Phoebe Faulkner stopped at the sound of his voice and turned to look back at Jace Lennox.
“Mr.
Lennox, is there something else?” Phoebe asked, confused.
‘He won’t tell me anything about my brother, and he won’t say what their relationship is.
What could he possibly want now?’
Jace Lennox watched her stare at him with an adorably clueless expression.
His gaze darkened.
“Come here.”
‘What for?’
Bewildered, Phoebe walked toward Jace Lennox.
But just as she reached his desk, he commanded again, “Come here.”
Jace meant for her to come *to him*, not just to the desk.
Phoebe hesitated for a moment before cautiously walking around the desk to stand before him.
With no desk between them, the distance separating them shrank.
She stood while he sat, but even so, his overwhelming presence made it hard for her to breathe.
It felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room.
“Mr.
Len—” Phoebe opened her mouth, about to ask why he had called her over, when his face, which had been a good foot away, suddenly closed the distance.
…
Phoebe scrambled up from the desk, clutching her lips and glaring at Jace Lennox.
But the man across from her acted as if nothing had happened, looking entirely too self-assured.
“You—!”
“You still owe me one million.
Until that debt is paid, I have every right to exercise my authority as your owner.”
It took Phoebe a long while to calm down, though her cheeks were still flushed crimson.
She watched as Jace went back to his work without giving her so much as a second glance.
It was as if the whole thing had just been a whim, a way to tease her for his own amusement.
That made her even angrier, but what could she do?
She felt like a declawed kitten, unable to let out any of her frustration.
Phoebe had no choice but to leave with the evidence in her hand.
‘If I find out this man doesn’t actually have any news about my brother, I’ll cut all ties with him immediately!’
“Phoebe!”
Phoebe had just gotten downstairs when she heard Kitty’s voice.
When Kitty saw Phoebe come out unscathed, she breathed a sigh of relief.
“Phoebe, you scared me to death!
I’m so glad you’re okay.
What happened to your face?
Why is it so red?”
“Kitty, why did you follow me?” Phoebe asked.
“How can you even ask that?
Did you really think I’d be okay letting you go alone?” Kitty glanced around before pulling Phoebe aside.
“What on earth are you doing at a five-star hotel?
Did Howard Lynch summon you?
Is he threatening you?”