Love Beyond Scandal

CHAPTER 4

Everything went on smoothly for weeks, just like it had gone for the past year. This was the best period of her life, Genevieve felt that the only way they could make their relationship public was by getting married to Gerald. But he had never hinted at that and for some reason it bothered her, or was she the one moving too fast? She wondered. She decided not to bring up the topic and just let the relationship flow, she was satisfied either way.

Things took a drastic turn one day when Natasha booked an appointment with Gerald. She walked towards Genevieve's desk that morning, when Gerald hadn't come to work.

"Good morning, Miss Natasha." Genevieve greeted politely.

"Is Gerald in?" Natasha asked, knowing fully well he wasn't.

"No, he hasn't arrived yet." Genevieve replied with an impassive look on her face.

There was an air of tension between the two women and Genevieve didn't understand why it was so thick and menacing.

"I want to book an appointment with him today, when is he free?" Natasha asked.

Genevieve only took three seconds to think, "He has nothing to do from one pm to two pm, I can slot in an appointment with you by that time."

Natasha smiled, a wicked, ominous smile, "Sure, that would be great." She said curtly and walked away.

When Genevieve announced the appointment to Gerald when he arrived, he frowned immediately.

"Come here, baby girl." He said, pulling her to him and kissing her.

She didn't respond and that made him look sharply at her, "What's the matter?" He asked, his eyes narrowing curiously on her.

"You have an appointment with Natasha immediately after lunch, she came in this morning to book it." She replied and he stared at her in bewilderment.

"What? Why did you set the appointment without consulting me first?" He asked, rubbing his hand through his hair.

"Sorry about that, I just thought it was really important but now I feel somehow about it." She said and grimaced.

"Are you about to vomit?" He asked, worry clouding his eyes as she started to look sick.

"No, I'm fine, just end the meeting as soon as you can." She said firmly.

"Alright, send her in after lunch." He said and busied himself with the day's work.

Natasha was a very determined lawyer who had built a very good reputation in the firm, she had been in the firm for five years, a year less than Gerald and she was desperate for the post of a senior partner. She could buy shares then and cement her place permanently in the firm and that was her intention that afternoon as she walked into Gerald's office with a brown Manila envelope in her hands.

"Genevieve told me you booked an appointment, we could have talked over lunch as usual." Gerald said, offering her a seat.

She sat down with a genteel smile across her lips, "This is not something we could have talked over lunch, it's far more important than the regular meetings we have, Mr. Gerald." She said, there was an awkward drawl to her voice that made him alert instantly.

He sat up and his face became expressionless and so did his eyes, "Alright then, what is it?"

Natasha made herself comfortable on the seat and looked at him with confident eyes, "I'm sure you cherish the position you hold, Gerald, you know as a senior associate of this firm, it's a great position." She started and Gerald frowned.

"What are you driving at?" He asked impatiently.

"All I'm saying is, after working so hard for all this, the wealth, your position here, this huge office, you're even on a roll to become the next celebrated partner in the firm, it will be a shame to throw all that away." She said calmly, taking as much time as she wanted.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Natasha but you better hurry up, I have a busy schedule." He growled.

"Maybe these will slow you down." She opened the envelope and spilled out its contents onto his desk.

"What the f**k is this, Natasha?" He snapped.

"See for yourself." She said, still in that calm, unpressurized voice.

She smiled evilly and regaled in the moment as he picked up one of the pictures and his eyes widened with disbelief and utter shock. It was a picture of him and Genevieve kissing in a restaurant, the other pictures were either of him and Genevieve in the restaurant, or having s*x in his office.

"How did you get these?" He asked in a croaky voice that was the same sound as that of a choked frog.

"Very easily, I just followed you two to that fancy restaurant and as for the office pictures, all I had to do was plant a recording camera during one of my visits here. I must say you have a very interesting career." She smirked.

Although his nerves had been greatly shaken by the pictures he saw, Gerald managed to act calm, it was a special attribute of his. "How much do you want?" He asked.

Natasha burst into a high-pitched round of laughter and shook her head, "Oh no, no, no, Gerald, I do not want money, I have enough for myself."

"It's obvious you want to blackmail me with these and it will be pretty dumb of me to deny the obvious." He replied, wishing he could wring her neck and just make her disappear.

"Wise choice, you know how strict the firm is on an office relationship, save from that, you guys had s*x here, how daring. You're one of a kind." She said mockingly, her eyes tilting with humor.

Gerald knew the kind of woman Natasha was and her ambitions here at the firm, he had an idea of what she was going to ask for in return for keeping his relationship a secret. "So what do you want, Natasha?"

"A senior partnership." She replied with a deadpan move.

He didn't react or show any expression of shock, it was exactly what he had expected her to ask for.

"Don't you think you're asking for too much?" He asked, arching an eyebrow at her.

"Don't try to bluff me, Gerald, don't forget that I am a lawyer too. I know that as a partner, which you will be in a couple of days, you'll recommend other senior partners to the board." She said firmly, her voice carrying an iciness that turned the whole room cold.

He thought for a while, considering his lover, Genevieve and himself, then looked at her with a death stare of hatred, but it was gone quickly.

"Alright, I promise you a senior partnership once I'm announced as a partner in exchange for your silence."

She smiled and rose to her feet, "I'm happy we have come to a good conclusion, you might want to get rid of those photos."

He nodded, "Don't worry about them."

She paused on her way out, "Oh my God, I can't believe this escaped my mind." She exclaimed dramatically and pirouetted. "I also have another condition."

His frown deepened, "What do you want again, Natasha?" He snapped impatiently, struggling to keep control of his anger.

"I want Genevieve out." She said with a menacing glint in his eyes.

He was dumbfounded and shocked by her words, a cold feeling of panic spread through him, "What the hell do you mean by that?"

"I want Genevieve out of this firm!" She said fiercely.

Gerald froze instantly.