Page 23 of The Forbidden Billionaire Attorney

He huffs a laugh, pulling back with a playful roll of his eyes. “Fine, your loss,” he teases, stepping away from me. I push past him, not trusting myself to look back as he follows, a few steps behind, his presence a magnetic force I’m trying desperately not to get lost in.

***

The financial charts on the screen blur into a mess of numbers and graphs as I try to focus. My heart is practically conducting its own merger with my throat, but there’s no backing down now. This is what I do best—crunching numbers, predicting outcomes. It’s my superpower, even if it doesn’t come with a fancy cape.

We’re already at the tail end of the meeting, and so far, everything is goingwell. Very well.

“Last on the financial agenda. What are your thoughts on the allocation of capital for the upcoming quarter, Ms. King?” Adrian asks, his voice cutting through the tense quiet.

I clear my throat, stand up straighter, and dive in. “Given the projected cash flow from both Aurora and NexGen, reallocating funds toward the marketing sector will maximize their penetration into emerging markets,” I say, tapping the screen to bring up the relevant data.

“Aggressive, yet feasible. I like it. Great job, Ms. King,” Adrian says, nodding his approval before turning to the representatives. They scribble notes, whispering amongst themselves, their gazes shifting between me and the numbers that spell out success in bright, bold digits.

As the meeting winds down, the rep from Aurora hands us over the final piece of business—a joint press statement to hype up the world about our merger. “It’s going to be huge. For everyone involved,” the rep assures us.

Beside me, Adrian smirks. “Cole & Sterling is definitely looking forward to it.”

“We’re thrilled to have both of you onboard. And it was wonderful to meet you today, Ms. King. Your financial acumen is going to be invaluable,” she says, all smiles and handshakes.

“Happy to be included,” I reply, feeling a surge of pride at the acknowledgment. I catch Adrian’s eye and there’s an unmistakable glint of pride there too.

“Well, I think that covers everything for today,” Adrian says, turning to the Aurora rep for confirmation.

She nods. “We’ll be in touch, Mr. Cole.”

Adrian gestures to the door with his chin. “Come on, let’s go.”

I follow his lead, gathering up my iPad and sliding it into my work bag. We both rise and bid the reps one last cordial goodbye as we make our way out of the conference room.

“Great job in there,” Adrian says as we step into the hallway, his eyes sparkling with what appears to be admiration.

“Could say the same to you,” I reply, leaning against the wall and trying to ignore how close he is. “Your strategic insights were ... not terrible.”

He chuckles, the sound warm and low. “We make a great team,” he observes, his gaze lingering on mine. “I wonder what else we could tackle together.”

I bite my lip, fighting back a wave of something that feels dangerously like hope mixed with a dash of desire. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Cole.”

“Of course,” he agrees, though his smirk tells me he’s already several steps ahead. “One day at a time.”

The air is crisp as we exit Aurora headquarters toward Adrian’s SUV in the parking lot. I pull my coat tighter around me, thinking about the doctor’s appointment I have later. Once my doctor confirms my pregnancy, I need to make a choice about the baby. But should Adrian go with me? How would he take the news if I told him now? Judging by what he said earlier, he may be more supportive than I think.

Just as I’m about to say something, my phone buzzes in my purse. I glance at the screen to see a message from Amelie.

“Do you still need me to go with you to the doctor’s appointment?” her text reads.

I quickly type out a reply. “Yes, please. I’ll swing by the office and pick you up once we’re both off work. Thanks for tagging along with me.”

A momentlater, my phone buzzes again: “Anytime.”

Beside me, Adrian clears his throat. “Everything okay?” He tries to make it sound casual, but I can see the curiosity—and something else—flickering behind his eyes. Is that jealousy?

A small smile tugs at the corner of my mouth. “I’m just texting Amelie,” I say, watching his reaction carefully.

His face relaxes, and though he tries to play it off, I can hear the relief in his next words. “I’m not worried about who you’re texting,” he says, but the hint of relief in his tone is unmistakable

I smile to myself as we continue walking toward the car. Adrian unlocks this SUV with his key fob, then walks a few strides ahead of me so he can personally open the passenger’s side door. A blush creeps up on my cheeks as I breathe out a “thank you,” then slip inside.

Soon enough, we pull out of the parking lot, and he merges the SUV onto the street with ease. The warmth of Adrian’s car encourages me to remove my cashmere scarf and set it down on my lap.

---