On my first day at work, I called my Boss as ‘husband,’ making my colleagues shocked.

However, the dismissal I had imagined did not come. Instead, my life became more and more comfortable.

One day, I was taking a nap at my workstation when two colleagues woke me up by chatting.

"The Boss lady does nothing at her workstation every day. What was more, she's actually cheating on her ‘husband.’"

I leaned over and asked, "What do you mean, girl?"

My colleague grumbled, "You ask us about the good things you did yourself?" 

At the same time, Mr. Hoover said coldly behind me, "Elizabeth, are you cheating on me?"

What, me?

I was slacking off at work when my Boss, Houston Hoover, patted me on the shoulder and said, "Elizabeth, there's an ugly man at the door."

"Thank you for letting me know, Mr. Hoover," I answered, breathed a sigh of relief and walked out the door.

My ex-boyfriend, Denis Vaughn, brought a three-year-old girl and looked at me with a flattering face.

"Elizabeth, you finally came out," he said.

"If you have something to say, just say," I answered while looking at him impatiently.

Denis's face turned pale for a moment, but then he said, "Elizabeth, I'm divorced. Do you want to be with me now?

"I know you're afraid of pain, so you don't have to give birth to a child for me, since I already have a daughter. What’s more, my wife left with nothing, so the house she bought will be ours. It fits the three of us after all."

I tried hard to hold back my nausea and answered, "Denis, I no longer have any feelings for you. Just leave if you know what's best for you."

He came forward and grabbed my hand. Fortunately, my Boss called the security guard in time to take him away.

"You're welcome. I'll deduct 5 points for being absent for half an hour." 

Before I could even thank him, he left in a cool manner.

When Houston turned around, the group of colleagues, who were blocking the door and eavesdropping, were frightened and scattered like birds.

At noon, when I was taking a nap at my workstation, I was woken up by the sound of my colleagues chatting, again.

"Our Boss Lady is truly a God."

"How to say?"

"Mr. Hoover tolerated this lady slacking off and dozing off in the office every day, but today she cheated on him right in front of him."

"Yes, even both the wild man and the illegitimate daughter have come to the office shamelessly."

Oh! It turned out that the Boss’s wife is in our office. I really didn’t recognize her.

So, I scratched my ears and poked my head out, asking, "Where is the Boss Lady? Why can't I see her?"

The colleagues looked at each other and then laughed. One of them explained while pointing at me, "The Boss Lady we meant is here. We were just joking. Please don't take it seriously, Elizabeth."

"I'm not…."

Before I finished speaking, Houston's chilling voice came from behind me, "Elizabeth, I heard that you cheated on me?"

"How dare I cheat on you? All I think about every day is how to make the company prosper and how to make great contributions to the company."

Houston didn't look at me but cleared his throat and looked at my colleagues, "Listen carefully, if you see that my wife is having secret meetings with other men again, tell me directly. No worries, you will be rewarded for it. I don’t want to be a cuckold after all."

What the hell was going on there? 

I was totally confused.

After thinking for ten minutes, I took a document that did not require Houston's signature and knocked on his office door.

"Elizabeth, you came just in time. But you haven't come to me to settle the score for the slander you made against me today, right?"

I looked at him in shock, asking, "Mr. Hoover, didn't you just refute the rumor yourself?"

He looked at me with a gloomy and unhappy expression. But, instead of answering my question, he asked back, "I asked you to recruit a Personal Assistant, why haven't you hired one in half a year?"

As expected of the Boss, his thinking was so jumping.

"Mr. Hoover, 56 people came for the interview, aren't you satisfied with all of them?"

"Okay, then you've ruined my reputation in the entire company today, so I'll punish you by making you my Personal Assistant. So that you don't have to flirt with other men under my nose," he said while tapping the documents on the table with a pen in his hand.

I couldn't help laughing out loud, nagging, "Mr. Hoover, I just damaged your pure and flawless reputation, why are you still giving me a promotion and a raise? Isn't the salary of a Personal Assistant three times what I have now?"

Houston curled his lips and smiled, saying, "Well, your promotion does not include a pay raise."

