Albert Rivera replied almost immediately: "Are you trying to let me down easy?"

Emily Blair paused, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. Before she could think of a response, another message popped up from Albert: "Even if you turn me down now, I'm still going to do it. Don't worry, I promise it won't interfere with work, no matter what."

With a reluctant smile, Emily sent back a laughing-crying emoji.

Over the next few days, a fresh bouquet of flowers arrived at the office for Emily every morning. It didn't take long for everyone at work to notice. Soon, it seemed the entire company was abuzz with talk—Ms. Blair, their boss, was being openly courted by Mr. Cox from their partner firm. People started giving them knowing looks in the hallways.

Emily hated the attention. She didn't like her private life bleeding into her professional world.

She pulled Albert aside and asked him to stop sending flowers, explaining it was creating the wrong impression. Albert immediately apologized, admitting he hadn't thought it through. Then, with the same earnestness, he promised to send them to her home instead, so no one at work would find out.

Despite seeming so agreeable, Albert wouldn't budge on the flowers, no matter how Emily tried to dissuade him.

Worse still, whenever their two companies had a joint event, Albert used it as an excuse to invite her to dinner. Because of the collaboration, it was difficult for Emily to refuse without it seeming rude.

His pursuit was passionate, but Emily responded the same way she always did- with a calm, measured distance. She neither encouraged nor avoided him, treating him no differently than any other friend.

Meanwhile, Tristan Davis's company was swamped. Even on weekends, he was stuck at the office working late, and hardly came home.

Emily and Tristan barely spoke these days, but Emily was so busy herself, she barely noticed.

Elizabeth Wilson, on the other hand, was growing increasingly anxious seeing Albert's determined pursuit. If she could, she would've run straight to Tristan to warn him to give him a nudge to chase after Emily himself.

The whole point of showering Emily with roses had been to provoke Tristan, not Albert. But now, it seemed Albert had taken the bait completely, while Tristan remained utterly oblivious. Even the last time she tried to tip Tristan off, nothing had come of it.

Watching Albert's relentless, thoughtful efforts, Elizabeth couldn't help but worry about Tristan.

One afternoon, she couldn't resist the urge to poke her head into Emily's office for an update.

"How many days has Albert been sending you flowers?" Elizabeth asked, trying to sound casual.

Emily shot her a look and shook her head. "I haven't counted. Why are you asking?"

Elizabeth leaned in, lowering her voice. "He seems really into you, you know. He's a great guy, and honestly, I was surprised at that dinner-he knew exactly what you liked and ordered everything to your taste. Hasn't he made you feel even a little tempted?"

Emily kept typing, not bothering to hide her irritation. "Why do you care? Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Just curious! Can't I ask? Do you actually have feelings for him or not?"

Emily looked up, deadpan. “No. What are you getting at?"

Elizabeth's eyes sparkled with mischief, and she whispered, “Really? Not even a little?"

Emily gave her a sly smile. "Are you sure you're not the one with a crush on him? If you are, I fully support you going after him."

Elizabeth recoiled in horror. "No way! I'm talking about you and him, not me and him!"

Emily raised an eyebrow. "Why are you so curious, then? You're not planning something crazy again, are you?"

Elizabeth averted her gaze and waved a hand dismissively. "Of course not. Do I look like that kind of person?"

"You do," Emily replied, mercilessly.

Elizabeth straightened up, huffed, and stalked out of the office without another word.