"The lawsuit has been called off. Are you happy now?" He asked her like he was coaxing a child.

Still, she shook her head. "I want to see the official letter from the court."

His eyes scanned hers with interest. "You keep trying to push your luck. Zaria, why are you so sure that you can have your way every time?"

She didn't flinch under his gaze. "Mr. Fort, we both know the truth behind everything. We both know that if I were to fight to the death, the one at a loss would not be me."

"He-he." He didn't know where she got her confidence, but he knew what would happen if they started talking about that. It had already happened twice before and the outcome didn't make him happy.

Hence, he changed the topic. "I can't figure out my schedule for tomorrow."

She rolled her eyes at him. "How are you even the CEO of a conglomerate if you can't figure out your own schedule? You have a meeting with the board of directors at 9am, and another one with the top management at 11am. In the afternoon, you will meet with Mr. West in the West golf course and later have dinner with Miss Sparks' family at Imperium Emerald Hotel. That sums it up."

The more she spoke, the wider his smile got. By the time she was done, he was almost grinning with all his perfectly-shaped, snow white teeth out. "You are so familiar with my schedule. Could it be that you still thought of yourself as my assistant despite having thrown a tantrum and run away?"

She frowned at his nonsense. "Don't think too much of yourself."

"Really, am I?" He let out a teasing chuckle.

She ignored him, so he finished his food silently before looking straight at her. "Zaria."

"Speak." From her tone, one would think she was his boss and not the other way round.

His eyes stared at her like they could burn through her skin. "Who named you? Were they blind?"

She paused her movements and scanned his face. "Did you eat the wrong medicine today? You're acting strange."

"Kiss me and you'll find out." He presented his lips for a kiss.

She pushed his face away with a hand. "Mr. Fort, have some dignity."

"We've kissed before though." And you liked it, he added mentally.

Previously, he had always felt repulsed when he thought about that night. The night he learned that she was not Savannah but an impersonator, who was only with him as part of her scheme.

But now as he looked at her, he couldn't help wondering what would have happened if their circumstances were different that night. If he had known who she truly was from the start, would that night have led to anything more than kisses..?

"Damn Desmond, that's your assistant!" He mentally scolded himself, but that did nothing to stop him from having unwanted thoughts about her. His mind formed the image of her sauntering into his office as she always did in her elegant yet sexy dresses.

"Yo, the two of you managed to talk for so long without breaking each other's necks? Here I was, staying close by in case I was needed to avert a storm!" The mood breaker was none other than Liam, who had just hopped over.

"What are you doing here?" Desmond was irritable.

"I just encountered an ordeal." Liam looked deflated like his soul had been sucked out. Even his usually vibrant hair appeared lifeless. "I met a girl online and asked her out. She turned out to be a fraud! The pictures she sent me were nothing like her real self and actually belonged to an Internet celebrity…waaah...I'm so heartbroken!"

Desmond regarded his friend like an idiot. "Who falls in love with a girl they met online? Couldn't you at least give her a video call first?"

"How would I have known?" Liam was deflated.

"No wonder you don't have a girlfriend."

"You meanie!" Liam complained and looked at Zaria for help.

The latter smiled, wondering whether these two would ever grow up. "Join us. I'll order you Australian crab."

"Really? Zaria, you are so kind. Do you have any pretty friends?"

"None that I would introduce to a playboy like you." Zaria refuted sternly.

"Hey, I'm not a playboy! I'm innocent. Is it because I hang out with this guy that everyone thinks I'm a womanizer?" Liam looked like he was being accused falsely.

Zaria scanned him with her eyes. "Well… you don't look that much like a playboy."

"Really?" Liam's eyes were almost full of stars.

"Mmh. It's only because you are so handsome that it's easy to mistake you for one."

At the side, Desmond's eyes were slowly filling with wrath.

It was already bad enough that he had lost out to a blueberry muffin the day before. Now, he was losing out to his friend too? What was worse, she was so comfortable around Liam that she didn't mind talking about such personal details like her favorite food and the clothing brands. She answered every question he asked and she would ask him about himself too. The two of them were chattering away so happily that they totally ignored him.

When they were done eating, they headed out and Liam asked, "Do you want me to drop you off?"

"Enough!" Desmond couldn't hold it in anymore.

"What happened?" Liam asked his friend curiously.

With a ferocious glare, Desmond pulled Zaria to his side. "My assistant already has enough on her plate taking care of me. If you so badly want an EA, hire one yourself."