Never Too Far Novel

Chapter 1821-1830

However, Josephine didn’t seem to react. Ethan grabbed a blanket and draped it across her. As he knelt on the carpet and looked at her beautiful face, he would be lying if he said he had nothing on his mind. Any man would want to take advantage of Josephine’s vulnerability, and Ethan was no exception.

Looking at her, he thought, I’m sure she won’t notice if I secretly kiss her. Then, he decided to take action!

Just as Ethan leaned down and was just inches away from Josephine’s face, he saw her open her eyes and look at him.

“What are you doing?” she asked. Josephine was a light sleeper. When Ethan draped the blanket on her, she was waking up. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Ethan’s face was close to her.

“I…” Ethan had never felt so embarrassed in his life.

However, Josephine knew what he was trying to do. At that moment, she blinked her eyes and asked, “Are you trying to kiss me?”

“Can I?” Ethan squinted his eyes and asked.

Looking at his handsome face, Josephine replied without hesitation, “Well, it will be a waste if I let go of this opportunity.”

When Ethan heard her words, he was stunned. Before he could react, Josephine wrapped her arms around him and kissed him first. Her actions startled Ethan since he had never expected her to be so bold. Meanwhile, Josephine had been dying to kiss him since they kissed on the cruise ship. From that day onward, she had been reminiscing about the kiss. Truthfully, she knew what she was getting into when she entered his room. She wasn’t an innocent girl anymore. After all, she had never allowed Luke

to hold her hands, even when he had courted her for over a year. Yet, she allowed Ethan to be alone with her because she also had feelings for him.

As the saying went, “Hunters often appear as prey.” Josephine was the representative of this quote.

As the duo kissed inseparably on the couch, Ethan grabbed the back of her head and deepened the kiss. Suddenly, Josephine’s phone rang. After the call had died down, it rang again, seemingly as if the caller was persistent in getting Josephine to answer.

Ethan pulled apart from Josephine and panted. Then, he leaned his forehead against her and asked, “We can continue after you answer the call?”

Josephine was also panting. Never had she expected that a kiss would make her breathless. When she looked at the caller ID, her mind went clear instantly. Then, she looked at the time and saw that it was 9.30PM.

Oh my! What a pity that it is already this late!

As she thought about it, she took a deep breath and redialed the number. “Hey, Mom. I’m heading home right now,” she said casually.

“You have to be home by 10.00PM. You’re making me worry! There was just news about a woman getting murdered late at night,” said Heidi.

“Alright, Mom. I’m safe. I’m coming back.” Josephine promised. After that, she hung up the phone and looked at Ethan, who was reluctant. “I have to head home.”

Then, she was going to get up. However, Ethan pulled her into his embrace without hesitation and kissed her again. “Give me a few more minutes,” he said in a raspy tone.

Hearing his words, Josephine could feel her heart beating rapidly. She had to admit that Ethan looked goddamn sexy when he was being dominant.

The second kiss was bringing out their lust. Josephine was suppressing herself, and she knew that Ethan was the same. Hence, she wanted to end this kiss as soon as possible.

“Let’s just stop for today!” she said.

Ethan chuckled and asked, “Do I need to make an appointment for the next time we kiss?”

Hearing his words, Josephine couldn’t help but laugh. Why does he take kissing like a date?

“I’ll think about it! Anyway, I need to head home now.”

“I’ll drive you.” Ethan tugged on his tie and slightly raised his jawline. His sexy posture made Josephine’s eyes widen. Noticing her gaze, he asked her deeply, “Are you lusting over me, Miss Jacobson?”

In the split second, Josephine’s face was flushed red. She realized that she couldn’t hide her emotions in front of him.

After the duo had left the room and entered the elevator, Josephine felt Ethan hold her hand casually. She didn’t take her hand out. Now that she had sobered up, she was in disbelief and dared not to look at him.

After they got into the car, Ethan turned on some music for her to relax. As Josephine looked at the lively night street, she felt something different. It felt like… They were in love.

After some time, Ethan arrived at Josephine’s home. Just as Josephine was about to exit the car, Ethan suddenly leaned toward her and held her hand. “Are you in need of a boyfriend, Miss Jacobson?”

Josephine was shocked. At that moment, she recalled their kiss just now and thought, Is he taking advantage of the kiss to court me? Thinking about it, she quickly said, “I’m still dizzy from the alcohol, Mr. Quarles. Can we talk about this tomorrow?”

Ethan knew what she was planning. “Is this a hit and run, Miss Jacobson?”

Josephine was embarrassed. After all, he seemed to be implying that she was a playgirl. She wasn’t, though! She was unprepared as she had never expected such a thing to happen tonight!

