Page 34 of One of Those Amnesia Stories

His eyes snapped to mine, a storm of unreadable emotion flashing across them.

Before either of us could say another word, a sharp knock sounded at the door. His attention immediately shifted toward it, and a moment later, the door opened, revealing one of the most arrestingly handsome men I had ever seen.

He was tall and sharply dressed, with neatly rolled sleeves. His dark hair was pushed back, his jawline too defined to be fair, and his calm, precise movements screamed corporate executive, but his face screamed runway.

The newcomer went straight to Cassian, barely sparing me more than a polite glance as he approached the window.

“Sir,” he said, his voice calm and efficient, “the Aethelstan transition team has been briefed. I’ve postponed all in-person meetings for the next few weeks, so you’ll only need to join a few key calls to keep everything moving.”

Cassian dragged a hand down his face, looking increasingly exhausted by the conversation. “Rohan, I told Liam I needed to be completely offline—”

“Are you a model?” I blurted.

Rohan’s brows shot up, his professional composure momentarily abandoning him.

Cassian’s head swung in my direction, his eyes narrowing slightly. “He’s my assistant.”

“Right,” I said, still assessing him. “But like… part-time?”

Cassian’s mouth flattened into a hard line.

Rohan cleared his throat and attempted to steer the conversation back onto professional ground. “Mrs. Quinn, it’s good to finally meet you. How are you feeling—”

“So, model?” I cut in.

His eyes darted toward Cassian for the briefest moment before returning to me. “Uh… no.”

“Nothing at all?” I tilted my head. “Not even a local advertisement? A friend’s fashion blog? One of those suspiciously lavish perfume commercials where nobody actually says anything?”

His lips twitched before he shook his head. “No, ma’am.”

“Really?” I leaned forward slightly, genuinely baffled. “You’ve never been approached? You have the bone structure, the posture, the whole package. It’s very classic commercial symmetry.”

He glanced down at himself, then back at me, puzzled.

“I’m serious.” The more I looked at him, the more convinced I became. “I have a lifestyle brand client looking for someone exactly like you. Clean-cut, credible, approachable. You look expensive without looking intimidating. That’s difficult to find.”

His eyebrows rose.

“You’d be perfect.” I glanced around the bedside table, searching for something to write on, only to come up empty-handed. I pointed toward his pocket. “Just put my number in your phone. I’ll have my assistant arrange a test shoot as soon as I’m out of here.”

Rohan’s hand immediately went to his pocket. He had barely pulled out his phone when Cassian’s hand came down firmly on his shoulder.

The movement stopped him cold.

“Weren’t you leaving?” Cassian asked, his voice low enough to make the question sound suspiciously like an order.

Rohan looked at the hand on his shoulder, then at Cassian’s face.

A brief silence passed.

“Yes, sir.” He gave a quick nod and slipped his phone back into his pocket. “I was.” He turned and headed for the door with impressive speed.

“Hey!” My accusing gaze snapped toward Cassian. “You just scared away my model.”

“You should be resting, not scouting talent,” he replied, his expression still carrying the remnants of his earlier irritation.

I rolled my eyes and sank back against the pillow. “I’ll rest when I’m dead.”