"W-Who were you talking to, Ms. Vale?" Mr. Cortez repeated, his brows pulling together in suspicion.
I swallowed hard, lowering my trembling hand that still clutched my phone.
He heard me. He must have heard everything. Any second now, he'd report it to Mr. Thorne, and that would be the end of me-straight to jail.
No. Not now. Not when the old age home depended on me more than ever.
"I–I..."
He lifted his hand slightly and I flinched, making his frown deepen.
"Ms. Vale? What's wrong? Who was on the call?"
He stepped toward me again, and panic flooded every part of me.
"I... You have to believe me, Mr. Cortez. I swear I didn't-"
He suddenly gripped my shoulders, firm but gentle. "Calm down! You look like you've seen a ghost. Was it your mother? Did her condition worsen?"
"What?" I blinked at him, stunned.
"I saw you crying earlier, so I assumed..." he hesitated. "You mentioned your mother was sick, didn't you?"
My heartbeat, which had been in a wild sprint, slowly began to settle. He didn't hear anything. Judging from the sincere worry on his face, he had no idea.
Thank heavens. Relief washed through me in a heavy wave.
"Y-yeah... yeah. She's just... not feeling good today."
---
Two weeks slid by. In that time, the Thornes secured three more deals against Creed Co. Yet Silas never confronted me again or even looked in my direction. Every time he lost another contract, he strolled out of the building with that maddening smirk-like a man who'd just discovered a shortcut to Aladdin's magic lamp. The sight alone was enough to send my imagination spiraling about the dark, twisted plans brewing in that devilish brain.
But more alarming was Mr. Thorne's growing attention toward Creed. Every time Silas's name appeared, the crease between his brows sank deeper. If even the tiniest spark of suspicion lit up in his mind, it would take him mere seconds to uncover the truth.
And that truth... was me.
Dropping back into my seat, I exhaled loudly and rubbed my temples. Thinking this much was drilling holes into my skull. Most of today's tasks were done, and I waited for the next batch.
Maybe caffeine would help salvage what was left of my sanity.
I made my way into the office kitchen and poured myself a warm, fragrant cup of coffee. One sip, and for a moment, the tension eased, dulling both my anxiety and the pounding headache.
"He's working you hard, huh?"
I nearly jumped out of my skin. Coffee splashed onto the counter as I spun around.
Melody, an assistant accountant from finance, stood there with a sheepish smile. This was only the second time I'd seen her since Mr. Cortez introduced us at lunch. Short, slightly chubby, black curls framing her round face she looked harmless and sweet.
"Oops! Didn't mean to scare you." She grabbed some kitchen towels and started wiping up the mess.
"It's fine," I answered, dragging the last word as I recalled her comment. "And yeah... he definitely is."
She chuckled. "You signed up for it."
If only she knew I'd actually signed up for something far, far worse.
"Oh! And the ledger you asked for-it's finally ready. Should I bring it now?"
"That would be perfect."
"Sorry it took longer. With Delaney gone, everything's piling up on us." She rubbed her tired, puffy blue eyes.
I offered a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry. I completely understand. The new accountant will join us soon."
"That's a relief. Wait for me by the stairs."
I nodded and waited until she returned with the completed files.
"Thank y-"
A sudden crash echoed upstairs-a loud slam followed by crying. Melody and I looked toward the staircase at the same time.
"What was that?" she murmured.
I shrugged and started up the stairs, Melody hot on my heels. When we reached the top, a tall blonde woman darted into the elevator, sobbing hysterically.
"What on earth...?" I whispered. When did she arrive? And why was she crying like that?
Melody sighed. "The boss's girlfriend. Well... ex-girlfriend now."
"What?" My eyes widened.
"Yep. That's the eleventh, no, twelfth girl I've seen storm out of his office in tears in three months."
My jaw dropped. Jaxon Thorne, a playboy? And women willingly dated him?
But my shock dissolved instantly when my phone pinged. A fresh email from the CEO.
Report to my office. Now.
Oh great. Was I supposed to clean up whatever emotional hurricane just happened?
