CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE: THEO

Two Weeks Later

Our time in Buckley Heath could be split into two parts: before and after.

Before was the three weeks when we slowly became friends, and after was the lightspeed with which our friendship turned into something more.

Our trip back to London two weeks ago had marked the true turning point, but not much had changed after. As I’d said to Chloe, we’d returned back to the cottage and carried on as if we didn’t have a real life to come back to. The past two weeks had been chaotic from a work perspective, but nothing but peace outside of those hours.

Well.

Peace was the wrong word for it.

There’d really not been much peaceful about what we’d been doing.

Hidden away in the cottage was almost like being on holiday. As soon as the work hours were over, we were just two people who were living together. Chloe had even loosened up during work while we were holed up in the cottage working from our shared office sapce and hadn’t stuck to her rules quite as strongly as she had before we’d admitted our feelings for one another.

I still couldn’t believe that had happened. I’d wanted her for long, but I’d never allowed myself to believe that anything could truly happen between us. I’d honestly never thought for a second that she would return my feelings for her based on our relationship before we’d left.

But that was then.

The six weeks we’d spent living together had flipped everything I thought I knew about Chloe St. James on its head. I’d spent thousands of hours with her, both before and after she became my secretary, but I couldn’t believe it’d taken the trip to Buckley Heath for me to see who she really was.

Although part of that had been my fault. I really hadn’t been the best boss, and every time I looked back on how harsh and demanding I was, I was washed with a wave of guilt.

It was no exaggeration to say that Chloe had changed me.

Or rather I’d changed because of her. She made me want to be a better person in every way, and in order to do that, I needed to let go of the things holding me back.

One of those things was my past relationship.

I would never be completely comfortable with an office relationship. The power dynamic in our situation was something that would always be ripe for discussion and gossip, no matter how many times I tried to convince myself otherwise.

Especially so given that I would one day own the company. Rumours would always surround our relationship, and the initial ones would be far more disparaging to me than her; that I’d abused my authority, I was forcing her to be with me, that sort of thing.

After all, nobody other than us knew how our relationship dynamic had evolved during our trip. That was one of the reasons that Chloe had already explicitly told me that we had to keep our relationship a secret. There’d been no complaints from me—I didn’t want to hide it, but I knew it was for the best.

Besides.

She was still resigning.

At least that was my assumption. She hadn’t said anything contrary to that, and she already had a meeting with Gramps scheduled for today. I was too afraid to bring it up in case she’d answer that she was still doing it.

I didn’t want her to leave, even more so than before. It completely contradicted my feelings about a relationship in our positions, but I couldn’t bear the thought of not seeing her as much as I did every single day.

We’d only been back in London for two days, and I was already losing my mind not being with her.

If I’d loved her before, I was helplessly obsessed with her now.

And that was the very reason for my messy feelings. If she resigned and worked somewhere else, my biggest anxiety would be rendered null. It was no secret that Chloe was close to my grandfather and father, and eventually coming clean about a relationship to them would be easy.

On the other hand, if she resigned, I wouldn’t see her nearly as much, and that was a problem in itself. If she was right and Gramps was willing to help her find another job, it meant that her position would be comparable—if not better—to her current one, meaning she’d be just as busy as she was now.

I didn’t want that, either.

I was too used to living with her. Too used to her being the first thing I saw on a morning and the last thing I saw at night. Even sleeping alone now was torturous.

I feared I could be with her every second of every day and never once get sick of her.

That particular feeling probably wasn’t one that was mutual.

I turned at the sound of the door opening. “You’re late.”

Dad waved his hand dismissively. “Take it up with your grandfather. He insisted we swing by your office on the way up to see Chloe.”

“It’s almost as if you missed her more than you missed me, Gramps,” I said dryly.

“I did,” he replied bluntly, taking a seat on the sofa. “Notably so. She’s much nicer than you are.”

“It’s good to see you, too,” I replied with a sigh. “Can we get on with this meeting?”

“Anyone would think you’re the one in charge,” Gramps said. “You need taking down a peg or two, you swine. I thought Chloe might have done that, but I see my intervention was all for nought.”

