Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
PIPER
Ifollow Helen into the office, my notebook in hand, jotting down all the instructions she’s firing off.
Everyone’s at a teambuilding meeting, so the office is unusually quiet. The only sounds filling the room are the hum of the overhead lights and Helen’s squeaky I-love-myself voice.
She’s laying down her demands one after another, and I can hardly keep up.
But that’s not my only problem.
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Levi.
It’s silly. I’m being foolish. I got exactly what I wanted and told him what I wanted.
Why should I feel at a loss that he respected my wishes?
We’ve barely known each other a week. He owes me nothing.
The truth is, I’m in a strange phase. And people going through something like this shouldn’t overcomplicate things.
Everything I said to him sounded right—that I couldn’t go out again like last night, that I needed to keep things simple.
When I decided to have this fresh start, that was the one thing I wouldn’t compromise on. Simplicity.
Maybe when I’ve figured things out and everything has settled, I can revisit that.
Of course, that may mean he won’t be interested in me any longer.
Men like Levi Vale don’t wait.
And I’m not the kind of woman men like him come back for.
It’s amazing he had any interest in me at all.
A hollow feeling settles after the thought. I feel silly because I wanted him to be interested in me. No, I might not have wanted another night like at the club. It was more about… him. His attention, his charm, and that stupid confidence. And the way he looked at me like I was worth noticing.
Helen stops in the center of the room, looks around at the shelves, and frowns.
I push my thoughts aside and focus on her.
God, it takes effort. Every second leaves too much room for thoughts of Levi to creep back in. And I’ve gotten to know that putrid look on Helen’s face. It’s a heads up that she’s about to go off on one of her rants.
She’s in her late thirties. Definitely knows her stuff, but she acts like a spoiled teenager who’s used to getting her own way.
She drags a hand through her blonde curls and shakes her head.
Her makeup is immaculate as usual, every strand of hair is in place, and her designer dress is the latest, like she’s dressed for a spotlight no one else can see.
She also has the perfect resting bitch face and the scowl to go with it. I went to high school with girls like her. I thought I left them there.
“Once more, I need the files done again,” she gripes, tapping her foot. “Everything needs to be organized. This office space is a mess.”
I glance around.
There is no mess to complain about. And if there is, it’s just a few documents left out on people’s desks here and there.
And that’s just the thing.
They’re people’s desks. Not something for me to worry about.
“I want it clean as well.” She waves her hand around. “Before everyone gets back from the meeting, clean it up. All of it.”
I bite the inside of my lip.
All she’s had me do since I’ve been here is clean and file. Yes, I know an admin assistant does filing, but cleaning?
Surely, even she knows that’s not part of my job description.
Of course, I don’t mind tidying things. But when she says clean, she means getting the vacuum and the furniture polish—things the cleaning staff already handle.
I’ve never come into the office in the morning and seen it anything less than pristine. So, she’s just being picky.
Picky with me.
“Also,” she says, raising a hand, “you took too long of a lunch over the last few days. We all get an hour, but no one takes the full hour. So, you can have fifteen minutes today.”
I frown. “Fifteen minutes? That’s hardly enough time to get food.”
“You get fifteen minutes today and make do with it, or don’t come back next week.”
My stomach tightens, twisting into beads of knots.
This is a nightmare. I’m not going to last in this place. The thought scares me. I need this job, and if this falls apart so early and I quit or get fired, then what exactly did I come here for?
Helen treats me worse than a child, and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it besides do what I’m told. Or, like she says, leave.
“Get the filing done as quickly as possible, then I want you to email the divisional manager. Let him know the concept design for the new marketing campaign will be ready in a few weeks. Tell him I’ve been delayed.”
“I could help with the concept design if you need me to,” I offer, seeing an opportunity to do something more than filing and cleaning.
Even if nothing comes of it, it would be nice to do something aligned with my skills.
“I could take a look at the proposal and finish the draft. I’m excellent with things like that.
