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Three

PIPPI WAS IN ONE OFthe toilet cubicles when she heard the door to the ladies' open, followed by the sound of chatter and heels clicking against the floor. In the act of leaving, she changed her mind and instead stepped back to lower the lid of the toilet.

Life Hack #2 for the Socially Inept, Pippi thought as she sat back down on the toilet.Wait it out to avoid having to make small talk.

"You've heard, haven't you?" Pippi overheard one of the girls ask.

"About BILF coming back to work from the Amazon?"

Sheltered as she was, even Pippi knew that BILF stood forBoss I'd Like to Fuck.The latter part of the girl's news, however, had her brows raising, more so when the conversation took the most outrageous turn.

I heard someone say he's got his eyes on being South America's most powerful lumber baron.

I heard differently. They say he's there to buy the skin of a 100-hundred-foot anaconda. He wants it in his living room...

Listening to the girls speculate the most wildest things had Pippi rolling her eyes and longing to blurt out the truth.

He had pneumonia, you guys! That's all!

Pippi waited for a full minute after hearing the door close behind the other girls before cautiously stepping out.I should tell the others about that,Pippi mused as she made her way back to Mr. Collins' office. It would make a funny story to share over dinner, and her family always did love having a good laugh.

It was a pleasant thought, but one she shelved by force of habit as soon as she returned to her desk. As the eldest child, she had always felt it was her role to be the responsible one, and this outlook had inevitably spilled over to her personality at work.

Her phone rang, and as she listened to the caller report about a crisis at one of the company's regional offices, it was business as usual, and any lingering thoughts about an Amazon trip that never happened faded for good.

Outside Mr. Collins' office, it was the same for the rest of those working at the 30th floor until the elevator doors slid open and a tall, powerful figure came out. Even to those who didn't recognize him by face, Acheron Simonides' commanding presence was such that he had everyone staring at him.

As he strode down the hallway, heads snapped so fast it was a wonder no necks were broken, with everyone wondering what possible reason the CEO could have to visit their floor. News of his presence quickly spread to the rest of the offices like wildfire, gossipy tongues setting fire all the way down to where the executives worked behind closed doors. Five seconds were all it took for everyone to know. Or at least everyone except Pippi.

A knock sounded on the door just as Mr. Collins' private phone rang.

"I'll take the call," her boss said and gestured to the door, adding, "You take care of that, and if it's a memo from Mrs. Gardiner, you know what to do."

"Have it framed and hang it on your wall?" she asked wide-eyed. The lady executive occupying one of the next-door offices was frequently likened to a female shark with an eye for rich widows like Mr. Collins.

"You just try," Pippi's grey-haired boss growled, and if looks could kill, the executive would've had her buried six feet under already.

"I was just joking," she said with a grin as she rose to her feet.

"You better."

In the mood to tease him, she looked at her boss over her back, asking innocently, "Or was I?"

"You..."But with his phone still ringing shrilly, Mr. Collins could only shoot his secretary a threatening scowl as he reached for the receiver.It was times like this he found himself wishing for the old Pippi back, he grumbled to himself. When she had just started, she was such a shy little mouse, never daring to answer back. And while she still did act like one with other people, she had long stopped being unsure of herself with Timothy. Why, these days he would be lucky if he didn't have her nagging about his diet, his health - on and on the list went.

As Pippi prepared to greet their unexpected guest, she heard her boss answer his phone and later exclaim,"He's here? What for?"

Mm.The astonishment in her boss' voice piqued her curiosity. It was so rare for anyone or anything to catch Mr. Collins off guard like that. She was still thinking about this as she opened the door, her gaze thoughtful and her voice soft as she murmured, "Good afternoon." And seeing that she was only at eye level with someone's breast pocket, Pippi lifted her gaze up - and consequently felt her jaw drop.

Dark eyes glittered down at her, and Pippi's heart slammed against her chest.

Acheron Simonides.

He was dressed entirely in black (bespoke Dior, she recalled reading from the society pages once), and the way it molded to every sinewy inch of his body was positively decadent. It reminded her of the longest three seconds of her life -her body on top of his -and the instant she thought of it, her cheeks were a goner, lost in the blushing heat of mortification.

Something glinted in his eyes, and because the only encounters she had with the opposite sex were work-related, the meaning of it escaped her at first.Why was he looking at her like he knew -

Her eyes widened in realization.