Prince Charming
Orm’s POV
Orm sat on the couch in her hotel suite, swirling the amber liquid in her glass. The dim glow of the city lights seeped through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a soft reflection on the polished surface of the coffee table. She leaned back, sighing as the warmth of the whiskey burned down her throat.
Her mind was restless.
What the hell is wrong with me lately?
She thought about Lingling. The way she protested everything. The way she always had something to say back. The way she looked at her—sometimes with annoyance, sometimes with amusement, but never with admiration like everyone else did.
And yet, here she was, unable to stop thinking about her.
Her phone buzzed beside her, pulling her out of her thoughts. She glanced at the screen. It wasn’t Lingling—it was her father.
She groaned, downing the rest of her drink before answering.
“What?”
“Orm.” Her father’s voice was firm. “You’re drinking again.”
“How observant of you,” she muttered, rubbing her temple.
“You have a company to run, Orm. You can’t just spend your nights getting drunk and acting recklessly.”
Orm exhaled through her nose, closing her eyes. “I don’t need the lecture, Dad.”
“I just don’t want you making a fool of yourself. Or doing something you’ll regret.”
Orm’s grip on the glass tightened. Too late for that, she thought, images of Lingling flashing through her mind. The tension. The push and pull. The way she wanted to push Lingling just to see if she’d push back.
“Is that all?” she asked, voice flat.
There was a pause before her father sighed. “Come home, Orm. We need to talk about your future.”
Her future. Right. That conversation again.
“I’ll think about it,” she said before hanging up.
She tossed her phone onto the couch, rubbing her face in frustration. She needed a distraction. Something—anything—to get out of her own head.
Without thinking, she grabbed her other phone—the spare she rarely used—and dialed a number she knew by heart.
Lingling’s POV
Lingling had just stepped into her apartment when her phone rang. She groaned, already knowing who it was.
She didn’t even say hello. “Are you seriously calling me again?”
“I forgot to ask you a question earlier,” Orm said, voice slow, like she had been drinking. “Do you have a passport?”
Lingling rolled her eyes, tossing her bag onto the couch. “Yes. Haven’t used it, though.”
There was a pause. Then Orm said, “Good. You’re coming with me this Friday.”
Lingling scoffed, running a hand through her hair. “Where are you dragging me this time? Hell?”
Orm chuckled softly on the other end. “Something like that.”
Lingling sighed, kicking off her shoes. She was too tired to argue. “Fine. But if this is some rich-people thing where I have to babysit you while you party, I’m leaving you there.”
Orm just hummed in response before ending the call.
Lingling stared at her phone, frowning. What the hell is she up to now?
______________
Lingling’s POV
Lingling groaned as she rolled out of bed, still in the clothes she wore last night. She barely remembered how she fell asleep. The last thing she recalled was Orm’s text: Do you have a passport yet?
Where is she planning to take me now? she wondered.
Dragging herself into the shower, she let the cold water wake her up. She had a long day ahead, and the last thing she needed was Orm throwing another unexpected surprise at her.
By the time she arrived at the office, she expected to be the first one there—it was barely 7:30 AM. But to her surprise, Orm was already at her desk, going through documents as if she had been there for hours.
Lingling hesitated before greeting her. “Good morning, Boss.”
Orm didn’t even look up. “Morning. Get me a coffee.”
Lingling blinked. “Okayyy…” She turned around, mumbling under her breath, “Someone’s in a mood.”
As she made Orm’s coffee, she thought about last night. Orm had been acting strange lately—first the unexpected hug, then the way she whispered thank you in a tone that made Lingling feel… something. But now, here Orm was, acting like nothing had happened. What is wrong with her?
Shaking off the thought, she returned with the coffee and placed it on Orm’s desk. “Here you go.”
Orm barely glanced at her. “Thanks.”
Lingling sighed. Well, I guess we’re back to business as usual.
_________________
Just as Lingling was starting to feel comfortable again, Pring walked in with a message.
“Orm, Win Metawin and a few executives just arrived downstairs for an emergency meeting.”
Orm cursed under her breath and stood up. “Shit. Lingling, Pring, prepare the boardroom. I’ll get the presentation ready.”
Lingling raised an eyebrow. “Win Metawin? The Win Metawin?”
Pring nodded. “Yup. The one and only.”
Lingling had only ever heard of him—a powerful businessman, ridiculously good-looking, and rumored to be a flirt.
Great. Just what she needed today.
Once the boardroom was ready, Orm walked in, looking as composed as ever. Win Metawin arrived shortly after, exuding confidence as he entered. His sharp eyes immediately scanned the room before landing on Lingling.
“Well, well,” he said, smirking. “Who’s this?”
Lingling blinked. “Uh, Lingling.”
Win grinned. “I’ve heard a lot about Orm’s assistant, but I didn’t expect you to be this charming.”
Lingling felt her face heat up. “I—I’m just doing my job.”
Orm’s grip on her pen tightened. What the hell is he doing?
Win leaned forward slightly, still smirking. “Doing it very well, I might add.”
Lingling awkwardly laughed, unsure how to respond. Orm, however, had had enough.
“She’s here to work, not to entertain you, Win,” Orm said, her tone sharper than usual.
Win chuckled, clearly amused. “Relax, Orm. I’m just being friendly.”
Orm’s jaw clenched. Friendly, my ass.
Lingling glanced at Orm, noticing her sudden change in demeanor. Was she… annoyed?
Interesting.
For the rest of the meeting, Win’s attention occasionally drifted to Lingling, asking her questions and flashing his signature grin. And each time, Orm’s expression darkened just a little more.