I sat on the sofa opposite him without saying a word.

“Oh-ho.” Gramps leant forwards. “Am I finally getting a granddaughter?”

“You have a granddaughter,” Dad reminded him.

“Yes, but I don’t like that one.”

“You can’t say that, Pa.”

“I just did.” Gramps sniffed and turned back to me. “Well? Did you manage to sweep her off her feet?”

“I wouldn’t say I swept her off her feet,” I replied slowly.

“Ah. I see.” He nodded. “You slowly beat her down until she agreed to go out with you out of pity.”

I glared at him. “What kind of weakling do you take me for?”

“Well…”

Dad held up his hands. “That’s enough, you two. Jesus. I can’t say I ever thought I’d be a referee between my bickering father and son,” he muttered. “Pa, did we meet here today for you to fulfil some pipe dream of Chloe marrying Theo?”

Gramps looked at him and said, “Yes.”

I rubbed my hand across my forehead. “Is this not a conversation we could have had over dinner?”

“You ignored my calls yesterday.”

“Because I knew you’d do this.”

“All you have to do is tell me if you managed to convince her to date you or not.”

“Nobody convinces Chloe of anything. She makes her decisions entirely by herself.”

“Hmm.” Gramps rubbed his chin. “In that case, if she does date you, she might not be as smart as I thought she was.”

“This is workplace harassment,” I replied. “I’m going to report you to HR.”

“I’ll fire you, you little shit.”

Dad got up and walked over to his desk. “You two let me know when you’re done.”

“Alastair! Don’t you care about your future daughter-in-law?” Gramps hollered.

Dad switched on his computer and shot Gramps a withering look. “I was against your machinations from the beginning, Pa. I am extremely fond of Chloe and would like nothing more than to have her be a part of our family, but there are many things that must be considered. Not only do we own this company, but we’re also members of the aristocracy.”

Not that anyone would believe it if they heard the current Duke of Ruxleigh rambling on the way he was.

“Anyone who marries Theo must be able to carry the weight of the company and eventually, the titles of Countess of Southford and then Duchess of Ruxleigh,” Dad continued. “While I appreciate our noble roles are largely ceremonial these days, it doesn’t change the fact that whoever marries an heir to such a title must be prepared to shoulder the responsibilities of it. You cannot shoehorn Chloe into such an undertaking just because you love her as if she were your own.”

Gramps turned away, crossing his arms over his chest, but even he couldn’t argue with Dad.

He was right, after all.

Unlike my grandmother and mother, Chloe hadn’t grown up in the upper-class world of the aristocracy. The closest she’d come was the few years she’d lived with her aunt and uncle after her parents passed away, but even living in the household of a multi-millionaire like Jay Park wasn’t comparable.

That said, if anyone could handle the burdens that would come with marrying me, I knew it would be Chloe.

“Besides,” Dad said. “You’re completely disregarding both Theo and Chloe’s feelings, Pa. Have you considered that neither of them feels that way about each other?”

“Ha!” Gramps barked out a laugh. “You think you’re so smart, Alastair.”

“What does that mean?”

“This chump has been in love with her for months.”

“What?”

I dropped my chin to my chest. This whole conversation was going from bad to worse. What was I even doing here?

“Since when?” Dad exclaimed, stomping back over to us. “How did I not know this? Theo, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I’m a grown-ass man who doesn’t need to tell his parents anything about his relationships?” I suggested, raising my head to look at him. “And my feelings for her never affected our work in any way, so there was no need to.”

“Didn’t you realise?” Gramps grinned at Dad. “That’s why the little sod wouldn’t accept her resignation. That’s why I sent him mediocre options for assistants. It was so Chloe would go on that business trip with him.”

Dad stroked his chin. “And presumably why they ended up living together. Huh. I thought you were just being cheap and didn’t want to pay for another place.”

“Cheap? I’m not cheap!”

“No, but you are a dirty schemer,” Dad said. “I don’t know if I’m angry or impressed by your audacity.”

Gramps sat back and raised his chin defiantly. “I’m a matchmaker.”