” I won’t deny I’m desperate to prove I can do more than alphabetize files and wipe down desks.
Helen gives me a nasty smirk.
The look on her face is like she’s tasted something awful.
“Piper Andrews,” she grates out, my name cold on her lips, “what is your job title here?”
Instantly, I feel small.
“Administrative assistant,” I reply.
“Okay. Can you tell me what part of your job description qualifies you to draft a proposal for the divisional manager at Vale Global?” She sneers, looking me up and down.
“It’s not part of my job description, but I have an MBA—”
“I don’t care what you have,” she cuts in. “Whatever qualifications you have are worthless to me. They don’t mean squat in this place, especially when you are nothing.”
The humiliation hits fast, heat prickling beneath my skin like I’ve been caught doing something wrong.
What a fucking bitch. How dare she speak to me like that?
I want to tell her to fuck the hell off, but my God do I hold my tongue.
I just hate that small part of me already worries she might be right.
“Now, do as you’re told and do your actual job,” she snaps. “Or, like I said, don’t bother coming back next week.”
I’m so stunned I don’t know where to look or what to say.
“Since when do we speak to employees like that?” The voice is firm and familiar.
One I’ve been dreaming about.
Helen goes still, her back stiff as a board.
I turn to see Levi walking into the room, his eyes locked on her.
His shirt sleeves are rolled up his arms, and his jaw is tight with quiet authority.
“Oh—hi, Levi. I didn’t see you there.” Helen’s voice shifts, trying to sound welcoming.
“Clearly,” he shoots back. “What’s going on here?”
“Piper’s a temp. She doesn’t know the ways of the company.”
“It sounded like she was making an offer to help.”
“I’m the manager. I don’t need her help like that,” Helen says.
“Okay. Then that’s all you needed to say.” His voice hardens. “Disrespect her again, and you’re gone. Is that clear?”
Helen pales and her eyes widen with deep shock.
I’m shocked, too, that Levi would make such a threat. And for me?
It’s enough to make my head spin, but so is the triumph that surges through me as I take in the defeat on Helen’s perfect face.
I shouldn’t enjoy it this much. But after the hell she’s giving me, I really, really do.
“Do you hear me, Helen?” Levi asks again.
“Yes. Sure. I hear you,” she replies, though she shoots me another nasty look.
Levi turns his attention to me. “Can I have a word, Miss Andrews?”
It’s strange to hear him call me that. He’s never even called me by my first name.
He’s only ever called me Butterfly.
“Sure,” I reply.
He walks out first, and I follow.
Helen’s gaze burns into my back with every step I take, but I ignore it.
I follow Levi into the indoor garden, where we’re completely alone.
The noise of the office disappears the deeper we walk in, replaced by the soft trickle of water from somewhere nearby and the rustle of leaves overhead.
It’s nice to see Levi. Even nicer that he stood up for me. But I don’t know what he wants to talk about.
The air shifts to cooler here, carrying the faint citrus scent of lemon trees and roses. Sunlight filters through the glass above, catching on the leaves and casting soft gold shadows across Levi’s shoulders as he strides ahead.
He stops by the lemon grove, and I notice the uneasy look on his face.
It’s strange seeing him like that. He’s always so sure of himself, at least from what I’ve seen.
“Thanks for sticking up for me like that,” I say. “She was being really awful.”
“No worries,” he replies, lifting his brows. “You know you can do better than this job, right?”
It means a lot to hear him say something like that.
I grin sheepishly. “I know, but… I guess everything in life that you want takes time. And I kind of need this job right now. Hopefully, better will come along.”
“I’m sure it will.” He gives me a faint smile. “Especially with an MBA. You never mentioned that.” He looks impressed.
“You didn’t ask.” I borrow his words from the other night.
He smirks. “No, I didn’t. An MBA means you’re more qualified than Helen,” he points out. “And I’m guessing she’s not happy about that.”
I nod slowly. “In a nutshell.”
