Chapter 1

Winter had passed, and spring washed in like the tide, bringing warmth and sunshine. Colorful flowers were blooming, and new buds were ready to open to the light. The grass became greener as soon as the weather warmed up. Fresh sunlight illuminates the water droplets upon its fine green wands. The chirping of birds filled the air, and Charles Shaw awoke, yawning widely. Rubbing his eyes, he glanced at the photo frame, hanging on the opposite wall to the bed and mumbled lazily, “Good morning, Mom.” Then he picked up the phone from the side table to check the time.

Ding…

He felt like a loud bell resounding in his head awakening every cell of his brain. His eyes widened to see the time. It was 8 in the morning.

“Shit… Shit…”

He jumped out of the bed and rushed to the washroom. He set the alarm at 7 o’clock, but as usual, he turned it off and went back to sleep. He was supposed to show up at the office at 9. His boss had a board meeting to attend at 9:30 in the morning. But Charles had a bad habit. He never could wake up with the alarm. But today he slept an hour longer after he turned off the alarm, and now he was doomed to be scolded by his boss. It would not be surprising if he got fired today.

He quickly finished his daily chore and took a shower. Within fifteen minutes, he stepped out of the washroom. Water was still dripping down from his wet silky hair. He went to the closet, but stopped on the track and turned to look at his mother’s photo. He grimaced and said, “I know why are you looking at me this way. I will dry my hair. Don’t worry.”

He pulled out a fresh towel from the closet and started rubbing on his hair. Meanwhile, he picked up his white shirt and black pants. After he finished changing his clothes, he dried his hair with a hairdryer and applied gel on it. He combed the hair meticulously and sprayed the perfume. He grabbed his wristwatch from the drawer and wore it. Grabbing his wallet, the briefcase, and the car key, he stormed out of the room and waved his hand to his mother, “Bye, Mom. See you in the evening.”

Just as he came out of his room, the doorbell rang, and he groaned in frustration. His face contorted, and he cursed under his breath. Walking with long strides, he opened the door and saw a beautiful young woman in her twenties standing on the doorstep, grinning widely at him.

He rolled his eyes and asked, “Angelina, what are you doing here?” His tone was full of irritation. Angelina was his neighbor *** childhood friend, who sometimes became irritating, and at that moment, Charles wished if he could strangle her.

Angelina didn’t mind his grumpy mood. She was still smiling. Showing the thermos box in her hands, she said, “I have baked muffins and brought some for you. Come and have some.”

She walked past him and kept the thermos on the dining table. Then she turned to look at him, who was looking at her with a puzzle written on his face. His eyes narrowed and his brows creased tight, mouth slightly opened. Angelina’s chest rose momentarily and then fell. She asked him incredulously, “What are you staring for? Come and eat. I know you have not had breakfast yet.”

“I am late to the office. Can you go out now?”

“Charles…”

Angelina wanted to say something but before that, Charles said, “Fine, stay here. I am going out.”

He turned to leave, but his phone rang. He took out his phone from his pocket and saw his boss’s number on the screen. His eyes widened in nervousness, and he answered quickly, “Yes, boss.”

“No need to come to the office.” A deep male voice came out of the phone, and Charles panicked to hear him. Before his boss could say further, he asked frantically, “Why boss? Are you firing me? I have done nothing wrong? Please, boss... don’t fire me.”

“Charles…” Aidan Thompson roared with annoyance. “Let me finish speaking.”

Charles pursed his lips and placed his forefinger on them. He overheard Aiden sighing on the other end of the phone. Then he heard him saying in a slightly disappointed tone, “Listen... Abi, my fiancee, is coming back. But you know I have to attend this board meeting. I can’t skip it. Go pick her up from the airport and also bring her flowers and gifts.”

“Huh?” Charles was shocked to hear his boss. “Are you serious? I mean… I… I don’t know…”

“Listen, Charles.” Aidan interrupted him and didn’t allow him to finish speaking. “If you want to continue working in this company, you have to obey me. If not, hand in your resignation.”

