CEO’s Seduction Trap

“Yes, now,” Daniel confirmed. “It’s a bit urgent.”

Leila inquired further, “Is Mr. Ramirez downstairs?”

“Yes, he is. It’s quite urgent,” Daniel reiterated.

After a brief pause of consideration, Leila replied, “Okay, Mr. Daniel, please wait a moment. Let me inform my family.”

With an apologetic smile towards Daniel, Leila turned and headed back into the room.

Mrs. Patel was curious. “Who was it?” she asked.

Leila told her the truth. “It’s a partner company. There’s an issue with the project we’re working on, and they need me to go out for a bit.”

Turning to Samuel, Leila assured him, “I’ll be back soon.”

Samuel understood. Perhaps to appear more genuine in front of Mrs. Patel, he even got up to escort Leila out.

Taking advantage of the moment, Leila whispered to him, “Sorry, I’ll have to leave you alone with my mom for a while.”

Samuel whispered back, “I understand. Don’t worry.”

As they approached the door, Samuel was taken aback when he saw it was Daniel. “Mr. Daniel.”

Seeing Samuel here, Daniel was equally surprised. “Manager Garcia?”

“Is there an issue with the project?” Samuel asked. They knew each other when they first joined The Ramirez Group, they even interned in a department for a few days.

Daniel, maintaining his composure, replied with a smile, “Yes, there’s a small problem.”

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Leila descended the stairs with Daniel.

Thinking about his task, Daniel plucked up the courage to ask, “Is Miss Patel dating Manager Garcia?”

Faced with Daniel’s question, Leila pondered for a moment. “Yeah,” she finally replied.

Daniel smiled and remarked, “He’s a good guy. Knowledgeable, assertive, and humorous.”

“Indeed,” Leila thought back to her earlier misconception about him being gay and couldn’t help but laugh.

Observing Leila’s genuine smile, Daniel felt sorry for his boss. It seemed he had no chance.

As they approached the car, Daniel opened the door for Leila and waited outside himself.

Leila bent down and got into the car.

Today, Mason was not dressed in his usual formal attire but instead wore casual clothes, giving off a more relaxed vibe. Leila sat inside the car and turned to him, asking, “Mr. Ramirez, is there an issue with the project?”

Mason tapped his fingers on the armrest before replying, “Yeah.”

“What’s the problem?” Leila inquired further.

Mason pinched his nose slightly. “The wound behind me has scabbed over, and it’s itchy. But I can’t scratch it, or it’ll start bleeding again.”

Leila looked puzzled by his response.

Mason asked casually, “What do you do when you want to touch something you know you shouldn’t?”

Mason used a metaphor.

Leila took a shallow breath, afraid of either overthinking or underthinking the situation. “Sometimes, it’s best not to touch something you know you shouldn’t. Knowing what is wrong and still doing is not bravery; it’s utter foolishness.”

“You’re trying to advise me,” Mason noted.

“Yes,” Leila confirmed.

“What if I don’t take your advice?”

“Mr. Ramirez, you are not a foolish person.”

“Correct, I’m not foolish.”

After Mason’s statement, the car fell into a brief silence.

After the silence, Mason said, “I need you to revise the project proposal we discussed a few days ago.”

“How do you want it revised?” Leila asked.

“Some minor adjustments, make it more detailed. For example, your feasibility plan looks fine on the surface, but it’s full of loopholes.”

Leila pondered.

Mason’s proposed changes were ambiguous.

– We need it to be more stylish.

– We need a bit more substance.

– We need to elevate the style.

Did he make requests? Yes.

Did he ask what requests specifically? Nothing.

“Okay, when do you need the revised proposal?” Leila inquired.

Mason looked at her intently and asked in a deep voice, “When is the earliest you can get it done?”

“By next Monday?” Leila suggested.

Mason frowned. “Too slow.”

Leila tried again, “How about tomorrow night?”

“Why not tonight?” Mason challenged.

Leila hesitated.

