Chapter 7: Don't Dirty My Office

Camille

My heart died, cold and empty.

For a long moment, I couldn't feel a single beating.

Gabriel watched me, his eyes filled with an innocent, almost cherubic smile.

The man sitting before me wasn't the ruthless, decisive Bennett scion of whispered legend, but the handsome, boyish Gabriel I used to know.

I swallowed hard, my voice trembling as I asked, "So… what are you trying to say?"

Gabriel blinked, the innocent smile vanishing, his eyes replaced by a dark, unfathomable depth.

"What do you think?"

I felt like he were dissecting me, peeling me open, exposing every organ for display.

In his presence, I had no secrets left.

I lowered my head, the words catching in my throat as I managed, "I'm sorry, about yesterday… I lied. But…"

"But you weren't willing? The old man forced himself on you? Hmm, that's what a lot of women would say."

I was speechless, unable to form a rebuttal. I could only stare at the ground, focusing on a single point just inches in front of my shoes.

I had been too naive.

I thought that by coming here today, we could establish a working relationship, that perhaps in the face of business, we could put aside our past grievances. Now, it seemed, that was impossible.

He still hated me, perhaps even more than before.

And because of his father, his hatred burned even brighter.

I whispered, "Gabe, can we… can we please not talk about this? I just want to focus on the task at hand."

I smoothed a stray hair by my ear, using the gesture to mask my discomfort.

"Let's talk business. About next week's assignment, I'd like to see the files first."

Gabriel leaned back heavily in his chair, his body slumping into a posture of indolent ease. "There are no files."

"How can that be? This mission is supposed to be important…"

Gabriel tapped his temple with a smile. "It's all right here. Want to take a look?"

I was taken aback, unsure how to respond. He gave a cold, sharp order. "Come here."

My heart pounding, I slowly moved to his side. "Maybe… you could just tell me, and I'll take notes."

Gabriel stood up abruptly, his hands gripping my neck, forcing me against the desk.

I instinctively grabbed the edge of the table, but didn't dare struggle.

In Gabriel's light blue eyes, I saw my own face, contorted with fear and a hint of desperation.

Gabriel's voice turned icy, laced with a cruel edge.

"I've been more than tolerant with you, and yet you still have the audacity to come crawling back!"

"Your mother seduced the old man, driving my own mother to her death. And you? You followed in her footsteps. Congratulations, Camille—you became my stepmother!” 

"I've been back for two years, doing my best to avoid you. But you? No, you make sure to throw yourself in my face!"

“Yesterday wasn’t enough? Today, you came again.”

“Welcome to my office, dear STEPMOTHER!”

He radiated anger, his grip on my neck tightening.

I choked, my face burning red from lack of air. But I didn’t fight back.

In my life, resistance had never been an option.

His grip loosened slightly. "Tell me, why are you here?"

I managed to choke out, "Nothing… just to complete the mission."

"The mission?" He sneered.

"Is sleeping with him also part of your mission?"

His eyes were fixed on me, burning with hatred. Without waiting for my answer, he released my neck.

I clutched my throat, coughing violently, but I remained still, too afraid to move.

A flicker of perverse amusement returned to his eyes. "What if it was my mission? Would you carry it out?"

I didn't understand what he meant, staring at him blankly.

Gabriel's long, elegant fingers reached for the top button of my blouse, undoing it.

"How about you carry out my mission, lie here and let me fuck you? I'll call the old man and let him watch the live show."

Shame washed over me, engulfing me in its suffocating embrace.

I shook my head frantically. "Gabe, please, don't."

But deep down, I knew—I wouldn’t dare push him away. For as long as I could remember, I had never had the right to say no.

"What's the matter? You were bold enough to touch me yesterday, but now you're playing the innocent?" He mocked, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt.

I could only turn my face away, silently letting the tears stream down my cheeks.

Gabriel undid all the buttons of my blouse, leaving my upper body completely exposed.

His hand slid across my cheek, down my neck, across my collarbone, finally coming to rest on my breast.

His rough fingertips grazed my nipple, sending a shiver through me, a mixture of pleasure and shame. I closed my eyes, biting my lip tightly.

"Is this how the old man touched you too?" Gabriel's voice was laced with something that sounded like displeasure.

His other hand slid up, cupping my other breast.

Pleasure and shame tangled together, making me want to disappear.

I desperately wanted to slap him, to make him stop.

But I knew I didn't have the right.

In the Bennett household, I was as insignificant as an ant. Any word, from anyone, could send me spiraling into an even deeper abyss.

Gabriel's lower body pressed against my pussy, a hard, insistent pressure against my core. I couldn't help the slight tremor that ran through me, the awareness of his growing arousal.

"Is this how the old man did it to you too?"

His body heat, seeping through the thin fabric of his pants, warmed my legs – a warmth I had once craved.

But there was no pleasure on Gabriel's face, only the cold, stark joy of revenge.

His hatred for me, perhaps, would never fade.

I pleaded softly, "Gabe, things aren't always as they seem."

He gritted his teeth. "Just tell me, yes or no?"

I wanted to cry. Perhaps the misunderstanding between us would never be resolved.

"Gabe, if you truly see me as that kind of woman, if you're going to demand this of me… then fine, I'll cooperate."

Mimicking the woman in the opposite building, I wrapped my legs around his waist, my arms around his neck, my lips lightly brushing his ear, my breath a soft caress against his skin.

In that instant, I felt his arousal surge, hardening like stone.

Another wave of pleasure radiated from my core, a moan threatening to escape my throat.

I knew I was getting wet again.

Gabriel's breathing grew shallow and erratic, his eyes half-closed, a dazed look creeping into them.

I trailed my lips to his tempting Adam's apple, gently sucking on it.

He shuddered slightly, his arms tightening around me, his lower body pressing even closer.

What was he doing? Avenging himself against his father? Torturing me? I couldn't understand.

My gaze drifted to a corner of his desk, catching sight of something familiar – a cheap tie clip.

No gemstones, not custom-made, just a simple, inexpensive trinket from an ordinary store.

But when I saw it, it was like an electric shock, a jolt that ran through my eyes.

It was the tie clip I had given him six years ago. He had kept it all this time?

Gabriel, sensing my distraction, followed my gaze and saw the tie clip.

He released me, snatched the tie clip, and threw it into a drawer with a violent motion.

The desire that had filled his face just moments before was now replaced by an icy mask.

"Gabe," I whispered, "I didn't expect you to keep it."

A flicker of coldness flashed in Gabriel's eyes. He said flatly, "Get out."

"Don't defile my office."

His voice was soft, but it cut through me like a knife, a sharp, piercing pain.