“Now I see why so many women practically throw themselves at you,” I teased with a grin.
Simon raised a brow as he helped me up the steps. “And yet, you’re not one of them?”
I chuckled, accepting his assistance. My leg still gave me trouble, and climbing stairs was a challenge.
“Let’s be honest, Simon. How many times have we gone head–to–head over business deals? I’ve spent years wanting to tear you apart.”
He laughed a rare, genuine sound. “Fair enough.”
When we reached the top, I turned to face him, my expression serious.
“Why did you send me that invitation?” I asked. “Be honest.”
He didn’t look like he was here to gloat or mock me. But still, I couldn’t shake the suspicion that he had ulterior motives. Did he know about my divorce? Was he planning to use me to get under Ethan’s skin?
To my surprise, Simon’s answer was simple and sincere.
“Annie, you’re a talented woman,” he said, his tone steady. “I respect your abilities. That’s why I invited you.”
His words caught me off guard.
Before I married Ethan, I had dreamed of building something of my own–a business, a legacy. But those dreams had been buried the moment I saw an opportunity to win Ethan’s love.
1:00 PM dd
<
Thad thrown myself into his world, willingly becoming the woman behind the man, sacrificing my ambitions for his.
Now, standing in front of Simon, I felt something stir deep inside me.
It was time to stop living for someone else.
It was time to stand on my own again.
“Alright,” I said, a small smile tugging at my lips. “Let’s get to work.”
a
Simon’s company operated in the same industry as Ethan’s, so switching over to work for him wasn’t much of an adjustment for me.
At first, I worried he might have ulterior motives for hiring me. But it didn’t take long to realize I’d overthought it.
Simon Crane wasn’t some scheming manipulator–he was just a relentless workaholic.
From the moment I joined his company, he dragged me into endless meetings and had me dive headfirst into learning the business. It was clear he intended to mold me into his second–in–command.
Thanks to his discipline and high standards, I quickly found my footing at Crane Enterprises.
One evening, as the office emptied out and my coworkers headed home, I stayed behind, ordering takeout so I could keep working.
The quiet rhythm of my typing was interrupted by a soft knock on my office door. I looked up to see Simon standing there.
“Not leaving?” he asked, leaning casually against the doorframe.
“Nope,” I replied without looking up. “Nothing waiting for me at home anyway.”
The truth was, the house Ethan had left me was far too big, too empty. It was cold and silent, and I had no desire to be there alone.
Simon didn’t respond right away, but the way he furrowed his brow made me chuckle.
“What’s with the look? Do I have something on my face?”
“I heard you and Ethan divorced,” he said slowly, as if carefully choosing his words to avoid upsetting the fragile ego of a newly single woman.
I laughed lightly, brushing it off. “Yeah, almost three months ago now.”
Three months.
It felt like a lifetime ago, yet somehow not that long at all.
After blocking Ethan’s number, I hadn’t reached out to him once. And, as expected, he hadn’t reached out to me either.
We had both kept to the unspoken rule: a proper ex should disappear like they’re dead.
“So it’s true.”
There was something in Simon’s eyes I couldn’t quite read–something complicated. But in the end, he just smiled faintly and said, “Come on, let me take you out for dinner.”
“No need,” I said, waving him off. “I already ordered takeout.”
“Eating alone gets boring, though,” he replied, undeterred.
Simon was far more impressive than Ethan, but I had no intention of getting too close to him. Yet here he was, insisting on sharing my takeout as if it were some grand culinary experience.
1:01 PM
<
I gave in. He wasn’t wrong–eating alone night after night had been depressingly dull.
So, we ate together.
As we talked, I realized just how remarkable Simon truly was.
I had always prided myself on being a top graduate from a prestigious university, but Simon had earned dual doctorates from one of the world’s top institutions. On top of that, he came from an influential family and spoke eight languages fluently–a detail that sounded like bragging until I realized it was completely true.
He’d traveled the world, his experiences and knowledge far surpassing anything I could imagine.
Listening to him, I couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed. “When I used to compete with you for business deals,” I said, “did you ever think I
was just a clown trying to put on a show?”
“No,” he said firmly. “I admired your determination and tenacity.”
To prove he wasn’t just being polite, he stopped eating and looked directly at me with those strikingly clear eyes of his. Under the fluorescent
lights, his gaze seemed to shimmer like stars.
For a second, I could see my reflection in his eyes–small, uncertain, but undeniably there.
My cheeks warmed unexpectedly, and I quickly looked away, fumbling for an excuse. “W–Well, you’re giving me too much credit. Let’s just finish eating.”
I didn’t think of myself as someone worth admiring.
“Alright,” he said with a faint smile, his tone light.
Then, to my surprise, he picked up the last piece of braised pork from his bowl and placed it in mine.
I stared at the piece of meat, my chest tightening with an inexplicable ache.
In four years of marriage, Ethan and I had rarely shared meals together. Moments like this–small, warm, considerate–were completely foreign to me.
And yet here was Simon, someone I once considered an enemy, offering me the last piece of food on his plate.
Ethan’s indifference had always been written in his every action, his every word, his every look.
But I had stubbornly believed that my love, my endless efforts, could somehow thaw his frozen heart.
I had been so, so wrong.
7
After that first shared takeout dinner, Simon started asking me to join him for meals more often.
The change didn’t go unnoticed. My coworkers began giving me curious, even suspicious, looks.
I tried to tell Simon to be mindful of appearances, but he just wayed me off. “What, now I’m not allowed to eat with whoever I want?”
He leaned back in his chair, completely unbothered. “Besides, you’re the Vice President of Crane Enterprises. Sharing a meal with me is perfectly normal.”
Then he smirked, clearly teasing. “If it’s an issue, we can always eat out.”
Yeah, right. If rumors were already flying because we ate in the office, going out would only make things worse. The gossip would drown me
alive.
I shook my head, pushing open the door to his office. “Takeout again?”
“I’ll order,” he said, already pulling up the app. Simon had become oddly skilled at navigating the world of food delivery.
1:01 PM
<
I left him to it and returned to my desk to work. But as I flipped through the files, one caught my attention.