“No… No...Boss. I...I just…” Charles was so nervous that he started stuttering and couldn’t find any words to say.

“Okay, I understand.” Once again Aidan didn’t give him time to speak and gave the order, “Her flight will land by 11 in the morning. Be there before time and take good care of her.” With that, Aidan ended the call without giving Charles any time to respond.

“What the…” Charles was awestruck and exclaimed looking down at the screen. “What am I suppose to do now?”

Angelina, on the other end, was worried about him to see his perplexed appearance. She came closer to him and asked, “What happened? Is everything alright?”

“No, it’s not alright…” Charles sighed and plopped down on the sofa. He leaned over the sofa, closing his eyes and placing his hand on his forehead. Angelina sat beside him and asked, “What?”

Charles didn’t respond immediately. He even didn’t move a bit. Angelina’s heart was beating without a rhythm seeing him like this. She parted her lips to say something, but suddenly Charles opened his eyes and sat upright, asking, “Can you help me out?” Before she could know anything, he grabbed her hands and said, “Boss’s fiancee is coming back. He wants me to go to receive her from the airport and also asked me to give her some flowers and gifts on his behalf. But I don’t know what gift I should buy for her.”

Angelina was dumbfounded. She looked at him up and down skeptically and asked, “What is there to worry about? You are overreacting.”

“Overreacting?” Charles released her hands and yelled, glaring at her. “Do you know who she is? She is Abigail Mills, the daughter of Mr. Robert Mills, the granddaughter of the legendary Mr. Thomas Mills, the then president of our country. Not only that, but Mr. Mills is also a business associate of Thomson and Co. It is said that Miss Mills is very arrogant. Boss asked me to take care of her. If she gets angry with me, she can complain about me, and I may lose the job. You know how important this job is to me.”

Angelina sighed and said, “I know. Okay… What help do you want from me?”

Charles mustered a smile and said, “Tell me what gifts women love the most and what flower they prefer.”

Angelina smiled and said, “Women love expensive gifts and tulips.” Here Angelina forgot that she was helping him to choose gifts for Abigail and started saying what she liked. She always dreamed of Charles bringing her gifts and flowers, but this dumb man never even brought chocolates for her. The smile on her face vanished when this thought crossed her mind and looked at him, who had a triumphant smile on his face.

Angelina frowned and was about to ask why he was smiling, but before she could utter a word, he stood up and said, “Thank you. I will eat the muffins later. See you later.” As he said, he turned and rushed out of the house.

“Wait…” She yelled, but he already exited the house. She sighed and shook her head. She never saw him getting so excited, that too for buying gifts for his boss’s fiancee. If he showed a little bit of interest in her, she would be the happiest woman in the world. She only felt a dull ache in her heart and muttered, “When would you see my love?”

……..

Charles got in the car and drove to a jewelry shop, but when he saw the price tags, his scalp went numb. All the items were very expensive. Even though his boss would pay him back, still he felt a hole in his wallet. He only found a pair of diamond stud that was the cheapest in that store, but still, it was more than his monthly salary. With a heavy heart, finally, he bought it and requested the salesperson to wrap it with a gift package.

After coming out of the jewelry store, he headed to a flower shop and bought a bouquet of tulips of various colors. There was a huge grin on his face. He got in the car and drove directly to the airport.

There were still fifteen minutes left for the flight to land. He came out of the house without having breakfast. He was starving by now. He bought a cup of black coffee and a sandwich and started eating quietly.

Half an hour later, Charles saw the woman he was waiting for, and his jaw dropped involuntarily. He saw her photo in his boss’s house, but she looked more beautiful in real. The plain cyan blue sleeveless dress was perfectly hugging her curvy body. Her slightly curly brown hair cascaded to her shoulder. She was looking around with her deep blue eyes. Maybe she was searching for someone. Only then did Charles come to his senses and waved his hand to her, calling, “Miss Mills…”

Abigail turned her head and saw a tall, muscular man waving at her while grinning from ear to ear. She frowned and looked at him from head to toe suspiciously. ‘Who is this man?’ She asked in her mind. She thought a lunatic had come after her. Passing a disdainful look at him for the last time, she turned her head and walked out of the airport.

