Yes, I remembered.
Even in college, he had made many girls’ hearts flutter with that eye smile. With his handsome looks and natural charm, he was quite popular.
Congratulations, it seems like Assistant Manager Genevieve has fallen for him too?
He was once the only male friend of Alice.
Despite the close friendship they had, it had all ended in an absurd confession that severed their bond in an instant.
Wow… the world is such a small place.
‘My head is going to explode!’
The confession he had drunkenly made to Alice suddenly came to mind.
“Alice Wesley was a woman from the start. I never thought of you as a friend. Every time you looked at me so beautifully, it drove me crazy with joy.”
Suddenly, cold sweat broke out, and a sense of crisis washed over him.
No, this won’t do. I need to keep my eyes squinted like a flatfish.
Since sharing information with Ryan, he has been unable to manage his eyes properly.
He couldn’t help but widen his eyes in surprise.
But she wanted to hide it from Atlas, even if it meant squinting. She didn’t want to be found out.
How could she hide this appearance and maintain this disguise?
If someone who knew her true self found out, it would all be over. And if that someone was Atlas, it would be the worst-case scenario.
Alice stared intently at Atlas and soon noticed that Atlas had not yet withdrawn his outstretched hand.
She shifted her gaze from Atlas’s hand back to his eyes.
‘Did he recognize me?’
He was just smiling, making it impossible to read his thoughts.
It had always been like that. Atlas had a knack for hiding his feelings well. She hadn’t noticed for years that he liked her.
“Secretary Alice, Atlas is greeting you, isn’t he? His hand must feel awkward.”
She should have spoken up earlier.
If he hadn’t held on this long, he should have sensed the situation and lowered his hand, but it seemed he had no intention of doing so.
With her mind already in turmoil lately, the thought of Atlas adding to it made her head throb.
Her head felt like it was going to explode from thinking too much about Atlas, and it seemed like there would be many more things to worry about in the future…
She couldn’t grasp how much more she would have to deal with.
‘Why did he come to Mobid Holdings out of all the companies?’
And to come to the Management Planning Group where Ryan was an executive among so many departments.
It seemed like a tenacious connection.
Alice decided to focus on reality instead of her elusive feelings. She pretended to be as calm as possible and took Atlas’s hand.
“Yes, I’m the secretary to the vice president, Alice.”
As she lightly grasped his hand and tried to pull away, she felt Atlas’s grip tighten.
Because of that strength, she couldn’t pull away immediately.
‘Why is he being so anxious?’
“Nice to meet you. I look forward to working with you.”
Just as she was about to turn back to her seat, Alice’s eyes met Ryan’s, who was staring at her intently.
It was that gaze again.
A persistent gaze. A look that seemed to be demanding something from her.
‘How long has he been watching me?’
Alice’s heart began to race again. Even though she was moving, her hands and arms felt stiff and awkward.
Ryan sat still in his chair, staring at her like a CCTV camera.
She felt a strong sense of intimidation from his intense gaze.
When Genevieve and Atlas entered the office to greet him, only then did Ryan finally look away from Alice.
“Haah…”
With a sigh escaping her, Alice took a deep breath and exhaled.
After greeting Ryan, they lightly acknowledged Alice and headed down to their office.
What had just happened?
Alice felt extremely unsettled. She thought she would never see Atlas again.
She figured he would just be doing well somewhere.
But who would have thought that ‘somewhere’ would be Mobid Holdings…
Alice could only hope that Atlas wouldn’t recognize her.
***
Time didn’t wait for Alice and flowed quickly.
Before she knew it, it was Friday.
For some reason, ever since Ryan returned from the columbarium, he seemed to be avoiding her.
‘Is he mad at me?’
That didn’t seem likely.
‘Did he realize that I like him?’
No way, would he think I liked him just because of that bouquet?
‘Does he think I gave him the bouquet?’
It had been three days since Ryan had come home late, saying he had evening plans.
‘Should I ask when we’ll share information? He’s not meeting Reese Div, is he?’
As three days passed, all sorts of thoughts crossed her mind, and she began to feel anxious.
