How to Not Fall for My Boss ✔

Bonus Chapter: The Balcony (Luke's POV)

Three things Luke has yet to figure out are the partnership offer from Zac Legrand, how the cat tree is ruined on day five, and Cobie Evans.

His current position at work doesn't give him a bright future because he won't be able to climb to the top ladder in the organization chart; it's simply the downside of a company run by a family. On the other hand, the marketing consultant company his friend, Zac, is running now only entered its third year this summer. If it doesn't survive the first five-year test, he will lose his job and the money he'll invest in the company.

It will be shitty for him for sure, but at least he won't lose his house like Lady Cleo has been attempting to do with her tree house. It's either the stupid pink color the cat has grown to despise or the bending post is just fun for her to dangle on. He needs to send it back and ask for a refund next week.

But again, maybe he should take Zac's offer and see it as a challenge. This is the time for him to make a big step if he wants something big for his future, otherwise, he will need to spend a decade or two to hit the top level in any big company. It's not that he has anything personal that ties him to this current company. Well, maybe there is one, and the person is standing in front of him at the very moment.

"You heard everything, didn't you?" Cobie asks. It's hard to figure out if she's mad or just stating the fact right now; it's hard to figure her out.

Since the wrong email she sent him the other day, she started to occupy his mind day and night to the point he thought he experienced puberty again. Granted, she'd caught his attention from the moment she entered the meeting room for her employment interview, but he had to shove the thought to the back of his mind once his team agreed to hire her. From that point onward, he needed to put an invisible barrier between him and her. And so he did.

But the email broke the barrier.

"Loud and clear," he says. He could've left the balcony and stayed in his room to give her privacy, but he chose not to.

Cobie groans. "Okay. At the moment, he's just being Harry. He likes to poke people's nerves, especially when he's not in a good place. He can be a total douche when he's drunk too. And tonight, I was his target. That's all." She mindlessly rubs her hands over her knees and makes a little circle up to her thighs, prompting his eyes to follow her hands' movement. "Plus, things between him and my sister aren't going that great. He sounded annoyed and annoying at the same time."

"I see. That sounds rough." He averts his gaze to her face, inwardly smacking himself from getting sidetracked. Focus, you dimwit. "So, he didn't ask you out even though he was attracted to you."

"He wasn't. Not that I knew of."

"Is he blind?" He regrets it right away once the words slipped through his lips, but it's too late to undo it. He just hopes he's not scaring her off.

Cobie freezes, looking surprised at his question. "Everyone has a type, Luke," she replies with a careful tone. "I don't believe in the concept of one person for everyone."

"That's true. But didn't he want to know where you both stood back in uni? Don't you think it means something?"

"It didn't have to mean anything. And he was drunk."

"Did you know that questions coming from a drunk person are often the honest ones? Hmm, I'm smelling a potential love triangle here." For some reason, pushing her has become his new hobby. This girl is like a thousand-piece puzzle to him; she's harder to figure out than anyone he's come across.

"No. There is definitely no triangle, or rectangle, or pentagon, or circle, you name it. There was nothing romantic going on between us, and it never will," her voice hardens.