How to Not Fall for My Boss ✔

9. Morning After

If she didn't reply to Harry's drunk text last night, the boy wouldn't call her in the middle of the night. If she didn't pick up the phone call, she wouldn't need to tiptoe to the balcony. If she didn't go to the balcony, she didn't have to have the convo with Luke. But Alas, she did reply to Rose's boyfriend. One thing led to another, and she went back to bed after four but managed to fall asleep at around five, with Georgia's soft snore in the background.

That's the reason why she and Georgia are sitting in the hotel restaurant an hour before breakfast time is over, thanks to Luke who rang our room intercom at 9 A.M. Surprisingly, they aren't the only ones who came in the last hour. The humming of people conversing over meals and the clinking sound of cutlery hitting the plate echo from every corner of the room, while they sit by the window, enjoying their breakfast. It's amusing for Cobie to see how much Georgia can eat, but the girl puked out her dinner last night. She must've woken up hungry like hell this morning.

"Why was Luke on our balcony last night by the way?" Georgia smears butter on her bread while glancing at the restaurant entrance, probably checking if Luke comes to join them. He went down earlier this morning when they both were still in bed.

"He took you to our room, remember?" Cobie replies, leaving the part he went back to his room afterward and then jumped onto their balcony. Well, Georgia doesn't need to know.

"Thank you for calling him." The secretary smiles. "You could have asked the bellboy to bring me up, or just slapped me awake. It happened before."

Cobie laughs. "And waking up with a blue cheek? That would have been scandalous." She chugs down the rest of her orange juice. The alcohol from last night still leaves the dryness in her throat. She's never used to drinking.

"So, Luke stayed there with us for a while to make sure I was fine? So sweet of him," Georgia says, sighing. "He's always been this sweet to me, and I love him for that. I think that's how people think we're dating secretly."

Cobie nods, her mind jumping to last night's convo. "Yeah...Luke is sweet. Plus, he's known you for a while and he knows your brother. I bet you're kinda special to him among people in the office."

Georgia stops munching on her bread. "How did you know about this? About my brother?"

"Uh." Looking at Georgia's expression, Cobie assumes the topic isn't for public consumption. Why did Luke tell her last night, then? "I think I heard it somewhere before."

"Do you mean people at work know about this?" Georgia's eyes widen.

"No. I don't think so." Cobie frowns, looking for a believable answer without ratting Luke out. "Maybe Luke accidentally mentioned your brother during our meeting, and I thought your brother's last name was familiar, so I did my homework. You know" —she swats her hand in a dismissive gesture— "how I am when it comes to digging for information. Blame my job."

Georgia nods, looking convinced but the frown on her face stays. "People can't know about this, you know. They'd think I got the position through nepotism."

"My lips are sealed."

"Because it wasn't Luke who hired me in the first place," Georgia adds.

Cobie raises a brow. "Oh? Who then? I believe he was already working for the company when you joined in."

"I know. But it wasn't him who took me in. It was Jasmine."

"Jasmine?" Cobie racks her brain, trying to recall anyone called Jasmine at work. "I don't think I know her."

"She's moved to another competitor, but I'm surprised. You've heard about my brother from Luke, but not Jasmine? Wait." Georgia got up, extending her hand to Cobie. "I'm going to grab some more sausages. You want some too?"