“I’m dizzy, Mr. Quarles. I need to get home now. Goodbye, and drive safe.” As Josephine spoke, she quickly exited the car and closed the door. Then, she hurried into her house and stood by the bushes, looking at the car from the gaps as it slowly drove away. She sighed and rubbed her lips. God, it must have been swollen, she thought. When she entered the living room, she quickly said to Heidi, who was watching the television, “I’m exhausted, Mom. I’m going to go upstairs.”

“You should have come home sooner if you are exhausted,” replied Heidi. However, she didn’t ask anything more and continued watching the TV.

After Josephine entered her room, she quickly rushed to the bathroom. Looking at the mirror, she saw that her face was flushed, and her lips were rosy red even though she had no lipstick on. It was obvious that it was because of the kiss.

“This is so embarrassing.” Josephine buried her face in her hands. Ethan would be her boss, and they would encounter each other in the company. Yet, she did such intimate things with him.

Josephine was indeed exhausted. After taking a bath, she went to sleep and had a dreamless night.

The following day, she went to the company as usual. However, before stepping into the building, she heard someone call out to her. “It’s me, Joey.”

Josephine turned around and saw Luke waving at her by the entrance. There was also a cardboard box by his side, seemingly to have something expensive inside. “Come over here and open it, Joey. You’ll be surprised,” said Luke.

“What is it?” asked Josephine.

“You’ll know once you open it! I’m going to take a call. Hurry up and open it.”

Josephine felt speechless when she saw that Luke had told his assistant to record the moment of her being touched by his gift. “Not now. I need to clock in,” she said to him.

“No, no, no. Just open it, Josephine. I put so much effort into this.” Luke pleaded. He reached out and stopped her from entering the company.

Josephine had seen how clingy he would get. If she refused to open this present, she knew he would bring it to her office and ask her to open it. Thus, she decided to open the gift immediately to stop him from disturbing her colleagues.

“You’ll let me go to work as long as I open it, right?” she asked.

“Yes. As long as you open it, I will not disturb you,” Luke said confidently.

After thinking momentarily, Josephine walked toward the purple box while Luke stood aside and made a phone call.

Josephine crouched and untied the ribbon. When she opened the box, she saw that it was filled with balloons. Moreover, they seemed to be helium balloons.

After she had opened the box, she allowed the balloons to fly toward the sky. Beside her, the assistant quickly shouted, “Miss Jacobson! Grab the balloon! Grab it!”

Josephine was stunned, wondering how she was going to catch the balloons. They’re already about two meters above my head!

At that moment, Luke turned around as soon as he finished his phone call. Upon taking a quick stride, he charged at one of the balloons with lightning speed in an attempt to grab it, only to fail in embarrassment due to his short height. Nonetheless, he still did his best attempts to grab the balloon with his assistant, unknowingly presenting a hilarious and amusing sight.

On the other hand, Josephine was still dumbfounded by that sight until she saw a truck parked in a hidden spot. On the truck, there was a sports car that contained many colorful balloons. In that instant, something seemed to dawn on her as she looked up. To her surprise, there was a set of keys dangling on the balloon that was floating in the air.

Luke, who did everything he could but still failed to retrieve the balloon, came complaining to Josephine with a bitter look on his face. “I thought you would get the balloons. Do you know what’s on them?”

Josephine gulped and rhetorically asked, “Your car keys, I guess?”

“Yup, both sets of them.” Luke smiled awkwardly in response.

“I’m sorry.” Josephine apologized.

“No worries. I can always duplicate a new set. It’s not a big deal.” Luke said and stuck out his fingers. “This car is a gift for you. Do you like it? I specially bought a pink one for you.”

Josephine was speechless in response to Luke’s words. A sports car? What is he thinking? She shook her head and waved her hand. “No need for that, Luke. I’m happy with our friendship, so let’s just keep it that way. Give this car to someone else who deserves you, perhaps. Anyway, my work starts soon, so I need to get going.” Josephine ran through the entrance of her company like she was a refugee who was escaping from her captor.

Nonetheless, their interaction was secretly recorded by the paparazzi and was later made the headline with a title that read, ‘The love that flew away with the balloons.’ While there was a paragraph that detailed the story of the incident, it was accompanied by two pictures in which Luke and his assistant were seen trying hard to retrieve the balloons hilariously.

In the meantime, Josephine had been suffering from a headache so severe that she couldn’t focus on her work at all since the morning, although she expected the after-effects of her hangover.

“Are you alright, Joey?” Wren asked in a concerned manner.

“My head hurts.”

“Oh, come on. Is your age catching up to you? You’re not that old as far as I remember.”

“No, it’s not that. I’m having a hangover.”

“Who’s the client you were busy entertaining?” Wren asked curiously.

Josephine shook her head. “Nah, it wasn’t a client but our big boss.”

“Uh? So, you were entertaining our company’s director?” Wren was surprised.

Josephine shook her head and replied, “Our boss is someone else now. The director is no longer the biggest shareholder in our company.”

“Who’s the biggest shareholder of our company then?” Wren pressed on with her question.

