During my heaviest year, I literally sat on the school bully until he cried. The harder he cried, the more riled up I got. I threw a leg over him, pinned him down, and gave him a few good twists. Something felt… uncomfortable against me. Ever since that day, the moment he saw me, he’d run faster than the speed of light. Three years later at a college reunion, my former classmates were joking around: "Chloe is so skinny now, she couldn't squish Liam until he cried even if she tried!" Liam, sitting across the table, leaned forward slightly and crossed his legs. My entire body flushed hot, and my face turned as red as a tomato all the way down to my neck. 1 I had honestly forgotten what Liam even looked like. For all of high school, he ran the opposite direction the second he saw me. And he was fast. So fast that my memory of his face was completely blurry. On the very first day of high school, my desk neighbor warned me. Liam Vance was the grandson of the richest man in the city. He was a complete menace. If you saw him walking down the hall, you took a detour. My mom had also warned me that going to a city high school meant I needed to keep my head down and absolutely avoid offending anyone. I kept that firmly in mind. Then, one day, I saw him cornered on the edge of the athletic field. It was one against five. Five upperclassmen had him surrounded. He saw me from afar and yelled out. "Chloe!" I squinted, took a few steps closer to see clearly. Once I realized it was him, I turned around and walked the other way without looking back. Shortly after, I heard his screams of agony. Back in the classroom, I was worried something really bad had happened to him. So I told the whole class, and then I told our homeroom teacher. By the time the teacher led the whole class out to find him, his clothes were torn, one side of his face was swollen like a balloon, and he had a black eye like a panda. It was the first time I had ever seen him up close. The swooning girls in my class always said Liam was tall, handsome, and had striking, almost mixed-race features. But right now? He looked like the guy who collected scrap metal back in my hometown. I couldn't help but let out a small laugh. And my eyes met his. He stood up, hissed in pain, pointed a finger at me and said, "You just wait, you're dead." The homeroom teacher immediately kicked him right in the butt, making him yelp in pain. The very next evening, right after I walked out of the cafeteria, he and his little posse blocked my path. I hid the fried chicken drumstick I was holding behind my back and swallowed hard. I had just taken my first bite. I hadn't even swallowed yet. If the chicken got cold, it wouldn't taste good anymore. Because of that, I completely forgot my desk neighbor's and my mom's warnings. I sounded incredibly irritable. "Are you annoying or what? Just because I didn't help you? If I had helped you fight and won, wouldn't you have looked even more pathetic?" The lackeys behind him looked down, clearly embarrassed that I had hit the nail on the head. He stiffened his neck and yelled at me: "Fatty Chloe! You're as fat as a pig and you're still eating chicken!" That's it? So childish. I pushed past him to walk away, but he grabbed my arm. I jerked my arm away, and accidentally dropped my chicken drumstick on the ground. It's fine, I thought. I can pick it up, wash it off, peel the breading off, and still eat it. But then he stepped forward and stomped on my chicken. He even twisted his ankle back and forth to grind it in. My gaze slowly traveled upward until it locked onto his face. Anger erupted in me like a volcano. I let out a roar and tackled him to the ground. He already had one arm in a cast from yesterday, and his other arm was no match for my substantial weight. I planted my butt squarely on top of him. "Give me back my chicken! You owe me my chicken! I only get to eat chicken once a year! Waaah..." Liam's face turned beet red, and two streams of tears slid from the corners of his eyes. A crowd started forming. Someone yelled, "Go get a teacher!" Hearing that, his lackeys scattered and ran for their lives. The harder Liam cried, the more worked up I got. I threw a leg over him, pinning him down like I was riding a horse, and gave him a few good twists. Just like what he did to my chicken drumstick. For some reason, though... something felt uncomfortable against me. Eventually, some classmates pulled me off him. I mourned that chicken drumstick for a whole month. I was so grief-stricken and angry that I studied until I ranked number one in our grade on the monthly exams. Only then did I emerge from my depression. 