CEO Gets Locked Out of His Vacation Home. Never Knew He’d Fall For The Neighbor He Asked for Help
Walls and Welcomes
As Orion walked back to his estate, he realized something strange. He had spent years in that house, but it had never once felt as warm as Amelia’s home had in a single evening. And for the first time, he wondered why.
The storm had passed by morning, leaving behind the scent of rain and the rhythmic crash of waves against the cliffs. Orion stood on the balcony of his estate, coffee in hand, gazing toward the ne neighboring cottage.
He had spent years retreating to this house for solitude, for a break from boardrooms and negotiations. Yet in a single evening, Emelia Parker had unsettled something in him.
She was unlike anyone in his world, unconcerned with status, completely at ease in her space and entirely uninterested in impressing him. And he found himself thinking about her more than he cared to admit.
A knock at his door pulled him from his thoughts. When he opened it, he was surprised to find Amilia standing there holding a small plate covered with foil.
“I figured you didn’t have anything in your kitchen but bottled water and overpriced coffee beans,” she said, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation. “So I made muffins.”
Orion arched a brow.
“You think I can’t cook?”
She gave him a pointed look.
“Can you?”
He hesitated, then exhaled a quiet laugh.
“No.”
“Exactly.”
She set the plate on the marble countertop.
“You seem like the kind of guy who orders steak at every meal and calls it a day.”
“You’re not far off,” he admitted, peeling back the foil.
The scent of cinnamon and something sweet drifted up. He picked up a muffin and took a bite. It was warm, soft, and entirely too good. She watched him expectantly, so he nodded.
“Not terrible.”
She scoffed.
“Not terrible? That’s all I get?”
He took another bite, chewing slowly.
“Fine, they’re good.”
She rolled her eyes but grinned.
“You’re impossible.”
Orion leaned against the counter, studying her.
“You do this often?”
She tilted her head.
“Bake or barge into my neighbor’s house uninvited?”
“Both.”
Amilia shrugged.
“I like making things. Painting, baking, fixing up old furniture. Keeps my hands busy.”
He gestured toward the plate.
“And do you always bring food to strangers?”
She met his gaze.
“You’re not a stranger anymore, are you?”
Something in the air shifted. It was subtle but undeniable. Orion wasn’t a man who let people in easily. He had spent years building walls, keeping his life neatly arranged and his emotions locked away.
But Amilia Parker had wandered right past his barriers as if they didn’t exist, and he wasn’t sure he minded. She glanced around his kitchen.
“This place is too perfect. Do you even use it?”
“I have people who handle that.”
She shook her head.
“Of course you do.”
He smirked.
“Something wrong with efficiency?”
“There’s a difference between efficiency and never actually living in your own home.”
She walked toward the window, looking out at the ocean.
“You have this incredible view, but do you ever sit here and just enjoy it?”
Orion hesitated. He had bought this house because it was beautiful, because it was private, because it was everything a man of his status was supposed to own.
But had he ever truly enjoyed it? Before he could answer, Emilia turned back to him.
“Come over for dinner tonight.”
He blinked.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
She leaned against the counter.
“I cook, you eat. Basic human interaction.”
Orion had a dozen reasons to say no. He had meetings to review, calls to return, an entire empire that demanded his attention. And yet, for some inexplicable reason, he found himself saying,
“What time?”
Emilia grinned.
“Seven.”
Then, without another word, she turned and walked out, leaving behind the scent of cinnamon and the unsettling realization that for the first time in a long time, Orion Caldwell was looking forward to something that had nothing to do with his business.
