,¡± Ace replied smoothly.


    I just smiled and nodded as I took a seat on the sofa next to Ace. I could feel the Chairman¡¯s eyes on us and that made me feel a little nervous and unsettled.


    ¡°When are you two going to move back to the city?¡± the Chairman asked as he stared pointed at us.


    Even after we got married, Ace and I didn¡¯t have any intention of moving back to live in the city. We were extremely content with living out of the city and the work that we hadid out for us. However, I could see why the Chairman wouldn¡¯t agree with our decision. Although Ace was no longer running his family business after the merger, his father probably wanted him near and at his disposal.


    ¡°Not any time soon. We don¡¯t have any ns to move back yet,¡± Ace replied smoothly.


    I was d that Ace was clearly on the same page that I was, but at the same time, I could tell that his father was far from pleased. The air suddenly felt filled with tension as the two men stared at each other. It felt like a message that I couldn¡¯t understand passed between them in the silence that surrounded us. I could hear my heart beating loudly in my chest as I tried my best to stop myself from shifting ufortably on the sofa. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°What about children?¡± his father asked after a pause of silence.


    I stared at him with my mouth hanging open. It took a moment for me to realize that I was disying my tant shock and for me to press my lips together again. Somehow, I knew that sooner orter this question woulde up, but I didn¡¯t think that it would pop up so soon after our honeymoon had just ended. If I had to choose, then I would definitely say that I wanted children with Ace. I never had any doubts that Ace would make an amazing father and that we could build a warm and loving family together.


    We would have so much fun as a family and we would teach our children to grow up as good and helpful citizens. There would definitely be challenges but I was certain that we could ovee them and be great parents and build the family that we wanted together. Thinking of our future together filled me with endless hope; however, I could tell that those reasons weren¡¯t the reasons why his father was asking us about children.


    ¡°What¡¯s the rush?¡± Ace asked yfully.


    ¡°You can¡¯t wriggle your way out of this one and I won¡¯t have you ying around and dodging the issue,¡± his father replied sternly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not dodging the issue because it isn¡¯t even an issue. We¡¯ll have children soon orter,¡± Ace replied casually.


    Ace did make somements before about us having children together, so I already knew that he wanted children. It felt great that we wanted the same things, but the issue of timing had me feeling concern for a moment. I wanted to be a mother, but I truly thought that it was too soon. For the time being, I wanted to focus on my career, and I also wanted time alone with Ace. Enjoying life together as a newly married couple without the responsibility of taking care of children was something that I wanted.


    ¡°And when would that be?¡± the Chairman asked coldly.


    ¡°Whenever Rina is ready. We just got married, so what¡¯s the rush?¡± Ace replied before turning to offer me a warm smile.


    I felt thankful that he was putting me into consideration. After all, like it or not, I would be the one carrying the baby inside my tummy for a whole 9 months not to mentionbor and all the work that I had to put in to raise the baby. Although his considerate words and understanding warmed my heart, it also meant that he had just passed on the burden of deciding on the timing to me. In response to that, his father¡¯s attention immediately zoomed in on me and I was put right on the spot.


    ¡°Umm¡­perhaps in a few years¡¯ time¡­¡± I murmured softly.


    ¡°A few years? Are you joking with me right now? Our family needs an heir, and it is your job to provide us with at least one,¡± the Chairman stated matter-of-factly.


    The way he looked at me made me feel like I was a fool for not understanding the obvious. The fact was that I understood where he wasing from and the whole need of having an heir to inherit the family business and fortune wasn¡¯t a hard concept toprehend. However, that didn¡¯t mean that I was willing to simply give in and pop out babies right away for the sake of providing him with an heir.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 498 Making Babies

    ?


    ¡°You¡¯re not that old, dad. Surely, you can wait a few years,¡± Ace said defensively.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether or not I¡¯m old. She¡¯s your wife and this is part of what she needs to do,¡± he said as he stared directly at me.


    ¡°Stop pressuring her. Stress makes it harder for women to conceive. Don¡¯t you know that?¡± Ace asked jokingly, although it was quite true.


    ¡°Stop taking her side on this one,¡± his father warned.


    ¡°She¡¯s my wife, so of course, I¡¯ll take her side. I know that you want to be a grandfather so badly, but you have to be patient. Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t disappoint you. We¡¯ll have loads of children,¡± Ace said while sounding quite happy.


