Please Me Daddy (Gracie) novel Chapter 19

**Across Distant Skies Lies Hope Waiting To Be Found by Kade Rowan Flint**

**A Little Thief**

**Grace**

“Nothing will go wrong. Everything will be just fine. I look completely different; he won’t recognize me. It’s not like I’ll actually see him. I’m just here to hand a file to his secretary and then I’ll be gone.”

With each repetition of my mantra, I paced nervously inside the elevator, the metallic walls reflecting my anxious energy. The moment the doors slid open, I was hit by the stark contrast between my world and the realm of the affluent.

Wow.

The first floor unfolded before me like a scene from a movie, a whole new universe of opulence and sophistication.

Where the PR department on the second floor buzzed with chaotic energy, this floor radiated an aura of sheer luxury. The lighting was soft yet extravagant, and the furniture looked as though it had been plucked from a palace. Every detail, from the gleaming marble floors to the plush carpets, screamed perfection.

I stepped out cautiously, my eyes darting down the hallway, searching for signs of life.

No one was around.

Adjusting the folder clutched tightly in my hands, I made my way toward the secretary’s desk, determined to drop off the document and escape before my luck spiraled into chaos again. But when I reached the desk, I was met with an unsettling sight: it was completely empty, devoid of any sign of life.

Peering around the corner, I searched for the elusive secretary, but found nothing. The plush leather chair sat abandoned, and there were no coffee mugs, no scattered papers—nothing to indicate that anyone had been there in the last hour.

Just as I was about to lose hope, my phone chimed with a message. I quickly pulled it out and opened the group chat, my heart racing.

Eleanor: So, how is it? Did anything happen yet? Have you met your daddy, hehe, I mean boss yet?

I rolled my eyes at her teasing. I should have known better than to share the details of that fateful night when she pried them from me.

Wyatt: Stop joking around, Eleanor. Grace is probably really scared right now.

Eleanor: Hey, I’m just trying to lighten the mood for her.

Me: I don’t think teasing is going to help. I’m on the verge of a heart attack. Today is just the worst.

Wyatt: What’s going on??

Me: First, I almost ran into him when he came to the PR department. And now I’m supposed to deliver a file to his secretary, but she’s not even here!

Eleanor: Just leave it on the desk and get out of there. Drop and run, honey.

Wyatt: But what if it’s important? What if the CEO needs it urgently?

I stared at the messages, my thoughts swirling in a chaotic dance that left me feeling dizzy.

God, what kind of life is this? One moment, I was on the brink of marriage, and the next, I was stumbling into a billionaire’s hotel room and working for him under an assumed identity. It felt like I had been thrust into a K-drama I never auditioned for, complete with unexpected twists and turns.

I glanced down at the file in my hands. It was about the latest celebrity scandal, and he absolutely needed to see it.

My eyes darted to the empty chair once more. Just drop it and leave. I gently set the file on the desk and took a step back. But then, an overwhelming urge gripped me, and I turned back, snatching the file away with a frustrated groan, muffling it into my sleeve.

“Ugh. Why am I like this?”

Of course, I couldn’t just walk away. Deep down, beneath layers of insecurity and doubt, there was a flicker of responsibility urging me to ensure he received the file, even if it meant risking everything I had.

My brain screamed at me to leave, to walk away while I still could. But I couldn’t. I just wanted to touch it, just once. Just for a fleeting moment.

What’s the harm?

I stepped closer, rising onto my toes, my fingers barely grazing the cover of the book.

Almost there.

“Just a little—”

Suddenly, a much larger hand reached over mine and effortlessly plucked the book from the shelf.

I froze, a cold chill racing down my spine. Someone was standing right behind me.

Oh no. No, no, no.

I turned slowly, my heart pounding in my throat.

Apollo Reed.

He towered over me, tall and commanding, exuding an aura of power that was almost palpable. His hazel eyes glinted in the dim light as he regarded me, the book now in his grasp, the other hand sliding casually into his pocket.

He tilted his head slightly, the movement slow and predatory, sending a shiver down my spine.

“Now tell me,” he said, leaning in so close that I could feel the warmth of his breath against my skin, “how do you think I should punish a little thief who sneaked into my office without permission?”