2 From that day on, whenever Liam saw me, he'd bolt without a trace. Liam's admission to our school wasn't through normal channels. His mom was on the school board. I heard his middle school test scores were so low he wouldn't have even qualified for the worst high school in the city. Students like me, who had been on the low-income financial aid list since childhood, hated people like him the most. Especially since he destroyed my chicken drumstick. But there was nothing I could do to him. In fact, I was terrified of him. I was afraid he would complain to his mom and get my financial aid revoked. Or just make up an excuse to get me expelled. For an entire semester, I waited for my homeroom teacher to tell me to pack my bags. Every night I had nightmares about being chased by a vicious dog. The dead dog would run right up to my face, bare its fangs, give an evil laugh, and its face would morph into Liam's. It wasn't until after the final exams that the homeroom teacher announced he had some news. Inside the stuffy, enclosed classroom, a cold sweat ran down my spine. I was already planning how to break the news to my mom. At worst, I'd just go work in the mines with her. The teacher calling my name pulled me back to reality. "Chloe, the school has established a new scholarship. Since you ranked first in your grade, you've been awarded eight thousand dollars." That wasn't just a scholarship; that was life-saving money. Not only did I have money for living expenses, but my mom wouldn't have to risk getting black lung disease working in the mines just to make a few hundred extra dollars a month. The teacher also praised Liam. His grades had shot up from dead last to the middle of the pack. My desk neighbor whispered that Liam had a crush on a girl, the most popular girl in our grade, Mia. Mia consistently ranked in the top ten, and she had publicly stated she would never date a guy with worse grades than hers. Liam's desk was piled high with New Year's cards from girls. He shoved all of them into his desk drawer. The only one he carefully placed into his backpack was the one from Mia. After that, he completely settled down and stopped causing trouble. Occasionally, when we crossed paths, I didn't even have to hide from him, and he never called me "Fatty Chloe" again. Actually, wait. He just completely refused to even look at me. By the time we graduated high school, he had become the "cold and aloof heartthrob" all the underclassmen obsessed over. He rejected countless girls, supposedly just waiting for Mia to say yes. After graduation, my only interaction with him was when we picked up our diplomas. The homeroom teacher told me Liam's mother had asked him to pass on a message. "She says thank you to the pretty, chubby girl in your class. Her sitting on Liam finally knocked some sense into him." I scratched my head and smiled. His mom was pretty funny. When I turned around, Liam happened to be standing right outside the office door. Our eyes met; he immediately looked away, and I looked down at the floor. We walked past each other, and I never saw him again. 3 I honestly hadn't planned on attending this college reunion. Heading into my senior year of college, I was juggling part-time jobs and frantically applying for internships. I was completely overwhelmed. My old high school desk neighbor, Sarah, urged me: "You should come! It's good networking for the future." "Plus, Liam is the one organizing it this time." "Remember him? The guy you sat on until he cried?" I rubbed my forehead and cut her off: "Can we please not bring that up? I'll go, I'll go, I'll go." Standing in a quiet corner, holding my phone, my face was burning red. It was only much later that I finally understood why it felt so... uncomfortable that day. On the day of the reunion, to show how little I cared, I didn't wear any makeup. I specifically wore a faded, washed-out tracksuit and carried a canvas tote bag from a cheap grocery store. Sure enough, when I arrived, I was the most shabbily dressed person there. In stark contrast, Liam, who was pushing 6'2", stood out effortlessly in the crowd. He had broad shoulders and a strong back, and the top two buttons of his crisp white dress shirt were casually undone. It made me think of that chicken drumstick from years ago, and I involuntarily swallowed hard. As soon as I walked in, Sarah dragged me right over to Liam. "Boss Vance, remember her? Chloe!" A wave of good-natured laughter rippled through the group around us. "Chloe is so skinny now, she couldn't