Chapter Eight: Hearts and Flames

The sun's rays peeked through the yellow curtains, casting a warm, golden glow across the room. Kat lay there, trying to resist the pull of sleep. She didn’t want to give in, didn’t want to accept that she’d agreed to live in the same house as Levi.

A soft knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She sluggishly turned to the other side of the bed, her eyelids too heavy to open. The comfort of finally giving in to sleep was too satisfying.

“Kathleen?” His voice came from behind the door.

Kat groaned, muttering under her breath as she forced her eyes open. The sunlight felt too bright now, piercing through the remnants of sleep.

“Kathleen?” Levi called again, this time knocking a little harder. “It’s time for breakfast, and you haven’t been out of bed.”

She glanced at her phone. 10:33 a.m. It wasn’t even the weekend. Luckily they would be working from home so she would have enough time to come back to sleep.

“I’ll be out in a minute,” she responded, her voice hoarse from sleep.

She knew if she stayed silent any longer, he’d kick the door down, and that was the last thing she wanted—especially since she was only wearing a top and panties. Kat wasn’t the type to wear long pajamas to bed. She liked to keep it small, and tonight was no exception.

When she finally got to the table, Levi greeted her with a cool smile. It was that smile that made him look unusually cute, and she hated how it caught her off guard.

“Morning,” Kat mumbled, avoiding his gaze as she quickly took a seat at the table.

“I decided to wait for you for breakfast,” Levi said, his voice casual, as if it was no big deal.

“Oh… thanks. But you shouldn’t have. I usually eat late,” Kat replied, feeling awkward under his gaze.

“Why?” Levi asked, his eyes curious.

Their eyes met briefly, and Kat quickly looked away, focusing on her food. She didn’t owe him an explanation on how she ate.

They ate in silence, the only sound the careful clattering of cutlery. The food was probably prepared by his housekeeper, though Kat hadn’t seen anyone else in the mansion since she arrived yesterday.

She couldn’t help but wonder about Levi’s life here. Did he have a girlfriend or fiancée? There was no way he’d stayed single for five years, not with that face and body.

She stole a few glances at him, watching as he ate while reading a book. His silver hair fell loosely forward, partially covering his face from her angle. She could see the veins in his hands as he held the spoon, bringing it to his lips with a casual ease.

Was she actually fantasizing about him now?

No, never! Not with him.

“You’ve been staring,” Levi said, looking up and catching her in the act.

Although there was some distance between them, Kat felt a tingling sensation as his eyes locked onto hers—like he was looking deep into her soul.

“Well, I…” she stammered, searching for the right words to not sound awkward. “I was just wondering if you live alone in this gigantic house.”

“Shit! What’s wrong with you, Kat? It’s none of your business!” She quickly took a sip of water, trying to drown the guilt eating away at her.

“Yes, I do,” Levi replied simply, returning his attention to his food.

“So, no girlfriend? Just you alone in this…” she gestured, spreading her arms wide, “huge house?”

“Fiancée?” she added, her curiosity getting the best of her.

Levi laughed—a deep, hearty laugh that echoed across the room. It was probably the first time Kat had heard him laugh like that in a long time.

“Are you Dracula or something? There should be someone who comes to keep you company,” Kat continued, trying to sound lighthearted. “It’s not like she has to live with you or anything…”

“I do,” Levi said again, causing Kat to stop eating.

Her heart sank. So there was someone. For some reason, the thought hurt more than she expected. Anger mixed with that hurt, but she couldn’t quite understand why.

Of course he’d moved on. He was a man—moving on wasn’t hard for him. He had the looks, the money, the charisma to sweep any woman off her feet. It was easy for him.

But Kat? She was different. A chubby, brown-haired girl still holding on to her first love. She didn’t have the kind of stunning looks that would have men lining up at her door. Instead, she was the one who got catfished, the one who almost got assaulted, the one men only wanted for sex, no matter how polished or composed they pretended to be.

And she had waited. Waited like a fool, thinking he’d come back. Imagining him apologizing over and over, without even knowing why he left in the first place. And now, he has moved on.

“Oh,” she managed to say, her voice barely concealing the hurt she felt.

She’d been stupid. What was she thinking, bringing up that conversation as if they were friends?

“That’s lovely,” she added, forcing a smile that felt painfully fake. “At least it’s good to know you’re not alone.”

“Idiot,” she cursed herself silently, trying to push away the pain gnawing at her heart.

Before Levi could respond, she stood up abruptly, wiping her hands with the napkin. Her movements were sharp, almost frantic, as if she needed to escape the situation.

“We should get to work,” she said quickly, her voice a bit too high-pitched. “I’ll go grab my laptop.”

Without waiting for his reply, Kat walked out of the dining room, her heart pounding in her chest. The coolness of the hallway felt like a relief against her flushed skin, but it did nothing to ease the turmoil inside her.

She was here to work, not to get all cute and cuddly with him. But no matter how hard she tried, the reality that he was seeing someone kept gnawing at her. A strange anger bubbled up inside her, mixing with the hurt and confusion. What was wrong with her? Why did it matter so much?

By the time she returned with her laptop, she’d managed to push the feelings down—at least enough to focus. Levi was already in the study, seated at the large wooden desk with his own laptop open in front of him. He looked up when she entered, giving her a brief nod.

“Let’s start with the app development,” Levi said, his voice steady and businesslike. “We need to refine the functionality before we move on to the design. I’ve outlined some key features that Freya is looking for, but we’ll need to brainstorm on the user interface.”

Kat nodded, trying to concentrate on his words. She opened her laptop, her fingers hovering over the keyboard as she listened. But her mind kept drifting back to the conversation they’d just had. The thought of him with someone else gnawed at her, making it hard to focus.

“Kat?” Levi’s voice broke through her thoughts.

“Yeah, I’m here,” she said quickly, shaking her head as if to clear it. “You were saying something about the interface?”

Levi gave her a curious look but continued. “We need to design something sleek, intuitive. The users should be able to navigate easily without too much guidance. Think about clean lines, a minimalist approach. Freya wants something that feels both modern and timeless.”

Kat nodded, trying to picture the design in her head. She thought about colors, layouts, and user experience, but the image kept blurring, overshadowed by the nagging thought of him with someone else.

“How did you two meet?” The words slipped out before she could stop them.

Levi paused, his fingers hovering over the keyboard as he looked up at her in confusion. His eyebrows furrowed slightly, as if trying to make sense of the sudden question.

“What?” he asked, his voice tinged with surprise.

Kat’s face flushed with embarrassment. She hadn’t meant to ask that, especially not in the middle of a work discussion. But now that it was out there, she couldn’t take it back.

“How did you and… the person you’re seeing meet?” she clarified, her voice soft, almost hesitant.

For a moment, there was silence. Levi just stared at her, his expression unreadable. The air between them felt thick with tension, and Kat wished she could disappear, regretting her impulsive question. But she couldn’t take her eyes off him, waiting for his answer even though she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear it.