Building Her Throne Burying My Heart (Claire) novel Chapter 31

Laird dropped me off at Claire’s villa.

“Lambert, your room’s on the ground floor. You’ll be living here from now on,” he said. “If you need anything, just ask me or Jasper.”

That was it. Laird left, and the house went quiet. No one else was around, not even any staff. I figured I had no choice but to settle in. So I unpacked, got ready for bed, and ended up sleeping surprisingly well.

The next morning, Susan, the housekeeper, came knocking.

“Lambert, come get your breakfast. Claire’s heading out to work soon,” she called.

She pointed toward the garage. “The car’s in there. That’s the one the old driver used. Just wait for Claire outside when you’re ready.”

I ate quickly, pulled the car out, and waited by the front door. Claire showed up soon after, her face unreadable. She barely glanced at me, then walked straight to the car. I opened the door for her and she got in, still silent.

The whole drive was quiet. She stared out the window. I kept my eyes on the traffic.

When we got to her office, she paused before getting out.

“Add me on social media,” she said, her voice flat.

Then she looked me over. “I didn’t have breakfast. Go get me a pie from Perfect Slice Pies. If I don’t have it in an hour, I’m docking your pay by five hundred.”

Before I could say anything, she got out and walked into the building.

Perfect Slice Pies was all the way in the north part of town. It was her favorite spot. We used to go together all the time. The memories were sweet, but now they just made everything feel heavier.

I was in the south part of the city. With morning traffic, just getting there and back would take at least an hour, probably more. I didn’t have any options, so I floored it, racing the clock.

Once I made it, I slipped the person ahead of me ten bucks so I could cut in line. I remembered Claire liked extra sauce, so I asked the owner to put some in a separate little box.

Then I sped back toward her office, barely catching my breath as I carried the warm pie to her door.

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