Chapter 2

My fingers trembled slightly, and my heart raced as I held the tie in my hands and reached to begin to button down his crisp white shirt.

A sharp feminine scent drifted into my nostrils, making my head swim in pain. A pang of jealousy shot through my heart, but I kept my face straight, not saying anything or betraying any emotion.

I could feel his eyes piercing my forehead, but I pretended not to, ignoring the chills that went down my spine, to save myself from the awkwardness.

My fingers grazed his torso more times than I wanted it to, causing a tint of crimson to stain my cheeks in embarrassment.

My attention was drawn away by a loud scoff from Tracy, who shot daggers at me before grabbing her things. She stormed out of the room, making sure to bang the door hard as she left.

I turned to Paul, but he pretended not to notice that she had left, his eyes not leaving my face. What was he staring at?

Shaking my head slightly, I continued buttoning his shirt, mumbling to myself.

"It's fine, Anne. Don't think too much about his stare."

My pupils, however, dilated at the sight of a bright red stain on the lower part of his shirt. The lip-shaped mark yanked at my heart, threatening to smash it into two. Tears stung the back of my eyes, but I held them in as my habit was whenever I was with him.

I paused, staring at the lipstick stain, wondering if he could go for the meeting with it visibly showing.

Clearing my throat, I murmured, "You have a stain on your shirt, sir." I managed to keep my tone as even—cold—as possible.

I got no response from him for a moment, causing me to stare up into his eyes, but he wasn't a bit worried about the glaring stain.

Those gazel eyes of his pierced into mine with an intensity that made me want to disappear before he spoke. "What's wrong, Anne? Why do you look worried?" He questioned, his eyes dark and taunting. "Do you wish it was your lipstick?"

My eyes widened sharply, and my lips pressed into a thin line, and my jaw clenched, unable to say anything or find anything to say. My eyes grew heavier with tears, but I held them in.

He knew how I felt towards him, and he was trying to manipulate me with it, but I refused to give him the satisfaction he craved. Silently, my fingers clenched on the last button as I tucked the small button into the slit on the other hem of the shirt.

"Do you think you can be anything else to me other than a secretary?" He continued, spewing hurtful words that dug into my heart like a knife.

"I'm not jealous." I snapped, standing with my heels lifted to place the tie around his neck.

I felt him lean closer to me, causing me to lean back sharply and almost stumble. I steadied myself, glaring at him.

He wore an amused expression on his face. "Really? One thing I'm good at is deciphering people's emotions. You're not a very good liar. I can see it written all over you that you wish you were in Tracy's shoes, Anna." He let put a deep-throated chuckled. "How pathetic."

The tears clouding my eyes finally rained down my cheeks. My body trembled in embarrassment. Impulsively, my palms lifted and struck him across the face. The slap echoed in the room.

"I'm not a whore. I would never wish for something like that," I spat in disgust, wondering why my heart chose to still love this monster. "And my name is Anne!"

My heart skipped a beat at the darkened expression on his face. Chills ran down my spine at the icy glare in his eyes. Then it hit me—I just slapped my boss!

Before I could tender an apology or move back from him, his brutal grip was on my wrist as he pulled me with him, his eyes glinting with a murderous intent as he shoved me on the bed where his mistress had formerly been on.

My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he came on the bed as well, hovering above me with a cold glare.

"What are you doing?" I whimpered foolishly, my hands placed over my body in a defensive stance.

Without a response, his hands gripped the hem of my skirt, threatening to yank it off me. My whole body trembled in horror. I shoved his arms, but his muscular build was to my disadvantage.

A loud ripping sound echoed in the room, and I let out a shriek.

"Stop!" I screamed, shoving and biting him as he went on like a predator humiliating its prey.

The tears kept coming as he continued to tear off my clothing until I was in nothing but my inner garments.

He then lifted his head and glared into my eyes, his face not showing any hint of remorse or sympathy.

"You think you're some kind of untouchable woman. You think you're the best, but look at you now," he snarled, his eyes raking my whole body in a disdainful once-over. "Bare for my eyes to feast on. Are you anything more than this?"

My body shook as I sobbed, feeling small and bare under his scrutinising glare.

"Leave me alone!" I pleaded, my fingers struggling to reach the blanket to cover myself from his embarrasing stare. His strong hands pinned down mine before I could grab the blanket.

"For someone with so much fire and sass, I expected you to be more than this. Peharps more endowed. This is literally all of you. You're nothing more than this pathetic body, Anne. Don't get all in your head. Don't think you're anything special. I've met women with more beautiful bodies, and they don't even give me as much trouble as you do. They're level-headed!"

His words tore me apart, leaving me disgraced, but he was not quite done. His hands trailed my chest, taunting.

"If I wanted to sleep with anyone—any object, it wouldn't be you. You're not even worth a second glance from me. Get that into your head!"

"You're a beast, Paul," I spat, my voice hoarse from my screams, the weight of the humiliation settling on me. My tears poured down my cheeks freely. "I will never forgive you for this. You are a monster! You don't even deserve anyone's love! I hate you with everything in me!"

Glancing at me with a flicker of an unnamed emotion, he roughly pushed himself off me, giving me a final glance. My eyes were pretty much red at this time as I sobbed, pulling the blanket over my poor self.

He stormed out of the room, leaving me alone, broken and exhausted. My eyes were heavy and puffy at this time.

This was the height of belittlement and embarrassment I could take. How much more of this could I endure?

My heart hardened as I pulled my knees to my chest and hugged them tightly.

---

Thomas Corporation.

I stood outside the meeting room where Paul was in a serious meeting with the senior management of his companies.

Their voices floated into my ears, but I barely heard them as I was lost in my own world of sorrow and misfortune.

I wanted to yank out my hair from their roots as I thought about Paul. There was still stubborn part of my heart that held on to him like a treasured gem, refusing to let him go.

My lips pressed into a thin line. How much humiliation could I keep taking? I didn't care anymore. I was not going to follow the desires of that unreasonable part of me.

My fingers curled into fists as I made up my mind. I was done with Thomas Corporation, and that was it!