"Maya." My friend Chloe was still looking worriedly at me, perched precariously on two stacked kegs of beer, slurring my words. Tonight was the night I officially ended my one-sided crush. Day 365, exactly. Hard to believe, right? Yours truly actually fell for that sly fox for a whole year. Tonight, I'd even drunk myself stupid over him, losing count somewhere between my fingers and toes. "Chloe, your brother… he's just a… major… player." I swayed, raising the plastic cup in my hand, still cursing the man I'd silently adored for a solid year. Of course, in that moment, I had no idea. The very man I was cursing out a thousand times over was sitting at the table right behind us. "Mr. Cole, what's so funny?" One of his employees, sitting with him, looked puzzled at Ethan Cole's smiling face. The boss had been grinning like an idiot for the past five minutes. Maybe he’d had too much? "Just listening to someone I like tear me a new one." Ethan picked up his pint glass as he spoke. "Do I really seem like a fox?" He put the glass back down, asking his employee with surprising seriousness. The sun was practically burning a hole through my blinds, but I was still sprawled out like a starfish on my bed. "Ugh… First day of work." That's right. Today was my official entry into the real world, and yesterday, I'd gotten blackout drunk and made a fool of myself over some jerk. "Just my luck." I dragged myself out of bed, muttering another curse at the guy who clearly toyed with people's emotions. I opened Instagram, checking if I'd missed any DMs from last night, and saw the 99+ notification bubble on my story views and feed. Whoa, did some major drama go down yesterday? Curiosity piqued, I tapped the notification and saw video after video being shared by practically everyone I knew. "Drunk Woman Climbs on Man, Tries to Rip His Clothes Off at Local Brewery." In the video, some girl was absolutely wasted, practically straddling a guy, and then dramatically smashed his phone onto the hard concrete floor. "What the actual f—?" "This chick is…" Just as the next insult was forming on my lips, I heard a clear voice in the video say, "Ethan Cole." … "Holy crap, is that… me?" I sucked in a breath, zooming in on every pixelated detail. My face in the video was mercifully blurred out, but Ethan's shirt was clearly ripped open at the collar, buttons missing. Ding-dong. Just as I was processing the mortifying image of my drunken alter ego, my doorbell rang. "Who is it?" I shuffled over to the door. "Ethan Cole?" I opened the door, and there he stood – the star of last night's public humiliation, courtesy of me. He was wearing a hoodie, but I could just make out a reddish-purple mark blooming on his neck. Probably… My doing. I swallowed hard. Oh God… I'm screwed. "The player's here to collect his dues." He grinned, looking way too pleased with himself. The next second, he pulled a phone out of his hoodie pocket – an iPhone 13 Pro Max with a screen so shattered, little shards of glass were practically flaking off. "My phone. You smashed it yesterday." He deliberately waved the mangled wreck in my face. "I… I'll pay you back!" I tried to sound defiant, but I knew I had zero leverage. It's just, what, over a grand? Worst case, I'd have to swallow my pride and hit up my parents. "Oh really?" He raised an eyebrow, casually leaning one hand against the doorframe, hip cocked. "And the viral video? My reputation? How do you plan on compensating for those?" 2 "I…" My mouth just opened and closed. Ethan straightened up, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Character defamation, and assault without consent…" "Assault?! Give me a break! I didn't do anything like that to you!" I cut him off before he could finish. "Didn't you?" Ethan raised that damn eyebrow again. He looked like the cat that got the cream, absolutely reveling in this. "Maya Bishop, right?" I’d barely stepped into the lobby of my new office building when I ran smack into the HR Director who interviewed me a few weeks ago. "Yes, that's me." I managed a tight, awkward smile. I’d finally managed to get rid of Ethan, that smug fox, at my apartment, only to immediately run into this woman who radiated stern high school principal vibes. Ethan Cole is definitely bad luck for me, I thought grimly. "The CEO wants to see you in his office. I'll take you up." The woman adjusted her glasses, her tone clipped and slightly annoyed. "The CEO?" Little old me, fresh out of college, getting summoned by the CEO on day one? "Not the Marketing Department…?" I tried to keep my voice pleasant and polite. "Just go when you're told. Stop asking so many questions." She gave me a dismissive look, clearly unimpressed. "Okay then." I swallowed my irritation. This battle-axe… if this wasn't a professional setting, I'd be tempted to give her a piece of my mind. I followed her through a large open-plan office area. The unfriendly stares from nearby desks finally made me realize something was off. Oh God… did they see the video too?? My steps grew heavier, my anxiety spiking. No way. Am I going to get fired before I even log into my work computer? 