FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS (Ophelia Corrigan) novel Chapter 193

CHAPTER 193

– JAMIE

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That afternoon, I discovered that working from home with Simon wasn’t exactly conducive to productivity.

Every time he passed my office, he found some excuse to stop by. The first time, he brought me a glass of water. The second, he asked if I’d seen his charger. The third, he simply leaned against the doorframe and watched me.

“Can I help you?” I asked without looking up from the contract.

“Just admiring my wife at work.”

“That’s workplace harassment.”

“I’ll file a complaint with the owner.”

“Good. I hope he does something about it.”

“I know the guy. He’s a real bastard.”

I looked

1. Simon wore a blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up and an expression that was far too pleased with itself. His dark hair looked like he’d been running his hands through it. My husband was a walking distraction.

“I have a contract to draft, Hart.”

“And I have a meeting in five minutes.”

“Then why are you here?”

He crossed the room, rested a hand on the back of my chair, and kissed me. It was brief, but more than enough to wipe the last sentence I’d read right out of my head.

“Now I can go,” he announced.

“You’re impossible.”

“You love me.”

“Unfortunately.”

He left laughing. I waited until his footsteps faded before turning back to the document. It didn’t help. I was still smiling.

At three, I finished a call with the legal team. The kids were still at school, and the house was unusually quiet. I closed my laptop for a few minutes and went downstairs for more coffee.

Halfway down, I heard a voice coming from the kitchen.

1/5

11:27 Fri, Oct 16

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“Please, sir. I just need a few more days.”

I stopped before I could help myself.

It was Chloe.

“I know I promised I’d pay. But I only started working again recently… No, I don’t have that kind of money today.”

There was a pause. I heard her struggling not to cry.

“You can’t just put my things out on the street. Please.”

I stood frozen. This was obviously a private conversation. I should have turned around, but her voice sounded so fragile that I hesitated.

“I understand,” she said, barely above a whisper. “No. All right.”

The call ended. Chloe set her phone on the counter and covered her face with her hands. Her shoulders began to shake. She was crying, or at least that was what it looked like from where I stood.

I took a step back, hoping to leave unnoticed. The floor creaked.

Chloe glanced over her shoulder. When she saw me, she straightened and quickly wiped her cheeks.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Hart. I didn’t realize you were there.”

“You don’t need to apologize.”

She stared at me with wet eyes, and I couldn’t bring myself to walk away.

“Chloe, is everything okay?”

“Yes. It was just… an unpleasant phone call.”

Her voice cracked on the last word.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to bother you.”

“You’re not bothering me.”

She set down the dishcloth, drew a breath, and looked at her phone as though she expected it to ring again.

“It’s my rent,” she admitted. “Before I got this job, I was out of work for a while, I fell behind one month, then another. I thought I could work out a payment plan over the course of the year, but my landlord won’t wait.”

“He’s threatening to evict you?”

Chloe gave a sad little laugh.

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11:28 Fri, Oct 16

FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS: MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

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“He’s already put my things out, He texted me to say I have until tomorrow to collect whatever’s left. I have nowhere to go back to.”

I stared at her, shocked.

“He can’t just do that without following the legal process.”

“I know there are rules, Mrs. Hart. I just can’t afford a lawyer.”

I had a lot of questions. As an attorney, I knew a situation like this needed to be reviewed before anyone could draw conclusions. But as a person, all I could see was a woman crying in my kitchen.

“First, call me Jamie. Second, I can put you in touch with someone who’ll look into it for free. You might still be able to challenge what he did.”

“Thank you. Really. I’m just so tired…”

She wiped her face again.

“If money’s the problem, I could talk to Simon about giving you a raise,” I suggested. “You’ve been doing a great job here.”

Chloe’s eyes went wide.

“No! Please don’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“He only just hired me. It would be so embarrassing. And it wouldn’t help, anyway. I’m so far behind on rent that a raise now wouldn’t make much difference.”

“I see.”

“I’m more worried about finding somewhere to stay, and fast. Maybe I’ll get a hotel room for a few days. I’m just afraid I’ll spend everything I have before I find another apartment.”

She said the last part without looking up from the floor.

“Why don’t you stay here tonight?”

Chloe lifted her head.

“Here?”

“At least until you figure out what to do tomorrow.”

I glanced toward the door near the kitchen that led to the staff area.

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