(Lexi’s POV)
I imagined a small eating place, but when we arrived, it was a fine dining restaurant, and I immediately recognized the two Michelin stars. I almost couldn’t enter the door because if it was one of Frank’s pranks, I have no money to pay for his lavish choice.
It was not a date, but he led me to the far corner of the dining area, and the waiter came in a hurry to get our order as soon as we sat.
“The usual, Ivan,” he said, smiling at him.
He nodded and left us.
I didn’t see the ‘usual’ menu, not even the menu card. If only I had known this was his plan, I should have just lied about having food allergies, like eating any kind of food gave me allergies.
“This is not a date, right?” My eyes were wide as I looked at Frank, sitting across from me.
He shook his head. “If this is a date, I will not bring you here and let my brother torture me twenty-four hours.”
I made a quick look at the restaurant and leaned my head forward. “You own this restaurant?”
He shook his head. “My brother owns this restaurant.”
“It’s the same,” I whispered.
He shook his head again. “My family is a lawyer by profession, but my brother’s dream is to become a chef, but -”
“He didn’t become a chef?” I cut in.
Frank chuckled. “You’re smart.”
I raised my eyebrows and looked at the ceiling, trying to absorb what he said. “Are you a lawyer?”
“Nope. I wasn’t like my brother, a good son. I ran away from home after high school, worked as one of the Mars’ drivers, and studied business from the scholarship they offered,” he explained.
“Why are you telling me this?” I asked in a hushed tone.
He smiled amusingly at me. “Why are you whispering?”
Denying it, I shook my head. “I’m not,” I said in a low voice and cleared my throat when I realized I was still whispering.
“To be honest and direct to the point are the things I learned from working with Sky for a long time. I don’t want to confuse you,” he explained again, but I didn’t understand his point.
The waiter came in with our food, and I swallowed hard when I saw the carbonara with toast; only their toast looked yummy because of the anchovy fillets and tomatoes on top of it.
“Are you sure you don’t have a food allergy? That one is a crab carbonara,” he said anxiously.
“I told you, I don’t. Why are you so anxious about it? Even if I have, I won’t tell you because this is my first time in this kind of restaurant, and second, I have forgotten what expensive food tasted like.”
“Angela has allergies to seafood,” he answered, half-smiling as if remembering something funny.
I picked up the fork, and as my tongue tasted the food, I closed my eyes and moaned. I blushed when I saw Frank staring at me when I opened my eyes.
“This is delicious,” I said, licking my lips and stopping myself from crying.
“Good,” he smiled and ate his pasta. “We must hurry, though, because I don’t want Catherine to give me a beating for spending too much time on my lunch break.”
“Frank,” I called him after a few minutes of silence. “You said you worked as a driver and studied at the same time. Why didn’t you leave after your graduation? Why work for the Mars?”
“I love the family and the perks,” he answered. “Sky’s like a brother to me and Angela-”
“Like a sister, I hope.” I bit my lower lip, not wanting to say it aloud, but I just did.
He laughed, and I blushed again because he looked charming whenever Frank smiled or laughed.
“Yes,” he answered briefly.
“You have a crush on her!” I said as if trying to catch him.
Frank laughed again. “It wasn’t a secret, Lexi. Even his brother would say it in front of Sky. She’s beautiful and a genius,” he stopped talking. “An angel.”
I pursed my lips, quiet for a few seconds. “I’m jealous.”
“Jealous?” He raised his eyebrows.
I nodded and chewed the food, swallowing it first before talking. “No one has ever said such a thing about me like how you say it.” I smiled at him. “I agree with you; she is an angel.”
“I’m sorry for asking, Lexi, but what made your sister take the money last night?” he asked and looked at me apologetically.
I heaved a sigh. “Our young sister has been sick for two days, but yesterday, we were in dire need of money, hoping to bring Aliyah to the hospital because of high fever.” I lowered my head. “Thank you for what you did to me today. After today, I’d look for money to return what I owe from you.”
Maybe I could find one on the street since I would walk anyway.
“No need. It was returned to me already,” Frank said and smiled as he pushed his phone toward me, showing me the message that a certain amount was transferred to his account.
