FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS (Ophelia Corrigan) novel Chapter 209

CHAPTER 209

JAMIE

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When I came downstairs for breakfast, Simon was already dressed to go out. He wore a dark suit, his tie still loose, and an expression far too focused for a man who’d sent part of the night insisting I needed sleep.

“You’re leaving this early?” I asked as I poured myself some coffee. “Where are you going?”

“I’ve got a meeting off-site.”

“With who?”

He hesitated only long enough to button his jacket.

“A few people I need to hear out before I make a decision.”

That wasn’t exactly an answer.

“About the company?”

“Yes.”

I stepped closer to straighten his tie. Simon let me fix it, but his mind was clearly

elsewhere.

“Simon, are you keeping something from me? Because I’ve been working around the clock to get us through this, and the least I expect is for you to keep me in the loop. If something’s going on, I need to know. There’s no point in me putting together a defense if you’re making decisions without consulting us.”

He took my hands.

“I know. And you know you don’t have to solve everything before I leave the house.”

“Are we having a competition to see who can dodge a question better?”

“You’ve already won.”

He kissed my forehead, then my mouth, lingering for an extra second.

“Eat a real breakfast. And take a break today.”

“Is that an order from the CEO?”

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“It’s a request from your husband.”

tood still, studying his expression as he pulled away.

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Simon always thought things through before he acted. That morning, he looked ke he’d already made a decision he wasn’t ready to share with me.

After he left, I went back to my office. I opened my inbox and looked for messages from the legal team. There were document updates, but none of the questions that usually landed in my inbox every half hour.

I texted Ethan: Morning. I need an update on the COO’s statement and the review of the exhibits. Can we talk at ten?

He read it. No reply.

I sent another message to the litigation group, asking if anything was waiting on my approval. Twenty minutes went by. Then forty.

That wasn’t normal.

Hart & Co. had a capable legal department, and I’d never expected everyone to come to me for every little decision. But an emergency hearing required coordination. Until the night before, my phone hadn’t stopped ringing. Now the silence felt wrong.

Finally, one of the attorneys messaged me privately.

“Sorry for the delay, Mrs. Hart. We’re reviewing the documents with outside counsel and separating out confidential information. Ethan is coordinating everything.”

I asked her to send me the updated version as soon as possible, but nothing arrived.

It was starting to get under my skin. I ran the legal department. Why were they making decisions without consulting me?

I called Ethan. Voicemail.

I tried again an hour later. Nothing.

I considered demanding a meeting, but the team had been working nonstop for days. Maybe they were just swamped.

I decided to give them some breathing room.

The house was quiet. Chloe had gone out, Sylvia still hadn’t returned, and the kids were at school.

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I headed into the kitchen and decided to bake cookies. I needed something to occupy my mind that had nothing to do with lawyers, lawsuits, or the company.

I put on some music, gathered the ingredients, and started mixing the dough. I smiled at the thought of the kids coming home and sneaking warm cookies off the tray

For the first time all day, I managed to relax.

I was pulling the last batch out of the oven when my phone rang.

Ethan.

I answered immediately.

“Finally! I was starting to think you guys were avoiding me.”

He didn’t laugh.

“Jamie, are you alone?”

My smile disappeared.

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