The Stolen Heart

Chapter 5: Counter Attack!

I ignored the penetrating stares I was getting after I had exited Jen’s office and walked firmly with my head held straight. I was headed straight towards Justin’s office. As my destination became closer and closer, my confidence was starting to waver. I stopped for a second, took a deep breath, puffed out my shoulders and continued dashing forward furiously.

I was striding forward really fast, anger fuming inside me that I didn’t even notice that I had walked right into someone.

“Ouch!”, he muttered, then his eyes went wide when he saw me. There was the new marketing head dressed in a plain white shirt and denims, standing right outside the Managing Director's office with a bunch of folders in his hands. Where everyone else was dressed prim and proper in power suits, he clearly stood out in his trendy casuals.

Daniel had been waiting right outside Justin’s office. Judging by the huge stack of folders in his hands, he was here for something important. Well, too bad, he would have to wait.

“Hey, you okay?”, he asked, treading carefully as if talking to an injured puppy, to which I rolled my eyes and replied in a chirpy tone, “couldn’t be better”.

He looked taken aback by my tone, then looked into my eyes curiously and held my stare. I refused to back away and looked back at him until he was the one who was flustered enough to blink rapidly and look away.

He coughed, clearly embarrassed, his cheeks getting redder by the second.

“Where was the timid woman, I saw on my first day here?”, he scoffed at me, while his blue eyes twinkled mischievously.

I rolled my eyes at him and snarled at him, “I got rid of her”

Then, without another word, opened the door and went right in not even waiting for my turn, with Daniel right behind me, looking like an excited puppy.

“Daniel, I told you to wait outside. I am busy”, shouted a frustrated Justin, who didn’t even look up from his laptop.

Convinced that he was purposefully ignoring my presence, I scoffed in indignation, enraged by his nonchalant attitude.

Daniel cleared his throat loudly. Justin looked like he wanted to punch someone, then his eyes skipped from Daniel towards me and froze like a deer caught between headlights.

Good! At least he had the decency to look ashamed.

“Get out”, I said to Daniel, who looked taken aback for a moment then his awestruck look was right back.

He grinned at me wolfishly and replied, “I don’t think you have the right to order me out, Miss Thomas, after all your promotion had been cancelled and we are currently in the same rank.”

“Not for long”, I said, raising an eyebrow at him daring him to challenge me, to which his grin further expanded.

He winked at me, then did a mock courtesy and went out, leaving me alone with a visibly flustered Justin.

“Merina….” He began, then stopped abruptly as I held up my hand.

“I had toiled day and night for this company. My contribution to the turnover of this company is unprecedented. I don’t give a s**t if you and your ex-girlfriend want to fight dirty, but don’t you dare drag me into this crap.”, I spit each word with venom in my voice and strode forward, closing the distance between us.

Justin looked completely shocked at my outburst, then came forward, raising both of his hands in a surrender position in a bid to calm me down.

I immediately took a step back and Justin stopped mid- way and ran his hand through his hair, a thing he usually does when he was nervous.

“Merina, there is nothing I can do about this. The board had already voted”, he said, sounding deflated.

“You are the Managing Director! Do you really expect me to believe that?”, I shouted at him, losing my cool.

“Trust me, I tried but…...”, he stopped mid-sentence again and shrugged his shoulders, frustrated.

“Well, then you would just have to keep trying harder, don’t you think? Because if I am going down, I am going to take you down as well.”

Justin looked taken aback at my declaration.

“If it weren’t for your crazy ex-girlfriend, none of this would have even happened. And if you don’t fix this soon, I will reveal to the Board how this all was your fault to begin with. I don't like being a tattle tale but you leave me no other choice. Imagine the headlines, Justin Malcerk put in a tight spot by a crazy ex-girlfriend. You would lose your respect and status if the news were to spread that this was done by an angry ex-girlfriend of yours. And I wouldn’t even have to do anything because your playboy image speaks for yourself.”, I shouted at him, in between heated breaths.

“So, you are telling me….no…. you are blackmailing me to fix this otherwise you won’t sit quiet?”, he repeated in a shocked tone.

