"Should I call her?"
Leo whispers to himself as he looks back at his cell phone.
"Would Dana agree if I asked her out now? Is it too sudden? Would it make it too obvious that I have a crush on her?"
"What the hell, Leo? Calm yourself down! You are smart, rich, and handsome! And this is just a trivial matter, unlike the responsibility you bear at work. This is just a matter of calling...Dana."
Once again, he took a deep breath while closing his eyes, trying to calm his confused mind.
Leo had never felt anxious and worried like this since he last felt it when his girlfriend back then suddenly asked to break up with him for a trivial reason; she asked for a breakup because she was too busy and didn’t have time to date him. She felt selfish if she continued the relationship without giving it the attention it deserved.
At the time, he accepted what she wished for as he realized he also felt the same way—busy in the company and seldom thought about her at work.
However, a few days later, he found out his ex was actually dating another man—and that person was way wealthier than him.
Since that incident a year ago, a betrayed and fooled Leo has decided to stop dating. He’s not sure how long it will take, but romantic relationships are not his priority this time.
He’s afraid of meeting a woman who might cheat on him and feels traumatized by the experience.
However, everything changes when he meets Dana Collins.
His feelings toward her were unexpected. This woman had stolen his attention and, with that, a slight of his breath since the day they met. The day he interviewed her to become his secretary.
But Leo was afraid to show his true feelings to Dana. He worried she would think he was unprofessional, which would scare her off, and also because he was her Boss.
As a result, he never openly expressed his attraction to her, and their relationship remained strictly professional as Boss and secretary.
"You’re an idiot, Leo. Didn’t you know that? You must express your feelings while she’s still a single woman. Otherwise, someone will move first and steal her from you! So what if you’re her Boss? Just like her, you’re also single.
Most men, single or otherwise, would jump right away without a second thought!"
This is what Harper told him the other day, warning and teasing him about his romantic life. And, of course, those words rang in his mind every minute. Sometimes, Harper’s words scare him, but other times, they encourage him.
To add to his fear and overthinking about making the first move on Dana was when he was told that Dana had been forced to get engaged to a man her parents had chosen.
"Man!! It would be best if you tried now. Or... you will regret it! Fuck Leo! You know regret is more hurtful when it comes to something you didn’t do than something you do!" Leo tried to convince and curse himself while sitting straight and taking his cell phone.
"Lunchtime? No…" Said Dana, confused.
"Perfect! Dana, I will pick you up around eleven... we will go to the lunch party." Leo hurriedly said without losing his casual tone. But in his rush and nervousness, he realized he had forgotten to ask Dana first before saying that. But the ball had rolled. And this was the point of no return; his mind encouraged him.
Dana was surprised to hear Leo’s words, "Lunch party? Where?"
She didn’t remember an agenda for him to attend a lunch party. Also, she wondered why he suddenly asked her to follow him. She started to think she might have misheard something.
"Leo, are you asking me to go to the lunch party!? With you!? Just us?" she asked again.
"Yes. Just you and me. Our big Boss invited us to her private lunch party." Leo continued to explain Bella’s invitation.
After a few seconds of Dana’s silence, Leo finally relaxed and calmed. Then he apologized for forgetting to ask her first and said he should have asked about this earlier. Despite the short notice, he also hoped she could come to the lunch party.
"B-Boss... I..." Before she could finish her words, Leo suddenly spoke in an obviously nervous tone.
"D-Dana, I was worried that Boss Bella would scold me if you didn’t show up because I forgot to tell you about this party yesterday. So please, come with me—"

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