Chapter 126

**Chapter 126**

I was surprised by his words. I didn’t think he would care about something like this, especially when it involved me.

“You shouldn’t be too hard on him,” he said.

“He’s your nephew…”

“Which makes it worse,” Gavin muttered. “He’s family, and my family never raises their hand to women. It can’t go without punishment.”

I knew there was no changing his mind on this. I could see that Gavin was determined.

I bit the inside of my cheek and looked down at my hands.

“He asked me to be his girlfriend,” I whispered. Gavin tensed up next to me. “And I said no.” He got angry with me… he said

“Why did you decline his offer?”

He didn’t sound like he was blaming me. Instead, he seemed genuinely curious, as if he wanted to keep the conversation going. My heart warmed a little at the thought that maybe he actually cared about me.

“I didn’t feel the same way about him,” I admitted. “I didn’t want to hurt him, but I just didn’t like him in the same way that he liked me.”

Gavin nodded.

Gavin’s expression softened.

“And he got angry,” he said softly. It wasn’t a question, but I nodded anyway.

“Yes,” I confirmed. “He got angry.”

Gavin wrapped an arm around me and pulled me closer.

He pulled me close to his side, wrapping me in his warmth and comfort. I felt my body relax almost immediately, and my heart felt lighter.

“I thought we agreed that what happened the other night was a mistake,” I said. “We were supposed to act like it never happened.”

“I can’t believe that happened,” I said before I could stop myself.

“You decided that,” he replied.

I raised my eyebrows and looked up at him.

“And that’s not what you wanted?” I asked.

“I wasn’t really thinking about that,” he said.

he said softly, “I’m not sure what to do now.”

He paused for a moment. At first, I thought he wouldn’t answer my question, but then he took a deep breath, as if gathering his thoughts.

“I think I need to take some time to figure things out,” he continued.

“We should be together.”

My heart stopped for a moment, and my jaw nearly dropped.

“I’m sorry… what?”

**Chapter 0126**

“Let’s be together.”

+25 BONUS

Even though he had said it twice, I still couldn’t believe it.

I stared at him, unsure if I had heard him correctly. Was he joking? Should I laugh, agree, or just stay silent? Did I really want to be with him like this? I felt lost, not knowing how to respond.

He was Irene’s father and my ex’s father-in-law. Not to mention, he was also my boss. This was a recipe for disaster!

The corners of his lips curled into a smile as he leaned in to give a gentle kiss.

“I’m not saying let’s get married, or even mate,” he said, kissing the bridge of my nose. “I’m saying, let’s be together. It’ll get my mother and Daisy off my back and get Ethan…”

He paused, and I could see a smile forming on his lips. He had a way of making everything sound simple and sweet.

“Just think about it,” he continued. “We can enjoy each other’s company without all the pressure.”

I nodded, feeling a flutter of excitement and curiosity. It was a tempting idea, one that made my heart race.

“How about we help each other out a bit and have some fun?” Walter suggested.

I raised my eyebrows, finally realizing what he meant.

“You want to pretend to be in a relationship?” I asked, surprised.

“I wouldn’t call it fake,” he said. “Maybe it’s more like friends with benefits.” He gently tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and smiled down at me. “And there are definitely plenty of benefits. You can’t deny that we have a strong attraction.”

“Yes, we are attracted to each other,” he said with a smile.

I raised an eyebrow at him. “You are attracted to me?” I teased.

He rolled his eyes, but I could see he was playful.

“Focus,” he murmured, gently tapping my forehead with his knuckle.

“It’s been a while since I’ve done this whole dating thing, and I’m a little rusty,” he admitted. “But now that I’ve had a taste of you…”

“I can’t just pretend it didn’t happen,” he said, his voice becoming deeper at the end. A shiver ran down my spine, and I felt my cheeks heat up.

I bit my lip and glanced up at him, unsure of how to respond.

I knew I would regret this later, but I couldn’t help myself. I nodded, my eyes fixed on him.

“Okay,” I said softly. “Let’s be together.”

He smiled at first, but then his expression turned serious.

“We can’t tell anyone about this right now. We need to keep it a secret. The media must not find out. Are you okay with that?”

My cheeks turned red again, and I felt a pain in my stomach.

I felt a tightness in my chest from his words. He had rescued me from being Ethan’s dirty little secret. But now, he was making me his.

“Yeah,” I finally said. “I’m okay with that.”

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