Falling For My Accidental CEO Husband-Chapter 318: A Date

"What are you doing here?"

Sidney smiled as he stood at her doorstep, completely at ease, and raised the bags in his hands as if they explained everything. "I brought you something."

Ella frowned immediately. They had barely made contact. Barely crossed that invisible line between acknowledgment and involvement. And now he was here, unannounced and uninvited, standing right outside her door like this was normal.

Damn it. The problem was not that he was here. The problem was that for a split second, she had thought it was Delaney. That was the only reason she hadn’t checked the camera first. The only reason she had opened the door at all. She;d been waiting for him, to get further instructions.

Her annoyance sharpened at his easy look. This man was quite shameless. Sidney took a step forward, clearly intending to walk in as if he belonged there. Ella reacted instantly. She stepped into his path, blocking the doorway with her body, and raised an eyebrow slowly.

"I don’t remember asking for anything," she said coolly.

His smile didn’t fade. If anything, it turned faintly amused. "At least let me come in?" he said lightly. "For old times’ sake?"

Ella let out a slow breath through her nose.

"You coerced me into a breakfast meeting for old times’ sake," she said flatly. "And now this?" Her gaze hardened as she looked at him properly. "Sidney, did you forget that we don’t actually have any good memories you can rely on when you say ’old times’ sake’?"

For the first time since he arrived, his expression flickered even if it was just for a moment. But then, he pasted a smile on his face as he said," That’s exactly why I’m trying to make it up to you. Come on. Let me in. Please?"

Ella held his gaze for another second. Then she stepped aside.

It wasn’t an invitation. Not really. It was a concession. After all, her mission required her to get close to the lead and ultimately the organisation behind them.

As expected, Sidney didn’t hesitate. He was probably just as in a hurry to get a handle on her as she was on him. After all, she was needed by them... Their perfect scapegoat for the future. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

But the way he walked past her with an ease made her jaw tighten, as if he’d known all along that she would move. The faint scent of his cologne lingered in the narrow space between them as he crossed the threshold, his shoulder nearly brushing hers. He didn’t touch her. That, she suspected, was deliberate. In order to entice her it was a calculated move.

Ella reached for the door to close it. Her fingers had just wrapped around the handle when something made her pause.

A presence. She looked up—and her breath caught.

Across the door, a man stood half in shadow. Still. Watching. The light from the outside cut across his face just enough for her to recognise him.

Delaney.

Her heart stuttered, a sharp, traitorous beat that threw her off balance for a split second. Her hand tightened on the handle as her eyes locked with his. He had come. And he had seen Sidney coming in...

The thought hit her all at once. Would he misunderstand? Would he think she had invited him? That she had been careless. Or worse—that she had wanted this and she still believed him to be innocent?

Her pulse thudded in her ears. She wanted to tell him that she was only doing this for the mission and she really did not believe that Sidney was innocent but now was not the time.

For a moment, Delaney’s expression gave nothing away. His face was calm, composed, professional. The handler, not the man. The distance between them suddenly felt far greater than the few metres of hallway that separated them.

Then, slowly, he nodded. And she breathed a sigh of relief. He still trusted her...

Ella’s fingers curled slowly into a fist as she finally closed the door, the soft click of the lock sounding far too loud in the sudden quiet of the apartment.

Her chest felt tight.

She stood there for a moment longer than necessary, staring at the door as if she could still see him through it. As if she could rewind the last few seconds and do something differently.

Professional relationship, she reminded herself firmly.

That was all it was. That was all it could be.

He was her handler. The one who had planned this operation. The one who had trained her, protected her, watched her back from the shadows. Feelings—whatever they were—had no place here.

And yet...

Her hands clenched again, nails biting into her palm. The thought came unbidden, soft and dangerous.

She wanted more.

The realisation unsettled her more than Sidney’s presence ever could.

No.

She shook her head once, sharply, as if that could dislodge the thought. Now was not the time. This was not the place. She had a job to do, and any distraction—especially one like that—could get her killed.

She turned around. Sidney was already inside, standing in the middle of her living room, looking around with interest that felt far too intimate. He took in the space slowly, his gaze lingering on details he had no right to notice.

"Nice place," he said casually.

Ella schooled her expression and walked past him, putting distance between them again. "Don’t get comfortable," she said coolly. "You’re not staying long."

He smiled, unfazed, and set the bags down on the kitchen counter. "I wouldn’t dream of overstaying my welcome. Here, I hope you havent eaten dinner yet. I got us some takeout and a movie..."

Ella narrowed her eyes," Still presumptious. What makes you think I want to eat the takeout you brought and watch a movie with you?"

He smiled then and walked closer to her," Well, we could do some other more interesting things... if you like... Let me show you..."

As he leaned closer to her, Ella stiffened.