All Chapters of A Deal With Mr. CEO: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

That question caught me off guard. For a moment, I just looked at him. Of all the things I expected him to say or ask me, that wasn’t one of them. Mom, on the otherhand, seemed to pick up on it instantly. She straightened with a hint of curiosity lighting up her expression. She nodded right along with Dad, having on that hopeful, kind of worried look she got whenever my personal life came up. "Will you introduce her to us soon?" she asked, her voice eager. "We’d really love to meet her properly, not just through media photos." I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. "Yeah." Mom studied me for a long moment. "I really hope this one is serious, Adrian." I didn’t answer right away. I just sighed again, heavier this time. About three months. That was all we had left on the clock. Less than four months until the deal closed and the contract expires, until Amelia and I went our separate ways like the contract said. Before I could come up with something else to say, the door

The following day, work passed by the normal way Thursdays sometimes do. Emails, minor deadlines, small conversations in between. Then Mr. Hillary walked in. He stopped just inside the open-plan area with his hands in his pockets. "Amelia, Megan, Casey. You three can close out for the day. Head home." We all glanced at each other, exchanging looks of confusion, then back at him. I blinked at my screen, double-checking the time. "It’s… 3:15 pm. Is there an issue?" He shook his head. "Not at all. No issue. Just the three of you today. Every other employee stays on schedule." Megan’s eyebrows shot up. Casey tilted her head like she was trying to read fine print that wasn’t there. "Uh… okay?" I said slowly. "Is everything alright?" "Everything’s fine," he replied, already turning to leave. "Enjoy the rest of your afternoon." He turned and walked away while the three of us just sat there for a second in stunned silence. "That was strange," Casey muttered. "Super strange

AMELIA I got home from work early. Dinner with the Harringtons was set for 7:00 p.m. Which meant everything about today had to be… right. Not just for the deal, but for Adrian. I knew how much this mattered to him. How much the entire last few weeks had been building toward it. I freshened up. Then I did my makeup with more care than usual. After that, I slipped into the dress we had gotten yesterday. I paired it with simple earrings and then stepped into the strappy heels. I was ready early, way before Adrian said he’d pick me up. So I was sitting on the sofa in the living room, scrolling through a marketing article on my tablet about brand positioning in a saturated market. My phone buzzed beside me. I picked it up, It was a group call. Zoey’s and Brianna's name flashed at the top, and I smiled as I answered. "Finally!" Zoey’s voice burst through the speaker, bright and teasing. "We were starting to think you’d disappeared with your hot billionaire boyfriend and we’d

ADRIAN Harrington led the way a little further down the terrace that was past the main dining setup and toward a more quieter section. He didn’t waste time on small talks. He just went straight to the point. "I won’t keep you long," he said. "You already know what this conversation is about, right?." "Yes, I do know," I replied. "I’ll be direct with you, Adrian," he said. "You want the company. I know that. You’ve made your intentions very clear over the past months and I respect the way you’ve positioned yourself." I nodded once, keeping my posture relaxed. This was the moment everything had been leading toward. Harrington looked out toward the skyline for a second, then back at me. "I always thought I’d be handing the keys to a Harrington. Well, the thing is both of my children are completely uninterested in taking over." He continued, "They have their own paths, tech startups, creative work, the kind of things that actually make them happy and they’re completely uninterested

"Jealousy looks good on you, Langford," I teased. Before I could even process the movement, his hands were on my waist, lifting me effortlessly onto the kitchen island. I let out a tiny, playful yelp. My dress rode up my thighs from the movement and he moved even closer. I wasn’t sure who moved first, I didn't care, but suddenly our lips collided, hot and desperate. My hands tangled in his hair, pulling him closer, needing to feel the weight of him. He groaned into my mouth, his hands sliding down to the hem of my dress. "Still think it’s none of my business?" he murmured against my lips. I let out a breathless laugh, my fingers curling into his shirt. "Maybe." He broke the kiss only to trail his lips down my neck. I tilted my head back, giving him more room. His hands slid up my thighs, pushing the fabric higher until it bunched around my hips. The heat pooling between my legs was becoming a physical ache. His fingers found my lace panties as he traced them by the edge,