Page 10 of My Ruthless Neighbor

“Right this way.”

As I approach the huge door attached to the glass wall, my heart rate jacks up.

Calm down, Summer. It’s just an interview. How hard can it be? I breathe deeply through my nose.

I love watching Netflix. From serial killer documentaries to south Korean dramas to thrillers. There are numerous office interview scenes I have watched. I just have to appear confident.

But what if they ask me abouthim? About Archer.

My steps falter. But only for a second. If they ask me about him, I’ll have to come up with a backstory. There’s no point in getting nervous. Creating imaginary stories and lying is my forte.

The woman leading me stops in front of the door and motions at it, signaling to get inside. My eyes zone in on her nails. They’re perfectly done, her acrylic nails painted in off-white color.

Not so subtly, I peek down at my hand. My fingernails are short and painted in different colors. Damn. I never felt so out of place before as I do now.

Shaking it off, I paste a bright smile and enter.

“Whoa.” An incredulous laugh escapes me as I take in the vibrant mural that takes up the whole wall of the room.

In my peripheral vision, I can see a floor-to-ceiling glass window and a gigantic glass table in the center of the room. But all I can focus on is the art.

I move forward with eager steps and place my hand on the glass table that is between me and the mural.

Bursting with colors and characters, the artist has done an outstanding job of converting a blank space into a colorful flourish. There are inspiring phrases likeDream big, Actions speak louder,and Teamwork makes the dream workpainted on the wall along with illustrations of electronic gadgets like laptops, tablets, and phones around it.

I don’t even realize how big my grin is until my cheeks begin to hurt.

“You like?” a voice asks from my side.

My nod is fervent and I face the person. “I loveee…” My breath hitches. “You!”

Dark brown eyes pin me in place. My body stiffens.

It’s him.

The hot stranger from the lobby.

His mouth pulls into a small smile. “Me.”

???

Ah. So the woman who claimed to be my “friend” is thebrunette Rapunzel.

Her unique eyes widen and her pink tongue peeks out to wet her plump lips. And now my cock is growing hard. Fucking great.

My jaw tightens. I have to stay focused. This innocent-caught off-guard look of hers is arousing as hell but it can’t fool me. She just manipulated Janet’s assistant into giving her a free pass at the final interview round.

I knew at first glance that she was trouble. Her long thick eyelashes sweep down as she blinks several times accompanied by a little shake of her head. Then she gives me a bright smile.

Taking a step toward me, she extends her hand. “Hello, I’m Summer Donovan.”

I drag in a breath and immediately regret it when her strawberry scent fills my nostrils.

When I keep glaring at her delicate hand, she leans closer and whispers, “Rumor has it that it’s not polite to reject a handshake.” Her enchanting eyes are wide as if she just told me a secret. Then something happens. She smiles again. And I feel a dull ache in my chest. It’s like I was given a chance to breathe after being smothered with a pillow for hours. The feeling so unusual, that it shakes me.

I briskly walk to my chair to sit. What the fuck was that?

When I look up, I find her scowling at me. Janet stands and goes to her. “Ms. Donovan, I am Janet Foley.” They both shake hands.

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