Act Like You Love Me (Jessica) novel Chapter 150

Chapter 150

Daphne’s POV

I didn’t just walk into the apartment; I literally floated in.

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My feet barely seemed to touch the cracked linoleum of the hallway as I fumbled with my keys, my heart doing a frantic dance against my ribs.

The second the door swung open, the scent of sautéed onions and garlic hit me, a warm welcome that usually made my stomach growl.

But tonight, I was too full of adrenaline to think about food.

“Lois! Lois, you are not going to believe this!” I shrieked, kicking off my worn-out sneakers so hard one of them hit the umbrella stand with a hollow thud.

Lois was at the kitchen island, her sun-kissed brown hair tied up in a messy, effortless bun that managed to look chic while mine just looked like a bird’s nest.

She was the personification of “down to earth.” While I spent my nights buried in lines of C++ and cooling fans, Lois was out in the real world, living.

She was the one who constantly tried to snap me out of my digital delusions, reminding me that there was a sun outside and that humans actually needed to breathe fresh air.

She looked up from the vegetables she was chopping, a brow arched in amusement.

“Let me guess. You finally cracked that firewall you’ve been obsessing over for three days? Or did the local coffee shop finally name a drink after you?”

“Better,” I gasped, leaning heavily against the island, my chest heaving. “I saw him. I actually spoke to him. David Tyrone.”

Lois stopped mid-slice. She set the knife down and leaned forward, her eyes narrowing with interest.

“Wait. No. Way. Girl. You mean the David Tyrone? The guy who basically owns half the encryption patents in the country? The one you’ve been sending your resume to like a digital stalker?”

I nodded so hard I thought my head might fall off.

“First of all, Lois, I am not a stalker! I am a persistent professional,” I corrected, though my cheeks felt like they were on fire.

“And yes. Him. I waited by the garage. I know, it sounds creepy, but Teddy-his assistant-was annoying. She didn’t want to let me see him, insisting I came back another time. I had to take drastic measures.”

I launched into the story, my hands flying in the air to recreate the scene.

“The garage was almost empty, just that amber light reflecting off his car. He came out of the elevator looking… Lois, he didn’t look like those photos in Forbes. He looked exhausted, like he’d been carrying the entire company on his back, but he still had this presence. He walked with so much power, I almost lost my nerve.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t completely lose them, girl.”

She pointed the knife at me with a teasing grin.

“I’m just as surprised as you are,” I whispered, my eyes drifting to the fridge as the memory replayed.

“Anyway… back to my story.” I snapped back to reality and propped my elbow on the kitchen island, forcing composure,

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Chapter 150

while Lois listened with rapt attention.

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“He reached for the car door, and I froze. I seriously considered just melting back into the shadows and letting him leave.”

Lois paused, her knife hovering over a bell pepper.

“But you didn’t.”

“I couldn’t! But my heart was thumping so loud I was convinced it was echoing off the concrete. It was just like one of those novels, Lois. Pure high-stakes drama.” I took a shaky breath.

“Then the door handle clicked, and I just… I erupted. I yelled his name, but it came out like a dying bird. Just this wobbly, cracked sound.”

Lois winced in mock sympathy. “Oh, Daph.”

“I know! I thought, this is it. He’s calling security. I’m going to jail in a baggy sweater.”

“So…. he really didn’t call the guards?”

“Nope,” I squealed, clutching my cheeks.

“He stopped. He actually turned around. And then he just stood there, watching me with those eyes while I stuttered through my pitch about the server flaws.”

Lois arched a brow, a small smile playing on her lips.

“And let me guess… he didn’t hate it?”

“He called my name, Lois. Daphne. Just like that. Then he told me to be at his office Friday at noon. And then-” I pointed a finger at her for emphasis, “-he warned me not to be late.”

Lois let out a genuine laugh and reached across the counter to squeeze my hand.

“Daphne, that’s incredible! See? I told you that brain of yours was going to pay off. You’re a genius, even if you do dress like you’re trying to hide from the sun.”

“I like my sweaters,” I muttered, though I was smiling so wide it hurt.

“Well, you’re not wearing one on Friday,” Lois declared.

“If you’re stepping into the big leagues, you’re going to look like you belong there.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but one look at her determined face told me it was a losing battle.

Lois was the sweet, grounded half of our duo, the person who always looked beyond my insecurities to see the version of me I wasn’t ready to face yet.

She was the one who made sure I ate real meals instead of surviving on ramen and energy drinks.

She was the one who pulled me away from my monitors when my eyes started to blur from too many lines of code.

But most of all, she was the only one who didn’t think I was crazy for dreaming this big.

To everyone else, I was just a girl with a laptop and a pile of baggy clothes, but to Lois, I was already the lead engineer of a tech giant.

I stayed there for a long time, leaning on the island and watching her cook, but my mind was miles away.

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Chapter 150

I was back in that garage, replaying the way the light had caught the edge of his jaw.

“He’s exactly like the guys in those books I read,” I said softly, almost to myself.

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“The ones with the blue eyes that look like they could freeze you or melt you depending on the second. And that hair… it’s like this bright blonde, but you can see it’s starting to get a little darker at the roots. He’s built like an athlete, but he talks like a coder.”

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