FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS (Ophelia Corrigan) novel Chapter 79

CHAPTER 79

MIE

The elevator doors slid open, and I stepped onto the Hart & Co. floor like I was walking into the lion’s den.

The low hum of office chatter hit me first, but it was the quality of that chatter that made my stomach clench. A cluster of assistants from marketing was huddled near the water cooler, heads bent together like they were sharing state secrets. “Did you see how he rushed out of here yesterday?” I caught someone whispering as I passed. I didn’t recognize the voice, but the curiosity in it was impossible to ignore. “Practically sprinted out of the building. Something serious must have gone down.”

Another woman answered, even quieter.

“And those kids he brought in last week? Kelly said they’re his ex’s. Sounds like she’s in the hospital, and he’s been watching them while she’s out of commission.”

“Took on his ex’s kids just like that?” a third voice joined in. “He must still have feelings for her.”

My steps slowed without me realizing it.

“Feelings?” The woman let out a little laugh. “Please. No one takes on an ex’s kids like that unless they were completely gone for her.”

“Or still are.”

There was a brief silence.

“Either way, for Simon Hart to drop everything and basically step into a father role for someone else’s kids… that woman must have meant a lot to him.”

I stopped walking. The words hung in the air, and I felt something twist in my chest.

You don’t get to feel this way about him, I told myself. You have no claim.

I forced my legs to move again, continuing toward my office. When I got there, I closed the door behind me and pressed my palms flat against the cool surface of my desk.

Focus. Work. This is what you’re good at.

But the words kept circling back in my head. He never got over her.

I took a deep breath and tried to push it away. But the knot in my stomach just wouldn’t come undone.

I grabbed the acquisition file off my desk. I needed to get this to him now.

Work is work.

I walked toward his office, my heels clicking against the polished floor. When I reached the door, Kelly was typing furiously at her desk, but she looked up the moment she saw me.

“Jamie! Sorry, but he’s tied up right now. A friend of his just dropped in.”

135 Tue Sep 29 MT

FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS. MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

“Friend?”

1. They’ve been in there a while.”

I’ll admit, something about that caught me off guard. “Right. I’ll bring this by later. It’s not urgent.”

I didn’t wait for her response. I turned and walked away as my pulse started to pick up. I had no right to be bothered by this.

But as I passed by the glass wall of his office, I couldn’t help myself. I glanced through the window.

He was laughing at a woman sitting across from him, her blonde hair cascading over her shoulders, het smile easy and warm. She was one of those effortlessly beautiful women—the kind that made you feel dim just by being in the same room. And Simon was looking at her with a tenderness that made my chest aché.

I went back to my desk and buried myself in work. For the next hour, I reviewed contracts, signed off on invoices, answered emails-anything to keep my hands busy and my mind distracted.

“Jamie!” I heard from the doorway and looked up to find Ethan hovering there, grinning. “Hey, some of us are thinking about doing a picnic in Central Park Saturday afternoon. The weather’s supposed to be perfect. You in?”

“Ethan, I don’t think—” I started, already shaking my head.

“Please?” He stepped closer, his eyes bright and persuasive. “It’s not just going to be the two of us. A bunch of people from the office are coming. Elizabeth, Claire, some of the paralegals. It’ll be fun.”

I hesitated. I didn’t exactly have anything better to do that Saturday, and Simon would probably be busy with the kids anyway.

Maybe getting out with the group was exactly what I needed. A few hours away from home, away from my own head, and most of all, away from him.

It would be good to remind myself I had other things in my life besides whatever was happening between

1

“Okay,” I heard my own voice say. “I’m in.”

Ethan’s smile widened into a full grin. “Yes! This is going to be great. I promise you won’t regret it.”

He was about to say something else when a deep voice cut in from the doorway.

! “Jamie.”

I looked up. Simon was standing there, holding a folder.

Ethan stepped back immediately, and I noticed how Simon’s gaze flicked to him for a fraction of a second,

cold and dismissive.

“I need those acquisition documents,” Simon said, his voice clipped. “The ones you were supposed to bring me this morning.”

“They’re right here,” I said, standing and handing him the file. I kept my expression neutral, my posture professional.

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FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS: MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

Vouc

Ethan cleared his throat and started backing toward the door, clearly sensing the tension. He didn’t need instructions to leave; he just gave me a quick nod and disappeared.

The moment he was gone, Simon looked at me, something sharp in his eyes. “Seems like that intern of yours has a habit of hovering.”

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