TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 296

Two hundred and ninety six

Isabella POV

My hand fumbled for the transfer letter inside my bag. I’d checked before leaving the Alpha House and checked again while waiting for the shuttle. And now, sitting on the bus, my fingers found it one more time to make sure it hadn’t somehow disappeared between stops.

After everything that had happened yesterday, I needed the reassurance of feeling the stiff paper beneath my fingertips.

The seat beside me dipped.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

I looked up to find Harrison from accounting smiling as he settled beside me.

“Morning.”

He placed his bag on his lap before looking at me with an expression that was far too cheerful for this early in the morning.

“I keep thinking this transfer was somehow meant to happen.”

I scoffed.

“What do you mean?”

“Think about it.” He gestured between the two of us. “Out of every department in the administration, you somehow end up in mine.”

I shook my head. “I wouldn’t exactly call being framed for theft destiny.”

“No,” he admitted with a chuckle. “That part wasn’t ideal. But if that woman hadn’t pulled that stunt, you wouldn’t be working upstairs today.”

He grinned.

“So, thanks, Emerald.”

I shook my head.

“Someone might think you planned it with her.”

He burst into laughter.

“I promise I’m not nearly that insane.”

His easy humor made it difficult not to smile, but even while he talked, my mind kept drifting somewhere else. The transfer had happened so quickly that it almost felt unreal.

One part of me couldn’t stop wondering whether I’d run into Wesley before the day was over. The other

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wedamdeo and ninety sox

kept circling back to the pearl incident.

+15 Bonus

The case hadn’t actually been closed. Alpha Cameron had postponed any final judgment until his wife returned, which meant I wasn’t innocent. I was merely temporarily relocated.

Harrison had stopped talking and was watching me when I noticed.

“You haven’t heard the last thirty seconds.”

Heat crept into my cheeks.

“I’m sorry.”

“You’re thinking about the new position?”

I hesitated.

“Something like that.”

“You really don’t have to worry. Our department isn’t like that. Nobody has time for office politics. Everyone’s usually too busy trying to finish their own work.”

I let out a sigh. Even though he’d guessed wrong about what was bothering me, the kindness behind it

mattered.

“I hope you’re right.”

The Executive Administration occupied the entire upper floor of the building. Accounting was in the left

wing.

The atmosphere felt different before I even stepped inside, quieter and more focused. Nobody seemed interested in watching who came through the doors.

I followed Harrison to the reception desk before making my way toward the glass office with “Emma B.” written neatly on the door.

She was exactly as elegant as I remembered from that night I’d seen her with Barbara and Anita.

A tailored cream suit, gold jewelry that somehow looked understated despite obviously costing more than I could imagine, and chocolate brown hair neatly pinned back.

She looked up from the documents spread across her desk as I knocked lightly.

“Come in.”

I stepped inside and handed her the letter. She read through it, and a slight crease appeared between her brows.

Nothing dramatic, but enough to make my stomach tighten.

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“One second.”

Then she picked up her phone.

“Anita.”

She listened.

“So… you were there?”

Another pause.

I couldn’t hear Anita’s side of the conversation, but Emma leaned back in her chair, a smile slowly

appearing.

“No, why don’t you keep her for yourself?”

She laughed.

“I mean it.”

Another pause.

“Oh? Is that what we’re calling it now?”

She laughed again.

Whatever Anita said next made Emma shake her head.

“Fine. Fine. Whatever.”

A few more words were exchanged before she ended the call and set the phone aside. The uncertainty I’d seen on her face earlier had disappeared. She looked at me and smiled warmly.

“Welcome aboard, Isabella.”

“Thank you.”

“As you can probably tell, we’re not desperately short-staffed up here. My cousin has a habit of volunteering people before asking whether I actually need them.” 2

There was enough amusement in her voice that I found myself smiling.

“But…” she continued, “…there’s always work that needs dependable hands. Delivering documents, making copies, organizing files, running errands between departments. The little things that keep everything moving.”

She paused.

“Would you be comfortable doing that?”

“Absolutely. I’ll do whatever is needed.”

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Acodest and sty sx

+15 Bonus

“Good.”

Then she pointed her pen toward me.

“And before you misunderstand, this isn’t about dumping work on the new employee. I’ve worked in offices long enough to know how easily errands become an excuse for treating someone like they’re beneath everyone else.” She shook her head. “That isn’t how we operate here. If I ask you to handle something, it’s because I trust you to handle it.”

“I… I understand.”

Within half an hour, I realized Executive Administration felt nothing like the department downstairs.

Questions were answered without sighs or eye rolls. If someone needed help, another person simply helped. No one looked over their shoulder waiting for someone to fail. No one sounded like Emerald.

Harrison showed me where the supplies were kept, introduced me to everyone I’d be working with, and helped me settle into the desk nearest the entrance.

“It makes the errands easier,” he explained. “You’re closer to the elevators.”

The arrangement made sense.

Before long, I was moving from printer to copier, carrying signed documents between offices, organizing files that needed to be archived, and delivering paperwork wherever Emma asked.

The morning passed surprisingly quickly.

There was plenty of work, but I wasn’t spending half my energy worrying about who might humiliate me

next.

Emma surprised me most. At first glance, her polished appearance almost suggested someone difficult to please. Instead, she thanked people, asked instead of ordered, and explained things instead of assuming everyone already knew.

She reminded me so much of Luna Lisa. If Luna decided to send me back downstairs after returning, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go.

Fashion had been my dream, but dreams became difficult to enjoy when every morning began with

dread.

Right now, money and stability mattered more. Maybe one day I could return to designing full-time, but for now, I simply wanted somewhere I could breathe.

By midmorning, Emma looked up from her desk.

“Isabella.”

“Yes, Miss Emma?”

She picked up a green folder and held it toward me.

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+15 Bonus

“Could you take this to Wesley? I need his approval before we can move forward.”

Oh… no.

The day wasn’t even half over, and already I was being sent to him.

“Of course,” I heard myself say.

I accepted the folder with both hands, turned toward the door, and walked out before my expression could betray me.

By the time I reached his door, my palms had grown damp around the folder. I closed my eyes and drew a long breath.

Then I lifted my hand and knocked.

“Come in.”

I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Wesley sat behind three monitors stretched across his desk, each displaying something different. Mostly charts, or so I couldn’t quite tell.

He didn’t look up. One hand rested on his mouse while the other typed across the keyboard. Without taking his eyes off the screen, he lifted a finger, signaling for me to wait.

I stopped a few feet from his desk, the green folder held against my chest.

The silence became dangerous, and the bond hit me all over again.

His scent wrapped around me before I could prepare for it. It slipped beneath my guard, settling somewhere beneath my ribs until breathing itself felt different.

My eyes drifted to him before I could stop them. His hair was dark and healthy, and a few strands had fallen forward while he worked. Every now and then, he absently brushed them back without breaking concentration. His sleeves were rolled neatly to his forearms, exposing strong hands that moved confidently between the keyboard and mouse.

Even the simple movement of his fingers was enough to make my thoughts wander.

I looked away before my body embarrassed me.

Two whole weeks had passed, and every day the pull between us seemed to grow stronger, while he behaved as though nothing unusual existed between us.

At first, I’d convinced myself he was ashamed. Then I wondered whether Barbara had something to do with it. After that, I considered whether he’d simply reject me when the time came. Now I wasn’t even sure what to believe anymore.

How did someone spend two weeks around their mate without acknowledging it once?

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Aomorire and mucety

“You.”

P

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