Contract Marriage: I Will Never Love You-Chapter 156: Lost Item

Hailey

"I don’t like the idea of leaving you alone with Marcus," Josh announces after kissing me one last time at the airport.

I smile at his protectiveness. "I will be fine. Marcus had been keeping his distance from me ever since the party. I think whatever Rebecca did worked. Or maybe it’s the fact that he saw how much I like you. But regardless of the reason, I am glad he backed off."

Josh hums thoughtfully. "I hope Rebecca is okay. It’s not like she makes a habit of having one-night stands."

"Well, now that you are going back home, you can check on her and make sure," I say.

Josh nods. "Yeah, you are right. And of course, to face Sarah’s wrath for not telling her about you and me from the beginning," he adds and laughs.

I laugh. "Sarah is very happy for us."

"Yeah," he mutters, grinning as he pulls me in for one last hug. "Be careful with Marcus. And call me, okay?"

"I will," I promise.

As I watch him walk toward security, disappearing into the crowd, a heavy feeling settles over me. I was getting too used to having him by my side, and now, I will be alone here.

At least he promised to fly over to me often...

~-~

A few weeks go by, and slowly, I start finding my rhythm at Luxe. The chaos that once felt overwhelming now flows in a pattern I understand. Early morning meetings, back-to-back shoots, creative brainstorms over overpriced espresso, and the constant pressure to be better.

And I kind of am. Better.

It helps that Marcus hasn’t made any inappropriate comments or gestures since that night. Whatever switch Rebecca flipped in him must’ve been serious because now, he’s strictly professional, distant even.

We barely speak unless it’s about work. No loaded looks. No smug smirks. Just curt nods and the occasional "good job" when something lands well.

I feel relieved.

"Have you noticed Marcus acting a bit weird?" Tammy asks one day.

I glance up from my laptop, blinking at Tammy. "Weird how?" I ask

She leans in, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "I don’t know. He’s still efficient and all, but something’s off. He’s quieter. Like...distracted. Did something happen?"

I shrug, playing with the corner of a notepad. "Not that I know of. Maybe he’s just...burnt out?"

Tammy tilts her head. "He’s Marcus. The guy doesn’t burn out. He burns other people out."

That makes me snort. "True."

She narrows her eyes at me, studying my face a little too closely. "You sure you don’t know anything?"

I meet her gaze and shake my head. "Why don’t you ask him?" I ask.

Tammy makes a face. "And get barked at? No thanks. Maybe you should ask since he is into you."

I make a choking sound. "He is not into me. At least he hasn’t been acting like it these days. It’s for the best, so I am not about to bring it up."

"Yes, but he still likes you and even respects you. Come on, Hailey. Take one for the team and find out what’s wrong. This campaign won’t be successful if Marcus is too distracted," Tammy insists.

I groan, slumping in my chair. "Fine. But if he snaps at me, I’m telling HR it was your idea."

Tammy grins triumphantly and walks off before I can change my mind.

The truth is, I have been wondering. Marcus has always carried himself like he’s above emotional turbulence. But lately? He looks...exhausted and irritable.

I find him later that afternoon in the editing room, staring blankly at a screen displaying raw shots from last week’s shoot. His jaw is tense, arms crossed, and he doesn’t notice I’m there until I clear my throat.

He turns slightly, blinking like I just interrupted a dream. "Hailey."

"You okay?" I ask, cutting straight to it.

"I’m fine," he says automatically.

I raise an eyebrow. "Really?"

He looks at me. "Why do you ask?"

I fold my arms and lean against the doorframe. "Because you’ve been walking around like someone stole your espresso machine. People are worried."

Marcus exhales slowly.

"I’ve just been busy," he mutters, turning back to the screen. "Nothing to worry about."

"I do appreciate you not making a move on me anymore. But I am curious, what changed?" I ask.

His eyes flick to mine, and for a second, he looks like he wants to say something clever, but it dies before it makes it out alive. He reboots. "What can I say? I’m a changed man. Don’t want to end up the villain in some #MeToo thread."

I snort. "I am so glad you came to your senses, but something did changed, didn’t it?"

Marcus shrugs.