“You’ll find out soon enough, so I’m not going to ruin the surprise.” Josephine smiled at her.

However, they suddenly heard high heels creaking on the floor from a distance as Wren curled up and stepped away timidly. When Josephine turned around, she was met with an angry look on Katrina’s face. “Step outside with me, Josephine. I want to have a word with you.”

“I’m busy now.” Josephine grabbed the files on the table.

“Aren’t you afraid I’d go loud about what happened last night?” Katrina threatened Josephine. Then, she bent over and leaned closer to Katrina’s ear. “I’m going to tell everyone in our company about the intimacy you had with Mr. Quarles.”

“Hey, watch your mouth, man.” Josephine blushed in her cheeks while trying to keep herself calm.

“What’s wrong? Are you scared? Let’s have a word about it then.” Katrina stood up with an unhappy look on her face. She then walked out the door with Josephine following right behind her until they found themselves in a corner with no one else.

With her eyes glued to Josephine’s face, Katrina grew more and more annoyed the longer she glared at her. “Now, tell me about you and Mr. Quarles.” She demanded an answer from Josephine.

Josephine knitted her eyebrows. “Why should I tell you?”

“You two seemed to have known each other a long time ago, huh? Did you get to know him through your grandpa?” Katrina was eager to find out the truth.

“My grandpa has nothing to do with it. Don’t drag my family into this.” Josephine responded angrily, warning Katrina not to involve her family in their discussion.

“If it wasn’t your grandpa, how did you get to know a tycoon like Ethan? It’s not like you have a wide network connection.” Katrina couldn’t believe her ears. In fact, she just confirmed with her brother-in- law that Ethan was not an ordinary tycoon. After all, his family owned a logistics company that was ranked first in the country, which was what made him stand out among the rich.

At the thought of Ethan’s presence, Katrina was especially agitated because she was expecting to change her life for the better by sponging off him. Even if she couldn’t be his wife in the end, she was

hoping to secure a huge sum of money that would keep her fed for the rest of her life for herself should the both of them break up.

“You’re right. We know each other indeed. So, what are you going to do about it?” Josephine responded impatiently, feeling more and more annoyed with Katrina.

“Where did you both go last night? Did you two spend the night at the hotel? Your innocent look may fool the others, Josephine, but I know what you’re up to. You used your dirty tricks to make Ethan get laid with you.”

Josephine was a terrible liar. Thus, when she heard Katrina’s words, her face and ears blushed in embarrassment, not to mention her reluctance in answering her question. Nevertheless, Katrina was observant enough to notice her blushed cheeks, which confirmed her suspicion. “Let me guess. So, you both really spent the night in the hotel, didn’t you?”

“No, we didn’t. He took me home instead,” Josephine replied while looking up.

“Stop lying! You were so drunk that you lay on the table like a dead person. It’s hard not to think that you were luring Ethan into taking the opportunity.” Katrina could still remember what she saw the night before.

“Can I go back to my desk now?” Josephine intentionally raised her wrist and looked at her watch.

“Wait a minute, Josephine. I don’t care how you got to know Ethan, but from now on, I’m going to compete with you in a fair and square manner because I have feelings for him too.” Katrina made her point understood as she flicked her hair to flaunt her elegance. “I believe I’m a match for you in every aspect.” Katrina was confident in herself due to her good looks, as well as her wealthy upbringing. Furthermore, the fact that her brother-in-law was the director of her company only added to her confidence.

Josephine gulped nervously, feeling a stab of pain in her chest when she heard Katrina’s words. For some reason, she had a strange feeling that Ethan was not a man who could resist temptation, recalling how he was turned on by her kiss almost right away when she pecked his lips the night before. Because of that, she was sure a man like Ethan would surely succumb to temptations. I’m not that good-looking, but if Ethan had eyes for me, he would definitely fall for a sexy woman like Katrina. Annoyed by the thought of that, Josephine regretted sharing an intimate moment with Ethan the night before because she couldn’t accept an unfaithful man as her soulmate.

When Katrina didn’t get a response from Josephine, she grunted angrily and walked off shortly after. Then, Josephine returned to her desk, but as she was about to take a sip of water, Wren suddenly leaned closer and asked, “Joey, are these pictures of you and Luke?”

Josephine was shocked when she heard that, whereupon she immediately shifted her gaze to the phone screen to take a closer look at the pictures. Wait, what? The balloon confession is now on the headline?! Although her face and Luke’s were blurred, she still couldn’t help but feel a little pissed off. After that, she rose from her seat and made her way from the Department of Multimedia and Communication to another. As soon as she entered the workplace, she instantly became the center of attention with everyone fixing their envious gazes on her. “Who posted the news this morning? Why wasn’t I asked for my permission before it was posted?”

