I’m standing there in a mini and a T-shirt.
Caleb nervously adjusts his collar.
His fingers — sharper than needed.
His gaze flicks… then snaps back up.
Right…
Now I’m in a pencil skirt and a top.
He stares straight at my boobs.
…
“Maybe… trousers?”
“But you don’t wear those?!” — Hades stares at me.
God… then what?
I start thinking.
“My dear, a burqa would suit him perfectly,” — Hades and Mushu are already doubling over laughing.
“Yeah, yeah, cover everything, just leave the eyes. God forbid anyone notices you actually have tits.”
“Pahaha—”
“Come on, babe, go with white — full ghost mode.”
“Ooooh, a ghost, ooooh a ghost.”
“Idiots.”
I put on a sheath dress.
Caleb licks his lips and reaches for me—
then pulls himself back.
Right…
I look at my wardrobe.
God, what do I even wear so this doesn’t drive him insane?
Oh… oh, that’s it.
I put on a fluffy dress.
Just above the knee.
Soft pink.
I pin a pink bow into my hair.
Gold heels on my feet.
“What do you think?”
I spin.
Caleb gives a predatory smile.
Then he forcefully starts loosening his tie.
“Oh my God! We’re going to be late, Caleb!”
“They’ll wait.”
I tremble under the force of his presence.
Caleb takes off his jacket…

My office.
I walk down the corridor, glowing.
The guys are sitting outside my office.
I smile.
“Hi, boys.”
I lean in to kiss Clark on the cheek—
Caleb grabs my wrist with an iron grip.
“Uh… okay…”
“Go ahead,” I smile.
Clark walks into the office.
“Well… um… thanks for the ride…”
Caleb — stone-faced.
I’m barely holding it together, it’s so funny.
Caleb is such a boy, such a teenager when he does this.
“I’ll sit here.”
“But Caleb, I don’t think—”
He sits down, straightens his jacket, settles in like it’s obvious he’s not leaving.
I hold back a laugh.
The session ends.
Then another one.
And another.
I’m exhausted.
But happy.
I love my work.
I love when my boys feel lighter… when they become happier.
Before leaving, I gently take Johnny’s hands in mine.
I tell him how proud I am of him.
Caleb clears his throat so sharply that Johnny suddenly remembers urgent business and bolts.
I pull my hands back.
Johnny retreats fast.
“Yeah… she’s on a leash, and her angry pitbull is everywhere,” — Hades comments.
I laugh.
Honestly… it’s true.
You don’t get far from Caleb.
“Caleb, darling, don’t you need to be at work?”
He lowers the newspaper.
“No.”
I drop my gaze so I don’t burst out laughing.
God… Caleb is such a grump.
Restaurant
“Are you going to have broccoli?”
“Uh… yeah, sure.”
The waiter approached.
I was about to speak—
but Caleb cut in immediately.
“Broccoli, fresh pomegranate juice, and—”
He looked at me.
I nodded.
“And a pizza.”
“Anything else, sir?”
“Black coffee.”
“And for the lady, sir?”
I lit up.
Everything except the coffee was already for me.
“She won’t burst anyway,” — Mushu muttered.
I blushed.
Hades pinched me.
“Someone could stand to lose a couple of folds already.”
I flushed even deeper.
I smiled at the waiter again.
He smiled back.
We shared a small laugh.
Caleb turned crimson.
Under the table, he kicked me.
“Ow.”
I rubbed my knee.
An awkward silence settled.
I started getting nervous, fiddling with my napkin.
“Caleb, darling… honestly, this isn’t funny anymore…”
He softened immediately.
Took a deep breath.
“My dear, I’m sorry. I really am.”
He gently took my hand.
At that moment, the waiter came back with water.
I smiled.
“Thank you so much.”
Caleb clenched my hand in anger.
“Ow—”
I pulled my hand away.
And burst into tears.
“That’s enough, Caleb!”
I stood up and walked to the restroom.
Five minutes later, Caleb came.
“Kitten…”
He knocked.
“My dear…”
“Go away, you awful, awful Caleb!”
He smiled.
“My little lamb, may I come in?”
I opened the door.
Arms crossed.
My pink dress spilling around me.
Lips puffed.
Even the bow had slipped.
“You’re mean! Mean, arrogant Caleb!
I’m not your colleague from work!
You damn jerk!”
Caleb crouched down.
Some woman nearby huffed in irritation.
“This is the ladies’ restroom!”
But Caleb, completely unfazed, stayed right where he was.
“Angel… why were you flirting with the waiter?”
I turned crimson.
“Me?! What?! I… was flirting?!
Caleb, are you out of your mind?!”
Caleb ran a hand through his hair, tense.
“My dear, why were you smiling at him?”
