Chapter 2

My eyes were glued to Ethan's phone, and I felt my blood freeze in my veins.

The ping of the notification echoed like a gunshot in the dead silence of the conference room.

Ethan glanced down at his phone, his brow furrowing slightly. He placed it face down on the table and looked up to keep listening to the presentation.

I clutched my own phone tightly. My heart was pounding like I'd just finished a boxing match.

No way. It had to be a coincidence.

My fingers trembled as I sent another message. [Fawn, I miss you.]

Ethan's phone pinged again.

This time, everyone in the conference room turned to look at him.

He picked up his phone with a blank face and glanced at the screen. Then his hand froze.

I held my breath, watching as his ears turned red.

All I could think was that I was screwed.

"Continue," Ethan said coldly, but his eyes were locked on his phone. His fingers tapped rapidly on the screen.

The next second, my phone vibrated.

Fawn: [Sugarpie, I'm in a meeting. I'll hit you up later.]

I stared at the message, and my vision went dark.

I was really him.

Fawn, the one who called me "Sugarpie" every day, stayed up late gaming with me, and even talked about meeting up in real life, was actually my boss, Ethan.

I jerked my head up, and our eyes locked.

He looked at me, his gaze heavy and complicated, but in the next instant, his face went cold again, like I'd imagined everything.

"Wendy," he said suddenly.

I stiffened. "Here."

"Your proposal," Ethan said, tapping the table. "Go on."

"Oh, right." I fumbled with my slides, my mind totally blank. I nearly dropped my laptop.

Lacey glared at me. "Why are you so freaked out? Did you see a ghost or something?"

I gave a nervous laugh. "I've seen something way scarier than a ghost."

*****

As soon as the meeting ended, I bolted out the door first and ran straight to the bathroom.

Once I locked the stall door, I whipped out my phone and started texting my bestie, Sophie Reed. [OMG, help! My internet crush is Ethan Locke.]

Sophie replied instantly: [Which Ethan Locke? Your company's ice-cold CEO?]

I: [Yep, the guy who never cracks a smile.]

Sophie: [You're so screwed.]

I was losing my mind. [What am I supposed to do now? Act clueless? Block him right away? Or just quit and bolt?]

Sophie: [Calm down. He has no idea it's you. Just keep an eye on him for now.]

While we were chatting, a new message suddenly popped up.

Fawn: [Hey, Sugarpie. I just finished my meeting. Are you busy today?]

I stared at the message with my finger hovering over the screen, not daring to reply.

Just then, I heard footsteps outside the bathroom, and Lacey called out, "Wendy, you in there? Mr. Locke's looking for you."

My hand shook so hard that I almost dropped my phone straight into the toilet.

"C-coming!" I blurted out.

I sucked in a breath, braced myself, and pushed open the door.

Lacey eyed me up and down suspiciously. "You look terrible? What's wrong?"

I forced a smile. "Maybe I ate something bad."

"Come on. Mr. Locke's waiting for you in the CEO's office," Lacey urged.

*****

Standing outside the CEO's office, I took three deep breaths before knocking on the door.

"Come in," Ethan's cold voice called from inside.

I pushed the door open. Without even looking up from his paperwork, he said, "Close the door."

My hand shook, and the door slammed shut way louder than I meant it to.

Ethan finally looked up, and his eyes landed on my face. "You're nervous?"

"No," I blurted out, my voice louder than usual.

His brow furrowed as he picked up a folder from his desk and handed it to me. "You're in charge of this project."

I took the folder and looked down. It was the company's biggest client proposal for the rest of the year.

"Me?" I was stunned. "But this is Team A's project."

Ethan looked up and said, "Is there a problem?"

"No," I said quickly, shaking my head.

The office was so quiet that I could hear my own heart pounding.

Suddenly, Ethan's phone pinged.

He glanced at the screen, frowned, and then started typing back.

Right then, my phone buzzed.

Fawn: [Sugarpie, why are you ignoring me?]

I was shocked, staring at him.

Ethan finished texting and then looked up at me. "Anything else?"

"N-no," I stammered, turning to leave.

"Wait!" He called out to me.

I turned back, stiff as a board. "Mr. Locke, do you need anything else?"

He paused for a second and then asked, "What do you do for fun?"

I froze, caught off guard. "Huh?"

"The company's planning some team-building activities," he said calmly. "I'm just trying to get a sense of everyone's interests."

"Oh!" I let out a sigh of relief. "I like sports."

"What kind of sports?" he asked.

"Running, working out, stuff like that," I replied, making it up.

He nodded and then suddenly asked, "Do you box?"

My heart skipped a beat. "What?"

"Boxing," he said, locking eyes with me. "Your wrists look strong, like you've done it a lot."

I instinctively hid my hands behind my back. "I just do it sometimes."

"Oh, yeah?" he said, his voice cool, but suddenly, he stood up and came around the desk, heading straight for me.

I instinctively stepped back until my back hit the door.

He stopped just a step away, leaned in slightly, and looked down at me. "Are you free tonight?"

"Huh?" I said, not knowing what he wanted.

"There's a new boxing club near the office," he said. "Wanna check it out?"

I blinked, totally shocked. "You also do boxing?"

"Sometimes," he said, his gaze intense. "Let's go together."

My mind went blank. "N-no, I have plans tonight."

"With whom?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"My best friend," I blurted out. "She's nursing a broken heart, so I have to go help her drown her sorrows."

Ethan paused for a moment and then gave a little chuckle. "Another time, then."

I felt like I'd just dodged a bullet. Then I turned to open the door and make my escape.

"Wendy," he called out again.

I turned back, feeling like my luck just ran out. "Mr. Locke, do you need anything else?"

He held my gaze for a long second before finally saying, "Your proposal is not bad today."

I froze, totally caught off guard.

"You can go now," he said, turning back to his desk.

*****

I practically ran out of the office, dashed back to my desk, and collapsed into my chair.

My phone buzzed again.

Fawn: [Sugarpie, I have to work late tonight, so I won't be able to chat.]

I stared at the message, and Ethan's words suddenly echoed in my mind. In that instant, everything fell into place.

He was testing me.

Through gritted teeth, I texted back. [No worries. Just go ahead.]

After sending the message, I instantly pulled up Fawn's profile, my finger hovering over the "Remove" button. I hesitated, unable to press it.

Sophie texted me, [So? Did he recognize you?]

I: [Not sure, but he invited me to go boxing tonight.]

Sophie: [What kind of plot twist is this?]

I: [I'm about to lose my mind. He's like two totally different people online and in person.]

While I was still chatting, the whole office suddenly started buzzing.

I glanced up and saw Ethan walking past in the hallway. A couple of the girls were whispering.

One of them said, "Why has Mr. Locke been staring at his phone today? He actually looks kind of gentle."

I snuck a peek and saw he was typing away with a little smile tugging at his lips.

The next second, my phone buzzed.

Fawn: [Sugarpie, I miss you.]

I stared at the message, totally speechless.