Content Warning!!!This chapter contains themes of sexual harassment and assault. Reader discretion is advised.
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I stepped into the room, letting the door fall shut behind me with a soft click. The suite was huge and bigger than our entire apartment back home. Everything smelled like money and a lemon-scented disinfectant. Typical.
I dropped my bag by the door and turned toward the king-sized bed… only to freeze.
There, neatly arranged on the bed like a display from a high-end fashion catalog were clothes. Lots of them. Dresses, suits, pantsuits, heels, flats, freaking silk blouses and all in styles I liked, colors I wore, sizes that screamed custom-picked.
I blinked at the pile, then slowly looked around the room as if someone would jump out and explain what the hell was happening.
I walked closer and touched a pair of cream-colored pants. Perfect length. I held up a soft black top. My exact size. I didn't even have to check the tag ─ I knew. How on earth did he get my measurements and preferences.
There were three pairs of shoes at the foot of the bed. One black, one nude, and one that was probably worth more than my rent.
"What the…" I muttered. "Is this his idea of kindness? Or control?"
It was unsettling and weird. And if I wasn't this damn exhausted I would probably have screamed.
Instead I peeled myself out of my wrinkled clothes and dragged myself into the ridiculously luxurious bathroom. I didn't even check the water temperature before stepping in.
I didn't care.
Five minutes later, I was wrapped in the fluffiest towel known to man staring at myself in the mirror. I didn't look like a nursing mum anymore but I still wanted to punch Adrien Walton in the throat.
I sighed, walked back to the bed and picked the simplest outfit I could find. Simple, clean and something that said I'm here to work, not impress you, jerkface.
Let the business trip from hell officially begin.
I took one last look in the mirror, smoothed down the blouse ─ a soft cream silk that honestly felt like sin and slipped into the low nude heels. My hair was packed into a neat bun finally looking less like a bird's nest and more like something human.
With a deep breath, I stepped out of the room.
And nearly walked right into him.
Adrien Walton stood there, leaning against the wall opposite my door like he hadn't just tortured me for a full week straight then dumped me at the airport without a car ride. His tie was already straight, suit perfect, not a hair out of place. Of course.
He didn't say a word. Just looked me over once with his expression unreadable.
Then he turned around and started walking.
Rude.
I followed, matching his pace in silence as we took the elevator down and stepped outside. A black car was already waiting for us, the driver included this time ─ thank God.
He got in first and I got in after him, keeping the small distance between us like it was holy ground. His phone was out instantly, fingers flying across the screen clearly already neck-deep in work.
No comments. No "you clean up nice." Nothing. Why was I even expecting him to say anything to me?
I stared out the window, ignoring the tension sitting in the middle of the car like a third person. The city buzzed past us as I tried to mentally prepare for whatever this "meeting" was supposed to be.
God help me if this man made me take notes like I was still in high school.
One thing was for sure: I wasn't going to survive this week without committing at least one felony.
***8
I should've known.
The moment we walked into the tall glass building and were escorted into the boardroom, I could already feel it ─ that this was going to be one of those meetings that tested every ounce of my patience and will to live.
Adrien introduced himself with that same smooth, sharp tone he always used ─ like the words were dipped in ice and polished in arrogance. The client, some CEO of a fintech company I didn't bother to remember the name of shook hands with him like they were old golf buddies.
I stood a few steps behind holding my notepad and pen like a true assistant ─ the proper one I'd been bullied into becoming.
Then he turned to me, as if he'd just remembered I existed.
"Mrs. Miller, take notes," he said, already turning back to the table and pulling out a chair for himself.
I nearly launched the pen at his perfectly gelled hair.
But instead, I smiled─very slightly─and sat in the farthest chair in the corner like the invisible intern I have somehow become.
For the next hour, I wrote.
Investment projection… quarterly growth… scalable model… potential merger…
I don't even know what language they were speaking after a while. Adrien spoke with so much control, so much quiet dominance, like he owned the damn room. It was frustrating how good he was at this. Charming when he wanted to be. Ruthless when he needed to be.
At some point, I stopped taking notes and just… stared. Not because I was admiring him, hell no. I was trying to figure out how someone so evil could be so professional. Did he drain the life out of puppies in his spare time?
"…Isabella?"
My eyes snapped up. Adrien was looking directly at me.
Crap. Did he just call me by my name?
"You done writing?"
I nodded a little too fast. "Yes, sir."
He didn't react. Just returned to the conversation with the client as if I was just another piece of office furniture.
Yep. Definitely committing a felony this week.
Adrien's phone buzzed on the table, slicing clean through the conversation.
He glanced at the screen once, then stood smoothly. "Excuse me for a moment. I'll give you a minute to think about…" He trailed off as he directed his last few words to the client ─ words I didn't catch because the buzzing in my ears had started again. I was tired, hungry, and dangerously close to snapping.
The moment he stepped out, silence filled the room. It wasn't peaceful. It was weird.
Then the man ─ the client ─ leaned back in his chair and let out a whistle.
"Wow," he said, dragging his eyes over me in a way that made my stomach churn. "You are way more beautiful than his last assistant. What a waste, hiding you behind a notepad."
I blinked.
What? Am I hearing things now?
Before I could piece together a response, he stood and circled the table slowly, his eyes still locked on me. I stiffened clutching the notepad like it could double as a weapon.
Then, without warning, his hand slid along the side of my thigh.
My breath caught. What the…
And the next thing I knew, I yanked his hand away like it was a burning coal. "Excuse me, sir," I said, my voice sharp and cold, "but please respect yourself."
He chuckled ── actually laughed, like I'd just told him a joke. "Relax. I was just──"
"I'm not interested in your justs… sir," I snapped stepping back. My heart was hammering now. "Keep your hands to yourself."
His smirk didn't leave but I could see a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He clearly wasn't used to hearing the word no.
Where the hell was Adrien?
I barely had time to breathe before his expression shifted─something darker flickered in his eyes.
"Dogs," he said, voice low and thick with disgust, "are meant to obey, not bark."
Then his hand moved again, higher, aiming for my chest.
"You're out of your damn mind──" I tried to pull away, tried to shove his arm aside but he caught my wrists before I could react. His grip tightened like a vice, twisting until a sharp pain shot up my forearm.
"You bitch," he growled and slapped me. "Stay still."
My heart slammed against my ribs, panic crawling up my throat. I struggled, glaring up at him. "Let. Me. Go."
And then──footsteps.
Quick ones.
Coming down the corridor.
The monster in a suit must've heard them too, because he released me instantly and stepped back brushing off imaginary dust off his sleeves like nothing had happened. He walked back to his seat and adjusted his cufflinks, all calm and collected like he hadn't just assaulted someone in the middle of a business meeting.
He leaned in slightly, his eyes narrowing. "You tell your boss about this…" his lips curled into a dangerous smile, "and I promise you'll regret it."
My skin crawled. My pulse throbbed in my ears and I forced myself to sit up straight, clutching the notepad again like it was my armor.
Adrien was seconds away from walking back in.
And I had to decide─do I tell him or not?