Page 29 of Boss's Red Glare

My stomach churns painfully. Maisie must be devastated. I reach for the phone on my desk, punching in Charlene’s number with shaky fingers. She answers quickly, her voice cool.

“Charlene, it’s Connor. Please don’t hang up. I need to know what Maisie heard yesterday.”

She pauses, then sighs. “She overheard two women at your office saying you told them your relationship was fake. That you'd never actually date someone like her, and you’d break it off once the investors left. Maisie’s heartbroken.”

I close my eyes tightly, pain ripping through my chest. “Charlene, I never said that. None of it. It was a lie. Maisie means everything to me.”

There’s another pause, then Charlene says quietly, “I want to believe you, Connor. But she’s hurting badly. You need to fix this.”

“I will,” I vow fiercely. “I swear it.”

Charlene exhales softly. “Good. Because I’ve never seen her this broken. She loves you.”

I swallow hard, throat tight with emotion. “I love her too. I’m going to make this right.”

After hanging up, Darren squeezes my shoulder gently, eyes filled with concern. “You need to talk to Maisie, Connor. Face to face. Make her see the truth.”

“I know,” I say roughly, determination rising powerfully inside me. “I’ll go to her tonight.”

“Good,” Darren murmurs, nodding firmly. “She deserves the truth. You both do.”

He leaves quietly, closing the door behind him. I sit for a moment in stunned silence, fury and heartbreak warring inside my chest. Anger at Kaley’s careless gossip, devastation at Maisie’s pain, and desperation to make things right.

I quickly grab my phone, texting Maisie with trembling fingers:

Maisie, please. Let me explain. None of what you heard was true. Please let me talk to you. I’ll come to you whenever you’re ready.

I set the phone down, anxiety twisting painfully in my stomach. I can’t lose Maisie. Not like this.

All I can do now is hope she believes me—hope she’ll give me the chance to prove just how much she means to me. Because without her, nothing else matters.

And if she won’t hear me out, if I’ve truly lost her—I don’t know how I’ll ever recover.

But I refuse to give up. Maisie is worth fighting for, worth everything. And I’ll spend every moment necessary proving to her just how much I love her, how real this is.

Starting tonight.

Chapter Sixteen

16

Maisie

I’m curled up on my couch in fuzzy socks and a too-big sweatshirt, nursing my third cup of tea, when a knock at my door jolts me upright. My heart leaps to my throat, anxiety spiking sharply. I stand slowly, padding cautiously toward the door.

Through the peephole, my heart stutters violently.

Connor.

He stands nervously on my porch, shifting from foot to foot, holding something behind his back. My pulse races wildly, torn between desperately wanting to open the door and wanting to hide forever.

I take a steadying breath and pull the door open slowly, arms crossed protectively over my chest. "Connor. What are you doing here?"

His eyes soften instantly, concern etched deeply in his handsome face. "Maisie. Thank god. Please, hear me out."

I hesitate, heart aching sharply. "Connor, I don’t?—"

"Please," he interrupts gently, stepping closer, voice filled with sincerity. "Let me explain, Maisie. If you still want me gone afterward, I promise I'll respect it."

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