“Easy, Josephine. We censored your faces, didn’t we? Furthermore, we didn’t mention your name either. We just said the woman is a reporter.” One of the female colleagues added, “This news is getting more than a million views, so would you please stop complaining over something so trivial, Josephine?”

Josephine was speechless because she didn’t expect herself to go viral one day. Hope Luke will be fine with getting on the news. As soon as she returned to her seat, her phone rang, whereupon she checked it out and saw Luke’s name on the screen. “Hey, Luke.”

“Joey, what are your colleagues in the multimedia department doing? Am I a joke to them?” Luke sounded angry.

“Relax, Luke. Take it easy, would you?”

“I’m so mad right now unless you treat me to a meal. Otherwise, I’m going to make a scene in your office.” Luke took advantage of the incident to make Josephine treat him to a meal.

Josephine was embarrassed at the thought of Luke’s car keys that she was responsible for losing earlier that day. “All right, but I’m a little busy in the afternoon. So, maybe tonight.”

“Great! See you tonight,” Luke said happily.

In the meantime, Ethan was in the hotel room while browsing through the internet with his iPad. Then, he stumbled upon the news that got him curious and tapped into it. The next thing that came into view was the familiar building of the Department of Multimedia and Communication along with two blurred faces of a man and a woman. With a pair of furrowed eyebrows on his face, Ethan could tell that the lady was Josephine without even seeing her face. At the same time, he also figured out that the man who wanted to give Josephine a car was Luke with ease. Not long after that, he reached for his cell phone and gave Josephine a call.

Who is it now? When Josephine grabbed her phone and checked it out, she saw a name that made her heartbeat race like a jackhammer. Damn it! Is he still trying to hold me responsible for that kiss or something? Josephine quickly hid in a corner and answered in a hushed voice, “Hey, Mr. Quarles.”

“Did Luke give you a sports car as a gift this morning?” the man asked.

Josephine’s face blushed in embarrassment because she didn’t expect Ethan to learn about the news. She asked, “How did you know that?”

“I saw it on our company’s website.”

“Wait, you could recognize me even though my face was pixelated?” Josephine was in disbelief.

“Are you thinking of getting a new car?” The question came all of a sudden.

“Nope, I’m not. My car still works fine,” Josephine answered. Just then, her team leader beckoned her over for a meeting, so she said, “I have to go, Mr. Quarles. My team leader needs me to be in a meeting. See you.” She hung up the call and met up with her team leader for the meeting.

Meanwhile, Ethan, who was in the hotel, summoned his assistant and said, “Get me a feminine-looking sports car. I’m giving it to someone as a gift.”

“Yes, Mr. Quarles.”

Ethan squinted, thinking he should satisfy Josephine’s material needs to prove his financial capability. Meanwhile, Josephine was in the meeting room where murmurs of gossip were ongoing. Everyone envied Josephine because she would own a sports car as soon as she accepted Luke’s gift, but to their surprise and bewilderment, she rejected him and turned down an expensive sports car as a gift. Everyone thought, Come on, what’s Josephine thinking? She has no intention of accepting Luke as her boyfriend, does she? Soon, Ethan exited the hotel and made his way to Tribus TV. As the biggest shareholder of the company, he was given a spacious office with a good view, but to him, his job felt more like a vacation than work. As soon as he arrived, he received an Excel file on his phone and carefully skimmed through a name list within it. Then, he found Josephine’s name and contact, whereupon he started calling her number.

On the other hand, Josephine heard her phone ringing not long after her meeting ended. “Hello, this is Josephine speaking from the Department of Multimedia and Communication. How may I help you?”

“Come to my office,” Ethan spoke in a deep voice.

“Mr. Quarles?” Josephine widened her eyes in disbelief.

“Yes, speaking. Now, meet me on the 18th floor,” Ethan demanded.

“You’re working here… already?” Josephine didn’t expect Ethan would personally visit the company.

“Just come up here.” Ethan hung up the call as soon as he finished his sentence.

Josephine rose from her seat and made her way to the elevator clandestinely, as if she was a thief. Upon looking at her surroundings to make sure she was alone, she pushed the button and headed to the 18th floor on which the management office was. When she got there, she had no idea where to go until she heard footsteps from the corner, and she saw Ethan’s attractive figure.

“Right here.” Ethan walked toward Josephine, who quickly scurried in his way. Seeing her hilarious reaction, the man chuckled in amusement. “What’s wrong? Why are you acting like a thief?”

“Is there anything I can help you with?” Josephine asked.

Ethan brought Josephine into his office and closed the door behind him. Then, he sat on the couch sluggishly and said, “Nothing, actually. I just want to see you.”

Josephine’s beautiful face started heating up. “I’m at work!”

“I got you a sports car,” Ethan brought up with his eyebrows raised.

She immediately turned to him and froze for a few seconds. Is he okay? Why would he buy me a sports car as well?!

“No! I can’t accept it. You mustn’t send it to me either!” Josephine immediately rejected his present.

