With no other choice, Zaria was forced to cancel her movie date with Ximena and go with her boss instead. The man chose to watch it at his mansion much to her chagrin. Why did it seem like he had done it on purpose?

Of course, everything he did to irk her was on purpose. There was nothing surprising about that.

She grudgingly made her way to his mansion, and as soon as she arrived, she glanced at the man who was comfortably sitting on the plush couch. "What movie?"

"Hello to you too." His lips curled into a smile at the sight of the woman he had been thinking about all day. Her high heels clanked softly against the marble floor as she walked towards him. It was obvious that she was still upset judging from the way her lips were pursed, but it only made him want to tease her more.

"Why do you look so displeased?" He sat up and patted the space beside him on the couch to invite her to sit next to him. She did not make a single step closer but looked at him like he was a heartless man who had prevented her from being where she wanted to be. While it was true that he had done that, he didn't think he would be able to watch a movie peacefully with her glaring daggers at him.

"What do you like to watch?" He asked her coaxingly. "Don't be mad, sweetie. I promise to make you enjoy the movie—and my company."

The second part was said like it was the most important point and it gave her the urge to roll her eyes. She ignored his taunting and focused on the topic of the movie. "I thought you had something in mind."

"Well, I will soon. I don't know much about movies." He ruffled his dark brown hair, and she averted her gaze with a scoff.

He was too busy to do such things as watch movies and play games, which he termed as "wasting the precious time that he could have used to earn millions." He only ever played games if it was simultaneous to a business deal.

"Why don't you get to the kitchen first? Go and cook something for us to eat first. I'm hungry." He demanded and she had no choice but to obey his orders.

She didn't have the strength nor mood to bicker with him and she was hungry too, so she went to the kitchen. She poked her head out merely a few seconds later. "What would you like to eat?"

"You." Came the unreserved response, and she frowned. Crazy man. Was there anything sensible that ever left his mouth? She wondered how one could possess such tremendous capability in the business field yet own an insanely dirty mind. Did he reincarnate wrongly?

Whatever, she would cook the first thing that came to her mind and he would have to shove it down his throat whether he liked it or not.

When the woman disappeared into the kitchen, Desmond paused for a moment before calling Natalie.

"Nat, what movie are you watching?" He threw a question over as soon as he heard the woman's groggy "Hello."

"Are you crazy?" The woman on the other side sounded like she was holding back the urge to yell a series of insults at him.

He didn't mind and continued, "Tell me. I don't know what kind of movie to select."

"You disrupted my nap for this?! Desmond Fort, is your skin itching for a beating?"

He laughed at her fierce tone. "You sound so harsh. It almost sounded like I had interrupted something else." The man chimed. "Are you alone?"

"I'm hanging up. Don't call back." Natalie hung up in annoyance, making him throw his head back and laugh. Were women all so explosive? Natalie was never unkind to anyone unless the other person pushed a wrong button on her—but the line between her good mood and her anger was as thin as a strand of her hair. If she had too much pressure from work and anyone annoyed her, she would explode. She would erupt if disturbed from her sleep, but aside from these two instances, she was a sweet woman—distant but kind to the people who deserved it.

Sometimes he wondered why he wasn't in love with such a perfect woman. Perhaps their stars just weren't aligned. Maybe his stars were aligned with those of the other atomic bomb—the one that had just entered the kitchen?

It took a few minutes for his phone to ring, and his screen was full of emojis to express shock and exclamation marks. The other party had just made a discovery. A new text message immediately followed. [Are you going to watch a movie with Zaria? Suggest these three to her. She will surely like one of them.]

Below was three titles of what Natalie said were the latest released movies that were popular. They were even of different genres. How thoughtful.

He stood up and made his way to the kitchen.

"What are you doing here?" She asked when she felt his presence.

"Can't I freely go into places in my own house anymore?" He asked tauntingly, using the same excuse as he did when he insisted on sitting on her office chair.

"Go ahead. You can sit on the gas stove for all I care." She pointed at the blue flame on which she was boiling something, then resumed chopping vegetables at the craziest speed he had ever seen. Did she always chop vegetables this fast and accurately, or was it a result of her anger?

He waited until she was done chopping the white onions and closed in on her, locking her between the kitchen counter and himself as he took the knife from her hand to avoid accidents. "Zaria, what is really bothering your pretty mind? Do tell me about it." He asked beside her ear.

"I don't want to. It's none of your business." She tried to get away from him in vain since she was trapped and didn't budge an inch when she attempted to push him off her.

"But it is." His lips moved gently to her earlobe and he could feel her back tense up. His voice lowered into a coaxing whisper. "It's affecting your work performance. No one wants to see a gloomy EA beside me, lest they mistake you for a ghost."

She was initially shocked when she heard that her mood was affecting her performance, but when she got to hear all he had to say, she jabbed the man to have him step back. How dare he call her a ghost?!

He smiled at her reaction, knowing that he had successfully caught her attention. "So tell me, Zaria."

"If you stop being such a load of crap, I will be happier. I will no longer have to look like a ghost in the eyes of your partners." She commented, playing sarcastically with his words.

"Be specific. How am I being a load of crap?" He knew exactly what she was talking about, but he feigned innocence, making her want to slice the knife she had been using earlier right through his heart.

"Zaria, look at me." He urged, and her eyes moved against her will to meet his. She was now facing him with her back leaning against the cold marble kitchen counter. He closed the distance between them yet again and she didn't even have the time to stop him.

"By overstepping the boundaries." She answered his question as she raised a hand to stop his face from moving closer to hers, at the same time trying to get away.

"How so?" He once again feigned innocence while catching both of her hands to effortlessly pin them at her sides. She swallowed as he gazed deeply into her eyes. "Do you mind explaining?"

She could not compare to him in terms of physical strength, so she spoke up hoping that he would step aside. "What you keep doing at work…and what you're doing now."

"What do I do at the office that displeases you? Sending you on many errands?" He completely ignored the second part and she knew he was doing it on purpose because it was clearer.

"No. You know what I'm talking about, sir."

"Enlighten me."

She was about to die from fury. Was this man addicted to angering people? "Stop trying to flirt with me at every turn—and stop calling me 'sweetie'."

When she had blurted it out, she felt relieved after having held it in for a while.

"Okay. Since it is making you uncomfortable, I will stop doing those two things." He said, much to her relief.

The feeling was short-lived. Although it was what she wanted, why did she feel slightly disappointed?

The man enjoyed her expression, guessing what she must be thinking. "Henceforth, I will stop calling you "sweetie" and switch to something else. Honey."

She was yet to process it when he stepped even closer, invading her space so much that she could barely breathe. "As for flirting, perhaps I should take it a step further?"