Part 1Teetering on the Edge with the CEO

Nighttime, scrolling TikTok like usual.

Some dude in a mesh top was dancing. Pretty good moves. Couldn't see his face, and he looked kinda lean, but damn, the muscle definition was just right. Those abs peeking through the netting… chef's kiss.

I shot my shot right there in the comments: Damn boy, gotta run, but wow

The second I hit send, the guy who was just pixels on my screen suddenly materialized right in front of me.

* * *

Dragging myself home after a long day, I flopped onto my bed, dead to the world, and started my ritual: scrolling through thirst traps.

Look, do I know it's basically softcore? Yeah. But hear me out. These guys are strangers. No one in real life is volunteering this view, but they are. They're not asking for my money, not trying to scam me, just putting it all out there for a measly little heart icon. What’s wrong with that? It’s not just thirst traps; it’s public service. A modern form of salvation.

And my personal savior? TikTok creator EQ.

He blew up outta nowhere last month. Super aloof type, never likes comments, rarely engages. Sometimes doesn't even bother with a caption, just drops pics.

Today, he dropped a new video. First time doing video, actually. Him in that mesh top, moving like that… those muscles, the hint of abs under the fabric.

Was this… targeted content? Aimed directly at me?

I sighed. Modern loneliness, man. A tiny screen separating me from my internet husband.

Couldn't help myself. Zero filter mode activated. Usually, I’m the quiet, sweet girl at work. Online? Total degenerate. I typed: Damn boy, gotta run, but wow

Comment sent. And BAM. The guy from my phone screen was standing in my bedroom.

Still wearing the exact same mesh top from the video. My eyes traveled up… to a face that was cool, sharp, and annoyingly good-looking.

Looked kinda familiar.

Weird. Let me look again.

Ethan Sterling?

My boss? The guy who always wears perfect suits, looks like he’s contemplating tax law 24/7, and never cracks a smile?

Yeah, okay, we were both thoroughly freaked out.

Ethan went from confused, to more confused when he saw me, then shocked, bewildered, scared, and… blushing?

In like five seconds, I saw more expressions on his face than I had in the entire year I’d worked for him.

"Anna Miller?" The thirst trap— I mean, Ethan— finally spoke.

"Mr. Sterling? What… what’s going on?"

I instinctively grabbed a throw blanket off my chair and handed it to him. Couldn’t help it; if I kept looking, I was gonna get a nosebleed.

He eyed the fuzzy pink blanket like it personally offended him, but then draped it over his shoulders anyway. Body betrays the face, huh?

"What did you do? How did I suddenly end up in your apartment?"

Credit where it's due, the big boss composure kicked back in fast. Already analyzing the situation.

"I didn't do anything! Just scrolling TikTok, and… I saw your…"

"And then?"

He cut me off before the words "thirst trap video" could fully form.

And then? Could I really say it? Is that something you say to your boss who is currently standing in your bedroom wearing a mesh top and a pink blanket?

"Nothing."

Online Anna: Fearless warrior. Real-life Anna: Total coward.

He clearly didn't buy it. "Phone. Now."

He even gave me the look. The one that usually means my quarterly bonus is about to evaporate. Forget the bonus, I just stumbled onto my boss's secret life. I could end up "disappeared."

Trembling, I unlocked my phone and handed it over. It was still open to his video.

Damn, he really was popular. The video already had over a hundred thousand likes. And my comment? Boosted right up into the top three.

Mortifying.

Clearly, I wasn't the only one mortified. Ethan’s expression didn't change much, but his ears were turning bright red. The pink blanket really made them pop. Almost… cute?

"So," he said, his voice tight. "You commented one sentence, and I instantly appeared here?"