I decide not to push it. I should be celebrating his sudden epiphany of being a better person. "Alright then. I will be outside. The models should be here any moment now."

Marcus shifts in his chair, tapping his pen against the desk as I move to leave.

"Hailey," he says suddenly, stopping me mid-step.

I glance over my shoulder. "Yeah?"

He looks almost...uncomfortable. His eyes drop to the desk, then back up to mine. "Have you, uh... heard from your friend?"

I blink. "My friend? You mean...Rebecca?" I ask.

He nods once.

I tilt my head. "Why do you want to know?"

Marcus hesitates, then sighs and leans back in his chair, arms folded.

"I don’t know," he says.

I narrow my eyes at him. "She is doing fine," I say after a beat.

He nods. "She left one of her earrings, I think it fell," he says. "I was hoping to return it to her."

I stare at him curiously. There is a soft expression on his face that I haven’t seen before. Did Rebecca cause this sudden change in him?

Well, I’ll be damned...

"You want to give me the earring so I can mail it to her?" I offer even though I already know it’s not about the earring.

He finally looks at me. "No. I will do it myself. Can you...uh...give me her address?"

I shake my head. "You are my boss, but I can’t just give out her address like that. She won’t like that. Besides, why won’t you just give it to me?"

Marcus opens his mouth, then closes it again, like he’s still buffering. He clears his throat and mutters, "Because...she left it at my place, so I should return it myself."

I arch an eyebrow. "That doesn’t make much sense, does it? And besides, it has been weeks. Why didn’t you say any anything about the scarf right away?"

He rubs the back of his neck and gives me an uncomfortable smile. "I guess it’s not all about the earring. Maybe I also want to clear the air. After we hooked up, she left abruptly. Perhaps I offended her somehow."

"Since when do you worry about who you sleep with, or offend, Marcus? I’ve caught you having sex with two different women in the same week. Isn’t she just one more of your conquests? Leave her be. You had your fun," I say sternly.

His expression turns hard. "Fine. Go back out there. I will join you in a moment."

~-~

The summer campaign launches with more fanfare than anyone predicted. My photos are everywhere. Train stations, billboards, web banners. Josh’s face looms, elegant, clean, and untouchable.

He texts me from Portland, a photo of himself without a shirt on, hair messier than usual, captioned: "You could have these abs, but you are all the way in NY. Miss you."

I just roll my eyes and smile at the text.

I tap out a quick reply: "Nice try, thirst trap. Miss you too."

A heart emoji pops up from him almost instantly, followed by: "Can’t wait to see you. Counting the days."

I reread that message twice before locking my phone and setting it face down. A slow warmth spreads through me. As overwhelming as this city can be, Josh has become my rock, my biggest fan.

My thoughts are interrupted by a knock on my office door.

I glance up. "Come in!"

The door creaks open, and a young intern peeks her head inside. "Hi, uh...Marcus wants to see you."

I blink. "Did he say why?"

The intern shrugs, looking a little nervous. "He just said it was important. He’s in Studio B."

Great.

I thank her and gather my things.

Studio B is on the other side of the building, tucked away with soundproof walls and dramatic lighting. Marcus stands near the backdrop, his arms crossed, something small in his hand.

He looks up when he hears me. "Thanks for coming."

I step inside. "What’s going on?"

He takes a breath. "Here," he says and opens his palm.

On his palm, I see something sparkly and green, shaped like a broccoli of all things.

I narrow my eyes. "Is this the earring in question?"

Marcus gives a sheepish shrug. "Yeah. Weird, right? Who wears broccoli-shaped earrings?"

I stare at it, stunned into silence for a moment before a laugh bubbles up. "That’s definitely Rebecca’s. She has a thing for vegetable shaped earrings. Pretty sure I saw her wear banana earrings in my sister in law’s baby shower."

A small smile pulls at Marcus’s mouth. "Figures."

"So... you called me here to give it back to me?" I ask, folding my arms.

His smile drops. "No. I’m not giving it back to you. I’m just showing you so you don’t think I made it up about the earring. Now, can I have her address?"

I stare at him for a long moment, amazed by the twinge of desperation in his voice. "Fine, but don’t do anything crazy."