Chapter 1204
Jude hesitated for a long time before carefully breaking the news to Seth.
Terrified of being caught in the crossfire, he instinctively took a large step back. Seth, who had been focused on a stack of documents, paused mid-signature.
Two seconds of silence passed before he gave a completely flat response.
“Oh.”
Jude stared at him.
Oh?
Did he hear that right?
That was it?
That shouldn’t be the reaction!
He studied Seth closely but found absolutely zero emotion on the man’s face.
Seth even calmly went back to signing his paperwork with ruthless efficiency.
Unable to hold back, Jude leaned in. “That’s it?”
Seth didn’t even look up. “What else should I do?”
“Aren’t you mad?”
“No.” His tone was perfectly steady.
“Not even a little jealous?” Jude pressed.
Seth kept his eyes on the page. “No.”
Jude found this completely baffling. “Why not?”
Seth finally lowered his pen. His long fingers absently traced the cool metal barrel
as he spoke in a measured drawl. “She hid it from me because she was afraid I’d get mad and jealous. Doesn’t that prove she cares?”
Jude was speechless.
“Think about it,” Seth continued. “The fact that she’s willing to lie to me means I still matter to her. If she couldn’t even be bothered to make up an excuse, that would mean she truly didn’t give a damn about me.”
Jude couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
What kind of twisted logic was that?
But Seth simply paused and continued delivering his baffling manifesto.
“Besides, she just had dinner with a colleague. I’m not that petty.”
Jude threw his hands up.
Fine.
Whatever you say, boss.
Across town, Noreen said goodbye to Healy and stepped out of the restaurant to wait for her driver.
Right behind her, a group of people walked out through the revolving doors.
Leading the pack was a man in a sharp, dark gray overcoat, flanked by four bodyguards and a female secretary.
They moved with brisk, imposing purpose.
Noreen politely stepped to the side, pulling out her phone to text Seth.
She asked if he had eaten and if he wanted her to bring anything back.
Strangely, the man who usually replied within seconds left her on read. Was he busy?
Did he fall asleep?
As she puzzled over it, she didn’t notice the man in the gray coat pausing beside her for half a second.
It was just a fleeting hesitation.
A bodyguard opened the car door. “Mr. Sterling, please.”
Orion Sterling offered a curt nod and slid into the backseat.
The second he sat down, his gaze drifted through the tinted window, locking onto
Noreen as she stood typing on her phone.
A sharp glint flashed in his predatory gaze.
But it vanished just as quickly as it appeared.
His hands, resting on his tailored slacks, twitched slightly.
He could still remember the phantom sensation of catching her when she stumbled.
Slowly, he raised his hand, bringing his fingers just beneath his nose, and took a subtle breath.
His brain vibrated as a memory anchored itself in his mind.
He remembered the exact scent of her skin.
His secretary twisted around from the passenger seat. “Mr. Sterling, I’ve followed your instructions and purchased every major brand
เวนซ์
of.
women me on the market.
Should I have them delivered to the office or your residence?”
Orion
leathed his hand back on his leather, his demeanor arist the et
knee and leaned back against
and unreadable. My residences
The secretary nodded instantly.
She was burning with curiosity as to why her boss had developed a sudden interest
in women’s fragrances.
But she didn’t dare ask.
Her boss wasn’t just young and flawlessly handsome.
His defining trait was his towering intellect.
He was a bona fide genius.
But geniuses rarely operated like normal people.
He possessed a borderline obsessive need for order. His entire life was compartmentalized into a meticulous schedule mapped out to the minute, and any unforeseen variables triggered a physical repulsion in him.