Julian's POV
So apparently, he has a girlfriend. Not that I care—I'm just surprised. I never expected someone so rigid to know how to ask a person out. How in the hell does that girl even survive with him? He's at work 24/7, he's not fun, no dates, no romance.
Ugh, whatever. None of my business!
I should've knocked. What was I even thinking? I haven't stepped into his office for nearly a month now.
I've been avoiding him on purpose so he wouldn't focus on me. I wanted to be like the other employees, invisible to him, so he wouldn't stop me from doing what I want. But deep down, I missed teasing him. That's why I decided to visit him today—only to...
"Hey, did you hear?" Paige's voice jolts me out of my thoughts.
"Hear what?"
"Tomorrow, Mr. Smith is coming with us on the trip! For the first time! He never goes. I'm so happy, everyone is! Now I won't have to miss him while we're away." Paige is practically bouncing with excitement.
Over the past few weeks, Paige and I have grown really close. We gossip together, party together—basically, she's become my best friend. But I respect her, so I've never done anything stupid to ruin our friendship.
Not long ago, there were rumors about us dating, but neither of us cared because we knew the truth.
"Aren't you excited?" she asks, noticing my lack of reaction.
"Why would I be? Whether he goes or not doesn't concern me," I reply nonchalantly.
"Oh, come on! You always praise him—saying how cool he is and how fun it is to tease him!" Did I say that? When? I genuinely don't remember.
"Is he bringing his girlfriend?" I ask absentmindedly.
"He has a girlfriend?!" she shrieks, drawing the attention of everyone around us.
I quickly cover her mouth. "Shhh!"
"Wait, are you serious? Does he really have a girlfriend?" she whispers, eyes wide.
"No, I was kidding!" I lie. "I just wanted to see your reaction. Geez, calm down."
She narrows her eyes at me without saying a word.
"You're such a pain. Why don't you just give up on that crush of yours? Honestly, I don't think he'll ever notice you. Do you know how many beautiful women he's seen?" I say.
"You promised to help me win his heart." she says disappointedly.
"Yeah, well, I've changed my mind. It's impossible!"
"You haven't even tried!"
"And I won't. Why don't you just accept Kyle? I mean, he's cute, funny, rich, and he clearly loves you. Look at how he's staring at you right now! He stares at you all the time!"
She protests going back to her work and my mind drifts back to what I've just witnessed in his office.
But why does it even matter if Adam has a girlfriend? It's none of my business.
•
The Next Day
After a long journey, we finally arrive at Paradise Hotel.
"I'm guessing everyone's tired right now, so you can go to your rooms and rest. We'll meet tomorrow after you've recharged. I'll have your meals delivered to your rooms," Adam announces.
He's surprisingly considerate—though it's not like we expected anything less from him.
"Group yourselves in twos," he adds, clearly having arranged plenty of rooms for everyone.
Paige and I immediately pair up. We've shared rooms before during sleepovers, so this feels natural.
But as we approach the lady distributing the key cards, she completely ignores us. Other people are pairing up like us without any issues, so what's her problem?
I glance over at Adam and catch him staring at me. His expression is amused. What's so funny?
"Mr. Wilson, you'll share a room with me," Adam suddenly announces, completely catching me off guard. "Let Miss Peterson join another group."
"I'm sorry, what?" I ask, utterly stunned.
"Sir, you know my name?" Paige asks, her cheeks flushing bright red. "Ah, as you say. I'll go with another group." She's positively glowing now.
"No!" I protest.
"No, what?" Adam asks, smirking as if he's enjoying my reaction.
"I don't want to share a room with you! I'll share with Paige. If money's the issue, I'll pay for my own room!"
Why would he even want to share a room with me? He's the one who keeps pushing me away. And now, he suddenly wants us to be roommates?
"Don't you think people will misunderstand if you keep insisting like that? I mean, I heard a rumor that you and Miss Peterson denied. So why the persistence?"
Why is he being so shameless right now? Even the employees around us seem surprised.
"And you think I care what people think?" I shoot back. "It's not like we're the only duo here!"
"I'm too tired for your drama, Wilson. I have business matters to discuss with you. I know this is a trip, but it won't take up the whole time."
Oh, so that's why. He wants me to work on a trip?
"Juls, just go. Don't be stubborn," Paige whispers to me, still smiling like a lovestruck teenager. She walks off with another group of girls, happily chattering of how the CEO knows her name, "Did you hear? He called me by my name! He knows my name!"
Great. This trip is already going downhill.
•●•
Once in the room, I head straight to the bathroom to shower and change into my pajamas. There's only one large bed and a couch. Adam is sitting on the bed, watching me intently.
"Don't think I'm sleeping on the couch," I say, making it clear.
"The bed's large enough for the both of us," he replies, still staring at me. His gaze is so intense it's making my legs feel weak.
"Cool," I mutter, heading to my side of the bed.
"You can't be serious about going to sleep now," he remarks. "I mean, you party all the time and go home late. Isn't that just as exhausting as today's journey?"
How does he know that? "What do you mean?"
"Don't you post everything on Instagram?"
"What?!"
"Yeah. I follow you. Haven't you noticed?"
"You follow me?"
"Of course. I've always seen your updates late at night."
This is too much for me to process. "Look, I have to wake up early to do your work. Leave the instructions on the table. Goodnight."
For some reason, I can feel his eyes on me long after I turn away.