Drew shot him a mocking look.
“Of course, he’s President McCulloch’s husband. As for you? I don’t even know what the hell you are.”
Haynes’s face darkened at the insult. His temper flared instantly.
“Security! Throw them out of the building! Right now!”
Another pack of guards surrounded us, ready to act. Just as things were about to turn violent again, I spoke coldly.
“Call Irenee out here. Let her clear this up once and for all.”
Seeing they wouldn’t dare call the CEO, I pulled out my phone and called her myself. It rang a few times—but then she hung up.
Haynes’s smirk deepened, his tone full of disdain.
“Still pretending? President McCulloch’s in a meeting. You think she has time to answer a call from some random nobody like you?”
Fine. I texted her instead.
[I’m standing outside your office. Come out and see me. Now.]
The guards were just about to move when a sharp voice rang out.
“Stop!”
A slim figure rushed in.
It was Irenee.
The moment Haynes saw her, he instantly changed face. He stuck himself to her like glue, voice dripping with false sweetness.
“President McCulloch, you must’ve heard the commotion, right? That guy—he insulted me! He accused me of being a third party!”
“And then he had the nerve to claim he’s your husband. Ridiculous, isn’t it? You’re not married, right?”
“He even tried to hit me in the lobby. I had no choice but to have the security teach him a lesson and throw him out. I didn’t expect he’d drag Director Barnes up here to complain to you!”
“President, you’ve gotta stand up for me and teach him a lesson.”
“Oh, and Director Barnes—he’s a traitor working here! He’s mocking me right to my face. Fire him! People like him don’t belong in the company!”
He kept running his mouth, but Irenee just stood there, obviously feeling more and more chilled the longer he talked.
She finally turned her head and saw just how close Haynes had pressed himself against her. It was way too intimate and unprofessional. Her face changed. She shoved him away hard.
Caught off guard, he stumbled and nearly fell.
His eyes went red with grievance. When he spoke again, his voice cracked.
“I-Irenee… why’d you push me?” he asked.
His lips parted in disbelief, then he added, “You feel bad for his injured face, don’t you? So now that you’ve got me, he’s the new guy? You’re standing up for him now?”
As he spoke, he even started crying in a pitiful and exaggerated manner, making me sick to my stomach.
Irenee was stunned by what he said. And then, without warning, she slapped him across the face.
“What nonsense are you spouting? Shut up!”
Haynes held his red cheek, stunned, eyes filled with disbelief.
He stood there frozen for a second, then tried to win her over again, acting wounded.
“I just acted rashly for a moment, that’s all. I know I’m the only one you love. I was just speaking without thinking, I misunderstood you. But still, you shouldn’t have hit me,” he replied.
“I won’t hold today’s incident against you, but tonight you have to make it up to me properly,” he added.
The moment he said that, Irenee looked like her head was spinning. She snapped, “Say another word and I’ll have you thrown out right now!”
Seeing she wasn’t bluffing, Haynes finally backed down, sulking in silence.
I turned to Irenee, my voice like ice. “Tell him who I am.”
