“Why should I leave?” He raised his eyebrows and refused to leave.
“I… I need to get change!” She said slowly.
“Go on then!” He teased. “I won’t stop you!”
Marley’s eyes were locked on her long and beautiful neck. The hickey he made were obvious and she could just go out like that! It was his marks, he was claiming her to be his!
“Can you go out?” She said softly and shyly.
Her blushing face and shyness were seductive and irresistible. He approached her again, they were so close that she could feel his breath on her face.
She turned her face aside slowly from his breath but he pressed his lips on hers before letting her go.
“Mr Hughes…”
“What?” He raised his eyebrows.
“Marley!”
“Good girl!” He touched her nose. “Seeing someone after work?”
“Yes!” She nodded.
“To where?” He asked again.
Thinking about Ryan Babel’s call, she thought it must be about the three hundred million, but she wasn’t sure it was the right thing to do and didn’t know if telling Marley would make him angry. He was too proud to ask for a loan, guess he could not accept. So she shook and said, “We haven’t decided yet, we would know upon meet up!”
“I see!” He nodded. He saw the dark circle around her eyes thinking that she must have been up all night copying the secretary’s code and was exhausted. So he commanded, “Get back to sleep, I’ll wake you up on time!”
“It’s alright!” She had napped for a few hours.
“Not listening to me again?” He threatened with a low voice. “I’ll stay then, get change now!”
“Ah…”
“Continue your rest!” He repeated before he left.
She looked at his back in bewilderment. He said again at the door, “Get back to sleep, do you hear me? I’ll punish you if you come out. This is an order!”
“Yes!” She nodded and see him left closing the door behind.
Sylvie was astonished. Her lips were pouted and a hot flush rushed on her face. She touched the lips he kissed and reminiscing her gentleness. How could he did such a thing in the office…
Her face blushed redder, heart race faster thinking about all these as if it was her first time. She sat on the bed for quite a while before she calmed down, change her clothes and arranged the bedsheet quickly.
Marley went back to his office, he stood beside the window and looked at the sky outside silently. Three hundred million! Was it enough for him to build his business? He could only get half the amount even if he sold it!
He lighted a cigarette, his face was buried by the smoke but his frowning eyebrows showed his true emotion.
But when he thought of the woman inside, her perfect figure, her young age and her sacrifices, his heart softened.
Start all over again! He told himself inwardly!
Sylvie changed her clothes, it was wrinkled so it took her quite some time to tidied up. She hoped that those women out there would not laugh at her when she got out.
Half an hour later, she pulled the door and walked out.
Marley was sitting on the executive chair while Tyler sat opposite him, they were discussing something over cigarettes.
Tyler was shocked when she pulled open the door.
“Oh! Secretary Sylvie, you are present too?” He was shocked at first but then laughed. “I’m sorry, pardon me, I didn’t know Secretary Sylvie is here!”
Sylvie blushed. She didn’t expect that the soundproofing of this door was that good. There was no sound at all and she pulled open the door just like that.
She stunned and got nervous. She lowered her head and tried to remain calm, “Hi Mr Cooper.”
“Why didn’t you sleep?” Marley frowned and asked.
“No! It’s fine! I’m getting back to work right away!”
She rushed to the door but turned back for her mobile. “I’m sorry, I forgot my mobile!”
Again she rushed to the door to pushed it open, but it didn’t work. She forgot that she was supposed to pull instead of push. So she pulled it open and went out embarrassed.
A laughing sound was heard from behind, Sylvie became more embarrassed.
Tyler laughed while slapping his thigh, “Oh my, Secretary Sylvie is too cute, hahaha…”
Marley smiled too, Sylvie looked really cute just now, like someone being caught red-handed, her embarrassed face was so cute!
“Marley, were you two having sex in there just now?” Tyler laughed and teased him.
“Does it matters to you?” Marley raised his eyebrows.
“It doesn’t matter to me, hahaha! I thought you would never mix work and personal life, but you did, it’s interesting!”
“So what? She’s my wife!”
“You finally acknowledged her as your wife?”
“Hmm!” Marley cleared his throat proudly!
“Alright, joking aside, do you want to sell the remaining shares? Those are shares of the Well Group!”
“Yeah!” He became serious too. “I need to overcome this obstacle!”
“But it can’t be sold for three hundred million!” Tyler was worried, “If needed, I can sell my shares too!”