I bid Melody goodbye and hurried toward his office. The moment I stepped inside, my eyes nearly popped out.
He was livid, furious and halfway through unbuttoning his shirt. The entire front of it was stained with streaks of red.
What in the world happened? My gaze flicked to the desk, one wine glass half full, the other completely empty.
Did she throw wine on him?
Before I could stop myself, a snort slipped out. My hand shot up to cover my mouth, but it was too late.
The beast was already wounded... and half-naked... right in front of me.
I swallowed hard as he advanced toward me, shirt in hand, icy rage in his eyes.
"Is my appearance amusing to you, Ms. Vale?"
I shook my head furiously, stumbling backward, desperate to keep my gaze above his perfectly sculpted abs and praying I wouldn't drool. Or choke on my drool.
"S-sir, y-you have a meeting i-in t-twenty minutes."
But he didn't stop until he was towering directly over me so close I felt like I was inhaling him. His cologne rich, warm, overwhelmingly masculine wrapped itself around my senses, heating me in all the wrong ways. My breaths grew shallow and uneven. My heart thrashed like it wanted out of my chest.
He dipped down, and I froze. For a split second, my lips parted, thinking he was about to kiss me.
But his mouth moved past mine, stopping at my ear.
"If you want to keep your job, Ms. Vale, keep those pretty lips shut next time."
He straightened, grabbed my hand, and shoved the ruined shirt into it. "Send that to laundry. Bring my spare."
I nodded like a malfunctioning robot and bolted out the door. Whether for air or survival, I wasn't sure. But then, unexpectedly, a smile tugged at my lips.
He thought my lips were pretty.
Oh God. What was wrong with me?
Forcing those thoughts away, I waited until my heartbeat calmed a little and then sprinted to the manager's office bursting in without knocking.
"Mr. Cortez! I need-" I stopped mid-sentence.
He was... dancing.
Dancing. With an imaginary partner. Around his desk.
The moment he noticed me, he froze like a soldier caught off duty. "Ms. Vale!" His cheeks flushed bright red as he scrambled back to his chair and pretended to type furiously on his laptop. "Wh-what do you need?" he stammered, avoiding my eyes completely.
Was today absolutely determined to be insane?
"I need Mr. Thorne's spare suit. Right now."
"Oh! Uh... there." He pointed toward the file cabinet. I retrieved the package.
Before leaving, I glanced back at his mortified expression. "Nice moves, Mr. Cortez." I winked and rushed away.
Back in the CEO's office, he stood facing away from me, his bare back on full display. I took a quick, guilty moment to admire the marble-hard muscles sculpting his shoulders and biceps. My gaze drifted lower to the way his dress pants gripped his thighs and a shaky breath escaped me.
Get it together, Seraphina.
"If you're done staring," he said coldly, extending a hand without turning.
My face burned. I ripped open the package and marched forward, placing the fabric into his palm. "H-here, sir."
Finally, he turned around. His eyes narrowed, jaw tightening as he let out a long, sharp exhale. The cloth fell open from his hand.
I frowned.
"Huh?"
Velvet. White polka dots. Crocheted lace.
It looked like a cloak straight out of an old lady's vintage trunk.
Realization hit. My eyes widened impossibly.
Wrong package.
For a second, I wanted to laugh imagining him in that ridiculous cloak. The next second, I wanted to cry because one look at his face promised death.
Why was the universe doing this to me?
I rushed to snatch the garment so I could beg Mr. Cortez for the correct suit before Mr. Thorne ended my existence. But of course, my luck had other plans.
His hand tightened on the fabric, yanking me forward. I collided with his chest hard and the air knocked out of me.
"Does this look like a joke to you?" he barked.
A shiver shot down my spine. "N-no, s-sir. I-I didn't-"
My lips trembled uncontrollably. He was going to fire me. I felt it in my bones. I couldn't lose this job until Creed backed off from my people.
"I warned you. You're f-"
The door burst open with a loud crash.
"Mr. Thorne!" a panicked voice shouted.
