After the Affair: Falling into a Billionaire's Arms Chapter 75

The passenger window rolled down, revealing Teddy's face.

"Ms. Forbes, are you waiting for a ride?" he asked warmly.

Louisa nodded. "Yes, my car is in for maintenance."

"Come with us then, we'll take you there," Teddy offered without hesitation.

"Well..." Louisa hesitated, glancing at Julian in the back seat. He was wearing a classic black bespoke suit, working on his laptop. Even just sitting there, she could feel an aura of coldness emanating from him.

In this situation, getting in seemed inappropriate. "That's alright, I'll just take a taxi," she told Teddy.

Teddy was about to respond when a deep, commanding voice came from inside the car. "Get in."

It was Julian. Louisa had thought he hadn't noticed her. Now that he'd spoken, refusing would seem ungrateful. Besides, she really was running out of time.

She nodded to Teddy. "Thank you, then." Opening the rear door, she got in and said to Julian, "Thank you, Mr. Tudor."

He didn't acknowledge her. She couldn't tell if he hadn't heard her or simply chose to ignore her thanks. 

Louisa didn't dwell on it—it was just a ride, after all.

She leaned against the window and took out her phone. Her friends' group chat was active with messages from Sadie, who had scheduled a meeting with George about the divorce.

George wasn't cooperating and had made her wait in the lobby of the Capulet Group, claiming he was busy. Sadie had been waiting for half an hour and was venting to Flora.

Louisa felt selfish for passing her own problems to Sadie. She wanted to say something but didn't know what, her fingers hovering over the keyboard, completely unaware that Julian's gaze had fallen on her.

She was leaning against the door, keeping a full three feet of distance between them—quite unlike when she was asleep. 

Then, she had kept trying to burrow into his arms, holding onto him and refusing to let go—was he just her cuddle doll or something?

In the front seat, Teddy caught his boss's expression in the rearview mirror and felt a jolt of surprise. Was that... wistfulness? How was that possible? What had happened during the days he'd been away?

Bob, who was driving, nodded at him, signaling him to say something to break the silence. Teddy inwardly refused—speaking without his boss's permission seemed like asking for trouble.

But if the two in the back remained silent the whole way, his boss might be displeased, and as his personal assistant, Teddy would bear the brunt of it. After considering, he decided to follow Bob's suggestion.

Turning to Louisa, he asked curiously, "Ms. Forbes, aren't you nervous about your first day?"

"Nervous about what?" Louisa countered.

Teddy's mouth twitched. His attempt at conversation had been abruptly shut down. Julian returned his attention to his laptop, only offering, "Teddy, you're overthinking it."

"For someone who's been in management, accustomed to looking at problems from the top down, she naturally knows how to be a good employee," Julian added.

Louisa nodded automatically—the boss was right. Yet something felt off about his comment. Though perfectly normal on the surface, it carried an undertone of sarcasm. 

She glanced curiously at Julian. Had she offended him somehow?

In the front seat, Teddy was internally dismayed. So much for trying to ease the tension—these two weren't following any normal social script. 

Fortunately, they were nearly at the company.

Just two blocks from their destination, the car suddenly stopped. "Mr. Tudor, there's a traffic jam ahead," Bob announced.

"I see," Julian responded coolly, as if traffic made no difference to him. He continued working on his laptop. Louisa, however, grew restless, noting they had just ten minutes before work started.

Julian was the boss—being late didn't matter for him. But for her first day, punctuality was essential. 

She kept checking her watch anxiously. Suddenly, she spotted a row of shared bicycles outside the window.

If she took one now, she could still make it to the office on time. She was about to ask Bob to let her out when Julian spoke first, "Bob, turn left at the next intersection."

"Yes, Mr. Tudor," Bob immediately responded.

"Isn't that road under construction? I thought it was closed to traffic," Louisa asked with surprise.

Teddy quickly explained, "Ms. Forbes, you don't know—that construction project belongs to the Tudor Group. Work hasn't actually started yet; they're just securing the area. If we say the word, they'll let us through."

Louisa fell silent. The Tudor Group's influence was everywhere—her perspective had been too limited. 

Soon, they bypassed the congestion and turned onto the restricted road in full view of everyone.

The project manager didn't even approach to stop them. Seeing Julian's license plate, he immediately waved them through with a respectful gesture.

Louisa watched in amazement. She strongly suspected that Julian's identity alone was a universal pass—she needn't have worried about being late at all. 

The road, however, wasn't smooth. Despite the car's excellent suspension, there were still bumps.

During one particularly rough patch, she didn't have time to grab the handle before her body lurched forward. Just as she was about to hit the seat in front of her—the expected pain didn't come; she felt an arm on her waist that steadied her.

Before she could process what was happening, she found herself pulled against a solid chest. His arm was strong, and his scent—that familiar, refreshing fragrance—filled her senses. For a moment, it seemed the world stood still.

She looked up, meeting his downward gaze. His cool eyes fell on her slightly smudged red lips, his expression growing intense. 

Under his stare, Louisa felt her face heating up.

"Thank you, Mr. Tudor," she murmured, her voice barely above a whiper. She immediately tried to pull away, but in that instant, she noticed a red mark on his Adam's apple—her lipstick.

In that moment, her mind exploded.