Neither of them really knew when they finally drifted off to sleep. The next morning, Grace Li woke up and found the bed next to hers empty—Aiden Thompson had already disappeared. She figured he must've gone back to his room early to avoid Ryan wondering where he was when he woke up.
Grace Li instinctively reached out to feel the pillow beside her, and the events from last night replayed in her mind like a movie. She had been wondering whether being in the same room might spark something between them. But in reality, aside from Aiden Thompson gently holding her while they slept, nothing else happened.
Grace Li couldn't help but wonder what Aiden Thompson had been thinking last night while lying next to her. Was it really just because he couldn't stand Ryan's snoring and wanted to find somewhere quiet to sleep?
After quickly freshening up and putting on some light makeup, Grace Li headed out with Aiden Thompson and Ryan to a nearby diner. As soon as they walked in, the smell of pancakes, bacon, and coffee filled the air.
Ryan had slept soundly last night, and now, with a stack of fluffy pancakes drenched in maple syrup, his face was full of contentment. He was really digging into his food.
He glanced over at Aiden Thompson and asked, "Hey Aiden, I woke up around 5 this morning to use the bathroom, but I didn't see you around. Where'd you go?"
Grace Li, mid-bite of her bacon, froze for a second when she heard this. Aiden Thompson, however, seemed prepared for the question. Without missing a beat, he replied coolly, "Man, your snoring was so loud, I couldn't sleep, so I went for a jog to clear my head."
Ryan wasn't focused on the jog. As soon as he heard about the snoring, he immediately shot back, "I snore? No way, that's impossible!"
Aiden Thompson calmly pulled out his phone and played the recording of Ryan's snoring from last night. The loud, grating sound filled the space between the three of them, and Grace Li nearly burst out laughing, her face turning red from holding it in.
Ryan's face immediately turned bright red, and he huffed, "Come on, that's definitely not me!"
"Alright, if you say so," Aiden Thompson shrugged and put his phone away.
"But that look on your face? You were definitely trying to prank me!"
Grace Li quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Ryan, don't take it too seriously. Snoring's not something you can control. Don't let it get to you, okay?"
"Yeah, the boss is right," Ryan said with a smirk.
After breakfast, the three of them headed to the agricultural base to continue their due diligence. As soon as they arrived, they could see the high-tech farming equipment and busy workers.
The work was intense, like a mountain of tasks. They were busy until 9 p.m., when they finally left the base, exhausted.
Afterward, they headed to a nearby bar. The bar was dimly lit, with posters of sports stars hanging on the walls, and the TV was showing a baseball game. They ordered some fries, chicken wings, and cold beers to snack on before heading back to the hotel to rest.
Aiden Thompson showered and immediately sat at the desk, opening his laptop to continue working. Ryan, coming out of the bathroom, saw him and couldn't help but ask, "Dude, aren't you tired? We've been working all day."
Aiden Thompson kept his eyes on the screen and casually replied, "I'm good, just need to finish some data work."
Ryan flopped onto the bed, pulling the pillow under his chin, complaining, "I swear, after looking at all those files today, my eyes are about to fall out, especially the financial stuff. I hate dealing with that. There's nothing worse than that kind of work."
Ryan glanced over at Aiden Thompson again and said, "Aiden, I feel kinda off."
"Oh," Aiden Thompson muttered, still focused on his keyboard.
"Aren't you curious why I'm feeling this way?"
Aiden Thompson barely looked up. "Not really."
"Man, you're so cold," Ryan grumbled. "I'm only feeling like this because of you."
Aiden Thompson finally looked up at Ryan and asked, "Because of me? How's that?"
Ryan sat up straight, still holding the pillow, and stared at Aiden Thompson. "Where the hell did you go last night? Don't give me that jog excuse."
Aiden Thompson seemed to have predicted what Ryan was going to say. He didn't respond right away but asked, "And? What are you trying to get at?"
"A 5 a.m. jog? You think I'm stupid?"
Aiden Thompson frowned. "Spit it out already."
"Did you go see the boss last night?"
Aiden Thompson remained calm and unruffled, replying, "If I said no, would you believe me?"
"Not a chance!" Ryan shot back. "I saw you two holding hands last night. The street was so long, I could've easily caught up with you."
