Chapter 317: Evidence of Us

Jessica arrived at the restaurant earlier than everyone else. The streets outside were still grey and quiet, and the building itself had that hollow, waiting feeling that only existed before opening hours.

She let herself in through the back, changed into her uniform in the empty staff room, and made her way out to the dining area with a cloth in one hand and a grim determination in her chest.

She was halfway down the second row of chairs when the door opened behind her.

"I need coffee."

"Sorry, we’re not open yet, you’ll have to come back at—"

Jessica stopped, and her hand stopped too, flat on the back of a chair, the cloth hanging from her fingers.

She knew that voice. It wasn’t the voice of any ordinary staff.

Her heart kicked into overdrive, and she straightened slowly, very slowly, as if turning around too quickly might somehow make the situation worse.

When she finally turned, Kai was standing far too close. Close enough that she could see the faint shadow of stubble along his jaw, so close that she could have put a hand out and touched his chest without stretching.

"Good morning, Mr Mondragon," she managed, her voice coming out steadier than she felt. "I’m afraid we’re not open yet. The restaurant doesn’t start serving until eight."

Kai tilted his head, and his smile widened. "Then why are you here so early?"

"Because I came late yesterday." She swallowed. "And Gloria’s punishment is for me to come in early for the rest of the week and clean up before anyone arrives."

"I see." His eyes swept over the cloth in her hand, the slightly damp tables, the chairs still angled from the day before. "Very industrious. I admire that in a woman."

Jessica felt her face heat. She looked away, fixing her gaze on a point just past his shoulder. "Is there something else you need from me, sir? Because I should really get back to cleaning."

Kai’s smirk deepened into something that could only be described as wicked. "I need a whole lot from you, Jessica."

The flush spread from her cheeks down her neck. She did not respond immediately. She kept her eyes fixed on that same point past his shoulder, her jaw tight, her fingers curled around the cloth as though it might anchor her.

"Please don’t call me that." Her voice was quiet. "My name is Sidonie."

"Your name is Jessica." He said it simply, without drama, as though he were pointing out that the sky was blue. "But we can argue about that later. Right now, I’m here for something else."

She risked a glance at him. "What?"

He stretched out his hand in front of her, palm up, expectant.

When Jessica’s brows began to rise, he said, "Your phone."

Jessica stared at his hand. Then at his face. Her eyebrows rose. "Why do you need my phone?"

"Because we should exchange numbers." He said it as though this were the most natural thing in the world, as if Chairmen exchanged numbers with waitresses every day. "You have mine, I have yours. Simple."

"I don’t think that’s appropriate." She took a small step backwards, but the table behind her stopped her retreat. "Also, I don’t give my number to strange—"

He stepped closer, and before she could react, his hand dipped into the pocket of her apron.

Jessica gasped. "What are you—"

But Kai was faster than her. Far faster. He had her phone out of her apron pocket before she could finish the sentence, and before she could snatch it back, he was holding it up to her face. The screen lit up as Face ID recognised her, and the phone unlocked.

"Hey!" Jessica’s hand shot out, but Kai was already moving, tapping at the screen with his thumb, pulling out his own phone with the other hand. "You can’t just—this is—"

"There." He finished typing and glanced up at her with a grin so satisfied it made her want to throw something at him. "I’ve saved my number. And now I have yours."

He held up his own phone, where her contacts had just sent a call through. It rang once in his hand before going silent.

Jessica stared at him, her mouth open. "You—that’s—that’s stalking. That’s literally the definition of stalking."

Kai pocketed his phone and took a step closer. Then another. Jessica’s back met the edge of the table behind her, and she put a hand down on it to steady herself.

He did not stop until his body was nearly touching hers, and the nearness of him was overwhelming. The warmth. The height. The indescribable pull that made her want to run and stay frozen at the same time.

Blood roared in her ears, and something she couldn’t explain stirred in her. Her fingers tightened on the table, but the surface was slick from cleaning, and her hand wobbled dangerously.

His scent was so good it made her dizzy. Her grip slipped, and she would have fallen if Kai’s arms hadn’t wrapped around her in an instant, steadying her, catching her with ease.

