FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS (Ophelia Corrigan) novel Chapter 82

CHAPTER 82

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The elevator doors slid open on the executive floor, and I stepped out with a coffee in each hand. The one on the right-hers, oat milk latte with an extra shot-was already starting to cool.

I’d left home early to grab it from that tiny café on the corner because the machine on our floor brewed coffee that tasted like burnt regret.

I didn’t stop to analyze why I’d done it.

Didn’t want to.

I just wanted to put the cup in her hand, maybe catch a glimpse of that reluctant smile she always tried to hide, and pretend I hadn’t spent the entire night wide awake, replaying her words on the terrace.

“I can’t trust anyone anymore-not even myself.”

I pushed the thought away and rounded the corner toward her office.

And stopped.

She was leaning against her desk, arms crossed, laughing at something the intern had just said. He was standing too close, as usual, and two assistants from marketing were perched on the edge of the armchairs, clearly in the middle of some animated conversation.

“So tomorrow we’ll meet there around noon?” Ethan’s voice came clear through the crack in the door. “I’ll bring the basket. You don’t have to worry about a thing.”

Jamie laughed—that sound I used to hear only for me. “You’re offering to carry everything?”

“I’m offering to take care of my favorite boss.”

The coffee burned my hand. Or maybe that was just the anger.

“Picnic in Central Park,” one of the assistants said. “It’s going to be so fun. I haven’t done an outdoor thing

in forever.”

“It’ll be great,” Ethan agreed, his eyes not leaving Jamie for a second. “Ms. Collins will see it’s worth getting out of the office once in a while.”

I gripped the cup so hard the lid buckled. A little hot liquid seeped over my fingers.

She’ll see it’s worth getting out of the office. With him. In Central Park. Tomorrow.

I pulled the door closed slowly and turned around. Walked back to my office with measured steps, jaw locked. The coffee cup was still in my hand, and when I reached my desk, I tossed it into the trash with a dry snap.

“Mr. Hart?” Kelly appeared in the doorway. “The board meeting starts in five.”

“I’m on my way.”

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FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS: MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

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I grabbed the folder and walked to the conference room. When I walked in, Jamie was already there- sitting in her seat, tablet in hand, completely professional. She looked up when I entered, and for a second, smething flickered across her face. A longer blink. A nearly imperceptible movement of her lips.

“Good morning, Mr. Hart,” she said, and the formality stung more than any insult could.

“Likewise, Ms. Collins.” I took my place at the head of the table, opening the folder with more force than

necessary.

The meeting started. Quarterly report. Growth projections. Someone talked about Asian expansion, and/ listened with half my attention, the other half locked on Jamie.

She was avoiding my eyes. Typing on her tablet. Biting her lower lip in that way I knew so well. And all could think about was that tomorrow she’d be in Central Park with some kid who wasn’t old enough to buy whiskey.

“Mr. Hart?” One of the directors pulled me back. “About the Morrison acquisition. Has legal finalized the analysis?”

I looked up at Jamie. “Ms. Collins?”

She straightened in her chair. “Yes, sir. The final report is ready. I sent it to your inbox yesterday.”

“I need an additional review.” My voice came out colder than I intended. “The liability clauses need to be reassessed. And I want a comparative analysis of our competitors.”

“Already did that,” she said, frowning. “It’s in the report.”

“I want a more detailed breakdown,” I insisted, keeping my voice neutral. “With specific timelines for each phase of implementation. I need it on my desk by Monday morning.”

Her face paled. “Monday morning? But that’s-”

“That’s what I need, Ms. Collins.” I held her gaze, letting the silence stretch. “Is there a problem?”

She opened her mouth, then closed it. “No, sir. No problem.”

The meeting continued. I gave more orders, tighter deadlines, more work for her.

When the meeting ended, Jamie was the first one out. I watched her disappear down the hallway, and something inside me twisted. Five minutes later, she was in my office.

The door clicked shut behind her.

“What is your problem?” Her voice was tight, eyes flashing. “You knew that would take me all weekend. There’s no urgency-”

“HR pays overtime,” I said, not looking up from the papers on my desk. “I don’t see the issue.”

“I had plans tomorrow.”

I looked up slowly. “What plans?”

She hesitated. Just for a second, but I saw it. “None of your business. And I’ll do it on Monday, okay? If it

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FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS: MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

were really that urgent, you would have given me more notice.”

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