Chapter 10

Since Chris hadn't asked her about it for an entire month, she'd assumed that it was settled. Now, it just seemed like things had gotten worse. Kathryn didn't know how to answer him.

Sensing her silence, Chris glanced at her coldly. "What's wrong? Do you not want to do this?"

"No, I don't!" Kathryn thought, but she didn't dare say it out loud.

Before she could say anything else, though, Chris continued, "From what I know of your abilities, you'll need some help to get to the position of executive assistant."

Kathryn looked at him with wide eyes. Did that mean that he was sending her to learn from Markus because he wanted to promote her? That position paid four times more than she was earning now. To Kathryn, that was a huge temptation, as she still had a hefty mortgage to pay off.

However, she soon lowered her head back down. "But what about Mr. Hunt?"

"Markus will be resigning at the end of the year and going home to help with his family business."

Kathryn's breath caught in her throat. Was Markus really the heir of a rich family? She'd thought so once, but she really hadn't expected her guess to be true.

Why did everyone except her have fortunes to inherit? She needed to work harder.

"Okay, I'll work harder!" Kathryn blurted it out. As soon as she said that, she remembered what she needed to do and froze.

Was she really going to learn how to investigate her night in Chris' room from Markus? But she'd already said what she said; there was no going back now.

Chris was perplexed by her enthusiasm, but he let it slide since she'd agreed to his request so easily. He relaxed visibly. "You can leave now."

"Yes, sir." Kathryn had lost all her excitement. Listlessly, she left the office.

Chris frowned at the change of mood, but he didn't say anything as he watched her leave.

At lunch, Kathryn arranged for Chris' meal before going out to eat with Tally. Normally, they had lunch at the company cafeteria, but today they chose to go out to a restaurant they frequently visit to talk about the latest news.

After finding a secluded corner to sit in, Tally started. "What's the matter? What do you mean by that text?"

"Mr. Albert is still trying to find the woman from that night."

"I know."

"He wants me to investigate this with Markus."

Tally was stunned. What was this ridiculousness? He was asking Kathryn to literally find herself! That was scary!

"Did you give yourself away?" Tally asked nervously. To her, Kathryn was a timid young woman, so she didn't understand why Chris had taken a liking to her and chosen her to be his assistant.

Kathryn sniffed. "No, I didn't. I stood up to him."

And how much longer could she "stand up to him"? Tally rubbed her forehead in exasperation. "This can't last any longer. He wants me to give him the angel pendant."

"The angel pendant? The one you always wear?" Tally glanced at Kathryn's neck, which was bare today, and realized that she'd taken it off at some point without her noticing.

"I'd left it in his room that night," Kathryn said.

Kathryn hadn't mentioned that before. Tally felt her hair rise in terror. No wonder Kathryn said that this was the end; it truly was! Taking a deep breath, she asked, "Has Mr. Albert ever seen you wearing the necklace?"

"I don't know!" Kathryn's mind was blank.

Tally, too, had no idea how to proceed with this. During the summer, Kathryn tended to wear less clothes, so plenty of people could see that she often wore the angel pendant. As the president of a company, Chris probably wouldn't have taken notice of a small employee like her, but it was hard to be sure. This was getting scary.

Tally was exasperated. "And you gave it to him?"