Desired by All and He Threw Away 73

Chapter 73 

Taylor’s POV 

The moment the call cuts off, the air shifts.its quiet for a heartbeat–then the office fills with low whispers that crawl across the room like static. 

keys clack unevenly chairs squeak as people pretend to keep working but no one really is.i can feel them watching me- the weight of it presses against my back until it burns 

Vanessa leans back in her chair arms folded a smirk curving on her red painted mouth. “so,” she says voice smooth and sharp enough to slice through the murmurs “was that your boyfriend Taylor? He sounds a lot like Aiden.” 

the words drop heavy into the silence that follows.a few coworkers snicker the kind of half suppressed laughs people give when they think they are being subtle.my pulse spike my mouth goes dry. 

i should say something. Anything. 

Except my throat locks up. 

for one dizzy second i almost blurt out the truth that it isnt like that that Aiden and i are nothing more than a deal sealed over contracts and staged smiles. but the thought alone tightens my chest. 

because i can still hear him. 

Sweetheart. 

That voice. Smooth, low, a little too real. 

I blink and remember the contract—our agreement, our fake relationship meant to make the public believe he’s the man worth betting on. I’m not supposed to contradict it. Not here. Not now. 

So I smile, small and forced, and pray my voice doesn’t crack. “Boyfriend?” I laugh lightly, like she just told a joke I half believe. “No, nothing like that. Just someone new I’ve been talking to.” 

I lift a shoulder, feigning casual indifference. “Guess he just happens to sound a little like Aiden.” 

A few heads nod, and the tension breaks. Someone chuckles. The conversation shifts to something else–weekend plans, a new marketing pitch–but Vanessa doesn’t move. 

Her scorn doesn’t fade either. 

she studies me for a long uncomfortable moment her eyes narrowing slightly like she is trying to read what i didnt say.then she tilts her head. “Sure,” she murmurs, low enough that only I hear. “Just a coincidence.” 

the way she says it makes my skin prickle. 

as soon as she turns back to her screen i exhale slowly a bit shaky and uneven.my fingers tremble when i look at my phone down on the desk its black screen reflecting the faint flush still high on my cheeks.i stare at it like it might bite. 

its over. Just a call. Part of the plan. That’s what I tell myself. 

But my body doesn’t buy it. 

my pulse still runs wild heat curling deep under my skin.i rub at the back of my neck hoping to ease the tightness there but it doesnt help.my thoughts are loud- too loud. 

He did it again. 

Chapar 

+25 Bonus 

Aiden Kincaid charming, impossible, reckless Aiden–just turned me into a prop in his carefully staged performance. And the worst part is… I played along. 

my hand brushes over the phone again fingers lingering near the edge as if touching it could somehow bring him back. 

i can still hear his voice the way it wrapped around my name the way he said ” sweetheart “like it belonged to him. The teasing warmth. The hint of something heavier beneath it. 

He really seems to been good at that. Hiding the truth behind that lazy confidence. 

The sound of laughter snaps me out of it–Vanessa again, chatting loudly with someone about a new campaign. Her laughter rings too high, too deliberate. I glance up, catching her looking at me through the reflection on her monitor. 

She’s watching. Waiting. 

I straighten, force my face into something calm, professional. ” you okay?” one of the interns asks quietly from across the room. 

“fine,” i lie my tone smooth as glass. “Just need some coffee.” 

i stand and cross the room my heels clicking softly against the tile the rhythm too fast too telling.at the coffee station, the machine hums and sputters, releasing a thin hiss of steam that smells faintly of burnt beans. 

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