To make my crush Wesley Evans remember me, I purposely maintained my GPA to keep him ranked second for three entire years.
When he finally snapped and tried to date me—his romantic Hail Mary to throw me off my throne—I smiled sweetly and said yes.
Then I beat him to the punch and dumped him first.
Good News: He truly will never forget me for the rest of his life.
Bad News: Years later, when I applied for a job, he was the interviewer.
He casually tossed my resume aside.
"Rejected. Next."
…
Wesley was still holding that grudge.
I smiled politely, giving him a small bow.
Having unexpectedly seen him today was already a pleasant surprise.
So being rejected didn't discourage me. I turned to leave.
"Wait."
The voice behind me was slightly bitter.
"Is this how much Ms. Winters wants to join our company?"
Wesley's cool expression flushed with anger, his mature aura fading slightly.
Huh, Still unable to control his temper, just like in high school.
"Of course not. My desire to join the company is incredibly strong. This is an opportunity I've dreamed of," I said, my eyes radiating sincerity.
Wesley responded with a cold snort and said nothing more.
The rest of the interview process was handled by another interviewer.
I was well-prepared and answered every question flawlessly.
Just as my employment seemed guaranteed, Wesley jumped in again.
"Does Ms. Winters know which position you are interviewing for?"
I nodded. "Yes, the executive assistant to the CEO."
Wesley's cold smile deepened.
"Before coming, didn't you check who the CEO is?"
I couldn't resist the urge to tease him when I saw how much he cared.
"I did check. I thought it was just someone with the same name. I didn't expect it to actually be my former…"
Seeing Wesley's lips tighten and the veins in his previously relaxed arm pop out, I unhurriedly finished my sentence.
"…deskmate."
Wesley looked at me with fire in his eyes.
The other interviewer noticed our tension and wiped sweat from his brow.
"Ms. Winters, your resume is impressive. Go home and wait for our call."
"SHE'S HIRED."
Wesley stated firmly, emphasizing each word.
"We must offer some special consideration to my former deskmate."
I wasn't worried at all. Instead, I winked at him.
"Thank you."
As soon as I left the office and turned the corner, Wesley caught up with me.
"Aren't you curious why I chose you?"
"Of course it's because I'm exceptionally qualified."
Wesley fumed. "Sloane Winters, you're still as arrogant as before."
I stopped walking and gave him a meaningful look.
"Or else? Could it be that someone wants to rekindle our old flame, ex-boyfriend?"
Wesley immediately darkened.
"You think too highly of yourself. I chose you only to get revenge, to make you suffer."
"Sloane Winters, I'll give you one last chance—you can choose not to accept the job."
He raised his chin proudly, just like in the old days.
But my mind flashed to him pleading humbly before. The proud Wesley had once bowed his head to me, saying, "Please don't break up with me, okay?"
My distraction was misinterpreted by Wesley as hesitation.
His fingers secretly clenched, but his words still showed no mercy.
"If you're scared, then don't come provoke me again."
I smiled with a sigh. "Wesley, you are still the same as before."
Wesley was extremely displeased. "Same what?"
By the time we reached the company entrance, I still hadn't elaborated.
I waved goodbye with a mysterious smile.
"Unblock me, and I'll tell you."
Wesley had blocked me on every social APP.
Even Spotify wasn't spared.
The day we broke up, he trashed my Roblox world and gave away all my rare pets.
Funny, considering he used to secretly log in during class just to take care of them whenever I was too busy.
The model student who ranked second in our grade had never done anything so out of line.
Despite Wesley now inheriting the family business and becoming a powerful CEO, back in high school, he strictly followed school rules and was even somewhat naive.
The only time he used his family's influence was to arrange for me to be his deskmate.
In our top class where boys and girls weren't normally seated together, we stood out quite a bit.
But no one objected because I was always the top student in our grade.
No one suspected we might be dating, including myself.
Because I knew that the reason he wanted me to be his deskmate was only to learn my secret—
He was very curious about why the girls from a small county town could always steal his first place. He was determined to steal it back.
At the same time, I also can't stand him. He likes to look down at people when speaking, very arrogant and showy.
The first impression was too bad, so my attitude towards Wesley has always been extremely indifferent.
Our only conversation was about test scores.
Every time the score comes out, Wesley would break the silence first.
"What did you get?"
I answered my score, but never expecting his reply.
Then I watched his reaction after heard my score again and again:
Either he would snort defiantly while humming 'It's taller than mine. '
Either he would sneer and exclaim 'Same score. '
Either he would remain silent, tightly pursed lips, shining eyes begin to dim, and stretched eyebrows furrow.
…
Wait, why am I watching him again?
I discreetly shifted my gaze, gripping my pen tightly.
‘The cunning second-place was trying to distract me with his good looks, but I wouldn't fall for it!’
Our distant deskmate relationship continued.
Until the academic competition arrived.
On the way back to class after submitting the registration form, Wesley spoke with some pride.
"Sloane, you're pretty smart. But competitions aren't just about talent; experience matters too. I'll definitely beat you this time!"
The resources in my small county town weren't as strong, so I hadn't encountered many competitions before.
