FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS (Ophelia Corrigan) novel Chapter 123

CHAPTER 123

HLOE

The door clicked shut with a soft sound, and the silence of my apartment wrapped around me like a second skin. I let my bag drop to the floor and just stood there for a moment, feeling the weight of the day drain from my shoulders.

Then I smiled.

Not because of the day. The day had been a disaster. Simon hadn’t looked at me the way I expected. And when I criticized Jamie openly, he cut me off with a coldness that made one thing very clear: I’d picked the wrong approach.

With Simon, cheap seduction wouldn’t work. And attacking that smug lawyer would only make him protect her harder.

The problem was that I’d been trying to get his attention.

And getting Simon Hart’s attention meant absolutely nothing. Women had been doing it for years. Short dresses. Low necklines. Blatant invitations. Models, actresses, socialites. Simon could have anyone. And before, he used to take his pick. For one night. Maybe two. Then he forgot.

I didn’t want to be a woman Simon desired for a few hours. I wanted to be the woman he couldn’t imagine losing.

I walked to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water. The flowers Jamie sent were still in my head. Not the flowers themselves, but the intention behind them. Pink roses I’d thrown in the building’s trash at lunch. I almost laughed. Jamie was so naive. All you had to do was make her believe she’d hurt someone, and she’d come running to fix it. It was an admirable quality. It was also a terrible weakness around people like me.

I took a sip and grabbed my phone. I dialed Kelly’s number.

She answered on the third ring, her voice professional and a little tired. “Chloe? Everything okay? Did something happen with the kids?”

“No, no. Everything’s fine,” I said, letting a smile come through in my voice. “Actually, I just wanted to thank you. Again.”

“Oh, please,” she said, and I could hear the smile on the other end. “You were by far the best candidate. It was time Simon had someone reliable.”

“I know. And that’s why I’m calling.” I paused, calculating the timing. “Kelly, I know this is a weird ask, but I need a favor. Please keep it between us that you’re the one who referred me.”

There was a brief silence. “A secret? Why?”

“Because I don’t want Mr. Hart to think I got the job through connections instead of merit,” I said, softening my voice, almost vulnerable. “You know how it is. He’s a fair man, I’m sure. But if he finds out you pulled strings to get me into the company, he might be disappointed in both of us. And I don’t want that to damage your working relationship with him because of me.”

FAKA DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

“Oh, Chloe…” Kelly’s voice softened. “Simon isn’t a bad person, quite the opposite. He wouldn’t care. seriously. He values people who do good work.”

“I how. But please,” I insisted, letting a little distress bleed through. “Just for a while. Until I prove myself I’d feel so much better that way. Promise you won’t tell him we’re colleagues?”

“Okay, okay,” she gave in, and I could hear the affection in her voice. “Relax. Your secret’s safe with me, You’re doing a wonderful job, Chloe. Really.”

“Thank you, Kelly. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

I hung up, satisfied. Kelly’s loyalty was secured. Another piece on the board, placed with a smile and a plea for help.

I crossed the living room and went to my bedroom.

I pulled off my blouse and tossed it on the bed. I walked to the window and opened the curtain, just to feel the city light coming in.

The apartment was small. Cramped. The paint on the living room wall was peeling in a corner I pretended not to see. And the noise from the upstairs neighbor, dragging footsteps, furniture being moved, a TV turned up too loud, cut through the ceiling like the walls were made of paper.

I yanked the curtain shut. The anger rose fast, hot, without warning.

“I hate being poor,” I muttered, the words coming out through my teeth. “I hate this shitty apartment. I hate that neighbor. I hate having to smile at that idiot secretary to get what I want because I wasn’t born with the right last name.”

I breathed in deep. Anger wasn’t going to get me anywhere. I already knew that. But for a second, it felt good to feel it. Because that anger was what was going to get me out of here. One day.

In the second drawer of the dresser, under some folded clothes, was the velvet box. I pulled it out and opened it. The watch was exactly as I remembered. Masculine, elegant, heavy.

A limited edition Hart & Co. from two years ago.

I shouldn’t have kept it. Technically, it had never been mine. But that was a matter of perspective.

I put the watch on my wrist. It was big, like always. I raised my hand in front of the mirror and studied it. For a few seconds, I imagined another arm closing the clasp. Another house. Another last name.

My eyes found my own reflection.

“Patience,” I murmured.

I took off the watch and put it away. Then I walked to the wall beside the wardrobe. To anyone who walked in, there was just a large beige fabric hanging there. Bland. Discreet. Perfect.

I grabbed one corner and pulled.

The fabric fell to the floor. And Simon Hart appeared in front of me. Dozens of times. Magazine clippings. Articles about Hart & Co. Event lists. Dates. Restaurants. Names of people close to him. In the center, a recent photograph. Simon and Jamie in Hawaii. She was laughing. He wasn’t looking at the camera. He was

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15:40 Tue Sep 29

FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

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