Chapter 4
1725 Words
WAS HE ANGRY?
Rosalind's palms were cold as Mr. Nar summoned her once again. It had been two days since she left the hotel after Jackson Caldwell had been knocked out.
Yes, she knew the man’s name now. Mr. Nar didn’t bother hiding it from her as it was Jackson himself that had ordered for her to come to his company today.
What puzzled her was why she was being directed to Caldrise Construction instead of the Calderstone Palace like before. It seemed that Jackson had no intention of continuing with the contract and instead preferred to bury her in sand and cement.
"Just talk to him, dear," Mr. Nar's voice carried a note of sympathy.
Her anxiety increased. She nodded in response. "O-Okay..."
She had a serious debt to settle with the man she was about to meet. He had paid her a significant amount for a night of pleasure, but she had delivered a disaster instead.
She followed the directions given by Jackson Caldwell's secretary. The man had been a frequent figure in her dreams lately, leaving her unsure whether he was a sweet dream or a nightmare. Sweet dream because of his striking handsomeness, or nightmare due to his evident rage.
"Mr. CEO is on the 30th floor," said a female staff member who greeted her in the lobby of the tall construction company building.
She took the presidential elevator and reached the large door labeled OFFICE OF THE CEO on the 30th floor.
She clenched her sweaty palms before knocking on the door.
In a moment, the door automatically slid open. The air conditioning inside was freezing compared to the hallway. The CEO's office was as spacious as the hotel room she had visited before. She was nervous, but she forced herself to appear calm. She needed to.
"Rosalind Greene," a deep and cold voice announced.
She immediately locked eyes with the incredibly handsome man sitting in a swivel chair. She wasn’t sure if the air conditioning's chill became colder or if it was just the icy gaze of his chocolate-colored eyes.
In front of him was a large desk with a MacBook laptop and several folders. He wore a black coat with a shirt underneath, and his necktie was draped over the desk instead of being fastened. He looked like the devil he was, especially in corporate attire.
Even with slightly disheveled hair and an unkempt coat, he was capable of owning the world. His presence was overwhelmingly intimidating. There was no way you couldn’t respect him. You had to fear him.
"Have a seat."
She sat down, discreetly scanning her surroundings. She needed to keep herself occupied to avoid passing out from the tension created by his freezing stare.
"What did you do with the money?"
"Pardon?" She was startled by his direct question.
"The initial payment."
"Ah..." she swallowed hard. "I used it to pay my sister's hospital bills."
"So, it’s all gone?" One of his eyebrows arched.
She bit her lower lip. He was right; the money was gone. She had used the entire advance payment immediately for the hospital to find a donor for her sister Raelyn. She didn’t hesitate to use all of it for her safety.
"Can you return it to me?" he asked grimly.
She stared at him. Where would she get such a large amount to give back? She was already struggling to cover the operation costs. It looked like Jackson already sensed her thoughts.
"I'm sure you can't."
He took out a gadget from the drawer of a nearby mini cabinet. It was a tablet. He searched for something on it before he began to speak.
"Rosalind Greene. Twenty-three years old. Single. Orphaned and the sole breadwinner for a younger sibling with a heart condition. Graduated with a two-year secretarial course. Earns only a minimum wage. Models for some inexpensive products..." After reading from the tablet, he looked back at her.
"Inexpensive?!" Her nostrils flared.
"Why?" He frowned at her reaction.
She turned silent. She was shocked by his bluntness, but he was right. The products she modeled for were indeed not high-end, and her fees were not high either.
"N-nothing," she said, trying to sound humble but unable to hide the sharpness in her eyes.
She couldn’t afford to be prideful here. She hadn’t come to make him angrier. She was here to apologize and to plead that he not reclaim the advance payment she received. She didn’t have the means to return it yet. She was in need of money at the moment.
"I’m sorry for what I’ve done to you," she apologized. "I know you’re angry with me. I will return your money, but please give me some time. I-I can save up for it..." But even she didn’t believe she could return it. Fifty thousand was a large sum, and she didn’t know where she would get it.
"I doubt it."
She gritted her teeth. Her blouse was wrinkled from her frustration, showing how much she was holding back her emotions. He was unbearably arrogant that it took all her might to keep herself from scratching his handsome face.
