Elliot’s head felt like it was about to explode, and his mouth twitched as he stammered, “Didn’t you say you were gonna start going home on time to be with your wife?”
Tobias answered without hesitation, “Twenty minutes.”
Elliot froze.
With a tragic sigh, he placed the food order and rushed off like a headless chicken to pick up his demanding boss.
*****
Lisette woke up to a silent night, stomach growling like it had a mind of its own.
Still groggy, she slipped into some clothes and headed downstairs.
The living room lights barely lit up the dining area.
As she yawned and walked in, a shadowy head resting on the table caught her eye – she nearly lost her soul right there and then.
Without thinking, she grabbed a chair and swung it!
Feeling the danger, Hannah turned her head.
Only to see the chair leg coming right for her face.
She dodged just in time, and once she realized who her attacker was, she yelped, “Lisette!
It’s me – Hannah!”
Lisette’s arms froze mid-swing.
A millisecond more and Hannah’s round little face would’ve had a very close encounter with some wood.
Lisette slowly put the chair down and switched on the lights.
Hannah was squatting by the dining table, seemingly unfazed by the near-death experience.
Not a hair out of place, she looked more focused on the food in front of her than anything else, eyes sparkling like she’d found treasure.
Before Lisette could ask why she was lurking around like some kitchen ghost, Hannah spoke first, bursting with enthusiasm, “You hungry?
Wanna eat?”
“Yeah.”
Lisette nodded, still trying to process everything.
In a flash, Hannah whipped off the cover, handed Lisette a pair of utensils, then started scarfing down food like she hadn’t eaten in days.
Lisette raised an eyebrow.
“So…
you’ve just been sitting here, waiting for dinner?”
Hannah nodded while chewing, her words barely coherent through her stuffed cheeks.
“My brother made me promise to wait till you woke up.
I’m starving.
But I couldn’t just wake you, right?”
Watching Hannah’s impressive eating pace, Lisette quickly realized that if she’d been even a few minutes later, there probably wouldn’t be a single crumb left on the table.
“I think I get why your brother insisted you wait for me,” she muttered, pouring herself a bowl of soup.
Without that warning, she’d probably have come downstairs to nothing but the scent of food.
When Hannah finally slowed down, Lisette offered, “Ate that much – you sure you’re not gonna feel sick?
Wanna take a walk or something?”
Hannah glanced out the window.
The moon hung cold in the sky, and not a single star was in sight.
She shook her head without hesitation.
“I’m used to it.
I’ll sleep fine.”
Lisette let it go, handed her a wet wipe, and asked, “So, why are you here anyway?”
Hannah wiped her mouth, gave a satisfied burp, and said, “Mr.
Hastings told me to keep an eye on you.”
So much had happened since she’d come back – everything she once believed was true had crumbled like a joke.
It didn’t bother her as much now, but some things still got under her skin.
So she’d gone to Nocturne, the bar she often visited with Scarlett, and had a few drinks.
After that…
she vaguely remembered the driver dropping her off.
And then – Tobias came back?
But what happened after that?
Lisette’s mind was blank past that point.
Just hazy fragments.
She asked, “Where’s Tobias?”
“My brother went to pick him up for work.”
Lisette glanced at the clock and let out a low whistle.
“It’s already eleven…
He really lives and breathes his job, huh?”
At that exact moment, the one who supposedly lived for his job suddenly sneezed hard.
Elliot, nearly asleep and hunched over his desk, straightened up like he was jolted back to life.
Alarmed, he asked, “Sir, are you catching a cold?
Should I get the car and take you to the hospital for a check-up?”
“No need.”
Tobias refused flatly, and without blinking, handed him a thick stack of documents.
“Summarize all this before midnight.
No summary, no five-year break.”
Elliot’s hopeful look instantly dimmed, and he screamed inside: ‘Oh my god, boss, can you please be a normal human being for once?’
*****
Lisette saw Tobias again the next morning over breakfast.
They sat face to face – him exuding power, her radiating elegance.
Holding a small spoon, Lisette asked cautiously, “About last night…”
“Hmm?” Tobias looked up slightly.
“I think I was pretty messy while drunk…
Did I, uh, do anything weird to you?”
Tobias sliced the sandwich perfectly in half without even blinking.
“No.”
“Oh thank god.” Lisette let out a breath in relief.
“Scarlett always says I’m a pain in the neck when I drink.
No joke – worse than a clingy gremlin.
She warned me not to get drunk outside or someone with a bad temper might straight-up dice me and toss me into the ocean…”
Tobias’s fingers tightened a little around the butter knife, but his tone stayed casual as ever.
“You should go easy on the booze.”
He said it like he was giving polite advice to an acquaintance, totally calm and collected.
Lisette thought to herself, ‘Maybe I wasn’t that bad when I was wasted.
Scarlett probably just worries some creep might try something if I’m drunk on my own.
Yeah, that must be it!’
With those comforting thoughts, she felt totally at peace again.
After breakfast, she calmly said goodbye to Tobias.
Tobias turned his head.
Lisette met his gaze seriously and said, “Tobias, I know you’re carrying a ton of responsibility with all your employees depending on you, but you really need to take time to decompress.
You work way too late, then get up early and do it all over again.
It’s gonna wreck your body!”
She lowered her voice dramatically, “You don’t wanna go bald!”
Her eyes briefly scanned the top of his head…
and immediately froze.
Oh.
Not only was her billionaire husband not balding, but his hair was absurdly thick – like a little inky forest with sunlight glinting off the strands.
Honestly?
Kinda mesmerizing.
Lisette had an uncontrollable urge to run her fingers through it.
Beside them, Elliot heard her comment and quietly reached for his own scalp.
A small handful of hairs came out between his fingers.
After assessing Tobias’s hair situation, Lisette added, “Okay, so maybe baldness is not a concern for you, but staying up late all the time can still give you dark circles and puffy eyes.
Doesn’t exactly help the whole ‘clean-cut billionaire’ image!”
But then she looked at him again.
Those light-colored eyes looked straight at her, calm and a little distant.
Narrow and cold, but ridiculously attractive.
Not even a hint of dark circles, puffiness, or sleep crust in sight.
His skin looked flawless, glowing even.
Seriously – it was just unfair.
Elliot glanced at his insanely good-looking boss and thought about his own reflection in the mirror that morning – massive dark circles, puffy under-eyes basically drooping off, and a dry, lifeless expression staring back at him.
He nearly wept.
‘Why must they suffer the same overtime but have wildly different outcomes?!’
Lisette realized even her strongest argument wasn’t working on Tobias and awkwardly gave up.
She grinned sheepishly.
“Anyway, just…
take care of yourself, okay?”
Elliot immediately burst into internal tears.
“Boss, Mrs.
Hastings’s totally speaking facts!”
He even debated whether he should ball up his fallen hairs and hand them over – a living, breathing cautionary tale.
Tobias ignored Elliot’s desperate attempt to be noticed and simply looked at Lisette, gave a slight nod, and said in a warm tone, “Got it.”
“Drive safe then!” Lisette waved him off.
For the next few days, Tobias actually started coming home on time.
Things between him and Lisette felt peaceful again – breakfasts and dinners together, chatting about stocks and markets.
Lisette stopped stressing about that drunken night and threw herself into work…
Until one call changed everything.