I looked her in the eyes and said, "For your and Ryan's safety, I think I should lay low for a few days. I've already got my plane ticket. I'll leave right after work tonight."
Scarlett stared at me, not saying a word for a bit.
Just when I thought she might blow up and storm off, she suddenly asked, "Are you planning to get help from Sophia's distant relative?"
"No way, I haven't talked to her since we hooked up. I don't even know where she lives," I said, shaking my head. "Plus, her husband is the big boss at our company. I wouldn't dare go near her. If my relationship with her gets spread, you, Ryan, and I will be in big trouble."
Worried she might not believe me, I pulled out my phone and showed her my flight details.
After checking the departure and arrival points and confirming the ticket was in my name, Scarlett finally relaxed. "Alright, but call me when you get there safely, and take care of yourself!"
"Don't worry, I haven't gotten you laid yet, so I'll definitely take care of myself," I joked, giving her shoulder a playful pat. Then, I grabbed the plates in front of her and took them to the staff for cleaning.
Scarlett walked with me to the elevator. We rode up together, then I headed to my department, and she went back to hers.
As soon as I sat down, a bunch of guys surrounded me. The women, not as quick, were stuck behind them, with only their hands reaching through to grab my shoulder, their long nails making my shoulder itch.
"Back off!" I shouted, annoyed.
Surprisingly, they all stepped back. John was the first to ask, "David, what's the deal with you and Scarlett from HR? Is she the girlfriend you mentioned?"
The others chimed in, "Yeah, what's going on between you two?"
"You guys shared lunch and even drank from each other's cups. That's like an indirect kiss!"
"So, are you two a thing now? How did you even meet?"
"Yeah, seriously, spill the beans! How did you manage to charm the HR queen?"
With John starting, a barrage of questions followed, leaving me feeling cornered.
"What are you thinking? She's my brother's wife. They've been married for seven years!" I exclaimed, totally confused.
"What? She's your brother's wife?" John was shocked, then asked, "Which brother?"
"Ryan, the Deputy Manager of the Operations Department," I replied.
"He's your brother? Why do you have different last names? Did one of you take your mom's surname and the other your dad's?" a colleague guessed.
"No, we were both adopted by the same foster parents when we were kids," I explained.
"So you're not blood brothers! That means you and Scarlett from HR still have a chance, right?" a woman with heavy makeup said.
"That's impossible! They're a legally married couple! How could I do something to break them up? Don't be ridiculous."
In fact, I couldn't stop thinking about breaking up Ryan and Scarlett and then openly dating and hooking up with Scarlett, but I had to play it cool to avoid being labeled a home-wrecker in front of everyone.
"Alright, alright, enough already! Don't go spreading rumors, or you'll regret it!" I said, raising my arm and clenching my fist. My muscles tensed up, and even through my suit, they could see the strength in my arm.
John was the biggest gossip in the company.
By lunchtime, he had already recounted to all our colleagues my heroic bar fight against ten guys. He told it so vividly that it played out like a movie in everyone's minds.
So, my colleagues were convinced I was a tough guy with a strong body and well-developed muscles.
As soon as they saw me flexing, they quickly backed off and returned to their desks.
"Cowards," I chuckled to myself.
I caught a glimpse of Emily's desk and noticed a faint smile on her face.
Why was she in such a good mood? Did she hear what I just said?
Logically, after our little rendezvous, she should've been pretty happy during lunchtime. But when I was getting close to Scarlett, she seemed down.
Now, back at work, she was smiling again after hearing my explanation.
It seemed that she still hadn't given up on the idea of dating me.
With a sigh, I dove into my work, finishing up my tasks before the end of the day. Then I shut down my computer and rushed downstairs.
I flagged down a taxi and gave the driver the address of my rental place. As soon as we got there, I sprinted upstairs, grabbed my suitcase in record time, and dashed back down. Jumping into the same taxi, I told the driver to head straight to the airport.
With my constant urging, the driver managed to avoid rush hour and got me to the airport in no time.
The plane was already boarding, and I didn't waste a second.
As soon as I got on the plane, I crashed and caught up on five hours of sleep. When I got off the plane, I saw Catherine waiting for me in the airport lobby.
The moment I saw her, I felt a rush of excitement.
Catherine saw me and immediately ran towards me, jumping into my arms. I held her tightly, unable to resist rubbing her soft cheek. "Did you miss me?"
She smiled and hugged me tighter. "Yes! I missed you so much!"
Due to the nap on the plane, a faint stubble had already appeared on my cheeks. As I rubbed her cheek with my face, the rough, sharp feeling made Catherine itch, and I teased her, making her laugh like a carefree kid.
All the day's fatigue vanished as I listened to her pure, joyful laughter.
"Talking's not enough. Let's head back to the hotel and you can show me how much you missed me," I whispered in her ear as I sat her on my suitcase.
Catherine immediately got what I meant. Her face turned red, and her gaze constantly avoided meeting mine.
'So adorable!' I thought to myself.