After the Affair Falling into a Billionaire's Arms novel Chapter 177

Their shared code was 190627, the date of that year’s summit.

Louisa and George had chosen this date as their home passcode because on that day, they had secured a crucial contract for the Capulet Group, dramatically

expanding the company’s prospects.

But why would Julian use the same code?

Did that date hold special significance for him too?

That didn’t make sense–she was almost certain Tudor Group hadn’t attended that summit..

Then she remembered Julian had only returned to Tudor Group headquarters six months ago to take over as CEO. Five years ago, he hadn’t been with the

company.

So could he happen to be at the summit?

She couldn’t remember clearly, and her thoughts were becoming muddled.

She decided to let it go. Some puzzles weren’t worth the mental effort.

Louisa entered Julian’s apartment, closed the door, changed her shoes, and headed for his bedroom.

His door was closed.

She knocked politely. “Mr. Tudor? Mr. Tudor?”

Predictably, there was no response. He was asleep, after all.

Louisa carefully pushed open his bedroom door. Heavy gray curtains blocked the light, leaving the room dim. The cool scent of cedar–his distinctive fragrance–drifted through the air.

She felt somewhat uncomfortable entering a single man’s bedroom.

Then again, didn’t he prefer men? Perhaps she didn’t need to think of him as a man in that sense.

This thought eased her discomfort. Taking a deep breath, she approached his bed.

“Mr. Tudor, time to wake up,” she called softly.

Julian seemed to hear her, his brow furrowing slightly before relaxing again as he drifted back to sleep.

Louisa raised her voice. “Mr. Tudor, it’s seven–thirty. You need to get up now.”

Still no response.

She sighed in frustration. Wasn’t he supposed to be disciplined? Why did she have to call him repeatedly just to get him out of bed?

Taking another deep breath, she bent down closer to his ear and called loudly, “Wake up!”

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Chapter 177

Before she could react, a hand shot up and pressed against the back of her head. Unable to pull away, she fell forward, her lips landing squarely on his.

Her mind went blank. The soft, warm sensation and the intense masculine scent overwhelmed her senses.

She froze in shock. And the next moment, she found herself in his eyes–he was wide awake.

She quickly straightened up, her face burning uncontrollably.

Julian chuckled, his voice husky. “Ms. Forbes, you surely have quite an unusual way of waking people up. It’s quite…”

‘Don’t say another word!‘ she interrupted sharply, her mind in chaos, not even aware of what she was saying as she fled the room.

Julian watched her hasty retreat with amusement.

Louisa returned to her apartment without pausing for breath. Her face still burning hot, she went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her cheeks,

but the heat wouldn’t subside.

Looking in the mirror, she saw her face was as red as a ripe apple.

She closed her eyes in despair. She’d only meant to wake him up–she’d even treated it as just another job duty. How had it turned into an accidental kiss?

She felt like she was losing her mind.

After washing her face twice more, she finally left the bathroom. Her clothes were now damp from the splashing, so she had to change into a new outfit.

Once she had fixed her hair and makeup, she headed out for work.

Just when she thought she had regained her composure, she encountered Julian outside her door. Teddy was with him, ready to drive him to work.

Could this get any more awkward?

She wanted to cry.

Julian noticed her distressed expression. His eyes held a deeper meaning, along with amusement. “Ms. Forbes, is something wrong?”

Louisa was stunned by the question. Did he really not know?

She forgot even basic courtesy, not greeting him as she hurried toward the elevator.

Teddy, completely unaware of what had happened, muttered, “What’s wrong with Ms. Forbes?”

Julian ignored him as they entered the elevator.

Inside the elevator, Louisa looked everywhere except at Julian, repeatedly checking the floor numbers. Why was it taking so long to descend?

The situation was unbearably awkward.

Then it occurred to her–waking Julian had previously been Teddy’s responsibility. Teddy had worked for him for five years, performing this task daily. Had

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Chapter 177

he experienced similar accidents?

Her mind involuntarily conjured an image of Teddy falling onto Julian, kissing him…

The thought was bizarrely fascinating.

Without realizing it, she began staring at Teddy’s lips.

Teddy was unnerved by her conflicted, exploratory, and oddly playful gaze. Noticing her focus on his lips, a horrifying thought crossed his mind: was Louisa

attracted to him?

That would be disastrous–how could he even think about his boss’s love interest?

While Louisa was lost in her thoughts, she’d completely forgotten Julian standing beside her, observing everything.

His eyes darkened as he watched her studying Teddy. “Why are you staring at him?” he demanded.

Louisa jumped at the sudden question and quickly averted her gaze.

Teddy looked back and forth between them, confused by their strange behavior. Had something happened between them?

Hopefully something positive, he thought, hiding a smile behind his hand.

The elevator finally reached the basement level. Eager to escape, Louisa rushed out first, forgetting protocol about letting her boss exit first.

The cool air of the parking garage hit her face, bringing some relief.

Then she remembered–her car wasn’t here. Rachel had taken it days ago and hadn’t returned it yet.

Just her luck. The morning was going from bad to worse.

She turned to head back to the elevator, planning to go to the first floor and catch a taxi to work

Forgetting Julian was behind her, she spun around and collided directly with his chest.

Julian sighed at her flustered state. “What exactly are you trying to do?”

‘I’m sorry, it was an accident,” she said quickly, trying to push away from him.

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain on her scalp and let out an involuntary cry.

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