“Damn right I am”, I scoffed at him.

Justin looked me in the eye for a second then let out a relieved laugh. I c****d my head at him confused. Here I was blackmailing him and he was laughing? Was he not taking me seriously? Does he think that I won't be able to carry on with the threat? 

Infuriated by his audacity to laugh at me, I was about to take a menacing step forward trying to intimidate him when he burst out laughing, holding his stomach. The color drained from my face as I watched Justin laughing his ass off. Does he really think that I won’t have the guts to go through with what I have said? He was underestimating me way too much, I realized with a start as I narrowed my eyes dangerously at him.

Justin got back up, straightened up his dark, brown power suit and wiped off the tears in his eyes.

He, then looked me in the eye and winked, “All right, Ma’am. I will take care of it”

He did a mock salute at the end.

I blinked in surprise at his declaration, feeling wrongfooted.

“That’s it? You don’t have anything else to say?” I asked him confused, wondering whether he had lost his mind for he had laughed like a little kid on Halloween.

I swear to god, he looked like he was proud of me, which further confused me. I shook my head and walked towards the door and immediately bumped into Daniel. It was clear as day that he was eavesdropping. He immediately straightened up and grinned at me. Oh boy! He was shameless enough to not even try to back off and try to pretend as if he hadn’t just spent the last ten minutes eavesdropping. Something about that was weirdly endearing. Though, it hasn’t been a while since I met him, it seems that he was a man who gave it to people straight, not caring at all what they thought of him.

“You are not what I imagined you to be”, he said, grinning wider.

I simply rolled my eyes and scoffed at him, "Right back at you"

“You blackmailed the Managing Director? You actually blackmailed the MD? I had thought you were here to beg him but no you came to force him to play his cards” he said and laughed out loud.

He seemed to be talking more to himself than to me.

His laughter was contagious and I laughed along with him. I felt relieved and free as if a huge burden has just been taken off my shoulders. I hope Justin will be successful in convincing the Board of Directors to give me my promotion back.

Just then Justin came out and looked at me bewildered. His jaws tightened when he saw me laughing hard with Daniel.

He fixed Daniel with a predatory glance and muttered through gritted teeth, “I thought you had something important that you needed me to see, Daniel”

Daniel and I stopped laughing immediately. He nodded at Justin and then winked at me as he went into Justin’s office. Justin stood there a minute longer scanning my face, as if trying to read something then gave up, shook his head resignedly and went back in, slamming the door shut.

I hadn’t laughed like this since ages so I could understand Justin’s bewilderment.

Well, it was time, I quit being a weepy b***h and start moving on….Jen was right…It was about time….

The people spreading the malicious rumors about me seemed to have forgotten who I was and what I was capable of. Well I guess, it was time to remind them…..

And now to meet the mastermind behind all this mess….Justin’s crazy ex- girlfriend, the blonde b***h…..

I saw Jen walking towards me anxiously and stopped in my tracks.

“How did it go? Did you kick his ass?”, she asked and waited anxiously for my reply.

I nodded at her and winked.

She let out a squeak of delight in response.

“Did you get what I had asked you earlier?”, I asked her.

“Yep, I got all the details. Her name is Joanna Johnson. She is not just a mere reporter working at NBC, she is the chief there. She is the only daughter of the business giant Ronald Johnson. She is basically untouchable because of who her father is. They have their mark in almost every industry ranging from technology to fashion to hotels.”, Jen finished without taking a breath in between.

Oh boy! So, she was a rich, spoilt b***h who was used to getting her way because of her almighty daddy.

“Text me the address of their head office.”

Jen grinned and replied, “I already did”

I grinned back at her, then turned around and started walking.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?”, she shouted from behind me.

“No, I am going solo, baby. Girls like her don’t value friendship, they only value power and if I go there with someone, she will only look down on me and I simply refuse to give her that satisfaction.” I shouted back at her, without even turning my head back.

I didn’t turn back, but I could see her grinning widely, showing all her teeth in the reflection in the glass doors in front of me.