Under His Billionaire Roof novel Chapter 18

Three days of silence.

Leighton perfected the art of avoidance. She learned Noah's schedule by heart. Morning gym at six. Office by seven. Lunch at one, usually takeout at his desk. Evenings varied, but he rarely left his office before eight.

She moved through the house like a ghost. Kitchen trips timed for when he was elsewhere. Meals eaten in her room with the door locked.

She applied to forty-two jobs. Marketing firms. Design studios. Advertising agencies. Some in the city. Some across the state. A few out of state entirely.

Anything to get out of this house. Away from him.

Her phone stayed silent except for automated rejection emails. *Thank you for your interest. We've decided to move forward with other candidates.*

Story of her life.

Chloe noticed something was wrong. Of course she did.

"You've been weird since Monday," she said over breakfast Thursday morning. Noah was in the gym. Leighton had checked. "Did something happen?"

"Just stressed about the job hunt."

"I thought you were starting at Noah's company?"

"That fell through."

"What? Why?"

"Just wasn't the right fit."

Chloe's eyes narrowed. "Did Noah say something to you? Because if he scared you off, I swear I'll kill him."

"He didn't scare me off. I just decided it wasn't what I wanted."

"Leigh..."

"Drop it, Chloe. Please."

Chloe dropped it. But the worried looks didn't stop.

Thursday afternoon, Leighton was in her room updating her portfolio when her phone rang. Unknown number.

She almost didn't answer. But jobs sometimes called from blocked numbers.

"Hello?"

"Leighton Hayes?" A woman's voice. Professional.

"Yes?"

"This is Jennifer Martinez from Knight Security Solutions."

Leighton's stomach dropped. "Hi."

"I received your email declining the position. I wanted to follow up personally. Is there anything we could do to change your mind? The team was really excited to work with you."

"I appreciate that, but no. The circumstances haven't changed."

"May I ask what circumstances? If it's the salary or benefits, we have some flexibility."

"It's not about the money."

"Then what is it about?"

Leighton closed her eyes. "It's personal. I'm sorry. I know this is unprofessional, pulling out so late."

"These things happen." Jennifer paused. "Can I be honest with you?"

"Okay."

"The boss called me this morning. Asked about your withdrawal. He seemed... concerned."

Of course he did. Because he couldn't just let it go.

"What did you tell him?"

"That you cited personal circumstances. He asked if it was something he did. If he made you uncomfortable in any way."

Leighton's laugh came out bitter. "What did you say?"

"I said I didn't know. That you didn't give specifics." Another pause. "Did he make you uncomfortable?"

"It's complicated."

"Complicated how?"

"I can't get into it. I'm sorry. But thank you for the opportunity. I really do appreciate it."

"If you change your mind, the door is open. For the next week, anyway. After that, I need to move forward with other candidates."

"I understand. Thank you."

She hung up. Stared at her phone.

Noah had called Jennifer. Asked if he'd made her uncomfortable. Like he actually cared.

Except if he cared, he wouldn't have called what they did a mistake. Wouldn't have listed all the reasons they couldn't be together. Wouldn't have pushed her away.

Her email pinged. A response to one of her applications.

*We'd like to schedule a phone interview. Are you available tomorrow at 2 PM?*

Finally. Something.

She responded immediately. Confirmed the time. Spent the rest of the afternoon preparing.

That evening, she heard raised voices downstairs. Noah and someone else. She crept to her door, pressing her ear against it.

"...completely out of line." Jennifer's voice. She was here. At the house.

"I was checking on a potential employee." Noah sounded defensive.

"Bull. You were checking on the girl you're clearly hung up on."

"I'm not hung up on anyone."

"Noah, I've known you for six years. I've never seen you personally call a candidate who declined. Never seen you look like someone kicked your dog when I said she wasn't coming back." Jennifer's heels clicked on the floor. "What happened between you two?"

"Nothing."

"Liar."

"It's none of your business."

"It became my business when you made me offer her a job. When you sent her portfolio to me with a note saying she was exactly what we needed. When you called me three times this week asking if she'd changed her mind."

Silence.

"Did you sleep with her?" Jennifer asked.

"That's inappropriate."

"That's a yes." More heel clicks. "God, Noah. She's what, twenty-three? And living in your house? What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't thinking. That's the problem."

"So you slept with her and then what? Freaked out and pushed her away?"

She hung up. Allowed herself a small smile.

An in-person interview. At a company that had nothing to do with Noah Knight. Where she could start fresh. Be someone other than the girl who'd slept with her best friend's brother and got her heart broken for it.

A knock on her door made her jump.

"Leigh? You hungry? I got pizza." Chloe.

She opened the door. "Sure. Whatever you want is fine."

Chloe studied her face. "You look tired."

"I am tired."

"Have you been crying?"

"No." Yes. But not today. Not where anyone could see.

"Okay." Chloe didn't look convinced. "I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine."

"You're not fine. You've barely left your room in three days. You look like you haven't slept." Chloe reached out, squeezing her hand. "Talk to me. Please."

Leighton wanted to. God, she wanted to tell Chloe everything. About Noah. About what happened. About how badly it hurt.

But she couldn't. Because telling Chloe meant destroying their friendship. Meant Chloe having to choose between her brother and her best friend.

And Leighton had already lost enough.

"I'm just stressed about the job situation. That's all."

"Is it Noah? Did he do something?"

Yes. He did everything. And then he took it all back.

"No. He's been fine."

"Because if he's being an ass, you tell me. I'll kick his ass."

"He's not being an ass. We barely see each other."

That much was true.

"Okay." Chloe hugged her. Quick and tight. "I love you, you know that?"

"I love you too."

Chloe left to get the pizza. Leighton closed her door again. Leaned against it.

Downstairs, Noah's office door opened. His footsteps in the hallway. Pausing at the bottom of the stairs.

She held her breath.

He didn't come up. Just stood there. She could feel him. Could feel the weight of his presence even through the floor.

Then his footsteps moved away. Back to his office. The door closed.

Leighton slid down to the floor. Wrapped her arms around her knees.

One more week. She'd give herself one more week to find a job. To save enough to get out of here.

Then she'd leave. Put distance between herself and Noah Knight. Start over somewhere he couldn't find her. Couldn't call her a mistake. Couldn't break her heart all over again.

Because three days of silence was already too much.

And she couldn't survive much more.