My Bestie Used My Photo to Catfish a Man—She Never Knew He Was My Boss Chapter 10
Adrian and I quickly gathered all the proof of her years of identity fraud and defamation. We filed a lawsuit.
I heard Leo swore off women entirely after that. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes when I told Adrian. “That
Leo guy’s a piece of work too.
He laughed and ruffled my hair. A few old classmates reached out, shocked. They couldn’t believe Lauren had been like that in private all along.
Watching her downfall, the dust finally settled. I let out a long breath.
One evening after work, Adrian messaged me. He said he was craving tonkatsu from a little place in the city. But for some reason, I wasn’t in the mood for anything greasy today. Still, he said he wanted it.
I thought about it and called him back. He answered with a soft laugh. “Hey, Iris. I already made a reservation. I’ll come pick you up.”
I hesitated for a second before mumbling. “Sure, let’s go. But I had a big lunch, so I’m not that hungry. You eat. I’ll just watch.”
There was a pause. “Iris, you don’t like it, do you?”
I blinked, then rushed to deny it. “No, that’s not what I meant.” My voice came out strained. I instinctively
felt like I’d ruined the evening. Growing up, no one ever asked what I wanted to eat. I learned to just go along
with things.
But Adrian’s reaction on the other end wasn’t what I was used to. His voice slowed, gentle and serious. “Iris,
I don’t want you to be like this.”
“When you don’t like something, when you don’t want something-you can just say no. No one has the right to yell at you or make you feel bad.”
I gripped my phone, unable to speak. Before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face. So there really was an option called “no.”
I couldn’t stop the sobs. It was only then that I understood what all those TV shows meant. What it felt like
to truly be loved. If my trust in Adrian was seventy percent before, it was ninety-nine now.
I stood in the fading sunset, frozen. Long enough to forget the sun was even there. I wiped my eyes with my
sleeve. Before I could look up, I was pulled into a warm embrace.
The man in front of me wore a linen shirt. A faint scent of cedar wrapped around me.
God. I wasn’t alone anymore.
From now on, whenever I turned around, someone would be there. A home waiting for me. Someone who
remembered what I liked. Who’d make up for all the times I bent over backward for others. Who’d clumsily cook for me.
I stood on my tiptoes and wrapped my arms around his neck. The streetlights stretched our shadows long and thin. I buried my face against him and mumbled, “My eyeliner’s ruined. I look awful.”
Then I thought about it and smiled. I reached up to trace the curve of his lips. And whispered, “But it’s fine. I don’t need fancy food. You’re already a whole meal.”
I blinked, feeling bold. He just stared at me, speechless. Even in the dark, I could see the blush spreading across his cheeks.
God, he was hot.
