His Boundless Desires

Boundless 4: Who is He

I took a deep breath and looked up at him. "Whatever you want. You order for me," I replied softly.

"Okay," he nodded.

I couldn't help but study him as he perused the menu.

The warm ambient light caught the gloss of his raven-black hair, highlighting his golden skin, veiny hands, and dark eyes framed by thick lashes.

Then my eyes drifted to his pinkish lips—the same soft lips that had landed on mine just moments ago.

This man radiated pure, unadulterated masculinity, standing at a towering 6'4".

I caught a glimpse of the intricate green botanical tattoo weaving up his arm.

Was he really a dangerous, shady person? Because the strange act of care he showed me today felt completely different from a cold-blooded criminal.

And then there was me—a 5'7" fresh graduate slapped hard by poverty.

I had slightly wavy, dark-brown hair and a medium, sun-kissed complexion that flushed bright red whenever I was flustered.

I had coffee-brown eyes and a figure I could confidently call curvaceous—or at least, according to my brain and the way my pencil skirt hugged every curve a man couldn't resist.

"Hey, Lauren," Caleb called out, cutting off my train of thought.

"Ah... what is it?"

"Nothing. I was just wondering what you were thinking about so intently. Hmm?"

"Aren't you going to ask about my background?" I asked, trying to shift the focus.

"Like I told you, I already know everything."

"Huh? How?"

"Lauren Jade Valeria, 24 years old, born on February 14. Lives alone in a rented room for three thousand pesos a month.

Likes to paint and cares deeply for others—even if it means losing everything she owns. Her father walked out when she was fifteen, forcing her to take three part-time jobs during college to support her tuition and her mother's medical bills," he recited smoothly, as if reading off a dossier.

My jaw literally dropped. Was he some kind of stalker?! I never imagined that all this time, he knew every single detail about my life and my struggles.

"Where... where did you get all that information?" I asked, fighting back the sudden prickle of tears in my eyes.

"Just my assets... or maybe Google," he said with a relaxed smile.

Tears began to pool in my eyes despite my best efforts.

"Come on, Lauren, eat," he said gently, pushing a plate toward me. "I promise it's my treat. You don't need to worry about anything."

"So, you really know everything about me?" I pressed.

"Yeah. Down to the brand of your undergarments," he chuckled softly.

I knitted my brows at him, glaring. What a shameless bastard.

I never imagined I would ever sit and eat in a high-end, ridiculously expensive restaurant like this. But my mind was still spinning with unanswered questions.

"Caleb... about the hotel. Is it really dangerous?" I asked, looking into his eyes.

He paused, resting his fingers on his wine glass, and smiled faintly. "I'm far more dangerous than the hotel itself, Lauren."

"What does that even mean? Aren't you just an employee there too?"

He pushed his hair back and offered me a sharp, mocking grin. "Yeah. I'm just an employee."

He took a slow sip of his luxury wine—a single glass of which probably cost more than my entire month worth of expenses. What was with this guy? He claimed to be a mere employee, yet he threw around obscene amounts of money and wasn't even the general manager.

"So, what's your plan before you start work tomorrow, Lauren?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I'm probably just going to prepare myself mentally. Since I'm new to the job," I explained simply.

"Yeah, that's what most beginners do."

"What about you? What did you do on your very first day of work?" I asked curiously.

He paused for a second, looking at me intently. "Let's just say... I flirted with the manager," he laughed, taking a bite of his blueberry cake.

That was easily the most ridiculous phrase I had ever heard come out of his mouth.

"Is that normal for you? Doing things like that?"

"Definitely. It's completely normal for me... but in your case, no."

"In my case? You are so weird!"

"Weird enough to be worth it, right, Lauren?" he teased smoothly.

Was he flirting with me again?! This guy was an absolute menace! You know those situations where you're just trying to have a casual, small-talk conversation, but you're sitting across from a dangerously seductive man who acts like he wants to eat you alive?

Andrew was never like this—Andrew was polite and sweet. Caleb was a walking hazard.

"Lauren, try this blueberry cake," he said, placing a slice on my plate.

I took a bite because, well, why not? But I still felt slightly out of place. I didn't belong in this world of luxury; his lifestyle was entirely different from mine.

This man didn't care about throwing away mountains of cash, and yet... I could catch a faint glimpse of loneliness deep within his eyes. Not that it was my place to care about it.

"Is this your favorite?" I asked, pointing to the cake.

"Yeah. My grandfather always baked this for me when I was a kid," he murmured, his posture softening slightly.

For a brief second, he looked almost vulnerable.

Why did a man with such immense authority and intimidating presence have a soft side like that? It intrigued me despite myself.

By the time we finished eating, the waiter brought over the bill. I accidentally caught a glimpse of the total—over twelve thousand pesos! That was literally a full month's wage for a regular job, and he casually handed over a metal black card without batting an eye. I stood up in utter disbelief.

"I hope you learned something about me today, Lauren," he said as we walked toward the exit.

"Like flirting with the manager on my first day?" I joked, letting out a laugh.

His expression instantly darkened, his brows furrowing as if demanding a serious retraction.

"Where's your apartment? I'll drive you back," he offered curtly.

"No, it's fine. It's embarrassing, and you've already done way too much for me today."

"Alright. I'll be off then. See you tomorrow," he said, sliding his hand onto my waist and leaning down to whisper directly into my ear: "Hubby."

Before I could even process the shock, he turned and strolled away. Wait—did that arrogant flirt just call himself my hubby?!

I quickly followed him outside, but froze when I saw him standing by his car, talking casually to several towering men who had heavy handguns visibly tucked into their jackets.

I almost screamed at him to run, thinking he was in danger, but then I noticed how casually they were conversing with him.

He calmly stepped into his luxury car and drove off, leaving me standing on the sidewalk in absolute shock.

As I walked toward the bus stop, I couldn't get the image of those armed men in black suits out of my mind. Good Lord, is he actually involved in illegal stuff?! How on earth does he have so much money?

A million questions flooded my mind. Who is he really? What if he’s a cartel boss or something?! No, stop it, Lauren! ...But then again, he’d be an insanely hot drug lord.

When I finally made it back to my tiny apartment, I stuck to my routine, laying out my outfit and prepping my things for tomorrow before crashing onto my bed.

I pulled out my phone and decided to search for his name on f*******: to see if I could find out who he really was.

I typed “Caleb Jayce Cornwell” into the search bar, but no matching accounts came up. I tried searching on Google and other social platforms, but every search yielded zero results. Why was his name completely wiped from the internet?

Puzzled, I messaged Andrew to ask if he knew anything about Caleb.

Andrew’s immediate reply was just a string of laughing emojis.

I’m serious, Andrew! Do you know who he is? I typed back.

I heard the news that you two were dating HAHAHA! And you don’t even know who he is? he replied.

My eyes nearly popped out of my head. Dating?! Who was dating whom?!

W-What are you talking about?! What date?!

Lauren, don’t bother digging into who he is. All I know is that he’s just an employee at the hotel you’re working at, Andrew explained.

I stared at the screen, my suspicion rising. Why does my best friend seem to know something about this guy?

But Andrew, he was talking to men carrying guns today! I was terrified! I messaged back.

I’m not sure, but maybe they were just toy guns? he replied.

What?! Why would fully grown men be playing with toy guns?!

HAHAHA maybe! Anyway, like I said, he’s just an employee.

If you say so... But wait, why did you say we were dating? Where did you even see that?!

From our group chat—

Suddenly, the message was unsent.

I caught it before he deleted it. I knew my best friend of seven years—he was a terrible liar.