Chapter six

Third-party POV

I leaned back in my chair, massaging tense muscles on my neck. Nothing was going as I had planned. From the very start, this day was an utter disaster. I groaned in pain as the stress was overwhelming. So much planning could be destroyed. I could not let this happen.

Someone knocked at my office door.

“ Not now, “ I said in a cold voice. Whoever it was could wait. I had enough of unpleasant visits for one day.

Another knock, someone was persistent.

“It is better important, or I will kill this motherfu*ker,” I mumbled to myself, yanking the door knob.

“ What?” I barked.

My assistant stepped back; her face became pale, and she trembled.

“ I am sorry, boss. There is someone to see you,” she barely whispered, darting her eyes to the floor. Great!

“ I am busy. Send this person away,” I replied, “and look at me when I am talking to you.”

She raised her face, and I noticed tears in her eyes. Now, she probably ran to the bathroom.

“ I told them you are busy, but the woman keeps repeating that this is important.”

I glanced over her shoulder. At the end of the hall stood Nicole. What the hell was she going here? Then, I noticed that she was not alone. There was some man with her. I could not see his face since he stared at the blank wall. This was getting better.

“ Send them in,” I hissed,” but when they are gone, I will be unavailable to no one—even Pope himself. “

My assistant nodded and hurried toward Nicole. I bet she wanted to be as far from me as possible today. I usually treated her better, but now, I had reached my limit.

I returned to my desk right before Nicole and her companion entered my office.

Now, I could take a better look at the man by her side. He looked like someone pulled out of a car wreck; his eye was so swollen that it was impossible to open it. Half of his face was purple, and his lower lip seemed cut. I wondered why Nicole brought him here. He noticed my stare and turned his face away.

I offered her a puzzled look, waiting for an explanation.

“ That is my friend. I have told you about him. He was the one to take care of Margot,” Nicole answered my silent question.

I almost laughed. No woman would like to stay close to someone who looked like him. How was he supposed to lure Margot to go with him anywhere? Nicole was, in fact, as stupid as a thought.

“ Seriously? You chose him for that task?” I surveyed the man with cool indifference. He lowered his head, avoiding my gaze. Good, because it was painful to look at him.

“ He did not look like that last night,” Nicole replied, shaking her head. “ At least not when he met Margot.”

“ Then what unfortunate turn of event led him to this state?” I asked ironically.

“ Do you want to tell him, or should I?” Nicole looked at her companion. He glanced at me and came closer. ‘ Please don’t,’ I thought to myself. His face looked terrible enough from where he stood.

“ I did everything Nicole asked me for.” The man spoke carefully; probably, his lips hurt too much. I offered this girl a drink. She was hesitant initially, but I was charming enough to make her agree. I put the tablet inside the drink and watched her drink it.”

“ Are you going to tell me about every word you exchanged?” I asked, annoyed—none of those interested me.

The man ignored my question and continued.

“ She was already tipsy, so the tablet worked almost immediately. I offered to take her outside to get some fresh air. When we left the club, she became suspicious and tried to get away from me, but the drug kicked in too much, and she had no energy to fight with me.”

I rolled my eyes. When was he going to tell me the interesting part?

“ I tried to make her go to a motel, where I was supposed to take pictures, but then this man showed up.”

I glanced at Nicole, but she was standing quietly, fidgeting her fingers.

“ A man?” I asked, raising my voice. Finally, he said something interesting.

“ I don’t know. I have never seen him in my life,” Nicole’s companion said, shaking his head.

“ And? What happened then?”

“ He told me to let her go, and I advised him to mind his business, and I tried to walk away, but then the girl tried to get free from me again. This man got pissed, and he attacked me. I tried to defend myself but had no chance against him.”

“ I can see that,” I chuckled. Anger flashed in the man’s eyes, at least in that one he could still keep open.“ And what happened then?” A lot depended on what I was about to hear.

“ He left me on the ground.”

“ I was asking about what happened to the girl?” I offered him a cold stare. I don’t give a sh*t about him.

“ This man lifted her like a bride and took her to his car. I do not know anything else,” Nicole’s friend said through gritted teeth.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. That was interesting. My lips curled upward.

“ You can go now,” I waved my hand dismissively. I have heard everything I needed. Now, I had to think about what to do with this knowledge.

“ What?” The man looked at me in shock.

“ I do not need you anymore,” I replied calmly.

“ I want my money.”

“ What money?” This punk has to be delusional. I paid for his service already, and he did not fulfil his part.

“ I was supposed to drug her and take some embarrassing photos. I did not sign myself for this,” he pointed to his bruised face.

“ And I paid you for drugging her and taking photos. Do I see any? No! Maybe I should ask you to return some of that money because all I have is some pathetic explanation. How about that?” I teased him, standing up.

“ Chris, stop,” Nicole said, grabbing his arm, but he glared at me.

“ Listen to her, Chris, “ I mocked. His hand balled.

“ You will pay me for this, or…”

“ Or what?” I interrupted before he could give me some empty threats. “ Nicole, keep your dog on a leash, or our deal ends.”

“ I will,” she replied, forcing Chris to leave the office. I did not care how she was going to make him listen to her, but if he crossed his path with me, I would destroy them both. Nicole should know me well enough to know what I was capable of.

When they were gone, I smiled to myself. This mysterious man could be the solution to my problems. It may not be the perfect solution, but I could use it to my advantage, as always.

I took out my phone and typed a message.

This day was not a complete disaster, after all. I just had to play with the cards life gave me.