Chapter 37

For the rest of the trip, James stayed buried in work, barely lifting his head. Maria gradually let her guard down too. As soon as the plane landed, a pre-arranged staff member met them at the airport and took the whole group straight to the hotel. Each employee from Bennett Corp got their own room. Since Maria was James’ assistant, her room was—naturally—right next to his. She felt something was off, but Cody looked her straight in the eye and assured her this was just company protocol. “It’s all for Mr. Bennett's convenience,” he said, all calm and convincing. Maria couldn't argue much after that. Secretaries were supposed to make their boss’s life easier—it kinda made sense. Just then, Isabella messaged to see if she'd arrived. While replying on her phone, Maria swiped her key card and pushed the door open. She kept her head down as she typed, but suddenly a voice startled her. "You're even prettier than I imagined." Startled, Maria jerked her head up. Lying lazily on her bed was a