Filed to story: Watch Out, I’m The Lady Boss (Eleanor & Sebastian) Book PDF Free
“Good afternoon, Mrs Laurent.”
“Hello,” I responded with a polite nod.
I finally relaxed once I stepped into the lift. It was probably just a shift in my own mindset, but I found I didn’t care about their whispers anymore.
The lift went straight up to the top floor executive offices. The doors had barely opened when I ran into Dominic, who was just heading out.
His eyes lit up when he saw me. He scurried over, his gaze dropping to the lunch box in my hand.
“Mrs Laurent,” he said with a cheerful, ingratiating smile.
“Are you here to bring the boss some lunch?”
“Yes,” I nodded.
Dominic promptly knocked on the office door.
I walked in to find Sebastian seated in his office chair, hard at work. He set aside what he was doing and smiled, beckoning me over.
I walked over and placed the food container on his desk.
Sebastian’s eyes fell on the two lunch boxes, and a slight smile touched his lips. He was clearly in a very good mood.
He leaned back in his chair, a lazy expression on his face, and patted his knee.
“Come here.”My eyes followed the gesture to his long, powerful legs, and I felt my face grow warm. I shook my head.
“No.”Sebastian didn’t push it. His gaze returned to the lunch box.
“You brought me lunch?”I let out a soft “Mm-hmm,” then moved a few steps away. I checked the distance between us, deciding it was safe -even if he suddenly reached out, he couldn’t grab me from there. I relaxed a little.
But it turned out I was being naive. It was true that Sebastian couldn’t reach me while sitting, but….
Before I could process what was happening, I saw him rise, his hand shooting out to grab my wrist. The next thing I knew, I was tumbling onto his lap.
I was sitting on his solid thighs, his hand resting on my waist, my back pressed against his chest. The subtle, cool scent of his cologne drifted up to tease my senses.
My face instantly flushed.
Sebastian looked down at me, using his free hand to tilt my chin up. His grip was gentle but firm. He studied my face, a lazy amusement in his eyes.
“If the mountain will not come to Muhammad…”I rolled my eyes as a reply.
“Did you make the lunch yourself?”
“No.”
“But you brought it here.”
“Yeah. Well, I didn’t have much on, and the studio isn’t busy.”
“I like it,” he said quietly, his eyes encouraging.
Did that mean…?
I looked at him suspiciously, wondering if I was reading too much into it.
But it turned out I wasn’t reading into it at all.
That was exactly what he meant, as he made perfectly clear with his next words: “Do it more often.”I wanted to roll my eyes again.
Could I say no?
Before I could even form a reply, Sebastian shifted me off his lap and back onto my feet, his expression utterly matter-of-fact.
“I know you’re eager, but whatever you have in mind will have to wait until we get home. Doing that sort of thing in the office looks unprofessional. Let’s eat first.”His words made me burn with a mix of embarrassment and anger.
“What do you mean, eager? What exactly am I being eager for?”
“What do you think?” Sebastian raised an eyebrow, his expression loaded with meaning.
“Last night, a certain someone complained I was too demanding. And yet, after less than three hours apart, here you are, chasing me to the office, dressed like that.”My face burned hotter. I shot a furious look at the unbearably smug man.
“What is wrong with you? This is a perfectly normal dress, there’s nothing “like that” about it.”His large hand stroked the fabric of my skirt, the heat of his palm seeping through the thin material and onto my skin. It stirred up the restless hormones that pregnancy had set raging inside me.
“Let’s just have lunch and get to the hospital,” I said, quickly changing the subject. I couldn’t get off his lap fast enough.
Sebastian shook his head with a sigh, but he stood up too. We had lunch together in the lounge, then Dominic prepared the car for the hospital.
Even with Sebastian pulling strings to bypass the queues, the check-up took forever. With a full physical and a battery of tests on various machines, the whole process took over an hour.
Finally, the head of gynaecology smiled at us.
“Mr and Mrs Laurent, everything is fine. The baby is doing well, and so is Mrs Laurent. There’s no need to worry.”I felt a wave of relief. I’d been quietly terrified that the drugs Daniel used on me had harmed the baby.
After the hospital, Sebastian had the driver take me home while he went back to the office.
I spent the rest of the afternoon lazing around the house until evening.
Dinnertime came and went.
I waited for Sebastian on the living room sofa, expecting him back for our meal. I kept waiting and waiting, until I saw the clock pushing ten. Not only was he still not home, but his phone was switched off.
A panicked feeling began to churn in my chest, a sense that something was wrong. But the moment the thought surfaced, my rational mind pushed it down.
Sebastian was just swamped with work, that was all. Probably another client dinner.
He was surrounded by bodyguards; how could anything possibly happen to him? I was just overthinking it.
