The lock screen photo was a selfie she’d taken—not even a full-face shot, just the upper half of her brows and eyes. The most striking part was how she’d deliberately tousled her hair to fall in messy strands over her forehead. A touch of flirtatious elegance, red lips slightly parted, eyes smoldering with a dreamy look.
"But I’ve got one that looks even better," Morrison said, placing a feather-light kiss at the corner of her lips.
Lilian blinked. "What do you mean?"
In response, Morrison pulled out his own phone, opened the gallery, and handed it to her.
The second she looked, Lilian wanted to strangle him.
They were all photos of her while she was asleep—when had he even taken them?!
Though she was wrapped tightly in a blanket, her bare shoulder and arm were exposed. Anyone with half a brain could guess what had happened between them.
Sure, he had a knack for making her sleeping pose look almost ethereal, but still! She couldn’t allow those kinds of photos to exist on his phone. What if someone saw them one day? That would be a total disaster!
Fuming, she reached out to snatch his phone. "Delete them! Right now!"
But Morrison had already tucked it away, unbothered. "Why should I? You look amazing in them. I’m keeping them."
Lilian glared at him, about to erupt, but before she could say another word, he grabbed her waist and silenced her with a kiss.
Soft, lingering, dangerously tender—his lips moved against hers in that infuriatingly gentle way of his, stealing away all her protests before she could voice them.
When he finally let her go, he kept his arms wrapped around her and looked down, his gaze unusually soft.
"I didn’t want you seeing Bert for your own safety. You know the kind of things he’s done, don’t you?"
Even as he said the words, Morrison felt a wave of frustration. He had come all the way here intending to give her a stern lecture—so why did it all come out sounding so gentle, like he didn’t even have a temper?
Lilian lowered her eyes and stayed quiet.
He really had no defense against this girl.
Sighing, he continued, "How about this. You can accept his design drafts—that’s fine. But from now on, if you plan to meet with him, let me know in advance."
Was he... bargaining now? Morrison felt like he’d compromised all the way down to rock bottom.
Lilian gave him a sideways look and muttered, "Even if I tell you, what are you gonna do—follow me?"
He tightened his hold around her with a faint smile. "Even if I don’t go with you, I can at least make arrangements. Or have someone watch from a distance."
Lilian thought for a moment... then nodded.
Even though she thought he was making a big fuss out of nothing, considering how much he had already compromised, Lilian figured it was only fair she gave in a little too.
So, a temporary truce was reached.
They had peace—at least for now.
Then Morrison asked, "Did you request time off for tomorrow’s A.T. shoot?"
Lilian scowled, clearly annoyed. "I was already late this morning. How could I have the nerve to go ask for leave on top of that?"
Morrison chuckled, amused. "Then I’ll have Sean talk to HR and your manager for you."
As he said that, he couldn’t resist leaning in again, clearly intending to steal another kiss from her lips.
But just as he was about to make contact—
The stairwell door suddenly swung open from the outside.
Lilian froze on the spot, her mind going completely blank.
Thankfully, Morrison reacted almost instantly. He turned swiftly, shielding her with his entire body. With one smooth motion, he pulled her into his arms and faced the doorway himself, using his back to block her from view completely.
Lilian was pressed tightly against his chest, wrapped securely in his protective embrace.
The person who pushed open the door hadn’t meant to intrude—well, not exactly. He had simply been in a bad mood and wanted to find a quiet spot to clear his head.
What he didn’t expect was that someone would already be in the stairwell. Even more surprising—once he took a closer look—the man standing there was none other than his boss, Morrison... and he was holding a girl tightly in his arms.
Stunned, the man froze. Then, realizing the intimacy of what he had just witnessed, he quickly bowed his head and blurted out a flurry of apologies.
"S-Sorry! I didn’t mean to—sorry, really!"
And just as quickly, he shut the door and retreated in a rush.
Lilian remained frozen in Morrison’s arms, completely stiff. Even though the person had already left, she didn’t snap out of her daze for quite a while.
Morrison looked down at her startled expression and chuckled softly as he tried to soothe her.
"He didn’t see you," he murmured. "I covered you the whole time."
But Lilian, flustered and furious, pounded lightly against his chest. "This is all your fault! Don’t ever come here looking for me again!"
Her heart was practically about to burst from the shock. If anyone found out about them... how was she supposed to face the office afterward?
Morrison gave her a playful swat on the curve of her bottom—half as a tease, half as punishment.
"If you didn’t keep picking fights with me, would I even need to sneak around ?"
Lilian huffed, still annoyed. "Who’s picking fights with you? You’re the one being unreasonable!"
In the silence of the stairwell, she stayed nestled tightly in his arms. Their bodies were so close, almost pressed together like puzzle pieces.
Morrison looked down at her—the softness of her frame, the flush in her cheeks, the fire in her eyes—and suddenly, he lost all desire to argue. All he wanted now... was to give in and spoil her.
So he leaned closer, voice soft and indulgent by her ear.
"Alright, alright. It’s all my fault... I’m too domineering."
His voice was so gentle, so full of warmth and affection, that Lilian felt her heart melt on the spot. She panicked.
"I—I should get back to work," she blurted.
"Go on, then," Morrison said, placing one last kiss on her now-glowing cheek before finally letting her go.
Lilian slipped out of the stairwell, her face still burning. She glanced around, saw no one, and made a beeline for the restroom. Once inside, she leaned against the sink, trying to calm her racing heart.
What was she going to do?
She was falling for him.
And more and more... she found herself powerless to resist his charm.