Page 31 of Forbidden Grumpy Boss

But Caleb. I can’t forget why I’m doing this in the first place.

And then he throws in the final incentive. “You’ll be paid, of course. Name your price.”

Of course. The money. There it is. The part of this whole thing that makes me feel like I’m no better than the people I’ve spent my life trying to avoid. I want to make it on my own, to prove to myself, and to my father, that I don’t need to rely on anyone.

But here I am, about to make money from Silas.

As if reading my thoughts, he says, “You’ll earn every penny. You’ll have to pretend to be my fiancée while working as my assistant. Trust me, the money’s well-earned.”

“I don’t need your money,” I croak out.

“I have your account details from the employment contract you signed, and I’ll be paying you.” He shrugs. “You’re my assistant. So just see the payment as a bonus or whatever.” I stare at him, my mind racing, but before I can respond, he says, “I’m sorry.”

I blink. “What?”

“For what happened all those years ago. For chasing you off in Rome.”

His words catch me off guard. For a second, I see something in his eyes. Regret, maybe? But it’s too little, too late. I’ve built walls around that part of my life, and I’m not letting him tear them down now.

I fold my arms. “I don’t care. I’m doing this to get the debt I owe you off my neck and for Caleb.”

Silas gives a curt nod, his face unreadable. “Fine.”

We sit silently, the air between us heavy with tension. I deeply breathe and ask, “When are we telling Caleb?”

“He has a soccer game tomorrow,” Silas says. “We’ll go together, break the news to him then.”

I nod, pushing my food around on my plate. “Why are you buying Caldwell Media, anyway?”

Silas’s expression softens slightly, just for a moment. “It’s for my brother. The movie we’re making; it’s based on a script he wrote before he died. I’m doing this for him.”

I glance up at him, seeing the pain etched into his face. I remember how desperately he was calling out for his brother in the museum in Rome. “I’m sorry about Ezra.”

He stands abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. “I don’t need your sympathy, Leah. All I need is for you to give the performance of your life.” He reaches into his pocket and sets a box on the table before me. “Here. Yours.”

And with that, he walks away, leaving me alone at the table. I finish my glass of water and open the box.

It’s an engagement ring with a diamond as big as my knuckle. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit, but it’s really freaking huge and must’ve cost a fortune. As I slide the ring onto my finger, I wonder why he’s spending so much on something so fake. I raise my hand and stare at the ring.

I can’t wait for the four months to be up.

Chapter twelve

Silas

“You didn’t get anysleep last night?” Leah asks me as I squint at her.

“What?”

“Your eyes are bloodred. And frankly, you look like shit.”

I frown. “Just focus on the game, Leah.”

I watch the game, pretending to care about the rules I just explained to her. But my mind keeps wandering to last night. She’s right. I didn’t get much sleep last night.

That nightmare again. I hate that it won’t let go of me. I can still feel the weight of my brother’s hand slipping through my grasp as I failed to save him.

The dream is always the same. His eyes, full of betrayal and fear, right before he disappears into the open earth. My heart pounds just thinking about it. But I push it down, forcing my attention back to Caleb on the field.

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