BLACKMAILED BY THE BILLIONAIRE

Chapter 8: The Calm Before the Storm

Chapter 8: The Calm Before the Storm

Waking up late was unusual for me, a clear sign I was off my usual game, probably thanks to the mental gymnastics from last night's encounter with Harry. With him, it's like living with a storm cloud; one minute it's all thunder and lightning, and the next, there's an unexpected break of sunlight. After the rollercoaster he put me through yesterday—jerk one moment, surprisingly kind the next, then snapping back to harshness—I was honestly dreading what today would bring.

After rousing myself, I headed to the bathroom for a shower, letting the warm water wash away the remnants of last night's confusion. Wrapped in a towel, I found an outfit laid out for me, courtesy of the housekeeper. The thought that Harry might have been involved in selecting my intimates caused a momentary pause; the idea was unsettling, yet the pieces fit perfectly, a detail that didn't escape my notice or my discomfort.

Slipping into the leggings and crop top provided, I couldn't help but admire the fit in the mirror. The leggings hugged my curves in all the right places, and the crop top added just the right amount of allure. It was an outfit that made me feel unexpectedly confident, even sexy. 'I need to know where these came from,' I mused, already planning to stock up on these leggings in every color available.

Dressed and somewhat more composed, I descended the stairs, bracing myself for the day ahead. The uncertainty of which version of Harry I would encounter—whether the storm or the calm—loomed large in my mind.

As I made my way downstairs, I was mentally preparing for whichever version of Harry I'd be facing.

Entering the room, the atmosphere felt charged. Harry's eyes caught mine immediately, with an intensity that made my heart skip a beat. The room was alive with the sound of guests, but as he made his way over to me, their laughter and chatter seemed to fade into the background. "Bella," he said, and there was something in his voice, a warmth I wasn't expecting, that made me pause. "I was starting to fear you'd decided to hibernate the day away." He chuckled, and it was a sound that seemed too light, too carefree for someone as usually guarded as him.

"I made a point of not waking you up. You've been pushing yourself too hard lately," he continued, and there was a sincerity in his tone that threw me. "Take today to relax. We can pick up on the workload later tonight."

Hearing him speak like this, with genuine concern, felt so alien. It was as if I had stepped into an alternate reality. 'What the hell is going on?' I thought to myself, a mix of wariness and curiosity bubbling up inside me.

He looked almost...kind, standing there with a softness in his eyes that I hadn't seen before. The harsh, demanding Harry I had grown used to seemed to have taken a back seat, at least for the moment.

"So, I've invited some friends over today. You're welcome to join us if you feel like it, or were you hoping for a quiet day?" Harry asked, his inquiry seemingly casual but, coming from him, felt unexpectedly significant. The softness in his voice, so different from the commanding tones I was accustomed to, threw me off balance.

Caught completely off guard by this softer side of Harry, I found myself scrambling for the right words, my skepticism on full display. "Harry, are you... okay? This isn't like you," I blurted out, the disbelief evident in my voice. It was hard to reconcile this caring figure with the demanding, often abrasive boss I'd come to know.

Harry's confusion at my question only deepened my bewilderment. When I explained, highlighting the drastic shift from his usual greeting—a concoction of demands and critiques to this unfamiliar warmth—he simply chuckled. "What do you mean? What makes you think I'm not okay?" His smile, so uncharacteristic of our usual interactions, made me question the reality of the moment.