Things gradually changed after that incident. Carleton stopped butting heads with Dayana, and compared to the way he treated her at the start, he showed far more patience now. Sometimes he even bought her lunch. Out of nowhere, a delivery person would arrive and hand her a meal.

Once she learned that the orders were coming from her boss, she went to thank him personally. At the same time, she asked him not to do it anymore because she was worried people around the office would start talking.

According to Carleton, it was simply his way of making up for how badly he had treated her during the first week of her internship. He insisted there was nothing personal behind it. Part of her felt disappointed by that explanation, yet another part felt relieved.

"Mr. Aleman, I need to let you know that you have a meeting at the main headquarters overseas tomorrow morning. The board of directors stressed that it's extremely important, and they expect you to attend," Dayana said.

"Fine. Start packing your suitcase," he instructed.

"What?" she blurted out, certain she had heard him wrong.

"That's right. You're my secretary, so you'll be traveling with me."

"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't go with you."

"Are you really prepared to put your internship at risk over this?" he asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"I could take on a different position within the company."

"No. That's not happening. You have two choices. Either you travel with me, or you can start looking for another job. And before you decide, remember that your termination letter will say 'failure to fulfill assigned duties.' That won't look good when you're applying somewhere else. So think carefully. Complete your internship or walk away from it."

"I can't believe you're doing this. I honestly thought we were finally starting to get along," she said with disappointment.

"My dear, you're misunderstanding the situation. Business is business, and it has to be handled properly. I'll give you until seven tomorrow morning to decide whether you're coming with me or leaving the company."

Getting ready for the trip turned into a major headache for Dayana. The preparations took a lot of effort, but eventually she and her boss boarded the plane and left the country.

The entire day was packed with meetings. Neither of them had enough time to properly eat lunch or dinner. By the time they reached the hotel, dawn was approaching and exhaustion had settled into every part of their bodies. They hadn't gotten any rest at all, even during the flight.

"Do you have our room number?" Carleton asked.

"No, sir. I didn't make a hotel reservation," she answered.

"What do you mean you didn't make one? Booking the hotel was part of your responsibility as my secretary."

Carleton was furious.

"I'm sorry, boss. I assumed you had already taken care of the hotel reservations."

"Unbelievable," he muttered with a weary sigh.

He wanted to keep scolding her, but exhaustion was finally starting to catch up with him.

Together, they walked over to the reception desk and asked whether any rooms were available.

"I'm sorry, sir," the receptionist said. "It's currently vacation season, so every room has been booked. The only option left is the presidential suite. It's quite expensive, though, and I'm not sure you'd be interested in paying that much."

"I'll take it," he said without hesitation.

The amount didn't even make him blink. Paying that price was nothing to him. In fact, he could easily afford something far more expensive. What bothered him was the assumption that he might not be able to.

Meanwhile, Dayana stayed quiet.

She knew she was responsible for the situation. As his secretary, booking their accommodations should have been one of her priorities. Now that she knew only one room remained, nervousness started to creep in.

Her boss had spent the entire day irritated with her. At this point, she would not have been surprised if he made her sleep somewhere outside the suite.

"Mr. Aleman, I'll leave you to settle in. I'll go find another hotel," she said.

"There's no need for that. The suite has two beds. Besides, it's the middle of the night. You're not going to find another room anywhere. Miss Dayana, are you worried about staying in the same room as me? Don't worry. I'm not going to do anything to you. You're not my type."

Even though his comment irritated her, Dayana had never felt more at ease. Even so, she silently promised herself not to let her guard down.

"If you're going to take a shower, wait until I'm done," her boss instructed.

She sat down on the bed and waited while he disappeared into the bathroom. Several minutes later, the door opened again. He stepped out with only a towel wrapped around his waist. Before she could stop herself, her eyes drifted toward him. Droplets of water traced a path down his chest before disappearing beneath the towel.

Dayana swallowed nervously. She had no idea how long she had been staring when his voice suddenly broke the silence.

"Are you going to keep looking at me all night, or are you planning to take your shower? If you want, I can stay right here and give you something to admire," he teased in a flirtatious tone.

He clearly enjoyed the effect he had on women.

"I'm sorry, boss," she said awkwardly, mortified by the situation.

The apology came out in a rush before she hurried into the bathroom. Once inside, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her cheeks were still red, and there was a brightness in her eyes she could not ignore.

Certain that her boss would be asleep by the time she finished, she finally stepped out of the bathroom.

To her disappointment, he was still awake. Carleton sat on the edge of the bed with a laptop resting on his lap.

How was she supposed to face him now?