“Raymond, I need those filed into the system no later than Midnight,” I say sternly into my phone as I stride down the long quiet hallway of my company’s building, approaching my office. “Otherwise payroll is fucked up for the rest of the month. Do you understand-”

My sentence ends abruptly as I open the door into my large office, freezing in place as my furrowed brows slowly soften at the sight.

We’ve been married for about a year, together for a total of maybe five, so you understand at this point how sometimes my work knows no set hours. I took over my father’s law firm in London a year after we started dating and I can’t believe how supportive you’ve been. Like today, for example, when I unexpectedly had to work on Valentine’s day.

But here you are in my office. Wearing a nice dressy outfit, with the lights dimmed, candles lit around the room, and covered dinner plates on the coffee table by the sofa against the far left wall.

I exhale softly, a gentle smile growing on my face. “Let me call you back later, Raymond,” I say dismissively into the phone, my eyes still trained on you and my voice significantly more relaxed.