"You have no idea what you're doing to me," Tyrson whispered, his voice thick with emotion. Meryl stood frozen, her body stiff as a board, her mind racing as he moved closer to her.

He was so close that she could feel his breath on her lips. She could smell his cologne, feel his body heat, and see the flecks of gold in his eyes.

She should have pushed him away, but she couldn't make her body move. She was trapped in a trance of some kind.

Suddenly, she snapped out of her trance as she realized he was leaning in to kiss her. She pushed against his chest, trying to create space between them.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice shaking. He didn't budge, instead pressing his body against hers and pinning her hands against the wall.

"I'm doing what I've been wanting to do since the first moment I saw you," he said, his voice low and husky. She tried to pull away, but his grip was too strong.

Then, to her horror, he started kissing her neck, His lips touched her neck, and she could feel a tingle of desire course through her body. It was a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time. She stiffened, torn between wanting to push him away and wanting to stay in that moment forever.

Immediately his lips came in contact with her neck he felt her stiffened, a feeling she had felt a long time ago returned and she suddenly craved for more.

He felt her tense up beneath his touch. "I didn't realize how much I missed you until now," he said. "You must have felt it too, right?"

Suddenly, Meryl broke free from his grip and shoved him hard. He stumbled back, and before he could react, she slapped him across the face.

"Jerk!" she spat, her eyes blazing. Then she turned and ran from the room, the door slamming shut behind her. He stood there for a moment, his cheek stinging and his mind racing. What had just happened?

****

Cassie pulled into the parking lot and killed the engine. She took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the day on her shoulders. Then, she grabbed her bag and got out of the car. She locked it and hurried into the building, which loomed tall and imposing, like a glass and steel monolith.

Inside, the lobby was bustling with activity. People were rushing around, talking on their phones, carrying briefcases and coffee cups. It all felt so foreign to Cassie. This was a world she'd never been a part of.

It was strange, and it surprised her when she first learned that Tyrson Griffin was the CEO of such a huge company.

Cassie entered the building, which felt like heaven on earth. The male and female employees alike were busy, all dressed smartly in suits and ties, with ID badges hanging from lanyards around their necks.

It was obvious that they were all busy at work. The whole place seemed alive with purpose. She felt like an imposter in this place, and wondered if she belonged here at all.

She walked up to the reception desk and asked the receptionist if she knew anyone named Meryl Channell. The receptionist nodded and pointed to the elevator, explaining that the office block where Meryl worked was on a higher floor.

Cassie felt a pang of anxiety. She was in no way welcome here, and Meryl was sure to be furious if she knew she was here.

But what else could she do? She'd forgotten to leave the house key behind for Meryl, and there was no way she was going to go back home and then back to work. She might as well just stop by.

She was about to press the button for the elevator when the doors opened, and a tall, handsome man stepped out. He had blond hair and was dressed in a crisp white shirt and black pants, with a suit jacket draped over his left arm.

Cassie couldn't help but stare as he passed by, his blue eyes meeting hers for just a moment. Iris gave her a brief, weary smile before walking away.

She felt foolish for staring, but couldn't help but smile to herself as the elevator doors closed.

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. She stepped out, but as she did, she collided with a man who was just about to enter.

She looked up at him, ready to apologize, but the words died on her lips. The man was incredibly handsome, with dark hair and eyes that seemed to sparkle. But his smile was smug, almost arrogant, and it irritated her.

"Watch where you're going, girlie," he said with a smirk.

"Berk!" she exclaimed in annoyance.

"Calm down, sweetheart," he said in a falsely cheerful tone. She rolled her eyes.

"Isn't it obvious that you bumped into me?" he said with a grin. "And you really expect me to apologize for that?"

"You're unbelievable!" she exclaimed in frustration. "You bumped into me, yet you expect me to apologize?"

He scoffed, his smirk still firmly in place. "It's not my fault you weren't paying attention. I was minding my own business when you crashed into me."

"Who even comes barreling out of an elevator like that?" he drawled. "I guess it must be a bad hair day, but don't worry, you kind of pull it off." He smiled smugly, his eyes on her face.

She felt her face flush with embarrassment. How could she have forgotten to comb her hair? No wonder the other man had looked at her like she was a mess. She quickly tried to smooth her hair down with her fingers.

"Just great," she muttered under her breath. "Now I look like a complete disaster."

"Could you stop staring?" she snapped, and the smirk on his face disappeared. He was replaced by a wide, toothy smile.

"Relax, drama queen," he said, his tone light and mocking. "Let's be serious for a minute. My name is Mason Serrand." He held out a hand to shake hers, but she slapped it away.

"Mr. Serrand Mason, I don't need to know your name, and I've got more important things to do," she retorted haughtily, spinning on her heel to walk away.

She turned away and took a few steps, but then she realized that she really needed a mirror to fix her hair. She stopped and turned back to him.

"Do you... um... have a mirror?" she asked awkwardly, and he almost laughed at how uncomfortable she sounded.

"Do I look like someone who would have a mirror?" he asked with a smirk.

"I suppose not," she muttered, and he laughed.

"There should be one in the elevator wall," he said. "Now that you mention it, you really do look like you could use one."

"Your messy hair looks good on you," he said, his voice sounding sincere. She felt a blush rising in her cheeks, and she quickly turned away.

"Thanks," she mumbled as she left.

"Wait," he called after her. "What's your name?"

She ignored him and kept walking.

"Guess I'll just have to find out myself," he called. She couldn't help but laugh at his persistence.

