What If?

Chapter 17 - A Big Deal

Launa had absolutely no idea how to describe the current vibe. Awkward and bizarre didn't even begin to cover it. She hadn't even finished a full day of work at the Ellsworth Group, yet here she was, about to share a car ride with Glenn Ellsworth himself.

"What are you doing?" Glenn asked his assistant.

Jerry, whose hand was already on the front door handle, froze. "Uh... getting in? What else?"

Glenn let out a short sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Get in the back," he ordered flatly.

"Huh? Meaning?" Jerry blinked, clueless.

Glenn didn't say a word; he just flicked his eyes toward the back. Instantly, Jerry’s gaze shifted and landed right on Launa.

Finding herself suddenly put on the spot, Launa instantly panicked, clutching the strap of her bag in a death grip.

"Oooohhh!" Jerry suddenly let out a long trail of laughter, chuckling. "You should've just said so, Glenn! If you'd told me that from the jump, I wouldn't have bothered with the front door."

Jerry then shut the front door with a sharp click.

Glenn immediately raised an eyebrow. "Wait, why'd you close it?"

"Well, open it for her, Boss. Where'd that Young Master Ellsworth gentleman spirit go?" Jerry teased. He intentionally took the long way around the hood, walking in slow motion just to get to the back door on the other side.

Launa seriously felt like crying. She felt incredibly awkward, especially when Glenn actually turned around and opened the passenger door for her. Still, his gaze remained fixed in the opposite direction, completely avoiding her. Launa immediately went into overdrive, overthinking and feeling guilty that her big boss had to play chauffeur just because of her.

"Get in," Glenn ordered stiffly.

Launa tried to decline politely. "U-Uh... that is really not necessary, Sir. I would be more than fine sitting in the back seat with Mr. Jerry."

Glenn instantly snapped his head toward her, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "If you sit in the back, you really wanna risk getting hit on by Jerry? The guy's a total creep."

"Hey! That is straight-up slander, Boss!" Jerry protested from the backseat.

Hearing the word 'creep', innocent Launa instantly spooked. Without a second thought, she gave in and scrambled into the front seat. Glenn then shut the door, walked around the car, and slid into the driver's seat.

The moment Glenn started the engine, the car interior was instantly filled with a loud, persistent beep... beep... beep... from the dashboard, warning them that a seatbelt wasn't buckled.

Launa gave a small start. She was completely lost and had no idea how to turn off the sound. Her hand began awkwardly fumbling around the side of the seat, searching for the buckle, which was tucked away out of sight.

Seeing her start to panic, Glenn let out a short sigh. Without a word, he leaned his body right across hers to help.

Launa’s breath caught in her throat. Startled, she instinctively held her breath and pressed her back flat against the seat. The distance between them was completely erased. Amidst her racing heartbeat, her nose was filled with his scent a masculine blend of expensive wool and fresh mint wafting from Glenn’s leather jacket. It smelled incredible, making the sudden closeness feel all the more intense.

Click!

The seatbelt buckle clicked into place, instantly cutting off the annoying beep of the sensor. However, right after fastening the belt, Glenn instinctively turned his head.

Glenn’s piercing gaze locked right onto Launa’s eyes. Their faces were so close that Launa could actually feel the faint brush of his breath against her cheek. She froze, her eyes pinned to her boss's gaze. They stayed like that, suspended in silence for a few seconds, until...

"Ahem! Man, I think the car AC is getting kind of dusty," Jerry’s throat-clearing from the backseat instantly broke the spell between them.

Glenn abruptly jerked his body back behind the steering wheel, clearing his throat roughly a few times while staring straight at the road ahead.

Meanwhile, Launa quickly turned her face toward the side window, biting her lower lip as a deep blush completely rushed to her face. Silence filled the car once again. Launa could only sneak a quick glance at the rearview mirror, catching Jerry in the backseat covering his mouth with both hands, desperately trying to stifle his laughter.

"Oh, by the way, Launa. Could I get your bank account number?" Jerry asked out of nowhere from the back.

Launa snapped her head around. "My account number? What for, Sir?"

"Your phone is broken, right? So, I'm going to transfer some money to—"

"Oh, that is really not necessary, Sir. My phone is perfectly fine. It was only the tempered glass that got damaged. I actually happen to have a spare one at home," Launa explained quickly, feeling incredibly self-conscious.

"Just give your account number to Jerry," Glenn interjected. His baritone voice was firm and commanding, his eyes never leaving the road.

"B-but, Sir—"

"No buts, Launa. The incident in the lobby earlier was entirely due to my negligence for not watching where I was going. Therefore, this compensation is my responsibility," Glenn said formally.

He shot a brief glance at the phone clutched in Launa's hand, prompting her to instinctively hide the device behind her bag.

"I noticed the specifications of your current phone are quite outdated. The pace in my department is incredibly fast, and a slow device will only hinder your efficiency during your internship here," Glenn added, his tone logical and critical.

"See? He’s absolutely right, Launa. Just do what the Boss says," Jerry chimed in.

"I am the type of person who only gives an instruction once. So, please cooperate," Glenn concluded flatly.

