FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS (Ophelia Corrigan) novel Chapter 158

CHAPTER 158

CHLOE

I left the hospital with a bandage stuck to my face and a folded sheet of discharge instructions tucked inside my purse.

The doctor had recommended that I rest for at least a day. I told him I would. Agreeing to anything was easy when people were watching.

The wound throbbed, but it wasn’t serious. A few hours earlier, I hadn’t been sure I’d be able to control the situation all the way to the end. Now Simon believed I’d saved the children, Jamie had called me brave. and Lily had practically begged them to let me come back.

I still had my job.

The hardest part had been keeping myself from smiling.

I called a car and had the driver drop me off near a discreet pawnshop a few blocks from the hospital. The watch was hidden at the bottom of my purse, wrapped in a scarf. I’d held on to it for months without deciding what to do with it. It was heavy, elegant, and worth more money than almost anything I owned.

Inside, the man behind the counter examined the watch through a loupe. He asked if I had the box or papers. I told him I didn’t. He weighed it in his hand and started talking about the market, authenticity, and resale risk.

I let him talk.

“How much?” I asked.

He offered less than I’d expected. I made a face and stood as if I were leaving. He raised the offer. It still wasn’t ideal, but it was enough. I signed the receipt and took the cash.

I put it all in a brown envelope. I counted it once, then again. I carefully folded the flap down and slipped the envelope into the inner pocket of my purse beside my discharge papers.

By the time I stepped outside, the sky was already darkening. My face hurt more when I moved, and fatigue sat heavy in my shoulders. It didn’t matter. I’d gotten what I needed.

I sent a text.

“I’m near the coffee shop. Are you on your way?”

His reply came less than a minute later.

“Five minutes.”

I chose a table in the back with my chair against the wall. I ordered coffee but didn’t drink it.

When he walked in, he looked at my bandage first, then at the windows, as if he expected to find someone watching us.

I waited for him to come over.

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09:38 Fri, Oct 21nn ·

FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

“Graham.”

pulled out the chair across from me.

The server came over. Graham ordered coffee, then looked at my bandage again.

“You okay?”

“I’m fine. I just got a little hurt.”

He exhaled as though my answer had solved the problem.

“I thought you were actually hurt. If you’d hit your head and died, I’d be in a shitload of trouble.”

“Relax. The fall actually helped sell it. Made the whole thing look more convincing. Convincing enough for them to believe me.”

Graham lowered his voice.

“Are you some kind of psycho?”

He glanced around. I knew what bothered him: public places, witnesses, anything that forced him to think before he acted. Graham liked intimidating people when he was sure he could get away with it. With me,

he wasn’t sure.

I pulled the envelope from my purse and slid it across the table.

“It’s all there.”

He didn’t touch it right away.

“It’s what you asked for.”

His coffee arrived. Graham waited until the server walked away before pulling the envelope closer. He opened the flap just enough to see the bills.

“So what now?” he asked.

“Now you disappear.”

“That’s it?”

“Did you actually want to take care of your kids?”

“Hell no. I moved on a long time ago. My wife wants nothing to do with kids from my first marriage.”

“Perfect. Then disappear for good. Our deal ends here.”

He frowned but didn’t argue. Graham struck me as the kind of man who only picked a fight when he was certain he’d come out on top. When the choice was between responsibility and convenience, he preferred not to engage at all.

Still, he kept staring at the envelope as if he’d gotten less than he expected.

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FAKK DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

“Wait a second. I made good money off this, but what do you get out of it?”

Nolled my eyes

“Do you always ask this many questions after you’ve already taken the money?”

“Only when I don’t understand the deal. And how did you even find me? How’d you get my number? What’s your plan? Are you planning something against my kids? Because if you are…”

I gave a short laugh.

“You’re worried about them now? I thought you wanted nothing to do with those kids.”

He shifted in his chair, uncomfortable. The coffee in front of him remained untouched.

“I didn’t say I wanted them. I’m just asking what you’re planning to do.”

“Then stop worrying. What I’m doing has nothing to do with your kids.”

Graham narrowed his eyes.

“Then who does it have to do with?”

I leaned across the table, keeping my voice low for a moment. Then I let it rise just enough to carry to the tables around us.

“Simon Hart.”

I smiled at him.

“When I want something, I don’t give up. I see it through, no matter what it costs me. The game doesn’t end until I win. It might take time. I don’t care. I know how to wait.”

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