“With qualifications like yours…” He trails off. “There’s little point in me offering you any of the marketing positions we have available here.”
“Maybe you might consider me for something in the future,” I suggest, sounding hopeful.
He shakes his head, and my hopes die.
“A person who wants to start their own business would be wasted here.”
No one’s spoken to me like that in a long time. Hearing him say that makes me believe my future is still something real and reachable instead of a dream I’m clinging to out of desperation.
“I’m already wasted here.” An ounce of the old me slips through.
“I completely agree with you.” He studies me for a moment, his gaze sharpening, then something shifts in his expression. “I may have a better offer.”
I narrow my eyes. “An offer? You have an offer for me?” I point to myself.
“Yes. It’s an offer of sorts.”
“Like a job?” I search his face.
“You could call it that.”
“What is it?”
“Remember the man from last night who thought you were my girlfriend?”
“Arthur?” I supply. “Yeah, of course, I remember him.”
The uneasiness in his expression deepens at the mention of Arthur’s name. “Arthur is a really big client of mine. Well, a prospective client. I have a lot riding on him signing a new contract with me.”
I stay quiet, listening.
“He’s a family man, as you probably gathered. He believes he’d be more assured signing his empire over to a man in a long-term relationship.”
My breath stills. I see where this is going.
I’m not sure I’m ready for it.
“How would you feel about pretending to be my girlfriend for six weeks?”
My eyes hold his, unblinking. “What?”
“Pretend to be my girlfriend. If you agree, I’ll make it worth your time.”
“Levi…” I shake my head. “That’s crazy. Just tell him I’m not your girlfriend.”
“The moment I do, our negotiations are over.”
“But what if he finds out I’m not?” I press. “That just makes everything worse. Just come clean.”
“I just need to close the deal,” he explains. “Once we sign contracts, it shouldn’t matter. He won’t be prying into my affairs any longer.”
He pauses, then adds, “If you agree, I’ll give you two hundred thousand. Half now, the rest at the end.”
A shiver runs through me at the number.
For a second, I feel like I’m having an out-of-body experience.
“You’re going to give me what?” I stutter, clutching my chest.
“Two hundred thousand.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing.
Two hundred thousand dollars.
He’s offering me that to pretend to be his girlfriend for six weeks.
I couldn’t even dream up that kind of money.
The lemon tree beside us suddenly feels too close, the air too warm.
When I thought about how much capital I’d need to start my business, I figured maybe twenty thousand—just to get going with a website and a few services.
This…
This would give me everything.
It would give me the business I’ve dreamed of.
It would give me time.
But…
That’s just the surface of it.
What about everything else?
Levi and I already had a one-night stand.
Pretending to be his girlfriend dances too close to the edge. How can I pretend
when I already know what it feels like to be in his bed and I still remember what he feels like inside me.
Besides, I told him I needed space.
And now this is happening.
It’s foolish, but I only told him I needed space because I actually really like him.
How am I supposed to pretend to be his girlfriend when I already feel something real?
But then there’s the money.
Two hundred thousand dollars.
The number is…
Too big. Too life-changing to ignore.
That’s the kind of money people like me don’t casually get offered for a simple job like pretending to be someone’s girlfriend.
My thoughts snap back to how badly I want the dream of having my own business, and suddenly, everything I said about simplicity feels fragile. Like it could crack under the right pressure.
Pressure like this.
Levi reaches out and takes my hand.
“Think about it,” he says. “Don’t give me an answer now. Take the weekend and let me know by Monday. Can we do that?”
He searches my eyes, tentative.
I nod slowly, my mind trying to process everything. “Yeah… I can think about it. Sure.”
He gives my hand a gentle squeeze before letting go. “Thanks. You know where to find me.”
“I do.”
He dips his head and for a second it feels like he wants to say something else.
His gaze lingers on mine, steady and unreadable, before he finally steps back and walks away.
Once again, I’m left watching him go.