I stared at Julian.

“A complicated problem?”

“Yes.”

His expression remained perfectly serious.

“You intended those photographs for Lily.”

“Yes.”

“Lily Bennett.”

“Yes.”

“A woman.”

I nodded.

Julian went silent.

Then he picked up his phone.

For one hopeful second, I thought the interrogation was finished.

Instead, he asked:

“Are you dating her?”

“What?”

“Lily.”

“No!”

“Then why would you send her those pictures?”

“Because she’s my best friend!”

His eyebrows rose slightly.

Apparently my explanation had only made things worse.

I covered my face.

“Mr. Reed, can we erase the last twelve hours from our memories?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“I have an excellent memory.”

Of course he did.

The man probably remembered hotel room temperatures from business trips three years ago.

I pointed at his phone.

“Delete the pictures.”

“I already did.”

I blinked.

“You did?”

“The moment I realized they weren’t intentionally sent to me.”

That answer caught me off guard.

Despite all the teasing, he had actually respected the boundary.

“Thank you.”

Julian nodded.

Then added:

“The screenshots of the products remain.”

I nearly choked.

“Delete those too!”

“I already ordered one.”

“I don’t want it!”

“It cannot be returned.”

“Why?”

“Personal item.”

I wanted the ceiling to collapse.

Julian returned calmly to his chair.

“You may go.”

That was it?

I hurried toward the door.

“Miss Carter.”

I froze.

“Yes?”

“Brooks’s parrot.”

I slowly turned.

“What about it?”

“Stay away from it.”

I stared at him.

Then I escaped.

By lunchtime, I had convinced myself the disaster was over.

I was wrong.

At 1:20 p.m., reception called.

“Miss Carter, you have a delivery.”

I went downstairs.

The receptionist handed me an enormous luxury shopping bag.

Every woman nearby looked at it.

I recognized the brand immediately.

My soul left my body.

There was a card inside.

I opened it.

“Correct size, according to the information provided.”

No signature necessary.

Only one person on earth could have written something so infuriatingly formal.

I stormed into Julian’s office.

“You sent this here?”

He looked up from a contract.

“You told me to buy one.”

“I thought you were Lily!”

“I learned that later.”

“Then cancel it!”

“It had already shipped.”

I placed the bag on his desk.

“You keep it.”

Julian glanced at it.

“What exactly would you like me to do with it?”

I opened my mouth.

Closed it.

Turned around.

And walked out.

Behind me, I heard something almost impossible.

Julian Reed laughed.

Not the polite corporate laugh he used with investors.

A real laugh.

That was somehow more humiliating.

For the next three days, I avoided him whenever possible.

Unfortunately, avoiding your boss while being his executive secretary is difficult.

Especially when your boss suddenly becomes extremely interested in your schedule.

“Lunch?”

“Cafeteria.”

“With whom?”

“Accounting.”

“Brooks?”

“No.”

“Good.”

Another time:

“After work?”

“Dinner.”

“With?”

“Lily.”

A pause.

“Only Lily?”

I stared at him.

“Would you like my complete social calendar?”

“Yes.”

I couldn’t tell whether he was joking anymore.

Then Friday arrived.

Reed Corporation was hosting an important charity gala.

My job was simple.

Keep Julian on schedule.

Make sure he greeted the right people.

Prevent him from disappearing before the final speech.

Everything went smoothly until Lily appeared.

She looked at Julian.

Then at me.

Then smiled.

So brightly that I immediately became suspicious.

“Mr. Reed!”

Julian nodded politely.

“Miss Bennett.”

Lily grabbed my arm.

“I’ve heard so much about you.”

My eyes widened.

“Lily.”

“What?”

“You haven’t.”

Julian looked amused.

“I suspect she has.”

I stepped on Lily’s shoe.

She ignored me.

“So,” she said, “about my bird—”

“Lily!”

Julian almost smiled.

“Kiwi?”

She blinked.

“My parrot is named Mango.”

Silence.

I wanted to die.

Lily slowly turned toward me.

“Wait.”

Her eyes widened.

