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I was immediately startled; however, I didn't turn around, the first time at least. And that was because, from the voice alone, I knew who it was. However, I tried my best to pretend like I had heard absolutely nothing and continued on my way.
“Sophie!” he called once again, and I stopped in my tracks. This hallway leading to the bathroom got dimmer the farther you went in, and even though it was daylight, there were no windows, so I knew that he had chosen the perfect spot to ambush me.
I turned around and released a deep sigh and soon found he had been leaning against the wall a little way from the women’s bathroom, lying in wait for me.
I managed to work up a smile of surprise.
“Mr. Walters,” I greeted. However, he didn't return the smile. Instead, his gaze was pretty dark, and for a moment, I was sure he was scowling at me, though I wasn't sure what exactly I had done to make him so angry.
I soon found out.
He leaned down to glance at his screen as he tapped some numbers in, and then he stretched his hand over to me, offering me his phone.
“What is it, sir?” I asked, and he stared into my eyes.
“Your phone number,” he said calmly. Much too calm, and as a result, a cold shiver went down my spine.
“Um, I already have your contact details, sir,” I told him, trying my best to play all of this so that it wouldn’t escalate. Not just for my sake but for Lucien's sake as well and this project he had been working on for so long.
“Are you really going to keep acting dumb?” He asked with a crooked smile.
At this, mine immediately left my face. There was no point in pretending anymore because now, not only was I disgusted with him harassing me, but I was also incredibly annoyed.
And so I folded my arms across my chest and tried to seem as defiant and strong as possible. However, when his gaze lowered to my breasts, I realized this had been a bad move because my hands were sure to bunch them up. It was as though I was dangling a piece of meat in front of an already raging and ravenous animal. Instantly, I released my arms and instead kept them straight and glued to my side.
“How exactly am I acting dumb?” I asked, forcing him to respond to the question in his own words.
“You think I don't know what's happening between you and your boss?” he said, and at this, my entire face fell. Nothing, absolutely nothing, could have prepared me for this accusation. And so he got the confirmation he needed while I was flat-out horrified and close to panic. But that only lasted a few seconds because there was no way he could have known this. He was just acting based on assumption and probability, and as a result, he was trying to use it to intimidate me. I'd had too many bosses in the past for me to fall for this nonsense, and so I stood my ground.
“I don't know what you're talking about, Gregory,” I called him by his first name, adding as much steel and emphasis as Icould in the tone of my voice, to show him that I wasn't for one moment moved by his antics.
“You really don't know?” he asked. “Alright. Once it's publicized on the internet that he's fucking around with his assistant we’ll see what kind of blowback he gets. With all the possible risks it’s surely enough to tank his reputation as someone who cannot separate business from pleasure. I'll also be sure to give my recommendation to Charles Nioly that he truly is too volatile to engage in this type of extensive investment. You might not know this, but what people like Charles invest in is not deeds but people. All I need to do to pull the string holding all of this together which can be done in one phone call. So what's it to be? Give me your phone number or watch me make the call?”
I stared at him. However, by the smile playing at the corners of his mouth, I could tell that he was gloating because he knew that somehow he had gotten to me. He had used the fear tactic brilliantly and, as a result, proved the relationship between myself and Lucien to an extent because if he was just my boss, my first thought should have been self-preservation above all else. But then here I was with the gears in my head desperately spinning as I tried to find a way out of this that would neither hurt me nor Lucien, or this deal for that matter. He truly had been working on it for the better part of the last two years, and knowing that it just might tank because of me was much more than I could bear.
“What's your point?” I asked. “I mean, what's your intention with any of this?”
“I’m not sure yet,” he replied. “Maybe I'd like to get to know you better. Maybe I'd like the same kind of relationship you have with your boss. The possibilities are endless, but the bottom line of all of it is that I will treat you very, very, very well.”
Bile rose in my throat as I stared at him and contemplated how to resolve this. If I called attention to this now, it was sure to blow up the deal. However, I really couldn’t stomach this because regardless of the way I sliced it, this felt deeply like it was my fault. Maybe it was because of the way I dressed and looked. Maybe I was too provocative in my appearance because even Elena had pointed out that I was a bit more curvaceous than Sophie. Maybe this was what had caught this bastard's eyes, and so somehow I had to take responsibility for this. I gave this some thought and eventually made my decision.
I only had a few more days in this position, and after that, Sophie would take my place once again. She, I was sure, would know how to handle him, and perhaps his attraction to her would even wane since she was much less uptight than I was. If the harassment proceeded beyond this, we would know how to carefully resolve it. Maybe Lucien would be able to contact his boss Charles, but before then, we would have to gather ironclad evidence that supported our claims and accusations. So I had to be patient, I had to endure, and I had to be smart about this.
In the end, I was able to form a decently set smile.
“That's no problem,” I told him. “I doubt you can treat me well, but let's see how it goes. I hope you'll be able to surprise me.”
He smiled at this, though his expression seemed even darker, and I input Sophie’s number. This I was going to deal with by myself until I had the entire issue under control enough to pass the torch over to the next person.
Chapter 39
Lucien
It didn’t occur to me that something was wrong until I eventually looked up from the report I was reading and noticed that both of them were gone. First, it had been Sophie who excused herself to the bathroom, and then later on at some point, Gregory had left as well, but I hadn’t given it a second thought. I had been too occupied with what I was doing.
Now, however, I looked up and around the restaurant and couldn’t help the sudden alarm that gripped me. I didn’t think she would be in any physical danger here; Gregory wasn’t that stupid, I hoped. But I didn’t expect that if he did bump into her on the way, he wouldn’t perhaps miss this chance to make his intentions known to her.
I contemplated for a moment about whether to step in or not. Would that be intruding? After all, she was technically free to see whoever she wanted, and if the advances were not wanted, then she could turn him down. All I needed in the end to make sure that she was safe was to remind her that if there was anything wrong that made her uncomfortable, then she was obligated to report it immediately to be dealt with.
