T

he next day, back in the office, I was stunned to find an elaborate flower arrangement sitting on my desk with a note enclosed in a cream envelope. Naturally, I was more curious at the note than the beautiful blooms before me, so with a shaky hand, I began to open it, holding my breath as I did so.

There was no name, no signature anywhere, so I wasn’t sure where it had come from. Was it from Cruz? Archer maybe? Jesus, who would send something this pretty and not say whom it came from? It doubled the frustration and stress.

Mind you, I didn’t want to spend the rest of my working hours wondering whom it came from. After my tumultuous exchange with Cruz last night, I barely thought of Archer to be honest. I was drowned by my own misery too much to even think about if the guy had waited for me or not. Well, even if I had, it didn’t matter. I was in no way, shape, or form ready to be good company after I had scrambled to get away from Cruz.

Taking a deep breath, I was telling myself there were bigger things to worry about when my phone rang, alarming me. Getting ahold of my bearings, I cleared my throat before taking the call.

“Mr. Cruz Elliot’s office. This is Serena; how may I assist you?”

“Serena,” the man said from the other line. There was no doubt in my mind who it was. There was only one man in the world who said my name the way he did.

Nervously biting my lip, I tried to calm the fuck down before breathing out, “Yes?”

“I need you in my office if you have a moment.” He commanded.

Nodding, I immediately told him that I would be in right away before placing the phone back on its cradle.

For a moment, I contemplated if I should head to the bathroom to make sure I looked presentable. Then I realized there was no point. Being self-conscious around him after last night … Well, it was useless. Therefore, I simply shrugged and made my way towards Cruz’s office.

I had barely even begun to knock when I was surprised to find Cruz opening the door for me.

“Serena,” he said in a tone that seemed a little on edge, which was odd.

Not wanting to dwell on his bizarre attitude, I carefully glanced at him, keeping myself at a safe distance. The tension between us was even more apparent than before, and it was disconcerting and slightly intimidating because I had no idea what would happen next.

“You needed me for something?” I breathed out, anxious to immediately leave, yet I couldn’t help staring at him as if I was a starved, lovesick puppy.

He studied me a while, lingering on my face, eyes, then my lips before he snapped back to reality.

“How’s your day going so far?” he casually asked, as if we were the best of friends.

His bizarre attitude left me on eggshells, but since he was my boss, I knew I had to answer him in a respectful manner.

“It’s been … well.”

“That’s brilliant.” He nodded, still staring at me, as if he had something to get off his chest. “Are you doing something tonight?” he questioned, catching me off guard.

“Why do you ask?” I treaded carefully, knowing very well this could get messy yet again. After last night, the last thing I needed was to engage in another heated argument with him.

“I was hoping I could take you out for dinner …”

Damn, he was willing to go there. Did we need to have this type of discussion on a daily basis? It was fucking exhausting. Fuck. I was ready to wave the white flag and just surrender, but I couldn’t shake the thought of Ivy away. Besides, I wasn’t that woman. It was all or nothing for me, not some half-ass anything. Not even for Cruz, the man who starred nightly in my dreams … and nightmares.

“Cruz, whatever this is you’re trying to do—”

“I can’t get you out of my mind, Serena. You’re all I think about. I’m truly going mental.” He ran a hand through his thick, wavy hair before blowing out a breath, seeming tortured as his metallic eyes penetrated into my heart, into the very depths of my soul.

No … NO! He couldn’t. He just fucking couldn’t!

“Cruz—”

“I’ve never felt this way before. I’m beyond confounded. I need to figure this out without any guilt. I’m thinking of breaking things off with Ivy. I can’t keep lying to her, least of all to myself,” he confessed, giving me a glimpse of the troubled man underneath the cool, collected, and calm persona he projected to the rest of the world.

“No!” I shrieked. “Don’t do that. I’m not going to have someone’s unhappiness on my hands.”

His confession beyond panicked me, so much so that I was ready to spout whatever lies I had to in order to sway his belief. I knew it was wrong, and I had already made up my mind where he was concerned. I couldn’t backtrack now. I had to see it through until the very end.

Hiding the pain in my heart, I sought his eyes, hoping he would see there was nothing special between us. “Besides, I don’t like you like that. I mean, it was fine before, you know. It was fun, but it meant nothing.”

Discernibly, he was offended by my rational reasoning.

“So it was just a game to you, then?” he hissed in pure disbelief.

My heart thudded so loudly it rang in my ears. I knew I was in uncharted territory, but I had already pulled the trigger, and it had shot through his skin, resulting in his wounded pride. There was no going back after this.

As calmly as I could, I murmured, “Sort of, yeah.” Although it hurt me to say such horrible lies, I felt as if it was justified, as if his momentary pain would eventually be for a good cause for everyone involved.

He observed everything that crossed my eyes, my face. “Why do I get the feeling you’re lying to me, Serena?”

I was guilty. I knew it; he knew it, but I would never admit to it. If I had to stick to my lies and appear to be the biggest liar of all, then so be it.

Standing my ground, I barely blinked as I prepared myself to keep lying through my teeth. “Think what you like, but if you don’t have anything work-related for me, it’s best I go. Good day, Mr. Elliot,” I huffed out before sending him one last look. Then I spun on my heels and exited his office with fake bravado.

My body shook as I strutted back towards my desk. However, before I could even warm my seat, my phone beeped, indicating a message from Archer Elliot.

“Damn it,” I muttered under my breath, feeling as though I couldn’t catch a break from these brothers.

Unlocking my phone, I tapped on the text.

Can you be my date tomorrow night?

I was surprised he didn’t sound pissed off since I hadn’t sought him out after I left Cruz in the basement. Truth be told, I was such a wreck afterwards that I took a sleeping pill and decided to sleep the rest of the night away.

What’s happening tomorrow night?

It’s my mother’s birthday. No one informed you?

I wouldn’t have asked if I had known. Besides, I had been avoiding the people around the house, even the lovely Anne, because I felt too ashamed for keeping a secret from all of them where Cruz was concerned.

Tapping my reply, I took a steady breath before hitting send.

No, not really.

My phone beeped in less than a minute.

So is that a yes? Maybe? I’m not settling for no. I’m kind of a nice asshole like that.

His reply made me grin. Unlike Cruz, who seemed to have a sexy fixation with his brooding, which was so fucking sexy and suited him…

God. I had to stop thinking about him before he decided to break off his engagement with Ivy. This was the best route to go. It wasn’t as if Archer was a second choice. He was just harmless fun.

Yes, asshole. It’s a yes.

My choice was made. There was no going back. After all, it was his mother’s birthday. How bad could this turn out?