Chapter 42

Leah sat at her desk, her eyes fixed on the computer screen in front of her. However, her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of the president, Ethan and Mel the employee under her. Leah noticed their absence from the office, which was unusual since they rarely took time off together. She couldn't help but wonder if there was more to their relationship than just a professional one.

Her thoughts drifted back to a time when she had scolded Mel for being late, and Ethan had come to her defense. Leah remembered the protective and caring nature that Ethan had displayed towards Mel. It had left her with a nagging feeling that there might be something going on between them.

A few weeks later, when Mel took a day off without informing her, Leah had reported it to Ethan. To her surprise, he had defended Mel, indicating that he had permitted her to take the day off. Leah was taken aback by this since it was unlike Ethan to intervene in such a small matter.

Leah was struggling to concentrate on her work because she couldn't shake off her suspicions about Ethan and Mel's possible romantic involvement. She kept thinking about it, even though she was trying her best to focus on her tasks. She also recognized that she felt intimidated by Mel, especially since she had lost some arguments to her in the past. However, Leah decided to trust Ethan's character and give both him and Mel the benefit of the doubt. She knew Ethan to be a respectable and responsible man who had never shown any interest in women before. So, she took a deep breath, cleared her mind of any lingering doubts, and refocused on her work.

*****

Meanwhile Mel was scrolling through her phone when her battery life reached a critical low. She let out a sigh of frustration and turned to her side, unzipping the little black backpack she brought along for the journey. As she rummaged through the bag, her eyes widened in horror.

"Oh no," she muttered under her breath.

"What's wrong?" Ethan asked, noticing the worry etched on her face.

"I forgot my charger at the office," she replied, still frantically searching through the contents of her bag.

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "That's a rookie mistake. Didn't you check your bag before leaving?"

Mel scowled at him. "Yes, I did. I don't know how it got left behind. But what am I going to do now?"

Ethan thought for a moment before reaching into his own bag and pulling out a sleek-looking charger. "Here, you can use mine. I always carry a spare."

Mel looked at him gratefully. "Thank you so much, Ethan. You're a lifesaver."

Ethan shrugged nonchalantly. "It's no big deal. Besides, I need you to be at your best for the dinner event later tonight, Can't have you worrying about a dead phone battery." He said

Mel smiled at Ethan, feeling a warmth spread through her chest at his thoughtfulness. "Thanks again, Ethan. You're the best boss I've ever had."

She couldn't help but think about some of the bad experiences she had with previous CEOs, making Ethan's kindness all the more meaningful to her. She found it rare that a CEO would act so considerately towards their employees.

Ethan chuckled. "I hope I'm the only boss you've ever had who gives out phone chargers as presents." He added teasingly.

Mel's phone rang, breaking the silence inside the car. She picked it up and Maya's voice came up on the line. Mel couldn't hear her well because of the traffic sounds, so she put it on speaker.

"Hey, Mel!" Maya said, her voice crackling through the car speakers.

"Hey, Maya! How are you?" Mel replied, smiling.

"I'm doing better, thanks for asking. Where are you? It's so loud!" Maya said.

Mel chuckled. "I'm on the road. Traffic is crazy today."

Maya laughed. "I can hear that! So, how's everything going? How's that Stern, hardheaded CEO you always complain about?"

Mel felt a little awkward. "Well, he's...cool," she replied.

"Cool? Mel, you're calling him cool? How awesome, Mel!" Maya exclaimed.

Mel didn't know what to say. She turned to Ethan, who was seated beside her, and without being asked, she said, "It's Maya, my friend."

Ethan kept a straight face, pretending not to hear the conversation or what she just said.

"Mel, you're with who there? Is it Ethan?" Maya asked, guessing.

Mel hesitated for a moment, then surrendered. "It's him," she said.

"Whoa, I just randomly guessed, and it's turning out true! Mel dear, tell me what you're doing there with him in a car. Feed me in quickly," Maya said from the other side.

Mel felt a headache coming in, she just had to explain to Maya or else she would find out herself and that would mean even more teasing. "I don't know how to explain, but I'm filling in as his date to a business dinner," Mel tried to explain.

"Wow! A date? That's awesome! I knew it had come to this, Mel. Didn't I tell you, you're both literally acting out a billionaire romance novel script, and it's so cute? I honestly hope you both turn out to be a real perfect couple," Maya said from the other end.

Mel felt more awkward, and Ethan was hearing everything, but he maintained a straight look.

Mel had a brief moment of panic as she realized that she might have given Ethan the impression that she had been talking about him to Maya. However, she was relieved when Maya shifted the conversation to a more light-hearted topic, joking about Mel and Ethan winning an award for the best billionaire romance couple. Mel and Ethan both chuckled at the idea, but Ethan quickly regained his composure when Maya hung up. Mel, on the other hand, was left to deal with the aftermath of Maya's joke, feeling a bit uncertain about what to do next.

Ethan, noticing Mel's hesitation, asked her about her thoughts on working with him and whether she found him to be a bad boss or uncool. He looked at her expectantly, waiting for her response.

Mel fidgeted with her fingers, feeling a little uneasy as Ethan asked her about her experience working with him. She wondered if he had overheard Maya's joke and was trying to gauge her opinion of him.

"Well, Mr. Tough tough CEO," Mel teased with a small smile, "I have to admit that it was a bit intimidating at first. You have a reputation for being tough, and I wasn't sure if I was up to the challenge."

Ethan raised an eyebrow, but his expression softened as Mel continued speaking.

"But as I got to know you better, I realized that you're not just a boss, you're a mentor. You push us to be better, and you're not afraid to give us tough feedback when we need it. And as for being uncool, well, I don't think that's quite the right word for you."

Ethan chuckled, looking slightly amused. "I'll take that as a compliment. But you can be honest with me, Mel. If there's something I can do to be a better boss, I want to know."

Mel nodded, feeling grateful for Ethan's willingness to listen. "I appreciate that, Mr. Tough CEO. But honestly, I think you're doing a great job. And as for her theory about been in a billionaire romance ...let's just say Maya has a very active and wide imagination."

Ethan laughed again, the tension between them dissipating. "I see. Well, I'm glad to hear that.

"So how's she now?" Is she feeling any better?" Ethan asked, concern etched on his face.

Mel smiled reassuringly. "Maya's a strong woman, and I'm sure she'll make a full recovery soon. She's been through a lot, but she's a fighter. More importantly, she once mentioned that she had a very good doctor to tend for her over there."

"That's good to hear. I'm glad she's in good hands" Ethan nodded.

****

Lisa's Room

Lisa lay lazily on her bed, scrolling through her phone, feeling bored and restless. She had nothing interesting to do and it was getting late. She knew the business dinner was happening soon, but she had no plans to attend. She sighed as she scrolled through her social circle app and saw the posts of her friends who were at different events and parties.

But then a thought occured to her, she quickly opened her contacts on the social circle app and synced them in. As she scrolled through the list, she saw Ethan's name and her heart skipped a beat. She smiled to herself as she clicked on the 'add friend' button, hoping that Ethan would accept her request and send her a reply soon.

Just as she was about to put her phone down, she heard a knock on her door. "Lisa dear, I have something to tell you," her father's voice called out. Lisa kept quiet, not wanting to talk to him. But then he said something that caught her attention. "It's about the business dinner, will you open up the door now?"

Hearing his words, Lisa's curiosity was piqued. She quickly got up from the bed and walked to the door. She opened it and saw her father standing there, a serious look on his face. "What's going on?" she asked.