Wait—My Boss Has a Crush on Me?!

Chapter 3

"Let go of him, Lucas!"

My soul had left my body and was probably floating somewhere out over New York Harbor. Face on fire, I grabbed my brother by the collar and pulled. At 18, Lucas already had a few inches on me. He wouldn't budge. Instead he slid down Christian like an octopus, wrapped both arms around one thigh, and grabbed the waistband of his suit pants.

"Christian! You still haven't told Stella? What are you, a ninja?!"

"You already got her initials, 'S.C.,' tattooed on your lower back! What are you waiting for—the end of the world?!"

"Let go!" Christian's voice cracked. He tried to shake Lucas loose, but the kid might as well have been welded to his leg. As they wrestled, Christian's white shirt came untucked and rode up.

And sure enough, a dark tattoo flashed into view on the left side of his lower back. I couldn't make out the design, but there was no missing it.

Dozens of employees in the lobby sucked in a breath at once. Christian's ears went bright red. He hurried to tuck his shirt back in. For once, the famously unflappable CEO looked genuinely rattled.

More people were gathering by the second. I had one card left to play: fake a medical emergency.

My eyes rolled back. I let out a weak little moan and crumpled to one side.

"Stella! Stella, what's wrong?" Lucas finally let go of Christian in a panic.

Christian lunged and caught me. The panic sharpened his voice. "Stella? Stella! I'll get you to the hospital!"

The moment he turned toward the parking garage, I opened my eyes, grabbed Lucas, and bolted out of the lobby. I flagged the first cab I saw. "Queens, please. Fast as you can!"

Lucas was weirdly quiet the whole way home. He hunched into the corner of the back seat and kept sneaking looks at me.

Inside, I locked the door, shoved Lucas into a chair, and stared him down with my arms crossed. "All right. Tell me everything about this 'I came back from 2035' business of yours."

Lucas swallowed, suddenly dead serious. "Stella, I really did come back from the future. In 2035, Christian Mercer is my brother-in-law. You two have been married five years. He's insanely rich and does anything you ask—but when it comes to my education, the man's a demon.

"Two nights ago, Christian and I were in his Ferrari headed to a bar when we got caught in a massive pileup. When I opened my eyes again, I was back in my 18-year-old body, in a hospital bed in 2026.

"I swear I'm not making this up! He's really got your initials, 'S.C.,' tattooed on his lower back. He's been secretly in love with you since college, but he thought you were into Tristan, so he buried the whole thing and never said a word. If I hadn't broken the ice for you today, the two of you would've wasted years going in circles!"

I eyed him, skeptical. It was still impossible to buy.

The phone Lucas had left on the table pinged. I picked it up without thinking. A w******p notification from an unknown number filled the screen.

Lucas: This is Christian. Did you really come back from the future?

My eyes went wide, and my finger shook as I scrolled.

All night, my heart pounded while I watched "Mercer the Grim Reaper"—Wall Street's ruthless, cold-blooded king—desperately coax intel out of my wildly unreliable little brother. His messages read almost pleading, and intensely possessive.

Christian: Do Stella and I… really get married down the line? Are we happy?

Lucas: Ridiculously happy, Christian! But right now you're way too good at hiding it. You don't make a move, how's Stella supposed to know you like her?

Christian: You mentioned a "divorce scare." What happened? Is some bastard going to try to take her? Give me his name. Now.

Lucas: Ha! Easy, Christian. It was Tristan—her college ex. You hurry up and confess, he won't even get a shot.

Reading it, my cheeks got hot enough to fry an egg. Christian… was actually in love with me? And he actually bought Lucas's ridiculous spoilers?!