Charlotte stood frozen.……
Her brain was spinning in circles.
So his apology was for those cutting remarks he’d made earlier when she first visited his bedroom.
But what did that mean?
Had Mr. Lee King suddenly grown a conscience?
And those last sentences–what was he getting at?
She mentally replayed his words, analyzing each syllable.
Finally, she thought she understood,
He was irritated that she hadn’t entered his hospital room–frustrated by her hesitation. As his assistan shouldn’t be so timid or caught up in pointless worries.
Following that logic, his final statements made perfect sense: he was making it clear he would never let anything happen between them, never allow any gossip to start.
Embarrassed by her misunderstanding, Charlotte nodded earnestly. “I get it now. You’re absolutely right–innocent people have nothing to hide. I’ll be more confident in my professional role.”
Zarek’s expression was unreadable.“…”
She had completely missed the point.
Heading back to her apartment, Charlotte felt much lighter.
Zarek might be impossible to please, but at least he was willing to swallow his pride and clear the air when
necessary.
That counted for something.
Somewhere in the middle of the night, her phone chimed with a notification.
Half–conscious, she fumbled for it and squinted at the screen.
From Zarek: Ms. Whitmore, remember to come to work tomorrow.
Charlotte was beyond drowsy. In the darkness, she forced her heavy eyelids open just enough to see, clumsily typing a response: OK boss
Her sleep–clumsy fingers slipped slightly… “bo” becoming “ba“…
20
ing “OK hose” into
Transforming “OK boss” into… “OK haby”
After hitting send, she absently swiped away the message, tossed her phone somewhere in the bedding, and drifted back to sleep without a second thought.
The next morning.
7:30 AM.
Liam had breakfast on the table.
Zarek had mentioned going into the office today.
Normally, he’d be up at six for a run, at the breakfast table before seven, catching up on financial news, then making calls or holding video meetings in the garden before arriving at the office precisely at nine.
But with his injury, his routine had shifted.
Eight o’clock arrived with no sign of him.
Rex showed up, surprised to learn that their CEO wasn’t even out of bed yet. “What happened last night? Did our monk finally discover nightlife?”
The joke fell flat.
Even without his injury, Zarek’s after–hours activities had all the excitement of a documentary on drying paint.
Liam stood with his hands clasped, genuinely confused. “It’s not like him. He never sleeps in.”
Neither dared knock on his bedroom door.
Finally, at 8:30, Zarek emerged. His face looked drawn, as if he’d spent the night staring at the ceiling, faint shadows under his eyes.
Rex and Liam exchanged glances: Did he actually go out partying?
Zarek ignored their silent exchange and headed for the dining table.
The two men followed at a respectful distance.
As Zarek sat down to eat, both assumed he was in a foul mood. Rex didn’t attempt to review the day’s schedule, and Liam silently served breakfast.
To their shock, after taking a sip of juice, Zarek actually smiled. “The juice is exceptional today.”
Rex: “…
Liam:
”
It was literally the same juice they served every day.
Had the fruit supplier secretly switched to magle oranges?
Zarck continued eating with sun pulsing enthusiasm..
Hex felt that bringing up work matters would only
ruin whatever strange good mood had possessed their boss.
Just then, his phone rang. Glancing at the screen, he muttered, “Charlotte calling. Weird timing.”
He started to step away to take the call.
“Answer it here.” Zarek commanded, his tone brooking no argument.
“Uh… sure.” Rex was confused but knew better than to question.
He answered. “Hey, Charlotte.”
Charlotte’s voice came through sounding cheerful. “Morning, Rex! What time are you getting to the office?”
“Around nine. What’s up?”
“So, I’m starting today, but I haven’t picked up my access card from HR yet, and I don’t even know which floor my office is on. Any chance you could meet me downstairs when I arrive?”
She knew she was being presumptuous, but her relationship with Rex was solid enough that she felt comfortable asking.
Rex smiled. “You haven’t left home yet, have you? I’m actually upstairs in the penthouse. Just come up, and you can
ride to the office with us.”
The line went silent for a moment.
“I think I’ll just meet you at the office,” Charlotte finally said.
What kind of employee would just show up uninvited at their boss’s home and then hitch a ride with him?
The dining room was quiet enough that Zarek could hear most of her side of the conversation.
He set down his glass with noticeable force.
“Is she your boss or are you hers?” he said coldly. “Tell her to contact HR herself!”
His words carried clearly through the phone, and Charlotte winced. Rex had actually taken the call with Zarek right there! What was he thinking?
Rex looked like he wanted to sink through the floor.
Was helping her really such a crime?
“That’s totally fine!” Charlotte said quickly. “Rex, just send me the HR manager’s contact info, and I’ll handle it myself.”
pean siphan. “I’ll text yres the datario –
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Rez’s message arrived
She opened WhatsApp/
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waiting
Just as she was about to tap it, the noticed another conversation below.
picture some
While most people used creative usernames, his was simply his fall name. His profile pimur showed a forest scene with no status update. It almost looked like an trused account.
“Zarek Weasley in clean, professional font.
And beneath it, a single line: OK baby
Her brain flatlined.
Extreme horror can cause temporary cognitive shutdown.
Baby?
Whose baby?
Her baby?
She didn’t have a baby!
Wait… this was her WhatsApp, right? HER WhatsApp! HER account!
HERS!!
SHE had called him baby!!
SHE had called ZAREK WEASLEY–her BOSS-“baby“!!
OH MY GOD!!
Her mind exploded like a nuclear test site, her pupils dilating like she’d seen a ghost, her hands trembling like she’d mainlined espresso…
Chapter 95
No no no!
This couldn’t be happening!
This had to be a nightmare!
Charlotte threw her phone across the room like it had burned her, backed away, and covered her mouth with both hands, staring in pure horror at the device lying innocently on the carpet.
After standing frozen for a full ten minutes, she finally accepted the terrible truth.
She sank back into her chair.
Taking a deep breath, she retrieved her phone and checked the timestamp. He had texted her at 1 AM.
She couldn’t tell exactly when she’d replied.
Maybe he’d been as half–asleep as she was and hadn’t even seen her message yet?
If she could somehow get upstairs and delete it from his phone… but the chances of pulling that off were lower than winning the lottery while being struck by lightning. Oh god.
In the end, she decided to try anyway.
Things were already apocalyptic–might as well go down fighting.
First, she deleted her message on her own phone–destroying the evidence–then grabbed her bag and headed upstairs with her heart in her throat.
When she appeared in the penthouse dining room, all three men turned to look at her.
Charlotte forced her face into something resembling a smile. “Good morning,”
Zarek studied her, a knowing smile playing on his lips as he drawled, “Ms. Whitmore looks well–rested today.”
Chapter 96
