Page 60 of Bachelor CEO

He nodded. “They are.”

She stood there awkwardly. “You’ll do a greatjob.”

“Thanks. Has Miranda collected herbelongings?”

Lauren frowned. “What do you mean? Her door’sbeen shut all morning and she left me a voice mail saying she wouldn’t be in.”

“She resigned.”

“Oh.” Lauren sat back down, stunned.

“Don’t worry, your job’s safe and you’ll beworking with whomever we hire to take her place. But her quitting wasunexpected. She told my grandfather just this morning.”

Chase opened the door to Miranda’s office. Theplace had been stripped bare. All of her personal touches had been removed. Shemust have acted quickly, before anyone arrived that morning.

Lauren came up behind him. “I had no ideashe’d moved out.”

“Neither did I,” Chase admitted. He closed thedoor. “For now, anything you can’t handle, send to Carla. She’ll run point.”

“Okay. But I can’t believe Miranda would justleave like that.”

Chase could, and as he headed for the parkinglot, he called Carla and told her he’d return in a few hours. He had somequestions he wanted answered.

MIRANDA COVERED HER HEAD with a pillow, butthe banging on her front door wouldn’t stop. Whoever it was wasn’t going away.

She crawled out of bed and checked the clock.It was almost noon, meaning she’d had about a three-hournap.

Who knew resigning could be so draining? Shecertainly hadn’t imagined this scenario. But as Sunday had come and gone,Miranda knew she couldn’t handle the glee on Chase’s face when he defeated her.She also knew she couldn’t live with the results if she won. He’d hate her.

Around ten last night she’d come to herdecision. She’d gone to her office, packed her belongings and had the weekendsecurity guard carry them to her car. Like a thief in the night, she’d stolenaway, revealing her crime only to Leroy this morning.

He’d read her letter, looked up with thoseblue eyes so like Chase’s and said, “The answer to my question is yes, isn’tit?”

She’d nodded and burst into tears.

“My grandson’s a hard one, isn’t he? Solovable, but so clueless and so stubborn. He has all my worst flaws. You sure Ican’t convince you to stay?”

“No. I need to leave.” Miranda had replied.Since Chase obviously was unable to share his playground, she knew he’d neverbe able to give her his heart. She couldn’t work with him, feeling the way shedid. You weren’t supposed to fall in love with a man who’d never love you back.

Leroy had reached over and patted her hand. “Ifeel like I’m buying you out of my grandson’s life. Let me tell you, I neverwanted this when I hired you.”

“I know. It’s my own fault.” It was. She’dasked Chase to go boating that fateful night. She’d assumed it would just besex and chemistry. When it wasn’t, she’d figured she’d have a year to get overhim. She’d gambled with her heart and lost.

She could have said no,right? But she hadn’t.

Miranda wiped away her tears and took asteadying breath. The banging on her door had ceased for a few seconds, only toresume. She probably looked like hell, but who cared? By tomorrow she plannedon being as far from Chenille as possible. Miranda felt a bit like Sabrinahaving “won” a ticket to Paris. Only Linus Larrabee wasn’t going to come tellher he’d made a mistake.

Miranda made it to the front door and glancedthrough the peephole, then turned around and pressed her back against it.

“I can hear you moving around in there,” Chasecalled.

He was the last person she wanted to see. Didhe have to come and gloat? Couldn’t he just leave her alone? “Go away.”

He knocked again. “No. I want to talk to you.”

“Well, I don’t want to talk to you.”

“I’ll knock all day,” he threatened.

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