It must be said that Axel meant what he said—he was indeed continuing his efforts to pursue me!
He was very attentive, at least to me.
Every morning, I would find steaming breakfast on my desk, and in the afternoon, I would enjoy a cup of coffee personally prepared by him.
In the evening, no matter how late I worked, Axel would always see me home.
On weekends, he would try every trick in the book to invite me out and cheer me up.
My life was filled with his presence, permeating every aspect, but Axel never once mentioned making me his girlfriend.
It felt like I was slowly boiling alive. Every day, I grew more restless and anxious.
Sure enough, early in the morning, I found a steaming bowl of oatmeal on my desk, accompanied by fresh fruit, crispy bacon, and my favorite fried eggs.
Underneath was a note: "Day 28 of the probation period."
I folded the note and tucked it between the pages of a book, adding it to the stack of 28 notes hidden at the bottom of my drawer.
Axel's intentions were as unfathomable as the ocean, but I knew one thing for certain: he was Derek's friend, and I couldn't get involved with him.
"Riya, stop eating. We have a last-minute interview, and the car is waiting outside." At that moment, the chief editor hurried in and tapped on my desk.
"Okay, I'm on it." I quickly packed up my breakfast, slung my bag over my shoulder, and headed out.
Axel was waiting by the door and waved when he saw me.
"Come here."
I walked over in puzzlement. "Are you coming with me for the interview?"
"Mm-hmm." Axel opened the car door. "The interviewee happens to be an old friend of mine, Trevin Shaffer."
"…"
No need to guess, he was definitely doing this on purpose.
With Axel's assistance, the interview that had made me nervous went smoothly, and both parties were happy with the outcome.
Before we left, Trevin shook my hand. "Miss Ellison, next time when you have free time, let Axel take you to my studio."
I smiled and nodded. "Okay, definitely."
Then, he clenched his fist and lightly punched Axel's shoulder. "You, kid, hurry up and win her over. I'm looking forward to your wedding banquet."
Axel rubbed his shoulder, looked deeply into my eyes, and replied with a smile. "Okay, definitely." I smiled and nodded. "Okay, definitely."
For some reason, my face flushed red, and I quickly lowered my head.
……
In the car, I kept my head down, looking at the documents in my hands, thinking that since it was still early, I could return to the office and draft something out.
But when I looked up, I realized we weren't heading back to the company.
"Where are we going?" I exclaimed.
"To go on a date," Axel smiled. Axel!
"......"
Who agreed to go on a date with him?
"Today, I helped you finish the interview early, so it's not too much to ask for a date, right?"
Axel had a point, leaving me no room for argument.
But I didn't expect that Axel would take me to J University, where I had studied.
The campus was quiet. As we walked around the sports field, looking at the places that held memories of my youth, I felt a little dazed. Time really did flow like water.
I couldn't help but smile, about to turn my head to speak to Axel, when I noticed he was taking a picture of me with his phone.
I immediately leaned in to take the phone from his hand. The girl in the photo was wearing a short-sleeved suit jacket and a matching skirt. She had a slim waist and snow-white skin, giving her a touch of ethereal beauty.
To be honest, I was very satisfied with his photography skills.
"Axel, I'm keeping this photo."
I turned my head, about to forward the photo to myself before deleting it, when I realized that Axel was very close, so close that I could smell the pleasant scent emanating from him.
It turned out that I had unconsciously moved closer to him while looking at the photo. Feeling my cheeks heat up, I hastily took a step back and handed him the phone as if it were a hot potato. "By the way, which school did you graduate from?"
From Vivian's tone, he sounded like a top student, a real genius.
Axel hadn't expected me to ask this and replied calmly, "Derek and I are alumni."
I was momentarily stunned, and then I heard Luke continue, "Actually, the first time I saw you was right here on this field."
