Chapter 15: Chapter Fifteen: A Ride to Work

Layla peeked at her watch and raised an eyebrow, "Mr. Frucht, is this a new trend for you to clock in at this hour?"

She had this image in her head of CEOs strutting in their offices before 8 a.m., sipping on iced coffees and dialing into video calls across the globe as the sun rose. But Tristan's delay didn't quite fit the bill.

Tristan stayed quiet with a steely expression while his assistant James, in the passenger seat, chimed in, "Usually, we arrive at 7:20..."

James stopped short as he felt Tristan's icy stare bore into him, shutting him up real quick.

Tristan's lips curved into a slight grin as he explained, "I'm not busy today, so I figured I'd start a little later."

Layla gave a nod. Tristan casually handed her a paper bag from the nearby console, saying, "James got this, but it's not my thing, so it's all yours."

However, the bakery's logo on the packaging bag was so obvious that Layla couldn't ignore it.

She knew how difficult it was to buy food at this particular bakery. She had heard that even showing up at dawn didn't guarantee getting their freshly baked croissants.

Layla couldn't help but admire James for waking up so early to get it.

It seemed like James truly lived up to his hefty paycheck.

Noticing Layla's impressed expression, James started to elaborate, "Well, it's actually Mr. Frucht who..."

Tristan's warning glance at James made him realize he should probably keep quiet to avoid risking his job. Immediately shutting up, he almost wished he could disappear.

Layla noticed the interesting interaction between them but didn't say anything. She glanced at the breakfast in her hands and then over at Tristan sitting next to her.

Tristan seemed unfazed by her gaze, casually fiddling with his cufflinks and mentioning, "Did you graduate from Evergreen High School, Miss Hammond?"

Affirming, Layla nodded. Tristan went on, "We were classmates at Evergreen, but you were quite a big deal around campus. I doubt you even remember me."

Finding this amusing, Layla chuckled, "Mr. Frucht, you're selling yourself short. You were one of the most popular people in school. How could I forget you?"

Raising an eyebrow, Tristan replied, "Is that so?"

Nodding with a hint of nostalgia in her eyes, Layla remembered, "It is. After every class, all the girls would rush to the court to watch you play basketball."

Tristan couldn't help but grin, "And what about you?"

Layla awkwardly grinned, "I wasn't really into sports back then, but I do remember you did very well in academics and raking in the awards. Oh, and a bunch of girls I knew had a thing for you and even wrote you love letters."

Tristan suddenly turned to fix his gaze on her, his eyes intense and probing, "Including you?"

His question caught Layla off guard.

But she didn't feel uneasy. She sensed a peculiar tension in his focused look and quickly masked the sparkle in her eyes, responding, "Come on, Mr. Frucht, don't tease me. I was all about getting into a good college back then, so dating was never on my mind."

Tristan nonchalantly smirked, "That's because you were too busy crushing on Ashton, right?"

His comment cast a heavy atmosphere in the car. Layla fell quiet, and the remainder of the drive was suffocatingly silent.

Fortunately, they soon reached the Hammond Group's office building. Layla let out a soft sigh of relief. Years of etiquette training kicked in as she put on a smile, graciously thanking Tristan before saying goodbye.

As Layla grabbed her bag to leave the car, she added, "Thanks, Mr. Frucht. Let me treat you to dinner sometime."

Tristan gave a nod, "Sure."

James came around to open the car door for Layla, but she quickly pushed it open and hopped out as if feeling like someone was breathing down her neck. As soon as her feet hit the ground, a sharp pain shot through her ankle, almost causing her to stumble.

She was so preoccupied with the awkwardness of the situation that she completely forgot about her injured ankle.

Despite the discomfort and embarrassment, Layla tried to brush off the mishap and soldiered on, walking towards the building with Tristan keeping a close eye on her.

Just as she took a step forward, she felt a gentle hand steadying her arm. Tristan frowned as he assessed her injury, then without hesitation, he took her by the shoulder, saying, "Let's go. I'll help you out."

Layla hesitated about accepting the gesture at first, but the pain in her ankle made it hard to decline. Not wanting to make a scene, she put on a smile and nodded in agreement.

As James watched his usually cool and detached boss act so caring and almost soft around Layla, it triggered a memory of something Bruno had said.

Tristan bought breakfast for Layla first thing in the morning, even though he tried to pass it off as James was doing. Plus, Tristan was surprisingly okay with Layla eating in the car, a rule he never bent for anyone else.

All these signs made James wonder if there was more to Layla and Tristan's relationship. Could it be that Layla was actually the one supporting Tristan behind the scenes?

It was an odd thought, considering the Hammond Group wasn't even yet powerful enough to compete with the Frucht Group.