“You weren’t asking about Mango that night?”

“Please stop talking.”

Then understanding exploded across her face.

“Oh my God.”

“Lily.”

“You sent those messages to him?”

Several guests turned toward us.

I grabbed her and dragged her toward a quieter corridor.

Julian followed.

Of course he did.

Lily was already shaking with laughter.

“You asked your CEO to show you his bird?”

“It was an accident!”

“And then you—”

I covered her mouth.

“No further details.”

Julian stood several steps away, hands in his pockets.

He looked far too entertained.

Then a man’s voice interrupted us.

“Emma?”

I turned.

My smile disappeared.

Nathan Hale.

My ex-boyfriend.

The man who had broken up with me eighteen months earlier because my career supposedly consumed too much of my time.

Nathan approached.

“I didn’t know you worked here.”

“I do.”

His eyes moved toward Julian.

Recognition appeared instantly.

“Mr. Reed.”

Julian nodded.

Nathan looked back at me.

“You look good.”

“Thank you.”

“We should catch up sometime.”

Before I could answer, Julian spoke.

“She has a busy schedule.”

I turned slowly.

Nathan laughed awkwardly.

“I’ll ask Emma.”

“Of course.”

Julian’s tone was polite.

But his expression wasn’t.

Nathan handed me his business card.

“Call me.”

He left.

Lily stared at Julian.

Then at me.

Then she suddenly smiled like someone who had discovered a secret.

“I should go.”

I grabbed her.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Lily.”

She escaped.

Traitor.

I was left alone with Julian.

He looked at the card in my hand.

“Ex-boyfriend?”

“How do you know?”

“Your expression.”

“What expression?”

“The one people make when encountering a bad decision from their past.”

I almost laughed.

“That’s unusually judgmental.”

“Was I wrong?”

I put the card into my purse.

Julian’s gaze followed the movement.

“Are you going to call him?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Correct.”

Yet he sounded distinctly dissatisfied.

Later that evening, after the gala ended, I was collecting documents when Julian appeared beside me.

“I’ll drive you home.”

“I can take a taxi.”

“It’s late.”

“I’m capable of getting home.”

“I know.”

Something about his tone made me stop arguing.

The drive was unusually quiet.

When we reached my apartment building, I unfastened my seat belt.

“Good night, Mr. Reed.”

“Emma.”

I froze.

He had never called me by my first name.

I looked at him.

His usual detached expression was gone.

“About that night…”

My stomach dropped.

“Can we please never discuss it again?”

“I tried.”

“Tried?”

He looked straight ahead.

“For three days.”

I stared at him.

Then he reached into the back seat and handed me the luxury shopping bag.

My jaw dropped.

“You brought that?”

“You left it in my office.”

“I left it intentionally.”

“I know.”

“Then throw it away.”

“No.”

“Why?”

He finally looked at me.

“Because you promised to wear it for the person you were messaging.”

My face burned.

“That was when I thought you were Lily!”

“I understand.”

“Then what’s your point?”

His expression became strangely calm.

“My point is that you said something else that night.”

I tried desperately to remember.

Then I did.

Tomorrow I’ll look at a friend’s bird.

Oh no.

Julian leaned slightly closer.

“Who was the friend?”

“You cannot possibly still care about that.”

“I do.”

“Why?”

He didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he glanced toward the bag in my hands.

Then back at me.

“Because I’ve spent the entire week trying to determine whether I misunderstood that conversation…”

His voice lowered.

“…or whether I was disappointed when I learned it was a mistake.”

I stopped breathing.

Before I could answer, my phone rang.

Lily.

I picked up immediately, grateful for the interruption.

But the moment I answered, she shouted:

“Emma, don’t go upstairs!”

I sat upright.

“What happened?”

“I came over to feed Mango.”

“And?”

“Someone is inside your apartment.”

Julian’s expression changed instantly.

He reached for the door handle.

I grabbed his sleeve.

Then Lily whispered through the phone:

“Emma…”

“I think it’s Nathan.”

My blood ran cold.

Because Nathan had never been given my new address.