His Plump Mate (Book 1: The 'His' Series) novel Chapter 187

Cecilia

The chill from earlier hadn’t left-it had just settled deeper into my bones.

I drove to the office in silence, trying to convince myself that I was being dramatic.

I wasn’t convinced.

I’d barely settled into my chair when my desk phone rang.

“Come here.” The voice on the other end was cool as mountain spring water.

hung up, pinched the bridge of my nose, and stood.

Taking a steadying breath, I made my way to the CEO’s office. When I entered, I noticed his computer wasn’t even turned on.

“You needed me for something?” I asked, my expression professionally neutral.

My tone was even, betraying none of the tension coiling beneath the surface.

Sebastian was leaning back in his chair, his expression unreadable.

“Just wondering about your private life,” he said casually. “If your home is going to be Grand Central Station every morning, should I expect daily time-off requests?”

“That’s.. not a regular occurrence.”

“Perhaps not, but it’s hardly something you can control, is it?” I fell silent, unsure how to respond.

“What are you suggesting?” I finally asked

“Starting today, you move back to the apartment.”

“That’s-”

“Difficult?” Sebastian studied me as I hesitated. “Then I suppose I’ll have to start supervising your punctuality in person. Every morning.”

My composure cracked

The thought of him showing up at my parents’ doorstep each day… God, I could already picture their faces.

“That won’t be necessary,” I said quickly. “The apartment it is.”

A hint of satisfaction played at the corners of his mouth. He picked up a folder from his desk. “Take this to Wiley.”

I stepped forward to take it. As my fingers closed around the document, he suddenly tugged back, pulling me closer until we were breathing the same air.

My cheeks flushed warm. I glared at him.

We’re at work,” I whispered, despite being alone. “This is hardly professional.”

Sebastian pulled the folder again, bringing our foreheads nearly touching. “Come see the kitten tonight,” he murmured. “You haven’t visited in days. She misses you.”

“‘ll come, but…” I found myself staring at his lips, my breath growing warmer. “I’m not staying over.”

His breath caressed my cheek like velvet. “Such a heartbreaker, Miss Moore.”

“Don’t say that. I might start believing it.” With a surge of boldness, I quickly stole a kiss from his lips, then snatched the folder and darted away.

1 headed downstairs to deliver the file to Wiley, the manila folder tucked under my arm.

Halfway there, it slipped.

Papers went flying in a loose arc, scattering across the hallway like oversized confetti.

“Seriously?” I muttered, crouching down to gather the papers before anyone walked by.

As I stacked the pages back together, a familiar header caught my eye.

Shadow Pack Project – Funding Approval.

Wait, what?

I froze for a second, blinking at the title.

Sebastian had been stonewalling this proposal for weeks. Wiley had practically waged war over it-endless emails, board meetings, even a tense elevator ride or two.

So why was the approval form sitting here now, signed and stamped like it had never been a problem?

Had something changed? Had Sebastian and Alpha Gavin made some kind of deal?

One thing was certain-Xavier definitely hadn’t known about this when he charged into the office this morning

I finished reassembling the file and pushed the thought aside-for now.

When I handed the file to Wiley, his face was practically glowing.

Sebastian must have called him already.

“Thank you for delivering this personally, Cecilia.”

“Just following orders,” I smiled professionally. “I’ll leave you to it.”

As I turned to leave, he called after me.

“Cecilia… I wonder if you’ve heard about Amara being recalled to headquarters?”

I kept my expression neutral, but mentally rolled my eyes so hard l nearly sprained something.

Look at him-absolutely giddy at the scent of office gossip.

“Of course,” I replied calmly. “She texted me about it. She arrives tomorrow.”

“She.. texted you?” His surprise was evident.

“Yes. We exchanged contacts. We follow each other on Instagram.” Watching his startled expression, I couldn’t help but let my eyes crinkle with amusement.

“So you two are… close?”

Wiley looked skeptical, like he was trying to decide whether I was lying or just lucky.

Everyone in senior management knew about Amara’s history with Sebastian.

“I wouldn’t say we’re enemies,” I said innocently. “She wouldn’t have bothered texting me if we were, right? Didn’t she loop you in too?” His expression darkened.

I blinked, feigning concern. “But you’re the Vice President. Huh. Maybe she figured you already knew? Or… maybe she just forgot. Either way, you’re in the loop now.”

“Miss Moore,” Wiley said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes,

“Maybe her reaching out to you means more than you realize. There are… dynamics at play. You’d be wise to tread carefully.”

“Thanks for the unsolicited advice. Anything else you’d like to mansplain today?”

I didn’t bite. I wasn’t about to ask what “dynamics” he meant. That was the bait-and I had no intention of taking it.

His disappointed little pout almost made me laugh.

The moment I stepped out of his office, my smile dropped like a curtain.

Back upstairs, Sawyer practically ambushed me in the break room.

“just heard Amara is being transferred back to headquarters!” His voice was a panicked whisper.

“You’re only finding out now?”

Compared to his obvious distress, I remained impassive as a stone.

“You… already knew?” he asked, stunned

I sat on a high stool, arms crossed. “Since Sunday night.”

