When He Let Her Sit His Car, I Scrapped It

Chapter 4

News reached the Foster patriarch faster than I had expected.

That afternoon, I was in a meeting when my secretary hurried over and whispered in my ear.

"Mr. Foster is furious. He wants Adrian confined to the family estate until he comes to his senses."

I showed no reaction and continued the meeting. My secretary returned after it ended.

"Adrian slammed the door and walked out. Mrs. Foster couldn't stop him."

"Understood."

She made no move to leave, so I motioned for her to continue.

"But Mrs. Foster personally issued an industrywide blacklist through the Foster family and had Chloe fired. The Foster family acted directly this time, and they were even harsher than we were."

I nodded. I had never been worried about the Foster family's position. Adrian was the real concern.

Sure enough, he returned at 10:00 that night. The door flew open and slammed against the wall.

"Valerie."

His tie was gone, and his eyes were streaked with red. I had expected him to confront me, but the sight of him in such a disheveled state still disappointed me.

"Did you complain about me to my father?"

"I wouldn't do that."

I could barely be bothered to look at him.

"Then how did he find out?"

"You've done so much that someone was bound to find out."

He strode up to me, visibly fighting the urge to hit me.

"My father wants to lock me up. Does that make you feel vindicated?"

"I think you deserve it."

He gave a cold laugh and slammed his palm against the back of the couch.

"What do you want from me, Valerie? She was one intern. You had her fired and blacklisted her from every business connected to you. Now even my mother is helping you. Why can't you tolerate one 22-year-old girl?"

I put down my coffee and slowly stood.

"Tolerate her? The Foster family's annual revenue isn't even a fraction of what Hart Group earns in one quarter. Do you genuinely believe I would feel threatened by an intern?"

His expression stiffened.

"You think this is jealousy?"

I stepped closer, and some of the confidence drained from his face.

"I was giving you one last chance to preserve your dignity. You know better than anyone how you got the position you hold. If you choose to throw away that dignity, I won't hesitate to overturn the entire table."

His throat moved. He didn't step back, but his hands clenched into fists.

"All you ever do is threaten me."

"This isn't a threat. It's a reminder to know where you stand."

The air went still. Without warning, he spun around, snatched the keys from the coffee table, and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?"

"It's none of your business."

He didn't look back. The door slammed behind him.

I stood there and sighed. Then I sent him my final message.

Valerie: Adrian, my patience has run out.