FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS (Ophelia Corrigan) novel Chapter 81

CHAPTER 81

MON

The whiskey bottle was cold against my fingers, but I couldn’t feel anything except the weight in my chest.

On the terrace, the city sprawled below us like a sea of lights. Stephen leaned against the railing next to me. He’d just shown up at the apartment, close to midnight.

“So are you going to tell me what happened? Why you’re in such a mood? Or do I have to drag it out of you?”

I was about to answer when I heard footsteps behind me. Small ones.

“Uncle Simon?”

I turned. Lily stood in the terrace doorway, her stuffed bear dragging behind her, eyes sleepy and cheeks still flushed from her fever.

“Shouldn’t you be in bed, little one?”

She shook her head, taking a few hesitant steps toward me. “I can’t sleep.”

“Why not?”

“Because…” She hesitated, her bottom lip trembling. “I was scared you might have left too. Miss Jamie promised she’d come visit us, but she didn’t come.” Her eyes dropped. “Adults always say they’ll stay. Then they leave.”

I tightened my grip on the whiskey bottle, and Stephen cleared his throat beside me, his eyes fixed on the girl.

I knelt in front of her. “Look at me, Lily.”

She lifted her eyes.

“I’m not leaving. Not while you need me. You understand?”

Her lip was still trembling, but she nodded. Then, without warning, she threw herself against me, her small arms locking around my neck with a strength that surprised me.

“I like you, Uncle Simon,” she murmured against my shoulder. “Miss Jamie said you’re a good man.”

I closed my eyes for a moment, feeling the warm weight of that child against my chest. And for a second, I forgot the pain entirely.

“She said that?”

“Yeah. She said it at the hospital. She said you’re the nicest person she knows.”

I held her a little tighter.

“Come on, little one,” I said, lifting her into my arms. “Let’s get you back to bed.”

FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

I carried her to her room and laid her down, pulling the covers over her small body.

ay here,” she asked, her eyes already closing. “Stay until I fall asleep.”

“I will.”

I sat on the edge of the bed, running my hand over her hair until her breathing grew deep and even. Only then did I stand, walking toward the door.

“Uncle Simon?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, little one.”

I closed the door behind me and headed downstairs, finding Stephen in the living room, arms crossed, expression serious.

“Who are these kids, Simon?”

“Abby’s.”

Stephen’s eyes went wide. “Abby? The Abby?” A pause. “Holy shit, did you actually become a stepdad? Are you two hooking up?”

“No.” The word came out harsher than I intended. “It’s nothing like that.”

“Then what is it?”

I dropped onto the couch, burying my face in my hands for a moment before looking up at him.

“Abby’s in a coma.”

Stephen went silent.

“She was changing a lightbulb at home. The ladder slipped, she fell and hit her head,” I continued, my voice flat. “Her mom’s at the hospital with her, and she asked me to watch the kids. That’s it. Nothing to do with what you’re thinking.”

“And their dad?” Stephen asked. “He’s not with them?”

“It’s complicated,” I said flatly. “Not my place to get into it.”

“All I do is go a month without seeing you, and you show up with all these surprises.” He grabbed the whiskey bottle, pouring himself a glass. “Speaking of, where’s your girlfriend? You guys break up?”

I took the glass he handed me and downed a long sip. The liquid burned my throat, and for a moment, the pain was physical.

“We were never together.”

Stephen nearly choked.

15:35 Tue Sep 29 MT.

FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS: MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

“What?”

was an arrangement.” My voice came out rougher than I meant it to. “I’d go with her to her grandmother’s birthday, and she’d come with me to the annual gala. So people would think I’d finally settled down.”

“You’re telling me all this time-”

“It was a sham. She needed a date, and I needed to look like a man taking a woman seriously

Stephen was quiet for a long moment, watching me with an expression I couldn’t read.

He tilted his head, and I saw something flicker in his eyes.

“So it worked? You’ve got her kids.”

“Nothing happened between me and Abby.” The word came out sharper than I intended. “And nothing’s going to.”

“No?”

“No.” I took another sip of whiskey. “I fell for someone else.”

Stephen’s eyes widened. “Who?”

I didn’t answer. Just looked away.

“Wait…” Stephen’s voice dropped. “Don’t tell me you fell for your employee?”

The silence was my only answer.

“Holy shit.” Stephen let out a low laugh, shaking his head. “You actually fell for her.”

I stayed quiet.

And then something inside me cracked.

“She rejected me today. Said she doesn’t trust me,” I said, my voice rough. “Said she doesn’t want to start anything serious because she’s scared of getting hurt again. That she wasted ten years with her ex and doesn’t want to make the same mistake.”

Stephen watched me, saying nothing.

“I went up to the office terrace with roses,” I continued, the words spilling out in a rush I couldn’t stop. “Bought her a locket. Gave some ridiculous speech about wanting to build something real with her. And she told me she couldn’t.”

“Simon-”

“And the worst part is, she’s not wrong,” I said, my voice flat. “Maybe I’m not the right guy for her.”

Stephen was quiet for a moment. Then he moved closer, sitting down next to me.

“Do you love her?”

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FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS: MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

The question hung in the air.

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