Chapter 89

Kayla sat at her desk, eyes locked on the frozen computer screen, a furrow forming between her brows. She had been grinding away at a project proposal when her laptop suddenly froze, spitting out a string of code she couldn't begin to understand.Not exactly tech-savvy,Kayla did the only thing she could think of and dropped a desperate plea for help on her Facebook.

Before long,suggestions came flooding in from her colleagues.

As Kayla scrolled through her phone, something made her thumb pause. Liam had liked her post. She was stunned.

She refreshed the page, only to watch the like vanish right before her eyes.

Kayla let out an incredulous chuckle, muttering,"Seriously? Like it, then take it back?"

Her mind flashed back to that awkward moment at the company meeting when she'd asked Edwin for his contact. Somehow, she ended up with Jeremy's number instead. She'd never dared to message him.

Now her inbox was a mess of private messages from colleagues offering ways to fix the glitch. She ped a photo of the error screen and began sending it to the ones who seemed to know what they were talking about.

Mid-swipe, her finger slipped and tapped Jeremy's chat. The photo sent before she could stop it.

By the time Kayla got back from the kitchen with her coffee, it was too late. She groaned, smacking her forehead.1

But she just assumed Jeremy wouldn't notice. He was probably too busy running his empire.

Suddenly,her phone buzzed.

She glanced down and froze. Jeremy had replied.

Kayla stared at the screen like it was made of gold,reading the message three times just to be sure.

It was short. Dry. A blunt, step-by-step instruction on how to reboot and update the system. No greeting, no sign-off,just pure Jeremy.

Kayla followed his directions,restarted the laptop,ran the update. Just like that, the glitch was gone.

Back in his chat, she typed the only response that felt safe."Thanks."

There was no reply.

Kayla sighed, set her phone down, and got back to work. Meanwhile, Zoe had just wrapped up her solo dance routine, sweat glistening at the nape of her neck. She turned around with a hopeful smile, only to find Jeremy glued to his phone.

Her smile faltered and she pouted. "Jeremy, were you even watching?"

Jeremy looked up, his voice measured. "I was.Looked good.Keep at it."

It wasn't exactly glowing praise, but Zoe took what she could get. She beamed, gliding over to him and tugging gently at his arm. "I've been dying to learn the waltz. Will you dance it with mne?"

Jeremy raised an eyebrow. This wasn't his thing.

Zoe leaned closer, her arm brushing his, voice sweet as honey. "Just one dance?"

Before he could answer, a bodyguard stepped into the room,cutting the moment short.

Jeremy eased Zoe aside and listened as the man whispered something in his ear. His face remained unreadable as he gave a slight nod.

Zoe,clearly out of the loop, tried reading their faces.Then another man entered the room. It was Liam.

Zoe's smile fell right off her face. She glared at Liam -he'd just ruined her night with Jeremy.

Liam didn't flinch. He strode past her, straight to Jeremy, offering a respectful nod. "Uncle Jeremy, I need a moment of your time."

Jeremy sipped his coffee, unbothered. "Thought you and your mother were having a good time. What brings you here?"

Liam's tone softened. "Whatever's going on between you and my mother-it's not my fight. I'm here because I need help."

Jeremy said nothing. He idly traced the rim of his coffee cup.

Liam shot a glance at Zoe, then raised his voice slightly. "Maybe anyone who's not part of this conversation should step out?"

Zoe's jaw clenched. "Watch your mouth,Liam."

He didn't miss a beat. "Until you've officially married my uncle, maybe don't act like you own the place."

Zoe nearly lost it, but with Jeremy present,she forced herself to hold back. She turned to him with a dramatic pout. "Did you hear that, Jeremy? I have no idea what I did to deserve that tone."

Jeremy met her gaze, calm as ever. "Leave us."

Zoe scoffed, heels clicking furiously as she stormed out.

The moment the door closed behind her, Liam leaned in and lowered his voice. "Uncle Jeremy,can you lend me some money?"