“Mrs Laurent, perhaps you should eat something,” Geoffrey suggested.
“Mr Laurent must have been held up by something.”I shook my head.
“I’m not hungry.”Sebastian had promised he’d be back to have dinner with me. I knew him; he wasn’t the type to break a promise without a good reason. Even if something had come up, he would’ve called.
Suddenly, my phone rang. I jolted up from the sofa, snatched it up, and saw Sebastian’s name. I answered immediately.
“Hello?”
“It’s me.” His voice was flat, and raspy.
Hearing the strange tone, I grew anxious.
“What’s wrong? You sound different.”
“I’m in a tunnel. The signal’s probably not great.”
“A tunnel? I thought you were at the office?” I was completely confused. What was going on?
“Yeah, an unexpected business trip. There’s an issue at the regional office. I’m on my way to the airport. I won’t be back for a few days. Make sure you eat and get some rest.” He sounded like he was reciting lines.
A stronger sense of unease washed over me, though I couldn’t pinpoint why. I frowned.
“What kind of issue?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle it.” He clearly didn’t want to discuss it, and changed the subject.
“Have you dinner?”
“No.” Was there really a problem at the regional office, or was someone causing trouble for him again? had “Remember to eat. And don’t kick the covers off at night. I’ll be checking with Geoffrey every day.” His voice was intensely bossy.
“I know. I’ll eat properly, and you should too.”
“Hmm. I’ll call you tomorrow. Now, go and eat.”The exhaustion in his voice was evident.
I hung up. Even though Sebastian said he was on a business trip, something just didn’t feel right. When we’d parted that afternoon, he’d been so confident about coming home for dinner. How could some urgent crisis have popped up in just a few hours?
My heart ached for him a little. Being the CEO of a major corporation clearly wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.
I’d lost my appetite, but I forced myself to eat something. For the baby.
***
The house was silent in the middle of the night when I swam up from a deep sleep.
Sebastian was standing by the bed.
I shot upright, my heart hammering.
“You’re back? I thought the trip would take days. Is everything handled?”
“It is,” he said, but his face was hidden in the shadows.
He just stood there, not moving.
“What are you doing?” I asked, my voice still thick with sleep.
“Come on, it’s the middle of the night. Go wash up, then come to bed.”When he still didn’t move, I sighed and pushed the duvet back. The carpet was soft under my bare feet as I went to him, taking his hand to guide him towards the bathroom.
It was only when my skin touched his that I felt it-something cold and slick.
“What’s on your hand?” I let go, frowning, and looked down at my own palm.
In the sliver of moonlight from the window, I saw it. A dark, wet smear across my skin.
Blood.
My head snapped up to look at him, and now I could see him clearly.
Sebastian’s face, that usually so composed and handsome face, was streaked with blood.
A scream tore out of me.
I was sitting up in bed, the sheets tangled around me, my back slick with cold sweat.
I stared at the empty space by the bed. Sunlight was streaming through the windows. The gentle hum of the air conditioning filled the room.
No blood. No Sebastian.
Just a dream. I pressed a hand to my racing heart, wiping my forehead with the other.
“Mrs Laurent? Is everything alright?” A maid’s voice came from the other side of the door, followed by a soft knock.
“I’m fine,” I managed, my voice a bit shaky. I felt clammy and unsettled.
“Could you run a bath for me, please?”A few minutes later, I was sunk deep in the bubbling water of the massage tub. My body had stopped trembling, but my mind wouldn’t quiet down.
The dream was ridiculous, but the panic felt real. I knew he was probably already out of the country, but I needed to hear his voice, just to be sure.
I reached for my phone on the shelf and dialled his number.
He picked up after a few rings.
“This is a surprise. What’s up?”
Hearing him speak, that familiar, slightly dry tone, was like a balm. The tight knot in my chest loosened. He was okay. I was being ridiculous.
“Nothing. Just…” I sloshed a hand through the water, embarrassed by my own dramatics.
He heard the noise.
“Where are you? What’s that sound?”
“I’m in the bath,” I admitted.
“A bath? First thing in the morning?” His voice dipped, taking on a low, intimate note.
“Missing me already, are you?”It took me a second. Then I got it.
Heat flooded my cheeks as a series of very specific, very wet memories popped into my head.
“I’m hanging up,” I spluttered, mortified.
“Don’t you dare.”My hand, which had been moving to end the call, stilled. I held the phone back to my ear, saying nothing.
The line was so quiet I could hear every one of his breaths, a soft, steady rhythm against the silence.
Slowly, the blush receded, leaving behind a warm, soft feeling. It was stupid, but just listening to him breathe made me feel calm. It made everything feel normal.
“Sebastian?” I said after a long while, when his breathing seemed to grow fainter.
“You still there?”
“Hm.” The sound rumbled from him, low and solid, and it settled something in me.
