Page 49 of Triplet Trouble For My Billionaire Boss

“Drink,” he says, holding it out to me.

I take the glass and sip it slowly, the cool liquid wetting my dry throat grounding me the way the cold towel had.

“Thanks,” I murmur, my voice barely above a whisper.

He sits down across from me, leaning back with his arms crossed. His gray eyes are sharp, taking in every detail, and for the first time, I wonder what he’s thinking.

“I didn’t mean to crash in here,” I say after a long pause. “I just needed to get out of there and wasn’t really thinking.”

Ellis tilts his head slightly, studying me. “I figured as much.”

“Do you… live here?” I ask hesitantly, glancing around the room again. It feels personal in a way, like someone’s private retreat.

His lips twitch, a faint smirk breaking his otherwise serious demeanor. “No, I don’t live here. I have rooms in the main house.”

The small curve of his lips shocks me. He’s always been civil, but I get the impression he doesn’t like me that much. On principle, I guess.

I frown, trying to piece together howhe found me. “Then… how did you—?”

“You ran right past me on your way out,” he says.

I blink, the memory of my flight from the house coming back in fragments. “I don’t remember seeing you.”

“You were a little preoccupied,” he says dryly.

Heat floods my face, and I think about how loud we were yelling. Had Ellis heard what we were saying? I lower my gaze, embarrassed.

“I wasn’t thinking straight,” I admit, my voice shaky. “I didn’t mean to… lose it like that. I just…” My words falter, and I trail off, unsure how to explain myself.

“You were upset,” he says simply, as if that explains everything.

“That’s no excuse,” I say quickly, gripping the glass in my hands. “I shouldn’t have yelled at him like that.”

Ellis raises an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. “But you did.”

“I wasn’t planning on it, I swear. I went in there just to talk to him,” I murmur.

Ellis raises a brow, his expression unreadable. “You sure did talk to him.”

I wince, the memory of my outburst hitting me all over again.

He doesn’t respond right away, studying me with a critical eye. Finally, he speaks. “Mr. Wagner isn’t used to being challenged. Especially not like that.”

“He was just so…” I shake my head, not sure how to put the frustration into words. “I don’t know. I just… I couldn’t stay quiet anymore. I know I overstepped. I know I should’ve just kept my mouth shut and— And now he’s probably going to fire me.”

My stomach sinks, and the nausea swims sickeningly in my stomach.

Ellis shifts, leaning forward slightly. “He’s not going to fire you.”

I glance up at him, startled by his certainty. “You don’t know that.”

“Mr. Wagner isn’t as ruthless as people think. He isn’t going to fire you for standing up for his son,” he says matter-of-factly. “Because he knows you’re right.”

The words hit me like a jolt, but I can’t bring myself to believe them.

“So you heard everything, huh?” I ask, my voice trembling again.

“I think everyone within a mile radius heard you two,” he says in that same even tone.

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