FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS (Ophelia Corrigan) novel Chapter 58

CHAPTER 58

MON

“You’re right, baby.” My voice came out softer than I meant it to, eyes still locked on Jamie. “I shouldn’t be eating candy. But Abby brought over the leftovers from Lily’s party, and-”

“I get it.” Jamie cut me off, voice flat as steel. “You don’t have to explain yourself, Mr. Hart.”

Mr. Hart. She called me Mr. Hart.

Abby stood, clearly feeling the static charge in the air. “Well, I think that’s my cue.” She grabbed her bag, shooting me a smile that tried way too hard to look casual. “Good seeing you, Simon. Take care.”

She brushed past Jamie with a polite nod, and the door clicked shut behind her.

The silence that followed was suffocating.

“What did you want, Jamie?” I asked, trying to keep my voice even.

She crossed the room in precise steps, dropping a folder on my desk. “The due diligence report for the Montclair acquisition. Needs your signature by end of day so we can send it to the board.”

She turned to leave, but my hand caught her arm before she could escape. “Wait. Stay a minute. We need

to talk.”

“There’s nothing to talk about, Simon.” She pulled free. “The documents are on your desk. When you sign, just have someone page me.”

“Jamie.”

She was already at the door. “Good afternoon.”

And then she was gone.

I watched her disappear down the hallway, something hot and frustrated coiling in my chest. For a long moment, I just stood there, staring at the empty doorway. Then, with a heavy sigh, I turned to the documents.

“Alright, Hart. Time to work.”

I sat behind my desk and started reading. The due diligence was flawless-of course it was. Everything Jamie touched turned to gold. Every clause reviewed, every note precise, every risk carefully mapped. I read, signed, turned the page, repeated. A businessman doing what he did best.

But my mind wasn’t on the numbers.

It was on the way she’d called me Mr. Hart.

I spent the rest of the afternoon buried in work, trying to keep my head busy. Phone meetings. Emails answered. Contracts reviewed. Slowly, the stack of documents on my desk shrank.

My restlessness didn’t.

PP ဒ

JIM

FAKA DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

When the sun started dipping between the buildings, I realized I’d been staring at the same page for way too long. I dropped the pen, leaned back in my chair, and-almost without thinking-opened the security

mera feed on my laptop.

This was starting to becotne a habit.

A habit dangerously close to an addiction.

I scrolled through camera after camera, searching for her in the hallways, the lobby, the elevator bank

Nothing.

I frowned.

Had she already left?

Maybe she’d gone home early. Entirely possible.

Only something inside me said she hadn’t.

I closed the laptop, grabbed my jacket off the back of the chair, and walked out of my office.

I was going to find out where she was myself.

“Can I help you, sir?” Elizabeth’s voice came from behind me, and I turned to find her emerging from the file room.

“Elizabeth.” I kept my voice casual. “Do you know if Ms. Collins has left for the day?”

She hesitated, eyes scanning my face. “I saw her go up to the roof deck about twenty minutes ago.”

“The roof deck?”

“She goes there sometimes when she… needs some air.” Elizabeth shrugged. “She doesn’t usually stay long.”

I nodded, already walking toward the exit. “Thank you, Elizabeth.”

I took the elevator to the top floor and climbed the rest of the stairs to the roof deck. The moment I pushed the door open, the cold evening wind hit my face.

Jamie was leaning against the railing, her hair loose and blowing in the breeze, her silhouette cut sharp against the orange sky of the sunset.

I approached slowly, my footsteps echoing on the concrete.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Her voice reached me, low, almost a whisper. “The sunset. Looks like the whole city’s on fire.”

I breathed deep, the cold air burning my lungs. “Yeah. It’s beautiful.”

I moved closer, stopping beside her. The silence stretched between us, heavy with everything left unsaid.

My voice cut through the wind. “Why are you avoiding me again?”

15:31 Tue, Sep 29 MT.

FAKK DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

She finally turned, those eyes meeting mine. “I’m not avoiding you.”

Fally?” I raised an eyebrow. “Because calling me ‘Mr. Hart’ says otherwise.”

“I was being professional. I figure your ex won’t get suspicious since she knows we work together.” She stepped away from the railing. “I need to get back to my desk.”

She started to move past me, but my body reacted before my brain could catch up. I caught her arm, spinning her around, my hands landing on the cold concrete wall on either side of her head

Her breath hitched.

I leaned in, close enough to count the flecks of gold in her eyes. “You’re not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on.”

Her throat moved as she swallowed.

I raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to tell me or not?”

She looked away, jaw tight.

“Does this have something to do with Abby?”

Her eyes snapped back to mine. “No.” A rough laugh escaped her. “This isn’t-” She shook her head. “God, Simon. You’ve been so emotional lately.”

I froze.

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