Chapter 10

Helena’s POV

I stared down at the screen for far longer than I should have.

Usually, I wouldn't attend to messages by this time, but I felt some form of obligation to respond.

So, I stared at it for a moment longer before unlocking it.

B: You’re still awake?

Against my will, a small smile tugged at the corner of my lips.

To be fair, I had almost forgotten all about the contract tonight. Work had taken over my mind completely. 

But now that the message was here, the strange reality of it settled back in. 

I still have a husband I had never met, and marriage that existed only on paper.

I typed back slowly, overthinking on each word.

Me: I could say the same about you.

Three dots appeared almost immediately, then disappeared. Then appeared again.

I chuckled softly as it dawned on me that he was thinking, for some reason, that amused me.

B: Just work.

I chuckled again. Woah, that was the entire answer.

I leaned back against my pillow as I responded.

Me: Same.

A pause followed before the next message came.

B: How was your day?

I stared at the question longer than I expected to. How was my day?

That was a bit different cause the answer included my billionaire CEO who had looked at me like he was trying to diagnose my mind.

But I couldn't say that, so instead, I kept it simple.

Me: It was my first day at a new job.

The typing indicator appeared again.

B: And?

I smiled faintly, he actually wanted to know.

Me: It was… intense.

B: Bad intense or good intense?

I considered my next words very carefully.

Me: The kind where you survive the day and question your life choices afterward.

This time his response came faster.

B: That bad?

I laughed under my breath.

Me: Let’s just say the CEO is not the warmest person.

His next response took longer this time and that made me wonder briefly if I had said too much.

Then finally, the phone buzzed again.

B: Most CEOs aren’t.

That was true.

Me: Fair point.

A moment passed before the next message appeared.

B: Did you embarrass yourself?

I raised an eyebrow.

Me: Excuse me?

B: First day mistakes are common.

Me: I made no mistake.

There was a short pause before his reply came.

B: Pretty confident.

I rolled my eyes even though he couldn't see.

Me: I won’t say so, I was just prepared.

There was another short wait, then…

B: Good.

That was it.

I stared at the message, waiting for something else, but nothing came.

Typical, they are always so nonchalant, short and direct responses.

Mysterious if you may say.

After a minute or so, I typed again.

Me: What about your day?

His response took longer this time. Almost two full minutes passed before the message arrived.

B: Busy.

I snorted softly. That told me absolutely nothing.

Me: You’re very descriptive.

B: I try.

A faint laugh escaped my lips.

Me: Well, Mr. Busy, you should probably get some sleep.

The typing bubble appeared again almost immediately.

B: You should too.

My eyes flicked to the clock. It was already past midnight.

Me: Goodnight.

And his reply came quickly too.

B: Goodnight, Lena.

I stared at the screen for a moment longer after the conversation ended. That was strange.

We barely knew anything about each other, and yet, the conversation never felt awkward.

Maybe that was the benefit of this in the first place, no expectations, no pressure.

Just a bunch of words on a screen.

Eventually, I set the phone down, set an alarm to get up early, and turned off the light. With that, sleep came easier than I expected.

And annoyingly enough, the next morning came far too quickly.

Beams of light filtered through the curtains while my alarm screamed beside my bed.

I groaned and reached for the phone. For a brief moment, I wondered if there would be another message from B.

But there wasn’t. Of course not.

I dragged myself out of bed and got ready for work while Tessy sang loudly from the kitchen.

By the time we left the apartment, my brain had fully shifted into work mode again.

The towering glass building of Barron Technologies came into view soon enough.

And with it came the strange mix of anticipation and tension that surprisingly hadn't left me since yesterday.

Inside, the building swarmed with active movements and fast deliveries.

I settled into my desk and opened the revised projections from last night.

A few minutes later, an internal message popped up on my computer.

Meeting Schedule for strategy Review. 9:30 AM.

Hosted by: Barron Hale

Of course it was. I exhaled slowly and grabbed my tablet, heading there at once.

The conference room was already half full by the time I arrived.

Smaller groups among the crowd spoke in low voices as different screens lit up across the table.

I took a seat near the end, flipping through my notes while waiting for the meeting to begin.

The door opened a minute later and the room fell silent instantly.

I didn't need to look up to know who had just walked in. But when I did, my eyes weren't surprised with who they landed on.

Barron Hale, walking in like he owned the freaking place. Oh, he did.

He still had that look from yesterday, but this time, when his gaze swept across the tables, it paused briefly on me.

For a split second before he looked away.

“Let’s begin,” he said calmly.

The meeting moved quickly with him blabbing, I mean talking on data, projections and strategy.

At one point he referenced the retention model I had corrected without me really knowing at first till I heard my name.

“Helena’s adjustment from yesterday has been implemented,” he said without looking up from the tablet in his hand.

That was when my head lifted sharply. That was the first time he had used my name in a public room, that's if I can count this as public.

No one commented, but I felt several curious glances from around the tables.

The meeting continued without any pointing incident after that.

When it finally ended, people gathered their devices and filtered towards the door, and I wasn't exempted.

I stood as well, sliding my tablet into my bag and walking towards the door till his voice stopped me.

“Helena,” he called from behind me.