Chapter 307
He typed the most courageous—and cute—response he had ever dared to send in his life:
\[Matthew\]
Don't rush, Laura. I'm eagerly waiting for you. Take as long as you need. 🙂
Yes, he added an emoji.
An emoji.
And immediately, he felt his cheeks burn.
If Gabriela or Lilian saw this, he would never hear the end of it.
He put his phone in his pocket, leaned his head back against the seat, and closed his eyes, still smiling like a teenager in love.
Now all that was left was the hardest part.
How, exactly, should he ask Laura out?
He tried to think of the right words—something elegant, mature, romantic...
But the more he tried, the more everything turned into chaos in his mind.
Hearts, alarms, cut-off phrases, panic...
Nothing came out right.
It was as if his brain had been replaced by jelly.
Matthew watched Laura closely—her shock, her wide eyes, the blush that rose to the tips of her ears. It was so adorable it hurt.
But it also made him nervous. Very nervous.
“Yes, Laura,” he replied, his voice low but firm. “I'm asking you to be my girlfriend.”
Laura opened and closed her mouth, soundless. As if she had been struck by an electric shock directly to the heart.
“W-we...? Dating?” she repeated, as if she needed to confirm that the universe wasn't playing a cruel joke on her.
“Yes. The two of us. You and me.” Matthew stared at her with all the sincerity he possessed. "Laura, I like you. And I don't want to waste any more time.
Laura's world stopped.
Her heart seemed to have forgotten how to function.
She slowly raised her hand, touching her chest—she needed to make sure she was awake. She needed to make sure that her boss... the man she had admired for months... really wanted her.
“M-Matthew...” she tried to begin, but her voice came out shaky. “Are you serious? This isn't a joke, right? You... really want this?”
He leaned toward her slightly, his eyes warm and determined.
“Laura, when it comes to you, I never joke.”
She swallowed hard.
The car, the world, time... everything fell silent. Only the two of them existed.
“But... why?” she whispered, unable to process it. “Why me?”
Matthew let out a soft, almost relieved laugh.
“Because you make me feel... alive.
”Because when you smile, I forget all my problems at work. “Because I've never met anyone so kind, strong, and... so you.
”Because I don't want to show up at your door one day and find out that another man saw your light before I did.
Laura's eyes widened even more.
“Another man?
Mattew sighed deeply.
”I heard that your parents wanted to force you to get engaged... and that scared me. — And I realized that if I didn't speak up soon, another guy might win you over.
Laura put her hand to her mouth, trying to control the flood of emotion.
— Matthew... I... I don't know what to say...
He smiled, this time with a shy gleam — so rare in him.
— Say yes. That's all.
She was completely paralyzed.
“Y-Yes? Me? You and me... dating?
He nodded slowly.
”Yes, Laura. Do you want to try... with me?
She clutched her dress, her heart pounding in her chest.
And then, with the softest—and most sincere—voice she had ever used:
"Yes... I do. I want to date you, Matthew.
His expression changed.
First surprise.
Then relief.
Then... pure happiness.
And Laura knew, at that moment, that she had never seen her boss—the man who was always impeccable, always composed, always restrained—smile so genuinely in her life.
Matthew brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly.
“Thank you, Laura. You've just become... the most important woman in my life.”
Laura felt her heart literally melt.
“And you... you've just become the reason for my silly smile.” she murmured, finally relaxing and letting out a nervous giggle.
Matthew smiled broadly.
“Shall we go?” he asked, starting the car. “We have a lunch to attend... and I want to get there with my girlfriend.
Laura blushed to her soul.
”Your... girlfriend...“ she repeated softly, as if it were a magic word.
He looked at her fondly and added:
”Yes. My girlfriend.
Laura's question fell between them like a silent thunderbolt.
“Do you love me?”
Matthew blinked.
For a second, he was completely motionless.
The air in the car seemed to stop.
He hadn't expected that. Not so soon, not like that. The question came so pure, so direct, and so vulnerable that it pierced all his defenses.
Laura, sensing Matthew's deeply intense silence, immediately panicked.
“I-I didn't mean to—” she began to say quickly, her hands trembling in her lap. “I mean... I just... I just wanted to understand—”
“Yes.”
The word came out before Matthew could even think.
Clear.
Deep.
Unquestionable.
Laura's eyes widened in shock.
Matthew leaned in slightly, his dark eyes fixed on her with chilling intensity—but not aggressively; it was pure, unfiltered emotional intensity.
“Yes, Laura. I love you.”
She held her breath.
He continued, lower, more honest, as if confessing a secret he had kept locked away for months:
“I know it seems too soon to say this.” “I know it seems sudden.
”But I love you.
“I fell in love with you slowly, every day... since the first time you walked into my office for that interview.
Laura put her hand to her mouth, her eyes welling up.
”M-Matthew..."
He laughed softly—nervously, gently, almost incredulous at himself.
“I tried to avoid it. I swear I tried.”
“Because you're my secretary, because I didn't want to get in the way of your career, because I didn't want you to think I was an... inappropriate boss.”
“But it was impossible.”
He ran his hand through his hair, exhaling the nervousness that had built up over months.
“Every time you smiled at me... every time you said ‘good morning, Mat— boss,’ I had to hold myself back from pulling you close.
”I... I've never felt this way about anyone before. Never."
Laura felt her heart melt.
Her chest ached—it ached with emotion, with joy, with shock, with love.
“Matthew...” she whispered.
“Laura, I'm not perfect,” he said, his voice becoming vulnerable. "I'm afraid of making mistakes, afraid of hurting you, afraid you'll think I'm not good enough.
But what I feel... it's real.
I don't want to lose you. I don't want another man to have you. “I want you with me. As my girlfriend. As...” He hesitated, taking a deep breath. “...as everything.”
Laura's silent tears flowed quickly.
She tried to speak, tried to respond, but her voice failed her.
“I-I... Matthew... I think I also...” She covered her mouth with her hand, blushing to her ears. “I think I'm falling in love with you too...”
Mattew froze.
Then a smile—the most beautiful, deepest, truest smile he had ever given—lit up his face.
He approached her slowly, as if afraid of scaring her away.