I Walked Away And He Lost His Mind (Zephyra) novel Chapter 111

My laughter died in my throat. That was strange. Why did I think I just heard Steven’s voice?

Jacob’s smile vanished, his clear eyes fixed on the doorway. His face hardened. “You. What are you doing here?”

Seeing Jacob’s hostile reaction, I turned around. There, standing in the doorway, was Steven, his dark eyes narrowed and locked on me.

My heart skipped a beat. Holy crap, it was Steven.

No wonder Jacob looked like that. The last time they met, Steven had poached Verna right from under his nose. The memory had clearly turned him into a rival.

My surprise seemed to only deepen Steven’s displeasure. His voice was cold as he addressed someone else.

“Your employees are laughing and goofing off instead of working. You just tolerate this?”

Myron emerged from behind him, his charming eyes sweeping over Jacob before settling on me. His expression was disapproving, but his tone was light. “Zephyra, he has a point. You two shouldn’t be telling jokes during work hours.”

I narrowed my eyes. They must have been standing there for a while. You couldn't tell Jacob’s jokes were jokes just from hearing one line.

Seeing Myron, Jacob immediately stood up. He was still young and had the deferential politeness of a recent graduate. “Mr. Taylor, I’m sorry. It was my idea. It has nothing to do with Zephyra. I’ll be more careful next time.”

This kid. Always trying to take the blame.

I stood up and pulled Jacob behind me, completely ignoring the towering figure of Steven as I faced Myron. “Sorry about that. We’ll be more mindful. It won’t happen again.”

“But I want to correct one thing,” I added, still not looking at Steven. “We were having a normal conversation, not ‘goofing off,’ as some people with no manners might call it.”

Jacob glanced at me, clearly understanding he was being dismissed. His eyes were full of worry, afraid to leave me alone. What a sweet kid. I gave him a subtle nod to let him know I’d be fine.

“Of course, Mr. Taylor,” he said, before turning to leave. Steven didn’t move to let him pass. Jacob, slightly shorter, had to look up at him, press his lips together, and sidle past.

I sank back into my chair and looked at Myron. For some reason, he had a look of impending doom on his handsome face.

I twirled a pen in my fingers. “Mr. Taylor, I have work to do. Is there anything else you and your ‘business partner’ need?”

Before Myron could speak, Steven said flatly, “I thought you said you only hired one designer. Why is she here?”

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