squish Liam until he cried even if she tried!" Hearing that, Liam's expression became slightly unnatural. He leaned forward slightly and crossed his legs. My entire body flushed hot, and my face turned as red as a tomato all the way down to my neck. I fanned my face frantically with my hands. "It's so hot in here! I'm gonna go step outside for some air." "If you're hot, just take your jacket off!" Sarah, with lightning speed, reached over and yanked the zipper of my track jacket down. I had bought this jacket back when I hadn't lost the weight yet, so it hung on me like a massive potato sack. With her pull, the jacket easily slid off my shoulders. Revealing my upper body, dressed only in a thin camisole, directly facing Liam. He lowered his gaze, taking in my entire chest area without missing a detail. I panicked and frantically pulled the jacket back up over my shoulders. Sarah wouldn't shut up. "Wow, the parts that weren't supposed to shrink didn't shrink at all!" "If you sat on someone now, you'd still make them cry, just for a different reason!" While nervously adjusting my collar, I snuck a peek at Liam. The tips of his ears were bright red. 4 It wasn't until Liam spoke up that we realized he came with an agenda. "I started a tech company back in our hometown, and we're currently hiring." "The pay and benefits are excellent, and we provide housing and meals. If anyone is interested, please send me your resume." Sarah nudged me in the ribs. She handed me her phone, showing the profile of Liam's company. "Doesn't this perfectly align with your major?" I felt conflicted. I had hoped to never cross paths with Liam again in my entire life. I had never told anyone, but I had actually seen him at a gay bar where I was working part-time. It wasn't that I was judging him, it just made me feel weird whenever I thought about it. But I really wanted to go back to my hometown. My mom, worried about me working so much while in school, had secretly gone back to working in the mines and ended up getting a lung disease. I wanted to go back so I could take care of her and keep an eye on her. Our hometown was a traditional industrial city; tech startups like his could be counted on one hand. And the existing ones were usually just neglected branch offices with no real career prospects. The salary listed on Liam's job posting made my heart race. That night, I tossed and turned, and the dreams started again. In my dream, a giant white dog came running toward me, wagging its tail, and tackled me to the ground. It licked me all over until I was giggling uncontrollably. Then the big dog lifted its head, and its face morphed into Liam's. I woke up covered in a cold sweat. He's haunting me. Suddenly, my phone rang with an unknown number. "Ms. Davis, we are calling from Vance Tech. We would like to invite you for an interview next week." It was Liam's company. But I hadn't even submitted a resume. Then, my mom's attending physician texted me, saying they were scheduling her surgery for next week. I simply said "Okay" into the phone. Since I was heading back to my hometown anyway, I might as well check it out. On the day of the interview, Liam wasn't there. I had a great conversation with the Chief Technology Officer. I didn't even have to do an internship period; I was hired full-time immediately. And there was no pay cut during the probationary period. I always knew I was a good student, but I didn't realize I was that good. It would be rude to refuse such an offer. However, because the time for my mom's surgery was suddenly moved up, I had to delay my start date by a day. First thing in the morning on my first day, I ran into Liam in the elevator. I respectfully greeted him: "Good morning, Boss." His Adam's apple bobbed a few times, but he didn't say a word. The elevator chimed. Just as the doors opened a crack, I lifted my foot to step out. Through the gap, I saw a pair of long, gorgeous legs waiting outside. The elevator doors opened fully. It was Mia. She completely ignored me and threw herself directly into Liam's arms. "Liam! You said at the meeting yesterday you weren't coming into the office today!" "Something came up." I stepped out of the elevator and turned around. Liam had his hands up in surrender, letting Mia hang off his neck, smiling at her with pure indulgence. 