Kate and I collapsed on the couch, panting. "Jesus! I'm never doing that again," Kate said in a husky voice.

I inhaled sharply and parted my lips. "It took us three hours because you've never done it before."

"I can't imagine what my mom would do if she heard I did this," she murmured.

I placed my hand on my chest, my heart still beating too fast. "She'd be proud of you," I commented.

Kate slapped my arm.

"Ouch! Don't hit me now. I'm tired," I sighed.

"You made me do this. You deserve it."

I glanced at the lemon-yellow ceiling and smiled. "Look around. Your apartment looks so clean and fresh," I said. "Don't you like living in a clean place?"

"I prefer living in a comfortable place," she retorted.

I rolled my eyes. "I helped you make your place livable, and that's how you thank me?"

She threw a pillow at me. "What do you mean? What's so 'unlivable' about my place?" she grunted, sitting up.

"Well..." I pretended to think. "Everything," I replied.

She scowled and threw another pillow at me.

"Stop it!"

"No."

I threw my pillow at her as well. We got caught up in a pillow fight and erupted in laughter. It reminded me of our childhood. We used to study at Kate's place, and when her mom left, we'd play and steal chocolates and ice cream from her refrigerator. Kate's mom loved me very much. She was mostly out of town with Kate's dad for business, and she was happy Kate didn't have to stay alone. I was there for her. And she was my safe haven...

The doorbell rang. "I'll get it," Kate said, rushing towards the door.

After a few minutes, Kate came back holding a paper bag and grinning.

"It's pizza time, baby," she cheered.

While having our pizza, Kate asked about my presentation, and I told her how disastrous it was. She frowned. "Eric said that?" she asked for the third time.

I glared at her. "Should I write it down?"

"Oh, no!" She wiped the cheese from the corner of her mouth and took another bite. "It's a little strange, you know," she said with her mouth full.

"That your billionaire crush is extremely rude?" I remarked.

She rolled her eyes. "He isn't rude. I've never seen him talk that much." She narrowed her eyes as if recalling something. "Every time I've seen him, he's extremely professional. Speaks very little and is very polite," she stated.

I rolled my eyes again.

"I swear. I've never seen him shout or argue with anyone," she said confidently.

"Well, maybe he hates me in particular," I huffed.

Kate clicked her tongue. "What did he say exactly?" she asked.

"He said, 'It's not up to the mark,'" I quoted.

She shrugged. "That's not rude."

I scoffed. "You don't think it's rude? Kate, I spent thirty-six hours on that presentation, and he didn't even bother to see it. He just rejected it without any feedback. Just a direct rejection," I added.

"What did Ryan say? Isn't he supposed to be the one guiding you?"

"He said it was good, but that doesn't matter. Eric rejected it. And that's the truth. My presentation is rejected."

"Ah!" She nodded. "So you're upset because Eric didn't accept your presentation? You wanted him to like your... presentation." She stressed the word "presentation" with a sly expression.

I glared at her. "I can clearly understand where you're going with this..." I sighed and crossed my arms. "I seriously can't believe my first presentation was..." I groaned.

"Hey, come on. Don't be disheartened. You're the best, I know," she tried to lift my mood.

"Thanks for the kind words, Kate." I smiled a sad smile.

"Oh, you're most welcome," she chuckled.

But only if her words could erase the fact that Eric rejected my presentation.

"Stop sulking now. I know you're heartbroken, but it'll be okay. Tell me, did anyone... you know... ask you out?" she asked with a wicked grin. I raised my eyebrow. "You know... anyone?"

I gasped. No way am I going to tell her that Ryan called me beautiful and asked me out for lunch. Well, it's just lunch. Not that I'm going on a date with him, but Kate hates him, so I don't want to spoil her mood.

"Nope," I lied, gazing at my palms.

"Aw! Please don't be heartbroken. I can't stand to see someone cry." She pulled a fake sniffle. "Wanna have ice cream?" she asked.

"What flavor?"

"Dark chocolate," she said in a seductive voice and winked at me.

I glared at her. "Shut up, Kate!"

"Someone's blushing. Whom are you imagining, Eve?"