“Good-looking men are always a bit off,” — Hades muttered, tapping his temple.
“Ahhh!”
“Caleb, you’re unbelievable! I’m a kind person, I like to smile!
What, am I supposed to sit there looking like I hate the world?!”
Caleb lowered his gaze.
“You’re exhausting. You ruined the whole evening.
I’m leaving.”
— What is this, a train station? Why announce it?-Hades

Get lost!”


I stood up.
His hand started trembling again.
I took a deep breath.
“Right… there it is again.”
He quickly hid his hand.
“Yes, I saw it! Old habits again?!”
I moved to leave.
Caleb instinctively grabbed my elbow—
then immediately let go.
“Sorry, sorry, sorry, my dear…”
I softened.
“Caleb, stop these outbursts! I wasn’t flirting.
I would’ve smiled the same way at a female waiter.”
“Okay… okay…”
He kept his hands behind his back.
Jaw tight.
“Good Lord…”
“Sit.”
He sat.
I climbed onto his lap.
“See?”
I pointed at the mirror.
Caleb nodded.
“Do you think I’m beautiful?”
Caleb lowered his eyes and blushed.
I nearly melted from happiness — how did I, a mere mortal, manage to make such an important man blush?
Hades and Mushu popped imaginary champagne and started cheering.
All my inner voices danced, celebrating the victory.
“Ohhh, I can win too! Not always him!”
Caleb seemed to understand everything and patiently waited.
“You’re such an idiot,” — Hades muttered.
I smiled.
“You know what, darling?”
Caleb looked up.
I tried not to think about how, with flushed cheeks, he was even more attractive — if that was even possible.
“God, he’s beautiful,” — Ursula practically melted off her chair.
“No kidding,” — Pocahontas followed.
“Hey, girls, enough,” — I puffed up.
Caleb cleared his throat politely.
“Idiot,” — Hades again.
“Get lost.”
“Anyway…”
I continued.
“There are 15 tables in the room.
7 are occupied.
At 4 of them — women.
Staff — 13 girls.”
Caleb frowned, trying to follow.
“So… 17 women in total.”
He listened silently.
I glanced at the clock.
“We walked in at 19:24.
Now it’s 19:30.
In 6 minutes…
4 tables were watching you without looking away.
The waitresses kept wiping the same coffee machine over and over.
Guess who it’s convenient to watch from behind a coffee machine?”
Caleb’s eyebrows shot up.
“So… darling… if I start counting how many women—”
I adjusted a loose strand of his hair.
“I’ll lose my mind.”
“Darling…”
“Look at yourself in the mirror.
You are so handsome.
So, so handsome.”
Caleb smiled widely.
“My dear, you don’t even realize how handsome you are.”
“Have you noticed how our house staff
always pours you a double coffee?”
Caleb shook his head.
“She does it every time.
And I’m not even mentioning how they peek at you from the hallway.”
Caleb adjusted his collar.
“Yes, exactly. And imagine how it feels for me!
All the girls are into you.”
Caleb kissed my temple.
“My dear, you’re the best in the world.”
I beamed.
“Ready?”
“Yes.”
Caleb took my hand and we walked out.
I moved closer to him.
3… 2… 1…
And the waiters switched again, one by one, just to stare at Caleb.
Caleb laughed loudly.
I smiled, satisfied.
“See?!”
Still laughing, he kissed my temple.
Hades raised an eyebrow.
“Go on, girl, raise the stakes.”
I turned and kissed Caleb slowly.
He slid his fingers into my hair.
And behind his back, I quietly showed the waitresses my middle finger.
10:18 PM
I quietly slipped down the stairs.
If the kids find out, they’ll kill me.
I’m in a silk blouse, a silk top, and sandals.
“Miss—” a whisper.
“Hey…”
“Mr. Caleb is waiting for you.”
I lit up.
The door opened.
Caleb — so damn sharp in a black suit and black shirt — leaning against a dark blue Jaguar.
“Caleb!”
I ran into his arms.
Hades rolled his eyes.
“You haven’t seen each other for an hour.”
“Get lost.”
Caleb kissed me, and my knees went weak again.

Night
I curled closer to him.
Caleb was telling me how he started his business.
I smiled.
God… if he’s this hot now, he must’ve been even worse at 21.
“Yeah… you two already sleep together like five times a day, when does he even eat?” — Hades muttered.
I stuck my tongue out.
“Don’t be jealous.”
Caleb smiled.
“My dear, your voices again?”
I lowered my eyes.
“Mm-hmm.”
Hades rolled up his sleeves.
“What does he mean ‘your’? Does he have a problem with us or what?
Like he’s not a psycho himself.”
Caleb kissed my forehead.
I kept listening.
And listening.
