Colton

I had some information to share with Luna. Cox totally made the first move and talked to Miss Packer at the coffee shop. The next day, they met again, and that's when he offered her the job as his secretary.

Cox's behavior was questionable. There was no denying that something was going on between him and his secretary.

Also, I got all the info on Cox's purchases with the company's credit card. Gerald sent those to me earlier. She could totally tell which things he gave her and which ones he didn't.

But I thought it best not to let Luna know about these findings on Cox just yet. She already had enough doubts and uncertainties, and I didn't want to make things worse for her.

I truly care about her. This is now one of the reasons why I'm against her marrying Cox. I just wanted her to be happy and have the fairytale ending she always wanted.

After dinner, we headed to my study room to talk business. We plopped on the couch, sitting next to each other. The center table was right in front of us, with our laptops and phones on top.

Although I wanted to break off Luna's engagement with Cox, I was fully committed to reviving their company. Especially after she opened up to me about her awful experiences and what really matters to her. I wanted her to achieve her goal of saving her own company and proving to everyone that she can succeed in her career through her own hard work and abilities.

Okay, first things first. I need to shift her attention. She had to stop thinking about Cox and focus on making her business successful.

"There's some important stuff in your company that needs to be handled ASAP. I noticed a lot of your stocks aren't moving."

"We've been dealing with that problem for over a year. The stocks just keep piling up on two floors. We do not know what to do with them. Any suggestions?"

"We can make the products more hip for young people, especially millennials, and still keep the price low. Or you could switch to clothes that are animal friendly. A portion of the money will support animals."

"Your ideas are fantastic!" Her eyes were glowing with excitement, but then she slouched when she realized something. "I don't think the first is doable. We don't have extra workers to do the job."

"I agree. Then go for the second one." I suggested. I had her check out the animal welfare choices on my laptop. When she leaned in, our arms brushed, and I got all tingly with excitement.

Dammit. I need to stop acting like a lovesick teenager.

"You're right." She nodded. "It's cool that we're donating to the animals. It's not gonna require a lot of work though, because all we need to do is to add hem tags to the clothes."

"Exactly. Let's sell them all before we revamp Glamour Fashion company. We might do some rebranding... But let's see what works after we fix everything."

"Great! I'll let Barry know first thing in the morning, and then I'll have a meeting with the sales and marketing team."

"You should do that. First, list down all the stores you'd like to have your stuff in, give them a heads up about your new clothing line, and then send the items on consignment. Get rid of 25% of the stocks by the end of this week, so the two floors will be empty in a month."

"Yeah, that's doable." She agreed happily.

Our conversation continued as we discussed various strategies, and ideas to improve the quality of Glamour Fashion. From there, our conversation took a turn towards discussing a range of topics, including family, friends, hobbies, and delving into some personal stuff.

"You still play basketball until now?" She leaned in, her hand on her cheek. Her face was so beautiful, I couldn't look away.

"Yeah. Basketball is a big part of my life and makes me feel great. Gerald and I, plus some friends and my staff, usually play twice a week. Our games are mostly on weekends. We have a basketball court on the tenth floor."

"That's really awesome." She nodded. "How about boys' night out?"

"What do you mean by a boys' night?"

"You know, meeting your homies in the bar to catch up?"

"Oh, I get it." I smirked, then shook my head. "Playing basketball is how I hang out with my friends. Once the game's over, we each go our own way."

"Really?" She gave me this look like she didn't believe a word I said.

"Absolutely. Like me, they're also caught up with work and family. It's not like back in the day when we were in college and all we had to worry about was studying. Now, it is different. I got to work hard cause I'm running a company and lots of people depend on me. If I don't prioritize my business, my employees and their family will suffer."

"You're right. So, you're not into heavy drinking, huh?"

"Nope. Taking care of my body and staying healthy is my thing. How about you? How often do you hang out with your friends?"

"Not too often now that I'm running a business. Sometimes, like once every two weeks. We hang out for lunch, catch up, and then go our own ways. But we stay in touch every day."

"They're probably just as busy as you."

"They are," she pursed her lips, then continued. "Sage is a pastry chef. We studied in France together. It was our dream to put up a restaurant, but it didn't happen, you know. Right now, she's working as a chef in a five-star restaurant in the city. While my other best friend, Dulcie, is a nutritionist, and works in a celebrity gym."