Charles’s smile faded straight away to see her go in another direction. He rushed to her and blocked her way. He smiled and greeted her politely, “Good morning, Miss Mill. I am here to receive you. My name is Charles Shaw. Mr. Aidan Thomson has sent me. He needed to attend an urgent meeting, so he couldn’t come. But…” He handed her the bouquet and the gift box and added, “He sent these for you.”

Chapter 2

Charles got in the car and drove to a jewelry shop, but when he saw the price tags, his scalp went numb. All the items were very expensive. Even though his boss would pay him back, still he felt a hole in his wallet. He only found a pair of diamond stud that was the cheapest in that store, but still, it was more than his monthly salary. With a heavy heart, finally, he bought it and requested the salesperson to wrap it with a gift package.

After coming out of the jewelry store, he headed to a flower shop and bought a bouquet of tulips of various colors. There was a huge grin on his face. He got in the car and drove directly to the airport.

There were still fifteen minutes left for the flight to land. He came out of the house without having breakfast. He was starving by now. He bought a cup of black coffee and a sandwich and started eating quietly.

Half an hour later, Charles saw the woman he was waiting for, and his jaw dropped involuntarily. He saw her photo in his boss’s house, but she looked more beautiful in real. The plain cyan blue sleeveless dress was perfectly hugging her curvy body. Her slightly curly brown hair cascaded to her shoulder. She was looking around with her deep blue eyes. Maybe she was searching for someone. Only then did Charles come to his senses and waved his hand to her, calling, “Miss Mills…”

Abigail turned her head and saw a tall, muscular man waving at her while grinning from ear to ear. She frowned and looked at him from head to toe suspiciously. ‘Who is this man?’ She asked in her mind. She thought a lunatic had come after her. Passing a disdainful look at him for the last time, she turned her head and walked out of the airport.

Charles’s smile faded straight away to see her go in another direction. He rushed to her and blocked her way. He smiled and greeted her politely, “Good morning, Miss Mill. I am here to receive you. My name is Charles Shaw. Mr. Aidan Thomson has sent me. He needed to attend an urgent meeting, so he couldn’t come. But…” He handed her the bouquet and the gift box and added, “He sent these for you.”

“What?”

Abigail’s pretty face clouded with disappointment. She came back after two years to country A and expected Aidan to come and receive her, but he sent someone instead. Anger started piling up inside her, and she vented her frustration on Charles. She looked at the bouquet and the gift for once and threw them down mercilessly.

Charles was stupefied and looked down instantly. He was about to bend over to pick the things up, but she trampled on the bouquet and knocked the gift box away. She said coldly, “Don’t you know which flower I like? If you have come in his place and bring gifts for me, you should bring them according to my preference.” She turned and left after dropping those words.

Charles felt heartache for the money he spent. He quickly picked up the gift box and chased her after, calling her, “Miss, wait… Boss will be upset if you leave alone. Let me drive you home, please.”

Abigail was so angry that she felt like her brain was about to explode. She didn’t know why she started hating this man. She wished if she could scratch on his face. She stopped on the track and turned around to look at him.

Charles stopped running and said, “Miss, please come with me.” He bowed slightly and made a gesture to her to go ahead. She crossed her arms over her chest and asked, “Are you qualified to give me a ride home? Who do you think you are?”

Charles lifted his head to look at her and was caught off guard to see the contempt in her eyes. At that moment, he was lost in words. He didn’t know how to convince her. But if he let her go alone, Aidan would punish him. After thinking of something, he said, “Miss, don’t be angry. Mr. Thompson promised that he would invite you for dinner tonight. For now, treat me as your driver and let me drive you home.” He flashed his charming smile at her. Here he lied that his boss would take her to dinner.

