The truth about him

As Lucian and I continued to talk, the workers around us began to take notice. They whispered to each other, wondering what Lucian was discussing with the CEO. Some of them couldn't help but stare, fascinated by the sight of Lucian standing so close to me, her eyes locked on mine with such intensity.

One of the workers, a young woman named Sophia, nudged her coworker, Rachel, and whispered, "Look at Lucian, she's so comfortable around the CEO. I've never seen anyone call him by his first name before."

Rachel nodded, her eyes wide with curiosity. "I know, right? It's like they're old friends or something."

Sophia leaned in closer, her voice barely above a whisper. "Do you think they know each other from outside of work?"

Rachel shrugged. "I don't know, but it's definitely interesting to watch. I've never seen the CEO so relaxed around anyone before."

As the workers continued to speculate, Lucian and I remained lost in our conversation, oblivious to the attention we were drawing. But I couldn't help but notice the way Lucian's eyes sparkled when she talked, the way her smile lit up the room. And I knew, in that moment, that I wanted to spend more time with her, to get to know her better.

Here's the revised continuation:

As I dropped Lucian off at her place, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement. Our conversation had been enlightening, to say the least, and I found myself wanting to spend more time with her.

As I watched her walk away, I felt a pang of curiosity. What was she thinking? Did she feel the same spark that I did?

I pushed the thoughts aside and focused on the road ahead, but my mind kept wandering back to Lucian.

Meanwhile, as soon as Lucian walked into her apartment, her phone rang. It was Sarah.

"Hey, girl! How was your day?" Sarah asked, her voice bubbling with excitement.

Lucian laughed, knowing that Sarah was fishing for information. "It was interesting," Lucian said, trying to sound nonchalant.

Sarah's ears perked up. "Interesting? What happened?" she asked, her voice demanding.

Lucian sighed, knowing that she couldn't keep the secret from Sarah for long. "Okay, fine," Lucian said. "I had a conversation with the CEO, and let's just say that it was...close."

Sarah squealed, her voice piercing through the phone. "Oh my god, what did he say? Tell me everything!"

Lucian tried to brush off Sarah's questions. "We just talked about work stuff," Lucian said, trying to sound nonchalant.

Sarah's voice turned skeptical. "Work stuff? That's it?" she asked, her tone demanding.

Lucian sighed, knowing that Sarah wasn't buying it. "Honestly, Sarah, it was nothing exciting. Just a normal conversation," Lucian said, trying to reassure her.

But Sarah wasn't convinced. "I don't believe you," Sarah said, her voice teasing. "You're hiding something from me."

Lucian laughed. "I'm not hiding anything, Sarah. I promise," Lucian said, smiling.

Sarah sighed, seeming to accept Lucian's answer. "Fine, but I'm not letting this go. We'll talk more about it tomorrow," Sarah said, her voice firm.

I sat on my couch, staring blankly at the wall as I tried to process the events of the day. I couldn't believe that the CEO of the company I worked for was the same "broke" Ace that Jenny used to talk about.

It seemed like a lifetime ago that Jenny would regale us with stories of her on-again, off-again relationship with Ace. She would talk about how he was struggling to make ends meet, how he was working multiple jobs just to get by.

And now, here he was, standing in front of me as the CEO of a multinational corporation. It was surreal, to say the least.

I shook my head, trying to clear the cobwebs. How did he do it? How did he go from being "broke" to being one of the most powerful men in the business world?

And what was his game? Why did he pretend to be someone he's not? I had so many questions, and I couldn't wait to get some answers.

I stood up, walking over to my window as I stared out at the city below. I felt like I was just scratching the surface of a much larger story, and I was determined to uncover the truth.

Lucian nodded, even though Sarah couldn't see her. "Sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow at the office," Lucian said, smiling.

With that, the two friends ended their call, each lost in their own thoughts.