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“I want you to do whatever makes you happy, Chlo.”
“You make me happy.”
He groaned. “You can’t say things like that.”
“Well, it’s true,” I said hotly. “But this is important. I was resigning because you were near impossible to work for, but you’ve changed. Even before the trip, you changed. And now… I just… I don’t know anymore.”
He held his lips against my shoulder but said nothing.
“I think I’m too used to being with you.” My voice was gentle. “And now, I don’t know what to do. Me being your secretary will make you uncomfortable if we stay in a relationship, but I don’t know if resigning is the right thing to do.”
“Chlo. Baby.” He kissed my neck. “I’m not going to lie and tell you I don’t care. I do. I care a whole lot about this, but you’re not the only one who’s been thinking about it. This office isn’t the same as the one I was in before. The people aren’t the same. You’ve been here for years, and I think everyone knows your character. But I am nervous about it.”
“I am, too.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. “Our relationship has changed so much since we left, and I’m worried about what people will think. Even if your grandfather would smite them.”
“You’re aware of that, huh?”
“Please. The man has been trying to talk me into marrying you for at least four years.”
“You have to appreciate his dedication,” Theo said. “You should have seen him earlier. He was excited at the thought he’d get a granddaughter.”
I leant back and met his eyes. “He already has one.”
“Yes, but he doesn’t like that one. His words, not mine,” he added quickly. “Honestly, my biggest fear is that you’re too good to stay as my assistant forever.”
“What do you mean?”
He sighed. “You don’t know this, but when we were discussing how things would change after Gramps retired, he made it very clear that you were always overqualified for your position.”
“He had mentioned that to me before, but I didn’t take him too seriously. I’ve been an assistant since I started at the company.”
“You have a degree in business management though, right?”
“I do, but that doesn’t mean I have real life experience in it.”
“But you do, Chlo. At the very least, you’ve spent the better part of a decade cultivating the necessary skills to be successful.” Theo met my gaze. “Gramps always had an eye on promoting you when I’d settled in.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Really?”
“Yes, really. He does a lot of things that don’t always make sense, and if you asked him about this, he’d swear blind that I was on drugs, but it’s the truth.”
“Now that I believe,” I replied. “But why are you telling me this?”
“Because maybe there’s a way to figure this out.”
“I don’t want a new role in the company just to make our relationship easier.” I cupped his face. “If that happens and people find out about us, then it’s nothing more than the embodiment of your fears, Theo. I don’t want to be given anything, even if I have earnt it. People will say I got it because we’re together. Either way, we’d have to hide something.”
He jutted out his lower lip.
“Are you pouting?”
“Yes.” He nestled his face into my neck once again. “Why don’t you just resign? You can be a kept woman. Run a charity or something. Co-ordinate protests. Organise remote control boat races. Host illegal raves.”
What the… “That went from reasonable to what-the-fuck really quick.”
“It’s fine. I can cover for you if you host illegal raves.”
“I can’t say illegal raves are anything I’ve ever aspired to host,” I said slowly. “And do I really look like a kept woman to you?”
