Unexpected Encounter with my Boss novel Chapter 2

Tiffany woke up from her nap, feeling her mouth parched dry. She groggily crawling out from the tent, a pair of men's sneakers suddenly appeared before her.

As her eyes trailed upward from the sneakers, she saw a pair of long and slender legs. As the sunlight pierced through the mist, Tiffany saw Vincent's face. She almost fainted on the spot.

"M-Mr. Lewis?" Wasn't he supposed to go hiking?

Vincent squatted before her and looked at her cheeks, flushed from the fever. His expression was grave. "I have a question for you."

Tiffany's heart pounded. Licking her dry lips, she nodded shakily. "Y-Yes... Go ahead."

"Did you see anyone enter my tent last night?" Vincent's gaze bored into her eyes. His overwhelming presence made it feel like an invisible hand was squeezing her chest, almost crushing her heart.

Tiffany avoided his stare, her eyelashes fluttering. "N-No, I didn't see anyone."

"Why are you trembling?" Vincent noticed her unusual behavior.

It wasn't just her voice, even her whole body was shaking uncontrollably. She was so slim that Vincent feared she would break from how much she was shaking.

He had dozens of assistants in his office, and each of them were responsible for different fields.

Tiffany was a new intern, but he vaguely remembered her because of how timid she was.

During her first interview, Tiffany had been utterly nervous when he had asked her questions. She had kept her head down the entire time, too afraid to meet his gaze.

"I-I'm cold." Tiffany shivered harder.

"Cold?" Vincent frowned. "But aren't you running a fever? How can you be cold?"

Reaching out, his icy fingers touched her forehead. The next second, he frowned deeply. "What's going on? You're burning up!"

"Mr. Lewis, I'm fine." Tiffany shivered violently, feeling utterly miserable.

She tried to get up, but she had no strength left. She could only curl up helplessly on the grass as she felt her consciousness fading...

"Tiffany?" Vincent sensed that something was wrong and tried to wake her up.

At first, Tiffany mumbled a faint response but then lost consciousness completely.

Without hesitation, Vincent bent down and scooped her up in his arms. She looked so thin, and she barely weighed a thing.

As Vincent looked at her, he noticed a hickey on her neck. His eyes narrowed.

"Mr. Lewis!" A voice pierced through the silence of the forest.

Kelly had run back all the way. Her hair was disheveled, and she was panting heavily.

Vincent asked, "Why did you come back?"

Kelly looked at the unconscious Tiffany cradled in his arms. Catching her breath, she said, "I... I was worried about Tiffany, so I came back to check on her. What happened?"

"She passed out from a high fever," Vincent said as he placed Tiffany in the car's backseat. "I need to take her to the hospital now."

As he was about to get into the car, Kelly anxiously reached out and grabbed the door handle. "Mr. Lewis, can I come too?"

Vincent eyed her with scrutiny. "Tiffany and I are colleagues," Kelly explained. "And we're both women, so I may be able to help."

Her reasoning made sense, so Vincent agreed.

…

At the hospital, the doctors admitted Tiffany and started her on an IV drip.

Kelly went to get some water. When she returned, she saw Vincent standing at the foot of Tiffany's bed. He was deep in thought as he stared at the unconscious Tiffany.

"Mr. Lewis." Kelly poured him a cup of water. "Have some water."

"Thanks." Vincent took the cup but set it aside. "What's your name?"