Blurred Lines 1: CHASE
Chapter 39

~Sofia~

The ringing of my office phone breaks through LANY's playlist on a loop from Spotify, startling me. I peered at the time on my wristwatch. Six fifteen. Damn. Time drifts quickly when you have a lot on your mind indeed. I lift the handheld phone to my ears.

"Are you avoiding me?" I sat straight at Chase's accusing tone. "No..." I said quickly, a total lie.

We haven't seen each other since the weekend. He headed back to Fortaleza on Monday morning to oversee the damage at the plantation caused by the storm. I am grateful for the distance it put between us because whether or not I admit it, what happened between us definitely influences my job.

"Liar," he said, sighing. "You haven't answered any of my messages and calls."

"I answered your emails," I state in defense. Since yesterday, he has sent me a couple of messages of sweet nothings. Asking how my day was or if I had eaten my breakfast. I ignored all of it. It's a breath of fresh air, knowing Chase can be sweet if he wants to be, but this is wrong. So wrong on so many levels.

"So that's how it's gonna be, huh?" sarcasm laced his tore.

I'm glad we are not having this conversation face-to-face, I stand by the floor to ceiling glass wall, facing the horizon. The sky is calm. Remnants of the storm cannot be seen anymore, a contrast to the turmoil in my head.

This is what I am afraid of, losing hold of what truly matters. I accepted this job to have distance from my ex-fiance, and now I have tangled myself with my client. Work is the only thing I am sure of, and I even manage to mess that up. Everything in my life is just blurry.

I pinched my eyes closed. "What should it be, Chase?" I ask, choking on my words.

I've made up my mind and think better about this situation. This cannot go further. I did not just cross the line with my client, Chase and I freaking erased it. "Alright, Sofia," Chase murmurs calmly. The underlying threat in his tone made me shiver. "If that's what you want."

Friday came, the day for Chase's interview for The Rio Bulletin.

Chase will come straight from the airport. We use one of the conference rooms. The team from the magazine has been busy since morning. They set up the couch and table for the interview together with lighting and camera for documentation. We have our own team working with them. This will be up on our website and Chase's social media accounts within the day.

The interview is at three in the afternoon. I've been anxious since morning that I even skipped lunch. The nagging feeling in my belly about seeing Chase again was damn hard to ignore. I dread the moment I would see him. He didn't reach out to me yesterday. No good morning text, good night, no nothing. I have to admit. I waited for them. It's crazy how much Chase is already affecting me.

Hillary Lopes will do the interview. She is a seasoned writer from The Rio Bulletin, sharp looking in her cream-colored bodycon. Her dark hair was tied in a high ponytail, showcasing her sharp jawlines.

"All set?" I ask Hillary. She lifts her eyes from his iPad, flashing a gorgeous smile.

"Yeah," she said, peering at her watch. "Again, thank you for allowing us the honor of having this interview. You don't know how long we've been courting his assistant for one."

I smile. "Mr. Montiero is a busy man."

Although unconvinced, Hillary nods. "This will be good for the magazine and my career," she laughed, shaking her head. "My colleagues are already jealous of me, you know."

"Yeah?" I ask, brows creased. I wonder why they'd be jealous of one interview.

She chuckles. "We all wanted a one-on-one with him," she wiggled her brows knowingly. The innuendo in her tone didn't sit well with me, but i giggled with her either way. Our laugh filled the conference, just in time for

Chase to walk into the room with Rafael behind him. The buzz inside the room died down.

I froze on the spot, my heart stuttering. He looks incredibly hot in a leather jacket and jeans. Beneath it was a gray Henley. Hillary let out a girlish squeal, surprising me She sounded like a fangirl, meeting her celebrity crush for the first time.

I couldn't blame her. Almost all females on her team are drooling over Chase.

Chase scanned the room, and his eyes found mine, narrowing to slits. I swallowed hard, ready to smile at him, but he immediately averted his gaze, not even acknowledging my presence.

Mich was instantly on his side, handing over a paper, which I assume were the questions Hillary prepared.

"My God," Hillary fanned her face dramatically. "Do I look okay?" She turned to me.

I forced a smile, giving her a once-over. "You look beautiful."

She chewed her lip. "I have a massive crush on him. I hope I can do this interview without fainting."

I giggled. "Get it together. He's coming over."

Hillary's brown eyes widened, but she composed herself and turned to face the approaching Chase with Mich on his side. Mich did the introduction. Some sentences are incomplete if you are not reading this novel on FindNovel.net. Visit FindNovel.net to read the complete chapters for free. While Hillary was giving Chase an overview of the interview flow, I was waiting for him to throw me a glance... just one, but he never did. It's like I was invisible in his eyes.

Throughout the interview, I endured seeing Chase smile and talk with Hillary. Hillary kept it as professional as she could, but there were moments when she reached over and touched his arms and legs. I told myself it was just part of the interview. She had to be friendly with him to get to know him and make him feel comfortable sharing personal experiences about his career. That was the entire purpose of this interview in the first place.

"You okay?" Rafael nudged my shoulder, holding a bottle of beer.

"You're drinking. It's still office hours," I snapped.

"Who twisted your panties?" he brushed off my comment, throwing an arm over my shoulder. "Tell me, Sunshine. How would you feel if Chase took home that Hillary chick? She's his type, you know. Pretty, hot, and willing." Chase chuckled at what Hillary said, the people around them chuckling as well. It's like everyone was having a good time apart from me, and I don't understand why.

My mood took a tailspin. I removed Rafael's hold on me and walked out of the room, almost colliding with

Mich.

"You okay?" She asks, eyes worriedly traipsing over my face.

"Fine," I grumbled, skirting past her.

"Okay..." she murmurs. I walked on, but she called my name. "Andre is in the waiting area."

Great. Just great. I don't want to talk to anyone right now. I planned to hide in my office until this interview was done so I could go home.

"Hey," Andre stood the moment he saw me round the corner of the waiting area. He held a bouquet of red roses, offering it to me. "Is everything okay?" he asked.

I hate how perceptive he is.

I took a calming breath. "Just work stuff," I reasoned. "What's up?" I forced a smile.

A blush spread on his cheek. Looking down at his boots, he massaged the back of his neck. "I want to ask you out, but it seems this is not a good time."

"Oh..." I chewed my lip, contemplating. Rafael's words still linger in my ears. If Chase is taking Hillary home, then I can have fun myself. It's Friday night, after all. "Does your plan include vodka cranberry?"