One Bossy Proposal

Eliza woke up in the middle of the night with pain and discomfort all over her body.

Last night, she shared her night with Nathan, although nobody would believe it's true.

It was her first time, and all she could feel was pain.

What lingered most vividly was the enigmatic moment when Nathan's facial stubble lightly brushed against her face. He breathed by her neck and gently kissed her ear. Eliza was immersed in a pleasant warmth as Nathan’s deep, fascinating voice combined with the physical intimacy. Throughout the process, Nathan softly murmured a name into Eliza's ear. Although the name was a little hazy from start, it didn't diminish Eliza's excitement for her first experience.

Nathan was still sleeping when Eliza awoke in the middle of the night. Gazing at the stern countenance of the man beside her, an unexplained sense of increased intimacy with him washed over her. She yearned for the comforting embrace he provided, even entertaining thoughts of remaining nestled at his side throughout the night. However, she knew it would inevitably lead to significant issues if she didn't leave now.

Nathan was CEO of Globeworks. Eliza quickly recognized the potential consequences of this situation without much thought. At the very least, it could ruin her job opportunities, and in the worst-case scenario, she could be labeled a "siren" for seducing the CEO. This would indeed affect her reputation and prospects in Warlington.

Yesterday was the first day of the team-building activity. As the night went on, Nathan, under the influence of alcohol, clutched Eliza's hand for support as she led him to his room. Out of the blue, he kissed Eliza on her cheek. At first, Eliza's mind went blank, and she wanted to refuse. But when she locked eyes with Nathan, an inexplicable fascination seized her, leaving her unable to resist any longer.

It's worth emphasizing that Eliza and Nathan had never directly interacted before this incident.

Eliza then stumbled back to her room and pretended like nothing had happened. It wasn't until 6 p.m. when several buses arrived at the hotel to carry everyone back to the company.

Eliza and her fellow intern, Esther Moore, took the same bus. As soon as they got on the bus, Eliza saw a person sitting in the first row with his eyes closed lightly, which surprised her.

Nathan?

Although the bus was brimming with passengers, the spaces beside and behind Nathan remained unoccupied.

Eliza blushed as she realized she and Esther were late, forcing them to fill the seats behind Nathan uncomfortably.

"Didn't Mr. Reid drive himself here? Why was he taking the bus back with us this time?" Esther leaned in and whispered into Eliza's ear, Esther had a booming voice. Therefore, people around her can hear her voice even though she speaks quietly.

"I don't know," Eliza answered, dropping her gaze.

She carefully disguised her face with her hand as she entered the bus, worried that Nathan might recognize her.

But she held out hope. Perhaps Nathan didn't have any memory of the night before, or even if he did, he might not recognize Eliza as the person. After all, they had never met before, and Nathan was drunk. Moreover, the room was primarily dark that night.

Esther felt bored during the long journey and turned to play on her phone. Eliza yearned to use her smartphone as well. But after her thorough search, she was unable to find it.

"Can you call my phone? I seem to have misplaced it," Eliza said quietly.

"Where did you last place it?" Esther said casually as she dialed Eliza’s number.

A pleasant ringtone echoed across the air. But it didn’t come from Eliza's bag or her luggage. Instead, it was ringing from the front row. More precisely, it came from Nathan's hands.

In a split second, Eliza's hair bristled.

The coworkers were unusually quiet because of Nathan's presence on the bus. So, Eliza's phone ringtone appeared unexpectedly brusque as well.

Eliza had helped Nathan return to his room the night before, and her phone had been in her pocket. It most likely slipped out as she was undressing during their passionate sex. She had completely ignored her phone after that intensely sex.

Eliza swiftly recovered her composure after the initial shock. Nathan, who was on the bus today, appeared to have been waiting for her, almost as if he had anticipated her arrival. Perhaps he had figured out her identity the night before, or perhaps not. But based on the ringtone and Esther's previous statements, Eliza assumed Nathan had discovered the truth.

Eliza felt she had unwittingly revealed her genuine self in this way.

Esther looked at Eliza with a puzzled expression. She gestured towards Nathan and asked, "What's going on?"

"Stop dialing," Eliza clutched Esther's hand. The awkwardness had become uncomfortable, and she was at a loss for words.

"What's going on exactly? How did your phone end up in Mr. Reid's hands?" Esther asked with her full interest and quiet voice.

"I …"

Nathan suddenly swung around from the front row. His action nearly forced Eliza to jump out of her skin just as she felt quite uneasy.

"Is it your phone?" Nathan raised Eliza's phone and asked Esther. The screen displayed "Maniac Esther."

"Maniac Esther" was the affectionate moniker Eliza had given to Esther.

Like an excited dog, Esther nodded quickly, confirming, "Yes, Mr. Reid. Eliza couldn't find her phone, so she asked me to call it for her."

Esther even referred to Eliza by name. At that moment, Eliza wished she could vanish into thin air.

"Is it your phone? You were holding the luggage earlier, and your phone must have fallen onto the front seat," Nathan asked as his gaze shifted to Eliza. Although his expression was kind, there was a touch of depth in his eyes, a familiarity and ambiguity distinct to Nathan. Eliza couldn't figure it out.

"Oh, I was so carelessness. Thank you, Mr. Reid." Despite her inner anxiety, Eliza nodded repeatedly and took the phone from Nathan's hand. She decided to go along with the ruse to prevent further issues.

Nathan turned his head back after managing the unpleasant situation.

Eliza pretended to be absorbed in her phone, but she wasn't. In her eyes, Nathan returned her phone seemed to give her a hint. It was an obvious indicator that he wanted to bury what had happened last night.

Eliza was a grown-up who was not easily overwhelmed by such matters. Initially, she considered dismissing the previous night's sex as a figment of her imagination.

She wondered whether her name had left any impression on him and whether it was good or bad. But Eliza consoled herself with the thought that Nathan was busy, and why would he pay attention to this matter?

It has been half a month since that day. Eliza didn't meet Nathan again. Even if there were corporate meetings, the attendees were high-ranking executives, while she's just an uncertain intern.

Besides her concerns about her desired continued tenure at Globeworks, Eliza occasionally thought about Nathan, particularly that passionate sex. After all, it was her first time.

A day came when the phone on Eliza's desk, the one for internal calls, began to ring.

"Eliza?" The voice on the other side asked.

Eliza was both excited and perplexed by this unforeseen occurrence. She couldn't help but notice how much the voice on the other end of the telephone sounded like someone she knew.

Nathan's echoing voice had haunted Eliza's thoughts, "Please switch off the lights," since that night. So, the voice seemed familiar to her.

"Yes."

"Come to my office."

"Pardon?"

"I'm asking you to come to my office," The voice repeated.

"Alright, Sir," said Eliza with her heart pounding. She had a feeling it wasn't work-related. He wouldn't contact her for work-related issues because of their different roles. Could it have something to do with the team-building incident? Was Nathan trying to dismiss her to prevent further disclosure of what happened that night?

Eliza noticed Nathan was less relaxed than he was during the team-building as she knocked on the door and entered Nathan's office. He was now scrutinizing her appearance.

This assessment heightened Eliza's anxiety.

Even if his eyes contained a profound and mysterious aspect, the intense and inscrutable gaze on her created a special longing in Eliza.

Eliza stared at him in a devouring manner.

It caused an unexplainable sensation within Nathan.

"Is there something on my face?", asked Nathan.

Eliza eventually snapped out of her trance. "Pardon?"

Nathan didn’t investigate that topic further. Instead, he said, "How about marrying me?"

Eliza raised her brows slightly and exclaimed, "Huh?"

The topic and what Eliza was thinking about just now are miles apart.