I continuously listened to her as she enthusiastically talked about her closest friends. The thing they enjoyed the most was spending time together, whether it was browsing through bookstores, catching a movie, or exploring new restaurants. After that, our conversation swung towards the topic of food.

"What other foods do you enjoy, apart from pizza and chocolate cake?"

"I'm not picky about food. But, I like good quality beef, like Wagyu, Kobe and Angus. I also eat fish, lobster, squid, and vegetable salad. I also love Japanese food."

"Same!" Her eyes gleamed. "Well, I have your food preferences now, so I know what to cook for you." She had this cute smile on her face that made my heart beat faster.

"So, when are you going to cook for me? I'm free on Saturday."

"I don't know." She shrugged. "I'll keep you posted if I have no plans for the wedding prep that day."

"You mean, you still want the wedding to push through?"

"Yes. The wedding preparation will continue as planned, while I gather more evidence on Barry. I don't want to rush my decisions and regret later."

"Okay." I nodded. "So, please. Call or text me when you're free."

Oh shit. Did I just sound so desperate?

"I will." She smiled, then looked heavenwards.

I looked up at the ceiling, following her gaze, and when I saw nothing, I asked her.

"What's on your mind?"

"Lobster rolls. It's one of my specialties. I'll consider adding it to the dishes I'll make for you."

"Yum! I can't wait." I chuckled. "I love lobsters. You remember that day we first met?"

"How can I forget?" She pursed her lips, then we both laughed.

"I've been bugging Sweet to bring me along that night, because I was hoping they'd have lobster on the menu. I've never tasted a real lobster, only those lobster crackers."

"Ah, you were lucky. They served it that night."

"Yeah, and I was super happy. I stuffed myself and the next day, I had rashes everywhere."

We both burst out laughing.

"Eating too much of anything is not good for you." She said, and I agreed.

"Food has always fascinated me, you know. When we were roommates at NYU, you were always eating sushi. But I had no clue what those were back then. I always wondered, what do they taste like?"

"Seriously?" She let out a chuckle, and it sounded like sweet music to me.

"Yeah. I saw it at the grocery store and I was like, I got to buy the whole pack. But then I figured out they were way too pricey. Why is a little rice, cucumber, avocado, wrapped in seaweed so expensive?" My lips twisted, and she laughed.

"So," I continued, "when I got a job and saved up, I went to Japan. It was the first country I visited outside the USA."

"I'm sure you ate a lot of sushi there."

"Exactly." I chuckled. "For the sushi. I tried all flavors, including ramen, tempura and others."

As she laughed, I couldn't help but feel a wave of relief wash over me, knowing that her joy had replaced her earlier worries that gave her stress.

Our conversation delved into Japan, exploring their rich culture and deep-rooted beliefs. Then we jumped to other countries, immersing ourselves in the breathtaking landscapes of New Zealand, the bustling streets of South Korea, the vibrant colors of India, the tropical paradise of the Philippines, and countless other destinations we've explored.

"You know what," she said, "I realized we have so many things in common - it's weird! We're totally into Japanese food, love reading inspirational books like Ikigai, have the same taste in music, TV, and movies, and have traveled to the same places."

"Yeah, I realized that too."

"It's crazy to think we used to despise each other. Turns out we're more alike than we thought." She was all pouty and gave me those adorable puppy eyes.

Dammit.

She was so cute that I found myself yearning to wrap my arms around her and shower her with affectionate kisses.

Colton, remember to behave. Don't embarrass yourself with foolish actions.

"What about Cox?" I inquired, eager to hear more. "Do you have a common interest?"

"Hmm, I think I mentioned it earlier. But no," she smiled, shaking her head. "Our personalities are like the sun and the moon, complete opposites that never align. We don't communicate as we are doing right now; his attention span for listening is quite short. While he enjoys going to the bar and socializing with friends, I prefer the comfort of staying home. He's into colorful clothes, rave parties, and making new friends, whereas I prefer hanging out with my close friends and family."

"Really? So why did you accept his proposal when you have different likes and dislikes?"

"Well, because of love."

Love?

I felt this strange feeling, a pang of jealousy that I couldn't quite shake. Now, I didn't just want her to break off their engagement, but completely detach her ties with Cox. He's not bringing any positivity into her life, neither in love nor in her career. She deserves someone who will treat her with the love and respect she truly deserves.