?Chapter 460:


    Didn’t he get you that painting you’ve always wanted for your birthday? He’s thoughtful.”


    Dexter paused at that. Yeah, that painting had really hit the mark.


    Sterion’s pieces were nearly impossible to find. William must’ve gone through a lot to track one down. He wasn’tpletely thoughtless.


    The next morning, the moment Ste stepped into theb, Sandra called out, “Sylvia, William wants you upstairs. He said only you know where to dig up some old project data.”


    Ste blinked. William was already here? That early?


    A little thrown off, she made her way upstairs and gave his office door a soft knock.


    “Come in,” came his low, familiar voice.


    She pushed the door open to find him by theb table, gloves on, focused on his work.


    “Oh, you’re here. The data from thepetition project is right over there. Go ahead and grab the sample set for me—make it quick.”


    William didn’t bother with small talk—he went straight to the point.


    “Alright,” Ste replied, walking over. “I’ll take it downstairs, sort through it, and bring it back.”


    “No need,” William said. “Use theputer here. Saves time.”


    He still didn’t nce her way. Ste decided not to argue and sat at his desk, pulling up the files.


    Thatpetition project was no joke—it took her the entire morning to sort through everything.


    By noon, she’d finally finishedpiling the data, printed the documents, and ced them on William’s desk.


    “Here’s everything. Do you need anything else?” she asked calmly.


    William finally peeled off his gloves and skimmed through the documents. He gave a satisfied nod. “Nicely done. Let’s grab lunch—I might need your helpter.”


    Ste didn’t mind helping with work. That was fine.


    But eating together? That was pushing it.


    “I’m good. I’ll eat downstairs,” she said quickly.


    With all the people in the cafeteria and those eagle-eyed gossip-mongers, it was risky. All it would take was one photo sent to Willow, and drama woulde knocking.


    William narrowed his eyes a little, lowering his voice. “You’ve got it wrong. It’s not like that with her.”


    “I know, I know.” Ste waved him off with a breezy smile. “You’re not into her. It’s just some business deal. You’re stuck ying groom, right?”


    William paused, clearly caught off guard. She wasn’t guessing—she was stating it like a fact.


    “How do you even know that? Who told you?”


    Ste gave him a look, then reached over and patted his shoulder like a friend consoling someone in denial. “William, please. I’ve known about your preferences for a long time. There’s no way you’re into women. Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.”


    William’s expression turned grim. Did Ste seriously still believe he liked men? The thought made his blood boil. He was trying hard to keep his cool, but his voice gave away his frustration. “Ste, who told you I’m into men?”


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