Bound by the Past, Locked by the Heart novel Chapter 56

Just as the thought crossed her mind, a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in," Willa called out, her voice drained of energy.

To her surprise, it was Miles.

He shut the door behind him, walked over to her desk, and pulled up a chair. His expression was a complicated mix of guilt and hesitation.

"Randal had nothing to do with this."

Willa nodded.

She already knew that. Given that Miles was essentially running the show here, if Randal really wanted to make her life miserable, he wouldn't need to go through the trouble of planting someone new in the office.

"But... this might actually have a little something to do with him."

Now Willa was genuinely confused. She looked up at him. "Just spit it out, Miles."

"She's the second daughter of the Underwood family, and she has some distant family ties to Mr. Carlson..."

He paused, clearly debating whether to say more, before finally letting out a resigned sigh. "She's also friends with Scarlett Sterling."

Suddenly, it all clicked.

Scarlett's friend.

That explained everything.

Willa leaned back in her chair and let out a dry scoff, caught somewhere between amusement and sheer irritation.

It seemed the aristocratic Ms. Sterling wasn't nearly as magnanimous as she pretended to be.

"So she's here to fight Scarlett's battles for her?" Willa asked.

Miles's expression turned even more awkward.

"Not entirely. Everyone in our circle knows about Randal and Scarlett's arranged marriage. Iris has always been incredibly arrogant and never really cared before. But then... Yates Capital took off..."

Willa instantly caught on. "So she wants Randal for herself?"

"Pretty much," Miles nodded. "We were all at a party last year, and Randal was there. Iris made a move on him—her intentions were crystal clear—but Randal completely ignored her."

"Does Scarlett know about this?"

Miles rubbed his neck defensively. "I know it sounds blunt, but if it weren't for you, we would've thought he batted for the other team. With so many gorgeous women throwing themselves at him, his absolute indifference made us think he was either gay or dealing with some performance issues downstairs."

Performance issues?

That couldn't be further from the truth.

In fact, his stamina had been so relentless back then that she could barely keep up.

Willa's ears burned, completely unable to stop the flood of intimate memories that crashed into her mind.

Randal pinning her to the mattress time and time again, his grip dominant and unyielding.

He never once tried to hide his absolute addiction to her. The raw, primal heat in his eyes was unapologetic and overwhelming. Yet, beneath all that harsh intensity, he always melted perfectly into her touch.

She forced down the sudden flush of heat and kept her voice level. "Well, he certainly knows how to attract a crowd."

Miles immediately backpedaled, flashing an eager, apologetic smile. "Please do not tell Randal I said any of this. I've got to run. But don't worry—as long as I'm around, she won't dare push you too far."

Willa nodded, thanked him, and walked him out of her office.