When my forehead furrowed, he explained how he got his money back.
“Angela paid for it,” he took back his phone and read another message but did not show me who it was.
“Why?” I asked him curiously, but when he said it was Angela who paid for it, she would just probably less it to the salary I would be getting from teaching her kids. Still, it would take more weeks and hours of teaching before I could pay for everything.
“Because that’s who Angela is,” he answered.
“You’re right, Frank. She’s an angel,” I smiled.
“Let’s finish our food because the couple really just had a quick lunch today,” Frank said, sounding like it seldom happened.
“Frank, thank you,” I said, unsure why he was so kind to me. “How can I pay you?”
His forehead creased, and he pressed his lips, thinking for a while. “I really want to know you more, Lexi, but I didn’t want you to go on a date with me because you wanted to pay me.”
“I like you, Frank,” I said truthfully. “But if you’re hoping for something else, I think the date you want would take some time.”
“I was expecting it already.” His lips curved a gentle smile. “I’m a very patient person, Lexi. I will wait.”
If a heart can be taken out of the body, I want to take it out of my chest and shake it until it starts beating for Frank. I want to fall in love with him, but whenever I remember the man who kissed me a while ago, I wish to get a hammer and hit my heart until it forgets Mr. Gorgeous-But-Rude.
(Lexi’s POV)We returned to the office just in time for my appointment with Angela. Frank led me to the couch and told me to wait for Catherine to call me, then he returned to his table to work. I took my cell phone and checked Lexa’s messages. I didn’t hear her call, but I replied to her message that I would return to the hospital as soon as possible.Catherine went out of Sky’s office. “Lexi, you can come inside now. Good luck!”“Good luck!” Frank glanced and winked at me.My cheeks turned apple red, and I didn’t know why I felt nervous when Angela and I would only talk about the children’s music lessons. When I entered the large private office, my eyes looked for Angela immediately, but she wasn’t around.“Please, take a seat, Lexi,” Sky said, gesturing me to sit on the chair in front of his table. “My children’s nanny called, and she couldn’t stop my girls in their little argument, so Angela had to go home for a while to check on them. She said she’ll call you later, and maybe she
(Finn’s POV)Lexa! Lexi!I should have known it from a person who was born with a twin. I was too mad at Lexa and stupid to realize they were two different people. Just like my nieces, it wasn’t easy to see the difference at first glance. Besides, when I met Lexa, it was not well lit on the rooftop, but somehow, I was caught with a need and her charm, binding me in her spell that I believed in her magic.Last night, I spent many hours deciding if I should call Lexa, but every time I asked myself for a good reason why I would do it, I could not think of a valid reason for doing so. I let Lexi use my cellphone yesterday, not because I wanted to catch her if she were lying to me, but I did it because if she weren’t that person I was hoping to see again, I would be able to get her number.I squinted as I stared at the hot woman singing on the bar’s small stage. She was singing beautifully that I never imagined I would get enchanted by a woman like this. If I knew she was so desperate to g
(Finn’s POV) “They seemed not happy that you are leaving the band,” I said, noticing the man on the drums following us with his eyes. I opened the door for her, and when we got out, she stopped, closed her eyes, and raised her head, breathing out in relief. Lexa was quiet for a few seconds, only breathing in and out. She opened her eyes and looked at me. “Don’t worry about them, Finn. They’re happy for me, going home early for the first time, not just glad going out with a handsome man with me.” She chuckled. “They’re like my family, Finn, and for years of singing with them, they had always protected me like their little sister,” she explained. “Of course,” I opened the passenger door at the back of my car, letting her in before I got in. “To the hospital,” I said to Jimmy, who nodded quietly and started the car. Our ride to our destination was not long, so starting a conversation would not be wise. I waited patiently as I had already instructed Jimmy to stop the car at the café i
