FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS (Ophelia Corrigan) novel Chapter 216

CHAPTER 216

– JAMIE

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The next morning, I found Simon in the kitchen making coffee with his phone wedged between his shoulder and ear. He wore a white dress shirt with the top two buttons undone and the sleeves rolled to his forearms. The fabric fit his broad shoulders perfectly, and that effortless look made him even more handsome.

“No, Kelly, I want the private entrance cleared before we get there,” he said, pouring coffee into a mug. “And nobody on our staff is to confront the protesters. Leave that to security. Understood?”

He ended the call the moment he saw me.

“Morning, beautiful.”

“Morning.” I stepped up to the counter, letting my eyes wander over him. “Has anyone ever told you how unfairly good you look with your sleeves rolled up like that?”

Simon glanced down at his shirt, then gave me a smug grin. “Fuck, baby. And here I thought you came down for the coffee.”

“I came for the coffee, too.”

“Too?” He raised an eyebrow. “Now that’s the part I like.”

I rolled my eyes, smiling as he set a mug in front of me. Toast, scrambled eggs, and a bowl of fruit were waiting on the counter.

“Eat first. Then you can boss me around for the rest of the day.”

I ducked my head to hide my smile.

We’d barely slept, but for the first time in days, there wasn’t an invisible wall between us. Simon kissed me before we left, lingering a second longer than necessary.

On the drive, I mentally went over the agenda for the meeting. The hearing was coming up far too quickly. We needed to verify the executives’ statements, preserve the technical records, and prepare a solid response to the requests for preliminary relief filed against the company.

I was reading a text from Ethan when I heard the first shout.

“Irresponsible bastards!”

I looked up.

Dozens of protesters crowded the entrance to Hart’s headquarters. Some held signs bearing photographs of hospitalized patients. Others shouted for justice, accountability, answers. Reporters jostled for space among the security guards.

My chest tightened.

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FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS: MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

Simon slowed the car. “Damn it. Kelly said the side entrance would be clear.”

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A man slapped his palm against the window. Someone else stepped in front of the car, pointing at Simon.

“You destroyed our families!”

Simon didn’t answer. He kept both hands on the wheel, waiting for an opening.

“Simon, maybe we should go around.”

“I’m looking for room, Jamie. I’m not driving into anybody.”

A security guard motioned for the crowd to move back. Simon inched forward, careful not to hit anyone.

Then something slammed into the windshield.

The crack was so loud it sounded like an explosion.

I screamed and threw my hands over my face on instinct.

A web of cracks spread across the glass, obscuring part of our view. Thank God the car was armored. The reinforced windshield held together, keeping every shard of glass outside the cabin.

Even knowing we were protected, my heart went wild. I curled into my seat, terrified, while the shouting outside seemed to grow louder by the second.

“Jamie! Keep your head down!”

Simon accelerated only when security cleared a path ahead of us. We turned down the ramp to the private garage, and the gate began closing behind us.

Even after he parked, I could still hear the impact in my head.

My hands shook so badly I couldn’t unfasten my seat belt.

“Baby?”

“I’m fine,” I said too quickly.

The lie came out between two shallow breaths.

Simon shut off the engine, released his own seat belt, and leaned across the console.

“Look at me.”

I tried. His face seemed impossibly far away.

“I’m okay, Simon. It just scared me.”

“I know. Come here.”

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He pressed the release on my seat belt, eased the strap away from my chest, and gently pulled me into his

arms.

“You’re okay. I’ve got you.”

Simon held me tight, stroking the back of my neck before pressing a long kiss to my forehead. I buried my face in the curve of his neck and breathed in his familiar cologne. Little by little, the warmth of his arms and the steady beat of his heart brought me back to myself.

But I couldn’t shake what had just happened. There was a crowd outside that hated him, people who’d been hurt and now blamed him for everything. After what they’d done to the car, I was afraid of how far their anger might go. Simon was the man who made me feel safe. But who was going to protect him from all those people who wanted to hurt him?

***

By ten, the conference room was full. Ethan, Robert Mitchell, and two outside attorneys were discussing the litigation schedule. Simon formally introduced me as head of the legal department and explained that Mitchell would coordinate the operational response to the crisis alongside my team, without changing my authority.

Afterward, I carried my case notebook back to my office. It was heavy with dividers and notes I’d accumulated throughout the week.

Ethan appeared in the doorway.

“Is all that for the meeting with outside counsel?”

“Yeah. Batch timelines, inspection records, internal interviews, and the discrepancies we still need to clear up.”

He nodded toward the notebook. “Want me to take it to the outside team? I can have someone scan it.”

“Not yet. I want to add a few notes and double-check the references. I’ll hand it over the day before the hearing so we can do one final review.”

“Okay. Just send me the finished version when it’s ready.”

“I will.”

Once he left, I opened the notebook to the inspection section. One of the dividers seemed thinner than I remembered.

I flipped through the pages. Maybe I’d rearranged them the night before. I was too exhausted to trust my own

memory.

I made a note to cross-check everything against the electronic files and got back to work.

The hours vanished into phone calls, documents, and revisions. By the time I looked up, the city lights were glowing beyond my window.

Simon walked in without knocking, carrying two takeout containers.

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FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS: MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

“Before you start complaining, I brought dinner.”

“You know knocking is an option, right, Hart?”

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“I do. But there’s something thrilling about being greeted with hostility by my own wife when she’s in head- of-legal mode.”

He set the containers on the desk and came over to me.

“How’s my girl doing?”

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