Page 55 of His Obsession
After the call ends, I don’t move for a while. My calendar is still open on the screen. So many blocks have been shifted to Tessa and Lila that it’s basically blank. I trust them. That isn’t the problem. The problem is that I built this business so I’d never have to feel helpless again, and Adrian has still managed to steal it from me.
Sebastian comes into the dining room with a plate in one hand. He sets it beside my laptop. “You need to eat.”
I glance at the toast and fruit without much interest.
“You haven’t had breakfast,” he says.
“I’ve been on calls.”
“Which is how I know you need this.” He pushes the plate closer.
I pick up a piece of toast and take a bite, mostly so I don’t have to talk to him.
He stays where he is for another second, then says, “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” I ask.
“For all of it.”
I rub my thumb over the edge of a fabric square and try to figure out what I’m feeling. Annoyed, obviously. Touched, too, which is the surprising part.
“I’ll be in my office,” he says. “If you need anything.”
“I won’t.”
He nods once and leaves.
For the next two days, I don’t make anything easy for him. He takes most of it in stride, which only makes it worse. He doesn’tcrowd me. He doesn’t argue when I’m clearly looking to start a fight. It makes me feel like a rabid animal in a cage. No outlet for my frustration.
On the third afternoon, I’m in the library with my laptop open and fabric samples spread across the coffee table.
“No, Melanie,” I say into the phone. “I understand they look similar in warehouse lighting. Unfortunately, the event will not be held in your warehouse. It will be held in a ballroom with warm uplighting and a bride who can spot the wrong undertone from across a parking lot.”
Sebastian appears in the doorway.
I lift one finger without looking at him.
“Yes,” I continue. “Please send the corrected swatch today. No, not tomorrow. Today.”
He waits until I hang up before speaking.
“I’m starting to understand why your vendors are afraid of you.”
“They aren’t afraid of me. They respect my attention to detail.”
He steps farther into the room, then pauses like he’s choosing his words more carefully than usual. “Gia’s coming over tonight.”
I blink at him in surprise. “What?”
“Nico too. Matteo, if he’s not dealing with something.”
I sit up a little straighter. “Why?”
“You’ve been stuck in this house for three days. I figured having people here might help.”
He doesn’t look smug about it. He doesn’t look like he expects applause. If anything, he looks a little uncomfortable, like thoughtfulness is a suit that doesn’t fit him quite right but he’s wearing it anyway.
I glance down at the fabric samples, unable to meet his gaze.