“But I placed the order and they’ll send it over this afternoon. What am I supposed to do with the car if you don’t take it?” Ethan threw the question back to her.

She blinked a few times upon hearing that. Eventually, she bit her lip and asked, “Can you return it?”

“Nope!”

“You should have asked for my opinion before you bought the car!” He’s too impulsive!

“The car will be at the VIP parking space in the underground parking lot. You can drive it whenever you want.” Being the high-and-mighty person he was, Ethan would not take back a present he had gifted someone.

On the other hand, Josephine might have seen her fair share of domineering people in her life, but she had never met someone so unreasonably bossy!

“Just return it. My car works perfectly fine. I don’t need a sports car,” she muttered while continuing to chew on her lip.

Ethan smiled and gracefully shrugged. “It’s fine. A sports car is just a normal gift to me. If you don’t want it, just leave it there in the car park!”

Josephine felt herself getting flustered as she looked at his rows of pearly whites. He sure was a sight to behold when he smiled.

Right then, her phone began to ring. When she saw that it was a call from Luke, she quickly went to the window and took the call. “Hey, Luke.”

“Joey, I booked a table at a restaurant for us tonight. I’ll come to pick you up after work.” Luke’s voice rang out from the other end of the line.

“Got it,” Josephine replied. She couldn’t just bail on him when she was the one who agreed to treat him to a meal.

However, there was one thing she decided to make clear to him tonight—she and Luke could only be friends. She wanted him to stop wasting his time on her.

However, after learning about the great lengths he went to pursue her this year, she was sure that he wouldn’t give up just like that if she only rejected him verbally. That being said, there was a possibility he would if she let him know that she had given her heart away to someone she liked.

After pondering over it, Josephine realized she only knew one man who was more outstanding, handsome, and wealthier than Luke which could make him give up.

She then turned around to look at the man sitting on the couch before she walked over. “Mr. Quarles, are you free tonight?” she asked, to which he raised his eyebrows.

“Mhm.”

“Can you help me with a little something, please?” she begged.

“Shoot.” Ethan was more than willing to help.

“I would like to have you pretend to be my boyfriend and reject Luke for me.”

Ethan was immediately in high spirits as a humorous glint appeared in his eyes. “Sure thing.”

Josephine let out a sigh of relief when she saw how readily Ethan agreed to help. She only hoped that Luke would come to his senses tonight and stop wasting his life.

“I’ll get back to work, Mr. Quarles. I’ll contact you when I get off work tonight,” Josephine stated. After all, she couldn’t neglect her work when she was in front of the big boss.

“Alright, then. Off you go.” Meanwhile, Ethan didn’t want to get in the way of her work.

When Josephine returned to her seat, there was a sudden commotion in the work group chat. Someone was sending some pictures taken in the underground parking lot. The pictures were of a red Ferrari sports car parked under the lights. Everyone was shocked by how costly the car was from the way the radiant paint on the car’s surface reflected the light.

‘My goodness! Whose car is it? It’s parked in the VIP parking space.’

‘That’s so cool! It’s probably worth millions!’

‘Whose is it?! Does anyone in the group know which rich lady this car belongs to?’

Wren was also gossiping with everyone else. She then asked Josephine, who was beside her, “Joey, do you know whose car is it? The group’s gone crazy because of it.”

Josephine thought her brain was about to explode as she stared at the sports car on the screen of the iPad. It can’t be the sports car Ethan gave me, can it? It’s parked at the VIP spot, and it is brand new!

“I’m so envious! I wonder which big shot’s gift it is. I’m guessing it is Tori’s car! She has tons of suitors recently, and I heard that they are all wealthy businessmen.”

Tori Alford was one of the well-known female anchors in the company and she was unattached, on top of possessing both beauty and talent. At this moment, everyone was guessing that she was the owner of the car.

And yet, the woman in question suddenly chimed in, ‘It’s not mine.’

“Huh? Whose is it then, if it’s not Tori’s?” Wren immediately grew more interested in the gossip.

Josephine’s face felt warm. At this exact moment, an assistant came over and put a purse on her desk. “Josephine, someone told me to give it to you.”

Josephine was taken aback. Since she couldn’t tell what was inside the bag from the outside, she couldn’t help but pick it up, only to be surprised by what she saw. It turned out to be a box with a Ferrari logo on it. After she opened the box in the bag, she saw two neatly placed car keys.

Her breath proceeded to hitch. Ethan really gave me the car! She could feel a headache coming. What should I do now? The whole office is talking about this now. If she admitted it, everyone here would surely think that she was the sugar baby of some rich man.

“Just whose is it?” Wren narrowed her eyes like a detective and wondered out loud.

Seeing this, Josephine secretly put the bag under the table. She rested her head in her palms, feeling her mind a mess. There were only five minutes left before working hours ended. After she hurriedly took care of the documents on her desk, she decided to get off work.

