Secretly Mine-Chapter 168: Temptations

The next morning, I woke up dreading having to go to work.

I wasn’t sure if Christian would be waiting for me in my office once more, but I couldn’t emotionally handle another argument with him.

Human trafficking... He really couldn’t come up with something more convincing?

My heart still stung from yesterday’s encounter. I really hated how much I cared.

"Second Miss, the driver is waiting for you outside," a maid informed me from the other side of my bedroom door. This was the first time I needed to be reminded to go to work. The first time I would be ’late’.

"Coming," I yelled back, unenthusiastically. With a deep breath, I lifted myself off my bed and walked out.

Let’s get this over with.

The drive over was silent as usual. There was no excitement in my eyes, nor any kind of desire to be there. After the Sophia season launch event, my workload also lessened substantially. My work now mostly consisted of post-event reports and processing paperwork, nothing fun or exciting.

It took us longer than usual to get to the office due to traffic. Since we left a lot later than usual, there were more people out and about, filling the streets.

-

As I walked into the lobby, another woman walked in behind me and walked up to the front counter.

"Hello, I have an interview scheduled for today. CEO Vittoria scheduled it for me yesterday."

I turned my head and looked at her after hearing her words.

Christian scheduled an interview for her?

The secretary smiled and looked at the computer screen in front of her. "Yes! I see you right here. I’ll let the head secretary know. Please have a seat in the waiting area right over there."

My gaze switched from curiosity to surprise. I couldn’t see her from the front, but her outfit was very cute. She had a strong, feminine aura that leaned to the cute and delicate side.

Who is she?

Surely Christian wouldn’t....

I shook my head, erasing the thought from my head. There was no reason for me to stress myself out further on things that no longer concerned me.

He’s not that kind of person... I think.

Giving her one final glance, I walked over to the elevator and made my way upstairs. When I reached the door to my office, I paused to take a deep breath.

Please don’t be inside.

I finally exhaled and swung the door open, expecting to see him sitting inside. To my surprise, he wasn’t there.

Instead, sitting on my desk was a massive bouquet of fifty roses. They were beautiful, crimson red with thick, long stems.

I walked over to my desk, curious as to why they were there.

Surely this isn’t from Christian....

As I got closer, I could smell their fragrant, floral scent. In front of them was a small envelope with my name on it.

I quietly reached down and lifted the envelope, opening it.

[Wait for me ]

Wait for me? What kind of note is that?

I recognized Christian’s handwriting right away. And part of me expected a long apology letter with long-winded words on how much I meant to him. Instead, it was a very short but oddly powerful message.

My chest tightened as I read the words over and over again.

"So stupid," I grumbled, but I folded the note gently and tucked it away in my desk drawer.

-

The morning was quiet. Too quiet. There were no signs of Christian, and I even wondered if he was even here today.

Should I poke my head into his office?

No. What will I say if he’s actually there?

A loud knock on my door brought me out of my thoughts.

"Come in," I said quietly, certain that it would be Christian. However, when the door opened, Blake walked in, pushing a silver cart.

"Miss Moresi, I’ve been instructed to bring you lunch, please enjoy." He carefully placed the few silver platters on my coffee table before turning around to leave.

I quickly stood up from my seat, just in time to catch him before he left.

"Thank you very much!" I called out.

Is he trying to win me back with food? Hmph! That’s not going to work!

I stood in front of my desk for a minute. The delicious scent slowly wafted towards me, causing my stomach to rumble. My resolve crumbled with every passing moment. The fragrant food filled the entire office with its intoxicating scent.

Well.... It would be a waste of food not to eat it... I’m certainly not caving!

Having come up with my excuse, I quickly walked over to the coffee table and opened the covers, revealing the steaming food underneath.

My mouth instantly started to water. All of these dishes were on my list of favorites.

With as much dignity as I could muster, I picked up the polished silverware and took a small bite of the chicken. The flavor was maddening. Savory, lemony, with the faintest smoky char. I closed my eyes to enjoy the wonderful flavors.

Dammit.

I tried to scowl as I reached for the mashed potatoes next, but the creamy, rich texture of truffle and butter practically melted on my tongue.

He absolutely did this on purpose.

Before I knew it, I finished everything on my plate. Everything tasted so good that I lost track of time.

I’m not falling for it. I’m just hungry.

And he just happens to know my favorite comfort foods.

Because he’s manipulative. Not thoughtful. Right?

I continued to steel my resolve as I finished the remaining bits of food left on the plates. If my mother saw me right now, she would most certainly scold me for eating so much. But I didn’t care. She wasn’t here, and it was too delicious to leave.

After lunch, my mood lifted immensely. I walked back over to my desk and glanced at the massive bouquet of roses.

I couldn’t deny that I liked the gesture, but I was still hesitant.

If he didn’t love me from the start, then why would he love me now?

Maybe he just wants to get back in my pants?

There were hundreds of reasons why he could be doing this, and before I knew for sure what it was, I wasn’t going to let him back into my life.

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