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“That won’t be necessary. I’m glad to hear you’re okay.”
I bit my lip. “Were you worried about me?”
Christine had told me as much, but I yearned to hear it directly from him.
“I had to stop myself from going to your apartment to check on you. I didn’t want to invade your privacy.”
I imagined him showing up at my door, his concern laid bare for me to witness. I almost wished he had done so. “It’s probably for the best you didn’t. You could have caught my bug.”
“I thought you might have been avoiding me on purpose.”
“Maybe I wanted to avoid you so much that I physically manifested an illness.”
I meant it as a light-hearted jab, but Neil seemed to take it seriously. He tensed. “I’m sorry. The other day… I was too harsh with you.” He touched his face. “I guess I’m not doing a very good job at keeping my feelings in check. The last thing I wanted to do was to hurt you. It was never my intention?—”
“Are you trying to protect me?”
Neil recoiled. “Did Christine say that?”
“She might have. Is it true?”
Neil looked around, then he leaned in. “We’ve become… close. Certain people could use that knowledge to their advantage.”
“You mean Daniel? He’s in Singapore, and we’re here. How could he know anything? Even a spy in the company wouldn’t know how we’ve been spending time together outside of work. The very fact he thought we were sleeping with each other when we weren’t proves he doesn’t know what’s really going on.”
“Yes, well, maybe I am being a touch paranoid—but all the same, you don’t know what he’s capable of.”
“Then help me understand.” I lifted my chin and faced him eye to eye, gathering my courage. “I want to keep working with you. I want to stay here, and I want to help you as much as I can, both with Luxmore and Zelthia business. Whatever you need. Whatever the risk.”
Neil’s pupils flared. “You don’t know what you’re asking?—”
“Yes, I do. I’ve played it safe my whole life, and I don’t want to be that person anymore. Even if it could put my life at stake, I want to stay by your side and help you achieve your goals, for my sake, as much as yours.”
Neil searched my eyes, as if trying to verify the truth of my words.
I held his gaze. “Besides, won’t it look suspicious if you suddenly fired your new secretary, who you used to get along so well with, without a good explanation? It might draw unwanted attention.”
Neil rubbed his chin. “That thought has crossed my mind.”
Sensing his weakening resistance, I pressed on. “Wouldn’t it be better if I stayed close to you so you can watch over me?”
“I shouldn’t. We shouldn’t…” His voice lacked conviction. His will was crumbling.
“I’ve made up my mind. This is what I want.”
After a weighted pause, Neil let out a ragged sigh and nodded. “Very well. If that’s what you truly want, I won’t stand in your way.”
“Thank you.”
“But if you ever want to back out, I won’t blame you.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to back down.”
“And I swear to God, I won’t let anything happen to you.” The intensity of his voice gave me chills.
“I know.”
We stayed locked in each other’s sight, the significance of our exchange sinking in. I suddenly felt very conscious of how I had tried to kiss him, how I had felt him on the verge of yielding to my lips and mouth before he pulled away… I turned my attention to Archie to distract myself, scratching his floppy ears and patting his back. “You’re such a good boy, Archie. Has Neil been looking after you well?”
