My Online Boyfriend Turned Out to Be My Billionaire Boss Chapter 03

My Online Boyfriend Turned Out to Be My Billionaire Boss Chapter 03

So I had no choice but to brace myself and go to the Executive Office.

Just as I was about to knock, that clear, magnetic voice sounded again.

“You revised it three times and there are still mistakes. Mr. Lee, do you think I’m too free, or are you trying to test my accounting knowledge?”

“Mr. Locke, I’m sorry. I’ll have them revise it immediately.”

Richard Lee shrank his neck, trembling, and didn’t dare raise his head.

It was a three-hundred-page document full of data.

How did he catch a mistake with just one casual flip?

Zachary stared straight at the deputy finance manager, his eyes sharp enough to cut.

The pressure in the room froze everything solid.

“Next time, go to HR and start the exit process.”

That sentence again.

I stood outside the door, not daring to breathe. I wondered if I should come back later.

Then the door opened.

When Manager Lee saw me, he cleared his throat awkwardly.

I nodded politely, my heart uneasy, then gathered my courage and walked in.

“Mr. Locke, Mr. Johnson asked me to bring these documents for your signature. Please review them.”

“Have you read them?”

Zachary’s eyes locked onto me, assessing.

It really was him.

The man who had bullied me with his aura at the pantry door.

“Not… yet.”

I was a little stunned.

Did I need to read documents my mentor had already checked?

“So you brought me documents to sign without knowing what’s inside?”

…

I was just about to open my mouth when he spoke again.

“Next time, make sure you understand the contents before bringing them in.”

I pressed my lips together tightly, trying to swallow the sting rising in my nose.

At last, he looked away.

One page.

Two pages.

Three pages.

He read very slowly. The Montblanc pen in his hand kept marking comments.

I held my breath the entire time, afraid of disturbing him.

His flawless features looked more terrifying than Godzilla to me in that moment.

If possible, I hoped this would be the last time I ever stepped foot in the Executive Office.

Ten minutes later, Zachary signed his name and didn’t make things harder for me.

I secretly let out a breath and returned to my seat in a daze.

Mr. Johnson saw that my face looked awful and came over with concern.

“What happened? Did it not go well?”

My eyes reddened, and I started crying.

After listening to my story, he comforted me for a long time.

“Lily, almost everyone here has been scolded by Mr. Locke. It’s not just you.”

“Exactly. Yesterday, I took the annual gala proposal to Mr. Locke, and he found twelve problems. Don’t take it too hard.”

Other coworkers gathered around with deep empathy.

Some handed me a packet of pour-over coffee. Some fed me strawberry cake.

The boss was cold as winter.

HR was warm as spring.

There were still many good people in this world.

After work, I reviewed my first day in my head.

The moment I thought of Mr. Scrooge’s face, I lost my appetite.

[Baby, are you home? When will baby call me? I’m so excited to hear baby’s voice.]

My boyfriend came to chase me.

But I had no energy at all.

[Next time. I got scolded by my boss today. I’m in a bad mood.]

The air went quiet for a few seconds.

Then my phone started vibrating.

[Baby is so good and so cute. How could anyone scold baby?]

[Baby, come work at my company. I promise no one will bully you.]

[Don’t be mad, baby. Hubby will show you abs.]

Then thirty high-definition photos from every angle came blasting in.

Eight-pack abs.

A sexy Adonis belt.

Every inch of him radiated blinding light and seized my soul.

In the photos, Moonlight was lying on a bed, his belt half-pulled loose and his dress pants sitting low.

My face instantly burned like an apple. My fingers shook, and I deleted and retyped three times before I finally got rid of all my typos.

[Hubby’s body is getting better and better. I love it so much.]

[Feeling better?]

[So much better!]

Suddenly, I had an appetite. I took the leftover tiramisu out of the fridge.

[Then shouldn’t baby send some pretty photos too? I want to see cleavage.]

Moonlight’s request nearly made me choke.

Greedy man.

He was getting worse.

That was what I thought.

My body, however, was very honest.

I copied his pose, lay down on the bed, raised my phone, and took a fierce round of photos of my pretty collarbone.

[Baby, any more?]

Moonlight sent a pouting emoji. Clearly, he was not satisfied with my work.

So I sent him a few leg photos too.

Strangely, this time, I didn’t receive his nosebleed meme.

The typing box kept flashing, but no message came.

[Hubby, what’s wrong? Do they not look good?]

[Baby, where did you buy that skirt?]

I propped myself up and looked down at my legs, confused.

The coffee-colored A-line skirt looked light orange under the desk lamp. A row of buttons near the slanted pocket glowed silver, brighter than the stars outside my window.

[Online. It’s a popular style this season.]

I replied quickly, not thinking much of it.

Later, he asked for a voice call again and sent a long string of crying emojis, saying he had waited all day and was heartbroken.

I checked the time.

10:30 p.m.

