Page 116 of My Ruthless Neighbor

Another thing that I felt in these past days was… longing. I missed him.

I missed bickering with him. I missed his dark intense eyes on me. I missed his grumpy grunts.

I found myself getting jealous when the others so freely used to mention meeting him because I couldn’t.

Ever since I got to know what’s it like to have him inside me, to feel his burning touch on my skin, I have not been the same.

There’s not a day that went by when I didn’t think of him.

I thought he would be here today, and was disappointed when I learned he wasn’t coming.

“Did he ever attend our parties?” Raleigh asks.

Everyone shakes their heads.

“Stop wishing for a miracle to happen, guys,” he murmurs. “He hates partying or socializing.”

“Why is that?” I can’t help but ask.

He lifts a shoulder. “He is different.”

“Different how?”

Hannah leans forward. “He helps others when they are in need. He is protective of us. The best boss one can ever ask for. And he’s unbeatable in his job. But other than that, Archer Kim is a mystery.”

“But you are close.”

“We are. He stood by me in the toughest time of my life. He is the big brother I never had.” She smiles softly. Then it turns somber. “But he never shares his secrets with me. We don’t know anything beyond what he chooses to tell us.”

Raleigh nods slowly. “And we don’t push him to open up. During the years, he has changed. When I joined his agency several years ago, we barely talked.”

Brielle makes a sound of agreement. “He definitely is less stern now but the boundary is still there, know what I mean?”

“Yeah. It’s like something is stopping him from opening up.” Mia murmurs. “It would be fun if he started joining us in these things.”

“You guys get to dine with him now and then.” Brielle points a finger at Hannah and Raleigh.

“Perks of being his Star Employees.” Raleigh gloats, annoying everyone. They start throwing popcorn at him.

While the room erupts in chaos, I remain seated, wondering why Archer loves conquering but never takes part in the victory celebration.

Why does he care for people around him but also push them away?

Why does he choose to stay lonely when he is clearly adored by many?

What are you hiding, Archer Kim?

???

1 week later…

“The traffic of Modern Closet's official website has drastically increased after the launch of our Ad campaign.”

I nod at Mia. “What about the sales?”

Chris types on his laptop. “Just received the analytics. We can see a huge difference between the previous and current month's sales report.”

I assembled the team to review the progress of Modern Closet’s campaign.

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