Chapter 22
“Yep. She bought it on Amazon. Said it cost her 70 bucks, and she was really bummed about it,” Heath said, his voice showing a bit of affection.
Winston grimaced. “Oh, just stop it. I’ll go first.”
It was just a thermos box. They probably had the same model all over town. Winston headed downstairs.
Fabian was waiting. “Mr. Moody, where to now!”
“Just take me home.” Winston climbed into his car and quietly said, thinking about the small apartment he shared with Chelsea.
“Alright”
With Heath in the hospital, Abe was now running the design department, and Chelsea could feel the pressure. She was well aware that Abe was targeting her.
“Chelsea, this design draft doesn’t work. Change the style,” he snapped, clearly unhappy “And I want to see the new design first thing in the morning. If you can’t get it done, you’re outr
Abe didn’t know how Chelsea had crossed Julia, and there was no way he’d risk taking the wrong side. After all, Julia was the boss’s cousin.
Knowing Julia’s influence was behind this, Chelsea gathered back all her designs. “Got it,” she said softly.
Black at her desk, Julia was glowing, soaking up compliments from her coworkers.
Julia, you’re taking care of Mr. Carson every day–when are you two finally going to become a couple?” someone asked teasingly
“Mrs. Carson really likes me, Julia said, glancing over at Chelsen with a smirk. “Oh, Chelsea, Mrs. Carson mentioned that Heath will be out of the hospital soon, so you can stop bringing him soup”
“What Chelsea secretly sent soup to Mr. Carson someone chimed in, eyebrows raised in surprise.
“Seriously, Chelseat You know Julia and Mr. Carson are practically an item, and you still did something like that? Do you want to be a third wheel?”
Chelsea’s coworkers started to gossip, and Chelsea couldn’t help but find their reactions amusing, Julia was really good at playing the victim.
Standing up, Chelsea shot a glance at Julia and said, “Well, you have my blessings” She meant it. She wanted Heath to be happy, no matter who it was with
After packing up her stuff, Chelsea asked Abe for a day off and headed home. Julia, taking her words the wrong way, blushed in anger.
Chelsea came home with a new wave of work waiting for her. Winston opened the door and caught sight of her on the floor, her head down, sketching away.
She had swapped out her suit for a comfy light pink sweater, her long hair casually pulled back, with strands falling softly around her face. With a graceful hand, she guided the pen across the paper, crafting her design in smooth strokes.
Looking way more relaxed than usual, Chelsea wore black–rimmed glasses that couldn’t quite hide her natural beauty.
Winston made a quiet noise as he opened the shoebox.
“Hey, you’re home. Chelsea glanced up and smiled. “Winston, could you order takeout tonight? I’ve got a design due in the morning and I’m kind of pressed for time,”
She knew Abe could be difficult, so she needed to hustle to get her work done.
Winston walked into the living room and admired her designs from a distance. They looked even better than he had imagined. Chelsea was incredibly talented and always put in the effort.
*T whip something up tonight. What do you feel like eating?” he asked.
“Just whatever’s fine, Chelsea replied, relieved he would take care of dinner. She turned back to her work, diving back in
1/3
Ad–Free Reading
Chapter 22
After changing into his loungewear, Winston headed to the kitchen. The ingredients in the fridge were usually bought and used right away, but since Chelsea was too busy to go to the grocery store today, the fridge was empty.
Winston opted to place an order for the supermarket to deliver what they needed.
While waiting, he set up his laptop on the dining room table and started working on some tasks. The apartment felt just the right size, cozy enough that they had their own spaces without getting in each other’s way
When the delivery guy showed up with the fresh groceries, Winston grabbed them and couldn’t help but notice that Chelsea was already sprawled out on the coffee table.
She looked completely worn out and was probably in deep sleep.
Winston set the food down and walked over to her. “Hey, Chelsea,” he said gently.
“If she’s tired, she should get some rest. Why does she have to push herself? he thought.
Even as he spoke, Chelsea slept soundly, oblivious to his concern. He rubbed his brow, knelt, and carefully picked her up.
She felt light in his arms, and a subtle scent surrounded him, making him smile as he tucked her in for some much–needed rest
Chelsea’s room was someplace he hardly ever visited. What had once felt cold and uninviting now radiated a cozy, feminine vibe.
Her favorite things were scattered everywhere, and on the bed sat a big, light pink pillow that caught his eye.
He gently pulled back the covers and Laid Chelsea down. Her skin felt like satin, and just as he released her, she reached for his hand with one of hers, her pink lips parting slightly as if she wanted to say something
He frowned and leaned closer, trying to catch h her words. But then, almost out of nowhere, she shifted and brushed her lips against his
In that split second. Winston’s eyes went wide. He remembered that he and Chelsea had been intimate before, but they had both been drugged at the time
He had never actually kissed her before and never thought he would.
But now, this kiss–light as a cherry blossom–wasn’t about desire at all. It drifted softly and landed right on his heart, completely catching him off guard
Winston lowered his head. Her skin was creamy, her eyebrows were beautiful, and her pink fisis trembled slightly as
they rele
rested on his waist
She frowned, probably feeling a bit uncomfortable, and tried to pull away.
Without really thinking about it, he gently pressed the back of her head to stop her as if an unexpected rush of emotion was flowing through him,
When he finally snapped back to reality, it hit him just how reckless he had been. She looked uncomfortable, her cheeks flushed, and her brows knit together.
