TEST DRIVE: A Night of Forbidden Desire

Max placed his hands on his hips, and the intense gaze he fixed on Vonda made her even more anxious. Realizing this, Max felt a surge of pride, his nose slightly flaring with arrogance. He felt like he was on top of the world.

Hahaha. Do you dare challenge Maxwell? Too early, a thousand years, Vonda.

“So,” Max said, breaking the silence between them. “Are you willing to take responsibility, then?”

Vonda fell silent, her lips slightly parted, leaving Max wondering what excuse she would come up with this time to avoid the situation. However, she remained speechless. Max furrowed his brow, waiting, and there was a faint murmur from Vonda.

“Aaa.”

With one small step, Max closed the gap between them, causing Vonda to instinctively tilt her head upwards, keeping her eyes locked on Max with caution.

“Aaa?” Max echoed in a soft voice.

Vonda’s eyes blinked as she noticed Max mimicking her murmur, feeling embarrassed. Especially as she found Max pressing closer, taking one small step after another, forcing Vonda to take a step back.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

“Ehm.”

Max raised an eyebrow. Without saying a word, he managed to both challenge and mock Vonda, making her feel even more helpless.

“What?” Max asked again. “Now you’re willing to speak properly to me?”

Vonda swallowed hard.

“Shall we have a proper conversation, or do you want to witness a new commotion in the office this afternoon? Well, which one will you choose?”

Once again, Vonda could only swallow her words in the face of such a threat. Max’s eyes gleamed challengingly at her, and a smirk appeared on his face, provoking her further.

“Alright. Alright.”

Phew!

Relief flooded through Max’s chest. He felt like his lungs had expanded twofold. Breathing felt so much easier.

Vonda took a deep breath, clenching her fists. “I will talk about this with you, but later, after work.”

The relief Max felt seemed to halt in its tracks.

“What do you mean?”

“We’ll talk when we leave the office.”

Max narrowed his eyes. Suspecting that Vonda’s words were just another excuse, he still tried to maintain his threat.

“Fine. You can stall, but remember this. Running away means shame.”

Vonda froze. Her eyes blinked rapidly, unable to respond to the threat, and Max walked away from her, returning to his seat, and sitting there casually.

Vonda’s chest rose and fell as she struggled to control her emotions. It was understandable. Which girl would not be in chaos if threatened with leaked nude photos?

Seemingly enjoying the game, Max was seen playing with his phone in his seat. He pulled the corners of his lips, forming a subtle smile. Vonda interpreted it as a lewd grin as he looked at her photos. In her heart, she cursed.

Pervert!

Without uttering any excuse or word of farewell, Vonda stomped her foot once, turned around 180 degrees, and left Max’s office, making sure to close the door behind her.

“Oh, yes!”

Max clenched both fists and rejoiced with enthusiasm. He was especially thrilled when he realized the door was tightly shut, preventing his voice from being heard outside.

“Hahaha!”

Max stood up and performed some moves. His hands raised, legs spread, and hips swayed.

“Uye! Uye! Uye!”

Max was elated.

“Mom, your future daughter-in-law is coming.”

Oops!

Max’s dance came to an abrupt halt. His eyes blinked as he realized what he had just said.

“I mean, your fake future daughter-in-law,” Max quickly corrected himself.

The thought of Vonda becoming his parents’ daughter-in-law sent shivers down Max’s spine. “I hope she doesn’t really become mom’s daughter-in-law.”

Max muttered under his breath, shivering.

“If she becomes my wife,” Max whispered in horror. “Oh, God! Every dark alley will become our memories.”

Damn it!

*

Slap! Slap! Slap!

Vonda scowled as she stared at the computer screen. Her ten fingers pounded the keyboard with full force, creating loud noises.

Slap! Slap! Slap!

Vonda was truly furious, venting her frustration on the innocent keyboard. Perhaps, in her mind, she was imagining herself hitting Max.

“Damn him! If it wasn’t necessary, I wouldn’t have accepted his offer to talk privately.”

Slap! Slap! Slap!

“Taking responsibility? Just the thought of proposing to him already gives me goosebumps.”

Slap! Slap! Slap!

“Damn it! What if I actually end up marrying him? I can’t even imagine what would happen.”

Vonda’s fingers stopped moving, hovering over the keyboard. Her mind was filled with thoughts.

Sperm grade AAA?

Vonda closed her eyes dramatically.

“Letting his sperm fertilize my eggs… that means I have to think about which street name would be suitable as my future child’s name.”

She grumbled, realizing she had no other choice but to accept Max’s offer, which seemed the most logical thing to do.

“As if I haven’t had enough commotion with Andrew and Livy. If I end up being the next gossip topic, my level will be equated with theirs.”

A sigh escaped Vonda’s lips before she resumed typing, focusing on her work that needed to be completed before the approaching weekend.

A soft knock sounded at the door. Vonda’s head lifted, and after a moment of contemplation, she responded firmly.

“Come in.”

