Chapter 26 #2
Conversation ricochets from office gossip to Demi’s customer-from-hell to the time Eric accidentally sent a thirst trap to his professor (cropped, thank God).
My phone buzzes under the table. I ignore it. It buzzes again. Tiana cocks a brow.
“Work?” she asks, teasing but soft.
“Probably.” I risk a glance.
Worth:
You’re not at the office.
Great observation, Mr. Miller.
Worth:
Where are you?
I’m at The Copper Finch with friends.
Worth:
Does that include Ethan by any chance?
I roll my eyes.
Oh my God. Are you ever going to let it go?
Worth:
If you let me fire him, then yes.
For the umpteenth time, you are not firing Ethan.
Worth:
You’re not the boss, Ms. Jones.
Fair point. I’m off the clock. Do you need anything, sir?
Worth:
I thought we agreed on Worth after 6 p.m.
Did we? Must’ve missed that memo.
Worth:
Your smart mouth will get you in trouble one day, Mya.
I’m counting on it…
Worth:
Brat.
Have you eaten?
Worth:
Do you care about me, Ms. Jones?
Don’t flatter yourself. You’ve been holed up in your office all day. I’m just protecting my assets.
Worth:
You wound me.
Get over yourself and answer the question.
Worth:
Yes… wife.
Smiling, I place my phone face down on the table.
Seraya leans forward first, eyes sharp and amused. “Okay. No. You don’t just smile like that at your phone for five minutes and not explain yourself.”
Jovana hums in agreement. “That was not a work smile. That was a someone-has-you-on-a-leash smile.”
“I do not smile like that.”
“Yes, you do,” Demi says immediately.
Eric points at my phone. “So. Who was it?”
I lift my glass and take a slow sip, buying myself time. “No one.”
Tiana scoffs. “Mya.”
I lower the glass. “Fine. It was Worth.”
The table goes quiet.
Then—
“Worth Worth?” Seraya asks.
Jovana blinks. “Our boss Worth?”
Eric lets out a low whistle. “Mr. Blue collar billionaire himself?”
Demi’s eyes widen. “You were texting your boss like that?”
I grimace.
“That is not an answer,” Tiana says, leaning back in her chair, grinning. She’s the only one who knows the truth of my relationship with Worth and she’s clearly loving every second of this.
I exhale slowly, fingers tightening around my glass. “We’re… dating.”
A gasp. More silence. And I can’t tell if they’re shocked, excited or mad.
Jovana breaks the quiet first. “I called it.”
I blink. “Called what?”
She glances at Seraya, who’s already smirking. “Singapore.”
My stomach dips. “What about it?”
Jovana nods. “You disappeared from the dancefloor at the same time Worth Miller went completely MIA.”
Eric’s eyebrows shoot up. “Wait, you both vanished?”
“No goodbye. No ‘bathroom break.’ Just—poof,” Seraya adds. “I knew something was up!”
Demi lets out a slow, impressed “Oh.”
I groan, dropping my head into my hand. “You guys are unbelievable.”
“Am I wrong?” Jovana asks sweetly. “Because I distinctly remember saying, either she left with him or she got kidnapped.”
Tiana and Eric laugh.
“You were glowing when you reappeared,” Seraya continues.
I lift my head. “I was not!”
Eric points at me. “So Singapore was the beginning.”
I hesitate just long enough for them to notice.
Demi grins. “Oh my God. It wasn’t?”
I exhale. “Fine. Yes. Something was already happening.”
Tiana studies me, acting clueless. “And now?”
I glance at my phone, still face down on the table. “Now, it’s real.”
Seraya grins. “Is it serious?”
I can’t help it—I smile.
“Very.”
Even though our relationship is fake, I have to sell it.
And yet, there is a part of me that is genuinely excited to start this journey.
My life has always been carefully planned, every step measured.
This is so far outside my comfort zone it almost makes my skin itch.
But for once, I’m doing something for me—without overanalyzing the fallout—while still helping someone else in the process.
“How do you think people at your work are going to take it?” Demi asks, resting her chin in her palm.
I grimace, swirling the ice in my glass. “That’s the only part I’m worried about. But Worth says he has it under control.”
“Hell yeah, he does!” Eric beams, leaning back in his chair. “I can’t believe you bagged a fucking billionaire, MJ.” He wiggles his brows. “Does he have any friends? Brothers?”
Eric is always hunting for his next hookup.
I laugh and swat his shoulder. “He does, but I’m not opening that door for you. Find your own rich man to shag.”
The table erupts in laughter, and for the first time since this whole thing began, the knot in my chest loosens just a little. Having my friend’s support makes this a tad easier. Though I wish I could tell them the truth.
Seraya reaches across the table first, squeezing my hand. “I’m really happy for you, Mya. You deserve something exciting.”
Tiana nods, her smile soft. “As long as you’re okay with it—and it’s what you want—that’s what matters.”
“I am. I think. I just didn’t expect it to feel… right.”
Eric lifts his glass. “To MJ, patron saint of accidentally landing billionaires.”
I laugh, clinking my glass against my friends’.
The conversation drifts to travel plans, work gossip, and Jovana’s latest dating horror story. Eric disappears to flirt with the bartender and comes back far too pleased with himself. At some point, someone orders another round, and the music gets louder.
I catch myself laughing more than usual, leaning into the warmth of the table, the easy comfort of people who really know me.
Tonight, I stay exactly where I am, surrounded by friends, letting the night unfold without worrying about where it’s all going next.