Chapter 87

Marissa relaxed, letting out a quiet sigh, feeling more at ease. Her hand rested on her thigh. "Thank you,"she said softly.

She couldn't tell if Theodore's actions were genuine or a pretense, but it didn't matter to her.

She valued sincerity and didn't shy away from real

feelings just because they were new to her.

Feelings were the most important thing to her.

Sincerity and directness were qualities that Marissa exemplified.

"You're welcome," Theodore said, offering a quick smile before his face turned serious again.

He stood straight, not sitting on the couch, and motioned to Wilbur, who was standing nearby. Wilbur pulled a tablet from his briefcase, glanced at Marissa, and lowered his voice. "The journalists at the entrance were cleared by the police. The driver and bodyguards are ready."

He added, "Mr. Curtis sent more bodyguards from our security company."

The Brooks family's business covered many industries, with their security division being a major player,though few knew about it.

Wilbur spoke quietly, but Marissa heard every word and looked up, thinking it over.

Theodore focused on the tablet but didn't take it.

Noticing Marissa's gaze, he saw she hadn't put on her shoes and asked, "Need help?"

"No, I'm good," Marissa replied quickly, then felt her tone was too sharp. She pressed her lips together.

Marc had said Theodore was a busy man, yet he was here for her. "If you have work, don't let me keep you," she said softly.

She wasn't one to hold others back-if she were him,she'd already be gone.

With a deft movement, she knelt, slipped on the flats she'd borrowed from Theodore, and rose, finding them surprisingly comfortable.

She carefully tucked her high heels into the box,lifted it, and turned to Theodore. "Care to join me in the restroom?" she asked, her tone light but deliberate.

Marissa had noticed Theodore's fastidious nature.From the moment he stood, his hands remained still,avoiding contact with the tablet Wilbur clutched.

"No work, no rush. Let's go," Theodore replied, his voice clipped, accepting her invitation without hesitation.

His brevity was striking, and he answered every question with precision, earning a quiet nod of approval from Marissa.

Suddenly,a sharp clatter broke the moment.

Boden's phone hit the floor, its screen splintering into a mosaic of cracks.

He stared at Marissa, wide-eyed, disbelief etched across his face.

Marissa's audacity left jaws on the floor-she asked Theodore to join her in the restroom?

Boden frowned. Should he pick up some protection for them first, or give Marc a ring?

Boden ran his fingers through his hair, his head swimming with thoughts that had no business being there. Maybe he ought to throw out the idea of booking a room first?

Wilbur was just as caught off guard by Marissa's brazen words, his mind running down the same track as Boden's.

Neither of them could bring themselves to look up until Boden broke the silence. "Sorry, butterfingers."

But Marissa and Theodore weren't reading half as much into it as they were.

Marissa's eyes landed on Boden, taking in his face for a beat or two, before she offered some advice."You'd do well to catch more sleep and lay off the coffee-it'll help with those heart flutters."

"Huh?" Boden was drawing a blank on what she meant and was about to dig deeper when he locked eyes with Theodore's cool, detached stare.Something about that look sent a shiver crawling up his spine, and the question died on his lips.

Wilbur scooped up Boden's phone and squeezed his shoulder, a silent pat of comfort.

Theodore held out his hand to Marissa.

Marissa's mind went intoa spin. Did they honestly need to hold hands just to hit the restroom?

She glanced up at him and tentatively extended her hand. "Do you..." Theodore let a few seconds tick by, then took her hand while also collecting her shoe box and bag.

"Miss Curtis, allow me." Wilbur didn't need Theodore to spell it out and immediately relieved him of the items.

Boden shoved his phone into his briefcase, fished out a backup, and kept right on snapping shots of their retreating figures.

He murmured, "Wilbur, don't you think Mr. Brooks and Miss Curtis..."

"They're a match made in heaven!" Wilbur cut in.

Boden watched him firing away with his camera and,not one to be left in the dust, started clicking too,bundling the whole batch off to Marc, who was grinding away at the office.

Wilbur, seeing them disappear into the restroom,made a move to follow.

"What on earth are you doing?" Boden blurted out in shock. Tailing them into the restroom was crossing a line.

Wilbur shot back without missing a beat, "Mirror selfies, ever heard of them? They're gold for photos!"

He'd just been scrolling through the comments,where half the onlookers were convinced Marc and Marissa were meant to be, judging purely by their silhouettes.

Wilbur had rolled his eyes at those takes. He still held firm that Theodore and Marissa were the real deal.

"What are you going on about?" Boden was completely lost.

Did Wilbur want to take pictures against the backdrop of the mirror? In a restroom?

"Get with the times; you're stuck in the Stone Age."Wilbur shook his head and strode off.

Boden remained motionless.

On second thought, it might be a good idea. With that in mind, he rushed to catch up.