Dating the Bossy CEO Next Door
Chapter 67- What hiking?

Chapter 67: Chapter 67- What hiking?

Karl never actually asked Lilian out hiking or on a date—it was all a deliberate tease to rile Morrison up.

Morrison didn’t even bother being polite. After slamming down Karl’s call, he tossed his phone aside and took a long drink from his glass.

What happened tonight still felt unreal. He couldn’t believe that in just one week while he was away on a business trip, Lilian had somehow become Karl’s girlfriend—and they seemed genuinely happy together.

The worst part? Both sets of parents approved.

Especially hers. Lilian was the jewel of the Burg Eltz family. Her parents had undoubtedly put Karl through rigorous scrutiny before agreeing to him.

And Karl had won their favor because he was steady, dependable, and had a clean, uncomplicated love life—just like their daughter.

To both families, Lilian and Karl were a perfect match, made in heaven. At this rate, marriage talks wouldn’t be far off.

Thinking of this made Morrison’s chest tighten painfully. He poured himself another drink and downed it in one gulp.

The thought of one day calling her his sister-in-law made him want to scream.

Lilian didn’t sleep well either that night. Luckily, it was Sunday, so she could sleep in and catch up.

But early the next morning, the phone rang. It was the finance manager.

"小Washington, the boss just got back from his trip," the manager said. "There’s a pile of important financial data we need to verify, so we’re working overtime today. Be on time."

"Overtime?" Lilian groaned silently. She just wanted to sleep in...

Had she known earlier, she would have gone to bed sooner. Instead, after tossing and turning all night, she got up and binge-watched her drama until after four in the morning before finally falling asleep again.

She’d been dreaming of a blissfully lazy morning, but plans rarely survived reality.

Still, no use complaining. She was just a low-level employee and had to follow orders. So, she reluctantly agreed and dragged herself out of bed to prepare for overtime at the office.

She was barely awake driving there, and when she finally arrived, the finance office door was locked tight—not a single soul inside.

Puzzled, she thought maybe everyone had the weekend off and she’d come too early. She waited a while, but still no sign of anyone.

Just as she was about to call the finance manager, her phone buzzed—it was Morrison.

Her hand trembled nervously, nearly dropping the phone.

She didn’t understand why she felt so guilty since their encounter last night at Burg Eltz. Logically, she had no reason to be.

Sure, she and Morrison had dated before, but they’d long broken up. And now she was dating his brother—that was perfectly natural.

She wasn’t cheating or playing both sides. So why the guilt?

Yet, no matter how much she tried, the guilty feeling wouldn’t leave her. It controlled her.

At this point, she was so nervous she barely dared to answer his calls. But he kept ringing, so she steeled herself and picked up.

"Mr. Morrison..." she said hesitantly.

His voice on the other end was all business.

"Are you at the office yet?"

"Yes... I’m here," Lilian answered truthfully.

Then came his curt command,

"Come up to my office."

"Huh?"

Lilian was caught off guard. Why did he want her in his office? Wasn’t the finance manager the one calling her in for overtime?

"What do you mean, ’huh’?" he snapped sharply. "Has falling in love made you stupid? Get up here and work!"

His harsh words scolded her like a teacher, then he cut off the call without another word.

Lilian gripped her phone, burning with anger but with nowhere to vent. She’d only questioned why he wanted her in his office—and he shot back with that sarcastic jab about her being lovestruck and losing her mind...

Lilian had assumed Norton and Sean would be here for overtime too—or at least one of them. But when she reached the top floor, the entire place was eerily silent. Neither Norton nor Sean had shown up.

So this overtime session was just the two of them—her and Morrison.

Why did she feel so reluctant?

It wasn’t just reluctance—it was awkwardness, pure and simple. After all, she was now officially his brother’s girlfriend... Ugh.

She took a deep breath outside his office, mentally preparing herself before knocking and stepping in.

He was already at work. The morning sun streamed through the spotless glass walls, casting a gentle glow on his handsome face. The hum of the printer filled the room, mingling with the rich aroma of coffee. In front of her sat a man entirely absorbed in his work...

For a moment, Lilian’s heart softened inexplicably. The awkwardness between them faded, replaced by memories of when they’d been a couple. Several weekends, he’d pulled her in for "work dates" when he had to stay late.

Because they kept things secret, their dates were rarely in public—usually at his place, the office, or her home.

Right now, the scene in front of her was drenched in nostalgia.

She was still standing at the door, lost in thought, when suddenly—thud!—Morrison slammed a folder down on the desk, his face cold and unreadable.

"Organize this data for me."

It was clear he didn’t want to talk; he just tossed a pile of financial files her way.

Snapping back to reality, Lilian stepped forward, picked up the folder, and hesitated before asking,

"Um, boss... can I take this back to my office? I’ll finish it there and bring it back when done."

Working in the same room as him made her feel suffocated. From the moment she’d stepped inside, the air seemed thin and heavy. How could she concentrate under such pressure? And if she made a mistake, she’d get scolded mercilessly.

After she finished speaking, Morrison shot her a cold glance that instantly shut her down. She had no choice but to grab her laptop and retreat to a long table meant for small meetings, where she started working.

But with hardly any sleep the night before, facing that mountain of complicated data, she soon began yawning uncontrollably. It wasn’t lack of focus—her brain simply couldn’t keep up.

Just as she was about to doze off, the light above her dimmed slightly. Looking up, she found herself staring at a human wall—Morrison, who had silently moved beside her. His face was expressionless but icy, eyes narrowed in disdain.

The coldness and mockery in his gaze could freeze a person solid.

Lilian lowered her head, sincere apology spilling out,

"S-sorry..."

She buried her face in her laptop and resumed working. Thanks to him, she was wide awake now.

"Hmph!"

A derisive snort came from above, followed by his cutting words:

"Called you in for overtime and you look like you just rolled out of bed. But hiking? You sure had the energy for that!"

Lilian blinked in confusion, lifting her fair face to look at him.

"Hiking? What hiking?"

What nonsense was he talking about? She was completely baffled.

Her innocent, puzzled expression only fueled Morrison’s frustration. Especially those soft, pink lips, slightly pouted in confusion—it made him want to lean in and taste that sweetness.

Lilian’s heart skipped. After dating him for half a year, she knew exactly what that look in his eyes meant. A sudden urge to run away surged through her.

Just then, her phone rang. She scrambled to grab it, silently praying this call would save her.

It was Karl. The name flashing on the screen caught Morrison’s eye, and his face darkened further.

Clutching the phone, Lilian tried to slip away to answer it, but Morrison’s voice cut through coldly:

"Answer it right here."

This was his territory now. She knew she couldn’t argue, so she swallowed her pride and answered Karl’s call right in front of Morrison, hoping he wouldn’t say anything wild.

Karl’s voice came through, simple and direct:

"Where are you?"

Lilian answered honestly,

"Working late at the office..."

She shot a sideways glance at Morrison, feeling utterly awkward having someone loom over her while she was on the phone.