"Have some more, Y/N." Grandma calls over the noise at our packed dinner table, showering her with the same love she's always given me and my five siblings. Grams throws me a stern look, and I grit my teeth as I reluctantly add more glazed carrots to my secretary's plate.
I can't figure out why Grandma favors Y/N so much. Our weekly dinners are strictly a family affair. There are only two exceptions to this rule: Sofia, my sister's best friend, and Y/N.
Now, I'd understand if Y/N was invited every once in a while, a few years into our working relationship - but that wasn't the case. She's been invited to family dinner once a month, like clockwork, from the moment we started working together. She claims not to know why my grandmother treats her so well, but I call bullshit.
I've been trying to find out if my grandmother pays her to report on my every move, but I've found no paper trail evidencing that. But then again, I never would. My grandmother would never slip up in that way.
Y/N smiles at Grandma, and I stare at her in wonder. Why is it that she never behaves this way in my presence? It isn't just the genuine laughter escaping her red lips - it's the easygoing conversations she holds with my brothers, and the inside jokes she has with my sister, Sierra.
Y/N, Sierra, and Sofia giggle about something I can't even begin to comprehend, and I tear my gaze away, focusing on my food instead.
Y/N is on great terms with every single member of my family, except for me, the man that actually pays her an exorbitant salary. I can't tell which version of her is real. When she's around my family, she's so fucking sweet that even I almost fall for her act. If only they could see her at work. That illusion she's trapped them in would shatter instantly.
I take a sip of my wine, my eyes settling on my older brother, Jay. At this loud table, he and I are the only ones who are quiet tonight. I follow his gaze to find him staring at Sofia. She's laughing at something Y/N said, and he can't seem to tear his eyes off her.
I look away, trying my best to hide the hint of concern I'm feeling. Y/N isn't just our sister's best friend. She's also Jay's fiancée's younger sister. She's the last woman he should be looking at that way. I shake my head and empty my wine glass. An arranged marriage is what awaits all of us siblings, but at least I'll go into mine without feelings for someone I'll never have.
"You're quiet," Y/N says as dinner wraps up. "Is everything okay? Is there something urgent we need to work on?"
I look up at her in surprise and shake my head as I lead her through the main house where my grandmother lives, toward my own condo. "Do you ever think about anything but work?"
She smiles at me in that way I despise. "Do you?"
The edges of my lips turn up. "Touch."
Y/N presses her thumb to the scanner at my front door, and it swings open. She exhales softly as she slips out of her high heels, leaving them by the door as she heads to my living room barefoot.
Without her heels on, she looks so fucking tiny. It'd be so easy to pick her up and push her against the wall. Would her lips taste as venomous as the words that escape it?
I run a hand through my hair and shake my head. What the fuck am I even thinking? Y/N is beautiful beyond compare, but I have no doubt she'd be just as cold and unpleasant in bed. If I tried fucking her, I'd walk away with frostbite, no doubt. I shudder, annoyed with myself for even thinking about it.
"Interesting," she says, staring at her phone as she sits down on the sofa. I take a seat and lean in to look over her shoulder, a whiff of her signature lavender scent involuntarily making me breathe in deeper. "He asked his son to step down. I'm surprised."
