I said goodbye to Harper and got into the car beside Maverick, leaving a wide space between us that could fit another person. We didn't talk much during the drive. In fact, we didn't talk at all. Maverick was engrossed in his phone, always busy with work. I looked out the window and admired the city lights at night.

"You look good, by the way," he mumbled so softly, yet I managed to hear it. I turned my gaze towards him, but his eyes remained fixed on his phone screen.

Did he just say I looked good? I think he did.

"Um, thanks," I quietly replied, feeling a blush warm my cheeks. He didn't say anything more, nor did he look at me.

Not long after, we arrived at my in-laws' house. Bennett opened the car door for us, and we both stepped out. Maverick rang the doorbell.

We both exited the car, and Maverick pressed the doorbell.

"You know what to do," he said, not bothering to look at me. I understood what he meant. Once we stepped into the house, we would have to put on a show, pretending to be a loving couple.

The door opened, like the maid, and we entered, heading straight to the living room where my in-laws were already waiting for us.

"About time you guys!" Brooklyn exclaimed as soon as she spotted us. She walked over to us and embraced Maverick. "Oh, I've missed my baby so much," she said, planting a kiss on his cheek.

He groaned and pulled away. "Ugh, Mom, stop it. I'm not a baby."

I quietly laughed, enjoying this side of him when he was around his parents.

Brooklyn then shifted her attention to me, pulling me into a tight hug. "Oh, I've missed my daughter too. How have you been, honey? Did my baby Maverick give you a hard time?" she asked with a big smile. I cherished it when she referred to me as her daughter. She had told me herself that she saw me as her own.

I chuckled. "I've been okay, Mom. And no, he hasn't given me a hard time."

"Good, good. Come on, the food is ready," she said, taking my hand and leading me to the table where the food was set.

I took a seat across from her, with Maverick sitting beside me. Landon sat next to his wife. We began eating. Maverick and Landon delved into a conversation about work, while Brooklyn and I talked about fashion. Soon, our in-laws started discussing our married life, and I hated having to lie to them about our happiness. It pained me every time because they were so loving and kind to me.

At times, Maverick would hold my hand and gently stroke it with his thumb, probably just for show in front of his parents. I still felt a blush creeping up my cheeks whenever he touched me. I took a sip of water as Brooklyn laughed at something Maverick said.

"So, when am I going to have my first grandchild?" Brooklyn abruptly asked, causing me to choke on my water and cough. "Oh dear, are you okay?"

"It's too early to be asking for a grandchild, darling," Landon interjected.

A hand was placed on my back, rubbing it gently. It was Maverick. "Babe, are you okay?" he asked, a hint of concern in his voice that caught me off guard.

I wiped my mouth with a napkin. "I'm fine, I'm so sorry. That was so rude of me."

"It's okay, honey. Maybe it's too early for me to bring up that topic," Brooklyn said, referring to the "baby" discussion.

I glanced at Maverick and could tell that he too felt uneasy about the topic. The idea of having a baby had never crossed our minds. We rarely even talked or connected, let alone discussed starting a family.

"Mom, honestly, we haven't discussed that. Abi and I are still getting to know each other. It's only been, what, six months?" Maverick explained, holding my hand for support.

"It's true, Mom. We want to take things slow before starting a larger family," I chimed in.

Brooklyn sighed and then smiled. "Okay, take your time, babies. But don't take too long! I'm not getting any younger, you know."

I forced a smile, feeling the weight of sadness. "We'll try, Mom."

This situation was so messed up. Brooklyn wanted a grandchild, but Maverick and I were barely getting along. I wasn't even sure if he desired that kind of intimacy with me, and I had my doubts as well. I hoped she would forget about the topic and not bring it up again anytime soon.

Abi's POV

I woke up with a sense of contentment. Last night at my in-laws' house was amazing. We laughed so much, reminiscing about Maverick's childhood. Brooklyn couldn't resist sharing some embarrassing stories about Maverick, which made him groan in annoyance, but it was clear he couldn't stay mad at his mother for long.

What shocked me the most was when Brooklyn showed me a picture of me and Maverick when we were kids. It turned out that Maverick and I were friends, which was weird because I didn't remember anything about him. Judging by our appearance in the picture, I was probably only five years old when we first met. I had no recollection whatsoever of our friendship, and Maverick didn't remember me either.