I returned to my workstation with a blank expression. On the other hand, the group, which had no news for half a year, suddenly became active.

"Did you see that the Boss Lady just went to the Boss’s office for half an hour and came back."

"So, what?"

"She came back with her hair all messy and a blank look in her eyes. It must be...."

"Oh my God! Wait, if it is Mr. Hoover, why is it only half an hour?"

They were discussing so intensely that no one noticed I was still in the group.

I felt sad but I couldn’t quit the group.

The next day, when my colleagues found out that I had become Houston’s Personal Assistant and was moving upstairs to work, the group exploded again.

"The Boss is afraid of being cheated on, so he arranged for the Boss Lady to supervise him personally?"

"I think it's more convenient for the two of them to do something unspeakable. Hey, doesn't the company prohibit office romances?"

“Well, those who understand will understand.”

When I learned that my Boss's right-hand man, Assistant Mason Martin, had arranged my desk in Houston's office, I stood at the door of the Boss's office for five minutes.

"Elizabeth, are you working as a security guard at the door? If you don't come in, you'll be fined 1.5 dollars," Houston's voice sounded coldly from his office.

I quickly trotted to my workstation, turned on my computer and blocked myself from his sight.

Houston said calmly, "There's no need to be so anxious. Do you want to consider it a work injury if you fall down while running so fast in high heels?"

He was truly a capitalist. So, that was how the Boss made money.

But I usually slacked off downstairs, so when I was in the Boss’s office, I really didn't know what to do.

I could only write a short story with my Boss as the male protagonist in front of the computer screen. When I was happily typing and revising, Houston suddenly gave me a cold look.

"Elizabeth, what are you writing? You look so happy," he asked. 

His surprised expression made my scalp tingle actually, so I could only murmur, "I still have some work to hand over. I'll catch up."

"Please move your stool and sit over here. As your Boss, I need to supervise you personally to prevent you from slacking off."

Looking at Houston's table that could only accommodate 1.5 people at best, I sighed in my heart. Why was he so stingy with himself?

I sat down very awkwardly, but there was nothing to do so I could only pretend to work.

Houston glanced at me impatiently and said, "Please translate this document first. If you don't understand, ask me."

After staying up all morning, it was finally time for lunch. So, I caught Mason in the cafeteria.

"Mr. Martin, we are a large listed company after all. Can you give our eagle-like President a bigger desk?" I asked, pretending to be thinking about Houston, but actually it was all for my own sake.

I sat at that small table the whole morning today, which was so uncomfortable. What was more, I could not avoid touching Houston's strong and muscular thighs several times, which made all the dirty thoughts in my brain come out.

After all, I was really afraid that he would sue me for sexual harassment.

Mason looked at me with a constipated expression and said, "Miss Hayden, Mr. Hoover asked me to change this table this morning. He said he didn't like tables that were too big, so he changed the three-times-large table to this mini one."

What?

Was that a special hobby of Houston then?

I scratched my head and returned to the President's office just one minute before work.

I saw Houston looking at the document I translated that morning with a serious face. He even took out a red pen to circle and marked on it.

"Elizabeth, didn't you write on your resume that you were proficient in French? Why did you make so many mistakes?" he said indifferently.

I just smiled innocently. My mastering was roughly equivalent to B2 actually, but that was already Upper Intermediate in courses, you know.

After about half a minute, he sighed and said, "Forget it. I don't expect you to achieve anything great. Just knowing how to eat and drink is enough."

I didn't dare look at his expression, but I somehow heard a hint of doting in his words. 

It should be my hallucination, right?

He wouldn't like me, would he?

In my dream, I turned into Houston’s fat cat. He also touched my head every day, making it bald. So, when looking at my bald head in the mirror, I suddenly woke up.

It was ten o'clock in the morning at that time, so I was already an hour late.

I laid in bed for five minutes and finally decided that since I was already late, I might as well not go.

[Elizabeth: Mr. Hoover, I'm sorry, I'm feeling a bit unwell today. Can I not go to work?] 

After sending the text message, I got up to cook noodles.