    I wasn¡¯t sure how to handle the situation, so I was thankful that Ace was covering for me. There was no way that I would bend to the pressure and agree to having a baby right away. The few years that I stated felt like the right timeframe for me and if Ace didn¡¯t have an issue with it, then it felt like enough for me. I have to say that I wasn¡¯t quite sure about hismitment that we would have loads of children, though. I didn¡¯t even know how many children he had in mind but ¡®loads of children¡¯ sounded a bit too many.


    His father didn¡¯t seempletely satisfied with the answer that we had given him, but he was willing to let us go for the time being. I guessed it was good enough for him that we promised to have children eventually. For me, the Chairman will always be someone challenging for me to get close to and for me to please. I wondered if there woulde a day when I would truly feel like we were truly a family.


    ¡­


    **A few yearster**


    Those few years that I asked to spend time alone with Ace as a married couple before having children was about to expire. Although when I said those words, I didn¡¯t mean to set a hard deadline that was set in stone as to when I would want to have children; however, when the time drew near, I found myself naturally thinking about making babies with Ace.


    Ace was more than happy to wee the idea. I wasn¡¯t sure how Ace felt about bing a father, but he seemed keen enough to give it a try. As for me, I somehow felt quite certain that Ace would make a wonderful father and that our children would feel lucky to have him as a father as well.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to rush yourself if you still feel like you¡¯re not ready. Like I told you many times before, you don¡¯t need to pay any mind to what my dad or what your mum is saying. Ultimately, it¡¯s your body and we can have a kid whenever you¡¯re ready. I can wait, Rina¡­¡± Ace told me with a worried look on his face when I brought up the idea that perhaps it was time that we tried making a baby.


    I knew immediately why he thought that I was proposing this idea to him because of the pressure from our parents. His father had made himself clear from day one after we got married that he wanted us to have an heir as soon as possible. At first, my mother didn¡¯t seem to have any input regarding this topic. She seemed satisfied that I was living a happy life with Ace after we had gotten married. However, as the years went by my mother began wanting to see the face of her future grandchild. Maybe she had arrived at that age where she was starting to think of the next generation.


    The fact that she retired from her job didn¡¯t help at all in that matter. Of course, I couldn¡¯t put the me on her at all because I was the one who convinced her to stop working. Given her age and my fear for her health condition, I didn¡¯t think that it made sense for her to keep on working. After my mother quit her job, she became restless because she was too free, and it wasn¡¯t long after that she started pestering me to think about having kids. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying this because of the pressure from our parents, it¡¯s just¡­I also want to have a baby now. Of course, if you think that it¡¯s a bad idea or if it¡¯s still too soon then we can talk about itter¡­¡± I said before showing him a smile.


    Despite what I wanted, I knew that having a child together was going to be a very big deal for us and I didn¡¯t want us to embark on that journey unless both of us were ready. My heart started beating faster as I waited impatiently to hear what Ace thought.


    ¡°If you¡¯re ready, then I¡¯m ready¡­¡± Ace replied simply.


    ¡°Thank you, Ace¡­¡± I thanked him as I felt tears sting the back of my eyes.


    I had no idea why I suddenly felt so emotional. We just agreed on having a baby and I wasn¡¯t even pregnant yet.


    ¡°Shall we start right away?¡± Ace asked as he pulled me into his embrace.


    ¡°Umm¡­I¡¯m still on the pills¡­¡± I whispered shyly.


    ¡°Does that even matter?¡± Ace asked before letting out a teasingugh.


    ¡°You just want to do it, don¡¯t you?¡± I asked usingly.


    Ace justughed even louder than before as he hugged me tighter in his arms. The first step was for me to stop taking the pills. Hopefully, things would work out naturally for us and soon I would be pregnant with our child.


    ¡­


    Without any further discussion, it felt like we both took it for granted to go about it the natural way. Since I wasn¡¯t at all in a rush, I decided to proceed with our sex life as per normal with the only change being that I stopped taking contraceptive pills. After learning that I had gotten off the pill, it felt like Ace became even more enthusiastic in finding opportunities to have sex with me than before.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 499 Like It In The Office

    ?


    The fact that we worked together and lived together gave rise to ample opportunities for us to get it on. At the rate that we were going, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised to find out one day that I had sessfully conceived.


