Chapter 3

Monday morning, I was waiting in line at the coffee shop downstairs. Just as it was my turn, the person right in front of me snagged the very last cup of cold brew.

I cursed under my breath, but when the culprit turned around, it was Chase!

He casually swirled the cup, smirking. "What a coincidence, Miss Miller."

I gave him a razor-thin smile. "Not a coincidence. I buy my coffee at this exact time every single day."

"Really?" He acted surprised. "How come I've never bumped into you before?"

"Because you usually clock in at the literal last minute. You’re fifteen minutes early today," I blurted out.

The second the words left my mouth, I wanted to swallow my own tongue. How on earth did I know his morning routine?!

Chase froze for a beat, an amused, probing glint flashing in his eyes.

"Oh? So Miss Miller... keeps close tabs on my schedule?"

My cheeks flared up. I forced myself to maintain eye contact. "Know your enemy! Standard corporate strategy!"

He let out a low chuckle, choosing not to press me, and instead extended the cup toward me. "Here. Take it."

I stared at it. "What's the catch?"

"Didn't your mom tell me to look after you?" he said smoothly. "Hot Americano is better for energy anyway. Too much cold brew wrecks your stomach."

I took the coffee suspiciously. Did the sun rise in the west today? My sworn enemy being nice to me?

Then, he pulled out his phone and tapped the screen a few times.

My phone buzzed with an incoming message.

Chase: [Cold brew was $6.50. Don't forget to Venmo me.]

Me: "..."

I knew it! I should never have expected human decency from him!

That afternoon, our department held a cross-company pitch meeting with a partner firm.

When the client team walked in and I saw who was leading them, I almost snapped my pen in two.

Chase.

When he spotted me, he hesitated for half a second before slipping on his usual slick corporate facade.

Our executives were exchanging pleasantries. "We're thrilled to collaborate with Mr. Evans and his team. This will be a great learning opportunity for everyone..."

During the entire meeting, I was on maximum defense mode, firing on all cylinders to ensure he couldn't find a single flaw in my pitch.

Strangely enough, while Chase asked plenty of sharp questions, his tone was remarkably calm. When I explained a particularly tricky milestone, he actually nodded in approval.

That wasn't like him at all.

When the meeting wrapped, the senior directors stepped out first, leaving the working teams to hammer out the finer details.

I packed up my laptop, ready to make a quick exit, but Chase walked over.

Soon, it was just the two of us left in the conference room.

He tapped on my desk. "Hey."

I looked up, annoyed. "Can I help you, Mr. Evans?"

He leaned in slightly, dropping his voice to a whisper. "About our fake dating pact..."

My heart lurched. Was he going to blackmail me with it?

Then he finished: "...Don't slip up in front of our moms."

*That was it?*

I breathed a silent sigh of relief and scoffed, "Worry about yourself, Evans."

He straightened up, gave me an unreadable look, and walked out.

I sat there bewildered. Did he really stay behind just to tell me that?

My phone lit up. A notification from him.

Chase: [You did a great job today.]

Staring at the screen, then toward the empty doorway, my heart did a weird, involuntary flutter.

What on earth was wrong with me? Why was my sworn enemy suddenly starting to look... kind of attractive?