Gambit

"Seeing as you answered on the first ring, you opened my package."

Clara held the call and looked up to her assistant whose bubbly mood had dissipated on seeing the expression in her boss' eyes.

"A moment please, I need to take this in private."

"Oh...sure!" Jessica muttered with a polite smile and breezed out of her office the next minute, the doors sliding shut after her.

Then Clara sucked in a deep breath and tapped the screen, turning around in her seat to face the drawn curtains, her mood pensive.

"Viscount, why go through that much trouble?" She was forcing herself to remain calm despite the inner turmoil clashing in her head. Her fingers were gripped tightly to the phone, so much that her veins popped out of her skinny palm.

The bastard at the other end of the phone chuckled, a deep guttural laughter which crawled like worms into her skin. She hated him for all he was worth.

"Maybe it's because I've missed you. Come on, you wouldn't have answered this call if I hadn'