My CEO Bestie And Me by Goodness Chiamaka

 New Story Alert! My CEO Bestie And Me By Goodness Chiamaka. 

Chapter 1.

Lerisa Jonah, a 24-year-old woman, stood up from her office chair, having finished her work for the day.

She worked as Anthony Gregson's secretary, so she rose from her seat and picked up her black handbag from her desk, ready to go home.

Lerisa was a fair-complexioned young lady, wearing a yellow shirt, black pencil skirt, and black shoes. She wondered why she hadn't seen Anthony leaving his office.

She knew that Anthony usually finished by 5 pm and left the company before 6 pm, the company's normal closing hour.

Lerisa made her way toward Anthony's office door to find out what was delaying her boss, as it was after 6 pm, and most of the staff were already heading home.

Approaching Anthony's office door, Lerisa knocked and heard him respond, "Come in."

She pushed the door slightly open, stepped into his office, and saw him seated in his office chair, staring at a red ring box in his hands.

Lerisa's heart dropped the moment she saw the beautiful, sparkling diamond ring.

She knew at that moment that Anthony was in a serious relationship with Clara Harry and would soon propose.

Lerisa felt like crying out because she was secretly in love with Anthony, but she wasn't brave enough to tell him the truth.

Her fair face immediately flushed red with sadness, and she looked down to hide her expression.

Anthony was so engrossed in admiring the diamond ring that he didn't notice Lerisa.

They were childhood best friends, due to their fathers' close relationship. Lerisa's father had been Anthony's father's former assistant, supporting him in building the shoe company, which Anthony now owned.

Lerisa knew that Clara Harry was a cheat and didn't deserve a man like Anthony. She had seen Clara flirting with different men behind Anthony's back, but she couldn't bring herself to advise Anthony to stop dating her.

Lerisa had even witnessed Clara visiting Anthony in his office and caught them kissing, which made her heart sink, knowing that Anthony was seriously in love with Clara.

Anthony was a 30-year-old Black man. He wore a black suit with a red shirt underneath and black shoes, which made him look handsome.

Anthony had a short mustache and beard that enhanced his looks and made him look charming.

Finally, Anthony looked up at Lerisa and saw her staring downward. He wondered what she wanted, as he thought he was done with her for the day.

He had forgotten that the company had closed, as he was busy admiring the ring he had bought. He intended to propose to Clara the following day.

Anthony demanded, "What do you want, Lerisa?"

"I… I…" Lerisa stammered, unable to explain why she was in Anthony's office, sounding heartbroken at the sight of the ring.

She had come to tell Anthony that she was leaving, but Anthony didn't look up at her again. He was busy admiring the diamond ring and wondering if Clara would like it.

Anthony asked her, "What do you think of this ring, Lerisa? Remember that I invited you and the rest of our staff to my birthday party tomorrow at my family's house? Well, I want to propose to Clara tomorrow, but I don't know if she will accept this beautiful diamond ring that I ordered from abroad. I do love Clara. Do you think she will love this ring and accept it? I bought it to prove my love to her."

Lerisa's heart broke even more at Anthony's question. She saw him smiling sweetly at the ring. As he continued to look down at the ring, she replied, "I thought you had closed, Sir. That's why I came to collect the office key. But it seems like you're not ready to go home yet."

Anthony immediately noticed the sadness in Lerisa's voice. He closed the ring box and stood up from his chair. He walked out to meet her and asked, "What's wrong, Lerisa?"

Lerisa turned her back to Anthony, as hot tears streamed down her face. She couldn't tell Anthony the truth: that she was in love with him. Anthony only saw her as a sister, even though they weren't related.

"What's wrong, Lerisa?" Anthony approached her and turned her around to face him.

Lerisa felt a spark, but Anthony ignored it and looked intently at her face.

"Tell me, what's wrong?" Anthony asked again in a stern voice. Lerisa shuddered but shook her head.

She lied, "Nothing, Sir. I only came to tell you that I'm leaving. The company has closed for the day, and to collect the office key."

"Sir?" Anthony asked, staring at Lerisa's face coldly. His eyes squinted in what looked like pain.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me sir, Lerisa? You're like a sister to me, not just a staff member," Anthony said, and Lerisa shuddered, hating that Anthony always reminded her of this.

Anthony's office door opened, and his assistant, Mark Terry, stepped into the office.

Mark looked surprised to see Anthony holding Lerisa's arms closely to his chest. Anthony didn't look at Mark, focused on Lerisa's face.

'Do they want to kiss?' Mark wondered, quickly composing himself and apologizing, "I'm sorry, boss."