Page 34 of Unlocking my Boss's Heart

Glancing at the clipboard, I saw two other names and signed mine below theirs.

The man pointed to the elevator. “Press penthouse 1.”

“Thanks.”

Stepping off the elevator, I found myself in a large foyer with only one door. I walked toward it and rang the doorbell.

Silence followed. Just as I was about to press the button again, a muffled voice came through the door. “Come in.”

I pushed open the door and stepped inside.

The ceiling soared at least twenty feet high, and large windows covered almost every square inch of the wall opposite the front door. Everything from the paintings to the sculptures to the furniture screamed elegance and sophistication.

Anton sat on a couch, iPad in hand. He was dressed casually, and his hair was messy, as though he had run his hands through it many times.

He smiled as I approached him. “First person in.”

“I got to work earlier than usual, so I’m here early, too.”

He stood, digging his hands into his pants pockets. It was the second time I’d seen him in anything other than a suit or slacks and a button-up shirt, but he looked equally striking.

I looked around the room with interest. “Do you live here alone?”

A pathetic attempt to find out if he was dating someone. Even if he said he lived alone, that didn’t mean he wasn't in a romantic relationship. However, if he said “yes,” this infatuation I had for him would start to fade away.

“If you don't count the hundreds of books collecting dust in my study, then yes, I live alone.”

I raised a brow. “That’s a stretch. I know we lawyers have to read lots of legal books, but counting upwards of hundreds of books? I bet that’s exaggerating. Especially in this age where all legal books can easily be found online.”

“It’s not a stretch, and I’m not exaggerating.”

“Really? As someone who is a connoisseur of books and had my own tiny library back in Texas, I’m good at approximations.”

Why was I arguing with him about something as stupid as this? I should shut my mouth, sit down, and wait for the rest of the office team to arrive.

“You like to jump to conclusions, don’t you?” He smirked and folded his arms.

I gave him a challenging look. “Fine, then show me.”

We walked through a hallway and past a few doors before we got to one with double doors. He pushed it open, and I gasped.

Tall shelves full of books went from corner to corner and went from the floor to not quite the ceiling—but impressive, nevertheless. The books numbered in the hundreds. A desk stood at the corner of the room with a few files on it.

“Believe me now?” Anton asked with a smug smile.

“Touché,” I said, impressed.

I wondered if this was what Belle felt inBeauty and the Beast.

I picked the first book closest to me. It was the third edition ofFrankenstein, with a vintage cover, brown, weathered paper, and bound with strings. It was my turn to smirk.

“What?” he asked.

“These aren’t law-related at all.”

“I didn’t say I had a hundredlegalbooks. I said books.”

He crossed his arms over his chest, and I couldn’t help but notice it only made his muscled arms and chest more visible through the taut material of his shirt. I quickly looked away. His physique wasn’t helping my quest to remain immune to him.

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