Abigail stared at him curiously, squinting her eyes. It seemed that this man was very loyal to Aidan. Maybe he trusted him, and that’s why he sent him to pick her up. Abigail really loved Aidan, and for him, she made up her mind to give some face to this man. “Okay…” Then she pushed the luggage towards him and said, “lead the way.”

Charles caught the luggage, and heaved a small sigh secretly, and said, “Please, follow me.” He turned and walked up to the parking area, pulling the luggage while Abigail followed him quietly. He opened the backseat door for her, and she got in the car, glancing at him once. Then he went inside the car and started the engine.

Silence invaded the car, and Charles became a bit nervous. He was also sweating, despite the air conditioning was on, and he loosened the tie a bit.

Abigail, who was looking out, suddenly turned her head and stared at the man through the rearview mirror as if she sensed his discomfort. She asked him, “What did you tell your name?”

Charles looked at her in the rearview mirror and said, “It’s Charles… Charles Shaw.” He then smiled a little.

“Okay, Charles… what do you do?”

“Oh… I am Mr. Thompson’s assistant, though I am not his prime assistant. He had other two more assistants.” He again smiled at her.

Abigail’s stomach churned to see him smiling. She wanted to vomit all over him. She faked a smile and scoffed, “Hmm… so, you are that type of assistant who does his boss’s personal work, like you are doing right now.”

“Excuse me?” Charles was losing his control bit by bit. His expression also changed a little. The smile on his face was not there anymore. Until now he tolerated all her bad behaviors, but it became difficult for him to suppress his anger.

“Oh… You don’t know what I mean, do you?” She had a smirk on the corner of her face while staring at him.

Charles was not stupid. He could comprehend that she was making fun of him. But, he was not the one to be ridiculed. So he smiled and said politely, “It is not like that, Miss. My boss trusts me. Otherwise, he would have sent any of his men to receive you.”

“What do you mean?” Abigail scowled at him and tried to figure out what he wanted to say.

Charles chuckled and said, “Mr. Thompson is a bit possessive man, and he doesn’t like anyone to stare you in a lecherous manner. You know, the men are men. When they see a beautiful woman like you, they can’t control their eyes to marvel at the beauty. You know what I mean.”

Abigail was stunned and lost her voice to speak. She only stared at him blankly, mouth agape. Charles, on the other end, had a mocking smile on his face to see her stunning. Abigail realized something after a while, and she said, “That means you are immune to my beauty. It is not affecting you.”

He chuckled and said, “You are right.” ‘You are not my type.’ He wanted to add this, but in the end, he didn’t say it loudly.

For an unknown reason, Abigail felt wronged by his words. Her mood became even worse. She had seen many young and middle-aged men drooling over her, but this man said he was not affected by her beauty. Could it be that he had some problems? Or did he have a girlfriend? She felt something in her heart but she didn’t know what it was. Wait… what was she thinking? She turned her head and looked at the scenery outside. She wondered why she was thinking so much about this man. What did she have to do if he was dating someone or not? She shrugged and continued looking outside.

No one continued the conversation further. Half an hour later, the car stopped in front of a luxurious mansion. Charles got out of the car and opened the door for her. Abigail stepped out of the car without sparing a glance at him, and she was about to leave, but Charles’s next words stopped her in the track, “Miss, please take this gift. Mr. Thompson will be upset if you reject his gift.”

Abigail turned around and saw him stretching his hand towards her, holding the gift box. She took the box and said, “Thank you.”

Charles smiled and said, “You are welcome, Miss Mills.”

“This THANK YOU is not for you.” She emphasized the thank you. “Tell your boss I thanked him for this gift. You should let the other person finish speaking before you open your mouth.”

Charles’s smile vanished straight away, and his fingers curled up gradually, forming tight balls. Abigail turned around and left. But there was a smirk on her face. Charles muttered something under his breath before he got in the car and drove to the office.

