Chapter 20

Right at that moment, her phone started ringing. Maria looked up in a hurry and accidentally bumped into James’s forehead. “Ow.” James let out a quiet sound, but Maria didn’t have time to care—she scrambled to answer the call. “I’m downstairs. Come down,” came David’s voice from the other end. “Uh, I…” Maria glanced at James, unsure how to reply. Though the ringtone hadn’t been loud, in the quiet office, even whispers felt amplified. James grabbed the phone straight from her hand. “She’s working overtime. Can’t leave. I’ll drop her off later.” There was a beat of silence before David said, “Mr. Bennett, Maria just started and already she’s swamped with overtime? Doesn’t your company believe in humane hours?” James couldn’t be bothered to argue. He handed the phone back to Maria and said coldly, “Tell him to leave.” Caught in the middle, Maria hesitated. But since her work wasn’t done—and well, she had just accidentally hit James’s head—she said to David, “Sorry, I really need to stay a