It was a sleepless night for me. When I looked into the mirror the next morning, I sighed irritably upon seeing the dark circles under my eyes.
I prepared some breakfast for myself but didn’t have an appetite. Thus, I only ate a little bit and went to the office.
Never did I expect Michael to be serious about working in Joyful Success for half a year, but he actually set up his own office here.
Glancing at the temporary CEO’s office a short distance away, I began to worry about what happened with Michael the previous night.
I felt skittish every time I saw him, so I really didn’t know how I was going to get through the next six months of seeing him every day.
Fortunately for me, Michael was a workaholic and treated everyone else like thin air whenever he was working. Naturally, he didn’t make things difficult for me either.
Just before getting off work, I was arranging the files on my desk when my phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, panic rose in me when I saw that it was Yuval.
I peeked at Michael’s office guiltily.
Seeing as his attention was focused on a document in his hand, I quickly picked up the call.
“Anna, are you still at work? What took you so long to answer?”
Yuval’s warm and gentle voice drifted across the line.
“Mm-hmm. I’m about to leave the office now,” I answered blandly and shot another glance at the CEO’s office.
But this time, I found Michael staring straight at me.
When our gazes collided, I was thrown into a frenzy and quickly looked away. For some reason, I felt guilty for answering Yuval’s call in front of him.
“We haven’t seen each other for a few days now. Let’s have dinner together tonight.”
Yuval’s voice jerked me back to my senses.
“Uhm, I…”
I didn’t know how to face Yuval. After all, I already promised Michael that I’d maintain my relationship with him for another six months. During this period of time, there was no way Yuval and I could get along like a normal couple.
But I couldn’t bring myself to give up on Yuval just to continue my relationship with Michael. It wasn’t because I was fickle-hearted, but because I finally found a man who I was compatible with, and who was willing to marry me. I didn’t want to go through all the trouble again.
For me, it was very difficult to find a suitable man to spend the rest of my life with. Not to mention, I might never be able to find another man like him.
“What’s wrong, Anna? You can’t make it?”
Without waiting for my answer, Yuval’s voice sounded again, and I could detect the disappointment in his tone.
“That’s not it. Then let’s-”
I was about to agree to Yuval’s invitation, but Michael’s voice interrupted me.
“Anna, there are a few more documents here that need sorting. Do it now.”
Standing not far away from me, Michael looked at me with an icy and unreadable expression on his face.
“Oh, okay…”
I stared dumbly at Michael, unable to snap out of my daze for a long time.
“I’m sorry, Yuval. I may need to work overtime tonight. Let’s take a rain check?”
I actually couldn’t come up with an excuse to reject him earlier. Now that Michael had given me a good excuse, I couldn’t deny that I felt somewhat relieved.
Since Yuval had also heard Michael’s orders from the other end of the line, I wasn’t worried that he’d get the wrong idea.
“Alright then. Carry on with your work. Let’s have dinner some other time. My treat.”
This further showed that Yuval was a considerate man as he didn’t make a big deal out of it after hearing what I said.
After ending the call, I breathed a long sigh of relief. I couldn’t tell if it was because of my relationship with Michael, but I really didn’t know how to act around Yuval.
When I turned around and found Michael still standing at the same spot, I instinctively backed away a few steps in shock.
Recomposing myself, I met Michael’s eyes and asked awkwardly, “Which documents do you need me to sort?”
It was already after working hours, and all my colleagues had left. Hence, Michael wasn’t worried that someone might see us interacting closely.
“Was it the little lawyer?”
Michael didn’t answer my question, nor did he hand me any documents. Instead, he shifted the topic to Yuval.
He took on a lofty stance when he asked me this question, and I could discern the contempt in his eyes.
Although I was only a commoner, I didn’t like it when someone acted like they were above everyone else. Hence, I was greatly ticked off by Michael’s attitude.
“His name is Yuval, not ‘the little lawyer’!”
Although I couldn’t deny that he deserved to behave like this because of his achievements, Yuval was still considered an accomplished lawyer. But the way Michael referred to him was blatantly disrespectful.
“Are you siding with him? Have you forgotten what I told you, Anna? In the next six months, you can only be my woman. You aren’t allowed to have other men!”
Michael’s face instantly darkened upon hearing my response. He strode over and looked down his nose at me with a chill to his gaze.
“You only said I’m not allowed to sleep with other men, but you never said anything about cutting off all contact with them. I won’t sleep with Yuval in the next six months, but I can tell you he’s someone I’m going to marry in the future. When our contract is over after six months, I’ll no longer have anything to do with you.”
I knew that I was treating Yuval as a backup and that it was unfair to him, but I wasn’t going to give up when I finally found someone suitable.
Upon that, Michael approached me step by step, his eyes already blazing with fury as he spoke in a glacial voice. “Are you really that wanton, Anna? Do you mean to say that I can’t satisfy you during these six months. Is that why you’re thinking of hooking up another man?”
“You’re being unreasonable, Michael. I already agreed to your conditions. What else do you want? Do you want me to give up my happiness just for this unspeakable relationship between us?”
Anger swelled in my chest as well. I had already compromised enough for him, and this was the one thing I wasn’t going to budge on!
“Your happiness? Are you sure that you’re making the right choice?”
Michael’s lips curled into a sneer, and his eyes grew colder.
“I believe that I’m making the right choice, and I hope you won’t interfere with my life. We’re only friends with benefits, after all. I promise not to be intimate with other men for six months; this is as much as I’m willing to compromise.”
