Chapter 44 - 44 43 Requirements

Words : 1604 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

44: Chapter 43: Requirements 44: Chapter 43: Requirements “I let you stay at my place, I rented an apartment with two bedrooms, one for you and one for me,” Gina’s voice came through the phone again. “Oh, that’s fine. I thought your place was like mine with only one bedroom,” James exclaimed with a relieved tone. Hearing James’s reaction, Gina felt somewhat annoyed. If she had said this to another man, he would probably be overjoyed. But here James was, sounding so unenthusiastic. Did her request for him to pretend to be her boyfriend degrade him? But those feelings were fleeting, and mostly, Gina felt relieved. If James harbored such thoughts, it meant staying with him would be safe. Otherwise, having a man live in her house could be dangerous. This wasn’t like being at her parents’ home, where other people were around. Even if they stayed in the same room, James wouldn’t dare to make a move. If she yelled, her parents would come running. Now, it was just her and James at home. There would be no one to help. “You should come over now to avoid Sandra calling later tonight.” “Come now… No need, right?” James chuckled bitterly. “You come over when I tell you to. Have I ever shortchanged you?” “Okay, for the sake of the money, I’ll risk it one more time.” Gina felt stifled again, wanting to scold James. Risk it one more time? Sёarᴄh the NôvelFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Was she that scary? Could she really overpower him? An hour later, James had arrived at Gina’s home in the L Mansion complex, a considerable step up from James’s place with its inclusion of some villas, though Gina’s apartment was on the twelfth floor of a small high-rise. James had remembered these details well, so he didn’t need Gina to tell him and had taken a taxi straight over. However, Gina still had to notify the security through the video intercom to let James into the complex. Reaching Gina’s apartment door and knocking twice, Gina opened the door, dressed in home clothes similar to what she wore at her parents’. James, used to the sight, didn’t feel anything special. “Come in.” Gina let James in, then closed the door behind him. James looked around Gina’s apartment, approximately fourteen square meters, entering to a square living room with a wall-mounted LCD TV, a sofa set, and a coffee table. It wasn’t too different from usual, except he really liked the large balcony. Across from the living room was an open kitchen with a dining area, and directly opposite the security door was the bathroom with an artistic large frosted glass sliding door, flanked probably by two bedrooms. Such a layout seemed common in high-rises. Gina pointed to the bedroom on the north side, “That’s your room.” James chuckled, removed his shoes, and said, “If I’d known you wanted me to stay, I would have terminated my lease.” Gina frowned slightly, “You can only stay for a while. Once Sandra gives up, you can’t stay here anymore.” “That’s still some savings; I’m not as rich as you, Boss.” Gina was slightly displeased with James’s greed but understood that an ordinary employee didn’t earn much. In a city where everything except salaries was high, craving a bit more wealth wasn’t a major fault. James entered his bedroom. Inside was just a bed with sheets and also a wardrobe, which seemed modest but still better than where he lived. He threw his bag on the bed, “Not bad.” Gina stood at the doorway, arms crossed, “Even though I’m letting you stay here, there are some ground rules I need to lay out first.” James turned to face Gina and said, “Boss Lopez, you’re inviting me to stay here, and still you set conditions? Isn’t that a bit unreasonable?” Gina nodded, “I understand, but it’s better to clarify some things beforehand to avoid discomfort later.” “Alright, go ahead,” James sat down on the bed somewhat resignedly. “First, without my permission, you are not allowed in my room.” “No problem.” “Second, please maintain your personal hygiene. I really don’t feel comfortable with a messy man in my house.” “That’s no issue. I’m not that untidy.” “Third, you cannot smoke in the house.” “That’s not going to work. I have that habit. Your father smokes, and even at your parents’ home, I smoked too, and you agreed.” “That’s different. I can’t stop my father, and I couldn’t impose too much on you in front of him. But now, with just us here, there’s no smoking.” James