Strange how Caleb speaks.
English always seemed like a simple language to me —
not one you use to carry depth.
But somehow… he manages.
The way he speaks pulls me in.
Sometimes I just freeze, listening to how he wraps a thought, an idea…
Aviation. Aircraft tires.
I smiled.
Such a strange business.
But Caleb smiles when he talks about it.
About how he and the guys pushed forward even when they were really young,
and how his father came down hard on him for all the “nonsense.”
Caleb looked up at the sky, almost dreamily.
“You know, my dear… I think if I had met you earlier, my life would’ve been completely different.”
I shrugged.
And blushed.
Thank God Caleb didn’t meet me earlier.
If he saw what I was like at 21, his eyes would’ve popped out of his head.
“Kitten, let’s take a walk,” Caleb pulled me out of my thoughts.
“Let’s.”
He helped me out—
and I jumped onto his shoulders.
“You know, I’ve been thinking about excavations… Ancient Egypt… the Greeks…
how they built their world, what filled their minds…
why they even did all of that…”
“Did what?”
Caleb went quiet for a moment, still walking.
“What drove them forward… why they needed to grow, to go further…”
Hades yawned.
“Yeah, the psycho’s a philosopher.”
I smiled softly.
“Why didn’t we talk like this before?”
Caleb shrugged.
He set me down.
Looked around to make sure no one was there—
and immediately pulled me in and started kissing me.
“Well… there’s your answer,” — Hades said.
I laughed.
“Caleb!”
He spread his hands.
“I held out as long as I could.”
“Idiot.”
I burst out laughing.
The next morning
I came downstairs for breakfast,
happy about the sunny day.
Today Logan and Roman are coming.
God, I’m so happy.
Yay, yay.
The whole family will be together.
My boys are coming.
Politicians, military, doctors…
The Jews and the Indians are already staying with us, so they’re always around.
The rest of the guys,
especially those coming from far away,
are taking their time.
Singapore.
China.
Honestly, all of Asia.
The Hollywood puppet masters.
The senators separately.
The guys with guns.
And the scientists.
Everyone is gathering today.
I jumped and spun, then leapt onto Caleb.
“Hi, darling!”
“Hello, angel.”
He kissed me softly.
I made puppy eyes.
“Pleeeease…”
Caleb spread his hands.
And I, smiling, ran off to kiss everyone.
Nate first.
I hugged him tightly
and kissed him on the cheek.
He whispered in my ear that he loved me very much
and was happy to see me glowing.
I told him I loved him too.
Then Jonathan.
Josh.
Aaron.
And then down the long list.
“My dear…”
Caleb cleared his throat.
I immediately dropped my energy.
I know that tone.
“I have to leave.”
He looked at Nate.
I followed his gaze.
“Nooo, come on, boys!”
I stomped my feet.
“My dear…”
Caleb turned serious, his tone shifting instantly.
“It’s not up for discussion.
We’re flying out at 10:00.”
“Okay…”
I started crying.
Caleb took me by the elbow.
“Come on.”
And we stepped outside.
“My little lamb…”
Caleb lifted my chin.
“Things aren’t good. I need to deal with the tax office.”
I nodded.
“My angel, just one week, and I’m yours again.”
I froze.
“A week?! Caleb, a week?!”
“Are you deaf?” — Hades snapped.
I shook my head.
“Get lost.”
Caleb nodded.
“But Caleb…”
I burst into tears.
“Oh my God, at least I can come with you?”
“No.”
“But why?!” I stomped like a child.
“I’ll come anyway.”
“No.”
“You jerk!”
And I ran off to the bedroom.
Caleb knocked.
“Angel…”
“What?!” I snapped angrily.
“My dear…”
He leaned against the doorframe.
“If you come, no one will be able to work.
The guys and I are going to handle business.
There’s nothing for you to do there.”
“God, is he some kind of action hero?” — Hades rolled his eyes.
“But Caleb—”
“I said no. That’s final.” Caleb’s voice dropped into a low growl.
“Ahhh!”
I stomped my foot.
“You’re awful! Mean! Rude!
You—you—aaah!”
Caleb rushed toward me and started kissing me.
“Idiot!” I pushed him.
Caleb held onto me even tighter.
I hit his arms.
He still didn’t let go.
I kept resisting.
He kept kissing me.
My resistance weakened.
My knees gave out.
God… the way he smells.
Someone kill me.
Then I’ll go to heaven and be with him forever.
Caleb’s hand slipped under my skirt.
I started losing my breath—
and then his watch beeped.
A timer.
Caleb immediately straightened up.
“Baby, I have to go.”
“What? No—no, Caleb, not right now—”
He adjusted his jacket and walked out.
I collapsed onto the bed.
When did this man become so serious…