Chloe didn't know why he suddenly broached this topic, but since she had already told a lie about having a boyfriend, she had to keep spinning the tale. "My ex or my current one?"
Donovan scoffed, astonished at having married a woman who was such a magnet for men. "How many boyfriends have you had?"
"Just two."
"Your current one. What's his name?" Donovan's voice was hoarse with inquiry.
Thinking up names wasn't easy, but Brayden had just recently added her on social media.
So, Chloe said, "Brayden."
'With a world so vast, how would Donovan know Brayden, the con artist?'
Donovan frowned slightly.
"Why, Mr. Blake, do you need to talk to him?" Chloe responded defensively.
"You are not to be with him during our marriage agreement! I find it disgusting," Donovan commanded sternly.
His words instantly flushed Chloe's cheeks, making her feel like a commodity, purchased and thus secondhand, looked down upon. This disdain left her feeling deeply uncomfortable.
"Mr. Blake can rest assured my professional integrity is impeccable. I know what I should and should not do. Besides, he's interning out of town, he can't come back even if I wanted him to, which is impossible," she retorted with righteous indignation, contrasting sharply with the evening's atmosphere.
Perhaps it was Chloe's demeanor that extinguished Donovan's desires, even though Chloe's soft body reminded him of their first passionate night together—the overwhelming pleasure and the warmth of her cheek that he found irresistible.
Yet tonight, he came to a realization: 'This intern is not easily handled.'
'If I don't sleep with her tonight, she will know she can take advantage of me later, becoming even more unrestrained.'
He got off Chloe.
Donovan's sudden reaction only confirmed Chloe's suspicions: 'Maybe Donovan really liked Paisley. The last time he was drunk, he mistook me for her. Today, mentioning Paisley upset him, and although he decided against making love tonight, Paisley's mention might have stirred something in him.'
"No love-making, let's just sleep." After declaring this, Chloe turned over and settled herself to sleep on the other side of the bed.
Fortunately, Donovan hadn't proceeded tonight. He hadn't brought a condom. Had they made love, she'd have had to take a morning-after pill. Chloe was unfamiliar with the area around Samuel's place and didn't know where to find a pharmacy.
The following day, Chloe's demeanor at Samuel's house was impeccable, her face brimming with smiles. Samuel nodded in approval, repeatedly voicing that Donovan had good judgment. After getting through the morning, at one in the afternoon, they got into the car and headed back to Maple Valley.
Chloe felt as though she had been smiling all morning, and as soon as she was in the car, her façade collapsed.
A CEO and an intern, their worlds had differed vastly before this, and now there seemed to be nothing to say.
Chloe's phone chimed with a message from her school advisor, assigning her to write a speech about an exemplary graduate, to be delivered at the graduation ceremony.
Lacking a clear idea of where to start, Chloe discussed potential angles and focal points with her advisor, including a few personal anecdotes, seeking approval for her approach.
Then, she tapped out messages on her phone with swift precision.
While sending a message on WhatsApp, her phone's screen displayed a notification: [You have received a transfer of 50,000 dollars. From Donovan.]
Her thumbs paused mid-chat. Logically, receiving such a sum within a day should have made her ecstatic, but suddenly, it felt oddly ironic.
After messaging her teacher on WhatsApp, Chloe sent Donovan a message: [Thank you, Mr. Blake.]
Donovan didn't respond.
A thought struck Chloe, and she asked Donovan, "Mr. Blake, how often will we be visiting Samuel in the future? Just so I can plan."
"Possibly every week."
Chloe was taken aback, thinking to herself, 'Good thing I don't have a real boyfriend. If I did, this frequency of visits to Samuel would probably have doomed the relationship.'