Chapter 348:
She was still trying to process that realization when William stepped closer, his voice teasing. “What are you daydreaming about, Ms. Gilbert?”
Caught off guard by his sudden proximity, Stella instinctively backed up a step—or two.
Her gaze flicked down to his chest, and just like that, a memory flashed—that moment she’d seen him shirtless, fresh out of the shower.
Her mind went completely blank. And worse, her cheeks flared a telltale pink.
William’s lips curled into a knowing smile. “Feeling warm? You’re turning red.”
Flustered, Stella turned away, putting space between them.
“Mr. Briggs, are you here to work out or to distract people?”
He found her embarrassment amusing, like it was some sort of morning entertainment.
Still smirking, he climbed back on the treadmill and ran alongside her for forty minutes, not missing a beat.
Once their cardio was done, Stella moved on to weights. Ever since she started learning combat skills from Rita, she’d been working on building up her core strength. She focused on her form, blocking out everything—including William. Well, trying to, anyway. Because his presence was hard to ignore. Especially when the gym started to fill up.
More and more heads began to turn in his direction. A few women in skimpy workout gear started circling William like moths to a flame, whispering and nudging each other.
One of them—pretty, with a high ponytail and a pink sports bra—finally worked up the nerve. She strutted over with her phone in hand, all confidence and charm.
“Hey,” she smiled, “you train here often? Maybe we could work out together sometime?” She held out her phone, clearly expecting him to add his contact.
William gave her a brief glance, completely unfazed. His tone stayed flat, almost bored. “Sorry. My girlfriend’s watching. She gets jealous.”
Stella, a few feet away, mid-set with the dumbbells, nearly dropped one. Girlfriend?
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She glanced over, eyebrows raised, just in time to see the girl awkwardly retreat to her giggling friends.
Before Stella could say a word, William turned to her, placing a finger lightly to his lips. “Help me ward off the attention, will you? We’re friends, aren’t we?”
Stella opened her mouth, then shut it. She had a comeback ready—but what was the point? He wasn’t into women anyway. Helping him keep the gym bunnies off his back wasn’t a big deal.
From that moment on, every time a woman so much as glanced William’s way at the gym, Stella would flash a sweet—but deadly—smile and say, “Sorry, he’s taken. He’s my boyfriend.”
Just like that, what started as a normal workout quickly turned into Stella’s personal mission to fend off William’s growing fan club.
Two hours later, both of them were dripping with sweat as they left the gym together. Stella wiped her brow and sighed. She needed a shower.
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.
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