My lover is my boss (LingOrm)

17 - Extra Payment?

"Fine, tell me about Freen," I said, smirking as I spoke to Becky, who was sprawled out across the couch. I couldn't help but tease her, especially knowing how flustered she'd get when it came to her personal life.

Becky blushed slightly, fiddling with the edge of a pillow. "So... she called me over to her place and kissed me."

I raised an eyebrow, leaning in with a mischievous grin. "Just a kiss?"

"Orm!" she huffed, swatting at me with the pillow. "Why are you like this?"

"It's a question!" I said innocently, throwing my hands up defensively.

"Just a kiss," Becky muttered, though I could tell there was more to the story. She hesitated for a moment before adding, "And maybe some hugs."

"Hmm," I hummed teasingly, grinning wider as I watched her squirm. The way she tried to downplay it only made it more fun to tease her. "You and Freen, huh?"

Becky shot me a look, though her blush deepened. She wasn't fooling anyone, especially not me. I was about to push her for more details when my gaze drifted to something on her hand—something shiny, sparkling under the light. A ring.

"And what's this?" I asked, grabbing her hand to inspect the ring more closely. "An expensive ring on your finger? You're holding out on me, Becky."

Becky looked startled for a second, then tried to play it off. "Oh, this? Just a little something I bought myself," she said, shrugging like it was no big deal.

I raised an eyebrow, not buying it for a second. "You? Bought that?" I asked, holding her hand up higher to let the light catch the gem again. "This ring looks like it costs more than 500,000 baht."

Becky hesitated, her eyes flickering with a hint of something, but she quickly masked it with a laugh. "How do you know the price, Orm? Shopping for engagement rings yourself?"

I rolled my eyes but grinned. "I'm just interested in dating, that's all. But don't dodge the question—where'd you get this ring?"

Becky looked away, clearly flustered. "I told you, I bought it myself. Saved up for it."

I wasn't convinced. "Really?" I drawled, narrowing my eyes. "Let me see your phone."

She blinked, caught off guard. "What for?"

"You'll see." I extended my hand expectantly, and after a moment of reluctance, she handed over her phone. "Just curious," I said, unlocking it.

"What are you—" Becky started, but I held up a hand to silence her as I scrolled through her contacts and found exactly what I was looking for. With a smirk, I pressed the call button.

Becky's eyes widened. "Orm, what are you doing?!" she hissed, trying to snatch the phone from me.

But I quickly put the phone to my ear, hearing the familiar voice on the other end. "Hey, Ling. Sorry to disturb you. I'm Orm's friend, Becky," I said sweetly, shooting a smug grin at Becky, who was fuming beside me.

"Give it back!" she whispered urgently, trying to grab the phone, but I kept it out of reach.

"Shh," I said, swatting her hand away as I continued. "I just wanted to ask... Did you buy Orm a ring to ask her to date you?"

Becky's jaw dropped, her expression a mix of horror and disbelief. "Orm!" she practically shouted, but I ignored her, listening for Ling's response.

Ling was silent for a second, then she laughed softly on the other end. "Becky, I see Orm's been gossiping. But yes, I did. Why? Is she not wearing it?"

Becky looked at me, wide-eyed, and I tried to suppress my own laugh. "No, no," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "She's definitely wearing it. Thanks for confirming, though!"

"Wait, seriously?" Becky said, staring at me as the reality of the situation sank in.

I nodded, handing her back the phone after saying goodbye to Ling. "Yep. You happy now?"

Becky blinked, still holding her phone, clearly trying to process everything. "She didn't buy it," I lied, but the look on her face told me she wasn't convinced.

"Yeah, sure," Becky said, narrowing her eyes at me. "Ling said you asked for an extra payment and then bought it yourself."

I raised an eyebrow at that. "Extra payment?" I muttered under my breath, realizing that Ling's attempt at lying had clearly gone off the rails. She was terrible at it.

Before I could respond, my phone buzzed with a notification. I glanced down, and my eyes widened as I saw the message: Ms. Kornnaphat, you have received a transaction of 500,000 baht from an anonymous person.

Becky leaned over, glancing at the screen. "She sent you money, didn't she?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

I sighed, nodding slowly. "Yeah."

"I knew it," Becky said, laughing as she leaned back against the couch. "'Extra payment,' my ass."

"She's terrible at lying," I said, shaking my head in disbelief.

Becky grinned. "I noticed. But hey, I'll pretend the two of you aren't dating if that's what you want."

I shot her a look, though I couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, I'm going to have a little conversation with her later about this."

Becky waved her hand dismissively. "Just keep the money. It's hers, right?"

I shook my head. "No. It's her money. I can't just—"

"Sure you can," Becky interrupted, picking up the deck of cards from the table. "Anyway," she said, changing the subject, "enough about your love life. Let's play."

I couldn't help but laugh, thankful for the distraction. "Come on, spread the cards," I said, leaning forward. "I want to win again."

Becky chuckled as she shuffled the cards, the tension in the air dissipating as we fell back into the rhythm of our game. But even as we played, my mind kept drifting back to Ling—her terrible lie, the way she sent me money without a second thought, and the fact that she had bought me such an expensive ring. She was always full of surprises, that much I knew. But this? This was something else entirely.

As Becky dealt the cards, I couldn't help but replay the entire situation in my head. Ling and her "extra payment" excuse was ridiculous, but the way she cared for me, the way she always found some extravagant way to express her feelings, made my heart swell with affection. Even if she was hilariously bad at lying, her intentions were always clear. She cared about me, and that was what mattered.

Becky, noticing my distracted state, leaned forward and waved her hand in front of my face. "Earth to Orm?"

"Huh?" I blinked, snapping back to reality.

"You're totally daydreaming about Ling, aren't you?" she teased, grinning from ear to ear.

I rolled my eyes, even though I knew she was right. "Maybe. But don't act like you weren't doing the same with Freen."

Becky flushed, tossing a card at me in mock frustration. "Touché."

The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of laughter and playful banter as we played round after round of cards. But no matter how much we joked or teased each other, the thought of Ling was never far from my mind. And the next time I saw her, I knew I'd have a lot to say—about the ring, the money, and how hopelessly bad she was at pretending she didn't care as much as she did.

But for now, I enjoyed the simplicity of the moment—playing cards with Becky, basking in the afterglow of our teasing banter, and feeling content with where things were. Because, despite everything, I knew that Ling and I had something special, something that didn't need extravagant rings or extra payments to prove it.