FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS (Ophelia Corrigan) novel Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

– JAMIE

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“So….” I stabbed my fork into the pasta, watching him swirl the wine in his glass. “You gonna tell me what that was about? The whole bailing-early thing?”

Simon lifted the glass to his lips, eyes fixed on the city beyond the window. “The place started attracting the wrong crowd.”

“Wrong crowd?” I raised an eyebrow. “You mean that guy who walked in? The one who looked like he was about to breathe fire when he saw you?”

He sucked in a strand of pasta with deliberate slowness, chewed, swallowed. “Conrad Pierce.”

“Conrad Pierce.” I repeated the name, letting it settle. “Let me guess. This Conrad has something to do with the guy you punched in high school?”

His fork froze halfway to his plate.

For a long moment, he didn’t move-fork suspended in air, eyes locked on the skyline. “You mentioned I got arrested in high school for defending my father.”

He set the fork down. The clink against porcelain seemed to echo through the silence of his apartment. His gaze drifted, searching for something out there in the Manhattan skyline.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine.” I put my own fork aside. “Really. You don’t have to.”

“You’re right.” He exhaled slowly. “He’s the guy whose face I broke.”

“That explains a lot.” I leaned back, studying his profile against the window. “And I’m guessing Abby and Stephen figured out the situation too.”

He turned his face slightly, and a dead laugh escaped his lips-humorless. “Maybe.”

I waited. The silence stretched between us, filled only by the distant hum of the city.

“You really care about her?” The question slipped out before I could stop it.

“About who?”

“You know who.” I tilted my head. “Abby.”

He drew a deep breath, crossing his arms over his chest, eyes still fixed on the skyline. “Honestly?” A pause. “I don’t know if I care or if it’s just unfinished business.”

“How long did you two date?”

“Almost a year.”

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11:41 Fri, Sep 25

FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS: MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

“And she broke up with you, why?”

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He turned his head to look at me. “She didn’t break up with me. I broke up with her, after I got out of juvie.” He looked away again. “After that, I spent some time holed up. Then I threw myself into my project-Hart & Co.” A bitter smile curved his lips. “I bled so much into that company I lost track of time.”

“Then she got married. And you regretted it.”

“Truth is, I didn’t regret it. I feel like things happened the way they were supposed to.”

I set my fork down, elbows on the table. “Why did you break up with her?” The question came softer now. “I mean, she seems so nice…”

“I wanted to forget.” His voice dropped. “I wanted to erase that day. If I’d stayed with Abby back then…” He shook his head. “I would’ve felt like I couldn’t move past it.”

“Why?” I frowned. “Did she do something against you?”

“Actually…” He picked up his wine glass, rotating it slowly. “That guy-Conrad-he was her first boyfriend.”

I felt the pieces start to click into place, but I didn’t say anything.

“And also…” He stopped. “That guy is my mother’s stepson.”

The silence that followed was heavy.

The story seemed worse than I’d imagined.

“My father became paraplegic when I was twelve,” he continued, his voice eerily controlled. “Car accident. My mother started changing after that.” He paused, and I saw his jaw tighten. “One day, she packed her things and left. We found out later she’d married another man, taken on a new family, and just… abandoned us.”

He picked up his fork but didn’t bring it to his mouth. Just held it, fingers white against the metal.

“When I transferred to St. Martin’s Academy and started dating Abby, I had no idea her ex was the son of the man my mother had run off with.” He let out a short, humorless laugh. “Conrad figured it out first. And he didn’t exactly handle the breakup with Abby well either…” He trailed off, like he was reliving that day.

“What did he do, Simon?” The question came out barely above a whisper.

“He put it all out there in front of the entire school. Right in the middle of the courtyard during lunch, with everyone watching. And he didn’t stop there. Started talking about my father, mocking him, turning his name into a punchline.”

His fingers tightened around the fork so hard his knuckles went white.

“My father was always a sweet man. One of those guys who never raised his voice at anyone. Seeing what that did to him…” He looked away and shook his head. “It was like something broke inside me. I didn’t even know that wound existed until I heard everyone laughing, trashing my father like he was nothing.” His jaw clenched. “And then I lost it.”

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11:41 Fri, Sep 25

FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS: MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

“I’m sorry,” I said, my voice quieter. “For prying. I didn’t know–”

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“It’s fine, counselor.” He set the fork down, forcing a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “It’s in the past. It’s been a long time, but I don’t want any contact with those people.” He picked up his fork again, stabbed into the pasta. “Let’s eat. Dinner’s getting cold.”

I watched him take a bite, chew, swallow. His movements were controlled, his expression composed, but I’d seen the flash of pain in his eyes when he talked about his father.

I finished my pasta in silence, watching Simon decline more wine and push his plate aside.

“It’s late,” I said, standing up. “I should probably get going.”

He looked up, surprised. “I can drive you.”

“You don’t have to.” I grabbed my bag. “I’ll grab a cab. You probably need to rest.”

“Don’t go.” He stood too, hands in his pockets.

I looked at him-his hesitant expression, his posture less confident than usual.

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