Right then, Katrina stormed over with a mountain of documents in her arms before she instructed directly, “Josephine, you’re not leaving work so soon! I need these documents to be ready before 8.00PM.”

Josephine was at a loss for words when she looked at the other woman. “But it’s after work hours now. Why didn’t you bring them to me earlier?” NôvelDrama.Org © 2024.

“What? You got a problem with that, huh? It’s your job. Anyway, these are the materials that will be needed tomorrow morning. You’ll be held responsible if they’re not done.” Katrina intentionally kept these documents until now before bringing them to Josephine. She didn’t want Josephine to have time to go out tonight.

“I have a dinner date with my friend. I can’t work overtime today!” Josephine countered.

“That’s on you, so why are you telling me that? Go tell the team leader.” After saying that, Katrina turned around smugly and left.

Josephine bit her lip when she took a look at the four or five different sets of documents in front of her. Right then, Wren poked her head in Josephine’s direction and commented, “She’s definitely targeting you! You two got beef?”

At that, Josephine grumbled to herself, The only reason Katrina is acting hostile toward me is probably because of Ethan!

Josephine happened to receive a message from Luke. ‘I booked us a table at a restaurant, Joey. I’m coming to pick you up at 5.30PM.’

‘You don’t have to pick me up,’ she replied. ‘I can get there myself. Just wait for me at the restaurant.’

‘That works. I’ll be waiting at the restaurant, then!’ came his eager reply.

As Josephine looked at the documents, she turned to Wren. “Wren, can I borrow a bag? I’m going to work overtime from home.”

“Sure!” Wren passed her one. “But you have to send the documents back here tonight, or you won’t make it in time for the morning broadcast.”

Josephine could only nod. “Got it. I’ll bring the documents here before 9.00PM.” Since these were real- time news, the production and writing of news releases must be completed quickly without any delay.

When her landline began to ring, she reached out and took the call. “You’ve reached the reporters’ office,” she greeted.

“When are we leaving?”

Josephine felt all fuzzy in her chest when she heard the deep, magnetic male voice. Quickly cupping the phone receiver, she whispered, “I’ll see you in the underground parking lot in five.”

The man on the other end of the call asked with a chuckle, “Are we going there in your sports car?”

“No, we will be using my car. Surely, you’re not complaining, Mr. Quarles?”

“Of course not.”

After she put the documents in the bag, Josephine tidied up the table and bid Wren goodbye. Without anyone noticing, she picked up the bag with the car keys and scurried off.

At this moment, Katrina was so bored in the office that she dialed the director’s office number.

“Hello?” Atticus uttered after picking up the phone.

“Atticus! Quick question, will Mr. Quarles come to work today?”

“He is in the company today!”

“What?! He’s here? Does he need an assistant?”

“Well, he didn’t request one.”

“Which office is he at, then?”

“The big office facing south.”

“Atticus, are there any documents you need me to send over?” Katrina quickly asked. “I want to see him.”

“It’s about time he got off work. You won’t see him even if you go up. We’ll try our luck again tomorrow! I’ll find you a reason to go up.” Atticus was well aware that his sister-in-law was interested in Ethan, and he wanted her to succeed so he could have a rich and powerful brother-in-law.

Katrina soon hung up the phone. However, there was no way she would give up. Immediately, she grabbed her bag and went up to the 18th floor. Her heart skipped a beat as soon as the elevator opened; the tall and handsome man she wanted to see was lazily standing outside as he waited for the elevator.

“Mr. Quarles! Are you… getting off work?” she asked while blushing furiously.

“Right.” Ethan nodded and strode into the elevator before asking in return, “Are you not getting off the elevator, Miss Sullivan?”

“I-I suddenly remembered that I don’t need to anymore. I’m done for the day.” After she said that, she shamelessly refused to get off the elevator. She even wanted to go to the underground parking lot when she saw Ethan press the number for the said floor.

Ethan’s message alert tone rang then, prompting him to lower his head and take a glance at his phone. It was a message from Josephine. ‘I’ll be waiting in front of the elevator.’

‘Gotcha.’ The corners of his mouth lifted into a small smile.

Katrina happened to see his smile through the mirror in the elevator, and her heart started to gallop. Whose message is it that’s got him smiling so dotingly?

At this point, the elevator had stopped on several floors, and many employees had squeezed their way into the elevator. They couldn’t help their accelerating heartbeats as well when they saw Ethan, but everyone was rushing to get off work that they didn’t mind cramming into the elevator.

When an idea suddenly came to Katrina, she immediately took the chance while the employees were pushing their way in to lean into Ethan’s arms. She continued to shuffle closer until she was almost pressing against his torso. Ethan tensed up, feeling rather resigned. He had never expected he would be squashed into a patty after all the other days of him enjoying his exclusive private elevator.

