A Slap to the Face
1374 Words
Sinclair Corporation, CEO’s Office
It wasn’t nine o’clock yet, but Victor Sinclair’s long, slender fingers tapped rhythmically against the desk. His sharp gaze was fixed on the door.
A moment later, Ester walked in, carrying a cup of coffee.
“Mr. Sinclair, your coffee.”
“Mhm.”
Surprisingly, Victor reached out to take it. The moment their fingers brushed, he felt her body tremble slightly.
What the hell.
She had been teasing and flirting with him nonstop before, and now she was shivering like a frightened bunny in front of a wolf? What on earth was this woman thinking?
Victor glanced up and noticed the faint red marks on her neck. He frowned.
“Button up your shirt.”
Flushed, Ester lowered her head and quickly fastened the top button.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Sinclair.”
Maybe it was her childhood trauma, but she had always hated buttoning her shirts all the way up—it made her feel ike she couldn’t breathe. She had tried to cover the marks with concealer this morning, but it clearly didn’t work.
“I’ll head back to my desk, Mr. Sinclair.”
“Mhm.”
As he watched her curvy figure retreat, Victor’s mind flashed back to last night. His abdomen tensed involuntarily, and his Adqamn’s apple bobbed. He never considered himself a man of indulgence. Over the years clawing his way through the ruthless business world, plenty of women had thrown themselves at him. Those fake, pretentious women just made him feel sick.
Back then, his secretary Bridget Claud was on honeymoon leave, and he was left without an assistant for a week. Out of nowhere, this Ester Leigh—bold like no one he’s known before—showed up to volunteer as his personal secretary. Victor knew from the start that she was probably just another woman trying to get into his bed, but he was curious: What gave her that kind of nerve?
He wanted to see how long she could keep it up.
As expected, it wasn’t long before she began flirting—subtly at first, then boldly, and even placed her hand on his thigh once. If it was anybody else, he would’ve thrown her off and maybe even broken her wrist.
But this one…
He just couldn’t bring himself to do it.
Last night, after attending a business banquet, Victor had returned to the hotel suite with Ester. Hit by a wave of impulsiveness, he scooped her up and pinned her to the bed.
He thought she would eagerly play along. Instead, she trembled and cried into his chest.
“Didn’t you want to crawl into my bed, darling? Scared now?”
“Mr. Sinclair, I’m sorry, I was wrong… Please let me go…”
“Too late, baby doll.”
He couldn’t remember how many times he took her, just that each time was more intense than the last. It was as if she had some kind of addictive poison that drove him insane.
In the end, she passed out. To his shock—she had been a virgin.
What the hell was she thinking?
…
Ester sat at the desk outside the president’s office, a dull cramp twisting in her lower abdomen.
Her period isn’t due for weeks—could it be… the aftermath of last night?
She only remembered crying and begging the whole time, until she was so tired that she passed out.
Victor Sinclair… he really isn’t human.
“Ester, is your stomach hurting?” Emily looked over with concern.
Emily was Victor’s assistant secretary, a year older than Ester, and had been with Sinclair Corporation for three or four years.
While others spread rumors and guessed at how Ester had climbed the ladder so quickly—from an ordinary admin to the CEO’s personal secretary—Emily had always stood up for her.
“If Ester is able to gain Mr. Sinclair’s trust, then she clearly has the ability. Those who have nothing to do with her business should just shut up.”
Ester clutched her hand over her belly and whispered, “It’s nothing. I’ll be fine after drinking some hot water.”
Just then, the sharp sound of high heels echoed from the corridor. The receptionist hurried in behind a woman.
“I’m so sorry, Ms. Leigh, Ms. Brown,” the girl said nervously. “Miss Kim doesn’t have an appointment, but she says she’s here to see Mr. Sinclair.”
Jessica Kim shot her a glare.
“Do I need an appointment to see Victor?”
Ester stood up straight. “I’m sorry, Miss Kim. Mr. Sinclair is currently in a meeting. Once he’s done, I’ll ask if he’s available to see you.”
Jessica sneered, “And who gave you the right to stop me from seeing him?” Her voice grew sharp, irritation rising on her beautiful face—heavy with makeup.
That face—
Ester would recognize it even if she turned to dust.
It was that face that once twisted with pleasure beside the man Ester used to like the most in the world. More than that, it was the same face that led a group of rich, popular girls who bullied her in high school. They had thrown her backpack into the trash, stolen her homework, yanked her hair, and mocked her for her weight and non-designer clothes.
Jessica Kim was the ringleader.
But Ester never spoke out against them. After losing her parents, there was no one left in the world who could protect her.
“I’m sorry, Miss Kim,” Ester said calmly. “It is not up to me whether or not you can see Mr. Sinclair. If I let you in without his permission and he gets angry, you know neither of us would be well off.”
Jessica’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Was this woman saying that Victor wouldn’t want to see her? That she should leave? No one—and I mean no one—has ever said no to Jessica Kim.
She raised her hand—SMACK! The slap rang out loud and clear.
“Ester Leigh! Who do you think you are?! You were nothing but trash in high school, and you’re nothing but trash now!”
Emily shot to her feet, furious. “Miss Kim, this is Sinclair Corporation, not your backyard!”
Ester covered the red, stinging side of her face where she’d been slapped. “Miss Kim, I work for Mr. Sinclair. If I’m trash, then are you saying Mr. Sinclair collects trash?”
Jessica was instantly enraged. “You little b—!”
She raised her hand to strike Ester again, but before it could land, a strong hand seized her wrist in midair.
Victor Sinclair has appeared without anyone noticing.
“Which hand did you hit her with? This one?”
His grip on Jessica’s wrist tightened, and she cried out in pain.
“Victor! Daddy is still in partnership with Sinclair! You can’t—”
“I’m asking you a question. Was it this hand?"
His expression was dark, twisted with rage. He didn’t look human, more like an unshackled beast, wild and terrifying.
Ester quickly clutched his arm.
“Mr. Sinclair, it’s okay. Miss Kim didn’t mean to. Please don’t—”
She looked at his hand, gripping so tightly to Jessica’s wrist that it looked like it might snap. After all, she knew better than anyone how terrifying his strength could be.
Victor didn’t acknowledge her. The bruise on Jessica’s wrist quickly deepened into an angry purple.
“Mr. Sinclair!” Ester held his arm tighter, silently pleading with him.
In that moment, Victor’s mind flashed back to the night before—her trembling hands clutching his shirt, her desperate sobbing pleas. He let go.
With one final glance at Jessica, he spat: “Get out.”
Jessica Kim clutched her wrist, eyes brimming with tears. The pain and humiliation overwhelmed her. She had never been treated like this before. Her legs felt like they were made of lead—she couldn’t move.
Victor turned and said to Emily, “Call security. Have her dragged out. And cancel all cooperation with the Kims.”
“Yes, Mr. Sinclair.”
- Writer