This time, he'd made a valid point.
However, when it came to academics, I was just as proud and would never easily admit defeat.
I smiled calmly. "Since you're so confident, how about a bet? The loser grants one request to the winner—nothing too extreme, of course."
Doubt crossed Wesley's proud face.
The opponent couldn't be underestimated; he sensed a trap.
I drawled teasingly, "Tsk, Tsk, I didn't expect you to be so afraid of losing, Wesley."
Heard that, Wesley immediately exploded.
"Let's bet then."
He said through gritted teeth, "Sloane Winters, you're done for."
What a coincidence—it seemed he couldn't stand me either.
Later, when the competition results came out, both Wesley and I won gold medals.
However, unfortunately for him, my score was just slightly higher than Wesley's.
He was right; experience was important.
If I'd had his extensive experience, I would have outscored him by even more.
So despite winning a gold medal, Wesley looked gloomy.
He couldn't bear it for even a day and wanted to fulfill his end of the bet quickly so he could forget the humiliation.
"What do you want me to do? Hurry up."
I pretended not to understand. "What do you mean?"
"Oh right, our bet."
"But why would you be the one granting my request?"
It was almost lunchtime, and the tree-lined path was nearly empty.
Wesley remained silent for a moment, then suddenly gave up.
He shouted, "Because I lost! I lost! Okay?!"
I wanted to laugh out loud.
But seeing Wesley so devastated, I conscientiously held it in.
Clearing my throat, I said, "Little Wesley, don't be so agitated."
"Who are you calling 'Little'? I was born three months before you!"
Wesley completely lost his cool.
"Fine, fine, then should I call you 'Big Wesley'?"
Oops, my mouth moved too fast.
I saw Wesley blushed to the roots of his neck.
I explained, "I didn't mean your 'bro' is…"
That only made things worse.
Wesley lowered his proud head and spoke more quietly.
"What do you want from me?"
The situation had become so awkward that I no longer felt like laughing at him.
"Actually, it's nothing serious. Just want to see you do an air basketball shot?"
Some boys in our class loved doing this.
Whenever they did, Wesley would look at them like they were idiots.
My views aligned with Wesley on this.
So my request was purely to mess with him.
As expected, Wesley turned completely red.
Afraid of pushing him too far, I ultimately let him off the hook.
"If you really don't want to, then forget it."
He glared at me. "I keep my word. A bet is a bet."
Wesley loosened his joints, jumped up, and made a basketball shooting gesture.
His movement was smooth and straightforward, not exaggerated at all.
He adjusted his collar, pretending nothing had happened.
Then he fiercely said, "Don't tell anyone."
Ha, just like a little peacock.
That’s when the seeds of a crush took root in that moment, silent and unnoticed.
That night, hours after my interview ended, my hot-headed ex-boyfriend finally unblocked me.
I immediately opened his profile and frantically took screenshots of everything.
After gathering all the intel I could, I finally send him the answer he was looking for.
[You are still the same as before.]
[CHILDISH.]
Oops, two seconds after "read" , I got blocked again.
What a temper.
On my first day at work, trying to appease my ex-boyfriend and now boss, I brought him a warm coffee.
After just one sip, his face darkened.
"You don't even know how to make coffee?"
I smiled good-naturedly. "Should I throw this out and brew you a new one instead?"
He looked down and took another big sip.
"Don't let it happen again."
After that, Wesley became completely absorbed in his work.
I felt a bit disappointed. Was this what he meant by torturing me?
After working continuously for several hours, I went to the break room for a breather.
A friend from the company came in to find me.
"Sloane, did the CEO scold you?"
It seemed everyone was working diligently on the surface but secretly observing the boss.
They'd all noticed Wesley's black face.
My friend felt somewhat guilty.
"It's my fault. When I saw how handsome our new CEO was, I shared his photo with you. I never expected you to switch jobs so quickly! Even someone as romantically indifferent as you has fallen for our CEO as well, tsk tsk."
I caught a key phrase: "As well?"
Wesley was handsome and wealthy; it was normal for many people to like him.
But the use of the word "fallen" suggested the attraction was unusually strong.
She whispered, "The second day after the CEO took office, a Miss Taylor came by. Apparently, she accompanied the CEO during all his years studying abroad."
I raised an eyebrow. "Who said that? Is it reliable?"
"Who else? Miss Taylor herself." My friend wore an expression of speechlessness.
"She picked out a few attractive employees and voluntarily told them about her overseas stories with the CEO."
"But no one asked her! It was like a dog marking its territory. By the end of the day, these stories had spread throughout the company."
Hearing this, my hands clenched into fists.
When I saw Wesley's photo that day, I only felt that our fate wasn't finished. I didn't want any regrets, so I came.
Before coming, I had imagined many results.
For instance, Wesley discovering I'd joined the company, hating me so much that he fired me immediately.
But among all these possibilities, none included Wesley having someone else.
I returned to my desk, my heart heavy, almost unable to breathe.
The low mood was only temporary.
I quickly regained my spirit, as I never liked to admit defeat easily.
