CHAPTER 4

Caroline’s POV

I was running for my life. Literally, it felt like I was being chased by zombies, all just to stop him.

“Noooo!!!”

He had already opened the door and was about to step into the bathroom, but luckily, he heard me. I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but as I got close to him, I suddenly slipped and accidentally pushed him inside!

“Aww!”

“Tobia--- aah!!!”

I hit the floor hard. I landed right on my lower back, making it impossible for me to stand up immediately. It hurt so bad!

“What the h*ll is this?”

Still clutching my back, I forced myself to sit up. When I looked up, one of my p*nties was draped right over his face. I tried to snatch it away from him, but it was already too late…

“Bite me, baby,” he read the text printed on it out loud.

Everything stopped, including my breathing.

“T-Tobias…”

Neither of us could look each other in the eye until he handed the p*nty back to me and walked out of the bathroom.

“I think I should go, I'll just shower at home. The investors can wait.”

His ears were bright red, while I could barely breathe from the sheer embarrassment. I sat down in the dining area and buried my face on the table in misery. Out of all the people who could have seen my p*nty, why did it have to be him?!

When I arrived at the office, I quickly sat down at my desk. It was right outside his office, and he even had a monitor installed that was connected to my station, supposedly so he could check if I was at my seat. But with our current situation, I had no idea how we could talk to each other without feeling awkward. This monitor only made things worse!

As I sat down, I noticed some hangover medicine resting on my desk.

“Who is this from? Could it be from him? It even comes with chocolate candy.”

A smile crept onto my face. That was exactly what I always chewed on while working, which was perfect since I hadn't been able to buy any today. Because of that, my day started on a good note.

But then, my mind drifted back to Raegan. My chest tightened every time I remembered him. It felt like I was being suffocated. Everything just felt so heavy. It’s suffocating.

“Caroline!”

“Oh, son of a goat!”

My eyes widened when I realized Tobias was already standing right in front of me. His eyes narrowed as he glared down at me. 

“I’ve been calling you for the third time.”

His voice was stern and heavy with authority. The entire floor went dead silent as his voice echoed. He didn't raise his voice, but because of how deep it was, it felt like thunder.

“S-Sorry, I was just thinking about something.” 

I hoped he would understand since I had already told him about what happened last night.

“Then don’t bring it to work. I don’t need unprofessional people in my office. I've been calling you into my office for a while now. Bring the contracts for Mr. Enriquez, now!”

My coworkers were all staring at me.

“Oh dear, why don’t you change your secretary, son? She seems incompetent for someone like you.” Mr. Enriquez sneered, scanning me up and down. “No wonder their family’s company is sinking. If the daughter is this incompetent, she probably inherited it from her father! Hahahaha!”

My coworkers began whispering among themselves. I just glared at him, even though I desperately wanted to hurt him. It cut deep as a daughter to hear my Dad insulted like that, but I can’t do anything.

“You are here to ensure your company survives, aren’t you?”  Tobias shot a piercing glare at him. “My secretary is none of your business. So watch your words, or I’ll drop everything and shred your company to pieces.”

We walked inside, and the two of them sat by Tobias's desk while I stood quietly to the side. Mr. Enriquez even sat with his legs crossed, clearly still failing to realize what kind of monster he was dealing with. 

“Don’t you think you’re being a bit harsh, son? We’re partners, remember? Hahaha!”

“You’re disrespectful to her.” 

My throat went dry as he glanced over at me. Was he defending me? No. Impossible.

“So why should I hold back? Besides, your company is beyond saving. So tell me, why should I waste my energy on that trash when I could just sell it off, shredding it piece by piece?”

The old man’s jaw dropped in utter disbelief. “W-What do you mean? You can’t do that. That’s not what we agreed on.”

“You’ve been treating your employees poorly, Mr. Enriquez.” He gestured with his hand toward me, so I handed him the documents he needed.

They were filled with evidence of negligence regarding Mr. Enriquez’s construction company, specifically, site safety and workmanship negligence. Basic rules that should never be ignored. And because of that, several of their employees had been harmed. They never received justice because the company suppressed them through intimidation and money to silence them.

“W-What? This is private data! You can’t do this!” he yelled, furiously tearing the papers to pieces.

I walked over to the projector, and the evidence flashed onto the screen instead.

“You can’t do this! How did you dig up that information?!”

“My incompetent secretary did it,” Tobias said with a smug, proud smirk. “Not so incompetent now, is she?”

A smile formed on my lips when he said that. That was my line from last night!

“Here’s my offer. Hand over the company to me and live peacefully with your shares. Or go bankrupt from the rumors of your negligence.”

It was like he marched into a fight loaded with a bunch of g*ns, completely unaware that  Tobias was going to aim a military tank right at him.

Tobias Lion Del Fierro. He's ruthless, manipulative, and always ten steps ahead. People fear him more than criminals because he is legal and untouchable.