Page 2 of My Daddy Valentine

“Good morning, Miss. Have a lovely day.”

I nod. “Oh, I will.” I smile at him as he opens the door for me. I make my way toward the elevator. I push the button a few hundred times, and wait.

The doors swish open and a man walks out, looking at his phone as he does. He bumps right into me.

“Oh!” I gasp, stumbling backward and dropping my box. It hits the floor with a thud, and my paints go rolling.

I bend down to collect them, cursing softly under my breath.

The man doesn’t even glance down at me. Instead, he mutters something like “watch where you're going” and continues walking without offering to help.

I blink, completely taken aback.Who does that?I think, my heart racing slightly—not from his words, but from the fact that he’sgorgeous.

He’s tall, with broad shoulders that fill the doorway, dark hair swept back in a way that looks effortless, but he clearly put a lot of thought into it. His jaw is sharp, and his expression is one of utter disinterest—like he’s been dealing with interruptions all day and can’t be bothered.

I watch him go, annoyed but also... distracted.Ugh. Why does he have to be so attractive?

I shake my head, kneeling down to collect the rolling paints, muttering under my breath. “Some people are unbelievable.”

I gather my things, rushing into the elevator before the doors shut. I push my blonde hair out of my face as the elevator travels to the fourth floor.

When I reach Ava’s apartment I’m flustered.

Ava smiles as I walk in, but as soon as she reads the annoyance written clearly all over my face her smile falters. “What happened?”

“Some guy nearly knocked me over coming off the elevator,” I say, carefully picking up the last of my supplies. “And didn’t even offer to help me pick up my stuff.”

Ava’s eyes widen. “Who was it?”

“Some jerk in a suit.”

“Striking dark eyes? Dark hair? Too gorgeous you can’t stop staring?”

I nod. “Sounds like him.”

“Ah.” Ava nods. “That’s definitely Simon.”

“Simon?” I ask, confused.

“Yeah, Simon Weber. He lives on the floor above me. He’s some big shot artsy guy or something. Works around the city a lot, and I’ve heard he’s arealpiece of work. Like, brooding, arrogant... you name it.”

“Wait,theSimon Weber?” I’m floored. “He lives here?”

Anyone aspiring to be a painter has heard of Simon Weber. He’s practically famous for his brushstrokes. The man’s a genius when it comes to art. Wow. I didn’t even recognize him. Well, to be fair, he’s a lot better looking in person.

“Yeah, you know him?”

“Everyone knows him.” I can’t believe this. “I can’t believe how rude he was.”

Ava laughs, clearly entertained. “You’ll get used to him. He’s got that ‘I’m too important for you’ vibe. Just stay out of his way and you’ll be fine.”

I don’t need to be told twice. I’m already doing my best to pretend I didn’t notice his dark eyes and the way his jaw flexed when he walked past me. “Yeah, I don’t think I’ll be seeing much of him again.”

Ava shrugs. “I wouldn’t count on it. Simon has this way of popping up when you least expect it.”

I roll my eyes. “Great. Just what I need—more irritating people in my life.”

“Hey, you’re in the city now,” Ava says with a wide smile. “There’s no shortage of interesting characters here. You’ll love it.”

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