When the noodles were cooked and I was about to find some forks to eat, I suddenly saw a message from Houston on my phone.

[Houston: How bad is your sickness?]

I slapped my forehead. It seemed that he didn’t believe me. So, I sent another message.

[Elizabeth: It is so bad. I have a severe cold, fever, runny nose and headache. Please let me take a day off.]

Then I happily started to eat the noodles. It was spicy and stinky, so it really went well with my appetite. What was more, it happened to be drizzling outside, making me so happy that I started humming a song.

I was halfway through my meal when the doorbell rang. I thought it was the delivery man who delivered the fried chicken I just ordered, so I quickly paused the movie I watched and trotted to open the door.

I skillfully reached out to take the takeaway but felt a big hand instead.

I was very sorry for molesting the guy, but just as I was about to open the door to apologize to him, the door was opened by the man first.

Houston's handsome face suddenly appeared in front of me without warning, making me drop my fork in fright.

"Mr. Hoover, why are you here?" I asked, looking at him in surprise, almost bit my tongue.

He shook the bag in his hand and said calmly, "You are sick, so I am here to bring you some medicine."

Looking at his wet clothes, I asked in confusion, "Mr. Hoover, you should drive a car, right?"

He curled his lips and sighed, explaining, "I drive here, but your community security guards wouldn't let me in, so I climbed over the wall to get in."

"Well, come in quickly, Mr. Hoover," I said and hurriedly pulled him into the room, then closed the door.

Houston took a deep breath as soon as he entered the house, frowning slightly, "Elizabeth, did your toilet explode?"

I looked at him, then at the noodle I had just eaten halfway and then an idea came to me, "Mr. Hoover, you are soaked all over, take a shower quickly, or you will catch a cold."

I pulled him to the bathroom door, took out clothes from the closet and handed them to him. I said, "Use this."

He looked at me and said nothing, then slowly walked into the bathroom.

While he was in the bathroom, I opened my bloody mouth and ate the remaining half bowl of noodles, then carried it downstairs and threw it away.

After coming back and washing the dishes, I closed the windows and placed a new reed diffuser. So, at least, my house was completely filled with a nice fragrance.

I had just turned on the computer and was about to pretend to work when the sound of water in the bathroom stopped. After a rustling sound, Houston pushed the door open and looked at me.

He pulled at his pants and said, "Did you buy these pants for your ex-boyfriend? It seems his legs are not as long as mine. The clothes are a bit tight too, so it seems his figure is not as good as mine."

I somehow felt that Houston's words were a bit of tea, but in order not to offend my Boss, I still said truthfully, "I bought this for my dad. Maybe he is old and has shrunk."

Houston's expression suddenly became interesting, so he changed at least three expressions in less than a second.

"So, it belongs to your father. I was wondering why it is so handsome," he said.

The atmosphere was a bit awkward. Luckily, my fried chicken arrived just in time. So, I left to take it.

When I came back from getting the takeaway, I saw Houston staring at me.

"Mr. Hoover, the takeaway I ordered is here. Let's have a bite together." 

After saying that, I pushed him onto the sofa in my house and handed him a pair of disposable gloves.

After eating and drinking, I collapsed on the sofa, rubbing my stomach and feeling drowsy. Suddenly, Houston's words woke me up, "Elizabeth, don't you have a cold, fever and runny nose? Why do you look so energetic?"

Oh, right!

I forgot to act like that.

I looked at him guiltily, then slowly covered my head, when said, "My head really hurts, but I am more able to endure the pain."

Houston's mouth twitched, but then he turned on his computer to start a video conference.

I glanced at the screen quietly. Even though it was raining heavily outside, all my colleagues were in the company except Houston and me.

He seemed to be in a good mood today. Even though the plans submitted by his employees were full of loopholes, he comforted them gently, raised questions and asked them to go back and revised them slowly. 

It was so good to hear after all. You know, he usually cursed people terribly.

I was listening with great interest when he said, "Elizabeth, can you pour me a glass of water?"

"Okay, Mr. Hoover, please wait a moment." 

I hurried to pour water for Houston.

