My CEO Bestie And Me

On the third floor of L.H. Group, Lerisa Jonah stood up from her secretary seat, having completed her office work for the day.

She worked as Anthony Gregson's secretary. She stepped out of her office desk and picked up her black handbag, as she was ready to go home.

Lerisa was a fair-complexioned young lady, 24 years old, wearing a yellow shirt, a black pencil skirt, and black shoes. She wondered why she hadn't seen Anthony step out of his office.

She knew that Anthony usually closed by 5 PM and left the company before 6 PM, which was the company's normal closing hour.

Lerisa made her way toward Anthony's office door to find out what was delaying her boss, since it was already after 6 PM and most of the staff were heading home.

Approaching Anthony's office door, she knocked and heard him respond, "Come in."

She pushed the door slightly open and stepped into his office, where she saw him seated in his chair, 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.

At that moment, she realized that Anthony was in a serious relationship with Clara Harry and would soon propose to her.

Lerisa felt like crying out, as she secretly loved Anthony, but she couldn't muster the courage to tell him the truth.

Her fair complexion flushed red with sadness, and she cast her gaze downward to hide the sorrow on her face.

Anthony was too absorbed in admiring the diamond ring that he held, not noticing Lerisa's presence.

They were childhood best friends due to the closeness between their fathers. Lerisa's father had been Anthony's father's former assistant, supporting him in building the shoe company, which was now owned by Anthony.

Lerisa knew that Clara Harry was unworthy of a man like Anthony. She had witnessed Clara flirting with various men behind Anthony's back, but she felt unable to advise him against dating her.

Lerisa had even seen Clara visit Anthony in his office and had caught them kissing, making her heart sink further, knowing that Anthony was seriously in love with Clara.

Anthony was a 30-year-old man, dressed in a black suit with a red shirt and black shoes, which made him look handsome.

He had a short beard that enhanced his looks, adding to his charm as a man.

Finally looking up, Anthony noticed Lerisa staring downward in his office. He wondered what she wanted, as he thought he had seen her for the last time that day.

Completely absorbed in admiring the ring he had bought, Anthony inadvertently forgot that the company had closed. He intended to propose to Clara the next day.

"What do you want, Lerisa?" He asked.

"I... I..." Lerisa stammered, unable to articulate why she was in his office, her heart breaking at the sight of the lovely ring.

She had come to inform Anthony that she was already going home, but he didn't look up at her again. He remained focused on the diamond ring and wondered if Clara would like it.

Anthony asked, "What do you think of this ring, Lerisa? Remember that I invited you and the rest of our staff to my birthday party tomorrow at my family's house? I want to propose to Clara tomorrow. But I don't know if she will accept this beautiful diamond ring that I ordered from abroad. I truly love Clara. What do you think, Lerisa? Do you believe that Clara will love this ring and accept it? I bought it to prove my love for her?"

Lerisa's heart broke even more at Anthony's obliviousness.

She watched him smile sweetly at the ring, and as Anthony continued to gaze 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 ready to go home yet."

Anthony immediately noticed the sadness in Lerisa's voice. He shut the red ring box in his hands and stood up from his chair. As he walked to meet her, he asked, "What's wrong, Lerisa?"

Lerisa turned her back to Anthony, tears streaming down her cheeks. She couldn't tell him the truth-that she was in love with him. Anthony saw her strictly as a sister, despite her deep feelings for him.

"What's wrong, Lerisa?" Anthony approached her and turned her to face him.

Lerisa felt a flutter, but Anthony ignored it as he looked intently at her face.

"Tell me, what's wrong with you?" he asked in a stern voice. Lerisa shuddered under his gaze but shook her head, indicating nothing was wrong.

She lied, "Nothing, Sir... I just came here to tell you that I'm going home. The company has closed for the day and to collect the office key from you..."

"Sir?" Anthony asked, his cold stare still fixed on Lerisa's face, his eyes squinting 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 again, hating that he always reminded her of their relationship.

Just then, Anthony's office door swung open, and his assistant, Mark Terry, stepped inside to see him.

Mark looked surprised at the sight of Anthony holding Lerisa's arms so closely, but Anthony didn't look at him, still focused on Lerisa.

'Do they want to kiss?' Mark wondered to himself, quickly composing his surprised expression and apologizing, "I'm sorry, boss."

Anthony ignored Mark's presence, not even averting his gaze or batting an eye at him as Mark Terry stepped into his office. His focus remained solely on Lerisa, whom he observed with concern.

