Playing Fire with My Ice-King BOSS: V-Card for One Night, Ring Forever - Chapter 9: Chapter 9

Isabelle's POV
At lunch in the cafeteria.
"Hey, did you check the company Slack?" Taylor asked, setting down her salad across from me.
"Nope, can't be bothered." My completely unbothered expression seemed to blow Taylor's mind.
"God, I wish I had half your chill when dealing with workplace drama." She started attacking her Caesar salad with enthusiasm. "So turns out those portfolios on your desk? It was Emma, that new intern, who put them there by mistake. She was out sick that day and probably just got confused about where everything goes."
"Makes sense."
I could tell most people had stopped shooting me suspicious looks, but they were still keeping their distance like I had some kind of contagious drama disease.
"By the way, did Mr. Ice King tear you a new one upstairs? You looked like you'd been hit by a truck when you came back down."
Taylor never knew when to stop talking.
"Getting lectured by him wouldn't be surprising. Dude's got permanent resting bitch face," I muttered.
Taylor leaned in like she was sharing state secrets. "Actually, he never loses his temper with anyone."
"Seriously? Sounds like you've got it bad for that pretty face of his. That's pretty superficial, don't you think?"
I was about to take another bite of my sandwich when I looked up and saw Jeremiah walking over with his lunch—some fancy-looking grain bowl.
I quickly kicked Taylor under the table to shut her up and flashed my brightest fake smile. "Afternoon, Mr. Winslet!"
Acting like this morning's sexual tension-filled encounter had never happened.
Taylor nearly choked on her lettuce and suddenly became very interested in her food.
"Afternoon."
He didn't even glance in my direction, just sat at a table by the windows and started discussing quarterly reports with Gordon.
"Think he heard us talking shit?" Taylor whispered nervously.
"Probably not. A little boss-bashing never hurt anyone," I said with a shrug, though my heart was still racing from being in the same room as him.
When 5 PM finally rolled around, I practically sprinted home to execute phase one of my revenge plan.
I slipped into the most stunning red dress I owned—the kind that hugged every curve and made men forget their own names. Spent an hour on my makeup until I looked like I belonged on a magazine cover.
Then I drove straight to Conrad's government building and parked my car in the most conspicuous spot possible.
As employees started streaming out for the day, every single one of them stopped to stare at the knockout in the red dress leaning against the BMW.
Perfect. This was exactly the kind of attention I wanted.
Conrad, the arrogant asshole, strolled out of the building like he owned the place, completely oblivious that he was about to walk straight into my carefully laid trap.
The second he spotted me, his jaw literally dropped. He'd never seen me like this—I usually kept things pretty casual, jeans and sweaters kind of girl. But tonight I looked like pure sex appeal, and I knew it.
"Hey baby."
I was being uncharacteristically aggressive, sauntering right up to him in front of his entire office and wrapping my arms around his neck.
Conrad looked like he'd been struck by lightning.
The old Isabelle would never pull a stunt like this. We'd always kept things pretty PG in public—maybe holding hands, a quick peck on the cheek. This level of public display was completely out of character.
"This is absolutely revolting," I thought while pressing my body against his.
But when you're dealing with a lying, cheating piece of shit, sometimes you have to play just as dirty to get your satisfaction.
Conrad was looking down at me with that disgustingly smitten expression, eating up every second of this unexpected attention.
I could feel dozens of eyes on us from his coworkers still filing out of the building.
"Come on, let's go grab dinner somewhere nice," I purred, running my fingers along his tie.
I smiled that fake-as-hell smile and grabbed his hand with exaggerated affection.
"Sounds perfect."
Conrad was treating me like some delicate princess, opening my car door and even buckling my seatbelt before walking around to the driver's side.
The second he wasn't looking, I discreetly wiped my hands with a tissue, trying to get rid of any trace of his touch.
"I made reservations at Le Jardin des Goûts. That work for you?"
Conrad came from serious money, and Le Jardin was his usual haunt—the kind of place where dinner easily ran a thousand per person.
Normally I'd insist we go somewhere more reasonable, but tonight? Fuck it. I was about to bleed this cheating asshole dry.
"That sounds amazing."
I flashed him my sweetest, most adoring smile.
Le Jardin des Goûts
I went absolutely wild with the menu—Wagyu beef, lobster thermidor, truffle risotto, the works. Plus a bottle of 1982 Château Margaux that cost more than most people's rent.
If I was going to play this game, I was going all out. Time to make this bastard pay—literally.
Conrad didn't even blink at the astronomical bill. Money was never an issue for him, especially when it came to spoiling me.
Which just made this whole charade even more nauseating. The more he doted on me, the more I wanted to throw up.
We'd barely ordered when Conrad's phone started buzzing. Probably daddy dearest calling about my little PDA performance outside his office.
"Babe, I need to take this real quick."
Conrad nervously flipped his phone face-down, clearly not wanting me to see who was calling.
"Of course, honey."
I gave him such a sultry smile that the poor idiot actually blushed.
The moment he stepped away, I dropped the lovesick act and nearly choked on my wine when I spotted a familiar figure across the restaurant.
Jeremiah fucking Winslet.
What were the odds?
I quickly looked away, my hands trembling as I reached for my water glass.
Why did I feel so guilty? I wasn't doing anything wrong... technically.
I snuck another glance and realized he was staring right at me. And sitting across from him was some gorgeous brunette who looked like she'd stepped off a runway.
So the ice king did date. Interesting.
When the woman noticed Jeremiah's attention was elsewhere, she turned to see what he was looking at. I immediately buried my face in the menu.
"This is so fucking embarrassing," I muttered under my breath.
"Jeremiah, what are you looking at?" the woman asked, her voice carrying that sultry, sophisticated tone that probably made men weak in the knees.
"Nothing important," he replied, finally tearing his gaze away and clinking glasses with his date.
Conrad's phone call was definitely from his father. My little show outside his office building had probably sent shockwaves through their social circle, and I was betting the Miller family was applying pressure.
I propped my chin on my hand, staring out at the city lights, when my phone buzzed.
A message from Skye with a photo attachment: [Ultrasound image] I'm pregnant! ?
My phone nearly slipped from my shaking hands.
They were moving fast. The families would probably push for a quick engagement now that there was a baby involved.
No wonder Conrad was taking his calls in private. This was probably Skye on the phone right now, sharing the "good news."
I excused myself and practically ran to the bathroom, my composure finally cracking.
Even though I'd been expecting this betrayal, seeing the proof still felt like a knife to the chest. For a split second, I wanted to march back out there and tear Conrad's lying face off in front of everyone.
The bitter taste in my mouth spread through my entire body, turning into bone-deep pain and numbness. I dug my nails into my palms, using the physical pain to keep myself from completely falling apart.
What a perfect pair of scumbags.
After a few minutes of deep breathing and internal pep talks, I pulled myself together and walked out of the bathroom.
"Hey."
Jeremiah was leaning against the wall in the hallway, looking slightly unsteady on his feet.
His dark eyes were fixed on my face, and I could smell the alcohol on his breath when he spoke.
"Looked like you were about to murder someone in there. Need backup?"
His blunt observation caught me off guard, but somehow his dark humor was exactly what I needed.
"Nah, I've got this. I want to finish him off myself."
"Fair enough." Jeremiah pushed off the wall and walked away with slightly unsteady steps.
I let out a shaky breath, watching him disappear around the corner.
Gordon had probably witnessed this whole pathetic dinner theater from their table. Great. Now I was entertainment for my boss and his assistant.
Sometimes I really wanted to strangle Gordon and his big mouth.