It turned out that after buying some stuff last night, Ryan had seen Aiden Thompson and Grace Li walking hand in hand. At first, he thought about catching up with them, but he decided against it.
Aiden Thompson put down his laptop, his expression serious as he asked, "Did you tell anyone about this?"
"Of course not, I know where to draw the line," Ryan scoffed. "But, you know, it's not easy keeping such a huge secret. The pressure is real."
Aiden Thompson raised an eyebrow, half-jokingly threatening, "If you can't keep it in, I wouldn't mind making sure you never say a word about it again."
"You wouldn't dare!" Ryan shouted, throwing the pillow at Aiden Thompson in a burst of frustration.
Aiden Thompson caught the pillow easily, his gaze cold as he replied, "There's nothing I wouldn't dare. So, you better keep that secret to yourself."
Ryan let out a heavy grunt, thinking about how badly his confession had gone the other day. Now, here he was, tagging along on a business trip with this sweet couple, and he felt like nothing more than a giant third wheel. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "What did I get myself into?"
"You mean your girlfriend you mentioned before—was that Grace Li, the boss?" Ryan asked, his eyes wide with surprise.
Aiden Thompson didn't hesitate and nodded. "Yep, that's her."
"Damn, I didn't see that coming, bro!" Ryan suddenly perked up, his gossip radar fully on. "Come on, spill the beans. When did you guys get together?"
"Last year, on your birthday, actually," Aiden Thompson replied casually.
"What?!" Ryan's eyes practically popped out of his head. "On my birthday? You two got together behind my back?" He pretended to get mad, slapping his thigh. "No wonder you two were MIA that day. You were off talking love, huh?" Then, with a mischievous grin, he asked, "But seriously, isn't she, like, four or five years older than you? Doesn't that bother you?"
"Dude, when it's true love, age doesn't matter," Aiden Thompson shrugged, looking totally unfazed.
Ryan leaned in closer, a sly grin spreading across his face. "Come on, admit it, you're just after her money, right? I've heard the rumors—she makes like 700-800k a year, and the projects she's done were huge successes. Her bonuses are probably massive, and this year, she'll probably crack a million. She's got a house, a car in New York, and she's got looks and money. She's practically perfect."
Aiden Thompson rolled his eyes. "Ryan, can you stop being so shallow? Grace Li has a ton of great qualities, and making money is just one of them. She's smart, kind, talented—every day with her, I'm learning something new."
"Alright, alright, I get it," Ryan waved his hand, nodding. "But honestly, I get where you're coming from. If I were you, I might fall for her too." He winked with a grin.
"Think whatever you want," Aiden Thompson said, his face turning serious. "But I need you to understand, you cannot tell anyone about this. If it gets out, both Grace Li and I could be in huge trouble at work. One of us might even have to leave."
"No way, it's that serious?" Ryan's jaw dropped. "Just because you two are boss and employee?"
"Yeah, workplace relationships are tricky. If rumors start flying, it could really mess with our careers and reputation," Aiden Thompson explained.
Ryan thought back to the way Aiden Thompson had helped him, especially that night when he'd failed his confession. Aiden Thompson had stuck around, drinking with him all night and listening to his problems.
"Alright, bro, I promise I won't say a word. But you gotta do me a favor. From now on, you owe me coffee for the next couple of months," Ryan said, holding up two fingers and shaking them.
"Deal!" Aiden Thompson said with a grin, agreeing without hesitation.
"By the way, what's it like dating the boss? Come on, spill the beans," Ryan asked, his curiosity piqued.
Aiden Thompson gave a mysterious smile. "It's a feeling you can't really put into words. All I can say is, being with her makes me feel incredibly happy every day."
"Pfft, you're just being all secretive," Ryan rolled his eyes. "So, are you going to stay with Grace Li tonight?"
"Yeah, I really can't sleep here. Your snoring's like a freight train," Aiden Thompson teased with a laugh.
"Hey, don't pin it all on me! You just wanna be with the boss," Ryan shot back, grinning. "Go ahead, go show off your love somewhere else."
Aiden Thompson laughed, shaking his head, and got up to knock on Grace Li's door.