As soon as Vonda gave her permission, the door opened, revealing a beautiful face. Vonda kept her gaze steady as the unfamiliar woman entered the room. Without wasting any time, the woman approached her. Vonda asked with a furrowed brow.

“Who are you, and what do you need?”

The woman smiled and answered without sitting down, “I’m sorry in advance. I came here to find Mr. Max Hernandez.”

“Mr. Max Hernandez?” Vonda asked, a hint of confusion in her voice, then blinked as if she just realized something. “Oh, Mr. Max Hernandez.”

“Is he here?”

Vonda nodded. “Yes, he’s here. What do you need with him?”

“Well, this is actually not work-related. I’ve been trying to reach Max, but he never replied.”

Earlier it was Mr. Max Hernandez and now just Max?

“I want to meet with him. Can you tell him that Olivia is looking for him?”

Vonda immediately stood up from her seat, this time really assessing the appearance of the woman named Olivia. She was dressed formally, which momentarily made Vonda mistake her for one of their employees.

“Ehm, I’ll meet with Max first. You can take a seat,” Vonda said, pointing to the available couch for Olivia to sit on.

Olivia nodded, stood up, and sat down. Sneaking glances, Vonda walked towards Max’s office and knocked on the door once before entering. She approached Max at his desk, who immediately looked up, staring at her warily. In his mind, Max wondered why Vonda came to see him again.

Is she trying to cancel the deal we made earlier? Hmm.

“Max,” Vonda said.

Vonda shook her head, covering her mouth.

“Sir.”

“Eh?” Max felt a shiver hearing Vonda address him like that.

“So, you finally realize to call me ‘Sir’?” Max asked, surprised. “We’ve been working together for almost a week, and you never call me ‘Sir’.”

Vonda grimaced. Max’s eyes widened.

“By the way,” Max continued, “Why are you here? Is it work-related or personal matters?”

Vonda held her breath for a moment, feeling embarrassed by the question. However, she chose to stay calm and answered honestly.

“Someone is looking for you outside. It’s not a coworker or business-related,” she replied. “She’s not here for work purposes.”

“Who?”

“Olivia,” Vonda answered. “Her name is Olivia.”

Max’s eyes widened. “W-what did you say? Olivia?”

Vonda nodded. “Yes, Sir.”

Max suddenly stood up. “You said Olivia is here?”

“Eh?” Vonda nodded again, taken aback by Max’s reaction. “Y-yes, Sir. Her name is Olivia.”

Max grumbled. “Damn it! Why did she have to come here and bother me?”

Ignoring Vonda, who stood there stunned, Max immediately got up and left the room.

As Max was already outside, Vonda, who had just been about to leave her spot, suddenly quickened her pace. Right after she heard the commotion from the guy.

“Oh my God, Via! What are you doing here?”

Vonda peeked her head out from the door crack, as if trying to assess the situation. Should she leave or stay inside Max’s room? With her still sane mind, Vonda could instantly guess that it was a personal matter connecting her boss with Olivia.

Is this another one of his test-drive victims?

Vonda rubbed her chin.

This is worth watching, Audience.

“Vonda!”

Vonda jumped in surprise, her face turning red as she realized Max was giving her a sharp look.

Ups!

Vonda felt embarrassed for being caught peeking.

“Ehm.”

Vonda stepped out of Max’s office and politely approached Max and Olivia, who seemed to be in an uneasy situation.

“I will prepare some tea for both of you. Please wait,” Vonda said, ignoring Max’s response, and hurriedly left the room.

Hah! Luckily, I can always rely on my brain in desperate situations.

As Vonda arrived at the pantry and prepared two cups of tea, she could not help but keep playing with her thoughts without pause.

It must be a girl who demands accountability from him. It can’t just be an old friend he hasn’t seen for a long time.

Vonda stirred the tea in each cup, making sure the sugar had completely dissolved.

Not to mention, Max’s shocked expression earlier gave off an aura of surprise. Moreover, the atmosphere between them was entirely different.

Vonda giggled.

Finally, I experience the fear of being hunted down by someone demanding accountability.

Vonda grabbed a tray and arranged the two cups with saucers on it before leaving the pantry.

In front of the door, Vonda paused her steps. She took a deep breath and exhaled softly, trying to calm herself from the urge to burst into laughter, imagining how panicked Max must have been.

Karma pays in cash. Right? Right!

Feeling composed, Vonda used her hand to press the door, slowly pushing it open, entering the room, and her ears picked up Olivia’s voice.

“Your mom said her name is Vonda.”

“Via!”

“Oh, my goodness, Max! Is she your deputy? Her name was on the desk. And you called her ‘Vonda’ just now.”

Vonda froze. Max and Olivia, who had just realized her presence, stared at her. She stood there awkwardly in front of the door.

Gradually, the door behind Vonda moved, closing by itself. Meanwhile, in front of her, Olivia asked with a trembling voice.

“Are you Max’s girlfriend?”

*