By the end of the meeting, Lingling was exhausted—not from work, but from the awkward tension in the room. As Win shook hands with everyone before leaving, he turned to Lingling with a wink.
“Hope to see you again, Lingling.”
Lingling gave a polite smile, while Orm practically glared daggers at him.
The moment Win left, Orm stood up abruptly. “Meeting’s over. Get back to work.”
Lingling crossed her arms. “Are you okay?”
Orm huffed. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Lingling smirked. “Because you looked like you wanted to strangle him every time he spoke to me.”
Orm scoffed. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
Lingling grinned. So she was annoyed.
And for some reason, that made her day.
_____________________
Lingling’s POV
Finally, the workday was over. Lingling stepped out of the office building, rolling her shoulders to ease the stiffness from sitting too long. She sighed, feeling the crisp night air against her skin.
Just as she was about to start walking, a sleek black sports car pulled up right in front of her, stopping so smoothly it was almost intimidating.
The door opened, and out stepped Win Metawin.
Lingling groaned internally. Not this one again. Another Orm.
Win smirked as he leaned against the car, his hands casually tucked into his pockets. “Hi, Lingling.”
She forced a polite smile. “Hi.”
“Heading home?” he asked, tilting his head slightly.
Lingling nodded, expecting him to just say goodbye and leave. But of course, that wasn’t going to happen.
“Can I give you a ride?” Win asked smoothly. Then, before she could say no, he added, “Please bear in mind, I don’t take no for an answer.”
Lingling rubbed her temples. Why do rich people always think persistence is charming?
She hesitated, but Win must have sensed her reluctance because he softened his tone.
“Look, I mean no harm,” he said. “I just want to give you a ride. That’s all. Maybe get to know you a little.”
Lingling sighed. She had a feeling this would be a mistake, but she also knew Win wouldn’t just drop it. And honestly? A part of her was curious.
Win opened the car door for her, flashing his signature charming grin. “Shall we?”
With another sigh, she gave in and slid into the passenger seat.
Orm’s POV
Orm had just stepped out of the office when she saw the black sports car parked in front of the building. Her eyes narrowed.
Win Metawin.
Her mood instantly soured when she saw Lingling standing beside him. She expected her assistant to reject the ride, maybe walk away.
But instead, she got into his car.
Orm clenched her jaw.
Without a word, she turned on her heels and stormed toward her own car.
“Follow that car,” she instructed her driver as she slid into the backseat.
Her driver glanced at her through the rearview mirror but nodded without questioning.
Orm sat stiffly, arms crossed, watching as Win’s car drove ahead.
What the hell does he think he’s doing?
Win was a known flirt, a smooth talker who didn’t take things seriously. And now he was going after Lingling?
Orm’s phone buzzed in her hand. She quickly dialed Lingling’s number.
No answer.
She frowned and sent a text.
Orm: Where are you?
No response.
Her patience started to wear thin.
She called again. Still no answer.
Is she ignoring me?
Orm’s grip on her phone tightened as she watched Win’s car ahead of her. If Lingling wasn’t going to answer, then Orm would find out what was going on herself.
Inside Win’s Car
“So,” Win said as he drove through the city, “how long have you been working with Orm?”
Lingling sighed. “A few weeks now.”
Win whistled. “Must be tough.”
Lingling scoffed. “Tell me about it.”
Win chuckled. “She’s got quite the reputation, you know.”
Lingling rolled her eyes. “Trust me, I’ve experienced it firsthand.”
Win smirked. “And yet, you’re still working for her. That’s impressive.”
Lingling shrugged. “It’s a job.”
Win was silent for a moment, then asked, “Do you like it?”
Lingling hesitated. “I don’t know yet.”
Win hummed. “Fair enough.”
He glanced at her. “So, what do you do when you’re not dealing with your difficult boss?”
Lingling smirked. “Sleep.”
Win laughed. “That bad, huh?”
She chuckled but didn’t deny it.
Then, after a pause, she added, “It’s not just work. I live alone, so it’s not like I have anyone to talk to after a long day.”
Win’s smirk softened into something more genuine. “Yeah, I get that.”
Lingling glanced at him. “You?”
Win nodded. “I have people around me all the time, but it’s not the same as actually having someone to talk to.”
Lingling hummed in agreement.
It felt nice—having someone actually listen to her. Not just commanding her to do something, not just assuming what she was thinking, but actually asking and listening.
She glanced out the window. “Where are we going?”
Win grinned. “Relax. I’m dropping you home.”
Lingling blinked in surprise. “That’s… unexpectedly nice of you.”
Win feigned offense. “You thought I was going to kidnap you?”
Lingling shrugged playfully. “Wouldn’t be the first time I got roped into something unexpected.”
Win laughed, shaking his head. “Well, don’t worry. I’m a gentleman.”
They pulled up to her apartment, and Win parked the car.
He turned to her. “It was nice talking to you, Lingling.”
She smiled. “Yeah. It was.”
As she reached for her bag, she finally noticed the number of missed calls and messages.
Her stomach dropped.
Orm.
Orm’s POV
From the safety of her own car, parked just a few spots away, Orm watched everything.
She saw Win’s stupid, charming grin. She saw how relaxed Lingling looked as she talked to him.
And she saw how long it took Lingling to finally check her damn phone.
Her fingers clenched into a fist.
The moment Lingling stepped out of Win’s car, Orm grabbed her own phone and fired off a text.
Orm: Get in my car. Now.
Lingling, standing outside her apartment door, froze as she read the message.
She turned her head, looking around.
And then she saw it.
Orm’s car.
Parked just a few feet away.
The tinted window rolled down just slightly, enough for Lingling to catch a glimpse of Orm’s expression.
She was pissed.
Lingling swallowed.
Oh… crap.