Page 16 of In Love After Office Hours

“Good morning, Willem. Do you have time to talk?”

“Yes.” His voice was brief, but the billionaire being a typical Dutch, she knew that when he said ‘yes’, he meant it. In her first few months of living in Amsterdam, Serenity had come to appreciate the locals’ forthright manner, realizing that what others perceived as their rude and abrupt manners were the Dutch simply being frank and practical.

“Why did you ask me to call?” Serenity asked.

“I need to relax,” he told her.

Ah. By now, she knew what he meant and without a moment’s hesitation, she began telling him about her day. It used to puzzle her, why a billionaire like Willem de Konigh would want to hear about a schoolgirl’s activities, but eventually she realized that her problems, which were insurmountable in her eyes, were mundane and child’s play to someone like Willem.

Leaning back against his chair, Willem swung his seat around to face the skyline his penthouse office afforded him, his stress levels alleviating as he listened to Serenity’s soothing voice. It was fast becoming his favorite mode of relaxation, finding out what was going wrong with the child’s life and then being able to fix it.

When she finished speaking, he said lazily, “Compliment your teacher the next time you see her.”

Serenity was incredulous. “You’re not joking, are you? I should compliment her even when she’s embarrassed me in front of the entire class?”

“Absolutely. Remember what I told you about picking your battles—-”

She cut him off with a sigh, “There is no better offense than words sheathed in beautiful manners.” She repeated his advice verbatim in a resigned voice.

He smiled in approval. “Good girl.”

Serenity sighed again. “It’s just so hard,” she confessed. “I don’t understand how you’re able to fake it the whole time—-”

Willem choked. “Fake it?” He spoke the words in mock anger. “I would have killed anyone else for saying such words to me—-”

“But I’m different,” Serenity countered. “You told me – no, you actually ordered me to always be honest with you, and I honestly think you’re faking it every time you do business.” She wrinkled her nose, remembering the news reports she had devoured and which had all hailed Willem as the “smoothest-talking bastard of Europe.”

“Exactly,” Willem said blandly. “I said be honest and not insult me.” But he was smiling as he spoke because in truth, he had ordered Serenity to be honest with him and she had delighted him in return by always speaking her mind.

Sensing his good mood, she blurted out, “How are you and Shane?” She knew, of course, that she was pushing it, every time she asked the billionaire about her sister. She knew that he might one day catch on and realize the real reason why she was asking. She knew all this, but she couldn’t help it.

“We’re doing well,” Willem answered evasively. He always found these questions about his relationship with Shane unpleasant, but he never told Serenity not to ask them. He owed her the truth – or as much truth he could afford to her. At present, he considered her too young and innocent to understand that Shane, for all intentions and purposes, was nothing but a regular bed partner, and it was a role Serenity’s own sister didn’t mind at all having.

“I’m glad to hear that.” Serenity was proud of the way she was able to keep her voice steady despite the way her heart had started aching. They were doing well. The words echoed endlessly in her mind. What if they did so much better than well, to the point of getting engaged and, eventually, tying the knot?

“D-do you meet often then?” She bit her lip the moment the words slipped out. Oh, how masochistic she was where the billionaire was concerned.

“We had dinner just the other day.” Willem shifted in his chair uncomfortably. It was true that he had enjoyed dinner with Shane, but afterwards, he had also fucked Serenity’s sister in the backseat.

“That’s nice.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Really nice,” she heard herself say lamely even as she found herself gradually becoming numb with heartache. Before she knew what she was doing, she was already reaching for her alarm clock and, after flipping the switch on the back, its buzzing alarm blasted through the room, giving her an excuse to cut the call short.

Hearing it, Willem said, “You’ll be getting ready for school then.”

“Yes, I’m afraid I have to.”

“I’ll call you again tonight?”

“Yes, sir,” she managed to answer in a teasing voice.

“Willem.”

She smiled even as tears pricked her eyes. “Willem,” she said obediently.

“Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

She allowed the tears to fall only when she heard the billionaire drop the call. Her fingers uncurled, and her phone tumbled down to her bed.

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