Page 61 of The Contract

I cringe at the way the wordsirgrates against me. I think it’s the way she says it that makes me want to fire her.

I barely glance at it before nodding. “Fine.” Then, without looking up, I add, “Clear my schedule Monday after four.”

There’s a slight pause—a hesitation that doesn’t belong.

“That’s… unusual,” she notes, keeping her voice light, casual. “Is it for an event?”

I flip a page in my contract notes, my attention already elsewhere. “No.”

The silence that follows is longer this time, like she’s waiting for me to elaborate. When I don’t, she shifts her stance, clearly searching for another angle.

“If it’s an event, I could come along. Be close by.”

Her implication is obvious, but I don’t take the bait. My focus remains on the documents in front of me. “I won’t need anything.”

Still, she lingers. And it’s grating on my fucking nerves.

“Noted,” she finally says, though something in her tone suggests otherwise. “Should I mark it as personal, then?”

When I don’t respond right away, she presses a little further. “I am happy to make myself available to you, Mr. Wolfe… anytime you need… anything. Even outside of work.”

I finally look up, my patience nearly eviscerated. My voice is flat, final.

“Noted,” I correct. “Should my fiancée suddenly be unavailable, of course.”

Her reaction is subtle, but I don’t miss it—the way her eyes flicker, the brief hesitation like she’s recalibrating.

“Oh,” she says after a beat. “I… didn’t realize you were seeing someone.”

There’s something almost expectant in the way she says it. Like she’s waiting for me to clarify. To correct her.

I don’t.

The door behind her opens before she can come up with another excuse to stay. Marcus steps inside, his presence a welcome distraction.

Vanessa hesitates, clearly debating whether to press her luck. I don’t give her the chance.

“That’s all,” I say dismissively, already shifting my attention to Marcus.

She lingers just long enough to toss out one final remark. “Let me know if anything changes.”

Marcus waits for the door to click shut before shaking his head, amusement lacing his voice. “You know your assistant wants to fuck you, right?”

I exhale sharply, irritation simmering just beneath my skin. “No,” I correct, leaning back in my chair, fingers tapping once against the armrest before I let out a slow breath. “She wantsmeto fuckher.There’s a difference.”

Marcus smirks, amusement flickering in his gaze. “Either way…”

“She’s gone as soon as this merger is over.”

My phone buzzes twice in quick succession, the vibration rattling against my desk. Across from me, Marcus’s phone lights up as well.

I glance down, eyes catching on the name flashing across my screen.

Elena.

There’s a flicker of something I don’t want to name—a tightening in my chest that shouldn’t be there.

She’s texting me.

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