FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS (Ophelia Corrigan) novel Chapter 135

CHAPTER 135

MON

I was too wired to sleep and too clear-headed to pretend I wasn’t spiraling over this whole thing.

After Jamie left, I spent almost an hour in the office trying to work. I read the same email three times. answered two without remembering what I’d written, and shut the laptop before I did something stupid that cost me a few million.

I went downstairs.

The wine room was next to the kitchen, behind a frosted glass door. It wasn’t huge, but it had everything Y needed right then. Low light. And a good, old bottle of whiskey.

I poured two fingers.

Drank half in one go.

Didn’t help.

I kept replaying the explanation about The Whitmore House, Margaret, Ethan, and the surprise she was putting together for me.

I believed her.

That had never been the problem.

The problem was finding out from a stranger that my fiancée was visiting the place where we might get married.

I knew it sounded irrational. Maybe it was.

But a wedding wasn’t some party Jamie was throwing for me. It was ours.

And damn it, I wanted to be there for every part of it. So what if I had the money to fix things? Was it my fault I was rich and had good connections?

That had never been an issue between us.

I spun the glass between my fingers.

There was something else eating at me way more than the surprise.

The bastard who got into her phone.

I heard footsteps.

I didn’t have to turn around.

“Lily finally went down,” Chloe said from the doorway.

I looked at her reflection in the glass before I looked at her for real.

1/6

29

G

10

O

<

Бер су

་།

FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

“Good.”

e stood there for a second, like she was waiting for an invitation to come in.

She didn’t get one.

She walked in two steps anyway.

“She asked about Jamie.”

I took another sip.

“She’ll talk to Jamie tomorrow.”

“So she’s not staying here tonight?”

I finally looked up.

Chloe held my stare without flinching. She was good at that. Asked questions without sounding nosy. Watched without looking like she was watching.

“No.”

That was it.

She nodded slowly.

“I saw her leave. She seemed upset.”

A short silence settled between us.

Chloe glanced at the bottle, then at me.

“You want me to do anything?”

I almost smiled.

The question was too broad to be innocent and too careful to be called inappropriate.

“You already did. You put Lily to bed.”

She tilted her head.

“I meant for you.”

I set the glass down on the counter.

“I know what you meant.”

Her smile didn’t fade. It just shifted a millimeter.

“I wasn’t trying to cross any lines, Mr. Hart.”

“Good. Then neither of us has to discuss where they are.”

26

29

O

G

10

O

<

1

15:54 Tue Sep 29 JIM

FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

She stared at me for a long moment, then smiled.

mie’s lucky

“So am I.”

The answer came out automatic.

And true.

Something flickered in her eyes.

“Did you two fight about the wedding?”

“I don’t think that’s any of your business, Chloe.”

My tone was enough.

She raised her hands, almost amused.

“Right. Not my business.”

“Exactly.”

“I just worry about the kids. When there’s tension in the house, they pick up on it. And you know they’re still fragile.”

That part was true.

“I worry about them too. Which is why tomorrow, everything stays normal. Please make sure they don’t notice anything different.”

“Of course.”

She turned to leave.

My phone buzzed on the counter.

I looked immediately.

For a second, I thought it was the anonymous number.

It wasn’t.

Security.

I answered.

“Talk to me.”

“Simon, I’ve got the preliminary report on the piece you asked us to verify.”

It took me half a second to remember.

15:54 Tue Sep 29 ) MT.

FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

The watch.

lanced at Chloe.

She had stopped near the door.

“Go ahead.”

55 vou

“The serial number was confirmed with the manufacturer and the insurance records. It’s your watch.”

My body went still.

“You’re sure?”

“Absolutely. Same number on the original documentation. The engraving and service history match tod The piece went through authorized repair twice while it was under your name.”

I looked at the glass.

“And after it disappeared?”

“That’s the part we’re still tracing. There’s no official transfer, authorized resale, or registered service after the date you reported it missing.”

“So you still don’t know how it got to her.”

“No. We need more time.”

“How much?”

“Maybe tomorrow we’ll have something on secondary circulation, auction houses, and insurers. But for now, I can only confirm one thing. The watch is yours.”

“Keep going.”

I hung up.

When I looked up, Chloe was still there.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify