Ruin Me, Mr X

Scandal 1

SABLE

“I wasn't going to lie.” I glanced at him.

Alaric didn't say a word. He simply folded his arms across his chest.

“What about my grandfather? Did you tell him what happened to me?”

“Yes.”

“What?” I gasped. “Where is he? How did he take the news?”

“Calm down, Sable. He's fine,” he replied calmly before standing up and heading toward the door. He opened it slightly, checking outside before returning to his seat. “He's outside with Manuel.”

A sigh of relief left my lips. “Thank goodness.”

Alaric stared at me for a while. “Are you going to tell me why you ended up in that situation?”

“Oh… Madame Lior?” I smiled faintly. “I owed her some money and failed to repay it even after all the interest piled up.”

A warm smile spread across my face when I noticed the concern in his eyes. The way he looked at me felt strangely gentle.

Does he care about me?

Ugh, silly me. He came to save me the moment he found out I was in danger. That's not something just anyone would do.

I suddenly froze, my eyes widening in realization.

How did he know I was with Madame Lior?

Had he been following me?

But I saw him leave in his car. That's impossible.

“Sable.”

He snapped his fingers, pulling me out of my thoughts. I jolted slightly and looked at him, my hands tightening around the bedsheet.

“How much do you owe her?”

How much?

“I uh… some millions, I think? I can't really remember. My mind is still a little foggy right now.” I forced out a weak laugh. “But don't worry. I'll use my salary from the company to pay her back until everything is settled.”

I glanced at him while saying the last part, but that was when I noticed his expression had completely changed.

The warmth I thought I saw earlier was gone.

Alaric leaned forward, finally unfolding his arms.

“You have to remember something, Sable.” His voice turned low and grim, sending an unsettling feeling through me. “I can't keep babysitting an assistant who keeps bringing personal problems to me. Running the company is already stressful enough. I don't need an assistant creating more problems for me because they can't handle their own issues.”

My heart ached at his words, leaving me too stunned to speak.

I stared into his eyes, seeing how serious he was, and it felt as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over me. The warmth I thought I felt disappeared instantly.

He only did this because he is a professional.

I should've handled my personal problems properly instead of dragging him into them.

“I'm sorry, Alaric.” I lowered my head deeply. “I'll make sure something like this never happens again.”

His gaze lingered on me for a few seconds before he stood and walked toward the door.

He opened it, but instead of leaving, he paused and turned back to face me.

“You have twenty-four hours to fix this before I handle it myself. If this job really matters to you, prove it.”

After saying that, he left, closing the door behind him.

I sat alone on the bed while the air purifier hummed softly in the room.

My hands rose to cover my face as my body trembled. The horrifying image of almost having my organs removed pierced through my mind again.

Madame Lior.

Her name echoed in my head like a broken record.

I slowly lowered my hands onto my lap, staring blankly into space.

“I'll make you f*****g pay for this,” I gritted through my teeth.

And as for Alaric, I completely understood what he meant and wasn't offended in the slightest.

Although his words hurt deeply, I understood what it felt like to be forced into someone else's problems.

I pressed my hand against the spot the doctor had stitched up and shut my eyes as pain slowly crawled through me.

At that same moment, the door pushed open.

My grandfather walked in, concern filling his eyes.

“Child.” He spread his arms and hurried toward me with shaky steps.

“Grandfather!”

My eyes stung as my vision blurred with tears. I hugged him tightly, wincing from the throbbing pain in my body.

His hands rubbed my back gently while I cried against his chest.

I didn't even know exactly why I was crying so much, but one thing I knew for sure was that I needed this.

. . . . . .

I was discharged two days later.

Grandfather made soup for me to help regain my strength, although it wasn't like I truly needed it.

I wore my long silk stockings before slipping my feet into my black high heels. I buttoned my blouse and twirled around slowly, staring at my reflection.

For a brief second, my fingers brushed against the bandaged wound beneath my clothes. A sharp ache spread through my side, reminding me of that terrifying night.

I inhaled softly before removing the clips holding my hair and styling it neatly. After applying a soft pink lip gloss, I finally walked out of my room.

The faint sound of countryside music drifted through the house as Grandfather moved around in the kitchen.

“You're going to work already?” his voice called out.

Nodding, I walked toward the dining table and picked up an apple.

“Yes, Grandfather,” I replied before taking a bite. “I'm heading out now.”

I quickly waved at him and rushed toward the door before he could say something that would convince me to stay home and rest.

“An apple isn't enough. At least take this soup with you…”

I shut the door before he could finish and hurried toward the bus stop.

An hour later, I arrived at Leighton Biotech.

I pressed my ID card against the security scanner to sign in before walking toward the elevator after my identity was verified.

Suddenly, the memory of Alaric warning me about office punctuality flashed through my mind.

Quickly lifting my wrist, I checked my watch and realized I still had thirty minutes left before work officially started.

The elevator doors opened at the same moment, and I hurried inside along with several other employees.

I pressed my floor button before leaning back slightly to let the others do the same.

A smile spread across my face as I subconsciously anticipated how the day would go.

Right then, the notification sounds suddenly rang out from everyone's phones.

“Wait, what's happening?” a woman muttered as she pulled her phone from her pocket.

She swiped it open and began reading whatever was displayed on the screen.

A scream suddenly came from behind her, followed by a man's shocked gasp.

My heart quickened immediately.

Something was wrong.

I quickly pulled out my own phone and opened the company's forum.

Clicking on the latest trending post, my heart nearly stopped when I saw the title.

[#HOT: Dating scandal inside the company. Pictures of the individuals were taken from an angle, so their faces are blurred, but…]

I pressed on the image, and my breath shortened the moment I saw it.