LIANAI took a deep steady breath, gathering my thoughts and summoning my courage. Knocking on Zaylen's bedroom door, I called out, "Zaylen, are you free now?"I pursed my lips, hoping he was free now. He just returned from the office an hour ago. I was hoping he was not in the shower or something right now, otherwise, I had to wait more.This morning, he had already left by the time I finished talking to Noelle, so I hadn't gotten the chance to speak to him until now. And this conversation was something I needed to have before I could move forward with anything else.I clearly couldn't go on a trip with this unresolved air between us. Zaylen meant way too much for that.After what felt like an eternity, the door finally opened. My eyes widened as I saw Zaylen standing there shirtless. He was undeniably hot, with a sculpted chest and defined abs that made my cheeks flush involuntarily.And the fresh scent of him being out of the shower made him all the more enticing. His hair was ev

LIANAI took a deep breath before stepping into Zaylen’s cabin, the chill in the air immediately hitting me like an ice pole. I closed the door behind me, trying to steady my nerves."Yes, Zaylen, what did you want—""Boss. Call me Boss from now on," he interrupted, his tone colder than the room temperature. I blinked, stunned. "Oh, okay, Boss."He pointed to a stack of files on his desk, his expression unreadable. "These are the product information of our latest upcoming launch. I want you to go through them and come up with the perfect marketing plan suitable for them."I nodded, trying to keep my voice professional, already getting the hint of why Zaylen was treating me like this. "Okay. I will look through them and get back to you by the end of this week."Zaylen's eyes narrowed, his voice laced with irritation. "Where did you hear me say by the end of this week?"I stared at him, confused. "Huh?""I want the marketing plan prepared before you leave work today," he said, his wor

LIANAI blinked, taken aback. The heat of my anger evaporated, replaced by a confusing swirl of emotions. "You... missed me?" I repeated, totally dumbfounded. I even doubted if I heard Zaylen right.Zaylen nodded, his eyes still locked onto mine. "Yes, Liana. I missed you. And calling you here was the only way I could think of to see you, to talk to you."I stood there, stunned, my mind struggling to process his words. All the fire I had walked in with had melted away, leaving me feeling exposed and uncertain. The room seemed to shrink around us, and for the first time in a long while, I found myself at a loss for words. I didn’t know whether it was a good kind of loss of words or a bad kind.“I haven't seen you for ten days,” he added, his voice unexpectedly soft. “That's why I kept calling you to my cabin. I couldn't exactly tell you that earlier.”I blushed, feeling a sudden warmth creep up my cheeks. “Then why the extreme workload?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady despi

ZAYLENBefore I could react, Jordan snapped a photo. “Seriously, Jordan?” I groaned, trying not to jostle Liana awake.“Oh, don’t worry,” he said, laughing. “This is definitely going to Sara. She will love this.”“Delete that,” I demanded, but I knew it was pointless. Jordan and Sara loved to gossip, especially when it was related to Liana and I. He grinned, clearly enjoying it. “No way. This is gold. Besides, it’s cute seeing you like this, our beloved Boss.”“Shut up,” I grumbled and shot him a sharp glare. “Go and bring two cups of coffee.” Jordan just laughed. “Alright, alright. It looks like you seriously need some coffee. I’ll get you two cups.”He was about to walk away but stopped and turned to me again.“What now?” I asked, not liking the look on his face at all. “Maybe I’ll send over the junior assistant instead,” he continued, a mischievous glint in his eye. “After that, the whole office can find out about your forbidden romance.”I frowned, irritation bubbling up. “Ro

LIANARelief washed over me at Zaylen’s words, but it only left room for more questions to flood my mind. “Then? What does this mean?” I asked, my voice trembling with uncertainty. “What does being your mate mean?”Zaylen sighed, his expression thoughtful as he searched for the right words. “It just means that the Moon Goddess thought we would be perfect for each other and decided to pair us, and the rest… it's up to us.”“So, meaning we are just destined to fall in love?” I pressed, trying to wrap my head around the concept.He nodded slowly. “Kind of, but not really. It’s complicated, honestly.”“Like Jordan still loves Sara, even though she is not his mate?” I questioned, trying to find some semblance of understanding in the midst of confusion.Zaylen’s nod confirmed my suspicion, and I couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for Jordan and Sara. Love, it seemed, was far more complicated than I had ever imagined.“But are you sure that you are not just in love with me and mistak