"You two only spent time together for a while because your family moved to Geneva a year after that," Brooklyn explained when I mentioned that I didn't remember Maverick.

I did recall that my family and I had lived in Geneva for about five years due to my dad's work before we moved back to London.

Before Maverick and I left, Brooklyn slipped the childhood picture into my purse and insisted that I keep it. Now I stared at the picture of young Maverick and me in my hand. Honestly, it felt strange. I never would have guessed that we had known each other for so long, yet we had no memories of our past friendship. It was quite comical because, looking at our present situation, we were far from being friends.

My phone then vibrated on the bedside table, indicating a call from Christian. I picked it up and answered immediately.

"Hey, Chris," I greeted him.

"Hey, babe. Hope I'm not interrupting your morning kisses with your hot husband," Chris chuckled on the line. I rolled my eyes, knowing that Maverick and I slept in separate rooms.

"Nah, you're not interrupting anything. What do you need?"

"Besides wanting to explore your husband's hot body?"

I rolled my eyes again. Chris always had a way with words. "Quit talking about my husband, Chris."

He laughed. "I'm kidding, babe. Anyway, I'm calling to let you know that the boss is throwing a small gathering for employees at his house, and we're all invited."

"A gathering party? How nice. When is it?"

"Today, at 1 PM. You'd better get ready because I'll pick you up."

I glanced at the clock and saw that it was already 10 AM. "Okay, I'll take a quick shower then. Wait, what should I wear?"

"Um, clothes?"

"I know, smartass. What I mean is, what kind of clothes? Should I dress formally like I do at the office or something?" Christian could be frustrating to talk to sometimes.

"No, just dress casually."

"Alright then, I'll text you my address."

"Sure thing. Ciao, Addison!"

Well, that's Christian for you.

I headed to the bathroom to take a shower. As I washed my hair with my favorite vanilla-scented shampoo, I couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation. Once I finished, I returned to my room and chose an outfit. Since Christian had mentioned dressing casually, I opted for a rose polka dot shirt and blue jeans, the kind of clothes I enjoyed wearing on a daily basis.

I brushed my hair and let it fall naturally, then applied a bit of makeup. Just as I finished, Christian texted me to say he was on his way to the house. I grabbed my phone and my green-army purse, then headed downstairs to the kitchen. Since I would be having lunch outside later, I planned to just have some bread or a small snack.

In the kitchen, Harper was washing the dishes while Maria was preparing breakfast. They both turned around when they noticed me.

"Good morning, Abi," they greeted in unison.

"Morning," I smiled, placing my purse on the kitchen island. "Can I have some bread and a cup of tea, please?"

"Don't you want a full breakfast, Abi?" Maria asked, turning off the stove.

"I'm sorry, I'll pass on breakfast. I'm in a bit of a hurry," I explained as Harper handed me my tea.

"Where are you off to?"

"To my boss's house. There's a gathering party for the employees, and I was invited."

"Okay, do you want me to tell Bennett to drive you there?"

I shook my head, taking a bite of my Nutella bread. "No need, thanks. I already have someone picking me up."

Before Harper could say anything else, Maverick walked into the kitchen, looking incredibly attractive with his messy hair. He must have just woken up.

"Morning," he greeted, his eyes flickering over my outfit. "Are you going somewhere?"

Great. Now, what should I tell him? If I mentioned I was going to my boss's house, he would start saying things.

"Yeah, I, um, I'm going out with a friend," I said, avoiding eye contact and focusing on my tea.

Maria served a full breakfast plate in front of Maverick, then excused herself along with Harper, leaving me alone with him in the kitchen.

"Where to?" He asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

Before I could answer, the doorbell rang. That must be Christian. Thank God.

"Excuse me," I told Maverick, then left the kitchen to open the door. Standing there was the handsome Christian. "Hey, Chris."

He smiled. "Hey, babe. Are you ready?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I just need to grab my purse. Do you want a drink first?"

He shook his head. "No, thanks babe. I think we should go now."

"Right. I'll be back soon," I told him, then returned to the kitchen to grab my purse.

