At the break of dawn, I had just drifted off into a light sleep when an abrupt ringtone shattered the stillness. Groggily, I opened my eyes and glanced at the clock—6:00 a.m. sharp. The name Sophie Summers glowed ominously on the screen.

"Get up and pick me up," came Sophie Summers' frosty, imperious voice, devoid of the slightest trace of warmth.

"Sophie, isn't it a bit too early for this?" I grumbled, rubbing my eyes, my tone heavy with fatigue and discontent.

"I'm your boss. Did I say it's early?" Her voice was as cold and unyielding as ever, more mechanical than human.

"You're still in bed, aren't you? And now you're dragging me out of mine," I muttered under my breath, reluctantly pulling myself upright.

"If you come, I'll get up. This is just training you for your new wake-up schedule," she retorted nonchalantly, showing no concern for my feelings.

After hanging up, I let out a resigned sigh, irritation simmering at her domineering tone. But then again, she was my boss, and defiance wasn't exactly an option.

I hurriedly freshened up, threw on some clothes, and dashed out the door. The crisp morning air outside my modest apartment nipped at my skin, jolting me into wakefulness.

By the time I arrived, it was only 6:30. She appeared in a tracksuit, clearly having no intention of heading to the office anytime soon.

"Let's go for a run," she declared matter-of-factly.

I gestured at my leather shoes."You want me to run with you? Look at what I'm wearing."

She gave a dismissive shrug."It's not impossible." Seeing my reluctance, she added,"Fine, wait here for half an hour. I'll do a lap and come back."

"Boss, this is unfair! You summon me to pick you up, only to go jogging?"

"Who's the boss here? Me or you? I make the rules. Don't want to come? Pay five thousand bucks for a driver and see if someone else will do it."

"Fine, I'll wait," I sighed, utterly defeated.

She looked me over and patted my stomach."A little paunch already? Tomorrow, bring workout clothes and run with me."

"Sophie, have mercy!" I protested, nearly wailing. I'm the kind of person who prefers sitting over standing and lying down over sitting. Running felt like a death sentence.

"Don't run? Fine. Salary deduction," she said flatly before jogging off, her ponytail swaying behind her like a metronome, mirroring the turmoil in my heart. Running…

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After a sleepless night and an early start, fatigue rolled over me like waves, nearly dragging me under. When the car door swung open, I snapped awake to see Sophie returning from her run, her face stormy, brows furrowed, and eyes glaring like molten copper.

"You pig! Dozing off in this short span?" She unceremoniously threw a bag of breakfast at me."Here, eat this. I'm heading up to change."

As I caught the bag, a flicker of warmth softened my frustration. It was baozi again. So, she wasn't entirely devoid of humanity after all. I devoured the food ravenously, disposed of the trash, and waited…until I nearly nodded off again.

Finally, she descended, fashionably late, clad in a sleek black business suit paired with stockings and heels, her hair cascading casually over her shoulders. For the first time, I allowed myself to truly look at her. The woman standing before me was worlds apart from the Sophie I had known in university—maturity sharpened her elegance, while a mysterious allure lingered in her every movement.

As she approached the car, she seemed to sense my gaze. She paused, turned, and fixed her eyes on me.

"Were you staring at me?"

"Ahem. No, I was just waiting for you," I stammered, suddenly restless as my heartbeat quickened and my palms grew clammy.

"Do I look good?" Her voice dropped, imbued with an authority that demanded honesty.

"Well… alright, I guess," I faltered, regretting my choice of words the moment they left my mouth.

"‘Alright'?" Her brows knitted tighter, her eyes narrowing with dissatisfaction.

"You look good," I finally blurted, summoning every ounce of courage to deliver the truth with precision.

"Compared to university, which is better?" Her tone softened slightly, but the glint of challenge in her eyes remained.

I clamped my mouth shut. This was a trap, a question with no right answer. She got into the car, and as the door shut behind her, I ignited the engine and drove off in one fluid motion, as though fleeing from a verdict I could not escape.

At the office, her commanding aura swept through the building, prompting a chorus of respectful greetings.

"Sophie, good morning."

"Morning," she replied curtly, her focus unbroken as she strode past.

I trailed behind like a shadow, until a familiar figure caught my eye. Vincent was motioning for me from across the hall. Seizing the opportunity, I slipped away and quickly joined him.

"What's up, Vincent?" I asked, defaulting to his title despite our camaraderie.

He clapped a hand on my shoulder and grinned."Come on, let's have a smoke."

As we walked, he leaned in conspiratorially."About those procurement funds—any chance you could check on that for me? I asked Finance yesterday, but they claimed the account's dry and we have to wait for HQ. I'm in a bind here."

I nodded."I'll look into it later."

He shot me a sly smile."So, are you and Sophie back together?"

Startled, I waved my hands dismissively."No way! Don't start rumors, or Lucas Steele might come for you."

Vincent burst into laughter."I'm just saying—you two seem pretty close these days."

We reached the smoking area, and he pulled out a fancy pack of cigarettes, offering me one. I raised an eyebrow."Splurging on premium smokes now, huh?"

"Not for me," he said, grinning smugly."This is a special treat—for you."

I lit the cigarette and took a drag, smirking."Figures. You'd never splurge without a good reason."

He chuckled, then his expression grew thoughtful."You know, Sophie seems to care about you. Ever thought about rekindling things?"

Lowering my voice, I replied,"With her temper? Lucas Steele's the only one crazy enough to handle that. I'm not."

Vincent shook his head with a resigned smile."Fair enough."

Feigning seriousness, he asked,"By the way, why didn't Lucas Steele come himself this time?"

"How should I know? I'm just the assistant. Not everything goes through me," I said with a shrug, feigning indifference. Inside, though, I couldn't help but wonder. Why indeed had Lucas Steele stayed away?