“You haven’t done anything.”

“I put them together in one cottage for six weeks. I’m telling you, something happened.”

“You have no way to know that.”

“Yes, I do. Look at him. The little shit is blushing like a girl.”

They both stared at me, and I froze.

“Don’t be stupid. I don’t blush,” I said. “Crazy old man.”

“No, he’s right.” Dad leant forwards. “Your cheeks are red.”

I got to my feet. “If this is the only thing we’re going to discuss, can I go back to my office now? I do have work to do.”

“You can go once you’ve told the truth,” Gramps said. “Did my plan actually work?”

“Your plan could have just as easily ended in my death,” I said flatly. “Did you think about that?”

“Yes. I just didn’t care.” He grinned. “So, is she your girlfriend?”

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly in an attempt to regain some composure. “I’m not discussing anything at the office.”

“That’s a yes,” Dad said, turning to Gramps. “Is she still going to resign?”

Gramps shrugged. “We have a meeting with her on Friday. It was going to be today, but she called me on Saturday and asked to delay it until the end of the week.”

I frowned. “Why would she do that?”

“Because she wants to focus on your presentation when you report to the board,” Gramps said, turning his attention to me. “She was already working on the report for you when we spoke.”

“On a Saturday?”

“She wants you to succeed, Theo. She always has. Getting her resignation accepted wasn’t the only reason she agreed to go with you.”

I turned away, rubbing my hand across my mouth. Even when she could barely stand the sight of me, she’d wanted me to succeed.

How was this woman real?

How was it possible that I could call such an angel my girlfriend?

Wait.

Was she even my girlfriend? We’d never actually defined what our relationship was—we’d merely continued sleeping together after admitting our feelings for one another. Was it possible that Chloe thought we were just fuck buddies?

Was I out here calling her my girlfriend and fantasising about marrying her in a fit of delusion?

“Huh,” I said, staring at the door.

“What’s that about?” Dad asked. “Did you have an epiphany of sorts?”

“Oh, dear,” Gramps said, eyeing me. “Maybe I was wrong. It seems his love is still pathetically unrequited.”

“It is not!” I snapped, then quickly slapped my hand over my mouth and marched towards the door. “We’re done here.”

“Theo! Get back here and explain yourself? Am I getting a new granddaughter?” Gramps hollered. “You insolent swine!”

I shoved the door shut behind me and pressed my face into my hands. I groaned, rolling my shoulders as I straightened up and looked directly into Cassidy’s smiling face. “You heard all of that, didn’t you?”

Her smile broadened. “Should I begin preparing a wedding suit for your father, sir?”

“Not you as well. Damn it, Cassidy.” I ran my fingers through my hair. “I can’t handle them any longer. Can you tell them to keep this to themselves?”

“Do you really think your grandfather is capable of such a thing?”

“Make him be.” I laid my hands on my shoulders and begged her with my eyes. “Please.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

“Chloe doesn’t want anyone to find out.”

Cassidy straightened. “Consider it done, sir. I’ll make sure neither of them utters a word about it.”

I stepped back, shaking my head. “And to think my father just went on a spiel about the burden my future wife will shoulder. Chloe will be fine. Everyone here defers to her anyway. If I was listened to half as much as Chloe was, my life would be much easier.”

Cassidy patted my shoulder. “It’s nice to see that you finally understand the hierarchy, sir.”

“This is painful.”

“If it helps, it’s somewhat of a trend. Everyone thinks your grandfather and father hold the power, but we all know it’s your grandmother and mother.”

That… was extremely true. What they said went, and that was just how it was in our family.

Really, it shouldn’t be a surprise to me that I was a complete simp for Chloe.

I’d grown up watching my grandfather and father revere their wives.

If my future marriage was a mirror of their very happy ones, I would happily kneel in front of Chloe every single day.

I quickly left my father’s office before he and Gramps came rushing out to continue the conversation. I made it down to my office and was completely unsurprised to see Harvey perched on the edge of Chloe’s desk like he owned the place.

It was a sight I hadn’t missed at all.