(Lexi’s POV)It was as if I would be sent to a lion’s den.I took a deep breath before entering the elevator to Sky Mars’ office to see Catherine or Frank, then report to Finn Mars. After my twin sister's news last night, I had to convince myself many times that everything would be fine.Lexa must be crazy, announcing to me last night that she and Finn were an official couple but must be kept secret in public. When I asked her for a reason, she told me it was her who begged him, and as she explained, I understood and agreed with her.“Lexi, Finn’s your boss, and he’s a billionaire,” she emphasized as we talked in the empty hallway before I went home.“Are we thinking the same way?” I asked her, wanting to know if she was having doubts about Finn’s feelings for her.One corner of her mouth lifted, and she scoffed at me. “Why would a billionaire whom we have just met fall for me? We started on the wrong foot, Lexi, and because of that, he almost sent you to prison.”“I know,” I said, lo
(Lexi’s POV)“But why?” I asked curiously.A little gossip for my sister would not hurt them anyway. I still need to protect her even from my boss.“Finn’s not Sky.” She sighed. “Finn’s a nice man… a good brother, a good son, and best at his job, but a bit wet behind the ears when it comes to relationships. He’s like his children, loves to play around, except for Colonel.”I nodded, showing Catherine I understood, wanting to ask her if his children have different mothers since he has many girlfriends. I bit my bottom lip because it was something I forgot to ask Lexa last night if she knew that Finn had children.“Don’t worry, Catherine,” I smiled at her, putting my hand on top of hers on my forearm. “Even if he’s the last man on earth, I won’t fall for him,” I said, then knitted my eyebrows and laughed. “I guess I would probably change my mind if he were the last man on earth, right? I’ll get my name enlisted.”I wondered if Lexa would love to share him with me if Finn would be the la
(Finn’s POV)“I’m Lexi, your secretary.”Her words were an ice bucket thrown at my head that woke me up, stopping me from kissing her. I cleared my throat and looked closer at her.“Are you okay? Did Colonel hurt you?” I glanced at my dog. However, I doubted if my St. Bernard dog would do such a thing. He was now calm, lying on the floor and looking bored at us. I must have disappointed him by taking away his new playmate, still in my arms.“It -” Lexi pointed at the dog, which raised its head and wagged its tail.“He,” I corrected. All my pet dogs were my children, who were never an ‘it’ to me but important family members.She closed her eyes for a brief second and looked at Colonel, shaking her head as she cried in silence.“Lexi,” I called her name, wanting us to be free from our still awkward position.It seemed my body was not cooperating with my heart, screaming that she was not Lexa. Even my head on top of my body could not convince the head below that she was my secretary, a d
(Lexi’s POV)It was a stupid suggestion, but Finn's lips claimed mine before I could back away with it. Unlike my twin sister, I have never been kissed, and sadly my first kiss was unforgettable since I was accused of lying and robbing him.I gasped when I felt Finn’s tongue touching my bottom lip as if knocking and hoping to let it in. He moved slightly away from me.“I think that’s enough,” he uttered in a low voice. I nodded. “Yeah,” I said, surprised I wanted more, curious about what would happen if we kissed like lovers. “I guess it was enough to know we’re different.”“Actually, no, it wasn’t,” he answered immediately.“Should we do it again?” I asked, my eyes blinking at him because his face was still close to mine.“Yeah! Just to make sure,” he said. “Can I touch you?” He shook his head when he saw my eyes widen. “I mean, just your chin.”I nodded at him, but as Finn held my chin, his touch sent a tingling sensation to my body. When his lips were on my mouth again, my heart
(Frank’s POV) “I’ve never seen you this excited in coming to the office, Frank,” Sky glanced at me, grinning as he looked quickly at his wristwatch, then at the changing colors of the floor buttons in the elevator. This has been one of the things I considered my perks when I was with Sky; the elevator would never be crowded unless his kids were with us in the elevator. No employee would want to join the lift with the chairman of the company inside. I chuckled, checking the time. It was nine past fifteen already, reaching Sky’s goal after our business trip. He wanted us to arrive at the office before ten because he was hoping to see his wife, Angela, before starting his day. “I’m always this excited, Sky,” I muttered, half-smiling and cursing myself quietly that I could not hide my excitement in going to the office today. He scoffed at me. “I knew when you’re excited or not, Frank. Your only difference with Finn is that we may not be brothers by blood, but we’re family already.” I