Secretly Mine
Chapter 203: Awkward Meeting (1)

Chapter 203: Awkward Meeting (1)

Before I knew it, my office turned into a luxury boutique.

Shoes, dresses, purses, and other accessories could be seen scattered across every surface of my office. Most of these were from top brands, but I couldn’t recognize which collection.

It was almost as if....

Did he order these custom for me?

My eyes widened as I glanced at the beautiful silk gown in front of me.

That means I’m the only one in the world who will have these items.

My hands trembled slightly. I couldn’t imagine how many favors or promises Christian traded for all of these things. Even I knew that no amount of money alone could get such top-end brands to create an entire custom collection.

I walked back over to my desk and sat down in my office chair. My eyes were looking around the room at all of the expensive and luxurious gifts as I thought about why I would suddenly receive them.

It was right at that moment that my eyes glazed over a small piece of paper that was sticking out from the large bouquet of roses in front of me.

Oh! That’s right. I haven’t checked for today’s note.

There were so many flowers that I wouldn’t even know where to start looking for it, but there it was, tucked between two rose petals.

I quickly snatched the note out and unfolded it. This time it was longer than the previous notes.

[Leslie, I wish to thank you for your timely help last night. If it weren’t for you, I could have been forced to do something against my will.

Please accept these small gifts as a token of my gratitude to you. Unfortunately, no amount of gifts can truly express my gratitude to you.

-Christian

Ps. I miss you. ]

As I finished reading the note, I realized that tears were rolling down my cheeks. My mind was once again a mess.

The thoughts and feelings I’ve been fighting to suppress this whole time have been getting closer and closer to erupting.

It was an internal battle between missing him and not allowing myself to be bought over. I bit my tongue and replayed the conversation from that evening in the hotel. How Christian never cared about me from the beginning.

My heart calmed slightly, but I knew I was only temporarily suppressing these emotions. One day, they would have to be let out.

-

I spent the rest of the day cleaning up my office, placing all of the dresses, shoes, purses, and jewelry into the corner of my office. It looked like a small stockpile, or as if I were moving in to live here.

Oh, well. It’s not like I can take any of this home...

I knew the moment I would bring even one of these items home, I would immediately be questioned as to how I got it. And there was no way I was going to tell anyone that Christian bought it for me.

Before I knew it, it was already time to head out. I glanced at the beautiful jade jewelry once more before putting it in my desk drawer.

I hope the security here is good.

I closed the drawer and checked the swelling of my cheek in the mirror. It was doing a lot better, and the redness was almost fully gone. Whatever the ointment Christian sent over was, it was very effective.

I glanced at the pocket door that led to his office. I wasn’t sure how I should approach him about the topic of forgiveness. It was so stupid that I had to beg him to forgive my father’s and Morgan’s actions.

"How would I even prove to my father that Christian forgave me? I don’t know if just verbally saying it will be enough," I said with a sigh.

Still, I got up from my chair and walked over to the small door.

Maybe I should use the front door instead?

After shuffling in front of the pocket door for a few moments, I walked out of my office and stood in front of the double doors to Christian’s office. I wasn’t even talking to him yet, and I was already feeling nervous.

Just get a grip on yourself and go inside!

With a deep breath, I took a step forward and knocked on his door.

I could feel my heartbeat in my head as I waited for a response. Even my palms felt sweaty from anxiety.

One moment of silence...another moment of silence....

I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but I began to doubt that Christian was even in his office. Then, just as I was about to turn around and walk away--

"Come in."

His low voice sounded from the other side of the door. It was full of subtle authority, matching his CEO title.

I began to panic.

Should I be doing this? What if he gets even angrier? He already made it known that he’s not fond of my family.

But before I had a chance to turn around and walk away, the doors opened, revealing Christian’s tall figure in front of me.

"Leslie?" he asked, surprised to see me. "Can I help you with something?"

I felt his gaze on the side of my face as he asked with a face full of concern.

"I...umm.."

My brain short-circuited. I wasn’t sure how to bring up the topic or what to even say. My eyes roamed around the doorway, looking for an invisible answer.

Christian waited for me to speak for a few moments, then gently tapped my arm. "Please, come inside. We can talk in my office."

I nodded because I couldn’t think of anything else to say and followed him inside. We both walked over to the couches in the center of the room.

"Please, take a seat. Is there anything I can get you? Coffee? Tea? Water?" he asked softly.

I shook my head, "Oh, no, thank you. I’m all set."

Christian nodded and took a seat opposite me. His eyes were full of concern as he waited for me to speak.

"Leslie, is there anything I can do to help?"