FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS (Ophelia Corrigan) novel Chapter 113

CHAPTER 113

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Thirty Minutes Earlier

My meeting was supposed to end at seven.

At 5:40, the investors’ attorney asked for time to review the latest version of the contract. I could have stayed at the office, pretending to be productive while seven grown men argued over a comma, but there was a woman crossing the city with a suitcase to move in with me.

My priorities had improved.

I texted Jamie before stepping into the elevator.

Got out early. I’ll meet you at home.

She didn’t answer. I figured she was still busy at her apartment, so I told the driver to take me straight to the penthouse.

The second the elevator doors opened, I heard Lily yell from upstairs.

“Sam, stop!”

Then came a burst of laughter, a thud, and the unmistakable sound of water hitting something it definitely wasn’t supposed to.

I dropped my jacket on the couch and took the stairs two at a time.

Three pairs of dirt-covered shoes were sitting in the hallway. A trail of small muddy footprints led straight to my bedroom.

“Why is there mud on my stairs?” I asked as I walked into the suite.

I stepped into the bathroom. Lily, Sam, and Jack were in the tub, surrounded by so many bubbles I could barely see the water. Chloe was kneeling beside them, trying to wrestle the handheld showerhead away from Sam.

“What’s going on in here?”

Chloe turned, startled to see me.

“M-Mr. Hart. You’re back already? I’m sorry. The kids knocked over a planter on the terrace and got covered in dirt. I just wanted to clean them up before they tracked it through the apartment. They got so excited about the water, I thought it would be easier to put all three of them in the tub at once.”

I looked at her. Then at the kids.

“There are other bathrooms in this apartment.”

“Lily asked for the big tub. I didn’t think it would be a problem.”

15:45 Tue Sep 29 MT.

FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

“This is my bedroom. Next time, use the kids’ bathroom.”

er smile faltered.

“Of course. I’m sorry.”

She leaned over to reach for the showerhead.

“Sam, give it to me.”

“I know how to turn it off.”

“You clearly don’t,” I said.

The kid pressed the button.

The spray hit Chloe square in the chest.

She yelped and stumbled back. Her white blouse was soaked in seconds, the fabric turning transparent.

I looked away immediately.

“Sam, turn it off.”

“I’m trying!”

The showerhead slipped from his hand and started thrashing across the floor like a rabid snake, spraying water all over the walls. I stepped on the hose, shut off the valve, and grabbed the first towel within reach without looking back at Chloe.

“Cover yourself.”

I held the towel out to her.

Chloe didn’t take it.

“Simon, it’s just water.”

“I know what it is. Take the towel.”

I didn’t raise my voice. I simply set the towel on the counter beside her, knelt next to the tub, and turned off the faucet.

That was when I heard Jamie behind me.

“Is everything okay?”

I turned.

She stood in the bathroom doorway. Her gaze moved past me, landed on Chloe, and froze.

Behind her, in the hallway, was a suitcase.

For one second, happiness hit me first. Jamie was here. And she’d brought a big suitcase.

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1:45 Tue Sep 29 MT.

FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

Then I saw her face.

e color drained from her cheeks. Her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag, and her eyes went unfocused for a second, as if the bathroom had disappeared around her.

I knew that look.

Lily spoke first.

“Miss Jamie! You’re back!”

Chloe finally crossed her arms over her chest.

I took a step toward Jamie, then stopped before touching her.

“Baby.”

She looked at Chloe. Then at me.

“Weren’t you in a meeting?”

“I was. I got out early. I texted you when I left the office.”

Jamie pulled her phone from her bag. The screen lit up with my message still unopened.

“I didn’t see it.”

“I know.”

Chloe picked up the towel from the counter.

“Jamie, it’s not what it looks like.”

I looked at her and cut in immediately.

“Don’t speak for me. And don’t make your being here sound more intimate than it is.”

She blinked.

“I was only trying to explain, sir. I’m sorry. That came out wrong.”

“Take the kids to their room.”

Silence fell for a beat.

Chloe wrapped the towel tightly around herself.

“Of course.”

I turned to the kids, then looked back at Jamie.

“I need five minutes to get them out of here. Then I’ll explain everything. Okay?”

“Okay.”

15:45 Tue Sep 29 ) MT.

FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

“Do you want to wait in the office, or do you want to stay?”

Thelp Lily.”

I nodded. I didn’t hug her to prove she had nothing to worry about. I didn’t kiss her forehead like she was a frightened child. I just gave her space.

Ten minutes later, I closed the office door behind us.

Jamie stayed near the bookcase with her arms crossed. I stood on the other side of the room.

“I was going to pick you up,” I began. “But when I got home, the kids were covered in mud. Chloe used my bathtub because Lily asked her to. I told her this is my room and that next time she needs to use their bathroom. Sam hit the showerhead button and soaked her shirt. I swear I didn’t look. I shut off the water

and handed her a towel. That’s when you walked in.”

“I believe you.”

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