Page 85 of My Big, Fat, Accidental Billionaire Husband

Once we’re inside, I turn toward her.

“Drink?” I ask, shrugging out of my jacket and dropping it over the back of a chair. “I think we earned one.”

“Sure,” she says, kicking off her heels with a small sigh of relief. “Something strong.”

I head to the kitchen, loosening my bow tie as I go. Behind me, I hear the soft pad of her bare feet on the hardwood floor.

Following me.

Ten days.

I pour two fingers of Macallan 25 into crystal tumblers, adding a single ice cube to each. When I turn, she’s standing closer than I expected, her eyes bright in the dim kitchen lighting.

“Thank you,” she says, accepting the glass, her fingers brushing against mine in the exchange. The brief contact sends a spark up my arm.

“For the drink or for tonight?” I ask, trying to keep my tone light.

“Both.” She takes a sip, her eyes never leaving mine over the rim of the glass. “We make a good team when we’re not fighting.”

“Is that what we are? A team?”

“For ten more days, at least,” she says, echoing my earlier thoughts with uncanny precision.

The kitchen feels smaller suddenly, the air between us charged with something dangerous. Success, relief, attraction... a potent cocktail for bad decisions.

“You know,” I say, leaning back against the counter to put some distance between us, “you surprised me tonight with Chung.”

“How so?”

“That answer about our future. About challenging me on designs, and balancing spreadsheets while juggling a family.” I take a long sip of my scotch, enjoying the burn. “It was... convincing.”

“Well, it’s my job to be convincing,” she says with a small smile. “That’s what we agreed to, right? All part of the contract.”

I smile wanly. “That was impressive improvisation, then.”

She shrugs, the motion causing the strap of her dress to slip slightly off her shoulder. “Not entirely improvisation. The part about challenging you was easy enough to imagine.”

I laugh despite myself. “You do excel at that.”

“Someone has to,” she says, taking another sip. “By the way, what did Chung mean by ‘familial issues’ at the lunch on Monday? What exactly happened that was such a disaster?”

I tense immediately, the whiskey suddenly bitter on my tongue.

Fuck.Of course she’s going to follow up on that.

“It was nothing,” I say, keeping my voice deliberately casual. “Just a minor interruption. Blown out of proportion.”

Her eyes narrow slightly. “Dom, Chung looked like he was testing both of us. Testingme. That doesn’t sound like ‘nothing.’”

“Look, it was a business lunch that didn’t go as planned. That’s all.” I take another sip, avoiding her gaze. “We’ve fixed it now. Tonight went well. That’s what matters.”

“If something’s threatening the deal, don’t you think I should know?” she presses. “We’re supposed to be a team, remember? At least for ten more days.”

The mention of our deadline only strengthens my resolve to keep Nico’s demands to myself. There’s no point burdening her with my family’s dysfunction when our arrangement is temporary.

“It’s handled,” I say firmly. “Trust me.”

Something flickers in her eyes... disappointment, maybe. She opens her mouth like she wants to push further, then seems to think better of it.

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