Chapter 1633
Jamie was stunned, her shock coming in waves over a few sentences. “So, how did Noah become part of the family?”
“He’s more like an adopted son of the Lucas family, though very few people know about it,” Ben replied, his brows furrowing slightly. It was clear he had been kept in the dark about this, too.
Mr. Lucas had done it for one reason which was to give Ben a rival, a grindstone to sharpen his edge.
Jamie felt a flicker of concern. Putting herself in their shoes, she couldn’t imagine discovering that someone she had been competing with for years had only been placed in her path as a tool for someone else’s agenda. She would be furious. Anyone would.
The result? Neither Ben nor Noah could truly be considered the winner.
She was about to offer some comforting words when Ben spoke up, his tone surprisingly calm. “If this had happened in the past, I’d already be on my way to confront him. But now… oddly enough, I’m not angry.”
“Why not?” Jamie’s heart skipped a beat at his unexpected response, her curiosity slipping out before she could stop it.
Ben’s gaze fixed on her, steady and unreadable, before he chuckled softly and looked away. “Because I no longer have a reason to be. What matters to me has changed.”
In the past, he had been passionate about his career as a lawyer, and betrayals like this had cut him deeply. But now, his focus was entirely on Jamie. Whatever his father did couldn’t shake him anymore, unless it involved her. But Ben had resolved not to let that happen. A charged silence fell between them, so quiet that Jamie could almost hear the rhythmic beating of their hearts.
Feeling her cheeks heat, she opened her mouth to say something but Ben spoke first. “That night at the hotel, do you remember what I said? I’ve given you plenty of time to think it over. Don’t you think it’s time you gave me an answer?” An answer?
For Jamie, it felt unfamiliar, foreign.
Years ago, she might have entertained such an idea, but the world’s harsh realities and the one million dollars Mrs. Lucas had thrown in her face, had erased that possibility.
And yet, here it was again, reentering her life after all this time.
Jamie felt at a loss for words. “I don’t know…”
“That’s not an answer,” Ben interrupted, his voice firm but calm. “I’m not asking for much, just the truth. Whether it’s a yes or a no, I need it to be definitive.”
Caught in the intensity of his gaze,
Jamie felt like a bird trapped in a cage, unable to fly away. She stammered, “I really don’t know. ff
this means that much to you, then… just give me a little more time.”
QUMS
“I’ve already given you plenty,” Ben said, his tone edged with
exasperation. But as he looked at her conflicted expression, he let out a long sigh, the tension in his face softening. “Fine. Go ahead and take advantage of my feelings for you. I’ve already waited this long. What’s a few more days?”
His words hung in the air, leaving Jamie feeling both relieved and guilty.
After that, she began avoiding Ben at work. She had go out of her way to steer clear of him, leaving it to her team to deliver documents she would have handled personally. Ben’s response? A perpetually stormy mood.
Every poor soul who crossed his path ended up bearing the brunt of his frustration.
“Ben is a tyrant,” one coworker groaned.
“Couldn’t agree more,” another chimed in. “He made me revise the same proposal five times and still wasn’t satisfied. What does he want from us?”
Jamie stayed at her desk, typing away furiously, pretending not to notice their complaints. But the rhythmic clacking of her keyboard caught everyone’s attention, and soon, they all turned to look at her.
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