He let go, breathing heavily. He couldn’t believe he lost control and actually wanted to make something happen when Chelsea was sleeping
# like
He stepped back a few paces, feeling
a man about to drown, then tucked her in and fled the scene.
Once back in his room, Winston leaned against the door as if he had just come up for air, his heart pounding in his chest,
There was a voice in the back of his mind–almost yelling–that pushed him to go deeper with his thoughts. After all, they had done it before.
He felt a strange longing for her, and that definitely wasn’t a good sign. Winston was too clear–headed for this. He understood better than how emotions could mess with his mind.
Of all people, he shouldn’t be feeling this way, especially not about Chelsea.
He lifted his hand and started to think about their marriage and how that whole thing should go down.
anyone
Chelsea woke up at 4 a.m., completely in the dark about what had happened the night before.
2/3
Chapter 22
After a quick wash–up, she dove back into her drawings and managed to finish them by six–thirty. Just as she was about to make breakfast, she heard a soft “Squeak
Winston stepped out and noticed she was awake. His expression changed, growing a bit colder as memories of the previous night flashed through his mind
“Good morning. Winston. Chelsea greeted him, feeling a bit awkward about skipping dinner last night. “What do you want for breakfast?”
Winston looked into her bright eyes and finally said. “You don’t have to make my meals anymore.”
Chelsea was confused by his tone, her gaze dropping slightly. “What’s wrong?” She wondered if she had messed up somehow. He seemed so upset.
“Nothing. I just think we should keep our distance. He had been really invested in her. Ever since that time she hurt her back, and he helped her out, it felt like their relationship had really shifted.
It was weirdly smooth. This wasn’t a good sign.
Chelsea’s heart raced as she tried to figure out what she had done wrong. She wanted to ask him to explain, but she suddenly realized she wasn’t in a position to do that.
When he took her in, he had already done her a big favor.
Finally, she said, a bit stilly, “I be moving out once I get paid this month. Thanks for letting me stay
He was right. They definitely needed to keep some space. They weren’t a real couple, after all. Living together just wasn’t going to work, so it looked like she really needed to think about moving out.
Winston watched her head back to her room, feeling a lump in his throat before he finally slipped away.
AD
Comment
Send gift
No Ads
Chapter 21
Abe, feeling humuliated, snapped, “Well, in that case, good luck hiding someone who wants you without Amber Jewels. Who would take a chance on a plagiarist like you?”
Chelsea swung open Abe’s office door, stepped out, and gathered her things, leaving the building with her belongings clutched tightly.
“Hey, wait up“” Julia stopped Chelsea in her tracks, reached out, and started digging through Chelsea’s stuff.
“Now that you’ve left your job, we need to check your things. Who’s going to take responsibility if we find any important files in here?” Julia added.
Chelsea felt like she’d just been slapped. She knew exactly what Julia was trying to do–embarrass her on purpose. “Really. Julia! Stop being a bully!”
“What if I am?” Julia leaned in closer, lowering her voice. “And don’t forget, I know where your grandmother’s grave is
She was threatening to do something about Chelsea’s grandmother’s grave if Chelsea didn’t
behave.
Chelsea froze, fighting back tears.
“Hey, you two, help me out here and check her stuff, Julia told her coworkers. They looked at each other, sensing that Julia had crossed the line, but they didn’t dare speak up.
“Sorry about this,” one of them said as they rifled through Chelsea’s belongings, making sure th
there were no sensitive documents
They stole a glance at Chelsea, who was on the brink of tears, losing interest in the whole scene
“Is this enough now? Chelsea’s voice shook, her eyes glistening with tears.
Julia grinned, clearly pleased with herself. “Listen, Chelsea, if you want to survive in this business, you better not mess with me. Or else you’re gonna pay for it.”
With that, Chelsea took her things and left Amber Jewels, her coworkers watching her go
Chelsea had a rough history with plagiarism, but after joining Amber Jewels, she landed two big orders in less than a month, proving her talent to
everyone.
In a way, it wasn’t just hate they felt for Chelsea. There was a touch of envy there, too. Abe had targeted her over and over as well, and while they stayed quiet, their hearts were definitely vocal about it.
As designers, they couldn’t stand the thought of someone else taking credit for the work they had poured their souls inte.
After leaving Amber Jewels, Chelsea got a notification that her paycheck had likely gone through. It looked like Abe was in a hurry to avoid court, SO he paid fast
Once she loaded her things into the car, Chelsea settled into the driver’s seat and rubbed her brow, feeling pretty lost
Things were just not going her way. Even that small bit of warmth she’d clung to seemed to slip away
She hunched over the steering wheel, letting out a whimper for a while before she finally wiped her tears and drove over to Nova Group
When she got to the building, she waited in the car for Kate. Kate, who didn’t finish work until 8:00 p.m., climbed in looking drained.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Chelsea Our boss has been acting weird, and I’m wiped out after six hours of back–to–back meetings, Kate said as she buckled up
When she turned to Chelsea, she noticed her eyes were puffy and red from crying.
“What’s going on!” Kate asked, sensing something was off,
Chelsea forced a smile. “Oh, nothing. I quit.”
“Why?” Kate rolled up her sleeves, ready to defend her friend. Is it Julia? Is she giving you a hard time?
Seriously, what is Julia’s problem with Chelsea? Kate wondered.
“No. I just don’t want to do this anymore Chelsea said, worried that Kate might confront Julia and make things worse. I really just need some time to figure out what I want to do next”
2/3
