Chapter 3
Three knocks sounded on the door.
“Come in.”
Latrina opened the door with a nervous heart.
Gerhart was working at his computer. Unlike this morning, he’d taken off his suit, wearing a black shirt with two buttons undone, his tie tossed
aside on the desk.
Through the open collar, she could just make out the hickey she’d left on his neck the night before…
He sat sideways in his office chair, exuding a lazy, almost rebellious air beneath a veneer of politeness.
Latrina stepped in slowly, and Kelvin closed the door casually behind her.
The soft click, to her, felt deafening.
“Mr. Crowley, you asked for me?” she said.
Yeah.” Gerhart glanced up at her, standing by the door, then returned his focus to the screen.
Silence hung in the air.
Each passing minute stretched like an hour.
Abruptly, he stood up and walked toward her.
It was true that he fit the ideal boyfriend mold in the eyes of countless women.
He had sharp features, a chiseled face, a high nose bridge, thin, rose–tinted lips, and striking eyes. Even Latrina couldn’t help but steal a second glance.
As she stood beside him, the top of her head barely reached his chin.
Latrina couldn’t deny that he had a perfect figure. Last night in the bathroom, her wandering hands had memorized every contour of his well–defined abs…
What a sin! Her mind had wandered back to those embarrassing moments from last night.
“Is there something you need, Mr. Crowley?”
On the surface, she looked calm, her words clear and patient, but internally, she was panicked and anxious.
“Sit,” he said, turning to settle onto the sofa.
Latrina walked over and sat down roughly 6.5 feet away from him.
“Come here,” he said, patting the spot beside him.
Latrina hesitated for a moment, then stood up and moved closer.
Gerhart stared at her, lost in thought.
Latrina clasped her hands nervously in her lap.
“Does it still hurt?” he asked.
Latrina froze, then shook her head, wondering, “Is this man really going to rehash what happened?”
“Any thoughts?” he pressed.
Latrina glanced at him, her eyes catching on his perfect collarbone and the faint hickeys on his neck…
“Sorry, Mr. Crowley. I drank too much last night. I never would’ve acted so wild with you if I’d been sober…”
“No need to apologize,” he cut her off, sitting up straight. He leaned back against the couch, his gaze fixed on her flawless profile.
“Last night, I made the first move,” he drawled. “You were drunk and kissed me, but after that, everything was my doing.”
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“Stop…” She was already mortified enough. Did he have to make her relive it to her face?
She then said, “We’re both adults. What’s done is done. Let’s just pretend it never happened.”
“Are you treating me like a gigolo?”
Gerhart’s tone turned icy, his gaze sharp as if he were about to dissect Latrina.
“You’re misunderstanding,” Latrina said, her ears burning.
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She thought, “What was he playing at? Trying to start an improper relationship? He didn’t seem the type this morning, with that gentlemanly act! This is completely out of character!”
“How about trying to be Mrs. Crowley?”
“Huh?” Latrina stared at him, wondering if she’d misheard!
Their eyes locked, neither looking away.
She couldn’t fathom what was going through his mind.”
didn’t use a condom last night. If you get pregnant, we’ll have the baby. If not, I’ll still take responsibility,” he said, his voice casual, as if discussing the weather.
Latrina fell silent, more rational now than ever
Gerhart came from a well–bred, strictly raised family. He was likely conservative at heart.
That would explain why, at twenty–eight, he has remained single and unmarried all this time.
What had happened was done, but in his heart, he could never cross that moral line.
Latrina didn’t dare to reach for someone so far above her. She knew her own family background all too well.
She was the illegitimate child of her mother and a businessman. No one even knew who her father really was. She’d grown up enduring gossip
and slander.
To entangle herself with someone as untainted as Gerhart would only drag him down.
Besides, the pain Eduardo had inflicted still lingered. She couldn’t just open her heart to someone new so quickly.
“Sorry, Mr, Crowley, but I don’t have any other intentions. I took the contraceptive early this morning, so you don’t need to worry. I don’t want to be Mrs. Crowley. If you feel you wronged me last night, well, as the person involved, I’m not pressing it. Let’s call it even. Let’s never bring this
up again.”
Gerhart’s eyes darkened. Behind his rimless glasses, his eyes looked bottomless, unreadable.
Latrina blurted out the words in one breath, then turned to leave the CEO’s office.
“Wait.” He rose slowly, and for a moment, he was genuinely stunned by her words.
As a Denver’s renowned tycoon, countless women had flocked to his side. Yet this was the first time he’d encountered one who could turn him
down.
Latrina let out a long breath, turned back, and met Gerhart’s gaze.
“Is there anything else, Mr. Crowley?”
“Add me on WhatsApp”
He spoke calmly, holding out his phone to show the QR code.
Latrina hesitated.
“Paris Fashion Week is coming next month. The company plans to send you and Mr. Manning over,” he continued.“If you’d rather not go, though, just pretend I never mentioned it.”
“And,” he added, “no rush on that earlier question. Take your time to think it over”
She thought, “Hmph. A typical businessman!
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“With just a few words, he’s maneuvered me right where he wanted.
“Not everyone got a shot at Paris Fashion Week. I should seize this chance.
“I won’t lose anything, anyway.”
Latrina pulled out her phone and scanned the code, adding him on WhatsApp.
As for that last question? She’d just let it drop.
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Back at her desk, the ever–gossipy Monique sidled over.
“How was it? Is the CEO’s office super fancy?”
To be honest, Latrina hadn’t really taken it in. She’d been too caught up in Gerhart’s sharp, unrelenting questions the whole time.
“Some things are better experienced than described,” she said, pressing her lips into a playful smile and winking.“Next time, I’ll put in a good word for you so you can see it for yourself.”
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was terrified! I thought you’d get carried out like the others,” Monique admitted, glancing up from her computer. “Ms. Glover!” Laurence’s excited voice cut through the office.
He bounded over, his over–the–top grin drawing everyone’s attention.
“Mr. Manning,” Latrina greeted, standing up quickly.
Ever since last night, when Gerhart had looked down at her, gripping her chin and asking, “Do you like it?“, she’d
grown uneasy
with a superior’s
air.
“The upper management just sent out the memo. Paris Fashion Week spots! You and I are both on the list!” he announced.
“I know,” Latrina replied, her tone calm. She wasn’t the least bit surprised.
After all, the company was full of long–serving veterans. For someone like her, only a year into the job, this opportunity would surely make her the target of plenty of whispers.
Gerhart had probably reserved this spot for her to make up for last night’s mistake.
As soon as the news broke, the entire department erupted in chatter. Some were delighted, some annoyed, while the newer hires buzzed with renewed motivation.
But the long–serving employees grumbled about unfairness. They’d toiled here for years, some never even making it to local fashion weeks, let alone international ones.
Latrina just ignored them, focusing on her work.
She received a message from Eduardo,“Trina, free tonight? Let’s catch a movie.”
Latrina’s lips tightened. She thought, “Shame on Eduardo, coaxing his mistress while still fawning over his girlfriend.”
“Sure!”
She screenshotted the message, planning to post it to her Instagram with a caption:“Five years, always so romantic.” She set the post to be visible only to Sonya.
Sure enough, Sonya’s message arrived moments later, restless as ever, “Babe, I’m going to see a movie with friends tonight too! What movie are you watching? What time?”
Hmph.
Latrina thought, “Wonderful performance. Why don’t you sign up for the Best Actress Award?”
She ignored the message and locked her screen.
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