Chapter 19 His Study
I stand in the hallway for a long time after Caius slams his door. Just staring at the closed door like if I look at it hard enough, it might open again. Like he might change his mind and come back out and listen to what I have to say.
But he doesn't.
The door stays closed.
I take a step back from his door.
Then another.
I turn around slowly and walk back down the hallway. I reach my bedroom, slip inside and close the door behind me.
Caius lost the deal.
He lost the business deal he went for. That's why he's so angry. That's why he came home early. That's why he won't listen to me.
Not because of Vanessa. Not because of the recording. Not because his fake wife destroyed everything.
Just business.
And somehow, that makes me feel even worse.
Because it means when he finds out about Vanessa... when he discovers what actually happened yesterday, he's going to be even more furious than he already is.
He made it very clear he doesn't want to hear anything I have to say right now.
Tomorrow morning when he's calmer, I'll talk to him. When he's had time to sleep off whatever happened in Boston. When he's in a better headspace to hear about Vanessa and the recording and all the ways I've failed him.
I drag myself into bed. I don't bother changing out of my clothes.
I just crawl under the covers fully dressed and close my eyes.
~~
I wake up early.
The previous day's ordeal comes to my mind immediately.
I have seven hours and seven minutes until Vanessa's deadline.
Seven hours to tell Caius everything.
I force myself out of bed. My body aches like I've been in a fight. My head pounds with the beginning of a headache.
But I can't stay in bed.
I need to find Caius. Need to tell him about Vanessa before it's too late.
I change quickly into clean clothes, jeans and a simple sweater. Brush my teeth. Splash cold water on my face. Try to make myself look okay.
Then I leave my room.
The penthouse is quiet this early in the morning.
Could Caius be in his room right now?
I see one of the housekeepers coming down the hallway and immediately feels relieved. I can ask her. She's one of the few staff members who actually smiles at me.
"Excuse me," I say. "Have you seen Mr. Michael this morning?"
Maria nods. "Yes, ma'am. He's in his study. Been there since very early. Maybe five o'clock?"
Five in the morning. So he didn't sleep either.
"Thank you," I say.
I start to head toward the study, but Maria calls after me.
"Ma'am? Mr. Michael left specific instructions that he doesn't want to be disturbed."
Of course he did.
"I understand," I say. "But this is really important. I need to speak with him."
Maria looks uncertain. Like she's torn between following her employer's orders and helping me.
"Please," I add. "It's urgent. Family matter."
That seems to convince her.
"His study is down the hall, last door on the right," she says. "But ma'am... he was very clear about not being disturbed."
"I know. Thank you, Maria."
I walk down the hallway with my heart pounding.
The study. I've never actually been inside Caius's study. It's his private space. The one room in the penthouse that's completely off-limits to everyone except him.
And now I'm about to barge in uninvited.
I reach the last door on the right and stop.
My hand hovers over the doorknob.
This is it. The moment I've been dreading since yesterday morning when Vanessa walked into my life.
I have to tell him. Have to explain everything. Have to hope he'll listen and understand and not immediately throw me out.
I knock softly on the door.
No response.
I wait a few seconds, then knock again. A little louder this time.
Still nothing.
Maybe he's wearing headphones. Maybe he's so absorbed in work he can't hear me. Maybe—
"What?" I hear Caius's irritated voice.
I swallow hard.
"It's Lia," I say. "Can I come in? I need to talk to you."
There's silence.
For a long moment, I think he's going to tell me to go away. To leave him alone. To respect his clear instructions about not being disturbed.
But then, he speaks.
"Come in," he says finally.
I open the door slowly and step inside.
The study is exactly what I expected. Dark wood furniture, a massive desk covered in papers and laptops and files.
And Caius, sitting behind that massive desk, looking like he hasn't slept at all.
He looks exhausted and angry and completely unapproachable.
But I'm here now. I have to do this.
I close the door behind me and take a few steps into the room.
"Good morning," I say quietly.
He doesn't return the greeting. Just looks at me with those cold eyes and waits.
I'm suddenly very aware of how awkward this is. How I have no idea how to start this conversation. How every word I say could make things worse.
So I decide to go natural. To not overthink it. To just... talk to him like a normal person instead of like my terrifying boss.
"I wanted to ask about the deal," I say. "The one in Boston. You said you lost it?"
It's not what I came here to say. But it's a starting point. A way to ease into the conversation instead of dropping a bomb immediately.
Caius's jaw tightens.
"I did."
"What happened?" I ask gently. "If you want to talk about it, I mean. You don't have to, but..."
I trail off, letting the offer hang there.
For a moment, I think he's going to dismiss me. Tell me it's none of my business. Send me away.
But then he leans back in his chair and runs a hand through his already messy hair.
"They wanted guarantees I couldn't give," he says. "Promises about timeline and deliverables that weren't realistic. I told them as much. They didn't want to hear it."
"So they walked away?"
"They gave the contract to a competitor who promised them everything they wanted." His voice is bitter. "Even though that competitor can't possibly deliver. But they'll figure that out in six months when the project fails."
I nod slowly. "I'm sorry. I know you worked hard on that deal."
"Three months of negotiations," Caius says. "Three months of flying back and forth to Boston. Three months of presentations and proposals and jumping through their corporate hoops. All for nothing."
I can hear the frustration and disappointment in his voice.
This deal meant something to him. And losing it hurts.
"It's not nothing," I say. "You did your best. You were honest with them about what was realistic. That's worth something."
He looks at me for a long moment.
"Is that why you're here?" he asks. "To make me feel better about losing a multi-million dollar contract?"
"No," I admit.
His eyes narrow slightly. "Then why are you here, Lia? I was very clear that I didn't want to be disturbed."
This is it.
The moment I have to tell him.
My heart is pounding so hard I can feel it in my throat.
"I have something I need to tell you," I say. "Something important. Something that happened yesterday while you were gone."
"Go on," he says.
I take a deep breath.
"Vanessa came here," I say.
Caius goes very still.
His entire body tenses. His hands grip the arms of his chair.
"What?" He asks, his voice cold. "What did you just say?"