Semua Bab The CEO: My Baby's Father : Bab 1 - Bab 10

Wait…What?Her brows furrowed and her breath hitched. No, it couldn’t be him. No.She looked down, with her eyes darting around alarmingly.The CEO raised a brow, “Miss. Adams?”That voice. That…Her eyes looked up at him. It couldn't be…no it couldn't. She had hoped, she had hoped so bad that this would be her lifting point. But …how?The same dark eyes, the same sharp features.The same man whose touch she had tried - scrap that - failed to forget. The man who had unraveled her in one reckless night.Was sitting right in front of her, behind the CEO’s desk.Penelope’s fingers tightened, her nails pressing into her palm as if grounding herself in reality.This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening. Jesus, no.But here she was, coming for an interview, meeting face to face, with the one man she thought she would never see again.The silence in the office was so deafening, Penelope felt her ears ring. It was so tight and gripping.She wasn't sure she could breathe. No, she actu

"What?!”Demetria’s voice rang through the room like a firecracker.Penelope flinched, “I…keep your voice down!” she hissed, glancing instinctively toward the door, as if the walls themselves might carry the secret away.But Demetria was already pacing.“No, no, no—wait!” she spun back around, pointing at Penelope like she had just uncovered a crime. “You mean to tell me… the CEO? Calvin Dawson? The tall, brooding, ‘I-look-like-I-own-the-world’ man… is Shirley’s father?!”Penelope pressed her lips together and pinched her glabella, “…Yes.”Demetria let out a strangled noise and dragged both hands down her face.“Oh my God.”Silence followed. But it wasn't calm. It was the kind that buzzed with too many thoughts and too many questions clawing for space.Then,“Why didn’t you tell me?” Demetria asked, quieter now, but no less shaken.Penelope’s shoulders dipped, “I didn’t think it mattered.”That earned her a look. One that said that answer was unacceptable.“Didn’t think it mattered?”

The cab ride home was a blur of neon lights and second thoughts. Penelope leaned her head against the cool glass of the window, replaying the interview like a film she couldn't switch off.Should she really be doing this? Couldn't she just forget about the job and have nothing to do with that man?Whether she liked it or not, her life was already tangled with Calvin’s. The history was there, a heavy, invisible weight between them. Was it actually possible to work for him and keep things professional? Could she walk into his world every day and emerge unscathed?She let out a long, slow breath, her blue eyes tracking the rain-streaked streets of Birmingham. It’s not forever, anyway, she told herself. It was a means to an end. Once she had the money and the references, she’d resign and finally pursue her dream of becoming a Designer. A small, determined smile touched her lips. Yeah, that was the plan.By the time the cab pulled up to her apartment, the anxiety had shifted into a mild e

Calvin’s speech was short and devoid of warmth. He spoke of "restructuring," "unprecedented growth," and "weeding out the stagnant." A very stark warning.Penelope didn't hear a word of it. She was too busy calculating the fastest route to the emergency exit. Could she quit today? Could she claim a family emergency and never come back? But her mother's rent was due, and Shirley needed new shoes for school, and this job paid three times more than what her last jobs all combined had offered."Now," Calvin said, his tone shifting. "I’d like to meet the new faces of the design team. Step forward."A wave of panic surged through her. One by one, the new hires stepped into the light. Penelope moved like a robot, her legs heavy as lead. She stayed as far to the left as possible, keeping her chin tucked.Calvin began to walk the line. He shook hands with a few seniors, his movements efficient. He didn't smile, because he didn't need to. He was perfectly handsome already stoic.As he approach

When Penelope got back to her office, she was drained. When Calvin had asked her that, she had felt her soul leave her body. Had she spoken her thoughts out loud?!But thankfully, he didn't say anything else and walked back to his desk.Penelope exhaled shakily as she pushed the door open, stepping into the familiar space. The soft hum of computers, the faint clicking of keyboards, the muted rustle of paperwork, everything felt oddly distant, like she was hearing it from underwater.She didn’t realize she had paused at the entrance until –“Hey, Penny… are you okay?”Wilson’s voice pulled her back.Her eyes fluttered upward, meeting his concerned gaze. He was already halfway out of his chair, brows drawn together, like he had been watching the door, waiting for her to walk in.“Wilson…” she managed, forcing her lips into a small smile. “I’m fine. Yes.”But from the way his expression didn’t ease, she knew he saw right through her lie.He stepped closer anyway, lowering his voice like