The meeting lasted for about three hours. Only after all colleagues had finished their reports did Houston turn off his computer and start organizing the meeting materials.

I breathed a sigh of relief when the meeting was finally over. I didn't even dare to breathe just then, for fear that my colleagues would find out that the Boss was at my house.

The rain outside didn't show any sign of stopping for the time being. It seemed like the Boss wanted to have lunch at my house today.

I opened my phone to search for the recipe for tomato beef brisket, but before I even opened any software, the WhatsApp Group started buzzing.

"Did you just hear the Boss asking his wife to pour him some water?"

"Yeah, they are actually living together."

"Fortunately, I don't dare to say bad things about the Boss Lady in front of Mr. Hoover, otherwise I would have been fired long ago."

"On a rainy day, a couple was in love, you know."

After reading that, I was totally overwhelmed. I stayed quiet, since I did get to bear the blame.

When Houston saw me playing with my phone, he coughed and said, "Elizabeth, you see, I can't leave in this weather…."

"I understand, Mr. Hoover. You must be hungry, right? I will cook right away. Please wait a moment," I said in a flattering manner before he could finish his sentence.

I confidently took the tomatoes and beef from the refrigerator to the kitchen, unpacked the kitchen knife, rinsed it under the tap and pointed it at the tomatoes.

Not only did the knife fail to cut the tomato, but it also made the tomato fall to Houston's feet.

I hurried over to pick up the tomato, washed it and picked up the knife to prepare for the next round of dissection.

"Let me do it," Houston said after taking the tomato and kitchen knife from behind me.

"Go to the living room for a while. I'll call you when it's ready," he said while cutting tomatoes.

How could the Boss work for slaves, right?

So, I stood beside him and looked at him guiltily, asking, "How about I give you a hand?"

Houston paused, not knowing what he was thinking about and then nodded slowly.

The way he cooked the meal was so amazing that my jaw dropped.

I thought he was a novice, but I didn't expect him to be such a good cook. He could even make a simple dish smell delicious.

Just as I was lost in thought, he moved his face close to mine. Then, he ordered, "Help me wipe my face, I can't pull my hands away." 

I quickly pulled out two pieces of tissue paper and carefully wiped his entire face clean.

Wow!

The nose was straight, the jawline was clear and the skin was smooth.

What was more, when I was having lunch with Houston, I surprisingly felt the warmth of home.

He was not picky about food and ate with great relish, which led me to eat half a bowl of rice more.

After dinner, he took the initiative to wash the dishes. When I stood at the door and watched him wash the dishes, I secretly made up my mind to find such a virtuous husband to take care of my parents.

"Then I'll be leaving first."

In order not to neglect him, I took him downstairs.

It was such a misfortune that the rain had stopped, but when we arrived at the door of the unit, the rain suddenly got heavier. Even my trouser legs got wet just by standing at the door.

Houston and I looked at each other, but I was the first to speak, "Why don't you stay at my house today? My house happens to have two bedrooms and a living room."

"Okay, thank you for your offer," he answered in a calm tone. Then Houston went home with me very naturally.

Maybe he shocked me too much during the day, but I was actually touching him in my dream. I even tried desperately to engrave those images in my mind so that I could write some stories about it.

But things didn't go as planned. When I was having a great time teasing Houston, I was woken up by a knock on the door.

Looking at the boring white ceiling, I thought for a moment before I realized that the person knocking on my bedroom door should be Houston.

"Mr. Hoover, what can I do for you?" I asked in a daze.

His voice sounded anxiously outside the door, saying, "Elizabeth, we're going to be late." 

When I heard that, I jumped up, changed into my pajamas quickly and hurriedly took Houston out to the burger’s restaurant at the entrance of the community.

"I want to order the same as usual, but two servings today."

"Hey, Elizabeth, it seems that you brought your boyfriend here. So, I'll give you two eggs to nourish your body, okay?" The owner of the burger’s shop was so happy to see Houston that he couldn't stop smiling.

I didn't dare look at Houston, so I quickly waved to the owner and explained, "No, this is the President of my office."

"So, office romance?"