In LH Group, on the third floor, a female secretary named Lerisa Jonah stood up from her office chair as she was done with her office work for the day.
She was working as Anthony Gregson's secretary. So she stepped out of her office chair, picked up her trusty black handbag, and prepared to go home.
Lerisa was a fair-complexioned young woman. She was 24 years old, wearing a plain yellow shirt, a black pencil skirt, and a pair of black shoes, as she wondered what Anthony was still doing inside his office.
She knew that Anthony usually closed by 5 PM and left the company before 6 PM, which was the usual closing hour.
She made her way toward Anthony's office door to find out what was delaying her boss, as it was already after 6 PM and most of the staff were already going home.
Approaching Anthony's office door, she knocked, and she heard him respond, “Come in.”
She pushed Anthony's office door slightly open and stepped into his office, where she saw him seated in his executive chair and staring at a red ring box in his hands.
Lerisa's heart dropped the moment she saw the beautiful, sparkling diamond ring in Anthony's hand.
She realized at that moment that Anthony was in a very serious relationship with Clara Harry, and he would soon propose to Clara.
Lerisa felt like crying out as she was also secretly in love with Anthony, but she couldn't tell him the truth as she wasn't brave enough to do so.
Her face immediately turned red with sadness, and she stared downward to hide the troubled look on her face.
Anthony was rather busy admiring the diamond ring in the box he held, not shifting his gaze to look at Lerisa.
They were childhood best friends due to their fathers' closeness in the past. Lerisa's father had been Anthony's father's former assistant. He had supported Anthony's father in building the shoe company, which was now Anthony's.
Lerisa knew that Clara Harry was a cheat and not deserving of a man like Anthony. She had seen Clara several times behind Anthony's back, flirting with different men, but she felt unable to advise Anthony to stop dating Clara.
Lerisa had witnessed Clara visiting Anthony in his office and had caught them kissing, which made her heart sink in her chest, knowing that Anthony was seriously in love with Clara.
Anthony was a 30-year-old black man. He wore a black suit with a red shirt underneath and black shoes that made him look handsome.
He had a short mustache and beard that enhanced his looks and made him charming.
Anthony finally looked at Lerisa's face. He noticed her staring downward in his office and wondered what she wanted, as he hadn’t seen her for the day.
He forgot that his company had closed, as he was busy admiring the ring he had bought. He intended to propose to Clara the following day.
“What do you want, Lerisa?" Anthony asked.
"I… I…" Lerisa stuttered and was unable to say why she was in his office, sounding heartbroken at the sight of that lovely ring.
She had come to tell Anthony that she was ready to go home, but he didn't glance up at her face again. He was preoccupied with admiring the diamond ring and wondering if Clara would like it.
Anthony asked her, “How do you think this ring looks, Lerisa? Remember that I invited you and the rest of our staff to my birthday party tomorrow at my family's house? Well, I want to propose to Clara tomorrow. But I don't know if she will accept this beautiful diamond ring that I have bought for her and ordered from abroad. I do love Clara. What do you think, Lerisa? Do you think that Clara will appreciate this ring and accept it? I bought it to prove my love to her?"
Lerisa's heart broke even more at Anthony's foolish question.
She saw him smiling sweetly at the ring as Anthony continued looking downward. She replied, “I thought you had closed, Sir. That's why I'm here to collect the office key from you. But it seems like you're not yet ready to go home.”
Anthony immediately noticed the sadness in Lerisa's voice.
He shut the red ring box in his hands and stood up from his office chair. As he walked over to her, he asked, "What's wrong, Lerisa?"
Lerisa turned away from Anthony, as hot tears streamed freely down her face.
She couldn't tell him the truth that she was in love with him. Anthony only saw her as a sister, even though they were unrelated.
"What's wrong, Lerisa?” Anthony finally approached her and turned her to face him.
Lerisa felt sparks of emotion, but Anthony ignored them and looked intently at her face.
“Tell me, what's wrong with you?” he asked again in a stern voice, and Lerisa shuddered at his hold but shook her head to indicate nothing.
She lied to him, “Nothing, Sir… I just came here to tell you that I'm ready to go home. The company has closed for the day and to collect the office key from you…”
“Sir?" Anthony asked as he continued to stare coldly at Lerisa's face. His eyes squinted at her in concern.
"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me sir, Lerisa? You're like a sister to me, not just a staff member here," Anthony said, and Lerisa shuddered as she hated being reminded that she was like a sister to him.
Anthony's office door swung open, and his office assistant, Mark Terry, stepped into the room to find him…
Mark looked surprised to see Anthony holding Lerisa's arms tightly against his chest. Anthony didn’t look at him and remained focused on Lerisa's face.
'Do they want to kiss?' Mark wondered, but he quickly composed himself and apologized, “I'm sorry, boss.”