"So, it's a guy, and he calls you 'babe.' I don't recall giving you permission to bring your lover to my house," Maverick stated, his jaw clenched. He must have overheard when Christian called me babe.

But why would he care?

"He's not my lover," I stated firmly. I didn't feel the need to explain to Maverick that Christian wasn't interested in females and called all his female friends 'babe.' "And it's none of your business whom I'm going with," I snapped before slipping on my heels and leaving him behind to go to my boss's house.

"You guys made it," Weston said as Christian and I arrived at his house. "Come in." He opened the door wider and led us inside.

He guided us straight to his spacious garden, where everyone from the office had already gathered. I spotted Addison on the sofa and walked over with Christian.

"Finally! I almost thought you guys wouldn't come," Addison exclaimed upon seeing us.

I took a seat next to her, with Christian on the other side. "I wouldn't miss my boss's gathering party. Who knows, it might be my lucky day today."

You already know who said that. Not me, but Christian, for sure.

Addison shook her head. "You do know that the boss is married, right?"

Christian rolled his eyes. "Nah, I doubt that. Besides, I can make him interested in me."

I chuckled. "Chris, you really are something. Have you ever considered looking for another guy?"

"I've tried, but no one is as charming as our boss," he grinned, glancing over at our boss from afar.

"Okay, let's not talk about our boss now. Anyway, have you guys heard the news?" Addison asked, her tone became serious.

Christian sat up straight. "Fuck yes, another gossip! Papa is ready!"

I laughed. I couldn't go a minute without laughing at this silly friend of mine.

"Enough with the jokes, will you?" Addison glared at him. Christian fell silent, and I struggled to hold back my laughter at his expression. "So, I heard that Reyna has resigned from being our boss's assistant because she's getting married soon and moving to Florida with her husband. Our boss is now looking for a new PA."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What's there to discuss about that?"

"I overheard that he was going to choose someone from our department to be the next PA," she announced.

Christian squealed. "No fucking way! That is the best news ever! I really hope he picks me."

"Chris, you know that's not going to happen. His PA has always been female. We all know that," Addison said, and in a split second, Christian's expression turned sad. Poor guy.

"Why do you think he's going to pick someone from our department?" I asked, curious about our boss's thought process.

"Technically, our department handles most of what goes on in the office. We're the main department that runs the company, which is why he's likely to choose someone from our team. Reyna, too, was once from our department before becoming his PA," Addison explained. I didn't know much about the company since I had only been working there for a week.

"Our department has ten members, six of whom are male, and the rest are female. But Harpert is way too old to catch up as a PA, and Daisy has made a few mistakes. We all know the boss would never pick her."

"Hold on, that means—" I began, but Addison beat me to it.

"It's either you or me, Abi."

BOOM!

I shook my head. "No, no way. This can't be happening. I can't be his new PA."

"Why not?"

"Because I've only been with the company for a week. For God's sake, I know nothing about this company!"

"It can't be that bad. You'll get used to it once you start," Addison reassured me.

I let out a loud sigh. "God, I really hope he chooses you, Addison. I'm not ready to be his new PA."

"We'll see what happens."

Since everyone was present, the gathering began with our boss giving a motivational speech about teamwork. It was no secret that everyone loved our boss, Weston, because he was kind and generous, and he genuinely cared about his employees. He even played football with us on the weekends and specifically told us not to see him as just our boss but as a friend.

"I want to thank all of you for helping me run this company. Although it's not as big as other TV commercials, I truly appreciate all the help and support. Without you, I wouldn't be able to run this company alone," Weston began, standing in front of everyone. He raised his glass in the air. "So let's make a toast to all of you."

Everyone, including me, raised their glasses and cheered. It was genuinely nice to have this kind of gathering. Everyone seemed to be having fun. Excusing myself, I mentioned that I needed to use the bathroom. Addison and Christian just nodded in response, as they were engrossed in a conversation about the latest iPhone. I got up from my seat and headed inside the house. Wow, this house was huge.

I had no idea where the bathroom was, and since everyone was in the garden, I followed my instincts to find it. I opened the first door I saw and gasped when I saw Weston in the middle of changing his shirt.

"Oh shit, I'm so sorry, Matt," I blurted out, looking away in embarrassment as I immediately closed the door. My heart was pounding so hard.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. I should have knocked!