"GO AWAY!" I scowled at her.

"You're coming to the conference tomorrow, right?" Kate asked while serving the ice cream scoops in glass bowls.

"Yeah. What about you?"

"Yep."

____________________________________________

"Are you serious?" I asked, scrunching my face as I looked at the dress Kate was holding out for me to wear to the conference. It was a white, one-piece dress with a sweetheart neckline.

She nodded.

"I can't wear that. It's too revealing," I argued.

She glanced at the dress and then turned to me in confusion. "It's knee-length, and you have sexy legs. What's the problem?" she asked.

"Don't you see how deep the neckline is?" I questioned.

She tilted her head and shrugged. "So?"

"So, I don't feel comfortable in that," I admitted.

She sighed. "At least try-"

"No, Kate. Please, don't force me," I interrupted her.

"Fine," she grunted with a sigh.

I frowned. "Don't be angry at me, please," I said, batting my eyelashes.

She smiled. "Okay, stop acting cute."

I giggled. "Show me what you're wearing," I said, pulling her arm and strolling towards the closet.

I glanced around the conference room. Ryan said he had saved two seats for us. The room was bustling with people. I didn't expect there to be so many attendees. I spotted Ryan waving at me. I waved back and made my way through the crowd. "Hi!" I said with a smile.

"Hey!" He smiled and glanced at me from head to toe.

Despite my numerous pleas, Kate had blackmailed me into wearing this outfit: a white ruffled top with a black pencil skirt. She had even put makeup on my otherwise clear, pale face. My skin sweats a lot when I wear makeup, so I generally avoid it. She suggested I wear matte red lipstick because it suits me, though I felt it was a bit much for a conference. My hair was styled in a messy top bun, which I liked.

Ryan realized he had been looking at me longer than normal and shook his head. "Um... let's settle down. It starts in 10 minutes," he informed me without meeting my eyes.

I smiled sheepishly and nodded. "Okay."

"There you are."

My eyes widened when I heard that voice. I looked in the direction of the voice and saw her in a red bodycon dress, smiling at me. How could I forget she would be here too?

She ran over and glanced between me and Ryan. Crap! She raised an eyebrow.

Before I could speak, Ryan interrupted. "Who is this young lady?"

Kate turned to Ryan and plastered a smile on her face. She extended her hand. "Kate Hudson," she introduced herself. "You must be Ryan Harbour?"

Ryan shook her hand with a charming smile. "Right. How did you know?" he asked, amused.

"I've heard a lot about you," Kate replied, pulling her hand back but not too harshly. I elbowed her gently. She gave me a side glance and glared at me.

Ryan looked at me with a smirk. He clearly believed I had told her, but that wasn't the case.

"I request everyone to settle down. We will be starting the event shortly," the anchor announced.

"Let's go," Ryan said, glancing between me and Kate.

I nodded and turned towards my seat, but Kate got there first and took the corner seat. She looked at me and tapped the seat beside her. "Come on, Eve."

I sighed and sat beside her. "Hey, why didn't you call me?" I whispered to Kate.

"I thought I'd surprise you, but now I'm surprised," she replied firmly.

I heard Ryan clear his throat beside me. I looked at him and smiled. "Is she your friend?" he asked.

"Yeah. She is my childhood friend," I replied. "And she works here too. She actually joined a year before I did."

"I see." He nodded. He propped his hand on the arm of my chair and rested his chin on his fist. "So, Eve?" he said with an amused grin.

I giggled. "Oh! That's my nickname."

"Only I'm allowed to call her that," Kate stated beside me. Ryan and I looked at her, but she was staring directly at the stage. I followed her gaze and saw the guests had already taken their seats behind the long table.

"Possessive friend?" Ryan whispered beside me.

"Very much," I admitted and giggled.

I heard Kate sigh behind me, and I turned my gaze to the stage. "We welcome on stage Mr. Eric Richmond, the CEO of The Richmonds Inc., a very talented and successful..." As the anchor announced, the crowd erupted in applause.

