Chapter 73: The night that hurts
1408words
His cologne filled my nostrils. My heartbeat escalated, and goosebumps pricked my skin. It felt like the sky was falling, and we needed only each other to conquer the disaster. But only lovers do that. Why wasn't he letting go?
'Mr. Nathan?" I sighed.
He jerked back abruptly. 'I told you to be careful," he scolded.
'Were you scared I was going to fall? Why were you holding me like that?" I confronted him. He ignored me and went to his seat. I flitted to his desk. 'Uh, I just won us a contract. Don't I get a bonus?" I asked.
'A bonus for doing your job? Should I take your salary and give you the bonus instead?"
'Why are you so mean?"
'Tell me something, Scarlett. If by chance you were to become a boss, is this how you would lead?" he queried. I sat opposite him to process his question.
'Wait, what does that mean? Are you saying I'm not fit to lead as a company owner or what?"
'You guessed as much," he replied curtly.
'What?" I chuckled. 'If you could lead, then it's a piece of cake for me," I retorted.
'What do you mean by ‘if I could lead?'" he asked, creasing his forehead. I relaxed my back against the chair with a thoughtful pout.
'It's very simple, Mr. Nathan. You are a hundred times worse than me as a leader, yet you own a successful company. So, in a nutshell, if I build my brand, I will be more successful than you are," I explained.
'Are you saying you are better than me?" he lunged forward, his hands angrily on the desk.
I stood up. 'A little smile will earn you five points," I said and walked to my desk.
If glares could kill, I'm certain Mother would have been planning my funeral right now. I dared not look back at Mr. Nathan.
'Hi, babe?" Angelo said, appearing before me.
I crossed the distance between us and leaned in to whisper into his ear. 'What do you mean by ‘babe?'"
He held my arms, making me step back. 'It means what it means, sweetheart," he said, and I gasped.
'What the hell is going on in my office?" Mr. Nathan snapped, making my spirit jump out of me.
'I came to see my girlfriend. Is anything wrong with that?" Angelo said.
'Have you lost your mind, Angelo? What gave you the right to come into my office, romancing with my assistant?" Mr. Nathan demanded.
'I will be leaving soon, so don't overreact," Angelo said nonchalantly. 'Guess what, babe? I'll be taking you out tonight. You can't say no to this, please," Angelo said. Honestly, I was still confused, but I chuckled awkwardly.
'Sure, of course, why not?" I accepted.
'See you later then. I'll pick you up as usual," Angelo smiled and pecked my cheek. I swallowed hard while my hand clamped my cheek instantly. He left.
'Come over, Scarlett," Mr. Nathan called. I looked between him and the door before heading to his desk.
'You are not—"
'I'm going out with my friend, Sir. There's no work at night, right?" I interrupted abruptly.
'We are working late tonight. You are not going out," he declared.
'Does working late mean we'll be working until 12 AM?" I queried.
'What are you insinuating?"
'I can always go out with my friend no matter what time we close. I will be at work as early as I can tomorrow. That's what I'm implying," I said.
'You are too naïve and stubborn."
'Thanks for the compliment, Sir," I said and headed back to my desk. Angelo has to explain why the heck he put up that act in front of my boss.
Just then, my phone began ringing. 'Hi, Eve. What's up?" I said into the phone.
'Hey, Sunshine. Will you be free tonight? I want us to go out. It's been a while since we did that. It's all because of that new job of yours," Everleigh whined, making me chuckle as I dropped on my seat.
'What can I do, Eve? It's not easy working with a workaholic," I grunted.
'I'm going to relieve your stress. What time are you closing?" she asked.
'I can't make it tonight, Eve. I'll be closing late from work, and I've accepted to go out with Angelo. Can we make it some other time?" I said apologetically.
'Fine!" she sounded disgruntled. 'You've ruined my plans for tonight, but I'll forgive you. Maybe next tomorrow or thereafter then."
'That's why I love you. Take care," I hung up.
The following day, I shuffled back home as early as 5 AM. I remembered nothing that happened last night. My head was pounding, and my eyes were heavy. I yawned and grunted. Just then, the lights turned on, blinding me.
'Where are you coming back from?" Mother demanded.
'I... I went out," I stuttered.
Before I could process another sentence, a hot slap landed on my cheek, swaying my head aside. Tears welled up instantly in my eyes as I slowly turned my face to my furious mother.
'Have you lost your mind, Scarlett? Or have you also become a whore? How can you spend the night outside your home without anyone knowing?" the veins on her neck shot out as she yelled. 'What if something bad had happened to you?"
'What do you care, Mother?" I snapped, tears falling down my cheeks. 'You honestly have to stop pretending that you care about me. It's not going to work on me. And don't you dare hit me next time without listening to my explanation," I snarled and walked out on her.
I reached the office as early as I could, just as I promised. I really tried to keep it professional. I didn't want to cry over what happened last night, but I couldn't help it.
'How could you do this to me?" I cried, face in my palms. The memories kept flashing across my mind faintly.
'Scarlett?"
'Argh!" I screamed, falling off my chair.
'Are you okay? Why are you crying?" Mr. Nathan asked.
I leaped to my feet, pushing the chair back up. 'I'm so sorry, Sir. I'll try to keep it professional." I wiped my tears with the back of my hand and sniffed.
Without a word, Mr. Nathan moved closer to me and held my hand. His touch caused an electric wave to rush through my veins.
'You know you can always talk to me, right?" he said softly.
He was melting my heart with his words. Except for my crazy Everleigh, no one is ever ready to listen to me.
I nodded.
'What happened to you? Did anyone hurt you?" he inquired, brushing his thumb over my teary cheek.
'I don't know, but I can feel it all over me. I don't remember anything that happened last night. The memories are coming back faintly," I tried to explain. My heart banged my ribcage so loudly that I could feel it rumble in my head.
'You went out with Angelo, didn't you?" he asked, and I nodded again. 'Then?"
'We went to a bar to have a glass of cocktail," I remembered.
'Then?"
'And I... we went to... no," I couldn't remember the rest. 'I don't know how it happened. I just woke up in his room this morning," I explained.
Mr. Nathan's hands left mine, leaving cold tingles. He stepped back from me.
'Why aren't you saying anything?" I asked, closing the distance, but he stopped me with the raise of his palm.
'You honestly don't remember, or you're just pretending? That's by the way. I bet you two had a really fun night together," he said, sounding sarcastic.
'What are you talking about? Angelo would do no such thing, right? He didn't take advantage of me. He can't do that." I covered my mouth to stop myself from wailing.
'That's what you wanted, right? I warned you, but you insisted on going out with that bastard. How could you be so desperate?!" Mr. Nathan snapped, slamming his fist on my desk.
'No, I didn't sleep with him. He is my friend." I tried to defend myself.
'Oh yeah? Why am I even getting pissed? It's your body. You can do whatsoever you wish with it."
That was his last word before striding to his desk. Why the heck does he sound hurt?
