Ella's POV:
I stared at my phone, Arec's message glowing on the screen.
"Dinner tonight, my treat. I want to discuss the proposal one last time. There's something you need to know."
My thumb hovered over the screen, hesitating to respond. A part of me wanted to ignore the message altogether, to avoid the conversation I knew was coming.
But another part of me, a quieter, more curious part, wanted to hear him out. Maybe it was because of the way he had been acting lately, less like my boss and more like someone genuinely struggling with something heavy.
I finally typed out a quick reply, agreeing to meet him at a small, intimate restaurant we, one that served incredible Italian food and had a cozy, unpretentious vibe. I tried to push away the nerves that were beginning to churn in my stomach as I got ready. This wasn't a date, I reminded myself. It was just dinner. Just a conversation.
