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I wish I could elbow him, whisper for him to shut up—anything.

Clearing his throat dramatically, he says, “Well, you wanted to meet the woman who’s in charge of organizing your sister’s party.” He pauses deliberately, stretching the moment until I want the floor to swallow me whole. “But it seems you already know her… very well.”

John exhales softly, amused, his gaze locked on mine, a flicker of memory passing through his eyes.

“Yeah,” he says, his tone almost playful. “Looks like I do.”

God, please. No more situations like this. My sanity can’t take it.

Throughout the entire meeting, Ethan doesn’t say a word. The only people speaking are me, John, Noah—who never misses a chance to tease me—and Irina.

I only knew the event is for the eighteenth birthday of a girl, who I now find out is John’s sister.

Their father once owned a company which now belongs to Ethan, though he still holds shares, so they’re partners—and John represents his father now.

“I’m sure my sister will want to see all three locations you picked, Thalia,” he says, offering me a suggestive smile. “Please let us know when you can secure the booking, and we’ll clear our schedules to attend.”

So he wants to come too. Wonderful.

Honestly, I can’t even pinpoint what the actual problem is here. Other than him constantly throwing looks and smiles my way… I feel nothing. No spark, no emotion—despite him being an incredibly handsome man, as we’ve already established in Zanzibar.

“If all’s settled, we can wrap up,” Ethan suddenly says, closing his laptop.

Jesus. I thought he wasn’t even paying attention.

Everyone stands, though the conversation doesn't feel finished, and the two men leave after a few handshakes and goodbyes.

“This time, you can’t hide this from Zayn, Thalia,” Noah tells me, pressing a quick kiss to my forehead before walking out, clearly entertained.

Irina walks with John and the other man to see them off. Ethan’s lawyer is already at the door, and I’m right behind him.

I can’t even think to answer Noah, my mind running in a hundred different directions at once.

As I’m about to step out of the conference room, I suddenly hear, “I didn’t say you could leave, Thalia.”

Excuse me? Since when do I need his permission to leave a room? I mean, I know he’s my boss, but until now he didn’t know I existed. And now he’s giving me orders?

“The meeting’s over, Ethan. Everyone else left,” I answer on the spot, my back still turned to him.

“Close the door and sit down,” he says, his tone sharp, leaving no room for argument.

I close my eyes, take a few steady breaths, and force a polite smile onto my face.

I shut the door, turn to him, then take a seat three chairs away, folding my arms over my chest as I meet his gaze.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Thalia?” he asks immediately.

“Sitting and waiting for you to tell me why you need me,” I reply, my voice edged with sarcasm.

Isn’t it obvious? He’s the one who asked me to stay.

“I don’t know if you had time to familiarize yourself with Hartho’s internal rules,” he begins, completely ignoring what I just said, “but it’s strictly forbidden for an employee to fuck a partner. Or a colleague. Or anyone in the company.”

He says all this while typing on his phone—answering emails or doing whatever it is he thinks is more important than this conversation.

Something in me snaps.

Before I can think it through, I’m already on my feet, closing the distance between us in seconds. I grab the phone from his hand and slam it face down on the table.