3: 3
Marina let out a shriek as her forehead cracked hard against the corner of the wall, swelling into a lump. She curled up on the carpet, writhing in pain.
The commotion in the hallway had woken the whole floor.
Doors opened one after another, dozens of employees poking their heads out to watch.
Seeing the corridor packed with people, Marina decided she had nothing left to lose.
She jerked upright, grabbed the collar of her thin silk pajamas with both hands, and tore it wide open.
A broad expanse of pale skin was suddenly bare, and she hunched into the corner, hugging her shoulders as she wailed.
"Help! Somebody help me!!"
"Boss, I only begged you to help Jill, so why would you take advantage of me like this! Why would you make that disgusting demand to me!!"
The whole scene went dead silent.
Every set of eyes turned toward me at once, full of shock and suspicion.
Alma rushed out, threw a coat over Marina, and pointed at me, screaming.
"Saul Delgado! You animal in a suit! I heard everything!"
"Just now, out by the door, you threatened her! You said if she took care of you tonight you'd promote her to department manager, and if she dared refuse, you'd make sure she couldn't survive in this company!"
"Marina wouldn't give in no matter what, so you tried to force yourself on her, and even ripped her clothes! Are you even human!"
She was shouting and snapping photos with her phone like a madwoman.
The crowd erupted in murmurs.
"God, is this really the kind of man Mr. Delgado is?"
"No wonder he wouldn't let anyone into the room in the middle of the night. He had his eye on that girl."
"He always acts so upstanding, and behind it all he's this filthy? It's sickening!"
Seeing the moment was ripe, Lucas stepped forward and claimed the moral high ground.
"Saul, you've disappointed me deeply!" He pointed at me, the picture of anguish. "How could you do something like this to a new intern!"
"Every one of us has a family to feed, and we came to work for you. You pull a scandal like this, and if it gets out, our stock price will drop straight through the floor. Is this how you repay the brothers who built this company with you!"
Charles chimed in, fanning the flames.
"Mr. Delgado, there's really no walking this back. Marina is the victim here. She has to be given her due. We can't just let her suffer for nothing!"
The comments scrolled past my eyes at high speed.
【Look at Lucas's micro-expression, the corner of his mouth is about to split all the way back to his ears!】
【The whole company's already caught up in their narrative. Once this dirty water lands on you, you'll never wash it off.】
【The corporate coup is coming! Here's the main event!】
I leaned back in the chair and watched them perform.
"Her due?" I looked mockingly at Lucas's face. "And what exactly does Vice President Chavez think I owe her?"
Lucas heaved a long sigh, came over to my side, and lowered his voice.
"Saul, calling the police would be devastating for the company, and it'd ruin you too. To protect the company, we can only settle this quietly."
"You give Marina some compensation for emotional damages. And..." He drew a document out of his briefcase and handed it to me. "A young girl who's suffered a wrong this big needs a guarantee. You transfer your fifteen percent stake to her for free, and she promises tonight stays buried forever."
I glanced down at the document.
Voluntary Share Transfer Agreement. Even my name and ID number were printed on it in advance.
"Well prepared." I twisted my mouth into a smile. "Out in the middle of the night to watch the show, and you just happened to bring a share transfer agreement along."
Lucas's face froze, then hardened again. "I'm doing this to protect your dignity! Just sign it, before things blow up beyond saving!"
"And if I don't sign?" I asked.
Lucas peeled off the mask of the good Samaritan, leaned in close to my ear, and said in a low, sinister voice:
"I've already notified the local police. The patrol car will be here any minute."
"The second you're behind bars, the video shot in Marina's room and Alma's recording from the hallway will be all over the trending topics by morning."
"Think hard about how your wife and kids are going to hold their heads up out there after that!"
