Page 13 of A Perfect Fit

I was only looking for blackmail material

The little Seen note pops up in our chat thread, and I move from my desk to sit on my bed, holding my breath in anticipation.

However, after an entire minute of staring blankly at my screen, there’s still no reply.

Jackson left me on read when I might or might not have been hoping for another response from him.

Gah. What is wrong with me?

A new message appears on my screen.

Jackson

You really are secretly obsessed with me.

It is game on.

Me

Your ego keeps getting bigger

Jackson

Great to know that the 30 minutes I spend admiring myself in the mirror every day is paying off.

Me

You mean 300 minutes?

Jackson

Damn. You got me there.

A snort trickling from my mouth, I send​​ him a thumbs-up emoji.

Moments later, there’s a new notification that @JacksonCarter has started following my account, coupled with another message from him.

Jackson

Bet you’re too scared to follow me back, Isabella.

I press my teeth together. Me, scared? As if. Game on. Challenge accepted.

With that, I head to his profile and aggressively tap the Follow Back button.

My phone starts ringing, and a heaviness wraps around my body when I see the caller is my mom. Jane Wong calling usually means business.

I take a deep breath and answer. “Hey, Mom.”

“Hi, Isabelle.” Her brisk, no-nonsense voice rings out. “Are you free tonight at six? Your dad and I are planning a family dinner. Your sister says she has some important news to share.”

“Sure,” I say, ignoring the pang of dread that hits my stomach. “I have a work call at five, so if that goes overtime, I might be a little late.”

“For your barista job?”

“No, for my business. I’m getting my website redesigned and⁠—”

“Just put that on my desk, thanks,” I hear Mom say to someone in the background. She must be working in her office and multitasking while talking to me.