“Huh, still so tight…” he taunted in my ear, “I thought you wouldn’t be able to withstand loneliness in the three years… But it looks like you haven’t been trained by others!”
“You bastard!”
I fiercely scratched his back with my nails.
“Laura!” he growled, gripping my chin, “You’ve been lonely for three years… Tonight… I’ll satisfy you!”…
…
I couldn’t tell when he stopped…
When I woke up, it was dawn.
My whole body felt as if it had been crushed, sore and aching.
That man was still sleeping beside me, looking like a baby, completely defenseless.
I lifted the covers and saw the scratches I left on his arms and back.
And looking in the mirror, I saw marks on my neck, chest, and even wrists.
My clothes were torn beyond wearing out.
I cursed Cameron hundreds of times in my heart.
Luckily, there were some clothes I had worn before in the closet. I picked a turtleneck sweater, hastily washed up, and quietly left the apartment.
When I arrived at the company, my colleagues looked at me strangely. Feeling guilty, I kept pulling up the collar of my sweater.
I felt uneasy the whole morning. When I entered the restroom, I ran into Elsa.
“Laura!” she greeted me.
I awkwardly smiled back.
“You’ve been to the restroom so many times this morning. Are you feeling okay?”
“I’m okay…” I hastily replied.
“It’s not cold, why are you wearing a turtleneck sweater?”
“Oh!” I was startled, covering my collar with my hands, wishing I could find a hole to hide in.
Elsa looked me up and down, as if she understood something, her eyes becoming extremely suggestive.
“It’s okay!” She leaned in, whispering with a smirk, “I understand!”
“Understand what?”
“With your talent and beauty, how could you possibly not have a boyfriend? Last night, it must have been…”
She stopped midway, only chuckling knowingly.
My face flushed, feeling a pain in my heart.
“Don’t worry, I won’t say anything, I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything.”
“Elsa, it’s not what you think…”
“I heard Vice President Lynch rescued you last night?” She winked, lowering her voice, “I mean… the second young master of The Lynch Family.”
I knew this matter couldn’t be kept secret. With such a big commotion, everyone must know by now. No wonder they all looked at me strangely.
“The relationship between the two young masters is quite delicate,” Elsa said sympathetically as she applied her lipstick, glancing at me. “Being caught in between them in the future might be difficult for you!”
“It’s not just you, all the employees of The Lynch Group are in a tough spot!” She kindly reminded me. “Anyway… be cautious in your actions! Last night, the second young master intervened for you and confronted Edward, but in reality, he was also challenging Vice President Lynch’s authority! Because the agreement should have been signed by Vice President Lynch, but now signed by him…”
She patted my shoulder, chuckling lightly. “Mark my words, there will be a fierce battle between them!”
Indeed, a fierce battle.
I knew all too well about their affairs.
But now, even someone like Elsa, an outsider, could see it, indicating that the conflict between Carter and Cameron had become clear. Who would gain control of The Lynch Group was still undecided.
As I was about to leave, Elsa caught up to me from behind.
“Laura, I need to add one more thing,” she said, her eyes filled with concern.
“What is it?”
She hesitated for a moment, then whispered softly, “Last night, it was Vice President Lynch who arranged for you to attend the banquet and signed the contract. But it was disrupted by the second young master… Yes, Edward was indeed out of line, but he’s still Vice President Lynch’s client. Logically, the second young master shouldn’t have intervened.”
“So…” She glanced at me carefully. “Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”
I thought for a moment.
The agreement with Fly Construction Company should have been signed by Carter but was taken by Cameron… Carter probably wouldn’t let it go easily. I’m afraid he might blame me for it.
“I understand,” I smiled at Elsa. “Thank you, I’ll be careful.”
She nodded with a smile, and the sound of her high heels gradually faded away.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
Although I grew up in The Lynch Family, I am not familiar with the power struggles of the elite. Yet, these things are now emerging in my life, and I have no choice but to confront them head-on, with no way out.
Sure enough, as soon as I returned to the office, I heard someone calling my name, “Laura!”
“What’s the matter?”
Following the voice, I saw it was Elsa again. She hurried over to me.
“Laura, get ready, you’re going to the construction site soon,” Elsa glanced around and whispered in my ear, “It’s Vice President Lynch’s orders!”
“To the construction site?” I was surprised. “Why would they want me to go to the construction site?”
“Who knows!” she replied. “Even for previous projects, when we had to write press releases, they never sent guys to the construction site!”
I was responsible for the press release of The Lynch Group’s new property development, and that had been my task for some time. Not only did I have to write the press release, but I also had to contact the media, arrange the venue, and prepare for the press conference. In addition to all this, I also had to prepare crisis management drafts in advance, in case of any negative news.
Many things were intricate and complex, but none of them required me to go to a construction site.
“I really don’t understand this time,” Elsa frowned. “Going to the construction site is the job of the engineering department. Sending you, someone who writes news releases, doesn’t make sense!”
“It’s okay,” I patted her shoulder. “Since it’s arranged, I’ll just do it. It’s good to visit the construction site, to experience it firsthand. It will add authenticity to what I write.”
“Alright then. I’ll go arrange the vehicle.”
“Okay.”
As I sat at my desk, I felt uneasy.
Maybe I was right; Carter was indeed taking out his anger on me for what happened last night.
I didn’t mind going to the construction site, but when I looked down, I realized things weren’t good. I was wearing a skirt and high heels, while construction sites were filled with steel, concrete, gravel, and mud. How could I move around freely dressed like this?
I hastily stood up, planning to rush to the nearby department store to buy some clothes. But then I heard a voice calling me, “Laura, are you ready to go?”
I turned around, and there was Carter standing in the office corridor.
“Are you ready to go?” He asked again in front of everyone.
I looked at him.
It seemed he was really giving me trouble.
The environment at the construction site was worse than I had imagined. It had just rained, and with mud everywhere, the roads were difficult to walk on. Everyone accompanying us was wearing jeans and hiking shoes, but even then, they were covered in mud.
And I wore a short skirt and high heels, struggling to walk on the construction site, looking like a joke.
Carter walked fast. Everyone else who accompanied him were men, walking ahead, leaving me alone behind, struggling to move my feet.
My high heels sank into the mud, and my legs were covered in mud spots.
I suppressed my anger as we walked to the half-finished building. Carter turned to me and said, “We need to emphasize this area in the press release… We use all top-quality construction materials, and the finishing materials also meet international standards, ensuring quality and safety.”
“Laura,” he pointed ahead, “Take a photo here, we can use it as a reference.”
“Okay,” I nodded, taking out my phone. But just as I took a few steps forward, I tripped over a steel pipe on the ground. My whole body lurched forward, my heel caught in a gap…
With a thud, I knelt down, my knees instantly burning with pain. I was covered in dust, looking extremely disheveled.
Everyone stared at me dumbfounded. After a few seconds, they covered their mouths, laughed.
Even in Carter’s gloomy gaze, there was a hint of mockery. “Miss Campbell, you’re the first one to come to a construction site wearing a skirt and high heels!”
“You…” He was clearly doing this on purpose! I gritted my teeth and swallowed my words.
…
Afterwards, the press release went smoothly, and the press conference was a success. In the days following the conference, Carter didn’t trouble me anymore, and I thought I could peacefully live out the rest of my days.
However, a week after the press conference, during an internal meeting of The Lynch Group, I saw Ethan, my foster father.
His appearance hadn’t changed much, and if anything, age had made him even more handsome.