4

"Should I act honored?" Ryan was utterly defeated.

"No need. I'm just stating facts." After finishing breakfast, Chloe suddenly remembered—she still had to get to school.

A glance at her watch told her, Oh no.

"Crap, I'm gonna be late!" She scrambled to her feet, hastily gathering everything from the stone table.

"If we leave now, we'll only be, what, ten minutes late?" Too busy watching her, Ryan had lost track of time too. Being around her always made him forget everything else!

"I'm not going. Walking into class in front of dozens of people? So embarrassing." But the real issue wasn't just embarrassment—the consequences would be unimaginably worse.

"Everyone's late sometimes. It's no big deal," Ryan Carter coaxed, half-persuading, half-teasing.

"No way. Old Man Gao's first-period class is notoriously strict. If he catches me late, I'll be in deep trouble. I don't wanna get stuck scrubbing toilets!"

She'd laughed before, watching classmates suffer that punishment—but now that shemight become the next "Toilet Chief" in their jokes? Hell no.

"Scrubbing toilets?" Ryan mused, recalling his own school days. Seems that old disciplinary trick's still around… and just as effective.

"Call my homeroom teacher for me. Pretend you're my brother and say I'm sick—I need the morning off." After racking her brain, this was the only (terrible) plan left. She just hoped it worked.

"Alright." Ryan gave an indulgent chuckle.

He pulled out his phone and dialed the number Chloe provided.

"Hello, Mr. Wang? My sister Chloe isn't feeling well and needs to take the morning off… Thanks for understanding… Goodbye."

"He didn't ask who you were?" Chloe stared at Ryan, baffled. Getting a free pass this easily was suspicious.

"Nope."

"Weird. Usually, he grills anyone calling in sick—worried students will fake parent calls."Having a hyper-vigilant homeroom teacher was pure misery.

Ryan sighed, patting her head in resigned amusement.

"It's probably because this is my first time asking for leave. That's why he agreed so easily. I am a good student, after all," Chloe muttered to herself as she finished packing up the remaining items.

Ryan Carter shot her a skeptical glance.

"I swear, every word Chloe Johnson just said is the truth," Chloe declared, raising her hand solemnly.

"I need to get to work," Ryan said, standing up.

"Are you upset?" Chloe asked, trailing after him with the bamboo basket in hand.

"No."

"I promise I'll never ask you to lie for me again." A guy as upstanding as Ryan Carter probably never lied. Hmm, he did seem a little irritated now.

"Get in the car," Ryan said once he'd slid into the driver's seat.

"Why should I? You're going to work—I'm staying here to hang out." Chloe placed the basket inside but pulled out her backpack. A rare half-day off—she needed to plan how to make the most of it.

"Get. In. The. Car." His voice was ice this time.

"Fine, I'm getting in. No need to snap at me," Chloe grumbled as she climbed in.

He was usually so gentle with her. The sudden chill in his tone stung more than she wanted to admit.

"Why did you bring me here? Aren't you afraid of getting fired?"

The car pulled up at their destination—"Apexion Group"—but Chloe still couldn't figure out why they'd come.

"Follow me." Without even turning around, Ryan grabbed her wrist just as she tried to slip away, steering her through the front doors.

"Ugh." Resigned to her fate, Chloe let him lead her inside.

She had no idea how he always read her so easily! But she'd better make one thing clear: He was the one dragging her in. If this backfired, it wasn't on her.

"Good morning, Mr. President."

The moment they entered, the receptionist bowed slightly to Ryan, though her eyes lingered on the young girl beside him.

Where did the boss pick up this kid?

Mr. President?! Had she heard that right? Chloe stole a glance at Ryan. He seemed different now—sterner, more serious. But hey, a focused woman was beautiful, and a focused man? Just as hot.

Apexion Group was a multinational empire, way bigger than she'd imagined. She'd always assumed its president would be some "balding, money-hoarding old geezer."Not this young, devastatingly handsome guy.

Unbelievable.

The entire way, employees greeted Ryan with polite "Good mornings," though their eyes kept darting to Chloe.

Everyone was wondering—Why would the boss bring a schoolgirl to the office? And judging by her outfit, she was definitely still a student.

"Close your mouth before flies get in," Ryan remarked dryly, noticing Chloe's jaw had dropped.

Chloe snapped her mouth shut instinctively. Only when she regained her senses—now standing in his immaculate office—did she realize: Flies? In this place? He tricked me!

"Sit down and study," Ryan ordered, taking his seat and pointing to the chair across from his desk.

"Can I at least look around?" Chloe asked in her sweetest, most persuasive voice. A building this impressive demanded exploration—it'd be a crime not to.

"No." His reply was absolute.

Letting her roam free? That was a disaster waiting to happen.

"So stingy. It's not like looking hurts anything," she muttered under her breath.

But complaints aside—When in Rome... With a resigned sigh, she plopped into the chair and pulled out her books. Yet in an environment like this, focusing on studying was hopeless.

Stealing a glance at Ryan Carter, Chloe noticed he was engrossed in reviewing documents. She quietly rose from her seat, ready to sneak out for a quick look around.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ryan asked without even looking up.