Josephine was aware that it was rush hour when everyone was getting off work, so she deliberately hid behind a pillar to wait for Ethan.

Right then, she saw the number on the elevator floor indicator decrease until it got to the underground parking lot. Ethan must be in the elevator.

She was immediately greeted by the sight of the elevator crowded with employees when the door opened. As she began to think that Ethan might not be on this elevator after all, she saw Katrina nearly sticking to Ethan immediately after the employees in front left the elevator.

“Ah!” a woman shouted. Katrina had purposely lightly bumped into another employee and stumbled out of the elevator. She reacted by quickly hugging Ethan’s arm with both her arms and sticking her sensual bosom to his body.

Josephine, who happened to watch the entire process, thought that Katrina was one hell of an eyesore. She will do anything to get Ethan’s attention!

Not only did Katrina stubbornly insist on being in the same elevator, she even deliberately pushed herself against Ethan’s chest when it was more crowded. And even though no one bumped up against her, she put on a whole show by herself and put on a pitiful, helpless act. Fortunately, Ethan, being the gentleman he was, reached out and helped her find her footing before he swiftly detached himself from her. Katrina immediately blushed and purred flirtatiously, “Thank you, Mr. Quarles.”

As soon as they got out of the elevator, she continued to ask like a schemer, “Mr. Quarles, will you kindly give me a ride?”

She was sure he had driven here. She wanted to sit in his car.

But before Ethan could answer, Josephine smilingly stepped out from behind the pillar. “I’m here, Mr. Quarles.”

When Ethan saw her, he turned to Katrina and stated, “I apologize, but Miss Jacobson and I have a prior engagement.”

Katrina’s face instantly turned rigid when she heard that. What? Was the loving smile he had on in the elevator because he received a message from Josephine? Are they going on a date tonight?!

“We’re off then, Katrina.”

“Josephine! Would it be convenient for you to give me a ride?” Katrina wasn’t going to let go of any chances to get closer to Ethan. At that point, she thought that it wouldn’t make much of a difference if she was riding in Josephine’s car instead of Ethan’s.

“It’s inconvenient for me.” Josephine firmly rejected her.

Katrina immediately put aside her pride and begged, “Please just give me a ride, Josephine!”

However, Josephine couldn’t be bothered as she announced, “You should take a cab.” After she said that, she went to her car, which happened to be right next to her. Opposite her car was a row of VIP parking spaces, where the red sports car stayed there under the dazzling lights like a noble princess.

Katrina was so angry she quietly stomped her foot and cursed at Josephine.

Josephine sat in the driver’s seat while Ethan adjusted the passenger seat. He had to adjust the seat’s position because of his mile-long legs. The man, standing a frame of six feet three, looked like he was struggling to worm his way into this mini-BMW.

Josephine then pressed the ignition switch, only to hear the engine letting out sounds of protest. The car simply wouldn’t start.

“What the hell?” She was utterly confused. The car was working just fine this morning, but now the engine wouldn’t even start!

Oh dear car of mine, please don’t embarrass me, she thought to herself. Am I running out of luck in front of a hottie? This is so humiliating!

Not wanting to give up, she kept pressing it a few more times. However, the car engine seemed to be intentionally provoking her as it made a few muffled noises despite staying dead.

Ethan bit back his laughter and turned to ask her, “Is something wrong?”

“No idea. It was fine when I drove here this morning, but I can’t get it to start now.” Josephine started getting anxious. She didn’t know a thing about car repairs, as her father was always the one who did her car maintenance for her.

“Did the engine break down because it’s been some time since it was sent for maintenance?” she muttered.

Seeing this, the man pointed at the red Porsche across them and suggested, “Let’s use that car instead.”

Her mind went blank for a few seconds, but she eventually panicked as she stared at the sports car. “But I’ve never driven a sports car!”

“I’ll teach you.” Ethan opened the door and got out of the car after throwing that out.

Josephine refused to give up and pressed the ignition button two more times, but it still wouldn’t start. She couldn’t help feeling frustrated at the thought that this situation was forcing her into switching cars. She received a call from Luke, to which she stayed in the car and answered. “Hey, Luke.”

“Joey, I’m at the restaurant already. I’ll be waiting!”

“Okay, I’m heading over now,” she answered. It seemed like she had no choice but to go to the restaurant in the car Ethan gave her.

And so, she reluctantly got out of the car with her purse and bag of documents before she handed the bag containing the car keys to Ethan.

To her surprise, Ethan opened the driver’s door and gestured at her to enter. Seeing this left her stunned. Is he not driving?

“You’ll be driving,” he mentioned in a low voice.

“I… I really don’t know how to.” Josephine wasn’t being modest; she truly didn’t dare to drive a sports car!

“You’ll know how after I show you the ropes.” He smilingly went to open the door to the passenger’s seat and got in.

Feeling somewhat awkward, Josephine nervously scrambled to the driver’s seat.

