It took a good few minutes for both Lilian and Jessica to settle down. Jessica then recounted the whole story to Lilian, leaving nothing out.
Lilian listened with envy written all over her face. “You wouldn’t even see this kind of thing in soap operas.”
Jessica warned, “You’d better keep your mouth shut, or I’ll come for you in the middle of the night.”
Lilian mimed zipping her lips, a gesture to show that she wouldn’t say a word about it.
Jessica took a deep breath and chose not to open WhatsApp on her computer. Instead, she pulled out her phone to check the messages.
“Good morning, Jess.”
“You ought to know that I don’t have mysophobia.”
“I’d like you to come up to my office later at noon.”
She hurriedly turned off her phone and shoved it in her pocket.
She was flushed all over, her whole body feeling feverish, though it was the middle of winter. She found it hard to believe that Zachary would actually address her as “Jess” and assumed that it had to be Joshua’s doing.
She had always assumed that Zachary was the silent type, but she now realized that he was just clueless when it came to relationships, so much so that he didn’t even know how to send a message to his own wife.
She thought that he should really thank Joshua for his help. Otherwise, he would have
remained a bachelor forever.
She couldn’t decide whether to reply, and if she did, what to call him–Zachary? Zach? Zachy? She couldn’t help but cringe at that thought. In the end, she couldn’t bring herself to reply to
Zachary.
It was finally noon.
While others left for lunch, Jessica had taken the chance to slip away, use the facial recognition system, and make her way to the 30th floor.
She swallowed hard as she walked toward the CEO’s office, whispering to herself, “You don’t have to be so damn nervous…”
She then knocked on the door and heard a voice coming from inside, saying, “Come in.”
She couldn’t help but wonder why she was so nervous. He wasn’t some kind of beast. He was her husband! What was there to be afraid of?
She had no idea what kind of scheme Joshua had cooked up for him this time.
Zachary was sitting on the couch, wearing the white shirt she had made for him. His tie was no longer there, and his vest was tossed carelessly to the side, giving him the appearance of having pulled an all–nighter.
Jessica asked, “You were looking for me?”
“Yes,” Zachary replied as he raised his gaze, his expression softening slightly after spotting
Jessica.
He then gestured for Jessica to approach, saying, “Come over here.”
Jessica walked over to sit beside him, but before she knew it, Zachary suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto his lap. She was so surprised that she instinctively grabbed onto his arm for support.
Zachary had already wrapped his arms around her before she could even process what was happening. “I just want to hug you, so hold still.”
Jessica remained perfectly still, not daring to move. She could feel the heat of his large hand on her lower back, even through her coat. She eventually started sweating, though the air conditioning was on full blast in the office.
She suddenly recalled how busy Zachary had been these days, with Joshua telling her that he was trying to clear his schedule so that he could spend New Year’s with her.
He also had to deal with the issues concerning the company’s finances and designers, which had to be giving him a huge headache. She was certain that Zachary was utterly exhausted.
She swallowed hard as she listened to his heavy breathing next to her ear. She couldn’t help but feel her heart pound furiously as her ear brushed against his. She cautiously reached out and patted his back, as if to comfort a child.
She asked, “Did you run into some trouble?”
“Nope.”
“Why are you-“
“I simply missed you.”
Jessica fell silent, wondering what kind of excuse this was.
Zachary hugged her for a long time, and it truly had been nothing more than a hug.
Jessica held her breath still, not daring to breathe.
It wasn’t until someone knocked on the door of the CEO’s office that Jessica attempted to get up, only for Zachary to hold her tighter, saying, “Come in.”
Jessica stammered, “Z–Zachary…”
Zachary merely hummed in response.
Jessica, terrified of being seen, quickly buried her face in the crook of his neck.
It was just Susan, thankfully, who had brought them some food. She tactfully made a quick exit after dropping the food off.
1/3
Chapter 91
