An hour later, I rushed into Sullivan Corp and jumped into the express elevator to the top floor. Just as I stepped out, I could already hear Lucille shouting angrily.
I straightened my back and walked through the office area, ignoring the glances from the staff. A few female employees were whispering behind their hands, and one of them said under her breath, "She's got some guts. The real wife's here and the mistress still dares to show up like she owns the place. Such a shameless seductress."
I paused for a second, then turned and gave her a sharp look. Once our eyes met, she went pale and shut her mouth real quick.
I sneered deliberately and said, "So this is what Sullivan Corp calls elite employees? Maybe you should consider quitting."
That shut them up instantly.
The secretary tried to stop me but failed. I barged straight into the inner office and saw Lucille cursing at a woman dressed in designer from head to toe. Graham sat at his desk with a face like thunder and slammed the table.
"Enough!" he barked.
What really threw me off was seeing Theodore sitting directly across from Graham. He glanced at me coldly, then looked away like I was just some stranger.
As soon as I walked in, everyone turned to look at me. Graham pointed at me and asked, "How did you get in here?"
"I called her!" Lucille stepped in front of me and snapped, "Don't think you can get away with everything just because you've got Theodore backing you. I swear I'll drag your company down if I have to!"
"Stop slandering me!" The woman in luxury brands snapped back. "My husband already said he was meeting Ms. Reynolds for business last night! Manager Oliver was there, even Mr. Sterling can confirm it. Watch your mouth or I won't be polite!"
My face turned dark, and I pulled Lucille aside. "What the hell is going on?"
Lucille gave me an annoyed glare before she sighed and explained. She got an anonymous call last night, saying Graham tried to assault me. She couldn't stand the idea of me being hurt-never could since we were kids. Whether it was real or not, she didn't care. She immediately spent money, pulled some strings, and found out Graham had a jealous wife. So she invited her along to confront him in person.
The wife was all fired up when she got here. But just when they arrived, Theodore happened to be around for a meeting with Graham. And for whatever reason, he sided with Graham, saying there was no inappropriate behavior at all last night.
Lucille, still fuming, turned to Theodore and said, "Mr. Sterling, I know Sterling Group is trying hard to win the Southveil construction bid right now. Besides Reynolds Corp and Sullivan Corp, there's no other real competition. Reynolds' second daughter is about to get engaged to you-so is this about business? Are you covering up for Graham just to secure that deal?"
My brows furrowed. I stared at Theodore in disbelief, but his face was stone cold. He looked straight at Lucille and said in a flat voice, "You might be close friends with Ms. Reynolds, but you know better than anyone how many rumors she's been in over the years. How can you be sure this isn't just another scheme she orchestrated?"
"She's not that kind of person-"
"She's never been innocent. You're underestimating just how manipulative she can be."
My mind went blank. It felt like someone threw me into a freezing lake. I was numb, frozen all over.
I was a fool. Right now, I only regretted not using my phone to record everything last night.
Graham sneered coldly at Theodore's words, his gaze locked on me like a cold blade. "Miss Reynolds, you're at that age where marriage is knocking, aren't you? Word is, Mr. Sterling's mother had her eyes on you before suddenly switching to your sister. Could it be that you're just bitter... or maybe just lonely enough to throw dirt on my name too? Keep throwing baseless accusations, and I'll be seeing you in court. Then let's see how that pristine image of yours holds up."
"You-"
I clenched my jaw, nothing would come out. I had no evidence, Oliver had been bought off, and Graham had clearly warned the restaurant in advance. Sullivan Group was a major name in Southveil. Add in the fact that Theodore, who actually saw what happened, was siding with him, and I had no way to defend myself without looking completely pathetic.
After a long silence, I balled my fists, lifted my chin, and shot a smirk at Theodore. "I'll remember what you did today, Mr. Sterling. Trust me, I'll return the favor when the time's right."
His face turned dark, eyes narrowing into dangerous slits as if he could will me to drop dead on the spot.
I tugged Lucille's arm, glared back at him defiantly for a few seconds, then turned on my heel and left without even glancing back. But I could still feel that icy glare burning into my back as we walked out.
As soon as we exited Sullivan Group's building, Lucille's face twisted in anger. "I can't believe I went to all that trouble finding his wife! And this is the guy you almost married? Honestly, he's trash. Maybe we should thank your stepmom. If she hadn't bribed Julian to drug you and set you up, leading to the broken engagement-God knows how bad it could've gotten if you'd ended up stuck with him."
She rant-huffed a bit more, then saw my pale face and quickly fell silent. "What is his deal? Every damn thing out of his mouth was aimed at you. Do you know him from before or something? I've heard things about him... You sure you didn't piss him off somehow?"
My cheeks burned up, chest heaving with anger, and I barely croaked out four words, "He's a disgusting jerk."
Just as we were about to leave, not even a block away, we spotted a black Maybach parked along the curb. I recognized it instantly. No way I'd forget that car. It belonged to Theodore himself.
I stormed toward it, yanked a nail clipper from my bag, flipped out the small hidden blade attached, and jammed it straight into one of his tires.
It felt ridiculously satisfying. Lucille, watching all fired-up, looked like she was ready to hype me into flipping the whole damn car. Neither of us noticed the looming shadow until a voice cut through like ice.
"Pay up."
I froze before slowly turning around. And there he was-Theodore.
His expression was stone-cold, eyes sharp enough to prick skin. "One hundred grand."
Panic surged inside me. He stepped closer with purpose, glanced at the tire, then grabbed the wrist that had held the blade. "One tire. One hundred thousand. You're paying for it."
I bit back the urge to scream at him and shot a quick look at Lucille, trying to signal her to run. But Theodore was faster. His driver had already intercepted her, dragged her to a waiting cab before she could react, shoved her in, gave the guy a wad of cash, and slammed the door shut.
Lucille's pissed-off shouts echoed across the street, catching plenty of attention from passers-by. Not that it helped. The next second the cab disappeared around the corner.
Something felt real wrong. I turned to bolt but barely made it two steps before he caught up. In one swift move, he hooked my legs and lifted me over his shoulder like it was nothing. I screamed and flailed, but he shoved me into his car and climbed in right after, snapping at his driver, "Bring another car."
My face burned as I yelled, "What the hell are you doing? We're on a freaking public street!"
Then both his hands moved, coming at me fast.
