Chapter 42
Avery felt her cheeks warm up, lowering her head to continue eating without saying a word. For the rest of the meal, she kept her head down while Joshua served her more food, watching her eat.
As the pile of food in her bowl grew, she couldn’t help but feel that he was treating her like a pet, feeding her endlessly. She finally looked up at him. “I’m full.”
Joshua put down his utensils and silently poured her a glass of juice
she took a sip of the juice and suddenly remembered the gift she had prepared for him. “Oh, I got you a present.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I don’t like watches.”
“‘s not a watch,” Avery replied, pulling out a design sketch from her bag and handing it to him. “Your company is working on a new line of diamond rings, and 1 designed one my thought it might be useful.”
his face. “Did you learn this for him?”
He took the sketch, a flash of surprise crossing his face. “Did y
She felt a moment of awkwardness but nodded silently
Clyde had ahrers been particular and disliked having the same things as others. She thought she’d design a unique diamond ring for them, something no one else could have. She had poured three years of effort into it and finally created a pair of one–of–a–kind rings for them just before their wedding. She had planned to surprise Clyde at the wedding, but he had surprised her first
“Is this the one you designed for him? Joshua asked, studying the sketch in his hand.
“No.” She shook her head. “This is something I came up with based on your company’s requirements. I wasn’t sure if it would spark some ideas
“The concept is fresh “Joshua said, a smile tugging at the comer of his lips. “But some parts could use a bit of tweaking.
With that, he took her back to their room, and they started working on revisions together.
Under the soft light of the desk lamp, he leaned in close. He held her hand, guiding her through each modification, bit by bit. The scent of mint from his cologne filled the air, and her heart slowly calmed as time seemed to flow through her fingertips.
rason, she frit a tinge of disappointment.
When they finished the last adjustment, he let go of her hand, and for some reason,
“Come to the office with me tomorrow,” he said. “You provided the design, and I believe you’ll do a better job on it th
anyone else.”
She nodded absentmindedly, her eyes catching the pill bottle on the desk. Her curiosity piqued, and she glanced at it. The bottle had no label or production date, and she had no idea what it was for
She couldn’t help but ask, “Is this what you take?”
Joshua nodded. “You’ll stay here tonight, and I’ll take you to the office tomorrow.”
“No“She quickly refused, but he misinterpreted her words.
“Do you not want me to have a room prepared for you? Or do you want to sleep with me?” he teased.
“I don’t” Avery hurriedly denied it. “I mean, I can just go back to the clinic”
*No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I said so” Joshua reached out, lifting her chin to make her look at him. “You only have two choices now–either sleep with me or let me have a guest room prepared for
you
She glared at him. “You’re threatening me!
He chuckled softly. “If you don’t choose soon, I’ll just assume you’ve picked the first option.”
Before she could react, he reached for her, making her jump in surprise Til skeep in the guest room!” she blurted out.
