THE BOSS, My secret crush 🫶

The morning coffee at Vance Enterprises tasted like liquid anxiety. Cassy adjusted her oversized glasses and pulled at the hem of her faded blazer, staring at the polished mahogany door of the CEO’s office.

Ten years ago, she was the invisible girl in the back of the classroom. Now, she was the junior data analyst about to pitch to William Vance—the city’s most ruthless, brilliant, and impossibly handsome billionaire.When she walked in, he was standing by the window. As he turned, Cassy’s breath caught. There was something terrifyingly familiar about the sharp edge of his jaw and those piercing hazel eyes. But she quickly dismissed it. The boy from her past was a distant memory; the man in front of her belonged on the cover of Forbes."Sit down, Cassy," William said, his voice a low, smooth baritone that sent a shiver down her spine.She nervously clicked her pen. "Mr. Vance, I have the quarter-end analytics ready for your review—""Forget the analytics for a moment," William interrupted, leaning across his desk. A slow, devastating smile played on his lips. "Tell me, Cassy... do you like lilies? Or are you still partial to wild sunflowers?"Cassy blinked, her heart hammering against her ribs. How could he possibly know that? "I... excuse me?""Just checking," he murmured, his eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made her cheeks burn. "You look beautiful today, by the way. That color suits you."Cassy looked down at her drab, charcoal suit, her self-doubt instantly roaring to life. Why is he flirting with me? she thought, a knot of insecurity tightening in her chest. I’m completely ordinary. In high school, my crush wouldn't even look in my direction, and now this literal billionaire is playing games with me? She assumed it was a cruel joke, a rich man's amusement. Over the next three weeks, the "amusement" only intensified. William didn't just manage her; he hovered. He ordered her favorite takeout to her desk, personally drove her home when it rained, and found every excuse to touch the small of her back or brush his fingers against hers.He was completely obsessed, and Cassy was completely losing her mind.The breaking point came late one Friday evening. The office was empty, washed in the golden glow of the city lights. Cassy was packing her bag when William walked into her cubicle, shedding his suit jacket."You're working late again," he said softy."I have a lot to catch up on, Mr. Vance," she said, keeping her eyes glued to her desk."William," he corrected, stepping closer. "How many times do I have to ask you to call me William?"Cassy snapped. The insecurity, the confusion, and the overwhelming attraction she was trying so hard to fight finally boiled over. "Why are you doing this?" she demanded, blinking back sudden tears. "Why are you flirting with me? I'm not blind, Mr. Vance. I know what I look like. I'm just an ordinary girl in a bad suit, and you're... you. Stop playing with me."William froze. The playful charm vanished from his face, replaced by a look of pure, raw anguish."Is that really what you think?" he asked, taking a final step forward until there was no space left between them. He reached out, his large, warm hand gently cupping her cheek. "You think this is a game?""Isn't it?" she whispered."Cassy," he said, his voice cracking with an emotion that shocked her. "Ten years ago, I was a scrawny, terrified kid who sat three rows behind you in AP Chemistry. I spent an entire year memorizing the way you laughed, the way you bit your lip when you were stressed, and the way you always drew sunflowers in the margins of your notebook."Cassy’s breath hitched. Her mind raced back a decade, blurring the lines between the billionaire in front of her and the quiet, lanky boy from her teenage years. Liam. "You... you're Liam?" she gasped, her eyes widening behind her glasses. "The boy who moved away before graduation?""I changed my name when I took over my family's estate," William murmured, his thumb gently wiping away a stray tear on her cheek. "But I never changed how I felt. I didn't look at you back then because I was too terrified to speak to the most beautiful girl in the room. I built this entire empire just to be someone worthy of standing next to you."Cassy stared at him, the walls of her insecurity crumbling down in an instant. He wasn't mocking her. He had been loving her from afar for a decade."You're an idiot, William Vance," she breathed, a small, watery smile breaking across her face."Probably," William chuckled softly, his eyes dropping to her lips. "But I'm an idiot who has been waiting ten years to do this."When his lips finally met hers, the rest of the world faded into the background. The invisible girl was finally seen, and the boy from her past was never letting her go again.