Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 284

Camila Davis had heard a rumor before—a strange one, really. Supposedly, every time Dennis Williams finished a debrief with the Special Forces team, he’d have trouble sleeping.

She fished a small bottle from her pocket and handed it to him. “These are special herbal sleep aids. They’re supposed to help you rest better. And if you get a headache, just hold it close and take a whiff—it might help.”

She hesitated, cheeks a little pink. “Honestly, it’s nothing compared to that Swiss watch you gave me. I hope you don’t mind.”

Dennis’s eyes darkened, unreadable.

He didn’t care about the price, not in the slightest. What mattered more was...

“This bracelet—did you make it yourself?” His question caught her off guard, his focus somewhere entirely different.

“Not all of it,” she admitted. “The charm and the clasp—I had a jeweler handle those. The rest, I strung together myself.” She bit her lip, glancing at him nervously. “Is it too clumsy? I asked for advice from a friend, but it’s my first time making anything like this. It’s probably not as nice as something from a store.”

For a moment, Dennis just looked at her, his gaze deep and intense.

Camila’s anxiety spiked. What did that look mean? Did he not like it?

Then she thought about it—of course. A man like him, always dressed to the nines, wearing custom-tailored suits, diamond cufflinks, and a watch worth more than her apartment. He probably didn’t own a single thing that wasn’t high-end.

She was just about to suggest swapping it for something else when she saw him slip the bracelet onto his wrist without a word.

His hands were already graceful, and the bracelet suited him unexpectedly well, almost like a rosary. It gave him an air of serene self-control, a little bit monastic, almost saintly.

Camila found herself staring, her heart skipping a beat for reasons she couldn’t quite name.

Dennis listened patiently, then agreed, “I think this partnership will be the best decision those directors ever made.”

Camila grinned. “You really are the only one with that much faith in me, aren’t you?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Dennis responded. “Since our days back in the academy, I’ve seen you pull off miracle after miracle. Ms. Davis, you’re the best I know.”

The praise hit her right in the chest, and not just because of his words. There was something about the way he said “Ms. Davis” this time—a softness, an intimacy—that made her ears burn.

Outside the door, Aaron, Dennis’s aide, watched their exchange, unable to shake the sense that they just fit together. Both smart, both capable, both striking in their own way. Honestly, Ms. Davis could hold her own in any room, even with someone as formidable as Mr. Williams.

And judging by the way Dennis looked at her, things might just get interesting. If those two ever became an item, the whole Cabinda elite would be turned upside down.