Maxwell King didn’t notice the look of sheer bewilderment on Spencer Miller’s face; he was too busy firing off messages to Arianna Stone.

Maxwell: [So cute.]

Arianna paused, staring at her screen. Was he referring to the sticker she’d sent, or… herself?

Definitely the sticker. She chided herself for letting her imagination run wild. Still, while she typed back, she couldn’t help but save the entire series of stickers he’d just used.

Back at King Enterprises.

Spencer Miller stared at Maxwell as if he’d grown a second head, the food in his mouth forgotten. It had been five whole minutes. Ever since his friend had picked up his phone, the smirk on his face hadn’t budged.

Spencer leaned in, his curiosity getting the better of him. "Who are you texting? You look like you just won the lottery."

"My wife."

Oh, right. Spencer finally remembered that Maxwell was actually married. Out of their entire circle, the man voted most likely to die a lonely workaholic had been the first to tie the knot. Spencer still struggled to process the reality of it. After all, his own love life was still a desert…

Spencer shoveled a spoonful of rice into his mouth, bitter, and gestured vaguely at a teacup on the table. "That’s a nice mug. Where’d you get it?"

"Oh… the cufflinks? You mean these?" Maxwell casually adjusted his wrist, his tone impossibly detached. "You can’t buy them. My wife got them for me."

Spencer: "..."

*Who asked about the cufflinks?* Was he just going to force-feed him relationship status updates all lunch?

Spencer pretended he didn't care, digging into his food while saying as casually as possible, "Oh, right. Julian Adams’ brother is back from overseas. We’re doing the usual spot tonight. Don't be late; I'm not calling you to remind you."

Maxwell leaned back in his chair, looking effortlessly relaxed. "Can't make it. Too busy."

Spencer didn’t buy it for a second. "Too busy? Doing what?"

Maxwell let out a melancholic sigh, brushing a speck of dust off his perfectly tailored suit jacket. "I’m not like you guys. I’m a married man now."

The tone was weary, but his expression was pure, sickening contentment. "I have to get home to cook dinner for my wife."

Spencer: "..."

He really hoped he’d choke on his lunch. If the food hadn't been halfway decent, he would’ve walked out right then.

***

For the next few days, Arianna obsessed over one question: How do you actually pursue someone like Maxwell?

She’d Googled it, scoured relationship advice forums, and even pulled an all-nighter binge-watching romantic K-dramas. The results were pathetic. Mostly because she never had a chance to put any of it into practice.

They were both swamped with work. Their only quality time was a few disjointed sentences over dinner or the brief moments while waiting for the milk to heat up.

Having just taken over a new project, Arianna was struggling to keep her head above water. Her body and spirit were both taking a beating, and she was reaching a level of exhaustion that went deep into her bones. Often, she’d be mid-conversation with Maxwell before a yawn cut her off. By the time her head hit the pillow, she was out, waking up only when the sun hit her face the next morning.

A few days later, in the afternoon.

Arianna stepped out of a meeting with Charlotte Marshall and glanced at her phone. Two missed calls. They were from Maxwell, logged about thirty minutes ago. She’d had her phone on silent during the conference; she hadn't heard a thing.

In her memory, Maxwell rarely called. He preferred text. Worried something might be wrong, she stepped out of the office area to the quiet end of the hallway to call him back.

It rang for a long time without an answer.

Her heart skipped a beat. She dug through her contacts and dialed Cole Parker, his executive assistant.

"Hello?" Cole’s voice was as professional as ever. "Mrs. King? Mr. King is currently in a meeting. Is there something I can relay for you?"

"It’s nothing major," Arianna said, her voice soft and hesitant. "He called me earlier, and I missed it. I just wanted to make sure he was alright."

To Cole, the CEO was his boss, and the CEO’s wife was, by extension, his boss too. Those were Maxwell's explicit instructions.

Cole thought for a moment before speaking with clinical precision. "I believe Mr. King was likely calling to share the good news with you."

Arianna blinked. "Good news? What kind of good news?"

"The partnership between King Enterprises and Volber Group has finally been finalized. Mr. King was quite stumped by the negotiations just a few days ago, so it’s a stroke of luck that it went through so smoothly."

Arianna felt a genuine sense of relief. "Does he seem happy?"

"Happy? He’s ecstatic," Cole reported, dutiful as ever. "Mr. King has been beaming all morning. I’ve never seen him look so… smitten."

Arianna was skeptical. *Maxwell, beaming?* Was he really that excited about a project?

That morning, before she left, Maxwell had stopped her. He’d put on a strictly "business-like" expression, as if he were discussing a corporate merger, and brought up the subject of a "morning kiss."

Arianna still didn't understand how he could manage to keep that pure, disciplined, cold-as-ice expression on his face while saying such insanely suggestive things.

And he’d presented it with such rigorous logic: "We should take things slowly, but that doesn't mean we should be at a total standstill. Let's start with a morning kiss."

Arianna had been clutching her bag, standing in the entryway, desperately wanting to bolt for the door.

Maxwell had guessed her intentions immediately. He’d blocked her path without a word, sealing off her escape route.

She couldn't help herself and retorted, "What kind of nonsense is a 'morning kiss'? I’ve only ever heard of a goodnight kiss."

"Oh, right. Goodnight kisses, too," Maxwell had curved his lips into a smile, his voice slow and deliberate. "Thanks for the suggestion, Mrs. King. I nearly forgot. Shall I take that as a ‘yes’?"

Arianna: "..."

No, she absolutely hadn't said yes.

Thankfully, that conversation had been cut short by a call from Cole, giving her just enough time to flee.

Back on the phone, Arianna felt a surge of warmth toward the assistant she hadn't seen in days. "Alright, I see. Thank you, Cole."

"My pleasure, Mrs. King. It’s my job."

After hanging up, Arianna remembered a high-rated post she’d read the night before. An impulsive idea sparked in her brain, and she suddenly had an epiphany.

That afternoon, when she brought some files to Charlotte, she mentioned off-handedly, "Charlotte, do you think I could skip the overtime tonight?"

Charlotte looked up from her paperwork. "Is something up?"

Arianna nodded. "Just for tonight."

"Is the proposal for the new launch ready?"

Arianna felt a twinge of guilt. "Just a little bit more to go. I’ll pull an all-nighter to finish it; I promise it won’t affect the meeting tomorrow."

Given that, Charlotte offered a rare, indulgent nod. "Fine. Go on then."

After clocking out, Arianna walked with a light step toward the parking garage on the basement level. It was her first time doing something like this, and her heart was racing with a mix of nerves and anticipation. She sat in her car, taking a few long, steadying breaths, before finally dialing the number for Maxwell’s driver.