"Good luck with that," she called back, and she could almost hear the smirk in his voice.

Cassie kept walking until she came to a staircase. She started up the stairs, but then she heard footsteps pounding down the stairs towards her.

She turned to see Meryl running down, her face filled with panic. Meryl skidded to a halt when she saw Cassie, looking terrified.

"C-Cassie? W-what are you doing here?" she stammered, looking like she'd seen a ghost.

"What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry, and why are you sweating?" Cassie asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. She looked past Meryl and up at  Tyrson who was still fighting his way down here.

Just then, Tyrson finally reached the bottom of the stairs and skidded to a stop, looking as surprised as Meryl.

"Cassie?" he said, his brow furrowed in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

Cassie looked between Tyrson and Meryl, who was still trying to plaster on a fake smile. Something was definitely up, but she wasn't sure what.

"Hey, Tyrson," she said, trying to sound casual. "Fancy running into you here."

"Cassie!" Tyrson called out in surprise, interrupting their conversation.

They both stood there for a moment, looking at each other in surprise. Then Tyrson grinned and pulled her into a hug.

"It's been a long time," he said, and they pulled apart. "You look good, Cassie. And you look just like a Disney princess," he said with a smile.

"Oh, please," Cassie laughed. "I'm more like an evil queen"

"You haven't changed a bit," Cassie laughed.

"Meet me outside when you're done seeing your old friend" Meryl turned on her heel and walked away. "I guess she'll never change," Cassie said, shaking her head.

" Tyrson chuckled. "Why haven't you called me in all these years? No calls, no messages - nothing!" he said, spreading his hands wide.

"I'm sorry," Cassie said sheepishly. "I lost your contact info."

"No worries," Tyrson said, still smiling. "We'll just have to exchange numbers again."

She reached into her purse and pulled out her business card, handing it to him. "No funny business while I was gone, I hope?" she asked with a sly smile.

"What do you take me for?" he said, feigning offense. They both laughed and talked for a while. Finally, Cassie looked at her watch. "I should get going. It was great catching up with you, Tyrson," she said, putting her business card back in her purse.

"Likewise," he said, still smiling.
*

"Why are you here?" Meryl asked, pulling Cassie into a quiet corner in the parking lot.

"I came to drop off my key to the house," Cassie replied with a smile.

"Why didn't you just leave it with Mrs. Bugs?" Meryl asked, her tone getting more and more agitated. "You knew I drop it off there every morning."

Meryl thought to herself, "Why am I overreacting? Is it because we almost got caught by her?" She had every right to be angry, given that Cassie knew where to leave the key every morning.

" I forgot to drop it off at home and why are you like this? you don't look okay to me and at the stairs, you were running away from Tyrson right? you..." Cassie trailed off.

It seemed as if she had understood what had transpired between them.

Meryl felt like a jumbled mess, and she couldn't quite figure out what was wrong. "You should just pretend you didn't see anything," she said, her voice shaky. "It's time for you to leave."

"All right," Cassie said, holding out a key. "I'll go now, and here's the key." With that, she turned to leave.

***

Meryl's apartment...

"You have no idea what you're doing to me," Tryson's words rang in her head, and she couldn't shake them off.

She tried to distract herself from what had happened in his office, but it was no use. The more she tried, the more she felt her head spinning.

It was as if something had been unlocked inside her, something that had been hidden for years. Now, she couldn't stop thinking about him.

"I shouldn't be thinking about this," she scolded herself. But the more she tried to push it away, the more it came back.

Looking at Michelle who was busy singing

"Sharing makes your life happy, baa baa," she sang to herself. "The more you share, the more you have, baa baa." She couldn't help but chuckle at the silly nursery rhyme, even though it didn't quite make sense.

She pushed herself up from her desk and headed to the kitchen for a drink of water. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and her eyes were bleary from all the work.

She returned from the kitchen a few minutes later with a glass of water, only to find Michelle with her phone in hand, dialing a number.

"Hey, what are you doing with my phone?" she asked, trying to sound casual. Michelle turned around, a smirk on her face.

"I'm trying to call Mr. Philanthropist," she said, putting the phone to her ear. "Since you wouldn't do it yourself."

Michelle's smirk widened as the phone began to ring,"You can't call him now, it's too late," she said, taking the card from her hand. But as she looked at the words written on it, her blood ran cold.

It read: "Tyrson Griffin, CEO of Coy's Jewelry Company.

She froze, her heart pounding in her chest. The name was familiar.

As Meryl stood there, she replayed the events of the last few minutes in her head. It was all so confusing, and she couldn't believe what had just happened.

Michelle had been talking to Tryson, and she had been so clueless. How could she have been so blind to the truth? She felt like such a fool, and she didn't know how to move on from this.

All Meryl stood there, frozen in place, as the realization hit her like a wave. The man on the other end of the phone was none other than Michelle's father, Tryson.

She wondered what would happen next, and how she could possibly move on from this revelation.

As the phone rang, Meryl's suspicions were confirmed. On the other end of the line was Tryson, Michelle's father.

Meryl felt a rush of emotions, but one thing was clear: she had to act fast. She lunged forward, snatching the phone out of Michelle's hand.

"Who is this?" Tryson's voice boomed through the receiver, causing Meryl to startle and drop the phone. As it hit the floor, Meryl's heart sank.

Meryl felt like the ground had shifted beneath her feet. She'd known that something wasn't right, but she never could have imagined this.

********
Does Michelle knew who her father truly is or was it all part of the terrible dreams Meryl had.

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