Chapter 23 23

Chapter 23 23

The man standing before her, holding one of her scattered documents was a very handsome young man.
For a few seconds, Lily forgot that she was supposed to be angry. She forgot about the papers scattered across the mall floor, forgot about the groceries that had rolled away from her basket, forgot about the tiredness pressing down on her shoulders from the long and frustrating day she had just survived.
All she could see was his face.
He had the kind of face that made people look twice without meaning to. His jaw was well chiseled, his skin smooth, and his eyes were so striking that they seemed to hold both warmth and mischief at the same time. His hair was neatly styled, and there was something effortlessly charming about the way he carried himself. Not arrogant like Zayne. Not cold like Kyrian. Just calm, confident, and disturbingly attractive.
Lily stared.
And stared.
It was only when the corner of his lips curved upward in amusement that she realized her mouth was slightly open.
Heat rushed to her face. She quickly closed her mouth and straightened. Then she remembered that she was supposed to be upset.
“What is wrong with you?” she snapped, more out of embarrassment than anger. “Can’t you look where you’re going?”
The man crouched and began helping her gather the scattered papers. The amused expression did not leave his face, but he didn’t laugh at her. He didn’t argue. He didn’t point out that she might have also been distracted. He simply picked up the documents carefully, tapping them into a neat pile before handing them to her.
“I’m sorry,” he said sincerely. “That was careless of me.”
Lily blinked.
She had expected an excuse. A defensive reply. Something like, You were also not looking. But he gave none of that. His apology was simple, calm, and strangely warm.
Her heart gave a ridiculous, embarrassing jump. Lily immediately looked away, annoyed with herself.
“Just be more careful next time,” she muttered, taking the papers from him.
“I will,” he said.
His voice was deep and pleasant, and that only made her more irritated because why did even his voice have to sound nice?
She quickly gathered the rest of her things and stood. He helped pick up one of the grocery items that had rolled near his shoe and placed it gently into her basket.
“There,” he said. “I believe everything is safe.”
Lily gave him a stiff nod. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
He was still smiling.
Not openly or mockingly. Just that same amused smile, as though he knew very well that he had unsettled her and was quietly enjoying it.
Lily narrowed her eyes.
How annoying.
Without another word, she turned and walked away, holding her basket with more force than necessary. She could still feel his gaze on her back as she disappeared into the next aisle.
“Handsome men are always trouble,” she muttered under her breath.
Still, even as she continued shopping, she could not stop thinking about him. His face kept flashing in her mind at the most inconvenient moments, and each time it did, she scolded herself.
She had enough problems.
Kyrian. Tracey. Annie. Zayne. Hospital bills. Her father. Her job.
The last thing she needed was a random handsome stranger making her heart misbehave inside a mall.
By the time she finished buying the groceries, she had successfully convinced herself that the encounter meant nothing. Absolutely nothing. She paid for the items, arranged the bags properly, and headed home.
She expected to meet the apartment quiet because Claire had said she would be away for the weekend. So when Lily opened the door and saw her best friend curled up on the couch with her laptop on her thighs, she paused in surprise.
“Claire?”
Claire looked up. “Oh, you’re back.”
“I thought you were traveling.”
Claire made a face and pushed the laptop aside. “The program was shifted. Can you imagine? After all my mental preparation, they moved it.”
Lily stepped in and shut the door behind her. “Moved to when?”
“Next weekend.” Claire rolled her eyes. “Apparently, some of the guest speakers couldn’t make it this weekend, so they postponed the whole thing. They didn't even care how other's felt.”
Lily dropped the grocery bags on the table. “That must be annoying.”
“Very annoying. I already packed, planned my outfits, arranged my whole mood, only for them to send an email like they’re doing me a favor.”
Despite herself, Lily smiled faintly. “At least I won’t be alone this weekend.”
Claire pointed at her. “Exactly. That is the only reason I’m not completely angry.”
Lily began unpacking the groceries while Claire watched her closely. “So,” Claire said, dragging the word, “how was your day?”
Lily let out a long sigh. “Where do I start?”
Claire sat up properly. “That bad?”
“Worse.”
Lily told her everything. She told her how she had finally discovered that the arrogant man from the interview and rooftop was actually the CEO. She told her about how he had acted like he didn’t know her, about the manager bowing to him, about the rules and regulations document he handed to her, and how she had accidentally called him a jerk while he was standing nearby.
Claire burst into laughter.
“It is not funny,” Lily said, though her lips twitched.
“It is very funny,” Claire replied. “You called your CEO a jerk on your first official day with him around?”
“I didn’t call him that directly. I said it under my breath.”
“And he heard you?”
“Yes. And that's because he's sneaky! Why will a man's footsteps be that silent?”
Claire laughed harder, falling back against the couch. “Lily, only you.”
Claire's gaze dropped to the bag and files inside. “What's that?”
“Something terrifying.”
“Office work?”
Lily paused. “What else does it look like?”
“Punishment.”
Lily pressed her lips together and turned away before she could smile. “It does feel like punishment.”
“Who gave it to you?”
“My boss,” she muttered. Then, after a second, she added, “And that one woman at work who probably wakes up every morning asking herself how to make my life harder.”
“Oh wow! Can you specify?”
Lily gave her a tired look. “My boss. After the hard day and the close of work, he then gave me work for the weekend. As if that wasn’t enough, Annie also gave me a proposal that was supposed to be due next Friday and told me to finish it by Monday.”
Claire’s laughter faded. “That witch. I wish I can rip her apart!”
“Me too. She’s trying to frustrate me.”
“Of course she is. She wants you to lose the job.”
“I know.” Lily leaned against the kitchen counter, suddenly feeling tired again. “That’s why I can’t give her the chance.”
Claire nodded, her expression serious now. “Exactly. You’ll do it. We’ll find a way.”
Lily hesitated, then added, “And something weird happened at the mall.”
Claire’s eyes lit up immediately. “Weird good or weird bad?”
“Neither. I bumped into someone.”
“Someone?”
“A man,” Lily said, trying to sound casual as she arranged the last grocery item into the cabinet. “He was careless and scattered my things.”
Claire leaned forward. “And?”
“And nothing. He helped me pick them up and apologized.”
Claire narrowed her eyes. “That’s all?”
“Yes.”
“Was he handsome?”
Lily paused for half a second too long.
Claire gasped. “He was handsome!”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
Lily rolled her eyes. “He was just… good-looking.”
“How good-looking?”
“Claire.”
“Fine, fine.” Claire grinned. “Did your heart do anything?”
“No,” Lily lied quickly.
Too quickly.
Claire’s grin widened, but thankfully, she did not press further. Lily was grateful because she had no intention of admitting that a stranger’s apology had made her heart do a mad little palpitation she was still ashamed of.