James didn't try to stop me this time, but his pale face twisted in a way that made my skin crawl.

!!

Jeez, has he turned into some kind of stalker in the past six months?

Just then, I caught a blur of movement in my peripheral vision.

Lucas stepped in front of me, his tall frame creating a barrier between me and James, his eyes razor-sharp. His cologne - something expensive and crisp - drifted over me.

Oddly enough, it made me feel safe.

James finally backed off, muttering that he'd be back.

What is he, a cartoon villain?

I gave him the finger with zero regrets.

No matter how tough he acts, he's just a chihuahua compared to the big bad wolf Lucas Miller.

"Enjoying the show?"

"Uh, thanks for that, Mr. Miller!"

I quickly thanked him, pretending to brush invisible lint off his designer suit, laying the gratitude on thick.

Maybe my workaholic boss isn't so bad - I'll complain about him less from now on.

Lucas gave me an odd look, his voice slightly rough. "Ex-boyfriend?"

I nodded awkwardly. "Yeah, he dumped me six months ago to climb the corporate ladder. No idea what his deal is today."

"Oh, I thought..."

A car horn blared, drowning out the rest of his words.

"Sorry, what?"

I looked at him confused, not having caught what he said.

But he just smiled softly, his eyes brightening. "Never mind. Let's head back - my coffee must be cold by now."

My attention snapped to the coffee in my hand, and I felt awful.

"Oh, Mr. Miller, let me go grab you a fresh one!"

"Don't worry about it. Let's get back to the office."

Lucas being this easy-going was weird. I couldn't help stealing glances at him.

What's he so happy about?

He's practically bouncing down the street.

After getting back to the office, Lucas suddenly got super busy, constantly on his phone.

He looked really stressed about something.

I watched him curiously for a while, confused.

What's the emergency - stock market crash or zombie apocalypse?

Still, I was happy he wasn't micromanaging me. When the clock hit five, I grabbed my bag and bolted.

Back at my condo, I noticed movers carrying expensive furniture upstairs. Looks like someone's moving into the unit above me. Good thing this building has great soundproofing - as long as they don't get too noisy.

I headed inside with my takeout, not thinking much of it.

I expected a night full of renovation noise, but everything went quiet pretty quickly.

Now that's what I call considerate neighbors!

My good mood lasted until bedtime, when I had this... inappropriate dream.

I woke up in a daze.

I actually dreamed about Lucas, and we...

I patted my burning cheeks, rolling around in bed.

It must be from all the overtime he's been making me do, plus that mess with James yesterday. That's why I'm having these shameless thoughts about my boss.

But man, what a dream!

I lay there staring at the ceiling, an outrageous idea popping into my head.

If only I could keep Lucas as my trophy husband - he'd keep my bed warm, make me look good in public, and satisfy me in… various ways.

The thought made me giddy.

After a quick shower, I hummed my way to the elevator.

Ding.

The elevator came down from upstairs, doors opening.

I looked up as I was about to step in and locked eyes with the handsome man inside.

I froze mid-step, my humming cut off abruptly, my ears burning as a thousand thoughts raced through my mind.