Love Slave to My Devil CEO Boss R18

“You can take your time. There’s honestly no rush but it would be nice if you can just decide and come join me already,” Ace said before laughing a little.

“It’s…a little complicated for me,” I confessed softly.

“I think I know what you’re thinking, Rina…” he said.

I was surprised to see the sudden solemn look that crossed his face. It made me feel like he might actually understand what was going through my mind at that moment and all the worries that I was facing.

“I’d still like to support you in the meantime while I’m still making my decision. So, if there’s anything that I can do, just let me know,” I said before trying my best to smile.

“Thank you, Rina. Don’t worry about my business, just focus on your work,” Ace replied.

We didn’t discuss anything beyond that regarding my potential career move. Ace probably knew what I was worried about and had decided against pushing me. I was thankful that he was leaving this important decision up to me. Sometimes I hoped that I was braver or that I had more faith in our relationship for me to take that leap of faith to quit my job and join his company.

…

Around two weeks later, Ace officially started working at his new company along with his first set of employees. The building wasn’t exactly completed but some floors were fully decorated and furnished, and according to Ace, that was more than enough.

“I’m having a little get together with my new employees this evening. Do you want to join us?” Ace asked.

“Is Richard going to be there as well?” I asked.

“Why? Do you miss him already? I thought you two didn’t get along?” he teased me with a smirk.

“I never said something like that…” I mumbled.

There might have been a period of time that I felt that way, but it felt like that was so long ago. Richard proved to be a very helpful and supportive colleague and I was proud to call him one of my friends. Although his cold and sarcastic nature didn’t go away, I had somehow gotten used to it.

“He’ll be there as well. It’s our first get together so I’m not letting him skip it,” Ace replied.

“I would love to join. I’ll see you this evening at your new office,” I said.

“It’s far. So, I’ll pick you up and we can head there together,” Ace suggested. 𝗯𝗲𝗱𝗻𝐨𝐯𝗲𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

“But won’t that mean that you have to drive here and then back again for the gathering?” I asked.

“Nope. I’ll be sorting out some things here in the city today so I can pick you up and head to the office later,” he explained.

“Ok…” I said with a smile.

It was true that his new office was very far from the city and that meant that it was far from where we were currently living and also where I was working. To commute daily there and back was a hassle, but it wasn’t impossible. I remembered that I used to commute daily too via public transport when I first started working in the city. Ultimately, I had to move into the city so that I could save my time and energy to focus on work.

Maybe we should just all move…

Once that thought entered my mind, I couldn’t shake it off. I wondered if Ace had any good reason to remain in the city now apart from the fact that his place was there. Since his new office isn’t in the city, it felt like he had no reason to stay in the city. Although it was easy for me to commute to work from his place where we were staying, it must have been hard for Ace to travel daily to his new office and back. However, if we moved to a new place close to his office, I would have to travel quite far to my office. The dilemma felt very real as I juggled the options in my head.

The office building looked more presentable and ready than the first time that Ace had taken me there. At least, there were no signs of ongoing construction, and the area was no longer sealed off. The inside was sparkling clean and decorated in a very modernized yet simple way.

“This way. Everyone is probably waiting for us to arrive,” Ace said as he reached for my hand.

“I feel so excited…” I confessed as I followed after him.

“Really? I feel the same way,” he said before smiling at me.

Unlike the grand and sophisticated office where we used to work, the new building gave off a homier vibe. The room that Ace led me to was a medium-sized meeting room and couldn’t have fitted more than ten people. It was in that room that I first met the people that Ace had recruited to be the founding employees of his new company.

“Karina, you’re here!”

I was immediately greeted by a loud and familiar voice when I walked into the room. For a moment, it felt like I had seen a scene like this before. The smiling faces that greeted me were the ones that I already knew and was quite familiar with.

“She looks so shocked.”

“Come in, Karina. Don’t just stand there.”

While feeling tongue tied, I turned to Ace to demand from him an explanation as to what was going on. Ace grinned at me before leading me into the room and closing the door behind us.

“Let me introduce you to my new team members. This is Richard and Julianna,” Ace said before winking at me.

Why are these two here?

If they are here, then that can only mean that they’ve joined Ace’s new company. It was hard to believe but apparently that was how things played out.

“Wow. I’m honestly very surprised. In a good way, of course…” I said as I tried to keep calm.

Not only did he get Richard to join him, but he also managed to get Julianna to join his company as well.

--To be continued…