My CEO Bestie And Me

On the third floor of L.H. Group, 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, 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 closed 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 Anthony's office 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 out, as she was also secretly in love with Anthony, but she couldn't tell him the truth as she wasn't brave enough to do so. Her fair face immediately turned red with sadness, and she looked downward to hide the saddened expression. 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' past closeness. Lerisa's father was Anthony's father's former assistant and had supported him in building the shoe company, which was now Anthony's. 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. 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 dress shirt and black shoes, which made him look handsome. Anthony had a short beard that enhanced his looks and made him appear charming. He looked at Lerisa and saw her staring downward in his office. He wondered what she wanted, as he had already seen her earlier that 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. “What do you want, Lerisa?" Anthony asked her. "I… I…" Lerisa spluttered, unable to say why she was in his office, sounding 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 again. He was busy admiring the diamond ring and wondering if Clara would like it. Anthony asked, “How do you see this ring, Lerisa? Do you 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 Anthony 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 finally approached Lerisa and turned her around to face him. Lerisa felt the sparks, but Anthony ignored them and looked intently at her face. “Tell me, what's wrong with you?” he asked again in a stern voice, and Lerisa shuddered in his hold but shook her head to indicate nothing. She lied to him, “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, as he continued to stare at Lerisa's face coldly. His eyes squinted with concern. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me sir, Lerisa? You're like a sister to me, not just a staff member," Anthony said. Lerisa shuddered in his grasp, hating when Anthony reminded her that she was like a sister to him. Anthony's office door opened, and his assistant, Mark Terry, stepped into the office. Mark looked surprised to see Anthony holding Lerisa's arms firmly and closely to his chest. Anthony didn't look at him and was busy staring at Lerisa's face. 'Do they want to kiss?' Mark wondered, but he quickly composed himself and apologized, “I'm sorry, boss.”