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“I know,” he answers simply.

No explanation.

No attempt to make it sound more impressive than it is.

Just acceptance.

And that’s worse.

Because it means he made the decision willingly.

For this project.

For me maybe?

To keep working beside me?

I look away, irritated by how quickly my mind starts turning a straightforward decision into something far more complicated.

“Then don’t make it sound like I forced you,” I mutter.

The corner of his mouth twitches, a faint huff breaking through the air.

“You didn’t force me, Selene.”

His gaze lingers on me for a beat longer than it should.

“You just made it very inconvenient not to.”

NINE

Zayn

“What do you mean you haven’t found another apartment, Beatrix?” I ask my assistant, who seems far too entertained by the whole situation. “Not even a single room?”

“No, Zayn,” she says with a laugh. “I’ve been trying since first thing this morning, right after sorting things out with Ethan. All your hotels are fully booked.”

“We’ll be there in five minutes, sir,” one of the Hartho drivers informs me.

“Beatrix, I’m about to arrive at the hotel. What exactly am I supposed to do?”

“I booked an entire apartment for the designer. You can both stay there. It has three bedrooms,” she offers, thoroughly unhelpful.

There’s no way I can sleep in the same apartment as Selene.

It’s not professional. Not even remotely appropriate. We’re talking about a woman who is breathtaking—someone my gaze keeps drifting to no matter how hard I try to stay focused—and she’s engaged.

“Jesus, nothing is going to happen to you just because you sleep a couple of nights in the same apartment as me, Zayn.”

I turn to her as she rolls her eyes.

“I don’t know how anyone manages to work with you,” she adds, taking my phone from my hand and ending the call.

“What are you doing?” I ask, blinking at her.

“Your assistant isn’t going to magically free up a hotel apartment just because you keep talking, you know.”

I lean back and turn to the window, closing my eyes for a moment.