Chapter 3: She Recognized Him!
“I think you have the wrong house,” Sarah said timidly before she tried to close the door in his face. William placed his foot between the door and the frame, stopping her from locking him out.
“I have the right house. I walked around it naked this morning… while you slept,” William said with a grin.
Sarah’s face became sour. “And what brings you here?”
“I already answered you.” He rolled his eyes. He pushed on the door, opening it wider before he pushed past her and into the house.
“Hey—”
“We had a lot to drink last night and then you barely got any sleep. You need food in you. You might collapse otherwise,” he said kindly. But Sarah knew that he was acting familiar and trying to insinuate that he had worn her out.
“I can make myself breakfast. Don’t you have to work?” she asked, glancing at the wall clock. Though it was early, surely this man needed to go to work. Even she had classes later in the day.
“I took a day off,” he said. William put the bag of food down on the kitchen island before moving to take a tall glass and put the flowers inside it.
Sarah finally knew she was up against a formidable opponent. “That usually means you are unemployed,” she said bitterly. While she didn’t mind sleeping with an unemployed man, she had a problem letting one into her house. Especially when this guy looked like he was looking for an apartment to squat in.
“I am an entrepreneur, Miss Mitch,” he said calmly.
Sarah froze. “How did you know my name?” she asked.
“Scared that I might be a stalker?” William raised his brow. When Sarah didn’t respond, he sighed. “I asked my secretary to find out if this apartment was secure. Women in their early twenties studying at university are the biggest target of violent crimes in our country.” He ratted off the information like he was doing her a favor.
“Unemployed and a creep,” she grumbled under her breath. “You know everything about me, but what about you? Who are you?” she asked. Her coffee had been long forgotten.
“For a girl doing her MBA, you sure have no clue what is happening in the business world,” he teased. He sat down on a chair and crossed his feet. Despite the rumpled state of his clothes, he looked every bit like a man of authority.
Sarah eyed him curiously. He had looked somewhat familiar in the club as well, but in the casual clothes, he looked nothing like when he was on the cover of magazines.
William Colton.
The name flashed in her head instantly. The elusive billionaire who would succeed his father in a few years. The same elusive billionaire whose company Sarah and most other business majors hoped to set foot into.
“So, you recognize me now,” William said smugly when he noticed the look of recognition on her face.
“I do, Mr. Colton. You are a busy man and I have a class to attend.” She took another glance at the clock. “You might be the boss at your company, but your father is still heading it. You shouldn’t disappoint him by running around town half-naked,” Sarah challenged.
She was feeling particularly cheeky because he irritated her with the familiarity and comfort of walking about her apartment.
William’s expression tightened and his eyes became slightly worse. “My father doesn’t own me. I do as I wish,” he said gruffly.
Sarah immediately realized that she had touched a sore spot.
William had been struggling with his father and his demands. The old man was going senile and demanding things from William that he couldn’t possibly fulfill. Something about marrying a woman who was already dead and honoring a contract with his best friend.
And while William was sure his father was growing old, he could do nothing but bow his head and listen; he might be capable, but his father would throw him out of the family if William didn’t do as he bid. Sarah had poked the one thing that bothered him. Coming from her, he hated it.
William cleared his throat after a moment of silence. “I just wanted to have breakfast. It seems Miss Mitch is busier than I am.” William leaned back against the couch. He had no intention of going into a battle that early in the morning. No matter what she did, he didn’t plan on letting her throw him out.
But he didn’t want her uncomfortable around him.
He pulled out his phone and dialed his assistant’s number. “Luca, get my suit for the day,” he said quickly before hanging up. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Without glancing at Sarah, William confidently opened the front door. On the other side, a man dressed cleanly, his hair slicked back, bid William good morning before handing him a coat bag.
“Call Mr. Dane and tell him I will meet him this morning,” William ordered confidently.
Luca, the secretary, looked confused for a split second before he nodded and took his leave. William, his boss, had cleared his schedule for the day, whistling and smiling like he had received excellent news. But now, he looked like he had swallowed a fly.
Luca knew he was in for a hard day.
William closed the door and walked past Sarah into her bathroom. Sarah’s mouth fell open as she watched him saunter in. She followed hot on his heels and barreled into the bathroom.
“You don’t need to rush if you want to see me change,” William commented with a glint in his eye.
“I didn’t mean to walk in!” she exclaimed.
William chuckled, his shoulders shaking as he fingered the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head. Sarah gasped, her hand latching over her mouth. She almost drooled at the sight of his abdomen. She was about to shake herself awake when she saw him flick the button off his pants.