Page 34 of Forbidden Grumpy Boss

“You know Messi?” Caleb’s eyes widen. “That’s my idol.”

“Ouch.” I clasp my heart like I’ve been shot.

“Know Messi?” Leah chuckles. “I love Messi!”

I glance at Leah and see her smiling at him through the rear mirror, her eyes soft. For the first time in a while, Caleb’s animated, talking non-stop about the other team, the goal he scored, everything.

It’s like the clouds hanging over him for months have finally cleared.

I glance at Leah, and she meets my eyes, smiling, too, clearly enjoying the moment. There’s something about seeing Caleb like this that makes everything worth it.

But then I do the thing I probably should’ve planned out more carefully.

“Caleb,” I say, keeping my voice casual. “Leah and I have something to tell you.”

He looks up from his excited, rambling, curious. “What is it?”

“I’m just going to come out with it.” I look at Leah, who’s shaking her head. “We’re engaged,” I say, not giving myself time to second-guess.

He blinks at us, clearly surprised. “Wait, what? Like,reallyengaged?”

“Yeah,” I say, nodding. “Engaged.”

Leah holds up her hand, showing him the ring, and Caleb’s eyes widen. He stares at it for a moment before looking back at us, bemused but not upset.

“Well . . . okay,” he says, finally. “That’s cool, I guess.”

And just like that, it’s done.

Later, when we arrive at Arconia, Caleb leaves us to rush to the penthouse, looking for food. Which means Leah and I have the car to ourselvess. The silence between us charged with something I can’t name. We’ve spent all day playing this game, pretending to be something we’re not, and I’m starting to feel the weight of it.

“He’s a great kid,” Leah says, her hands on her thighs. Her pale skin’s porcelain-smooth in the soft car lights.

“Yeah,” I agree. “He has his troubles. But what teenager doesn’t, right?”

“He doesn’t seem difficult, to be honest.” Leah glances at me. “I think he just wants you to be more present in his life. That’s all a kid wants, you know?”

The way she says that last statement makes me feel she’s no longer talking about Caleb. But I don’t push. Harvey has never struck me as the be-there-for-your-kid Dad, but I can’t blame him when my own kid barely likes me.

“Today was a good day,” I murmur.

Leah nods. “You already leaked your engagement to the press, yeah? I saw the news on TikTok.”

“I don’t know how your generation sees things like TikTok as a reliable source of information.” I shake my head.

“You’re showing your age, old man.” Leah smirks. “But you already did, right?”

“Yeah.” I nod. “Like I told you, I made sure your identity wasn’t revealed. All that’s there isthe reclusive billionaire CEO of Monarch Tech is getting married.”

“It’s fun to see people speculate who you might be getting married to, when the truth is this is all a sham, and no one’s getting married.” She draws a circle on her thigh with her index finger.

“Yeah, that’s right.” I watch her finger. “A sham.”

The sky’s getting darker, and the city lights flicker as we drive through the streets. The tension between us is palpable, thick in the air. Every time I glance at her, the memory of seeing her half-naked comes flooding back, and I know she’s thinking about it, too.

“That’s all this is, right?” she asks.

I look at her, but she’s looking out the window. “Yes. That’s all this is.”

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