The Billionaire Recluse & The girl who stayed.

Inconvenience.

~ Jasper ~

I paced the length of my office, tension building with every step.

"What do you mean you can't find her?" I asked, my voice sharper than intended—but still controlled.

Lilly stood near the desk, visibly shaken.

"She didn't turn up this morning," she said. "I thought she might have gone home after last night... I didn't think it was anything serious."

I exhaled slowly, dragging a hand through my hair.

This wasn't like Lexi.

She hadn't struck me as careless.

Or unreliable.

Something was off.

And I didn't like not knowing what.

"Have you called her?" I asked.

"No answer," Lilly replied. "Straight to voicemail."

Silence stretched between us.

Uncomfortable.

Unsettling.

I turned away, resting my hands on the edge of the desk.

This was exactly why I avoided people.

They introduced variables.

Uncertainty.

Disruption.

And now—

This.

"We'll send Paul," Lilly said gently. "He'll check her apartment. It's probably nothing."

Probably.

I didn't deal in "probably".

"Fine," I said after a moment. "Send him."

I straightened, my tone shifting back to something colder. More controlled.

"And suspend all further dealings with John Oaks."

Lilly frowned slightly.

"Jasper—"

"Until we know what happened," I clarified. "I don't like the way that man conducts himself."

That much was true.

His behaviour at dinner—

From what I'd heard—

Was enough to put me on edge.

Not enough to act on.

But enough to note.

"I'll handle it," Lilly said.

I nodded once.

"Keep me informed."

She hesitated before leaving the room.

And just like that—

I was alone again.

—

I tried to work.

Tried to focus on contracts, emails, anything that required logic instead of instinct.

But my attention kept drifting.

Back to her.

Lexi Dover.

The way she carried herself.

Confident.

Composed.

Capable.