His long fingers played with a pen on the table in front of him. "Rosalind Greene, if I tell you that I need the money right now, what will you do?"
Her cheeks heated. "Sir Jackson, please! Have some mercy!"
His red lips curled into a smirk. "Why should I? Did you have mercy on me when you bit me?"
She recoiled. "What?! I didn’t mean to bite you!"
His handsome face twisted in disgust, staring at her as if she were a repulsive insect.
"I don't care if you did it on purpose or not. The point is, you still bit me. I almost had my skull cracked open because you hit me with a bottle."
She was fed up. "Your skull wasn't actually cracked, was it?! Was it? No, it wasn’t! Because you have a thick head! And I only did that because you were rude! What did you think of me? A dog that you can just bend over and—"
"Shut up, woman!" he shouted.
She was rendered speechless. He was now thoroughly enraged, his face flushed red and his eyes burning with fury.
He stood up and almost threw the tablet back into the cabinet where it had been. "Don't you dare shout at me. No one has ever yelled at me in my entire life!"
"S-sorry, sir... It’s just that—"
"I said, shut up!"
"Yes, sir." She straightened up in her seat.
He was restless, pacing around the office. She stole glances at his face. He was no longer frowning, so he seemed to have calmed down.
After a while, he returned to his swivel chair. "So, you were offended by what I did to you that night, which is why you hit me with a bottle, right?"
"Yes..." she answered politely.
"Do you know what job you signed up for?"
"Yes..."
"And you know it’s part of the contract you signed that you would do whatever I want."
"Yes..." His piercing gaze made her sweat heavily.
A corner of his mouth lifted. "And I wanted you to bend over that night."
She bowed her head in embarrassment. She couldn’t meet his accusing gaze. They had a contract, but she failed to follow through; it was her fault, not his. From the start, she knew what her situation would be after accepting the advance payment.
"See? I paid you a large amount to pleasure me. Make me happy, not kill me. Damn it!"
"I'm really sorry..." She was utterly ashamed.
"So what's your plan now?"
"I-if you want... we could just continue with... with what—"
"That's exactly it," he interrupted.
She didn’t know what to reply.
"Cancel all your appointments for the next two weeks. Either take a leave from the club or, better yet, resign. Also, inform your sister that you’ll be gone."
"Why?" She was puzzled by his orders.
"Don’t worry, a private nurse will take care of your sister while you’re with me." He glared at her as if reading her mind.
"But—"
"No more buts."
"W-wait, where are we going?" Two weeks was a long time.
He answered her unspoken question. "We’re going on a ship. Are you familiar with the Caldera Cruise?"
She gasped. Of course, she knew that cruise. It was famous. Only the wealthy could afford to board the prestigious ship.
"I have business meetings there, and besides, I want to take a vacation after a few meetings and parties I’ll attend."
"And why do you need me?" She still couldn’t grasp his intention.
"I need someone to warm my bed."
Her jaw dropped. He wanted her to be his comfort woman?!
"Take it or leave it. But if you refuse, you'll have to return my money. If you can’t, I’ll sue you."
Her nose flared with anger at his threat. He could easily have her jailed for any case because he was rich and influential, but could she really become his comfort woman?
One night alone would give her a heart attack, what more for two weeks?
"Is it really necessary?" She hoped he would change his mind, but from the look on his face, it was highly unlikely.
"Yes. And you wouldn’t want to challenge me if I were you." He motioned for her to leave his office. "I’ll call you when it’s time for us to depart. For now, you may go."
She stood there dumbfounded. He didn’t give her a chance to decline. There was no way she could afford to return the money, and what about her sister Raelyn if she were jailed? Jackson knew that. He knew she couldn’t refuse.
Why does such a monstrous person exist in this world?
She looked at the man, now engrossed in reading papers on his desk as if she were no longer there. He was the incarnate of Lucifer himself. How would she manage to deal with him for two weeks on the ship?
He was handsome, yes, but he was a devil. Definitely not a prince charming.
He looked up when she didn’t leave. Frustrated, she turned away. She didn’t see the strange glint in his eyes as she left.
He was truly crazy.
- Writer
