CHAPTER 49: SEDUCTION PLOT BEGINS

"Hurry up, sweetheart. I’m going to be late for my meeting," Rowan called out. He was already dressed and tightening the strap of his watch.

Lyra rubbed her face cream in with slow, tired motions and let out a frustrated sigh. If Rowan hadn’t kept her busy that morning, she would’ve been ready way faster and he knew it too.

After they returned from their honeymoon, Lyra and Rowan slipped back into their own busy work schedules.

They got used to a new routine in their married life. They made love every night before falling asleep and again every morning before getting out of bed.

Afterward, they would scramble to get ready for work.

"Good morning, Sir," Meredith, their service maid, greeted Rowan when he appear in dining area.

Meredith came every morning to make their breakfast, do the laundry, and tidy up the house before heading home around noon.

"Breakfast is ready, Ma’am," she said to Lyra when she saw her approaching.

"Morning, Mere." Lyra gave her a small smile before sitting down to eat.

The faint scent of fresh coffee and buttered toast followed her as she stepped into the dining room, arranged breakfast on the table.

"You’re already late. Just go. I can go by myself," Lyra said.

He had already finished eating, while she was only halfway through her meal.

"No. I’m not letting you go alone," Rowan insisted.

Lyra finished the last bite quickly and hurried out the door, following Rowan from behind.

The staff assigned to the hospital entrance always looked forward to the moment Lyra arrived because of the affectionate kiss the couple shared before Rowan headed off to his office.

Rowan arrived at the Pierce Tower and went straight into his meeting.

Someone intentionally bumped into him, sending hot coffee splashing across his shirt.

His jaw tightened as he frowned.

"I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—" the young female staff member stammered. She quickly grabbed a cloth and reached toward him as if to wipe his shirt, but Rowan stepped back sharply.

"Don’t touch me," he snapped. He’d seen this tactic too many times. There was always someone trying to get close to him for the wrong reasons.

A senior staff member hurried over, flustered. "My apologies, Sir. She’s new."

Rowan brushed the apology aside with a wave of his hand and walked off. He was already running late, and now his clothes was a mess.

He headed straight to his office. His large workspace included a private room stocked with spare suits and everything he needed, so he changed quickly before going to his meeting.

"Camela, follow me," Nancy, the senior staff member, called out to the new girl, and they headed to her desk.

"Why were you so careless? You’re lucky he didn’t fire you on the spot."

Camela gave her a fake innocent smile and pushed her glasses up her nose. "Sorry. I honestly didn’t see him there."

Nancy exhaled sharply, her nerves still rattled. It was barely morning, yet already worn her down. That close call with the CEO almost sent her heart flying out of her chest.

If he got angry, he wouldn’t just fire the newbie, he might toss her out right along with her.

She rubbed her chest, trying to calm the pounding that still wouldn’t settle.

"Consider yourself lucky," Nancy said sharply. "Next time, there won’t be warnings. Be careful."

"Yes, ma’am," Camela answered quickly.

Nancy handed her a stack of meeting minutes. "Go make twelve copies. No mistakes. I need them before the meeting starts."

Camela bowed slightly and headed for the copier.

As soon as her back was turned, she mimicked Nancy’s scolding expression with an exaggerated face.

Then allowed herself a tiny smile. At least she got to see Rowan first thing in the morning.

Thanks to Dante, she’d gotten into the company after he paid off someone in human resource.

She’d never worked for anything before. Her days vanished in boutiques, and her nights disappeared into clubs and alcohol.

But for the chance to become Mrs. Pierce, she would force herself through any job, any chore, any humiliation. She wanted that title so badly.

Camela leaned against the copier, lazily checking her nails when Rowan passed by with several executives. They head straight into the meeting room right beside her.

Her eyes brightened. A delicious idea bloomed.

She stared at the copier like it was the slowest thing on earth. When the last page finally dropped, she snatched the stack and stapled it—completely crooked.

Camela glanced left and right along the hallway before peeking into the meeting room through the glass wall.

The room was packed, and she spotted Rowan at the far end.

"Perfect," she muttered.

She adjusted her blouse, fluffed her hair, and knocked lightly before slipping inside. She made her rounds, handing out the papers one by one with a practiced smile.

The first staff member blinked, the second frowned.

The third through the twelfth accepted the papers with confused looks—the agenda and minutes were completely wrong.

By thirteenth, the staff member raised her hand, feeling nothing but air brush her palm.

The meeting had more people than papers and they whispered about the crooked staples.

They passed the pages to each other, trying not to laugh but confusion spread quickly.

Tension running through the room and Damian finally cleared his throat.

"Please follow protocol. If you have an urgent matter, acknowledge before speaking."

Hands went up all at once as soon as Damian finished his statement.

"We haven’t even started and you already have questions?" Kane joked as he dragged his chair over and sat down.

One of them spoke up. "I’m pretty sure these meeting minutes belong to another room."

The door eased open, and before Damian could get a word out, someone arrived with the correct meeting minutes and passed them around.

Damian waved off the whole confusion like nothing happened.

Camela, red-faced from all the weird stares, darted out of the room the second she could.

When Nancy asked for the minutes she’d handed earlier, Camela said she’d lost them.

Nancy nearly felt her soul leave her body, but she still gave her another set and told her to photocopy them again.