Chapter 393
The few times Elissa and Rowan had seen each other recently had been at the office, during formal meetings. But on the night before the press conference, she received a call from him. She had just stepped out of the shower, and her voice was still laced with steam. “Hello p>
“Just showered?” Downstairs, Rowan leaned against a lamppost, looking up at the light from her window. His voice was deep and steady. “You haven’t dried your hair yet, have you?” He stated it as a fact before she could even answer.
Elissa didn’t know when he had come to know her so well. She rubbed her hair with a towel, her voice muffled. “Not yet p>
“Then go dry it.” The man’s voice, smooth and magnetic, flowed through the receiver.
She didn’t want to, but she answered perfunctorily, “Okay, I’m going to dry my hair. I’ll hang up now p>
“Don’t hang up,” he commanded, each word laced with an authority that allowed no argument. “You dry it. I’ll listen p>
Through the window, Rowan saw her silhouette flit past, catching the reluctance in her movements. The lamplight cast a stark glow on his handsome, chiseled features, yet it also revealed a clear, unmistakable fondness.
She was a lion at home and a lamb outside. She was good-natured with everyone else, but with him, she was always stubborn. It was a bad habit he had created, one only he could tolerate. In her heart, he had always been different from everyone else.
As he thought this, the corner of his mouth curved up. He pressed the phone to his ear. “Why aren’t you drying it yet p>
“I’m doing it, I’m doing it,” Elissa said, exasperated. “I’m turning it on now. You should turn your volume down, or you’ll complain it’s too loud.” *Listening to someone dry their hair. What a strange fixation p>
Rowan chuckled softly. “Okay p>
The moment he spoke, the roar of the hairdryer blasted through the phone. It was deafening. She had clearly put the phone on speaker, determined to give him an earful.
Not far away, Evan watched his boss’s eyes crinkle with laughter. “What sweet nothings do you think she’s saying to him? I’ve never seen him this happy p>
lan was equally mystified. Given her recent standoffish attitude, sweet nothings seemed highly unlikely. “Maybe,” tan mused, “this is just what love is?” When you’re that smitten, even a fart sounds like a love song. And considering their boss’s terminal case of
lovesickness, she had probably just breathed.
Elissa had no idea three grown men were camped out beneath her window. She dried her hair efficiently until it was about eighty percent dry, then switched off the dryer and picked up her phone. “I’m done. What did you call for so late at night, anyway it couldn’t have just been to listen to her dry her hair.
Through the phone, the sound of a gentle evening breeze could be heard, carrying the man’s deep voice with it. “Are you nervous p>
“What?” Elissa asked, then immediately understood. He was asking about the press conference tomorrow.
She thought for a moment, then answered honestly. “A little. But don’t worry, I won’t embarrass you or the Murphy Group p>
“Come to the window.” Rowan cut her off before she could finish.
She paused, then walked to the window. Looking down, she saw his tall, straight figure standing under the lamplight. He seemed to have just come from a business dinner, still in the suit he’d worn during the
Eday, but the top two buttons of his
shirt were undone and his tie was gone. His sleeves were casually rolled up, revealing strong, sinewy forearms.
Before she could say anything, he seemed to meet her gaze, his voice calm and steady. “What’s there to be nervous about? No matter what happens, I’ll be there to catch you p>