Aidan returned to the company at around 5 in the afternoon and Charles went to his office. “Boss, please don’t ask me to accompany Miss Mills further. She is very difficult to handle. I am not eligible for this type of job. She is your fiancee, and you should accompany her.” He lashed out all his frustration and gazed at Aidan with displeasure.

Chapter 3

Aidan didn’t respond immediately. He only stared at him indifferently. Then he smiled which could not be considered as a smile, and said, “She is a bit spoiled one by her father’s love. But she is not bad. Anyway, thank you for your help. Show the bill to the finance department and collect the money.” He passed the bill to him.

Charles smiled and said, “Thank you, boss.” Taking the bill, he turned to leave, but suddenly he remembered something and turned around, saying, “Boss, Miss Mills was angry with you when she didn’t see you. To calm her down, I said that you would take her to dinner tonight. Don’t be late.” Charles turned and left soon after finishing speaking. But before he could take a few steps, he heard an earth-shaking roar of Aidan, “Halt…”

Charles was startled and stopped on the track abruptly. He turned slowly to look back at him and met his deadly glare. His throat went dry,  and he swallowed hard.

Aidan asked fiercely, “Who gave you the permission to promise her something without consulting me?”

“Boss, I…” Charles tried to explain it, but Aidan didn’t give him the chance to speak, “Now that you have screwed it up, you have to be punished.”

“Boss, please…”

“From now on, you have to keep Abigail company whenever I am busy. IS THAT CLEAR?” He interrupted him again and purposely stretched out the last sentence.

Charles’s jaw dropped, and his eyes widened. He felt like he got hit by the thunderbolt. It took a few seconds for him to recollect himself, and he said frantically, “No I can’t. Please, don’t do this to me. You can tell me to work overtime, I will accept, but this… I can’t.”

Charles was anxious. He suppressed his fury with great difficulty when he met her in the morning and didn’t want to encounter her again. He didn’t know if he could maintain his composure the next time.

But Aidan didn’t bother him at all. He glared at him and said, “Now that you have so reluctant to accompany her, then this is the best punishment I can ever give you.” He took out a credit card from his wallet and threw it down on the table, saying, “Use this card to treat her. If you don’t want to follow my orders, you can always resign.” He started studying a file after dropping those words.

Charles had no other option, except to bite the bullet. Gritting his teeth, he muttered something under his breath and grabbed the credit card. He turned to leave, but he heard Aidan saying again, “And listen… I have an appointment with Miss Erica Barrett today evening. So, you escort Abi until I join her in the dinner. I will ask her where she wants to dine and send you the address.”

“Alright.” Charles only said one word in response and left the office immediately.

It was already half past 7 when Charles received the address of the restaurant from Aidan. His face contorted in annoyance. Shutting the system down, he got up from his seat and strode out of the office.

Almost an hour later, he reached the restaurant. He was a little nervous, thinking that Abigail would be here by now. It was half an hour’s distance from the office to this restaurant, but he stuck in the traffic, and now he was late. Aidan had already booked the table, and he directly walked up there.

Abigail had already arrived, and she was talking something to the waiter. After noticing her smiling face, Charles heaved a sigh. It seemed that she was in a good mood. Smiling, he went up to her and greeted politely, “Good evening, Miss Mills.”

Abigail looked up at Charles, and her expression froze. She frowned and asked, “You came here for dinner as well.”

Charles chuckled and said, sitting down on the sofa opposite her, “I am here to accompany you for a while until Mr. Thompson comes.”

“What? Where is Aidan?”

She asked anxiously. Her expression was somber. In the morning also he didn’t come to receive her, and now, he personally arranged for dinner, but still, he didn’t come in time. In fact, he sent his assistant to accompany her again. Abigail was distressed.

“He is in another meeting. But he will be here soon.” Charles maintained his calm demeanor.

Abigail sighed and waved her hand, signaling the waiter to leave. The waiter nodded and left immediately. She looked back at Charles and frowned even more deeply. He was still in his black pants and white shirt paired with a black blazer that she saw him wearing in the morning. She rolled her eyes and scoffed, “Can’t you at least change your clothes before you come here?”