"I... I'm thirsty. Just getting some water," she replied, hoping the excuse sounded convincing enough.

"Over there." Ryan pointed toward the small kitchenette on the other side of the office.

"Oh." Deflated, Chloe trudged in the direction he indicated.

Rich people are so wasteful—a whole kitchenette just for one person? she grumbled inwardly as she walked.

Ryan watched her retreating figure, barely suppressing a laugh. Did she really think he didn't know what she was up to? Still, he couldn't let her wander off unsupervised.

The moment Chloe stepped into the kitchenette, her eyes widened in disbelief. Who needs a space this big just for coffee and tea? Even the mugs looked ridiculously fancy.

Distracted, she fumbled with a cup while filling it with water. The ceramic slipped from her grasp and shattered on the floor with a loud clink! Instinctively, she crouched down to pick up the pieces—only to slice her finger on a sharp edge. She stared blankly as blood welled up from the cut.

"How could you be so careless?!" Before Chloe could even react to the pain, Ryan was already beside her. He snatched her bleeding hand, rinsed it under the tap, then swiftly retrieved a first-aid kit from the cabinet. His movements were practiced and efficient as he cleaned and bandaged the wound.

"You're even better than my brother!" Chloe blurted out, genuinely impressed.

Back home, whenever she got hurt, Ethan Johnson would patch her up—but never without teasing her for being "as clumsy as a pig."

"I'm not your brother," Ryan snapped, his voice sharper than usual.

This was the second time today she'd compared him to her older sibling. And he had zero interest in filling that role.

What's his problem? She knew he wasn't actually her brother—it was just a figure of speech. And she'd been complimenting him! Why did he snap at her? Chloe lowered her head, confused.

"Go wait outside," Ryan said, his voice softening when he saw her dejected expression.

Chloe obeyed without protest, leaving him to clean up the mess.

A moment later, Ryan emerged from the kitchenette carrying a glass of water. Without a word, he set it down on the table in front of her.

"I'm sorry," Chloe mumbled.

"What for?" As far as he could recall, she hadn't actually done anything wrong.

"Sorry for breaking your expensive cup. Sorry for wasting your time bandaging my cut. And sorry for making you clean up after me." She stood up as she spoke.

Those teacups in his kitchenette looked way too fancy—they might've even been antiques. And a high-powered guy like him probably hadn't touched a broom in years.

"You think I care about any of that?" Ryan asked, exasperated. His irritation had never been about the mess—just her insistence on treating him like a sibling.

"Thanks for the water." Surely after all this, his temper had cooled?

Chloe peeked up cautiously, checking if the storm had passed.

The sight of her wary expression finally broke Ryan's resolve. A quiet laugh escaped him, his earlier frustration melting into the curve of a smile.He'd promised to wait for her to grow up—what was the rush now?

"You look extra handsome when you smile," she hinted—in other words, quit with the poker face.

"I'm not angry," Ryan replied, catching her drift.

"I knew you were the best!" Overjoyed, Chloe threw her arms around his neck, rising onto her tiptoes to press her forehead against his—a gesture she often used with her dad and older brother.

"Ahem." A deliberate cough came from the doorway.

Chloe turned to see a young man leaning against the doorframe, files in hand.

He didn't look like a mere courier—more like an audience member waiting for the show. Was there some spectacle worth watching here?

"Jake Thompson, you'd better have a damn good reason for barging in unannounced,"Ryan said, eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Just delivering documents. Didn't mean to interrupt your... quality time." Jake's tone held zero remorse. If anything, his smirk deepened. "By all means, carry on. I'll vanish."

Rumor had it the CEO had brought a girl to his office—the Ryan Carter, who famously avoided entanglements? This was headline-worthy. How could Jake not investigate?

"Since when does a manager like Thompson personally deliver files? Your secretary must be slacking—maybe I should assign you a more competent one."

"You know how it is," Jake flashed a grin, his words dripping with double meaning. "A good boss has to occasionally pitch in."

"I agree with that sentiment," Chloe chimed in.

"Appreciate the backup. Mind telling me your name, kid? And how'd our illustrious CEOlure you here?" Jake zeroed in on Chloe, his curiosity blatant.

"First, I'm not a 'kid'—it's Chloe Johnson. Second, Ryan didn't lure me. We're friends."She crossed her arms, defensive.

"Judging by the uniform, shouldn't you be in class right now, listening to some teacher drone on, instead of hanging around an office?" Ignoring Ryan's warning glare, Jake plowed ahead like a man with nothing to lose.

"Well, I—" Could she admit she'd skipped school to avoid tardy penalties? Chloe's cheeks flushed.

"Ignore him." Ryan cut her off, releasing her to return to his desk.

Jake dropped the files in front of Ryan but kept his seat opposite Chloe, studying her with undisguised interest.

Tsk. Tsk. The boss had taste. This girl was effortlessly striking—big, liquid eyes radiating innocence, a face like a fresh bloom.

So the CEO did have a type: pure as a lily, untouched by the world.