    ¡°Everyone headed home already. Should we call it a day and head home too?¡± I asked as I approached Ace in his personal office.


    Work has been quite busy as ofte because many projects were due at pretty much the same time. Everyone in the office has been busy and hiring more people to take on the work also meant that there were more people for us to supervise. Time seemed to fly by each time and before I knew it, the sun had set outside, and it was getting dark. Working extra hours slowly became the norm again, although the work was still much more motivating and interesting than ever before.


    ¡°Are you tired?¡± Ace asked with a worried look on his face.


    ¡°Not really. I just don¡¯t think you should work toote,¡± I replied honestly.


    ¡°I guess I should stop working now then,¡± Ace replied before pushing the lid of hisptop closed.


    It looked like we could call it day a little earlier than usual and that got me thinking about how I should spend the rest of the evening with Ace.


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± Ace called my name to get my attention.


    When I turned to look at him again, he was already on his feet and standing right in front of me. His hand slowly approached my face before it cupped my cheek. I was forced to stare up into his eyes as his other arm wrapped itself around my waist and drew me close. My heart began racing faster in my chest even before my mind realized what was truly going on. My instincts already knew what was about toe, even before I felt the familiar warmth of Ace¡¯s lips on mine.


    His kiss felt possessive, and I didn¡¯t resist his invasion. As a matter of fact, I enjoyed it. Ace crushed his lips against mine in a smoldering hot kiss that left me making small whimpering noises in my throat. His hands stroked my back all the way down to my waist as he continued kissing me. I parted my lips to wee the entrance of his hot tongue. His sweet taste filled my mouth and then our tongues were engaged in a very busy and passionate dance. Each kiss and each caress made my body heat up as my desire for him welled up inside and shook my core.


    I kissed him back eagerly while thinking that it was a good thing that everyone had left. It was far from the first time that we were getting it on in the office. Doing this with Ace in this office reminded me of the times when we first started dating. Workingte into the night with Ace at his old office and ending the night on a steamy note was something that we used to do often. Things were different now that we were married and everything between us seemed more serious than before; however, the passion and thepatibility of our bodies did not change at all.


    My core throbbed with a familiar thirst that I knew that Ace would be able to quench. His hands moved to undress me while our lips were still busy engaging with each other. I couldn¡¯t keep still and started pulling off his suit as well. I moaned into our kiss when I felt him lifting me up slightly before sitting me down on his worktable.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± I moaned when he finally freed my lips.


    At the same time, he peeled my shirt to the side to reveal my chest. He immediately pulled up the cups of my bra to reveal my naked breasts. I could feel his hungry gaze on my heaving breasts for a moment before I felt the heat of his hands on them. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡°Yes¡­Ahhh¡­¡± I moaned loudly to let him know just how much I was enjoying this.


    Hisrge manly hands moved to massage my womanly flesh as I felt my nipples harden from the stimtion. I wanted to continue undressing him but the pleasure that he was making me feel made my entire body feel so weak that it took so much effort just to stay sitting. I cried out once more when Ace squeezed my breasts a little roughly in his hands. My breasts felt so heavy and swollen as they changed shape in his hand.


    ¡°Do you want me to y with your nipples?¡± Ace asked although he already knew what I wanted.


    ¡°Please¡­¡± I begged him sweetly.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard¡­so sexy¡­¡± he said as he stared at my nipples.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­Ahhh¡­¡± I moaned as he began ying with them.


    Ace pinched and then rolled my nipples between his fingertips until I was crying out from the pleasure. My core throbbed with a pleasurable ache as the heat quickly spread downward to my pussy. I could feel myself getting wetter by the second down there and I couldn¡¯t wait for Ace to enter me.


    ¡°Are you wet and ready down here?¡± Ace asked teasingly.


    His hand delved between my legs and under my skirt as he urged me to spread my legs. I felt the pressure of his fingers pressing against my throbbing opening and I instinctively knew that he could feel my wetness seeping through my thin panties. Ace smirked at me with a mischievous yet satisfied look in his eyes. I was so hot and wet for him because my body was more than ready to be one with him.


    ¡°Please¡­stop teasing me¡­¡± I murmured softly.


