Page 35 of Daddy's Dirty Little Secret

Godwin nodded, his expression grim. “We need to figure this out. Fast. Before things get worse.”

Godwin was about to say something else when the door swung open with a thud. I looked up in surprise as Xander walked in; his expression was tight, almost unreadable. The way he moved had an edge to it, like something was off. He didn’t even acknowledge me at first, his eyes going straight to Godwin.

“Could we have the office,” he said with a calm voice but with a certain finality that made it impossible to ignore.

I froze. My heart skipped a beat. There was a sharpness in his tone I wasn’t used to, a kind of command that made me feel instantly on edge.

Godwin didn’t argue, but I could tell he wasn’t thrilled about leaving. He glanced at me briefly, his eyes flicking between meand Xander, but without saying a word, he stood up and grabbed his things. “I’ll be outside,” he muttered before walking out, leaving the door open just a crack.

Xander walked over to my desk with precise movements. He dropped a stack of files onto the corner of my desk with a little more force than necessary, and the sound of the papers hitting the wood made me jump. The air in the room seemed to tighten, and I suddenly felt too aware of my own breathing.

“I was going to talk to you about these,” Xander said, his voice clipped, almost cold. He paused, looking at me with a frown that made my chest tighten. “But maybe you’d rather discuss them with Godwin instead?”

I blinked, confused. I could feel my face heat up, but I wasn’t sure if it was from embarrassment or defensiveness. My mind raced, trying to process his words, trying to figure out what was happening. His sharp tone was unsettling. I’d never seen him like this before. We had no strings, no expectations between us, but now it felt like there were invisible ones I didn’t understand.

I didn’t know how to respond, so I just said the first thing that came to my mind. “I…I’m sorry if I did something wrong.” My voice was small and uncertain. “I didn’t mean to cross any lines.”

Xander’s eyes narrowed, and he shook his head slowly. His lips twisted into something that could’ve been a smirk, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I don’t like what’s happening between you and Godwin during company time,” he said, his voice lower now, like he was trying to make a point.

My stomach dropped. I didn’t know why, but the way he said it felt off. His words were a mix of frustration and something else I couldn’t quite place. Jealousy? Maybe. But he’d made it clear that what we had was casual—no strings, no expectations.

I glanced down at the files in front of me, feeling exposed, like I was suddenly under a microscope. “I wasn’t doing anything?—”

“I don’t care what you were doing,” Xander snapped, cutting me off. “I just don’t like the way things are going. If you want to have personal conversations with him, fine. But not here. Not on company time.”

I felt the sting of his words, but it wasn’t just that. It was the way he was acting—irritated, maybe even angry. Was this jealousy? Why did he care if I was talking to Godwin? He’d said it didn’t matter, hadn’t he?

I felt rattled, upset, but I tried to keep my voice steady. “I’m sorry,” I repeated, my tone quieter this time. “I didn’t realize it was a problem. I won’t talk to him again during work hours.”

Xander didn’t respond right away. He just stood there, staring at me, his jaw clenched like he was fighting to keep his emotions in check. I had no idea what was going through his head, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted between us.

“You don’t get it,” Xander said, his voice tight, but there was something else there too—something softer, maybe even unsure. “It’s not about what you’re doing. It’s about respect. You’re here to work, Amelia, not—” He paused, exhaling through his nose. “Not to get wrapped up in whatever this is. You need to focus.”

“Focus?” I repeated, suddenly feeling defensive. “I’m focused. I’ve been focusing on my work. It’s just that…I needed to talk about my dad.” My voice wavered, and I cursed myself for letting it crack.

Xander’s face softened for a brief second, but it was gone just as quickly. He shook his head again, more to himself than to me. “Whatever. Just keep it professional, Amelia. I don’t want to see this mess again.”

With that, he turned on his heel and walked out, leaving the door open behind him. The silence in his wake felt thick, suffocating. I stared at the files on my desk, feeling completely off balance. His words kept echoing in my head: focus, respect, keep it professional.

I wasn’t sure what had just happened, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that things were about to get a lot more complicated between us.

I had been completely wrong about him letting his guard down and opening up to me before. And I was glad he hadn’t heard the context of that conversation. Dad would hate me forever if Xander knew he was in debt to this Victor Hayes. Now my heart was broken, because I couldn’t seem to make Xander happy, and I was losing my dad slowly.

Nothing felt right. The whole world felt like it was spinning out of control.

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