“Don’t you have work to do?” I asked, glaring down at him.

Harvey grinned. “Yes. That’s why I’m here.”

“You have five seconds to elaborate before I kick you out.”

He leant back and poked Chloe in the shoulder. “I thought you said he’d mellowed.”

She swung her gaze from her computer towards him. “I didn’t say he’d mellowed towards you, did I?”

Harvey sighed. “I have to give my own presentation at the meeting this week. I’m here for a copy of Chloe’s report so we can finalise our plans for Adair Travel going forward.”

“Isn’t there supposed to be a separate team formed for that? Hold on.” I turned to Daniel and Melody. “You can take a long lunch now if you’d like. You’ve worked hard while we’ve been away, so here.” I dug out my wallet and pulled out a company card, then handed it to Daniel. “Go wild.”

Melody leant over, her eyes widening. “That’s a company card.”

“I’d give you my personal one, but I don’t want you to run into any issues. I’ll cover the expenses, so don’t worry.”

“A-are you sure, sir?” Daniel asked, already getting to his feet.

I smiled, nodding. “See you in two hours.”

“Two hours?” Melody gasped. She jumped to her feet and grabbed her coat, then rushed over to Chloe’s desk and snatched her hands. “I don’t know what you did to him on your business trip, but thank you.”

I scratched the back of my neck as they both scurried out of the office. Was that really such a drastic change to how I was before?

“Do you think they’re dating?” Harvey asked, staring after them.

“Almost certainly,” Chloe replied without missing a beat. “Daniel isn’t very good at hiding his googly love eyes.”

I glanced between them. “What are googly love eyes?”

“You wouldn’t know because you’re a heartless bastard,” Harvey said.

“Hey.” Chloe tapped him on the back. “Please go away. You’re distracting me. I’ll send someone up with a paper copy of this report as soon as it’s done.”

“Can’t. I need to speak to the boss about it.” He cocked his thumb in my direction.

I sighed. “Come into my office. Both of you.”

“Why me?” Chloe asked, then quickly froze. “I mean yes, sir.”

Harvey snorted. “I see nothing has changed between you two. Except perhaps Chloe’s looser tongue.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose as I walked into my office.

I did not want to be thinking anything about Chloe’s tongue right now.

“What do you want to talk about?” I asked Harvey as he shut the door behind him.

“The advertising team need a spreadsheet breakdown of the customer demographic for targeting purposes.”

“Isn’t there supposed to be a designated PR team for Adair Travel?” Chloe asked, setting a file on my desk.

“Yes, but I’m vetting everyone to make sure the best team gets put together. I’ve already shuffled a couple of people around.” He dropped into one of the armchairs and stretched his arms out in front of him, linking his fingers. “I need this so they can submit some proposals for the long-term.”

“Sounds like an excuse to slack off, if you ask me.”

She really did know him well.

“Shut up,” Harvey muttered. “Do you have it?”

I looked at Chloe. “Do we have that?”

She rolled her eyes. “There’s a summary report in the shared folder. Will that suffice for now?”

Harvey pursed his lips. “It’ll do for twenty-four hours.”

“Then I’ll be happy to send the PR department all the data so they can sort it out themselves.”

“A summary report will be more than enough until the full one is finalised. Thank you so much.”

“That’s what I thought,” she said, looking at me. “It’s in the shared folder.”

I blinked at her. Like I could find anything in that damn maze. She said it was organised, but to my eyes, it was just organised chaos. I’m sure it made sense—I just couldn’t do it myself.

“Oh, for goodness’ sake. Move.” She paused. “Sir. Please.”

I scooted my chair back.

A look of confusion passed across Harvey’s face. “Ignore what I said earlier. Something is definitely different with you two. What are you, friends?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I just haven’t gotten used to speaking formally again yet.” Chloe bent down in front of my computer and logged in. “He’s my boss, and—”

I grabbed her waist and pulled her back onto my lap. She squealed as I wrapped my arms around her body and rested my chin on her shoulder.

Harvey’s jaw dropped.

I raised my eyebrows. “Does that clear it up?”