“Tomorrow, probably. I have a few candidates coming, but… anyway. Oh, shit.” Her brows furrowed.“What is it?”“You wouldn’t understand,” she muttered absentmindedly.But she had no idea—she just flipped a switch in Charles that couldn’t be turned off. You don’t understand? That’s the worst thing to say to him.He stood up and, in a moment, sat beside her.“You’re going to distract me with your breathing,” she said, not looking at him.Charles didn’t reply. He watched her work. A chuckle escaped his lips.“So this is what you mean by ‘you wouldn’t understand’?”“Have you ever seen anything like this before?” She finally glanced at him.“How many hours will it take to finish?” Charles asked.“At least five. If I’m lucky,” she said, moving the cursor across the screen.“If you get me a box of pizza and a bottle of soda, I’ll have this done in fifty-five minutes tops.”“That

But would that make her look desperate? Pitiful?She looked away. Damn it. Why was this man so hard to figure out?“I’ll think about it. You owe me one.”“I hate owing people anything. Just say what you want.”“I said I’ll think about it, Mr. Charles Decker. What’s the rush?”****The next morning, Charles clocked in at exactly 7:30.He walked up to his office door, reached into his pocket… and paused.No key.“Damn it.”He scanned the hallway. Empty. Quiet. Too early for most of the staff. He asked around for the janitor, but someone informed him that the man had rushed out—his wife had gone into labor just before dawn, and in the hurry, he’d forgotten his phone in his little back-office.A junior staff offered, “I can try calling someone who knows him, get him back—”“No,” Charles cut in. “Let him be. This isn’t a time to drag a man back for a key.”He drove ba

“Oh my goodness…” She pressed a hand to her forehead like a theatre queen. “Stress. I’ve got high blood pressure already.”“What really happened?” he asked, his voice tight, fighting to stay calm.“Actually…” she began, folding her arms, “that night, Emmy was having a business meeting with Roger in the guest room. You won’t believe what that stupid, brainless idiot did—he barged in and accused Roger of making a move on Emmy.”Mr. Harrington’s eyes widened. “But… Emmy told me Charles made her lose the baby. That’s why she wanted a divorce,” he whispered. His face drained of color. A lie? Emmy lied about that?“She knew you wouldn’t believe her,” his wife snapped. “Even now—with that made-up story—you still chose to believe Charles over your own daughter. So imagine if she’d actually lost a baby… Would she even be able to tell you?”“She shouldn’t have lied to me…”“Honey!” Mrs. Harrington’s voice rose in frustration. “Will yo

Sadie checked the time for what felt like the hundredth time that night.11:18 PM.Still no sign of Charles.She had called his phone more times than she could count, but she might as well have been trying to make a pig fly. No answer. Not even once.Worried, she called the office. The executives didn’t seem to have a clue. “Mr. Charles? He left before 4 p.m. this evening, ma'am. Why do you ask?” Holden had sounded genuinely surprised.Sadie wandered toward the door, brushing past the kitchen. The aroma from the meal she had prepared—specially made to celebrate a project launch—still lingered in the air. It only made the house feel more empty.A strange panic gripped her. What if Charles had already left her life?He had come into it mysteriously. What if he had just… disappeared? What if she’d never see him again?The doorbell rang.“Charles?” she called out, her heart leaping. She ran toward

By the time Charles got back home that night, it was a few minutes past 1 a.m.One of the security guards greeted him warmly as he walked in. Sadie hadn’t told them what exactly he was to her, but still… he felt like some creepy lover sneaking into the house. He gave a nod and forced a smile.He unlocked the living room door with his fingerprint. Took a step inside—then stopped.A male voice.He heard it clearly now. Someone was talking in the living room. They hadn’t noticed him yet.Then, Sadie laughed.His mind flashed to another night. That night with Emmy.This was a contract thing, sure—but Sadie? Bringing a man into the house? He wasn’t going to let that slide.“I knew you’d love it,” the man said.Charles moved carefully, eyes sharp. His gaze found Sadie first. His mind, uninvited, checked her outfit. Damn it. But yeah, that was the first thing he did. She was dressed fine. Nothing wrong. B