CHAPTER 1
958 Words
On the third floor of L.H. Company, Lerisa Jonah stood up from her executive secretary seat as she had finished her office work for the day.
She worked as Anthony Gregson's secretary, so she stepped out of her office seat and picked up her black handbag from her desk, as she was ready to go home.
Lerisa was a fair-complexioned young lady, 24 years old, wearing a yellow shirt, black pencil skirt, and black shoes. She wondered why she hadn't seen Anthony leaving his office.
She knew that Anthony usually finished work by 5 p.m. and left the company before 6 p.m., which was the company's normal closing hour.
She made her way toward Anthony's office door to find out what was delaying her boss, as it was already after 6 p.m., and most of the staff had already gone home.
Approaching Anthony's office door, Lerisa knocked and heard him respond, “Come in.”
She pushed the door slightly open, stepped into his office, and saw him seated in his executive chair, staring at a red ring box in his hands.
Lerisa's heart dropped the moment she saw the beautiful, sparkling diamond ring in Anthony's hand.
At that moment, she knew that Anthony was in a very serious relationship with Clara Harry, and that he would soon propose to Clara.
Lerisa felt like crying, as she was also secretly in love with Anthony, but she couldn't tell him the truth because she wasn't brave enough to do so.
Her face immediately turned red with sadness, and she looked downward to hide the saddened expression on her face.
Anthony was busy admiring the diamond ring in the box he was holding and didn't shift his gaze to look at Lerisa.
They were childhood best friends due to their fathers' closeness in the past. Lerisa's father was Anthony's father's former assistant and had supported Anthony's father in building the shoe company, which now belonged to Anthony.
Lerisa knew that Clara Harry was a cheat and not deserving of a man like Anthony. She had seen Clara several times behind Anthony's back, flirting with different men, but she couldn't advise Anthony to stop dating Clara.
Likewise, Lerisa had witnessed Clara visiting Anthony in his office and caught them kissing, which made her heart sink, knowing that Anthony was seriously in love with Clara.
Anthony was a 30-year-old black man. He wore a black suit with a red shirt and black shoes, which made him look handsome.
He had a short beard and moustache that made him appear charming.
Anthony finally looked at Lerisa's face and saw her staring downward in his office. He wondered what she wanted, as he had already seen her for the day.
He had forgotten that his company had closed, as he was busy admiring the ring he had bought. He intended to propose to Clara the following day to marry him.
“What do you want, Lerisa?" Anthony inquiried.
"I… I…" Lerisa spluttered, unable to say why she was in his office. She sounded heartbroken upon seeing the lovely ring.
She had come to tell Anthony that she was going home, but Anthony didn't look up at her face again. He was busy admiring the diamond ring and wondering if Clara would like it.
Anthony inquiried, “How do you see this ring, Lerisa? Remember that I invited you and the rest of our staff to attend my birthday party tomorrow at my family's house? Well, I want to propose to Clara tomorrow. But I don't know if she will accept this beautiful diamond ring that I have bought for her and ordered from abroad. I do love Clara. What do you think, Lerisa? Do you think that Clara will love this ring and accept it? I bought it to prove my love to her."
Lerisa's heart broke even more at Anthony's question.
She saw him smiling sweetly at the ring as he continued looking at it. She replied, “I thought you had closed, Sir. That's why I'm here to collect the office key from you. But it seems like you're not yet ready to go home.”
Anthony immediately noticed the sadness in Lerisa's voice.
He shut the red ring box in his hands and stood up from his chair. He walked over to her and asked, "What's wrong, Lerisa?"
Lerisa turned her back on Anthony as hot tears streamed down her face.
She couldn't tell him the truth, that she was in love with him. Anthony only saw her as a sister, even though they were unrelated.
"What's wrong, Lerisa?” Anthony queried, approaching Lerisa. He turned her around to face him.
Lerisa felt a spark, but Anthony ignored it and looked intently at her face.
“Tell me, what's wrong with you?” he demanded in a stern voice. Lerisa shuddered in his hold, but shook her head to indicate nothing.
She lied, “Nothing, Sir. I only came here to tell you that I'm going home. The company has closed for the day, and I need to collect the office key from you.”
“Sir?" Anthony asked, continuing looking at Lerisa's face.
"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me sir? You're like a sister to me, not just a staff member here," Anthony said, and Lerisa shuddered as she hated being reminded that.
The office door flew ajar, and Anthony's assistant, Mark Terry, walked into the office.
Mark looked taken aback upon seeing Anthony holding onto Lerisa's arms firmly and closely to his chest. Anthony didn't look at Mark, his focus on Lerisa's face.
'Do they want to kiss?' Mark wondered, but he quickly composed himself and apologized, “I'm sorry, boss.”
- Writer