    Ace pulled up my skirt to reveal my naked thighs before hooking his fingers into the waistband of my panties. Our eyes locked and I could feel the yearning that he felt for me as his hand slowly dragged my panties down along my legs.


    ¡°Help me undress?¡± Ace suggested with a charming grin.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 500 A New Member

    ?


    ¡°With pleasure,¡± I replied with a smile.


    Everything he did and said to me turned me on so badly. I wanted him so much that I thought that I might go crazy if I had to wait any longer to have him. My hands shook a little as I rushed to unbuckle his belt and unzip his pants. I sucked in a breath as I stared at the thick and throbbing monster that sprang into my hands. His cock was already gigantic and extremely erect. The virile look of his tool made my insides quiver just thinking of all the things that it could do to me once it entered me.


    ¡°Put it inside you, Rina¡­¡± Ace urged in a seductive drawl that made my pussy quiver in anticipation.


    I knew that he was teasing me, but I found it so temptingly sexy at the same time. His cock throbbed in my hand, and I could feel it getting thicker and hotter. I stroked it up and down teasingly as I observed the look of desire that crept into Ace¡¯s hazel eyes.


    ¡°Let me help you spread your legs¡­¡± Ace offered as he grabbed my thighs and lifted them.


    I felt my pussy lips spreading as Ace moved his hips closer to my core. I quickly guided his massive manhood towards the wet slit in between my legs. A gasp escaped from between my lips when I felt the heat and hardness of the thick head of his cock brushing against my entrance. I positioned his cock right at my entrance before bracing myself for the impact of his entry.


    ¡°Rina¡­¡± he groaned my name as he thrusted his hips forward.


    His cock prated deeply into me in one powerful thrust that had me crying out and then biting down on my lower lip. The satisfaction of being filled by his impressive size and hardness felt like it had sent me to heaven. Ace screwed his cock further into my flooded love tunnel. It felt like there was so much of him for me to take in. My pussy stretched to amodate his size and length until he was buried all the way inside of me.


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± I moaned and closed my eyes in bliss.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you just love my cock?¡± he said knowingly.


    Ace didn¡¯t wait for my response before he began moving his hips to pump his cock in and out of me. His movement gathered speed and soon I was crying out each time his cock plunged fast and deep into my sopping wet hole. My hips moved and thrusted to meet his wild and passionate thrusts halfway, burying his cock roughly into me. The thick head of his love stick knocked against my womb and my pleasure spot until my mind felt hazy with lust.


    ¡°About to cum already?¡± Ace teased me again as he mmed his cock into me once more.


    ¡°Please¡­make me cum,¡± I pleaded. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The thought of making a baby escaped me and all that I could focus on was the pleasure and lust that I felt at that moment. My words must have urged him on because Ace¡¯s movements became even more aggressive and soon, I forgot myself as my intense climax came over me.


    ¡­


    **A few yearster**


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry about this, mum. Something just turned up at work and I can¡¯t step out right now¡­¡± I said apologetically through the phone.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem at all. It¡¯s not like I have anything else to do anyways,¡± she replied followed by a carefreeugh.


    ¡°Thank you for helping out as always,¡± I thanked her.


    ¡°What are you talking about? Picking up my grandkids is like the highlight of my life right now,¡± she said cheerfully.


    Time truly flew by, and before we knew it, the children were now going to school. After a very smooth pregnancy and a natural delivery, baby Aiden graced our lives with his arrival. He gave me the opportunity to be a mother. When I firstid eyes on him and held him in my arms, it felt like I truly understood the meaning of a miracle happening on earth for the very first time. The beginning of a new life that we created felt indescribably precious.


    I remember first thinking of how lucky and blessed we were to have such a cute and healthy son. Then, I thought that the baby resembled Ace quite a bit. Ace was by my side all throughout the process unless the medical staff advised against it. As expected, Ace was supportive and understanding yet strict at the same time all the way from the point when we discovered that I was with child.


    Working at our ownpany clearly had its own perks when it came to my pregnancy. We had almostplete control over the amount of workload that we wanted to take on and the pace at which we wanted to work. Hospital visits for regr check-ups took priority and we both made sure to strike the right bnce between work and our personal lives. To distract myself from overly focusing on the child growing inside of me, I was determined to work for as long as possible before my delivery. That meant that I spent thest two months of my term working from home with Ace by my side most of the time.