Launa finally went quiet, giving in and choosing to comply. From a professional standpoint, Glenn actually had a point. Her phone had been lagging horribly lately.

She figured since this was an unexpected blessing and a form of accountability from her boss, there was no harm in accepting it.

"Thank you, Sir," Launa murmured softly.

"Hmmm. However, this offer comes with a professional commitment," Glenn said out of nowhere.

Thump!

Launa’s heart instantly skipped a beat. Her mind began racing in all sorts of wild directions. Was her life about to end tragically like one of those dark movie plots? Becoming the boss's side chick or a tycoon's kept woman?

"W-what is it, Sir?" Launa asked timidly, clutching her skirt even tighter.

Glenn was silent for a moment, then shot her a sharp, assessing glance from the corner of his eye. "You're interning here, and whether your primary goal is simply to gain experience or to gun for a permanent position, I don't know."

Launa listened intently, and so did Jerry, who immediately leaned forward, gripping the back of Glenn's seat, thoroughly intrigued by where his boss was going with this.

"There is one thing you need to know. I need you to conduct regular reviews of all incoming report drafts in our department. Please cross-check every single detail, especially regarding the internal financial statements," Glenn continued, his voice dropping lower, sounding incredibly focused and intimidating.

"A few days ago, I detected an anomaly in the fund allocations with an unclear paper trail. There are signs of a highly sophisticated budget manipulation. This task carries a heavy workload and high risks for an intern, so I demand you to be tactical, sharp, and to operate completely under the radar from the rest of the staff."

Launa was stunned. Her wild, intrusive thoughts instantly vanished, replaced by utter shock and confusion over the massive responsibility suddenly thrust onto her shoulders.

"But... why are you entrusting such an important task to me, Sir?" Launa asked hesitantly. "Today is only my first day interning here. I’m worried that my capabilities might fall short and that I will end up disappointing you."

Glenn spun the steering wheel, turning the car into the gates of the Ellsworth Group before finally delivering an unexpected answer.

"I trust Grandma Mary’s instincts," Glenn replied honestly. He shot a brief glance at Launa. "My grandmother is a highly selective person, and she rarely warms up to strangers so quickly. But back there, she already seemed protective of you and placed a great deal of trust in you. As far as I'm concerned, her instincts are never wrong."

Launa was stunned, completely at a loss for words after hearing such a logical yet deeply personal reason from the man beside her.

The luxury sports car finally came to a stop in front of the Ellsworth Group's main lobby. Before Launa could even reach for the door handle, Glenn spoke up again.

"So, what do you say, Launa? Are you on board?" Glenn asked seriously.

Launa clutched the strap of her bag. "I-I... I would appreciate some time to think it over, Sir. To be honest, I am quite hesitant to take on a risk of this magnitude."

Glenn nodded understandingly. "Fair enough. I’ll give you two days to weigh your options."

Launa fell silent for a moment, her mind racing. If she made a reckless decision just for the sake of a new phone, wouldn't that be the exact equivalent of willingly walking straight into a lion's den?

Seeing Launa's silence, Glenn spoke up again, his tone softening just a bit.

"You don't have to worry. I know this task is risky, but I promise I'll put my line on the line to back you up if anything happens. I won't let you face the danger alone."

Launa looked up, meeting Glenn's eyes as he kept his focus entirely on her.

"Starting today, you may just be an Ellsworth intern to the rest of the office," Glenn continued firmly. "But for all intents and purposes, you're on my personal payroll now. I will compensate you handsomely. Twenty thousand dollars a month."

In the backseat, Jerry instinctively held his breath the moment he heard that figure.

Yet, Launa didn't immediately take the bait. A massive figure like twenty thousand dollars a month only served as a red flag that the lurking danger must be monumental. She knew she had to keep a level head.

"Thank you for the reassurance, Sir," Launa said, trying to maintain her composure. "But I will still take these two days to think it over."

Glenn simply gave a subtle nod. "A wise choice. You may head inside now."

"Thank you, Sir. And thank you for the ride," Launa said.

Before opening the door, she took a moment to look back at the backseat. Jerry immediately gave her a firm, supportive nod—a thumbs-up gesture that honestly only made Launa's heart race even faster.

The moment her feet hit the lobby floor, Launa was instantly hit by a completely different atmosphere. Glenn's sports car slowly rolled away from the drop-off zone, leaving her entirely on her own in the middle of the grand, sprawling main lobby of the Ellsworth Group.

The problem was, dozens of eyes had suddenly locked right onto her.

Employees walking by instinctively slowed their pace. Everyone from the receptionists to staff from other departments openly threw suspicious side-eyes at the intern who had just stepped out of the Young Master's personal car.

Launa took a hesitant step forward, clutching her bag strap in a tight grip. Her brain completely short-circuited. Should she just play dumb and completely ignore all the speculation and whispering around her? She hadn't even finished a single day of work, and nasty rumors were already lining up right behind her name.

Launa let out a heavy sigh, mentally lamenting her luck today.

Glenn gets to walk away fine, and I'm the one left losing my mind.

*****