JESSICA
Maybe she was the only one who felt annoyed. Most women would probably have blushed at the sight of a man so confident, openly revealing a body like his.
Jessica has encountered shameless CEOs, particularly when they are intoxicated, but Stefan is on another level, as he is sober.
'So, he went home to shower after I left him at the coffee shop.' Outrage burned in her chest. 'How shameless!'
Jessica felt both relieved and unsure about not connecting with Stefan on social media, since he could still email her. Every message that showed off his ten-pack abs left her frustrated and uncomfortable.
Stefan's reply popped into her inbox. She scowled at the shamelessness in his email, jaw clenched, and decisively moved to ignore him without hesitation.
But Stefan kept sending photos of himself, asking which suit looked best. Jessica was exasperated and ignored him, not wanting to encourage his behavior.
Then, after ten minutes, she decided to check on them. In one photo, he wore a navy blue suit; in another, a brown coat. Jessica barely looked at them, annoyed by Stefan's antics.
~
CHADRICK
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city…
Chadrick was busy signing documents when his phone chimed. Expecting something important, he checked his messages, only to find a photo of a half-naked man posing in front of a mirror.
"How dare you waste my time!" Chadrick shouted into his phone, his voice echoing through the office.
Stefan burst out laughing on the other end and turned on the speakerphone. He kept teasing Chadrick, making him clench his fist on the desk.
"I'm hanging up!" Chadrick said through clenched teeth, feeling a surge of regret for having started the call in the first place.
After ending the call, he called his assistant.
"Boss?" Gregory hurried in.
"Gregory, what does it mean if a man sends another man a half-naked photo?"
Gregory's mouth fell open. What was going on?
He was confused at first, but then it started to make sense. He had a guess but was too nervous to say it out loud, so he answered carefully.
"Well, maybe he likes you, or maybe he wants a modeling job, Sir?"
Gregory remembered the recent male model audition for the company's new commercial.
Realizing this, Chadrick became certain that Stefan had done it purely to provoke him, and he succeeded.
"Is that so?" Impossible that Stefan is interested in being a model when he is a billionaire himself, so it didn't make sense. There was only one explanation. "Could it be that he really likes me? Is that why he keeps pestering me and trying to get my attention?"
Gregory scratched his head, confused. His boss's rambling made him even more anxious.
Then the phone on the table chimed. Both of them looked down at it at the same time, then glanced at each other.
Gregory nearly laughed out loud when he saw the name flash: "LOSER."
But he quickly held it in, biting his lip and glancing at his boss with amusement.
"Aren't you going to answer, Sir?" he asked boldly, curious if the man who sent his boss a photo was from Stefan Hudson. His boss's nemesis since high school.
"It's from someone unimportant. Why should I answer?"
He ignored the call, but Stefan's persistence forced him to answer. The repeated intrusions left Chadrick frustrated and suspicious—he wondered if Stefan's motivations were more personal than business.
"What?" Chadrick's hurried voice, sharp with anger, came as no surprise to Gregory, who was accustomed to these outbursts.
"Come on, bro! It's a genuine question. Jessica hasn't replied yet, so I can't decide which one looks best on me. So? What do you think?"
"And what the hell do you think I am? Your wardrobe consultant? Wait, come again?" Chadrick paused. After Stefan's announcement finally registered in his head, his eyes constricted in contempt. "Did you send these photos to Jessica? The one you are…"
Chadrick hesitated to say the word 'naked' while his assistant stared at him eagerly. He glared at Gregory, and his assistant immediately understood and reluctantly left.
Gregory, curious and eager to gossip, hesitated before deciding to mind his own business. He sensed that if he lingered, he would lose his head this time!
"Stefan Hudson, I am warning you. Stay away from Jessica!"
"Haha. Brother, you must have forgotten that Jessica isn't your wife, not even your girlfriend. You don't have the right to dictate to her with whom she friends. Tell me, have you revealed to the public that she is your lover?"
