Chapter 176. A Small Sacrifice to Pay

June POV

My eyes widen the moment I hear Hermes speak.

The words echo inside me like a bell struck too hard.

After our one-night stand.

The one-night stand.

He remembers the beginning.

He remembers how we met.

Excitedly, I shoot to my feet, ignoring the ache in my wrist—the same wrist I bruised when I accidentally slammed it against Hermes’s room window earlier.

“Hermes, what did you just say?” I ask, chest heaving. It’s too good to be true. It’s working. Our plan is actually working. He’s remembering.

Hermes inhales sharply. “What? He doesn’t know about our one-night stand? I’m pretty sure he knows. I must have told him.” He shrugs, looking almost guilty.

I grin, eyes creasing as I grab his hands. “What do you remember again? Tell me more,” I urge, nodding eagerly.

Hermes looks taken aback, shifting away slightly. “Uh—I found out you were my secretary and—and… I acted like I didn’t know you. That’s why you’re