Charles looked down at himself and asked, “What’s wrong with these clothes?”

“Nothing is wrong. But you have been wearing them since this morning. You could have changed them somewhere when you knew you were coming here to accompany me.” She cast a scornful look at him.

“Miss Mills, I came directly here from office. Don’t worry… I am not here to dine with you. I am just giving company to you until Mr. Thompson comes. If you are disgusted, I can go back right now. But you need to clarify it to him.”

Abigail felt she had overreacted just now, which upset him. She wanted to say something, but in the end, she just shrugged and muttered, “Whatever.” Then she took out her phone and started checking her profile on social media.

Charles too didn’t continue the conversation. He also took out his phone and started doing something.

In a presidential suite of a fancy hotel, two ***** bodies were entangled with one another. The room was filled with ambiguous male and female voices. After the strenuous lovemaking session, they laid on the bed flat, panting heavily. The woman wrapped her arms around the man’s waist and rested her head on his chest, asking, “Are you really going to meet her?”

The man hummed shortly in response and ran his slender fingers through her silky blonde hair. The woman pouted and said coquettishly, “No… don’t go… Stay with me. I feel jealous to think you with her.”

“Erica, don’t make trouble for me.” He pushed her away and got out of the bed. Showing his ***** glory, he walked to the washroom without sparing a glance at her.

Erica’s face darkened, and she slammed her fists on the bed. Fifteen minutes later, the man came out of the washroom, wearing a towel. His physique was attractive with his broad, muscular chest, and lean waist. His black hair was still wet, and water was dripping down from it drop by drop.

Erica bit her lower lip and looked at him seductively. She walked to him, swaying her hips left and right. Hugging him, she rubbed her bare chest on his body and said in a low voice, “Aidan, I know you won’t be staying with me tonight. But can you stay with me a little longer?”

Aidan hugged her back and said, “You are playing with fire. Now that you have ignited the fire again, then extinguish it.”

As he said, he lowered his head and devoured her lips. She parted her lips to give him excess in her mouth. He deepened the kiss and took her to the bed. Within a second, he pressed her down and branded his hardening deep inside her. She moaned loudly with pleasure. Who knew how long he took to stop his movement finally. He hugged Erica and said, “Don’t be jealous of her. You are the only woman I love. She will be my wife, but my love is only for you. I promise to spend my wedding night with you. Not only the wedding night but every night I will spend with you.” He kissed her head and added, “Are you happy now?”

Erica nodded and said, “I am happy but I will be happier if you marry me.”

“I will marry you. But not now, and you know the reason very well. So don’t pester me for the marriage.” His tone was harsh with a tinge of threatening.

“I dare not to force you. I will wait for you.”

“That’s my good girl.” He kissed her lips passionately before going to the washroom again.

At the restaurant, Charles was bored to death. Several times he thought about dialing Aidan’s number but after thinking that he might be busy meeting with Erica, he restrained his impulse. He glanced at Abigail from time to time who was busy chatting with her friends. Just then, he received a call from Angeline and a wide grin shone on his face. He thought she was an angel who rescued him from boredom. He immediately answered the call, “Hey, babe. Missing me?”

Abigail’s expression froze and looked at him blankly when she heard him talking so sweetly on phone. ‘So he has a girlfriend!’ She muttered in her mind.

Angelina had goosebumps throughout her body to hear him calling her ‘babe’. She asked frantically, “Are you drunk?”

“Not really. I am missing you.”

“Really?”

“Yup… Well, is there anything to say? Or are you calling me to bring some gifts for you? Let me know what you want?”

“Did you hit your head somewhere?” Angelina couldn’t take it anymore, and she yelled at him.

Charles chuckled and said, “I know, babe. You are upset with me. I will be back soon. Don’t miss me too much.”

“I think you are drunk.” She snorted and added, “Anyway, I have cooked your favorite dish. Come home early.” With that, she ended the call.