Ethan then leaned over to teach her. As Josephine was used to driving, she understood him immediately. She eventually turned her head and asked, “Aren’t you afraid of riding in a car driven by a female driver like me, Mr. Quarles?”

He stifled a laugh and rasped, “I trust you.”

Upon hearing that, she started the car.

Katrina was waiting next to the elevator for her colleague to see her home when she heard the low- pitched roar of a sports car coming from the direction of the VIP parking spot next to her. It was a rich and powerful sound that no one could resist. She hurriedly took a few steps forward, only to see through the lowered car window that Josephine was in the driver’s seat while Ethan was sitting next to her.

Katrina was stupefied to see that. What is going on? The sports car that the group was talking about was Josephine’s? Did Ethan give it to her?! At that point, Katrina could go crazy from the jealousy that filled her.

On the other end, Josephine slowly drove the car out of its parking spot. The shiny car demanded attention, whereas Josephine, clad in uniform, looked indescribably elegant and beautiful in it.

Katrina kept staring at Josephine driving the sports car with Ethan beside her. Suddenly, her fists were balled up in jealousy.

Katrina felt that she had thoroughly lost at this moment. Although she and Josephine had been at odds since she came to the TV station and they didn’t like each other, Katrina now felt her dislike for Josephine instantly increase by no less than tenfold.

This was disrupting her whole life.

An employee who happened to see Josephine too exclaimed, “Turns out it is Josephine’s sports car!”

After she said that, she immediately informed the group chat, where a commotion promptly broke out. Everyone was envious of how lucky Josephine was to receive a white sports car in the morning and a red one in the evening.

When Josephine reached the first traffic light, she stepped on the brakes so hard her forehead hit the steering wheel. Even the man beside her was thrown forward for a moment.

“Sorry! So sorry.” She let out an embarrassed smile while covering her aching forehead. She had stepped on the brakes too hard because she wasn’t aware of how sensitive the car was.

“Does it hurt?” Ethan caringly looked over, only to see a red mark on her fair forehead.

“I’m okay!” Josephine quickly shook her head to show that she was fine.

After that, she got comfortable with driving the car all the way to the entrance of the restaurant. Many of the customers looked at the car from the corners of their eyes when Josephine parked in the parking lot. When the man in the passenger seat got out, the women realized that it was the lady in the passenger’s seat, not the car, that they should be feeling envious of!

Josephine couldn’t help but take a deep breath before she asked, “Will you be okay with pretending to be my boyfriend?”

“Who said anything about pretending?” Ethan smiled when he heard that. “I am your boyfriend from now on.”

Josephine was taken aback. Is he trying to make our deceit real? But before she could react, the man had already held her hand with his big palm as they headed toward the restaurant.

At the same time, Luke was sitting on a couch in a private room. He occasionally glanced at the bouquet of red roses he had prepared while he imagined how Josephine would look when he gave her the bouquet later. Not only that, he had gotten new car keys for her. He was determined to give her the sports car.

When he heard knocks come from outside the door, he quickly took the bouquet and walked over.

However, what greeted him when he opened the door was Josephine standing there with another man holding her hand. Luke was dumbfounded. What’s Quarles doing here again?

“Joey? Why did you bring him here?” Luke asked, displeased.

Josephine came in while holding Ethan’s hand and solemnly uttered, “Luke, let me introduce you to Ethan. He is my boyfriend.”

The bouquet in Luke’s hands immediately fell to the floor. He couldn’t believe that Josephine and Ethan were together.

“W-When did you get together?” Luke had a disapproving expression on his face. “Joey, I like you a lot. I will treat you well for the rest of my life as long as you choose to be with me.”

“Luke, we can be friends. Please choose another woman after we have this dinner together!” Josephine advised.

However, Luke stubbornly insisted, “No! You’re the only one I love. I will never fall for another person!”

Ethan’s sleek eyebrows arched as he possessively embraced Josephine with his long arms and announced domineeringly, “She is mine.”

Josephine’s body went stiff in an instant. She could feel how possessive the man was from the way he held her around her waist. His words even sounded like she was something he purchased and didn’t allow anyone to take away from him.

Hold up… Isn’t he taking it a little too far?

Sure enough, Luke grew anxious as soon as he heard those words. He blurted out, “Joey, the order should matter, no?! I was the one who got to know you and fell for you first. You and he have only known each other for a few days! What if you are deceived by him? Men like him always have tons of women by their side. He must think of you as his plaything.”

Luke had always thought that he was a good judge of character. He could tell at a glance that Ethan was neither short on money nor women. Men who live frivolously like him were surely involved with more women than one could count.

Josephine, who didn’t expect Luke to feel so deeply for her, sincerely apologized. “I know that you like me, Luke, and I’m grateful that you like me so much. However, you can’t force feelings. I’ve always thought of you as a friend.”