After hesitating for a short while, I painfully rejected him.

[It’s too late. Next time. Our company is strict. If I’m even one second late, they deduct my perfect attendance bonus.]

[Is your boss insane?]

Moonlight rarely cursed, so I could tell he was truly angry.

[More than insane. Stingy and mean too. A total Mr. Scrooge. Today I was only one minute late getting back to my desk, and he gave me a harsh warning. I’m so mad.]

The other side suddenly went silent.

Usually, I waited for him to send a goodnight emoji before turning off the lights.

But that day, I was too tired.

Before I knew it, I fell asleep.

The next morning, my alarm “failed.”

I sprinted the entire way and clocked in with five seconds to spare.

“Lily, get up earlier next time. Mr. Locke doesn’t like tardiness.”

Mr. Johnson reminded me kindly.

I nodded like a chicken pecking rice and promised my mentor I would.

The perfect attendance bonus at headquarters was one hundred dollars more than at the branch office. No matter how much I hated Mr. Scrooge, I wasn’t going to fight money.

[Baby, what did you have for breakfast today? Are you at the office?]

Moonlight sent a photo of his breakfast.

Two sandwiches were neatly stacked together, with blueberries, cheese, and a few bright red cherry tomatoes arranged on the side.

The plating was delicate and very eye-catching.

But I didn’t like white people food. It always felt like it lacked a little soul.

He ate like this a lot.

At first, I thought he was deliberately staying in shape. Later, after seeing his gym photos, I realized he simply liked eating that way, just like I liked bagels and pastries.

[I woke up late today and didn’t have time to eat. Mr. Scrooge doesn’t like us eating anything with a smell in the office. It’s fine. I’ll eat more at lunch.]

Locke did have that rule, but drinks weren’t forbidden.

So I grabbed my cup and went to the pantry.

Inside were different brands of coffee beans, milk, and all kinds of tea bags.

Snacks wouldn’t be available until the afternoon.

Right now, I could only survive on coffee.

While the machine ground the beans, I quickly replied to my boyfriend.

[That won’t do. You’ll starve. Your boss really is awful. Baby, quit and come to me. You can eat whatever you want, whenever you want.]

Moonlight tempted me to work for him every waking moment.

We hadn’t even met.

How could I possibly go?

The aroma of coffee slowly spread.

I picked up my cup, turned around, and met a pair of sharp eyes.

“Mr. Locke. H-Hello, Mr. Locke.”

Why did I keep running into him?

Did he walk without making a sound?

Like a ghost?

My heart thudded out of rhythm. Afraid he would find fault with me, I rushed to explain.

“I, I was thirsty, so I came to make coffee.”

Surely he wouldn’t even deny me time to make coffee?

The big boss didn’t answer.

His eyes stared straight at my… chin.

Yes.

My chin.

Maybe a little lower than that.

His gaze was at a forty-five-degree angle from the tip of my nose. I was not mistaken.

But why?

What was he looking at?

Today, I wore a sky-blue V-neck wrap dress. The sleeves covered my shoulders, and the hem fell below my knees. It was decent, formal, and fully within the company dress code.

“Your necklace is pretty. Where did you buy it?”

Necklace?

I instinctively reached for the Swarovski blue crystal necklace around my neck.

As a newly hired grad, that was all I could afford.

“At a store.”

My answer was vague. I didn’t want to chat with him at all. I only wanted to leave quickly.

But Zachary didn’t seem willing to let me go so easily. He asked another question that left me completely baffled.

“Do many people buy this style?”

“Yes. When I bought it, it was the last one. It sold out.”

“Oh.”

He slowly walked past me, his peripheral gaze brushing over me as if by accident.

I didn’t dare stay. Just as I was about to step away, he called me again.

“Your name is Lily?”

He really remembered me.

There were five hundred people at headquarters.

What an honor.

“Yes.”

I nodded.

Lily was what my mentor, Mr. Johnson, had started calling me. After that, everyone called me that.

By the time I returned to the office, I was covered in cold sweat.

I survived.

I thought I was about to be scolded again.

The morning was busy. By the time I finished organizing documents, it was already past 12:30.

Work resumed at 1:00 p.m.

When I realized I had only half an hour for lunch, my stomach immediately growled louder.

Amy and I were in the same miserable boat. She was trapped by two data issues and couldn’t get away.

So we could only go downstairs to the deli and randomly buy sandwiches to get by.

I opened my phone. The WhatsApp count had turned into ellipses again.

What kind of boss had that much free time?

Sometimes, I truly wondered whether Moonlight had lied to me.

When I thought of how I’d worked all morning and still hadn’t eaten properly, I instantly broke.

“Your boyfriend is so clingy.”

Amy pouted enviously and swore she would find a clingy one too.

I said, “What’s good about clingy? He controls everything. No freedom.”

Amy rolled her eyes at me and said I had rich-girl problems. I was humble bragging.