He glided towards the stage, wearing a black suit. I could barely see his face from where I was sitting. He stepped on the stage, and the guests stood up to greet him. He moved like he owned the land, as if the wind blew on his command and people breathed at his mercy.

There was something in his presence that screamed, "I-am-the-God." A Greek God. The earth revolved around him, as if. He had the glory of the sun and the calmness of the moon. Even in the dark, among the huge crowd, he shone like Sirius. He was just perfect. How could someone be so perfect? There had to be at least one flaw in him. The way he smiled at the guests, I could see them already dazzled by his charm. He had that terrifying quality of luring people.

Everyone liked him because he was so devastatingly perfect with his striking beauty, sharp intellect, and enormous wealth. That cold and unnerving demeanor behind his seductive smile never touched anyone's eyes. That's what bothers me. He was warm and gentle with everyone... except me. His cold and intimidating gaze seemed reserved only for me. I really hated him, but I couldn't bring myself to hate him. Every time I saw him, I felt a strong urge to drown in him-to see what lay beneath that bewitching facade.

____________________________________________

After dinner, Ryan and I talked about our lives. He told me he was born in Scotland and spent his childhood there, but due to his dad's work, they had to move to London. He was a state-level football player. He has a sweet tooth and loves pancakes. He was very friendly and gentlemanly. He offered to drop me home, but I didn't want to bother him, so I excused myself, saying I had some work pending, which was true. He insisted but eventually gave up.

I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes. I needed to send some emails, but maybe I'd take a ten-minute break first. My phone buzzed.

Kate: Finish your work and meet me at 7:30. We need to talk.

I glanced at the clock. It was 6:45 PM. I sighed. "Time to work," I murmured.

After about half an hour, I heard a knock at my door. Before I could reply, Ryan called out. "Hey Evelyn, are you sure you don't want to come with me? I can wait until you're done with your work," he said with a boyish grin.

"That's so sweet of you, but I already gave my word to Kate, so..." I shrugged.

He frowned. "Okay." He sighed. "Well then, good night, Eve." He winked at me.

I giggled. "Good night, Ryan," I said, and he left.

As soon as the door closed, I quickly sent my last email.

"Done for the day." I stood up from my chair and started packing my bag.

Before I could open the door, I felt like I was forgetting something. I turned around and saw my phone charger still plugged into the socket.

"Shit! How could I miss that?" I mumbled. I bent over the table to pull out the charger when I heard the door open slightly. Not again. "Ryan, you don't have to wait for me." Once I got my charger, I turned to face him, but instead saw a pair of blue eyes, his face just inches away from mine. I felt his warm breath on my lips and a shiver ran down my spine. "Eric-"

My words got stuck in my throat when his lips crashed into mine. Eric kissed me. I stumbled backward, but my back hit the table, preventing me from falling. His palms rested on either side of my hips on the table. My mind went blank and my breathing stopped. His lips pulled mine into their grasp, harshly. His kiss was urgent, rough, and overwhelming. Eric is kissing me. The thought kept playing in my head as his lips tormented mine. I felt the muscles in my stomach tighten and a burning sensation rise in my chest. I clenched my fists, feeling weak in the knees. His kiss put me in a trance, making me yearn for more, devouring my sanity. He pushed his tongue into my mouth, and a voice in my brain said, This is wrong.

Without a second thought, I placed my hands on his chest and pushed him away. "No. This is wrong. I have a boyfriend," I blurted out.

I couldn't see his face, but I could feel his body pulling away from me. My heart sank. Did I really push him away? Is he angry? Well, he is always angry at me, but... I don't understand any of this. "Why did you kiss me?" I mumbled.

Instead of getting a response, I saw him leaving the room, and a chill wind hit me. I still couldn't process what had just happened. Eric Richmond kissed me. That's so... unimaginable. But the main problem is that I didn't stop him.

The kiss lasted a few seconds, but I let him kiss me until my brain reminded me that I have a boyfriend. I should have stopped him, but I didn't. I couldn't. I licked my lips and could still feel the heat of his kiss. I can't shake off what I felt in those few seconds. He had imprinted on my mind before, and now he has imprinted on my body as well.

*****

To be continued...