CHAPTER 53: WORKPLACE

But what could she do? She had fallen for him at first sight.

That was why she approached him at the gym. And when she saw him with Emily, she felt like her chest was being squeezed.

In all honesty, everything she did at that party was because she wanted to teach the other girl a lesson for keeping him all to herself.

"Too busy to send even one message? That’s not an excuse."

She picked up a pen and tapped it against the counter. "If he wasn’t interested, he could at least be honest about it."

Ivan nodded slowly. "Some men are...clueless. So you don’t like him anymore?"

She didn’t reply right away.

"I don’t know." She stared down at the pen, her eyes unfocused. "I should be angry for being ignored all the time, but I can’t bring myself to hate him."

"I’m such a mess." A weak laugh slipped out as she rubbed her forehead. "I think I’ve gone retarded."

"Father, do you think I’m not attractive enough?" she asked, playing with her hair.

Ivan clenched his fist, then stepped closer and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Anna, you’re beautiful. Any man would be lucky to have you. If he doesn’t see that, he’s the one who’s blind."

Terrence wanted to speak up to clear the misunderstanding, but he couldn’t find the right moment.

She turned around quickly, almost losing balance when her eyes met Terrence.

"Father! Why didn’t you tell me he was here?" she exclaimed, panicked, using her notes as a shield to hide her face.

"You’re right. We should kick him out because he doesn’t deserve you!" Ivan threatened.

"NO!" she quickly stood up and stood between the two men. "I didn’t mean what I said before."

"But he’s a jerk who doesn’t even send you one message!" Ivan spat out, playing the part of a concerned father.

"That was a lie. He did text me, telling me he was busy, and I—"

"That’s practically the same thing!" Ivan shook his head in resignation.

His daughter was smart in her studies, but she was pretty clueless when it came to relationships.

"I don’t care. Now get out of my lab!" She jutted her lip out in a stubborn pout.

Ivan threw up his hands. "Alright, we will go."

But before he could take a step, she shot out her arm and grabbed Terrence’s sleeve.

"No. He stays here with me."

Ivan froze mid-step. His mouth opened like he wanted to argue, but nothing came out.

He turned to Terrence, then at Anna. He seemed to hope someone would pull him out of this moment.

His own daughter still chose a man over her father. And not just any man—a man who kept several side women and didn’t even bother to spend time with her unless he had to.

People said bad boys attract women, but Terrence took it to a whole other level.

If Terrence could hear his thoughts right now, he would have argued back without missing a beat.

He wasn’t an asshole, just a man buried in work from sunrise to midnight. There was never enough time for dates or sweet talk.

"This man can’t even pick up the phone unless there’s an emergency. You really think he’s staying here out of love? He probably forgot his other girlfriend’s address."

Anna crossed her arms and lifted her chin. "He stays."

Ivan pressed his palm to his forehead and let out a long sigh before walking away.

Truth be told, he wasn’t really against their relationship. Part of him even hoped she win over Terrence’s heart.

.

.

.

Anna stood still, hugging her notes against her chest. Her face felt hot, and she couldn’t look straight at Terrence.

She let out a deep breath and tried to fix her coat, brushing off dust that wasn’t even there.

Her hair kept falling in her face, so she pushed it back, but now it stuck up in a funny way.

"I... I didn’t know you were coming," she said. Her voice sounded too squeaky.

Usually, she had no problem telling him what she thought. She could scold him all day for being late. But right now, her brain was empty.

Anna stepped to the side and knocked into the counter. A pen rolled off and hit the floor with a soft click.

She bent to pick it up but nearly toppled over. When she stood up again, her hair flopped right back into her eyes.

"This is... um..." She tried to laugh, but it came out awkward. "I’m not really on the talking state right now."

"Why do you need to be in a certain state to talk?" he asked, his brow furrowing like he honestly didn’t get it.

"Shut up!" She pouted. "I’m a genius, okay? My brain doesn’t work like your other simple-minded girlfriends. I need to prepare."

Turning around, she walked to another part of the lab.

A tiny mirror and a compact appeared in her hand as she rummaged around her bag.

Her hands worked fast as she fixed her hair and added a bit of color to her face.

Making herself look more presentable seemed like the only way to feel confident enough to talk to him again after that blunder.

After she finished, her usual boldness returned.

"You know, you could have texted me before barging into my workplace," she walked closer "Or were you just dying to see me that badly?"

Terrence tilted his head a little, pretending to think it over.

Anna raised an eyebrow and leaned closer, letting him catch the scent of her perfume.

But before she could say a word, he took her hand and gave it a gentle tug.

She lost her balance and stumbled forward, bumping right into his chest.

"Wait... What are you doi—" He cut her off with a kiss.

It was so sudden that she instinctively pressed her hands against his chest to push him back.

But he only kissed her deeper, not giving her a chance to escape.

Little by little, the fight in her melted away. Her hands slid up to his shoulders instead, and she let out a moan as his tongue slipped into her mouth.