There is silence on Chadrick's end. Stefan tugged the corner of his mouth. He thought, 'You cannot dare to.'
Chadrick's jaw tightened, the vein in his neck pulsing. Though inwardly seething, he would not show any sign of defeat.
"Whatever Jessica and I have is private. No one can question it. Not even you... Yes, especially you."
Stefan laughed. "Hah. Your argument is lame, Chadrick."
"Just keep your mouth shut."
"You can't stop me from seeing Jessica. I want her as my brand ambassador. In fact, I am preparing the contract."
"What did you say?"
"You heard me loud and clear, brother."
"I'm not your brother, so stop calling me that," he snapped. Then, with a voice carrying chill, he challenged Stefan, "Do you really think Jessica would agree? She has signed an exclusive contract with me."
'Is this why Jessica keeps rejecting me?' Stefan raised a brow.
"Whatever. It's just a contract. It'll be void once you marry."
Cadrick's pupils constricted. 'How did Stefan know about this? Is a mule manage to play under my nose?'
Chad stared out the window, voice-controlled. "Do you really believe that?"
Stefan grinned, sounding amused. "Still, I would not give up."
They are tense with each other. Both sides fell silent, but neither plans to break it.
~
Gregory's bottom hadn't even warmed up on the chair when his boss called him again over the intercom.
"Sir?" Gregory could tell how furious his boss is.
"How's the preparation for the Chatteu Catharina photoshoot?"
"Erm, I heard that everything is ready, Sir. The Marketing is finalizing the budget and was about to present it to you."
"I see. Do we have any other ads that are pending to be released?"
"Um, I think none, sir. I mean, we just released a new ad two months ago."
"That's too long already."
"Huh?" Gregory froze, mind racing as he searched his boss's face for a hint. Unease prickled in his chest, worried he had missed something obvious.
"Gregory, back to earth." Chad impatiently knocked his knuckles on the table surface.
"Er, boss. The only pending commercial we have is the Chatteu Catharina, since we haven't found a suitable female model. Actually, the Marketing Department has just said they finally found a suitable male model!"
Gregory's relief turned to uncertainty as he delivered the news, unsure how Chadrick would react.
"That is not necessary."
"Boss? But, they already informed the male model to visit the company tomorrow to discuss the contract."
"Cancel the male model. Draft an exclusive for the female model."
"Got it, boss. If nothing else, I'm going now."
Chad nodded.
After one hour, Gregory returned with the contract. Chadrick reviewed it, nodding in satisfaction. However, the name written below is someone he didn't approve of."
"Why was the name here?"
"Boss, isn't the female model spot reserved for Miss Monica?"
Chadrick's face hardened. "And when did I say that?"
Gregory bathes in sweat. The rumor spreading in society is that Monica was his boss's fiancée. When he picked her up at the airport, he typically assumed that his boss had chosen to get engaged to the Collins' eldest daughter.
"Sorry, boss! I made a mistake. I'll draft the contract if there are many changes you want me to revise."
"Forget it. I will do it myself. Just send me the soft copy."
"Got it, boss…"
"Alright… you can return to your table now."
"Thank you, boss!" Gregory exhaled in relief, having expected an explosion of anger. Instead, he was surprised by his boss's unexpectedly good mood.
"Wait… Tell Martin to get the car ready."
Martin Guzman… One of Chadrick's most reliable bodyguards. But every time Martin was summoned, it meant the boss would see Jessica.
'Really? He just picked up Miss Jessica two hours ago. Is he already missing her?' Gregory wondered in disbelief, shaking his head at his boss's surprised attachment.
He already sensed pressure mounting. With his boss involved with both sisters, Gregory felt his future would be filled with drama and tension.
~ ~ ~
At the Collins' company parking lot, Chadrick's black Sedan parked in the space reserved for major clients like him. He texted Jessica to meet him there.
"Get in here within two minutes."
Jessica, occupied with preparations to welcome an important client, sighed helplessly, an exasperated look crossing her face.
"What does he want now?"