    The more time passed us by, the more baby Aiden grew to resemble his father. However, as Ace would always remind me, Aiden seemed to have inherited my smile. The arrival of baby Aiden brought about many changes to our lives. Apart from crowning us as new parents with sleepless nights and chores around the clock, baby Aiden became the link that tied us even closer to both my mother and Ace¡¯s father. He was the grandchild that my mother had longed for and the heir that Ace¡¯s father had been eagerly waiting for. I quickly found out that taking care of baby Aiden wasn¡¯t as draining as handling the pressure from Ace¡¯s father.


    --To be continued¡­

 Chapter 501 The End - True Love

    ?


    Almost immediately after Aiden was born, we were urged to move back to the city where Aiden could be raised in Ace¡¯s family estate with an army of servants at his service. Naturally, I was against the idea right from the start. Surprisingly, Ace was even more against the idea and made sure that we were not disturbed as we continued to raise our young baby in thefort of our own home. My mother moved into the house with us to help take care of baby Aiden.


    Ace fell in love with being a father and couldn¡¯t wait to expand our family even further. Just when Aiden turned one year old, we began another baby-making project which resulted in another pregnancy not so long after. Roughly nine monthster, Aiden became a big brother to baby Katie. Having two children to take care of increased our fun exponentially. By that time, we had our hands really full with the children and struggled to keep up with work at the office.


    ¡°Maybe I should stop working to take care of the children¡­¡± I mumbled my suggestion.


    After thinking it through, I honestly didn¡¯t see any other solution. I wanted to be there to take care of the children myself and Katie was nothing but a big and happy baby that required help. She was also clearly very attached to me while Aiden had be a very curious and demanding boy. It was regrettable that I couldn¡¯t continue pursuing my career, but I had realized that nothing could be done without some sacrifices.


    ¡°No, I think you should continue working. Don¡¯t stop, Rina. Even if you do a little less at work, that¡¯s a whole lot better than just quitting and staying home. Why don¡¯t I get you some extra help at work? I¡¯ll add someone to your team to help offload some of your work, and at home, let¡¯s hire some professional nannies to help out with the kids. My father¡¯s been nagging us to get professional help for a while now anyways,¡± Ace replied with a smile.


    ¡°Do you think that it will work out?¡± I asked as some hope started blooming in my chest.


    ¡°You don¡¯t really want to stop working, right? Let¡¯s give this a try first before you think of doing something that you may regretter on. I¡¯m sure the kids won¡¯t be happy if their mother isn¡¯t happy and I surely won¡¯t be happy unless you are,¡± he said before pulling me into his arms.


    ¡°I bet Katie will start crying in less than ten seconds¡­¡± I murmured against his chest.


    We both ended up giggling when we found out very soon after just how urate my prophecy was.


    ¡­


    Time and time again, I found out that Ace was right about almost every single thing. Since marrying him, there wasn¡¯t a single moment that I regretted my decision. That didn¡¯t mean that everything was smooth sailing and happy-go-lucky for us all the time; however, the fact that Ace always stood by my side no matter what never changed. I learned many times over just how reliable he is and just how precious he is to me.


    The me that once felt so helpless and useless started to feel better about myself. Although it took me time, I could confidently say that I was catching up to him in my own way. With his help and the help of my own determination, I had progressed so much at work while still being true to my professional goals and desires. As I¡¯ve matured, I never stopped trying to grow into the best version of myself that I could be for our sake and also the sake of our children now that I am not only a wife but also a mother of two very beautiful children.


    It is an unchangeable truth that I made many mistakes in the past and that I¡¯d made decisions that I wasn¡¯t proud of. However, it is also undeniable that I have learnt so much and had so much to gain from making the mistakes and the decisions that I made. Meeting Ace and getting to spend my life with him was definitely a result of a series of unfortunate events, misunderstandings, and wrong decisions.


    To say that I am proud of myself would be an overstatement, but I have learnt through time to embrace my emotional battle scars and to appreciate the past versions of myself. Throughout it all, Ace had been nothing but epting of who I was and who I was turning out to be. Now that we have been married for many years, I had started to feel like I had grown to be on equal grounds with him. It wasn¡¯t just about him leading me and guiding me anymore because I already have so many things that I could offer and do for him too.