“Tyler!” Marley was touched.
Tyler resumed his playful attitude, “Why? Touched? Do you want to pay me back with your body? Haha, but I’m straight as steel!”
“Darn you!” Marley knew he would say something weird, but he was grateful from the bottom of his heart.
He was his best buddy, like a brother. He offered to sell his shares when the Hughes Group having some financial difficulty, despite not much. But those shares would be triple the price or more in the future. However, the price offered at that time was too low, or won’t help much even if he sold it, so he rejected it. Now he made the same offer again, he was truly grateful. “Keep it!”
“Am I an outsider?” Tyler complain, “You are suffocating, I can’t see my best buddy in a condition like this. Marley, you are like a brother to me! Let’s face this together, next week is the best time, with both of our shares, we might be able to sell at a higher price!”
“No! I meant I will sell mine at the highest price possible, it will be about half, the remaining half I will exchange with their shares. I already have an amount to purchase their shares, so I can use it now!”
“Well, then I will buy your shares! Haha, I don’t like to lose money in business!” Tyler claimed.
“Let’s sell it then. I can’t mistreat you since you trust me so much!” Marley said. “Five percent!”
“Whoa! This will make me wealthy once the crisis is over, the projects have high revenue and Hughes Group regained its reputation! Marley, will you regret it?”
“Do I look like someone who will regret to you?” Marley asked in reverse.
“Haha! No, you don’t.”
Both of them continued discussing their plan in the office.
Six pairs of eyes were staring at Sylvie the moment she rushed out from the CEO’s office.
Seeing her reddened face, Aila approached and looked straight at her face and the hickey on her neck. Despite her effort to cover it, it was still obvious.
Slyvie noticed the disbelieve on her face.
Her eyes were filled with jealousy, disbelieve and extreme anger. But she managed to hide all the emotion real quick.
Sylvie was a bit shocked by her reaction.
Aila regained her consciousness and said, “Secretary Sylvie, you’ve been in there quite a long time!”
“Err!” Sylvie nodded and went back to her seat.
“Secretary Sylvie, you had a lovey dovey time?” Maisy blinked and smiled naughtily at her.
“Over five hours, wow, Mr Cooper let you stayed inside for five hours, it’s almost time to go home!” Daria was astonished too.
Sylvie looked at the time and realised it was indeed time to go home.
All three of them tidied their stuff, Aila looked a bit weird and her smile looked forceful.
Tyler walked out of Mr Cooper’s room not long after, he greeted Sylvie, “Secretary Sylvie, you look great today!”
Sylvie blushed again.
Marley walked out of his office too. “It’s time to go home!”
“Yes!” Three secretaries nodded.
Sylvie lowered her head and dared not look at Marley.
But he approached her. “Sylvie, let’s go home!”
Sylvie was shocked with her eyes wide opened. She didn’t know what to do and felt her legs weakened. She grabbed onto the desk immediately while he was already beside her with everything they bought this afternoon. “What’s wrong?”
“No! Nothing!” Sylvie shook her head.
She wasn’t used to him being this gentle in the public.
And she turned and look towards those who hadn’t left.
Tyler smiled naughtily, Maisy and Daria smiled ambiguously while Aila looked weird.
“Let’s go!” Marley held her hand and walked towards the door.
“Wait for me!” Tyler said quickly.
Marley turned, “You wait for the next elevator.”
“Well, alright then!” Tyler shrugged, “I won’t be in your way then!”
Sylvie was embarrassed, she tried pulling back her hand but was held on tight by him. So, they went into the elevator holding hands.
The button was pressed, and a loud and angry voice was heard soon after the door was closed.
“Do you feel embarrassed holding hands with me? You don’t like me holding your hand?” She could hear his complaint in his tone.
She stunned but lazy to argue with him, she would never know what he was thinking anyway, she couldn’t guess, didn’t want to and dare not to guess.
“You don’t like me holding your hand?” He asked again, he was persistent to get an answer.
She raised her head slowly, slightly shocked and replied honestly. “This is our workplace! It doesn’t look good!”
His face softened hearing this. “But it’s no longer working time!”
But you are the CEO, and a discipline one!” She sighed, she knew how he like to separate work and privacy clearly and had not forgotten about his warning from the beginning, although it seemed useless to think about all this now.
Marley stunned and followed by a smile, her irrational answer delighted him.
“Hmm.” He nodded.