FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS (Ophelia Corrigan) novel Chapter 160

CHAPTER 160

AMIE

For a second, no one said anything.

Maybe because Simon had immediately recognized the look on my face.

Then Lily spotted me.

“Aunt Jamie!”

She ran over and wrapped her arms around my waist.

Simon came toward me, a trace of amusement still lingering on his face.

“You’re home.”

“Yeah. I’m home.”

His eyes gleamed.

The woman stepped out from behind him and walked toward me with a bright smile.

“Finally.”

Finally?

Simon rested a hand on my back.

“Jamie, this is Eloise. My cousin.”

The tension drained from my shoulders so fast it was almost embarrassing.

“Your cousin.”

Eloise laughed.

20 you her

“Technically, I’m more like his sister. We grew up together from the time I was born. Unfortunately, that meant I had to grow up with this pain in the ass.”

I held out my hand, but she ignored it completely and pulled me into a hug.

“Sorry. I’m a hugger.”

I laughed, caught off guard.

“That’s okay.”

“I’ve been dying to meet you. I live in Dubai now, so Simon and I mostly survive on texts. And for the record, he talks about you like he just discovered an entirely new species of woman he didn’t know existed.”

“Eloise.”

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FAKK DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

“What? It’s cute seeing you in love.”

Nooked at him

Simon appeared to be seriously considering throwing her out.

I liked her immediately.

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Hours later, the kids were asleep and the three of us were out on the terrace. Eloise and I were sharing a bottle of wine. Simon had whiskey. Manhattan stretched out around us, hundreds of illuminated windows scattered across the skyline while the night breeze stirred the tall plants along the railing.

Eloise was telling stories.

Simon was suffering.

“Have you told her about the time you almost killed both of us?”

Simon closed his eyes.

“No.”

“Perfect.” Eloise turned to me. “I must’ve been about five, which would’ve made Simon seven. This was before Uncle William’s accident, back when he could still walk and used to drive us everywhere. One day, he stopped on a hill and got out for a second to talk to someone on the sidewalk. He wasn’t far. Maybe a few yards away.”

“I already have a feeling I’m not going to like this story,” I said, laughing.

“Oh, you will.” She took a sip of wine. “Simon was sitting in the front seat because apparently rules have never applied to him.”

“It was a different time.”

“It was a car, Simon, not the Middle Ages.”

I laughed.

“Keep going.”

“Our little genius spotted the parking brake and decided to mess with it.”

Simon pointed at her with his glass.

“I didn’t know what it did.”

“That is exactly the problem.” Eloise looked back at me. “He released the brake. The car started rolling downhill.”

My mouth fell open.

“With both of you inside?”

“With me inside.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “At five years old. Can you imagine the trauma?”

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FAKK DATING WITH BENEFITS: MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

“Eloise.”

started screaming. Simon started screaming. Uncle William started running after the car. And that damn thing just kept picking up speed.”

“Stop exaggerating. It wasn’t going that fast,” Simon muttered.

“In my memory, we were doing a hundred miles an hour.”

“You were five.”

“Exactly. I lacked the emotional stability required to accurately calculate speed.”

I was laughing so hard I had to steady my wineglass against my knee.

“So what happened?”

“We went through an intersection.”

My smile disappeared.

“You what?”

“Divine intervention.” Eloise lifted her glass toward the sky. “There wasn’t a single car coming. Not one. We rolled straight through and crashed into a trash can on the other side of the street.”

“Thank God for that trash can,” Simon added.

“I was so hysterical I kept screaming even after the car stopped. Uncle William opened the door, pulled me out, and I was still screaming. Pretty sure I kept going for another ten minutes.”

“What about him?” I asked, pointing at Simon.

“Didn’t cry.”

Simon took a satisfied sip of whiskey.

Eloise smiled.

“Until Uncle William told him he was cutting off his allowance.”

I burst out laughing.

Simon dragged a hand down his face in resignation.

“She tells this story every Christmas.”

“Because it’s a great story,” Eloise shot back.

Still laughing, I rested my head against Simon’s shoulder.

“So you’ve always been a walking hazard.”

“I was curious.”

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Simon squeezed my thigh again, only this time his fingers lingered.

ooked at him

“Behave,” I whispered.

“I am behaving.”

“Your hands aren’t.”

Eloise looked thoroughly pleased.

“God, I like you two together.”

Simon took another sip of whiskey.

“You like me better when you’re slandering me.”

“I can do both.”

She turned to me.

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“Since he doesn’t have siblings, I was forced to fill every role. Cousin, sister, partner in crime, blackmailer.”

“Mostly blackmailer,” Simon said.

“He used to act tough even around Uncle William, but he’s always been ridiculously protective.”

Her smile faded.

“My uncle was the same way. Seemed like he was made of stone until the car accident that left him paralyzed.”

Simon went quiet for a moment.

I brushed my fingers over his hand.

Eloise noticed, but had the grace to change the subject.

“Anyway, enough with the sentimental stuff. I want wedding details.”

“You and my mother would be dangerous together,” I said.

“Perfect. We need to meet.”

The intercom chimed.

Simon checked his phone.

“It’s Stephen.”

Eloise froze.

Only for half a second.

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FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS: MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

It was enough.

Stephen?” she repeated.

“I invited him.”

“Why?”

Simon frowned.

“Because he’s my friend.”

“You have others.”

I looked between them.

There was definitely something going on here.

Stephen appeared a few minutes later, immaculate as always, carrying a bottle of wine.

He walked onto the terrace talking to Simon.

Then he saw Eloise.

He stopped.

She took a sip of wine.

“Just my luck.”

Stephen gave a humorless laugh.

“I could say the same.”

“Then say it. Maybe it’ll make you feel clever.”

“Still charming as ever, Eloise Hart.”

“Funny. I was actually trying to be unpleasant.”

Simon looked at me.

I bit my lip to keep from laughing.

“So you two know each other.”

“Unfortunately,” they said at the exact same time.

That made me laugh.

20 vouchers

With Stephen there, Eloise somehow became even more entertaining. Every comment he made earned a sharp comeback. Every jab she threw made the corner of his mouth twitch, like he was trying not to let her see how much he enjoyed sparring with her.

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There was something there.

Smething electric between them.

When the wine ran out, I stood.

“I’ll grab another bottle.”

“I’ll help,” Eloise said immediately.

In the kitchen, I opened the cabinet while she grabbed two clean glasses.

“Sorry for crashing your night,” she said.

“You didn’t crash anything. I loved meeting you.”

“Simon said you guys had a rough day yesterday.”

I looked at her.

“He told you?”

20 на

“Only what I needed to know. He’s almost annoyingly protective of the privacy of the people he loves.”

The people he loves.

Warmth spread through my chest.