5 The moment I sat down at my desk, my manager called me into his office. "Mr. Vance's executive assistant position hasn't been filled yet. You have a great academic background, so I need you to fill in for a while." "Is that really appropriate—?" "What I mean is, won't Mia mind?" "Mia—? Oh, you mean the boss's wife. Why would she mind?" "Mr. Vance is giving you an incredible compensation package, show a little tact." The boss's wife. Makes sense. But my chest felt inexplicably tight. My butt hadn't even warmed my new desk chair yet. I grumbled under my breath as I packed up my things and headed upstairs. Right outside Liam's office was the executive assistant's desk. Since I was here, I figured I should go say hi to the boss first. I pushed the door open. He was facing the door and I startled him. He frowned and asked me why I didn't knock. Behind him, facing away from me, Mia was leaning over, her arms propped up on his desk. That posture. My face instantly burned bright red. "Sorry to interrupt." I backed up a few steps and closed the door for them. A few seconds later, Mia walked out, giving me a playful, assessing look. She took a few steps forward, rubbed her lower back, and let out a soft sigh. From inside the office, Liam yelled "Come in," making me jump. He was leaning back in his office chair, rubbing his temples with one hand. "I yelled a little too loud just now. Don't take it personally." My mom always said: if someone respects you an inch, you respect them a mile. I cleared my throat. "Not at all, Boss, you're too polite. You can yell at me if you want, you can even hit me if you want." He looked up, suppressing a smile at the corner of his mouth. "I can hit you?" "Sure." His lips parted, a half-smile playing on his face. "Girls should learn how to protect themselves." "I'm very good at protecting myself! You should worry about protecting yourself. Did you forget what happened when we fought, I—" Why do I have a mouth?! He closed his eyes and waved his hand. "Get out." Back at my desk, I buried my head in organizing documents. Liam suddenly opened his door and threw a uniform at me. "Change into this. You're coming on a business trip with me." Change, sure. I'll change right now. A white button-down shirt, a fitted blazer, a pencil skirt, and black tights. My body proportions—my chest and waist measurements—make buying clothes incredibly difficult. But this uniform fit like it was custom-tailored for me. I looked at myself in the mirror and gave a very serious, professional salute. Walking out of the restroom, I practically crashed into Liam. He must be sick or something. His ears were always bleeding red. 6 It was my first time flying, and it was in First Class. I asked Liam: "Next time, could you book me in Economy and just pay me the difference in cash?" He turned away and completely ignored me. The plane hit sudden turbulence, and I let out a yelp. Before the sound even faded, I was already pulled into his chest. His Adam's apple bobbed right next to my ear, and his voice drifted down from above me. "Coward." I looked up and met his eyes. His gaze was hazy. He slowly lowered his head, and it looked like he was about to kiss me. I swallowed hard and struggled to say: "I have boundaries." He let go of me, sat back in his seat, and turned his face away. My heart was pounding, my palms were sweaty. He didn't look at me again until we got off the plane. Well, what could I do? He was the boss, and I was terrified of getting fired. I helped him with his luggage, I told him jokes. I even kept dropping hints. "Mia is so beautiful, it's hard to find anyone prettier than her, right?" "Whoever gets to marry Mia is incredibly lucky. Anyone who doesn't cherish her deserves to be impotent for life." His expression finally cracked. He gave me a very strange look. "You really like her?" "Of course I do!" "Is that why you worked at that kind of place?" "What kind of place?" "Mr. Vance!" A voice called out, interrupting our conversation. A guy holding a pick-up sign ran over. He had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, easily as handsome as Liam. "My name is Ryan. I graduated from City High too." "Technically, that makes you two my underclassmen." I sweetly called out, "Nice to meet you, Ryan!" Liam glared at me. I pouted. You're the vendor here, why are you acting so arrogant? How are you going to close this deal? These rich trust fund kids really don't understand how the real world works. I continued turning on the charm for Ryan. "Ryan, your company is notoriously hard to get into, you must be amazing at what you do!" "We are so honored to have this opportunity to visit. Next time you come to our city, I'll bring you some local specialties!" Liam's face grew darker and darker. Does he even want to do business or what?
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