suddenly stood up, grabbed his bag, and said, “I’m sorry, Boss Lopez, I can’t help you with this.” Then he headed straight for the door. Gina watched him in shock. Normally, when she made requests of men, no one would ever oppose her. Yet, with just a simple request of no smoking, not only did James refuse, but he was also ready to walk out immediately. She felt utterly disregarded. Under normal circumstances, Gina would never tolerate such behavior from a man, but now she had no choice but to give in. She quickly stepped forward to stop him, saying, “Okay, forget that rule. You can smoke at home, but only in the kitchen and you must turn on the exhaust fan.” James rolled his eyes, “Boss, you have way too many rules.” A rare hint of apology crossed Gina’s face as she replied, “I’m sorry, I truly hate the smell of smoke. This is the maximum I can tolerate.” “Well, since you are my boss,” James said, “I better agree or else you’ll start giving me a hard time at work.” “Hmph, I, Gina Lopez, always keep work and personal issues separate, no matter how big the grudge.” James cracked a smile and joked, “Good, then I rest easy knowing you’re a rare kind of good boss. Anything else besides these three rules?” Gina shook her head, “That’s it.” “Then OK, I’m going to take a shower.” “Wait,” Gina hurriedly called out to him, then quickly stepped into the bathroom. James didn’t follow her inside, but leaned against the doorframe with a chuckle, “You don’t need to do this. At your parents’ house, I’ve seen your underwear.” Gina was indeed organizing the underwear hanging in the bathroom when she heard James’s comment, which left her rather frustrated. Not only had he seen her underwear, but she had even bought him underwear—intimate clothing. She wondered if he was wearing the ones she’d bought him. Nevertheless, Gina collected the underwear and said, “That was unavoidable back then; now it’s a different scenario. It’s better to be cautious. I have confidence in your character, but men often make mistakes in a fleeting moment; an unintended stimulus can lead to things.” James scoffed, “I have a lot of self-control unless you try to seduce me. You should know that. Even when we were at your grandfather’s house, and it was the two of us alone, I didn’t do anything, did I?” Gina’s cheeks flushed, but she quickly composed herself, “I hope you can forget about that incident in the future.” “Hehe, I was just proving my character is impeccable, so you don’t lose confidence in me.” “I already have a lot of confidence in you; otherwise, I wouldn’t have let you move in.” “Great, Boss Lopez, since you have so much confidence in me, I’ll go take my shower.” Gina then realized she was still standing at the bathroom door with a handful of underwear. She quickly left and returned to her bedroom. James chuckled and entered the bathroom, quite pleased with its spaciousness and the faint pleasant scent that was characteristic of Gina. After his shower, James felt refreshed and slipped into a pajama set he had brought with him—prepared well this time, unlike his previous visit to Gina’s parents’ home. “This is your phone.” Gina pointed to a phone on the coffee table, looking at James with a peculiar gaze. James picked up the phone, noticing two missed calls from Sunny Nguyen. He hadn’t saved Sunny’s number, but Gina evidently recognized it, which explained her peculiar look. James didn’t care how Gina saw him, but he had to consider Sunny, so he smiled and said, “Mr. Green seems to need me; I’ll give him a call.” Back in his room, James closed the door before dialing Sunny’s number. The phone barely rang once before she answered. “Hey, are you with your girlfriend, so you couldn’t answer my call?” Sunny accused right off the bat. James responded with a chuckle, “I am indeed with a woman, but she’s not my girlfriend.” “Hmph, you scoundrel, who are you with?” Sunny shot back sharply. “With Ms. Lopez.” “Ah? Haha… You’re such a bragger. I might believe you were with someone else, but Ms. Lopez, this late? Do you know who I just called? It was Ms. Lopez. You’re terrible at lying. How about that? Caught you, didn’t I?” Listening to Sunny’s triumphant tone, James was momentarily at a loss for words. Must one always lie to be believed, and telling the truth is not credible? However, what concerned James more at that moment was why Director Green was trying to reach him.

Chapter 44 - 44 43 Requirements

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