The Paper Wife’s Empire novel Chapter 337

Holden Covington’s arrogance was nauseating. This time, however, Nova Sawyer didn’t argue. She watched as he opened the thermos, poured a cup of the murky, dark liquid, and looked at her with a questioning frown. She gave him a slight smile and a nod, a silent invitation to drink up.

He narrowed his eyes, the unpleasant odor wafting up to his nose. He hesitated, then gave up. “I’ll drink this later.” He poured the coffee back and closed the lid. “Come on, I’ll take you home.” He locked his office door and started walking.

Nova watched him, her voice surprisingly soft. “You have time to take me home, Mr. Covington? I thought you were on your way out.”

“It’s on the way,” he said with a slight smile. “Besides, it’s not far. I’ll take care of my other business after I drop you off.” Brianna Prescott and her companion hadn’t arrived yet, and someone was already at the hotel to meet them. A short detour wouldn’t be a problem.

Nova didn’t refuse. On the way, Holden’s phone lit up, but he ignored it. “Mr. Covington,” she said, unable to hold back, “if you’re busy, you can just drop me off nearby.”

“It’s fine. We’re almost there.” He kept his eyes on the road. The streetlights illuminated his profile, making him look, for once, almost handsome. But Nova was too busy trying to figure out how to get information out of him for Ramona Jarrett to notice. With Ramona out of town, they had to be extra vigilant.

“Mr. Covington, do you have a business dinner tonight?” she asked, finally breaking the silence.

He glanced at her. “I do.”

“Is it an important client?” She pointed to his jacket. He had changed into a fresh suit and doused himself in cologne. She had noticed that he always wore a lot of cologne when he had a client meeting.

“You could say that,” he said, a hint of a smile in his eyes as he looked at her.

He was being unusually quiet. Normally, he would have used her questions as an opportunity to flirt with her. She clenched her fists and said nothing more.

The car stopped at a red light, and he rested his elbow on the window. He glanced out the window and saw her reflection, her head bowed in thought. When the light changed, he suddenly turned the car in the opposite direction.

“Mr. Covington,” she said, startled, “this is the wrong way.”

“You were eavesdropping outside my office. Don’t try to deny it. I’ve been nothing but good to you, and you repay me by spying for Ramona. I’m hurt, truly.” His voice was light and teasing. He enjoyed teasing her, but he wasn’t blind. He knew what she was up to. He had been tempted to let it go, for the sake of the health coffee, but if this deal went south, he would be the one to face the consequences. This little schemer had no qualms about using him. If that’s how she wanted to play it, he was done being nice.

Nova’s face paled. “I wasn’t eavesdropping. I was just bringing you the coffee…”

“What did you hear?” he interrupted, then continued before she could answer, “Actually, it doesn’t matter. You’re staying with me until this deal is signed. I won’t do anything to you.”

“Holden, have you no shame? You’re taking advantage of my trust!” she said, her voice trembling, her eyes wide with innocent outrage.

He glanced at her and pulled the car over, then snatched her phone before she could react. If he hadn’t seen that she was already in the middle of sending a message, he might have actually believed he was the villain in this scenario.

“Holden, you bastard!” she yelled, struggling against him, but she was no match for his strength. He turned off her phone without even looking at the screen and put it in his pocket.