Chapter 4

The office fell silent, as though someone had hit the mute button.

Peter lowered his head, and Anna shoved her bag of potato chips toward the corner of her desk.

The people who had been craning their necks just moments ago all shrank back in unison and glued their eyes to their computer screens.

Bianca turned back to me, her smile never wavering. "See? Out of over 100 people, you're the only one who has an issue with this situation. Don't you think maybe you're the problem?"

Peter seized the chance to pile on.

"I've been putting up with you for a long time, Caleb! You never attend any of our team-building activities. You skip every company dinner. Out of everyone in this office, you're the only one who thinks you're better than everyone."

"And who was it who covered your shift the last time, Peter?" I shot back, my throat tight.

His eyes flickered. "And did I ask you to? Don't act as if I begged you for help."

Anna cackled mockingly. "He even argues with the finance department over his overtime pay, down to the very cent. It'd be a miracle if 28,000 dollars don't mysteriously vanish when they go through his hands."

Last month, when her code had crashed, I'd stayed until 3:00 am fixing it for her.

"Anna, who helped you fix the bugs in your code?" I questioned.

Her face stiffened for a split second. "Who asked you to? You volunteered."

Bianca folded her arms and watched me.

I took another step backward. "I'm leaving today. I'll pay the penalty. Just give me the bank account details, and I'll transfer the money right now. Is that enough for you?"

Bianca smiled and came closer, refusing to let me go.

"You're all alone, Caleb, and the weather outside is bad enough to warrant a red flood alert. How could I possibly rest easy letting you leave? Everyone in this company is a family. We should take care of each other—keep each other warm and safe."

I backed away until my lower back hit the edge of my desk. Bianca reached out and placed her hand over the phone resting beside me.

No, she wasn't pressing down on the phone—she was pressing down on my hand.

Her fingers covered the back of mine. Her touch was soft, but I couldn't get away from her grip. She slowly stroked my skin with deliberate intimacy.

"Look at Caleb, everyone. He's so worked up. How could I possibly let him leave by himself? What if something happened to him on the way home? Who would take responsibility for that?"

I jerked my hand away and rubbed the back of it hard against my pants.

I looked around the office. Peter lowered his head and drank his water. Anna stared at her screen. Zachary examined his fingernails.

Just moments ago, all 100-plus of them had been more than eager to shoot sarcastic jabs at me. But now, they all acted like they were blind.

When Bianca reached for me again, I shouted, "Let go of me!"

I raised my hand to shove her away, but she caught my wrist. Her grip wasn't especially strong, but her fingernails dug into my skin.

She leaned close and murmured, "Be a good boy, Caleb. Stop fussing."

Every hair on my body stood on end. "Let me go! This is harassment!"

Bianca released me and stepped back, spreading her hands innocently.

"Harassment? I'm just showing concern for an employee. What's wrong with that? Aren't you being a little oversensitive, Caleb?"

I stood in the middle of the office. My left cheek was still swollen. The slick sensation her hand had left on the back of mine clung to my skin like mucus. No matter how hard I rubbed it, it wouldn't go away.

My stomach churned. I wanted to throw up.

"I'm resigning. I'll pay whatever penalty you impose, but you need to let me leave here now." I stared straight into Bianca's eyes. "Otherwise, I'm calling the police."

Bianca snorted. "Like hell you're leaving! Let me make it clear to you, Caleb—I pay your salary, which means when you're in my office, I own you.

"If I don't approve your resignation, you don't get to say otherwise. It's just a flood alert. Either way, you're staying here tonight!"

I stared at her. The nausea and dizziness crashed over me at once.

In my previous life, after working late, I'd gone to the restroom. I'd barely opened the stall door when a hand reached out from inside.

I'd screamed for help, but with the rainstorm pouring outside, no one heard me. Bianca was a trained martial artist. I couldn't get away from her.

I slapped away the hand reaching for me, and when Bianca staggered back, I hurriedly called Camille Upton, my older sister.

"Camille! I need you to come pick me up—"

A hand reached over my shoulder and snatched the phone away. After shoving the phone into Zachary's hands, Bianca flashed me a sinister smirk. She clamped a hand onto my shoulder to keep me from moving.

"You think you can settle everything just by paying the 200-plus thousand dollars, Caleb? I don't need the money. What I need is…"

Her gaze slid slowly down from my face. The corner of her mouth curled upward.

I knew exactly what she was implying. I braced myself against the edge of my desk, all ten fingers digging into it until my knuckles turned white.

Bianca reached out and grabbed my arm.

"Come on. We're going to my office."

At that very moment, a deafening crash rang out from the main entrance. It sounded like something had been forced open by sheer brute force.

The alarm for the entrance access system started ringing shrilly.

I whipped around and saw Camille was standing in the doorway. Behind her stood a line of people, every one of them wearing a thunderous expression.

Camille's gaze swept across the office before locking onto Bianca's hand gripping my arm.

She marched over and slapped Bianca across the face. The impact sent Bianca flying sideways, crashing into a filing cabinet. Folders and loose sheets of paper came tumbling all over her.

Camille shook out her hand before coldly eyeing Bianca, who was now curled up on the floor.

"Who the hell do you think you are to lay a hand on my brother?"