Sawyer’s eyes widened. “So you knew before the Alpha even did?”

“Maybe,” I answered vaguely, my tone deliberately neutral.

Sawyer fell silent, concern etching lines across his face.

“Cecilia, I know the Alpha likes you, but I’ve told you before-he and Amara go way back. They’ve got history. You saw how she was hanging all over him in Singapore. She’s never really let go. And now that she’s coming back, knowing how he feels about you.”

He shook his head. “She’s not going to take this lying down. She’s going to stir things up.”

“I couldn’t care less,” I said flatly.

But seeing the look on his face-like I’d just announced I was walking into oncoming traffic-l sighed and softened.

“Don’t look so dramatic. So what if she’s still hung up on him? That’s not my emotional baggage to carry.

Is everyone supposed to tiptoe around her fragile ego just because she can’t handle reality?

If she’s planning to come after me, well-she’s picked the wrong target.

I patted his arm and slid off the stool, heading for the door.

Behind me, I heard Sawyer mutter something under his breath.

Pretty sure it was something about DEFCON 1.

After work, I drove back to the apartment alone.

/I’d barely changed into comfortable clothes when the doorbell rang.

Taking a moment to compose my sullen mood, I went to answer it.

Sebastian stood there, looking casually perfect in dark jeans and a fitted henley. “Why didn’t you wait so we could leave together?” I stepped aside to let him in. “My shift ended. You didn’t say anything about working late.”

Amara went rigid, her composure cracking further.

Sebastian pinched my stunned cheek gently, his smile holding a hint of mischief. “I know what you’re thinking, sweetheart. Your wish is my command.”

My inner voice screamed: *Are you trying to get your mother to put a hit out on me?*

“I’ll pack your things right away, Alpha,” Liam said, hurrying away with poorly concealed relief.

Sebastian ignored Amara’s frozen form on the sofa and pulled me toward the hallway. “Let’s go see the kitten.”

We’d barely made it down the corridor when a tiny ball of fluff came bounding toward us.

I crouched down as the kitten nosed at my hand, purring like a tiny motor.

“You’ve gotten fat,” I teased, scratching gently behind her ears. “In a cute way, obviously.”

She let out a pleased chirp and flopped over dramatically.

“She still doesn’t have a name,” Sebastian said, kneeling beside me.

“You should name her.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Me?”

He nodded. “You’re the one she actually likes.”

I studied the fluffy little creature, who was now enthusiastically trying to chew on my shoelace.

“She’s so round and fluffy, and that little belly patch? Total muffin energy. Let’s call her Muffin.” Sebastian blinked. “Muffin?”

I turned to him, arms crossed. “Don’t tell me it’s not Alpha-approved.” He chuckled. “No, it’s perfect. She’s got muffin top vibes for sure.” He slid his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder as we both reached out to pet her.

The newly christened muffin stretched, yawned, and rolled onto her back like she fully approved of her absurd new name.

We stayed like that for a while-curled up in the hallway, playing with a cat like the rest of the world didn’t exist.

Sebastian and I had just stood up, Muffin nestled contentedly in my arms when Amara’s voice floated over, syrupy-sweet.

“What an adorable kitten,” she said, her smile trained on Sebastian.

“Though I do remember you being quite the germophobe. You never kept pets before.”

Sebastian didn’t even blink. “Amara, your tendency to assume you know me is long overdue for correction.” Her smile twitched, faltering at the edges.

She looked at him with carefully curated hurt in her eyes, but wisely kept any theatrics in check.

I kept my gaze on Muffin, gently stroking the soft fur behind her ears.

I had zero interest in stepping into the emotional minefield that was Sebastian and Amara’s shared past.

Then, with practiced casualness, Amara pivoted toward me. “Miss Moore, are you free tomorrow? I haven’t been back to Denver in ages-I feel completely out of touch. Would you mind showing me around a bit？”

I didn’t hesitate.

“Sure. Why not?”

If she wanted to play nice this time-no meltdowns in public, no drama

Like Singapore, I was all for it.

Polite façades were far less exhausting than open warfare.

‘Wonderful!” she beamed. “Oh-l brought you a little something.”

She nodded toward her luggage, and I set Muffin down carefully before trailing after her into the living room.

“A gift?” I said, feigning cheerful surprise. “You really didn’t have to.” We sat on the sofa, side by side, as she retrieved a small velvet box and opened it with a flourish, revealing a pair of elegant pearl-drop earrings.

I let out the right mix of impressed hums and delighted gasps.

“Let me help you put them on,” she offered, voice dripping with sugar.

“Of course.” I tilted my head obligingly.

We sat close-closer than I liked-as she fastened the earrings with the intimacy of an old friend. Our conversation turned light and chatty, full of laughter that didn’t quite reach either of our eyes.

Just over the edge of my vision, I caught Sebastian watching us-still, silent, unreadable.

Then I heard him let out a low, humorless laugh.

He stepped forward and gently scooped Muffin from the floor.

“Come on, Muffin,” he said quietly, his voice cool and clipped. “Your mom’s busy playing pretend. Let’s get you some dinner.” I kept the smile on my face. Barely.