Lerisa felt embarrassed when she saw Mark apologize to Anthony, and he quickly exited the office, shutting the door behind him.

Mark already knew that Lerisa had a crush on Anthony, which was why she had rejected his love proposal.

He shook his head in denial after seeing Anthony holding Lerisa closely by her arms, confirming to him that they were secret lovers but pretending in front of the other staff that they were just siblings.

"Lerisa..." Anthony called her name again, making her shudder in his hold and snap out of her trance, as he still held her arms tightly.

Anthony knew that Lerisa was not in a relationship, so he wondered what had made her look so sad and if someone had broken her heart or was troubling her.

"What's wrong with you? Don't tell me it's nothing when you're looking this sad?" Anthony asked, gazing deeply into Lerisa's face.

"Nothing is wrong with me, Anthony. I only came here to collect the office key from you, but it seems you aren't ready to leave for home," Lerisa repeated, staring downward at Anthony's chest, not wanting to meet his gaze.

"Hmm, it's alright. I'm already going home now. But I hope you're not just putting on an act so you won't attend my birthday party tomorrow?" Anthony asked, his eye brow raised.

"No...!" Lerisa responded, immediately forcing a fake smile, which relieved Anthony, knowing that she was fine and would attend his birthday party at home, as she usually did.

"That's fine. Wait, let me drop you off," Anthony proposed, but Lerisa quickly rejected his offer. "No need, sir... I came in my car today, so I will be leaving now..."

"Sir? Haven't I told you to stop calling me 'sir,' Lerisa? You're like a sister to me, not just a member of my staff," Anthony replied.

Lerisa gulped heavily, feeling more dejected than when she first saw the ring. Anthony continually reminding her that she was like a sister to him made it clear he couldn't see her in any other light.

"Okay, Anthony. But I have to go home now," Lerisa corrected herself, not wanting to be reminded that she was like a sister to him.

"Alright, drive safely home. I will come to see you tomorrow morning once I've finished my morning routine and my exercise," Anthony informed her, but Lerisa replied, "No need for that, Anthony, I said I'm fine."

"Hmmm." Anthony hummed, finally releasing her arms. "It's alright. You can leave for home now."

Anthony continued watching Lerisa's face as she nervously responded, "Okay, goodbye, Anthony."

Lerisa quickly turned her back to Anthony and exited his office, making her way out of the third floor and into the elevator.

Anthony felt bad for not being able to comfort Lerisa. He walked back to his office chair, shut down his computer, and prepared to go home to his family.

He slipped the red ring box into his trouser pocket and picked up his briefcase to leave.

-----

Lerisa had rushed into the elevator, not wanting to meet the gazes of the other staff who were watching her as she left Anthony's office.

She felt like crying it all out, knowing that Anthony would never notice her feelings for him, especially now that he was finally settling down with Clara Harry.

Lerisa had hoped that one day Anthony would recognize her feelings and fall in love with her, but he failed to see that she truly loved him, not just that she enjoyed working for him.

As she stepped out of the elevator and into the first floor-where they usually showcased most of their new products. The receptionist's office was there, along with their advertising section.

Lerisa hurried towards the exit door, nearly colliding with some staff on her way outside. She exited the first floor, where they primarily advertised their brand new quality shoes and other fashion products.

On her way out, she accidentally bumped into Ben Wilfred, who was also a friend of Anthony's.

"Hey, Lerisa," Ben called as he caught her left arm, but Lerisa hastily shuddered away from his grip, uncomfortable with his touch.

"What's wrong with you, Lerisa? Wait, who hurt you?" Ben asked, noticing her saddened expression.

"Nothing. I'm fine. I have to go home now," Lerisa said, running toward her car in the parking lot, watching as most of the staff were already leaving for home since it was Friday.

Ben sighed, his fists clenching. He had come to see both Anthony and Lerisa. He loved Lerisa, but she hadn't given him any signals or opportunities to prove his affection or even talk to her.

Ben sighed and finally walked back into the company building to meet with Anthony, making his way up to the third floor where Anthony Gregson's office was.

____

Lerisa quickly got into her small red car, picked up her white handkerchief, blew her nose, and finally started the engine. She drove out of the company premises, passing through the security checkpoint at the exit gate, and headed back to her father's house, where she still lived with her parents. She was the second-born and first daughter, with a younger sister and an elder brother.

Upon arriving home, she drove her red car into her father's compound, parked it, and finally got out.

She picked up her black handbag, shut the car door, and walked into her family house as night fell.

Lerisa walked into the living room of her family mansion and found her mother standing beside the dining room, arranging the dining chairs.

