Three Years Forgotten, Why Go Crazy When I Say Goodbye? novel Chapter 212

"Does anyone else at the company call you that?"

Willow shook her head.

"Does he call anyone else by cute little nicknames?"

Willow thought about it. She really hadn't heard him do it, but... "I have no idea what he calls other people. Besides, I'm younger than him. Him calling me 'Willie' is perfectly normal."

"Then why wouldn't you let me call you that just now?"

"Do you want the honest truth?" Willow suppressed a smile.

"Obviously."

"I think he makes it sound better than you do."

"Willow Horgan!" Jade feigned outrage. "You absolute traitor! Choosing a pretty face over your best friend!"

Willow didn't flinch. "Are you really going to sit there and pretend you weren't doing the exact same thing?"

She had noticed everything. From the second Silas appeared, Jade's eyes had been practically glued to him.

Jade giggled, entirely unrepentant. "Fine, you caught me. But you really can't blame me! Silas Thorne is just too stunning. It's a tragedy there are barely any photos of him out there. If even one or two leaked, Julian Sinclair wouldn't even register as a blip in New York anymore."

At the mention of that name, Willow's expression tightened. Seeing her discomfort, Jade swiftly shifted gears. "I do have a question, though. Rumor has it he's icy, ruthless, and basically Hell's Reaper in a tailored suit. But after talking to him just now, he didn't seem cold at all?"

"Right? You felt it too?" Willow's eyes lit up, thrilled to finally have someone validate her perspective.

She had felt this way for a long time, but everyone else insisted he was terrifying. It had started to make her doubt her own judgment. Hearing Jade say it instantly put her at ease. She wasn't crazy after all.

Willow frowned, completely lost. "What on earth is that?"

"It's the hottest trend online," Jade explained eagerly. "A mature, stable, experienced older man who radiates protective energy. He's gentle and endlessly indulgent, perfectly restrained and deeply devoted—but he can also be stern when he needs to be."

"I see..." Willow thought about it. The description actually fit Silas Thorne remarkably well. But she was still skeptical of Jade's wild internet theories. "Where do you even read this stuff?"

"The internet, obviously," Jade replied. "And according to the internet, men like that are absolutely obsessed with women exactly like you—gorgeous, quietly resilient, with a soft elegance that triggers their deepest protective instincts."

"Stop talking nonsense." Willow sighed, totally drained of the energy to argue. "I don't need anyone to protect me, and I'm certainly not some fragile little flower."

"Maybe not to you. But in his eyes? You might just be."

The two of them chatted and laughed, quickly finishing their meal. But when they got up to pay, the waitress informed them that their bill had already been settled. Not only that, but a private car had been arranged to take them home.