“However, if you really want to drink, we can have a little privately. But wine needs to be savored slowly; you can’t just down it like you did just now. Tomorrow, I’ll bring you a bottle of my collected red wine. Take your time to enjoy it.”

After he said this, he turned his gaze to the street outside, a hint of awkwardness in his demeanor.

I couldn’t help but steal glances at his profile, my heart racing uncontrollably, and I turned back to the car window, a smile creeping onto my face.

As time went on, I gradually transformed from a novice into a top-notch secretary who could handle responsibilities independently.

Coincidentally, my new apartment turned out to be directly above his, in a building that belonged entirely to him.

This meant we spent even more time together. Not only did I follow him closely during work hours, but he often took me to dinner at his friends’ restaurants after work, claiming he needed a free designated driver.

He also often mooched off the breakfast I made, accompanying me to and from work. The colleagues in the company didn’t misinterpret our relationship; rather, they seemed to pity me, thinking I was enslaved by the president both at work and at home.

Assistant Bryce was also pleased. Since I had moved into Julian’s building, he found fewer reasons to seek Julian after hours, giving him time to focus on his own love life.

Despite the general belief that Julian Ward wouldn’t develop feelings for anyone – man or woman – I still sensed a hint of ambiguous chemistry between us.

But all of that changed yesterday, shattering like a bubble.

“Eliza! What do you mean by resigning? What do you mean by moving? I don’t agree! It’s just a cold! You…” Julian exploded, slamming his hand on the table. He paused mid-sentence, his expression suddenly shifting.

He got up and moved to sit beside me, speaking carefully. “Eliza, do you have some terminal illness? Don’t be scared; I’ll take you to the hospital right now. Don’t worry, I can arrange for top doctors to treat you. I’ll be with you every step of the way…”

I swatted his head away. Are you cursing me?

“Julian, I’m not sick! I just have a cold! I want to resign and move because I want to distance myself from you. Do you understand?

“I told you before, don’t be too nice to me; I’ll get the wrong idea. I might think you like me.

“Yes, I liked you before, but no matter how much I like someone, I won’t become a mistress. Since you have a girlfriend, stop messing with me!”

“What are you talking about? What girlfriend? I don’t have a girlfriend! Eliza, what’s going on in that little head of yours? I was afraid of scaring you, so I didn’t want to overdo it, and you actually suspected I have a girlfriend? If I had one, it would be you!”

Julian’s brow furrowed, his expression a mix of seriousness and helplessness. He sighed, covering his eyes.

Maybe he was just too good at acting; I couldn’t see any signs of deceit in him.

But the truth was right in front of me; anything he said felt like classic gaslighting.

“Julian! There’s no point in denying it. I know everything. I heard it and I saw it.

“If you admit it now, I can talk to you calmly. Don’t think about trying to deceive me again. You definitely don’t want to know what I’m capable of doing!”

I gazed deeply at Julian, rubbing my temples to ease the headache that had settled in. The events of yesterday haunted me – after receiving his drunken call and driving him home, I had accidentally caught a glimpse of his messages.

There was a girl’s avatar, stunningly beautiful, with the name Kelly followed by a heart emoji. The messages read:

Julian: [What time is your flight back tomorrow afternoon? I’ll pick you up.]

Kelly ♡: [It’s at 3:30 PM. Julian, you’re so sweet for picking me up yourself. Love you.]

Thinking back to the phone call that led me to his private room, I had overheard snippets of conversation with his friends.

“Julian, are you still not a man? You’ve kept her waiting for so many years. If you don’t make a move soon, someone else will take her away, and you’ll regret it.”

“Yeah, you fell for her at first sight. We asked you about it, and you kept it a secret…”

“Shut up! You old perverts don’t understand…”

Seeing those messages now left no room for doubt: Julian had been in love with this girl for years, and her return was making him drunk with emotions.

“Eliza, you need to clarify. You can’t condemn me over some baseless assumptions. Even a condemned man has the right to appeal!”

Julian’s eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging in his hands, his voice low and fierce.

I was taken aback; it was the first time I’d seen him like this. His red eyes made my heart ache.

“Julian, that day when I went to pick you up from the restaurant, I heard your conversation outside the door. I heard you say you had a girl you’ve liked for years. And on the way back, I saw your messages with Kelly… Do you want me to continue?”

Julian froze for a moment after hearing this, then unexpectedly laughed.

“Is that all?”

“Isn’t that enough? Your long-time crush is back, and the very next day you start avoiding me. What else do you expect me to think?”

His dismissive tone irritated me to the point where I grabbed the fruit fork next to me and slammed it to the floor, producing a loud clatter.

“Eliza, calm down. Don’t get angry. Let me explain everything.”

“Kelly is not the girl I’ve liked for years. I’ll call her right now to prove it.”

Seeing me getting more agitated, Julian softened his tone. He unlocked his phone and was about to call Kelly.

After a few rings, an annoyed voice came through.

“Julian, I was sleeping! You’d better have something important to say, or I swear I’ll kill you!”

Julian’s face scrunched up in disgust, moving the phone away slightly, as if he expected this reaction.

I widened my eyes in disbelief. Was this dream girl of his really so hot-tempered?

“Kelly, you mother has just called me. Should I tell her that her precious daughter is back but hasn’t informed her?”

The air grew thick with tension, and then there was a sweet yet grinding voice from the other end.