Her elder brother and younger sister weren't around, as they were still in school.

"Good evening, Mom," Lerisa greeted her mother but didn't stop in the living room as she walked toward the corridor that led to the rooms in the big house.

Mrs. Antonia wondered what had happened to her first daughter, as she noticed that Lerisa's face looked quite red. She immediately called Lerisa back.

"Come here, Lerisa! What happened at the office today? Why does your face look so red?"

Lerisa stopped and replied, "Nothing, Mom, I'm fine."

Mrs. Antonia sighed and dismissed Lerisa. "That's alright; be quick and come join your father and me for dinner."

"Okay, Mom," Lerisa replied, darting into the corridor as she headed to her room to take a bath.

She stepped into her room and shut the door. Crying, she leaned against the door for support before strolling toward her pink bed to drop her black handbag.

Lerisa saw that it was past 7 PM, realizing that the company was a 30-minute drive from her home.

She stripped off her clothes to take a bath, knowing she couldn't keep her parents waiting for dinner.

After finishing her bath, Lerisa walked out of her room and paused at her mirror to stare at her face. She braced herself, understanding that Anthony would never love her.

She muttered to her reflection, a curvy, seductive woman staring back at her, "What am I going to do? Anthony will never notice me, and he will soon be married."

Lerisa knew there was nothing she could do, so she searched her wardrobe for an evening gown to wear.

She took out a long blue gown, put it on, and walked back to apply dusting powder to her face and neck to hide her sadness from her parents and avoid any further questions.

Meanwhile, Anthony was still in the third-floor hallway when Ben stepped out of the elevator and walked up to meet him.

Ben smiled and greeted Anthony. "What's up with you, bro?"

Anthony wasn't particularly keen on Ben's company, despite him being a high school friend. Ben owned a hotel and loved hanging out with different women. However, Ben wouldn't back off, as he regularly visited Anthony, despite Anthony not returning the favor.

"Nothing much. How about you? I'm leaving for home now, as you can see we have closed," Anthony replied casually as he walked into the elevator with Ben. They both went down to the first floor and outside to the parking lot, where their cars were parked.

"That reminds me, Anthony. I saw your secretary earlier when I arrived, and she looked red. What's wrong with her? Did you fire her?" Ben inquired. Anthony sighed and shook his head, hoping he understood Lerisa, but he didn't.

Anthony replied, "I don't know what happened to Lerisa, but she said she's fine. I didn't terminate her employment here."

Anthony thought that perhaps Lerisa wasn't happy about his engagement to Clara, considering her mood might have changed when she saw him staring at the red ring box in his hands. He couldn't understand why she would be sad when she should be happy for him, knowing that he was finally getting married.

"Hmm... That's alright. I do like Lerisa, and I've been asking her out, but she wouldn't consider me. Can you please help me talk to her on my behalf?" Ben asked.

Anthony looked at Ben coldly as they stood beside their cars, with the remaining vehicles having left the parking lot and darkness enveloping the previously bright sky.

Anthony replied, "How many times do you want me to help you talk to Lerisa? She doesn't want you and wouldn't accept your proposal, and I don't understand why either. She's not in any relationship that I know of."

Anthony glanced at his gold wristwatch and saw that it was already past 8 PM. Ben continued, "But she listens to you, Anthony. If you could apply some pressure when speaking to Lerisa, I think she would agree to date me. I'm serious about her and want to marry her."

"Hmm, hahaha, are you serious about settling down with Lerisa? Do you really think she would agree to marry you if I ordered her to? She's only working for me because my father and her father were friends and worked together to build this factory. That connection also made our families close; to me, she's like a sister, and I want her happiness. I don't think you deserve her. But don't worry, I will try to help you talk to Lerisa again and see if she will accept you," Anthony replied.

"Really? Thanks, Anthony, I will look forward to that," Ben said. They shook hands and hugged before parting with a friendly pat on the shoulder as they made their way to their cars.

Anthony remembered something and asked Ben, "Tomorrow is my birthday. Lerisa will be attending; won't you join us as I will be expecting you around too?"

Ben frowned in response, "I know, but where do you plan to celebrate? Why not come to my club and celebrate there? You would have more fun than at home with your parents like a mummy's boy."

Anthony glared at Ben before answering, "No. My parents want me to celebrate at home, and it has been our custom to always celebrate any event in our family grand hall. I will be expecting to see you tomorrow, Ben. Good night."

Anthony quickly got into his car, pulled the black door closed, and started the engine, driving out of the company shortly after Ben left in his own car.