I leaned back against the cool edge of the tub, wanting to stretch the moment.
“You know, I had a dream about you last night.”
“Oh? What kind of dream?” His voice held a flicker of interest.
I couldn’t see his face, but I could picture his expression, and it made me smile.
“You were just standing by the bed, watching me sleep. Then I woke up and it was morning, and you weren’t there at all.”I hesitated, editing out the nightmare’s darker details. No point mentioning blood or fear when he was so far away.
“Hm,” he said again.
I pouted, though he couldn’t see it.
“Is that all you’ve got to say?”
“What would you like me to say?”
“Anything. I just want to hear you talk.”He was quiet for a beat, then his voice came through, softer now.
“I like that I was in A warm flush crept up my neck.
“And what about you?”
“What about me?”
“Am I in your dreams?”He considered this.
“You’re in my reality.” your dreams.”A quiet laugh escaped me, and a wave of pure happiness washed over me. I couldn’t have asked for a better answer.
We talked for a while longer, about nothing and everything, until I couldn’t even remember what we’d said, only how it felt. That feeling of closeness, like no distance existed at all.
Eventually, the water grew cool, my skin was pruned, and the phone was hot against my ear. I had to let him go.
As I stared at the dark screen of my mobile, the last remnants of the dream’s dread finally loosened their grip.
He was safe. That was all that mattered.
The hospital room was quiet, the air stale with antiseptic.
Looking at the phone after she’d hung up, I felt a surge of satisfaction that cut through the dull ache in my leg. It left me feeling sharper, more alert.
Dominic pushed the door open and stepped inside.
My smile vanished the second I saw him.
“Well? Have you found her?”Dominic looked down, a flush of shame colouring his expression.
“My apologies, Mr Laurent. Genevieve has… vanished. We tracked her phone to a public bin.”
“Keep looking. When you find her, I want her gone from Skyline.” My voice was flat and cold. She was an irritant, a minor liability I should have dealt with sooner.
Only a debt to her brother had made me hold back.
Till now.
“Understood, sir.”While taking a hit from a woman like Genevieve was a galling blow to my pride, she was ultimately insignificant. I shifted focus, discussing LGH’s operational continuity with Dominic for a few minutes before dismissing him with a wave of my hand.
The doctor insisted I stay put for a couple of days to monitor for infection or any deterioration in the wound.
I could only hope Elean had bought my story about a business trip. I hated lying to her, but the truth would only cause her panic, and with her pregnancy, the doctor had been clear that stress was to be avoided at all costs.
***
Late night found me still awake, propped up in the hospital bed with a stack of reports.
Work was piling up, so it hadn’t been a complete lie when I’d told Elean I was swamped. Lea had left Skyline for Europe. Kylian reported she’d gone to ground, but my instincts told me her fingerprints were all over the recent coordinated attacks on LGH’s subsidiaries.
I knew Lea. I knew how her mind worked. If she couldn’t have something, she’d make sure no one else could enjoy it either. She couldn’t have me, so she’d settled for trying to destroy what I’d built.
A soft chime from my phone on the bedside cabinet cut through my thoughts. I put the paperwork down and picked it up.
A text notification from Elean. The corner of my mouth lifted.
I called her back directly.
She picked up on the first ring.
“Hello?”
“You’re still awake?”
“Yeah.” She sounded a little hesitant.
“Did I disturb you? You must be exhausted after working all day.”
“You’re the only distraction I welcome. Anything else is just noise.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I’d be worried if you WEREN”T thinking of me.”There was a soft intake of breath on the other end.
“When are you coming back?” she asked after a moment.
I glanced down at my leg, at the bandages hidden beneath the sheets. The wound was scabbing over. In another two or three days, it would be enough. It wouldn’t be fully healed, but it would be enough to get me out of this place and back to her.
“Three days. I’ll be back in three days.”
“I’ll be waiting,” she said, her voice instantly brighter.
“Good. Now, it’s late. Go to sleep.”
“Okay,” she murmured, the reluctance clear in her tone.
Hearing that note of longing in her voice, I wanted nothing more than to get in the car that instant, drive home, and pull her into my arms. The fury at the person who had forced this separation burned a little hotter.
But I kept my voice gentle.
“Go to sleep. Just leave the line open.”
“Leave it open?” She sounded surprised.
“Yes. I’ll hang up after you’ve fallen asleep.”
“Alright.” I heard a soft, breathy laugh as she did what I asked, settling in. I could hear the rustle of sheets.
She was quiet then, but I knew she was there. I put my earpiece in, one hand still on my paperwork, my attention split.
Gradually, the sounds from her end slowed into the deep, even rhythm of sleep.
I didn’t hang up.
I left the line open, the soft sound of her breathing a quiet anchor in the room as I continued to work.
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