Chapter 3
914 Words
When he got into the car, I gave him an embarrassed smile, trying my best to hide my awkwardness.
Ethan sat in the passenger seat, crossing his long legs. He glanced at me meaningfully.
"What are your eyes for? Decoration? They only know how to blink, not look at the road."
I seriously wanted to make him mute. No joke.
He spoke again.
"Go home tonight and pack your things. You're coming to Boston with me on a business trip tomorrow."
What? My hands almost slipped off the steering wheel.
I thought he had forgotten about the long holiday.
"Boss, tomorrow is Memorial Day. It's a holiday."
He nodded like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"I know. Our project partners changed their schedule at the last minute. The long holiday is our only chance to finalize the contract. The person in charge is flying overseas next week, and if we miss this window, we'll have to wait three months. We're talking about a contract worth over 100 billion dollars. It can't wait."
Are you kidding me?! Liam had just asked me yesterday to go to the Hamptons with him for the holiday!
That sweet young Alpha kept calling me "babe" in that soft voice of his. He'd already melted my heart. How was I supposed to stand him up now? 'Even if Ethan offers overtime pay, I'm still not going!'
I made one last desperate attempt.
"Boss, can I not go?"
He looked at me and delivered the answer with maddening calm. "No. Unless you don't want this job anymore. I'll double your overtime pay."
Revenge. This was definitely revenge.
A petty dog Alpha.
Furious, I pressed a little harder on the accelerator. We got cut off several times on the way, and I muttered under my breath the whole time.
The entire way, Ethan looked like he wanted to say something.
I pretended I didn't notice.
When we arrived downstairs at the company, he still didn't get out of the car.
His brows were tightly knitted, and his face kept changing between pale and flushed.
Oh no. I forgot this guy got carsick.
His voice was stiff.
"Lyra, that 20-minute drive felt like a roller coaster. Do you have road rage? Even if you don't care about yourself, think about other people. Riding in your car is a safety hazard. I suggest you stop driving in the future."
I suggest you stop talking.
Back in the office, I organized the documents needed for the business trip.
Liam messaged me, asking what time we were leaving tomorrow and saying he would come pick me up.
Feeling guilty, I replied, "Sorry, I have to go on a last-minute business trip. Let's meet another time."
He replied instantly.
Liam: It's okay, babe. I'll wait until you're free. Take care on your trip. Miss you.
He was so sweet and considerate. I was going to cry.
Looking at the documents in my hands, the more I sorted through them, the angrier I got.
Ethan had gone into a video conference, and the office was empty.
I simply grabbed my phone and shot a VibeLoop video, filming each item in his office one by one.
The Alpha was always using social media to promote himself anyway, and he was a public figure. It wasn't like I was invading his privacy.
From the custom-made coat hanging on his rack, the crystal whiskey glass on his desk, and the Italian handmade carpet under his feet, to the genuine leather executive chair he sat in and even the electric toothbrush he had used in his bathroom.
Caption: After work, I'm listing all my boss's stuff on a resale site. The money should be enough to rent a dozen strippers and throw a three-day party in the office.
I posted it and left work.
Before bed, I opened VibeLoop out of habit. My notification count had jumped straight to 99+.
To my surprise, the video had gone viral.
The top comment read: [Have you lost your mind? What, you weren't brave enough to go all the way? Why not list me too? Am I not worth it?]
That familiar venomous tone made my heart sink. 'Could that actually be my boss?'
The comments section was full of laughter.
A: [Welcome to the biggest workplace humiliation show ever.]
B: [First time seeing someone get caught slacking off by their own boss.]
C: [Gets fired tomorrow because she stepped into the office with the wrong foot first.]
D: [This office is insanely luxurious. I'll take the $9.99 free-shipping deal. Where's the link?]
E: [Boss: It's your office now? Since when can you sell it?]
F: [Boss: You'd better sleep with one eye open tonight.]
G: [The boss is so caring. He even asked if you were insane.]
H: [You're selling a used electric toothbrush too? Girl, are you that broke?]
I: [The toothbrush bristles are worn out. Send it to me, I don't mind.]
After reading everyone's comments, I glanced at my VibeLoop ID: MyAlphaIsADick.
The bad feeling grew even stronger.
No way. It couldn't be that much of a coincidence.
I remembered Ethan didn't use VibeLoop. I hurriedly deleted the post, then opened the top commenter's profile.
The profile was empty, with no posts at all. The account's listed location was the same city as mine.
I breathed a sigh of relief. The next second, an iMessage notification popped up.
Ethan: Lyra, explain your VibeLoop username at work tomorrow.
- Writer
