11 
Chapter 27 
“Good, Alyssa replied, her mind already made up about renting her own place. What she was going to do next might tick off Sean and Hailey. Now that she ended up crashing at Cala’s, that was really gonna stir the pot, especially since Sean was already not a fan of Gaia. 
“Okay, you go ahead. I gotta get back to work. Key’s where it always is,” Gaia tossed out. 
“Got it. Catch you later.” Alyssa smiled. “Enjoy your overtime tonight 
Gaia, with a huff, muttered, “Gonna have to fire that guy, sooner or later 
After hanging up. Alyssa jumped in a taxi to Gaia’s place, dropped her suitcase, saw it was pushing 7:30, grabbed her ID and other necessities, and headed to the city hall. 
She hopped in a taxi first, but thanks to rush hour, it was a no–go Glancing at her phone, it showed 7:50, and she was still 1 mile from her destination. 
So, she bailed on the tax and ran to the city hall 

Andrew was already there, checking his watch at 8:10, wondering where Alyssa was. Lighting up a cigarette, leaning against his Mercedes, he couldn’t hide the annoyance. 
After being duped by Alyssa once, there he was, not at his office but waiting at the city hall early in the morning. In Northville, Andrew strutted around like he owned the place, getting whatever he wanted. But then, in Endale City, he was totally played by the same woman. Twice. 
What am I even doing?‘ he thought. 
He took a few more determined drags until the cigarette was nothing but a stub, which he then put out in a nearby trash can. Clenching his teeth, he swung open the car door, only to nearly collide with a girl sporting a ponytail who rushed past him. 

It was Alyssa 
Catching sight of Andrew, Alyssa curled her lips into a sheepish smile. “My bad. Got caught in a nasty traffic jam and ended up running here. Looks like I’m twelve minutes late.” 
While talking she couldn’t help but feel smart about her choice of outfit–a white shirt paired with jeans. Running in a skirt would have been a nightmare! 
Andrew’s greeting was a frown. “Told you yesterday, try not to be late.” 
Alyssa’s reaction was a mix of surprise and dismay. Seriously Given the traffic, being merely twelve minutes late felt like at miracle. It’s not like the city hall is closed or something, she thought. 
She threw her hands up. “Not like I wanted to be late, but here we are. So, what now?” 
She paused before playfully suggesting, “How about I make it up to you somehow?” 
Catching Andrew’s gaze, Alyssa flashed a business–like smile. “How’s twelve bucks sound to square ds?” 
Do you realize how much I earn every minute?” Andrew quizzed, an eyebrow arching upwards. 
Alyssa kept her cool, smiling professionally. T’m aware you’re are at raking in money, Mr. Coleman. But if I’ve got it right, you don’t kick off your workday until between eight–thirty and ine, right? So, technically, you’d still be snoozing during that window. Apologies for eating into your sleep time by twelve minutes, but I figured twelve bucks should square us.” 
Andrew cracked a smile. “You’re pretty clued in about how I spend my day, huh?” 
1/2 
20:09 
Tue, Dec 10 
Chapter 27 
Returning the smule. Alyssa said, “Well, it makes sense. After all, we’re getting married.”

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