3 "Ethan Cole?" The HR Director pushed open the door to the CEO's office, and I blurted out his name like I’d seen a ghost. So much for making a professional first impression. Ethan was lounging in his chair, still wearing the same hoodie from this morning. He glanced up, sizing me up. "Lorraine, you can go." He cleared his throat, waving dismissively at the HR Director beside me. The woman, apparently named Lorraine, shot me another dirty look before turning and stalking out of the office. Inside the company, Ethan's looks apparently won him legions of female admirers. Honestly, who wouldn't fall for a ridiculously good-looking guy like him? Of course, I never imagined this Ethan Cole, Chloe's brother, was actually the honest-to-God CEO. "You have three meetings today. You'll need to take notes on your laptop." Ethan clicked his mouse, bringing up his schedule, acting as if our conversation this morning never happened. "Me?" I pointed at myself, then glanced back at the closed office door. "I'm just an intern… assigned as the CEO's Executive Assistant?" "Mm-hmm. Problem?" Ethan looked up, arching an eyebrow. "Not happy about it?" The salary for an EA to the CEO was way higher than a regular assistant gig. Who wouldn't bow down to the almighty dollar? Me, Maya Bishop… Of course, I was the first one bowing. "Happy! Very happy!" I nodded repeatedly, my smile feeling incredibly fake. Okay, maybe Ethan was capable of acting like a normal human being after all. "Ahem, shouldn't I have an experienced assistant train me first?" Normally, even an intern assistant position would involve shadowing someone senior to learn the ropes. Especially for the CEO's assistant. "Little Maya, having me train you shouldn't be a problem, right?" Ethan rested his chin on his hand, his tone deliberately teasing. I was wrong. So, so wrong. How could I ever treat this calculating fox like a normal person? Fine. Deep breaths. Keep the peace. Besides, he was technically the "victim" of my drunken antics. And… my direct boss. "No problem, no problem at all!" I forced another bright smile and pulled my laptop out of my bag. "Right, since I'll be personally training you for the next few days, your temporary workspace will be… over there in the corner." He raised his eyebrows again, a knowing smirk playing on his unfairly handsome face. I followed his gaze to the spot he indicated. A simple, small wooden desk crammed next to a large potted plant. "Are you kidding me?" I pointed, barely managing to hold back the string of curses already queued up in my head. 4 "How is this kidding?" Ethan slowly took off his non-prescription glasses (definitely just for show), steepling his fingers under his chin. The next second, that damned fox! He tugged the collar of his hoodie down again! "Now this is kidding. Oh wait, no, it’s teasing." The fox even craned his neck, practically daring me to get a good look at the angry, purplish hickey. "Ethan Cole!" I stomped my foot, wanting nothing more than to hurl my laptop straight at his face – the face that probably broke hearts daily. "Don't think just because you're letting the other stuff slide—!" I surged forward, ready to grab his non-existent tie, but just as I lunged… The office door opened. "Mr. Cole…" The man poking his head in was balding, looking a bit older than Ethan. His eyes widened as he took in the scene: me with one knee practically planted on Ethan's stomach (from the lunge), my hand fisted in the collar of his hoodie. Yep, balding guy totally got the wrong idea. The spectacularly wrong idea… "Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Cole… I'll come back later…" The man retreated faster than seemed physically possible, carefully shutting the door behind him. Oh, fantastic. I could already hear the office gossip: New assistant tries to sleep her way to the top on day one. This was going to be even juicier than the brewery video. "He's gone. Feel free to continue." Ethan just smirked, those sharp eyes of his crinkling at the corners with that foxy charm. "Continue what?! I was about to punch you!" I scrambled back, smoothing down my white button-down shirt. What a jinx. My first day, and already caught in two compromising situations. As I meticulously straightened the wrinkled hem of my shirt, Ethan stood up and smoothly cornered me against the wall. "Little Maya, there'll be plenty of time for you to 'punch' me later. No need to rush." He leaned in close, his dark eyes meeting mine, and for a second, it felt like sparks flew. "You… stop talking like that. It's creepy." I glared back, refusing to be flustered. Later that evening, the viral video that had taken over my feed was suddenly gone. Vanished without a trace. Figures. The internet's attention span is short. I stared at my phone screen, finally breathing a sigh of relief. Okay, note to self: No more binge drinking. Ever. My face can't handle another round of pixelated internet fame. I'd lived a relatively drama-free life until now, and somehow, this damn fox tripped me up completely. "Sly fox…" I muttered at my phone screen, then went into my photo gallery and deleted every picture I'd saved of him over the past year. This past year, I'd poured everything into liking him. Even people around us knew how I felt about the 'fox.' If it hadn't been for that day I accidentally overheard he liked someone else, I wouldn't have given up so quickly. Having someone he liked, yet still accepting gifts from other girls… seriously, what a player. The thought made me snort in disgust. Ping. Late at night, my phone chimed. "Who the heck is messaging me this late? So annoying." I rubbed my eyes, reluctantly grabbing my phone. The screen flared brightly. A single red notification dot next to Ethan Cole's contact.
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