    As time came for Aiden to go to school, we eventually made the difficult decision to move back into the big city for the sake of living close to his school. Naturally, we moved our business, our employees, and my mother along with us. It was a big move and a very big decision that we prayed endlessly would be the right one. Moving back surprised me on many levels, most of which was the way that Aiden connected so naturally with his grandfather.


    Ace¡¯s father obviously had the inclination to get close to Aiden who was his only grandson and his heir. What I didn¡¯t see iting was for the two of them to naturally get along with each other. Aiden loved spending time with his grandfather and the two of them went out together very often.


    ¡°Your father is taking Aiden on a fishing trip again. Isn¡¯t he too young for that or something?¡± I told Ace before rolling my eyes.


    ¡°We should be d that they get along,¡± Ace said while faking a shiver.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why they get along so well when you don¡¯t even get along with your own father,¡± I pointed out with narrowed eyes.


    ¡°He can inherit the family fortune and save us the trouble of dealing with the old man. Isn¡¯t that just great?¡± Ace said with augh.


    ¡°I guess¡­¡± I murmured.


    Honestly, there was nothing wrong with Aiden forming such a close bond with his grandfather. Neither was there anything wrong with him inheriting such arge fortune when the time came. I just hoped that the Chairman wouldn¡¯t put him through what he put Ace through. Seeing that crushing level of expectation being ced on the shoulders of my son would be more than enough to kill me. I grinned to myself while thinking that this was probably the closest that we would evere to being one family and that felt like more than enoughpared to where we first started.


    ¡°Katie here will always be daddy¡¯s sweetheart!¡± Ace said as he picked up Katie and raised her above his head.


    Katie loved it when he did this, so she started giggling gleefully. I watched the loving scene of Ace ying with our daughter unfold. There were times like these that made me wish that we could have another child. Maybe when these two have grown a little older and we had a little more time to raise another one. Not that I wasn¡¯t satisfied with the family that I had now.


    ¡°Come here, Katie¡­¡± I said sweetly as I held out my arms towards her. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Ace ced her in my arms, and I hugged her tight before nting a kiss on her soft cheek. Ace wrapped his arms around me, and I felt so enveloped in warmth and love. Katie started giggling again and I couldn¡¯t resist the urge to nt another kiss on her cheek. Ace kissed my cheek and then our daughter¡¯s cheek before smiling at me.


    ¡°Do you know what ising up?¡± Ace asked with a look of excitement in his eyes.


    ¡°Umm¡­No?¡± I replied questioningly.


    I didn¡¯t recall that there was anyone¡¯s birthdaying up anytime soon. Unless something had slipped my mindpletely, then I didn¡¯t quite know what he was referring to.


    ¡°The Ashfordpetition¡­¡± Ace whispered his answer into my ear like it was some kind of dirty little secret.


    My eyes widened before I gasped in shock.


    He can¡¯t really mean¡­


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious¡­¡± I gasped.


    Ace just grinned and then winked meaningfully at me.


    ¡°Watch your dad, Katie. He¡¯s going to win something so awesome for you!¡± Ace told our daughter excitedly.


    I could tell that he was more than serious about it. It was a big deal for sure and a surprising turn of events, but just like always, I found myself cheering him on and willing to support him in anything that he wanted to do.


    ¡°Ace¡­¡± I called his name softly.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked with Katie once again lifted above his head.


    He turned to face me when I didn¡¯t immediately give him the answer that he was looking for. I quickly closed to distance between us before wrapping my arms around him to hug him tightly from behind.


    ¡°I love you¡­¡± I confessed simply.


    Once again, I felt thankful and proud that whenever I said those words to him, it always sounded and felt so truthful and genuine to me. I might have been unlucky in many aspects of my life but at that moment, I could confidently say that I have found the love of my life.


    ¡°I love you too, Rina,¡± Ace replied with a small chuckle as his eyes held my gaze.


    See?


    He even loves me too¡­


    --The End


    Thank you for reading this book right until the end. I truly enjoyed writing this story and sincerely hope that you have enjoyed it as well.


    Please check out my other books: Forbidden Heat, Love ve to the Mafia Boss''s Passion, Substitute Wife for the Mafia King, Conquering the Emperor, Lust Contracts, and The Alpha Prince''s Purchased Maid.


    Wishing you and your family the best of everything!


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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!