Leila asked herself honestly; she wasn’t someone who would maliciously speculate about others’ intentions. But right now, she was certain that Mason was deliberately picking a fight.

“Is it difficult?” Mason pressed.

“Not difficult,” Leila responded. The challenge wasn’t the revision itself, but the tight deadline. But she couldn’t say that directly to Mason.

When Leila got out of Mason’s car, her expression was grim.

A few minutes later, Daniel returned to the car.

He thought for a moment and decided to truthfully disclose the information he had gathered. “Boss, I just ran into Samuel Garcia at Miss Patel’s house.”

Samuel.

Shirley.

Leila mentioned that her new boyfriend is Shirley’s cousin.

Mason’s face darkened as he asked, “The Samuel who joined the company with you?”

“Yes.”

“Are they dating?”

“They should be,” Daniel replied.

Mason sneered, “Should be?”

“I’m sure. When I was leaving the house just now, I asked Miss Patel if she was dating Samuel, and she said yes. And…”

“And what?” Daniel paused, hesitant to continue.

Mason pressed, “And what?”

Faced with Mason’s interrogation, Daniel regretted being too talkative a moment ago.

“And I’ve known Miss Patel for a long time, but it’s the first time I’ve seen her show such a girlish attitude when talking about someone. I think Miss Patel must really like Samuel.” Daniel said everything he wanted to say in one go, then clamped his mouth shut.

Meanwhile, back at home, Leila had a quick meal and then immersed herself in work. There wasn’t much to revise in the project proposal; it was just Mason nitpicking.

But the less there was to revise, the more mentally taxing it became because you couldn’t find any faults.

Leila worked on the project proposal in her room while Samuel chatted with Mrs. Patel in the living room.

They seemed to be having a good conversation, as Mrs. Patel laughed heartily.

Leila had to admit that Samuel was quite skilled in charming the elders.

At three o’clock in the afternoon, Samuel walked in and asked in a low voice, “Are we still going back?”

Leila pointed to the computer screen and said truthfully, “Not finished with the revisions yet. It needs to be submitted tonight.”

Samuel commented sympathetically, “I feel for you.”

Leila didn’t know when she would finish the project proposal, and she couldn’t afford to spend time on the road. She apologized, “Why don’t you go back first?”

Samuel smiled, “I’m not really in a rush to go back. Mainly, I’m afraid if it gets too late, your mom will insist I stay over. Then…”

There were only two bedrooms here. If Mrs. Patel asked them to share a room…

Leila understood what Samuel meant. She reluctantly said, “Indeed. Looks like you should go back first.”

Samuel agreed, “Alright. If you need, I’ll be staying at a hotel nearby. I’ll take you back tomorrow.”

Leila didn’t want Samuel to stay another night because of her, so she quickly declined, “No need. I’ll take a taxi back tomorrow. You’ve already been a big help today.”

Seeing that Leila was genuinely refusing, Samuel didn’t insist on making things difficult for her. “Okay.”

Seeing off Samuel, Leila went back to her room to continue working. Mrs. Patel walked in with a fruit platter and remarked, “What kind of client bothers you to revise a project proposal on a big weekend like this?”

Leila took a bite of an apple and replied casually, “An inconsiderate client.”

As the sun set, Leila’s room was bathed in warm light. They sat there, Leila working while Mrs. Patel silently accompanied her.

Leila worked on the project proposal until 8 p. m. When she finished and sent the revised proposal to Mason’s email, she looked up to see Mrs. Patel staring at her intently.

“What are you looking at, Mom?” Leila asked.This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

Mrs. Patel reached out to touch Leila’s head. “Nothing. Just feeling that my Leila has grown up.”

Leila smiled. “Am I pretty?”

Mrs. Patel smiled back lovingly. “Very.”

Leila chuckled. “Then wait until I…”

Before Leila could finish her sentence, Mrs. Patel suddenly turned pale and bent over, collapsing to the floor.

Leila quickly rushed to her side, “Mom!”