"Careful," he murmured, his voice lower now, textured with something that made the flush return to her cheeks with a vengeance. "I can’t have you falling for me before I’ve even taken you to dinner."

Jessica swallowed hard. "I wasn’t falling for you. I slipped. On the table. Which is wet. Because I was cleaning."

"Of course." He held her for a moment longer, just long enough for her to feel the solid wall of his chest, before stepping back. "Can’t have a woman so dedicated she injures herself on company property."

Jessica took the opportunity to put some distance between them, crossing her arms over her chest. Her face was so hot now she was surprised steam wasn’t rising from her skin.

Kai watched her with open amusement. "I saved my number as your emergency contact," he said, as though this were simply another item on his morning agenda. "If you ever get into trouble, call me. Anytime. Day or night."

"Why would I do that?" She managed to lift her chin, summoning a scrap of defiance from somewhere deep inside. "You mean nothing to me. And I mean nothing to you either."

Kai’s smile did not waver. If anything, it grew. "Check your messages."

Jessica frowned. "What?"

"Your messages." He nodded toward the phone still clutched in her hand. "I sent you something."

For a long moment, she considered refusing. It would serve him right, she thought. But curiosity was already burning a hole in her chest, and the smug look on his face told her that he knew she would look.

She tapped on the messages.

The first thing she saw was a photograph. Then another. Then more.

They filled her screen like fragments of another life—a life she did not recognise. They were pictures, unmistakably her, though she could not remember a single moment of it. Her face was younger, brighter, split by a grin so wide it hurt to look at. Her hair was a wild tangle of ginger curls. And beside her, in every photo, was Kai.

In one, she was dressed in a flowing white gown, one hand raised to show off a ring that sparkled even through the screen. An engagement ring. In the next, taken very close, both their faces were jammed into frame, chocolate smeared across her cheek and his chin, her eyes squeezed shut with laughter.

Her throat went tight.

"That’s us together," Kai said quietly. His voice had lost its teasing edge now, and the shift was so sudden it made Jessica’s chest ache. "I don’t know what happened to you, or why you can’t remember, but I will find out. And until then, I need you to know something."

He paused, and his eyes were intense and certain. "You mean everything to me. And I’m going to keep showing you that."

Jessica could not move. She stared at the photos, at the face that was hers and not hers, and the floor beneath her feet felt less solid than it had a moment ago.

But then the sound of footsteps outside the door broke the spell. Someone was coming.

"I need to work," she said quickly, her voice brittle. "You need to leave. People will talk if they see us together."

She turned away, meaning to put the table between them, but Kai’s hand caught her wrist. He drew her back toward him with one smooth motion.

She came round faster than she meant to and hit his chest, and then his arms were round her, one at her waist and one across her back, holding her in, and there was no getting out of it at all.

The rag fell from her fingers and hit the floor.

Her heart pounded so loudly that she could hear it in her ears.

"One more thing," he murmured, and his face was so close now that she could feel his breath whisper across her cheek. "Are you not attracted to me at all?"

Jessica’s voice vanished. Her throat worked, but no sound came out. She had to clear her throat to get it back.

"No," she lied. "Not remotely."

Kai laughed, low and delighted, and she felt it go through his chest and into hers.

"Your heart’s telling me something completely different."

Jessica opened her mouth to argue and discovered she had run out of material.

So she simply stood there, held against him, staring up at him with her heart hammering and her hands useless at her sides, unable to look away and unable to explain why.

The back door opened.

"Morning, Sidonie, I’ve brought the—oh."

Jessica shoved against his chest, trying to wriggle free, but Kai held her for one long, deliberate second before finally releasing her.

By the time Gloria finished stepping back from where she had come from, Jessica was already several feet away, her face flushed, her hands scrambling for the cloth she had dropped.

Kai, for his part, looked perfectly composed.

"Get ready this weekend," he said, as casually as if he were commenting on the weather. "I’m taking you somewhere. There are some people I’d like you to meet."

Jessica’s head snapped up. "I’m not—"

But he was already walking away, his hands in his pockets, his stride unhurried, and he did not look back.

Jessica stood in the middle of the restaurant with a phone in one hand, a rag in the other, and absolutely no idea what had just happened to her.