Chapter 1

The new intern in the PR department, Chloe, posted a TikTok today using the company account.

"First day on the job and my boss is totally into me. He's such a shy type, probably too embarrassed to make a move, so I'm taking matters into my own hands! I'm going to ambush him with kisses, however many likes this video gets, and see how he reacts~"

The video unexpectedly went viral, becoming the most-viewed clip the company had ever seen.

Chloe burst into my office, ready to pounce and kiss me.

I dodged her in a panic, snapping at her to leave.

She just shot me a disdainful look.

"Stop playing innocent! I know you like me. So many people are waiting for the follow-up, don't act like you're too good for this, or I'll tell everyone you sexually harassed me!"

I laughed, a humorless sound, at her audacity, then switched on the hidden camera on my chest.

My big boss, Mr. Sterling, had given me this camera.

It was meant for recording important meetings when he wasn't around.

Never thought it would come in handy today.

Chloe saw my silence and mistook it for fear, a smug grin spreading across her face.

She walked to my desk, leaning in close.

"Mr. Alex, cut the good guy act!"

"On my first day, I had stomach cramps, and who was it who specifically got me a hot drink and told me to rest, huh?"

"If that's not liking someone, what is?"

Her words stirred a memory.

On her first day, I'd seen her, a young woman new to the professional world, and felt a flicker of concern.

It was a brief moment, no more than fifteen seconds. I hadn't even said anything extra, let alone made any ambiguous gestures.

Just how severe was her delusion to twist that into me being interested in her?

I frowned, patiently trying to explain.

"That was just normal colleague-to-colleague concern, nothing more. Besides, I'm already married."

"So what if you're married?"

Before I could finish, she cut me off, completely unapologetic.

"Being married doesn't stop you from liking me! Mr. Alex, I'm giving you a chance right now. Just be with me, divorce your ugly wife, and I'll pretend nothing ever happened."

She spoke with such arrogance, as if she were doing me a favor.

It made my stomach churn.

I'd initially thought she was just a young girl new to the world, no need to make a big deal out of it.

But now, it was clear I'd been too soft.

"Who do you think you are? Get a reality check. You think I'd ever look twice at someone like you?"

Chloe's face instantly flushed crimson. She shrieked, rushing towards me, tearing at her own clothes wildly.

"Since you're not going to be reasonable, I guess I'll have to use other methods!"

The words were barely out before she pushed past me, screaming like a madwoman as she ran towards the door.

"Help! Help me! Mr. Alex is trying to assault me!"

Her voice instantly echoed through the entire office.

My colleagues were already buzzing about my relationship with Chloe because of that viral short video.

Now, it was pure chaos.

A few female colleagues even took off their jackets and draped them over Chloe, asking curiously what happened.

Chloe leaned into a colleague's embrace, fake-sobbing a couple of times.

"As soon as I walked into the office, Mr. Alex forced me to take off my clothes."

"He said if I didn't listen to him, he wouldn't let me pass my internship and would fire me. I refused, and he lunged at me, trying to kiss me. I fought him off and managed to escape…"

She spun such a convincing tale that if it weren't for the camera, even I would have believed her nonsense.

The expressions of my colleagues instantly turned complicated.

"Mr. Alex always seemed so decent, not the type to take advantage of people, right?"

"You never know. Didn't you notice Mr. Alex is usually nicer to female employees than male ones? So that's what he was up to."