Chapter 442 Lies and Truths
The three of us sitting together in the reception space of Ace’s office just felt like the strangest thing ever. I was shocked to see Jeremy joining us when I expected to meet only Ace. Now that I thought about it, Ace was the one who invited me to see him. I glanced over at him while wondering if Ace had invited Jeremy here as well or could it be that this was all just a wild coincidence and Jeremy just happened to turn up here?
Regardless of how the three of us ended up there together, I didn’t doubt what Jeremy had to say. I clasped my hand together on my lap to stop them from shaking from nervousness while feeling thankful that at least I managed to give Ace a heads up that Jeremy seemed to know about us. Despite knowing that, I didn’t know how Ace managed to appear so calm and in control. If anything, it seemed like Jeremy, and I were the only people feeling nervous and on edge in the room.
“It is getting a little late. Shall we just start talking?” Ace suggested with a smile.
I felt too tongue-tied to even say anything on top of the fact that I wasn’t quite sure what to say. I waited for either Ace or Jeremy to start the conversation.
“What has Karina told you so far?” Jeremy asked.
“Pretty much everything, I think. You two were called by the disciplinary committee and then you two met up later and went out for dinner. During that dinner, you confessed that you like her. She turned you down and then you told her that you know that she’s dating me. Does that sum it up correctly?” Ace replied as he recounted everything that had happened.
I had to say that Ace was spot on, but he clearly did not put in any effort to soften his words with Jeremy’s emotions in mind. It was true that I rejected Jeremy right on the spot. It never occurred to me that I could end up dating Jeremy. Even if I was single and not dating Ace, I still didn’t think that we stood a chance in having a romantic relationship with each other. Friends suddenly turning into lovers wasn’t a concept that I personally believed in.
“Great. Then this shouldn’t take a long time. Are you and Karina really dating?” Jeremy asked quite directly.
“No. We’re not. I’m just his personal secretary,” I quickly replied.
The truth was that I panicked and couldn’t keep silent any longer. For the sake of keeping our relationship a secret, the best that we could do was deny it and then deny it some more. Jeremy seemed stunned that I suddenly spoke up and that was when I realized that I had just spoken in a voice much louder and sharper than I had intended.
“I already told you this before, so I don’t know why you’re asking Ace again. Ace and I are not dating. I’m just working on his team and as his personal secretary,” I repeated again firmly. n(.ov-EL(Usb(C(o,m
Now that I had started talking and lying, it didn’t feel difficult for me to uphold my lie anymore. The words just flowed easily out of my mouth as I tried to hide my hesitation.
“Is that true?” Jeremy turned to ask Ace as if he wouldn’t believe a word that I said without hearing it directly from Ace.
I turned to stare at Ace as I waited for him to deny our relationship. Once hearing from both of us that we weren’t dating, Jeremy would probably give up on pursuing this matter any further. He might not want to believe it at first, but he’ll have to believe it eventually. Although he seemed quite confident when he made his accusation, I truly doubted that he had any solid evidence. Perhaps it really was for the best that we were having this conversation to clear things up. Once Jeremy believes us, things might not be as awkward between us.
“It’s not true. The truth is Rina and I are dating,” Ace replied casually.
“Exactly. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you...” I quickly said in agreement.
Wait...what did he just say?!
Jeremy had a very shocked expression on his face but at that moment, I wasn’t sure who was more shocked between Jeremy and myself. I thought that it was obvious what Ace was going to say that I automatically chimed in in agreement.
“Ace...what did you just say?” I asked after gasping in shock.
“I said that we are dating. It’s not a misunderstanding on your part. I’m dating Rina with the hope of marrying her someday soon,” Ace declared with a confident look on his face.
My lips and fingertips went numb, and I was honestly convinced that I was about to faint. I was speechless as I failed to understand why Ace would come and straightforwardly admit that we were dating. On top of that, he went as far as to mention that he wanted to marry me. I placed a hand over my eyes while focusing on taking deep breaths to calm the rapid beating of my heart.
This can’t really be happening...
“I’m surprised that you’re admitting to it so easily. Dating in this company is strictly against the rules not to mention the fact that you’re her boss,” Jeremy pointed out.
“I’m also your boss. In fact, I’m everyone’s boss one way or another in this company. It’s against the rules to date another employee in this company and you know it, but you still fell in love with Rina, right?” Ace said before he smiled.
“That’s...” Jeremy muttered, and I could tell that he felt embarrassed.
“We’re just poor and foolish humans who can’t control our emotions. That’s it. We’re dumb but arrogant as well, so the more people tell us that we can’t do something, the more we want to do it,” Ace went on before he shrugged his shoulders.
“Ace...” I whispered his name softly.
Our conversation had taken a surprising turn and I wasn’t quite sure if it was for the best because I had no idea where this would all lead.
--To be continued...
