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Exhausted Housekeeper Fell Asleep In A Hotel Bathtub—Then The Billionaire CEO Walked In / Chapter 9 / 10

Chapter 9 - The Grand Gesture

Ten minutes later, the alarm was reset, and the false alarm cleared.

In the center of the bustling lobby, Victor stood searching the crowd, breathless and frantic. When he caught sight of a familiar dark ponytail directing guests near the concierge desk, he pushed through the crowd like a man possessed.

"Maria!"

She turned around, her jacket slightly rumpled, holding a clipboard she had borrowed from the front desk.

Victor didn't care about the cameras. He didn't care about the board members watching from the mezzanine. He walked right up to her, grabbed her by the shoulders, and pulled her into a fierce, desperate embrace right in the middle of the lobby.

"Don't ever do that again," he breathed into her hair, his voice cracking with raw emotion. "Don't ever walk out of my life again."

Maria’s breath hitched. She pulled back slightly to look into his eyes, seeing no corporate armor left—only pure, unadulterated relief and love.

"I thought I was just a distraction to you, Victor. A scandal for the morning papers."

"You are the only real thing in this entire building," Victor said loudly, ensuring half the lobby could hear every word. "I don't care about the board. I don't care about the tabloids. And I certainly don't care about what high society thinks. All I know is that my life was grey until a very stubborn, exhausted woman fell asleep in my bathtub and threw lemon soap at my chest."

The lobby fell completely silent, followed a second later by a collective, breathless gasp from the onlookers.

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"Only about you," Victor whispered before leaning down and kissing her right there in front of the world—deep, deliberate, and absolute.

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