Chapter 7
The secretary office buzzed in a quiet sort of way.
A colleague spotted me and waved. “Olivia, Mr. Gabriel was just looking for you. Said to head over when you’re back.”
“Did he say what for?”
“Nope, just told me to let you
“Thanks.
know.”
I grabbed my makeup pouch and ducked into the restroom. After confirming my face looked composed, I headed toward Micah’s office.
Even before I got there, I heard the sound of a child being soothed.
I knocked lightly on the half–open door.
Micah looked like he’d been dragged through a battlefield. When he saw me, he exhaled dramatically, clearly relieved. “Thank God. Quick–help. This kid’s a handful.”
Chloe ran over and wrapped her arms around my leg
My whole body teised. A chill ran through me.
Micah straightened his collar. “See? You’re the only one who gets through to her.
I stiffened. “Mr. Gabriel, I’ve never taken care of kids before.
‘Relax. Her homework’s almost here.”
“She’s four… she already has homework?”
Micah stared at me like I was the strange one.
Just read her a story on something, alright?”
A story,
But lids these days didn’t want fairy tales anymore. The book in front of me was full of complicated geography jargon.
I stumbled through ten minutes of reading, breaking a nervous sweat.
Chloe sprawled across my legs, flipping over and over.
Thankfully, the nanny finally showed up and lured her away with homework.
Exhausted, I stood. “Mr. Gabriel, I’ll head out now.”
“Wait.”
Micah watched then disappear down the hall and shut the door. He hesitated.
“Stop calling me Mr. Gabriel.”
He looked straight at mur
“You’re Chloe’s mother, aren’t you?”
Ididn’t answer.
“You don’t have to say it. I put the pieces together,” he muttered, rubbing his temples. “God, I’m an idiot. That little birthmark on her neck–dead ringer for yours!!”
“If you’d been paying that much attention to the necks of your female employees, that would’ve been a problem,” I deadpanned.
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Chapter 7
The secretary office buzzed in a quiet sort of way.
A colleague spotted me and waved. “Olivia, Mr. Gabriel was just looking for you. Said to head over when you’re back.”
“Did he say what for?”
“Nope, just told me to let you know.!
“Thanks.”
I grabbed my makeup pouch and ducked into the restroom. After confirming my face looked composed, I headed toward Micah’s office.
Even before I got there, I heard the sound of a child being soothed.
I knocked lightly on the half–open door.
Micah looked like he’d been dragged through a battlefield. When he saw me, he exhaled dramatically, clearly relieved. “Thank God. Quick–help. This kid’s a handful ‘
H
Chloe ran over and wrapped her arms around my leg.
My whole body teised. A chill ran through
Micah straightened his collar. “See? You’re the only one who gets through to her.”
I stiffened. “Mr. Gabriel, I’ve never taken care of kids before.”
“Relax. Her homework’s almost here.”
“She’s four… she already has homework?”
Micah stared at me like I was the strange one.
“…Just read her a story or something, alright?”
A story.
But kids these days didn’t want fairy tales anymore. The book in front of me was full of complicated geography jargon
I stumbled through ten minutes of reading, breaking a nervous sweat.
Chloe sprawled across my legs, flipping over and over,
Thankfully, the nanny finally showed up and lured her away with homework.
Exhausted, I stood. “Mr. Gabriel, I’ll head out now.
“Wait”
Micah watched them disappear down the hall and shut the door. He hesitated.
“Stop calling me Mr. Gabriel ”
He looked straight at me
“You’re Chloe’s mother, aren’t you?”
I didn’t answer.
“You don’t have to say it. I put the pieces together,” he muttered, rubbing his temples. “God, I’m an idiot. That little birthmark on her neck–dead ringer for yours!!”
“If you’d been paying that much attention to the necks of your female employees, that would’ve been a problem,” I deadpanned.
Chapter 7
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Micah pulled out a cigar, patting his pockets.
I casually flicked open my lighter and held it up.
He flinched and stood. “No, no–I’ll do it myself.”
He walked to the window and cracked it open.
“My brother’s come knocking. What’s your plan?”
“I’ll just take it as it comes.”
“Ugh. After you left the other day, he dragged me out into the yard and made me feed mosquitos with him all night, rambling about how good you used to be to him.”
He shook his head, lit the cigar. “He said he didn’t want you to know he was rich, worried it’d make you superficial. I told him if you were after money, you’d have been gone ages ago. He’s lucky he’s got a pretty face. These days, dating an influencer costs six figures, and he can’t even spend a dollar on the woman who actually gave him a kid. Can’t blame you for walking away.”
I stayed quiet.
“He hit me, by the way. But hey I’ll vouch for him. He’s never kept a mistress. Ever since the kid showed up, the family stopped setting him up. He’s been raising her himself. No time for other women.”
I shifted the topic. “He had a big bruise on his arm the other day. Do you know what happened?”
Micah frowned, thinking “Oh, that.”
He sounded casual “A while back, he delivered takeout for a few days. Got into a bit of a scuffle after being talled by three cars.‘
I blinked.
Surely I’d misheard.
“Takeout?” I asked slowly.
“Yup. He wanted to test the waters himself before bringing it to the board,” Micah said, blowing smoke out the window. “Scared the hell out of a few CEOs. They thought our family was making a play. Started inviting us to dinners just to figure it out. Turns out the delivery business covers a ton of ground–might be worth investing in.”
I nodded faintly, unsure what to say.
He stubbed out the cigar and turned back to me. “Still planning to quit? Jobs outside aren’t exactly easier.”
“Thanks to you, my social media channel’s picking up steam.”
Excuse me?”
“I post videos–Corporate Slave Diaries: A Day in the Life of a Secretary. Office gossip gets you a lot of followers.”
“Olivia, I don’t care if you’re my sister–in–law–I’m still gonna cuss you out.‘
“Go ahead. Not like you can fire me anymore.”
I checked the time. “My shift’s over. Take care, Mr. Gabriel”
Some things were already wrapping up.
Like my desk–completely cleared out.
Auld like me and Ethan–it was time for a real conclusion.
I went home and made dinner.
As usual, I packed a portion for Ben and dropped it off at his place.
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His cast was scheduled to come off in three days.
“You always look so guilty when you’re here,” he said, lifting the lid on the food container. “None of this was your fault.”
He poured me some tea,
I struggled to find the right words. The longer we’d spent together, the more it felt like we needed to talk about marriage.
But rejecting him now felt like I was wasting his time.
Ben beat me to iL
“I know,” he said gently. “You don’t need to explain. We’re not right for each other.”
I rubbed my forehead. “I’m sorry.”
He gave a small smile. “Your… ex dropped by.”
I looked up instantly.
“Don’t worry he just wanted to talk Shared a few stories about your past. Honestly, if not for you, I never would’ve met Mr. Blackwood. And his stock tips made me quite a bit of money.”
He sipped the soup, still smiling. “Olivia, you’re intelligent, attractive, and financially stable. The only so–called ‘flaw‘ is that you’ve had a child. But even that… well, it’s different when your ex is Ethan Blackwood.”
He leaned back. “I’ve been married before. I know where I stand. I wouldn’t try to replace someone like that in your heart–especially not when you two share a child. Calling it now is the best thing we can do–for both of us.”
ve of relief washed over me.
A wave
Thank you for not making me say the words.
“If you ever need anything a ride, a favor, whatever–just call,” I said. “If I can help, I will.”
“Thanks,” he replied with a grin. “But Mr. Blackwood already handled it.”
He walked me to the stairwell, and I left him behind in the shadows,
I turned on some music, and drove back home.
