Chapter 243

I flashed a grin, just to see what he’d do. ‘Maybe. I might stick around till the new collection drops.’ Ashton sat up straight, visibly annoyed. ‘You said one week. Now you’re talking six months?’ I nodded. ‘Exactly.’ He started jabbing at his phone. ‘What are you doing?’ I asked, half-laughing. ‘Texting the pilot. Booking the jet.’ ‘Relax. I was joking. No need to scramble a plane. I’ll be back before you know it.’ He paused, clearly still unconvinced. ‘I mean it,’ I said. ‘I’ll be home soon. The team here works fast, especially Fabrizio. We had a meeting this afternoon and blitzed through what would’ve taken a week anywhere else.’ He still didn’t look thrilled, but at least he put the phone down. I took that as a win. ‘How was your day?’ I asked, stifling a yawn. Then came the business jargon. Terms like ‘synergy’, ‘pipeline optimisation’, ‘strategic pain points’. My eyes glazed over before he even finished the second sentence. A minute in, I was halfway down the headboard, struggli