Silently taking out my phone, I began scrolling through the screenshots of Wesley's social media with a calm expression.
Mostly late-night emotional posts, occasionally some landscape photos.
I couldn't find anyone resembling Miss Taylor, or any women at all.
But among the many posts, one caught my eye.
Wesley had posted a completely black image with no text.
After thinking for a moment, I slowly increased my phone's brightness to maximum.
Dust-like white dots gradually appeared, then began to shine.
I was stunned.
It was actually a starry sky.
Knock! Knock!
Suddenly, someone lightly tapped my desk.
Wesley had silently appeared behind me.
He looked at me disapprovingly. "Secretary Winters, first day on the job and already slacking off?"
Not just slacking off—I was stalking the boss too.
I instinctively moved to turn off the screen but stopped myself.
The screenshot of Wesley's social media post was displayed right there.
While apologizing verbally, my eyes stared directly at him.
I was curious about his reaction.
To my surprise, Wesley merely glanced at the screen before responding coolly.
"If it happens again, I'll dock your pay."
I disappointedly replied with an "Oh."
For the rest of the day, I worked listlessly.
Wesley wouldn't notice others' emotions unless he cared about them.
Thinking about his indifference toward me the entire day, I began to have doubts.
Yes, I wanted to win him back.
But I was more afraid that my persistence might make him despise me.
Perhaps his emotional reaction during the interview was just a fleeting moment.
I sighed inwardly, not noticing my phone vibrate.
Until it vibrated several times in succession did I realize Wesley had unblocked me again.
[No deduction this time.]
[Transferring $10,000.]
[Go downstairs and buy me a coffee. Take the opportunity to lift your spirits.]
[Don't overthink. I just don't want your low mood affecting the overall office atmosphere.]
I felt instantly recharged and enthusiastically replied.
[Sure! Do you need anything else besides coffee?]
Separated by a Venetian blind, Wesley responded quickly.
[Nothing else. The extra is your delivery fee.]
Memory flashed back to the past.
Seeing I only had two vegetable dishes for lunch, Wesley asked me to bring him water in exchange for using his meal card.
With an air of pride, he said, "Take it. Rich people like us never let others work for free."
Back then, I accepted without hesitation.
Why not let a rich person treat me?
Now, I couldn't help but glance at Wesley through the window.
I wanted to tell him I no longer needed to pinch pennies like before.
In my senior year of college, I invested my technical skills and started a small company with classmates.
These past few years, I'd achieved financial freedom, which gave me the courage to switch jobs and find the person I once thought was beyond my reach.
There was so much I wanted to say, but the timing and setting all weren't right. So I just smiled happily at Wesley.
He cared about me. He still had feelings for me.
I felt confident again.
I'd been working for over two weeks now.
Today, Wesley's schedule included an evening banquet.
I was excited. As the time approached, I finally had a reason to enter his office.
"CEO, the banquet time is approaching. Is there anything else you need to prepare?" My eyes darted around. "Like, picking up your date?"
Wesley looked up from his documents and checked his watch.
"What date? You can just come with me."
The Evansght lifted from my heart, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
I thought he might be going with Miss Taylor.
But before I could feel too happy, Wesley took me directly to the banquet venue without any preparation.
I double-checked, "We're just going like this?"
No styling or outfit change?
Wesley looked confused, glancing at my professional attire.
"It's just a work event. Isn't this fine?"
The next moment, he had a realization.
Wesley's lips curved into a slight smile. "I wondered why you asked about a date. You didn't think you were my date, did you?"
His smile deepened.
"You're overthinking. Keep close to me, little follower."
I was furious.
Inside the banquet, as Wesley had said, he was purely there for business.
During my time at his company, I'd learned quite a bit about the situation.
After returning from his studies abroad, Wesley took over the company directly from his father.
Being young and inheriting a family business, many relatives and veterans were eyeing his position.
Now, he urgently needed to establish himself with some achievements.
After exchanging greetings with the seniors, Wesley sought out potential partners for discussion.
Everything was going well until Mr. Brown, another young business talent across from us, suddenly said meaningfully:
"CEO Evans is truly accomplished at a young age, and his secretary is also quite beautiful."
Wesley's face darkened, and he blocked me behind him.
"Sorry, something urgent came up. We'll leave first."
From behind him, I frantically signaled to Liam Brown.
Seeing Wesley about to leave, I panicked and grabbed him.
"We know each other. He's just joking."
Liam's fox-like eyes were full of innocence. "Secretary Winters is indeed beautiful. Why is CEO Evans so agitated?"
Wesley was serious. "We were discussing business, yet you suddenly commented on my secretary's appearance. I thought it was harassment."
Wesley continued coolly, "I apologize if I misunderstood, since you apparently know each other."
A faint smell of gunpowder filled the air.
Until a woman's voice broke the silence.
"Wesley, I finally found you!"
The approaching woman must be the legendary Miss Taylor.
She smiled sweetly. "Why didn't you tell me you were attending the banquet?"
Liam smiled. "CEO Evans, should I take Secretary Winters aside to give you and this lady some space?"
I glared at Liam.
How could I leave at a time like this?
