Chapter 19

The trending topic hadn’t really affected her for now—Maria was still clocking in and out like usual at the office. The afternoon passed in a blur. James didn’t call her in, and she didn’t have any tasks lined up. So, she wound up aimlessly scrolling on her phone for a solid few hours. Not sure if he actually took what she said to heart. With one hand fidgeting with her phone, she kept glancing toward the CEO’s office, totally bored out of her mind. Just as the clock hit quitting time and she was getting ready to leave, her phone rang—David. “You off work yet? I’ll come pick you up.” “No need,” Maria replied instantly, zero hesitation. Sure, she had feelings for him once, but those days were long gone. She didn’t want anything more to do with David. He seemed to expect her response but still sounded pretty smug. “Don’t forget, in James’s eyes, you’re my wife. First day back at work—I should pick you up. Might help him drop any ideas he’s got about you.” He said it all so casually, like