Chapter 1341

Caught in the act, Cole tensed up, feeling completely exposed. He could not, under any circumstances, let Elliana figure out he was trying to write cheesy love lines for her. The mere thought made his heart race with embarrassment.

Oblivious to his thoughts, Elliana crossed the room and picked up a crumpled piece of paper. “Did a tornado hit in here, or are you just losing your mind?” she teased.

Cole’s voice came out sharp, a little too loud. “Put that down! Don’t touch it!”

Elliana stopped mid-motion and glanced at him, eyebrows raised. Cole looked so frantic that she half expected him to snatch it from her hands.

Elliana frowned. What kind of massive secret was hidden in these crumpled scraps that he was so desperate to hide from her?

Cole blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Those are company files. Sensitive information. You can’t read them.”

Elliana sneered and tossed the paper onto the desk. “Relax. It’s not like I care about your boring paperwork.”

With an exasperated shake of her head, she turned around and left the room. Cole’s suspicious glare had reached absurd levels. Did he really think she would pilfer his papers and run off to auction his secrets to the highest bidder? If he couldn’t even trust her a little, he could forget about remarrying her. Hmph!

Of course, Cole realized she’d gotten the wrong idea. Words nearly escaped him as he watched her go, but he clamped his mouth shut and let her leave, reasoning that a little confusion now was a small price to pay. The last thing he needed was Elliana catching sight of the lovesick nonsense he’d been struggling to write. He would never live down that embarrassment.

Just as he let out a sigh of relief, Elliana reappeared in the doorway.

His whole body went rigid. He narrowed his eyes at her. “Did you need something?”

“I came to tell you dinner’s ready,” Elliana replied, her voice cold.

“Go on without me,” Cole said, waving her off. “I’m tied up with work right now.”

?: gν﹒

Without another word, Elliana left the room, her face unreadable as she pulled the door closed behind her.

Cole finally breathed out, grateful to be alone again. He had no clue Elliana was just outside, leaning against the doorframe with a faint, knowing smile. She had caught a glimpse of those papers, and even though the writing was half hidden in the creases, she recognized his handwriting and the telltale fragments of awkward romantic lines. No one could mistake those for company memos.

Was Cole writing her a love letter? She smiled. Apparently, he was pouring his heart and soul into the second draft. That alone made her grin. She couldn’t help but wonder what sappy lines had made him so frantic to hide from her. Chuckling to herself, she padded downstairs.

When Elliana had nearly finished eating, Cole finally dragged himself to the table, looking like he’d been through a storm and lost.

Cole settled beside Elliana, picking at his meal and barely glancing at anyone else. His mind was still trapped in the study, wrestling with cheesy romantic phrases, leaving him with zero patience for conversation.

Elliana knew exactly what was troubling him, but she kept quiet.

Across the table, the rest of the family shot each other confused looks, wondering if Cole had run into serious trouble at the company.

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