Free Web NovelChapter 117: Chapter 117 Interrupted
Sylvia’s POV
Caesar’s phone continued to blare through the office, shattering our intimate moment.
I watched as clarity returned to his eyes, the haze of lust gradually fading. ƒrēewebnovel.com
Meeting his gaze, I couldn’t hide my annoyance.
"Your phone," I said pointedly.
"Ignore it," he responded, voice still husky from our encounter.
The ringing persisted for what felt like forever before finally stopping.
We both exhaled in relief, and Caesar leaned toward me again, clearly intent on continuing where we’d left off.
Then the damn thing started ringing again.
And just like that, the spell was broken.
Whatever passion had consumed us moments ago was now rapidly dissipating into the air-conditioned office.
Caesar’s expression darkened with irritation at the interruption.
But when he glanced at the caller ID, something changed in his face.
He sighed and picked up the phone despite his obvious reluctance.
"Yes, I understand. I’ll teach you later," he answered, his tone softer than I expected.
Though he wasn’t on speaker, the voice on the other end was unmistakable.
Helena. Of course it would be her.
Who else would dare interrupt Caesar Conrad and actually have him answer?
A bitter feeling settled in my chest as I lay beside him.
What exactly was I to Caesar?
Important enough for a quick office tryst but not important enough to warrant his undivided attention?
The realization stung more than I cared to admit.
If our intimate moments could be so easily interrupted by an outsider, what did that say about us? About me? Would this become a pattern—me always taking second place to Helena’s needs?
The thought terrified me more than I wanted to acknowledge.
While I spiraled through these thoughts, Caesar was wrapping up his call.
"I’ll figure it out." he reassured her. "Later, Helena."
He hung up and reached for me again, his warm hand seeking the curve of my waist.
But the moment had died for me. I previously so eager for his touch, now pulled back, protective and wary.
I pushed his hand away and sat up, unable to look at him without seeing Helena’s smug face hovering in my mind’s eye.
I took a deep breath, trying and failing to calm the storm brewing inside me.
Why was I letting this affect me?
I’d promised myself I wouldn’t care, wouldn’t let myself be vulnerable again after Zane.
I knew better than this. So why did it still hurt?
I hated myself for feeling this way.
Caesar seemed to sense the shift in my mood.
His lips parted as if to explain, but I was already pulling on my clothes, my movements efficient and deliberate.
"I’m tired," I said, my voice carefully neutral. "You should go."
Every fiber of my being wanted to ask if I was just a convenient body to him, just someone to satisfy his needs. But I swallowed those words.
I couldn’t give him that power over me—the knowledge that I cared enough to ask.
It was a gamble of pride.
If I asked those questions, I’d be admitting I’d developed feelings.
And in this game between us, whoever cared first lost.
"Sivi," Caesar’s voice was pleading, using that nickname that usually made my heart skip. "Let me explain. Please, give me a chance."
I finished buttoning my blouse and stood, straightening my skirt with practiced precision. "If you have no other business here, you should get dressed and leave."
My voice sounded hollow even to my own ears as I continued, "This is Frostline Enterprises. We shouldn’t give people reason to talk."
Without waiting for his response, I pushed open the door and returned to my main office, leaving him behind.
The truth was, I couldn’t blame Caesar.
We’d entered this arrangement for mutual benefit—a marriage of convenience, not hearts. freeweɓnøvel.com
I shouldn’t expect feelings where none were promised.
But something had changed within me, something fundamental that I couldn’t ignore anymore. My reactions to him were becoming increasingly emotional rather than calculated.
That’s how it always goes, isn’t it?
The heart, once involved, always demands more than was initially offered.
I forced my attention back to the documents on my desk, determined not to let emotional entanglements derail my focus.
The international expansion wouldn’t manage itself, and I refused to let personal matters compromise my professional responsibilities again.
When Caesar emerged from the rest area, fully dressed, I was already immersed in my work—or pretending to be.
I wore my frameless glasses, expression neutral and focused, betraying none of the turmoil within.
He approached my desk, his posture tense. "Sivi, about before—"
I cut him off without looking up. "Alpha Caesar, if you have nothing urgent to discuss, please see yourself out."
The formal title I’d used—"Alpha Caesar"—visibly wounded him.
I could see it in the slight flinch of his shoulders.
It was a far cry from the intimate ways I’d addressed him before.
"Sivi," he persisted, his voice softer now, "can we not do this? We need to talk. We’ve hardly had a chance to communicate properly."
Finally, I lifted my gaze from my computer screen to meet his.
"Alpha Caesar," I repeated deliberately, my eyes hard. "I won’t say this a third time. My time is limited. What happened between us was consensual and legal—let’s leave it at that."
I forced steel into my voice as I continued, "As for anything else, I’m not interested. I have my own responsibilities to attend to."
With that, I returned my attention to my computer, dismissing him with finality.
Recognizing the immovable wall I’d erected between us, Caesar finally relented.
With obvious reluctance, he turned and left my office.
The moment the door closed behind him, I collapsed back into my chair, the façade of composure crumbling.
I stared blankly at my computer screen, realizing I hadn’t progressed past the same page since he’d entered my office.
My insistence that he leave quickly had been purely self-protective—I couldn’t risk anyone, least of all Caesar, seeing through my carefully constructed armor.
I’d always been strong, unyielding. I couldn’t bear to have anyone witness my vulnerability.
I tried desperately to push down the emotions threatening to overwhelm me and focus on the project at hand.
