But Dave kicked him away without hesitation, a clear expression of disgust on his face.
His bodyguards promptly grabbed the man and dragged him out. His cries for mercy faded into the distance.
Dave turned his gaze back to the large glass window, his expression hidden from view. His thoughts remained a mystery to those in the room.
****
The next morning, Ashley happily went to Joshua’s office.
She hadn’t heard anything about what happened last night, but she assumed Joshua’s hired thugs had successfully dealt with Bianca. Surely, the scandalous photos were already in Joshua’s hands by now, right?
She sneered inwardly. Her mother had warned her that Bianca wouldn’t be easy to handle, but it seemed she was wrong. Ashley was sure that after last night, Bianca’s reputation was ruined and she didn’t have to do much to make it happen!
Bianca really couldn’t compete with her.
Ashley walked into Joshua’s office with a big smile, but it quickly faded when she saw his grim expression. He sat at his desk, looking upset and rubbing his temples.
“What’s wrong, Mr. Reed?” Ashley asked, pouting as she approached him and tried to cheer him up by wrapping her arms around his neck.
But Joshua wasn’t in the mood for flirting. He pushed her away without a word, snorting in frustration.
“What the…. What’s going on, Mr. Reed?” Ashley was taken aback. It was the first time he had treated her so rudely, and she felt upset about it.
Joshua briefly glanced at her while pulling at his tie irritably. “Damn it! Someone interfered while my men were dealing with Bianca. They called the police, and now those idiots have spilled everything! I spent a fortune trying to handle this mess!”
“What?! How could that happen?” Ashley’s eyes widened in shock.
Was Joshua saying that his men couldn’t even touch Bianca?
How was that possible?
Ashley stood frozen, shaking with anger.
Joshua had hired so many thugs. ‘How could they mess up like this?! Was Bianca really that lucky?!’
“You paid them to do the job, and they failed! And now they’ve betrayed you! How infuriating!”
Ashley marched up to Joshua, trying to hug him again, making sure to press her breasts against his arm.
In a soft, seductive voice, she whispered in his ear, “Don’t be upset. Even though it didn’t work out, I still appreciate what you did for me. And I want to show you just how thankful I am…”
Joshua raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed her hand, placing it on his bulging crotch.
“Then how will you show your gratitude, Miss Scott?”
Ashley looked away shyly, pretending to be innocent. “Mr. Reed, I-I don’t know…”
Driven by desire, Joshua couldn’t resist any longer. “I’ll show you,” he blurted out.
Then he unzipped his trousers, took out his member, and held the back of Ashley’s head, forcing her to go down on him.
The disgusting smell of his sweaty member almost made her vomit, but in order to please Joshua, she had to pretend to enjoy it.
While doing the deed, her eyes were filled with rage. ‘This was all Bianca’s fault! She had to pay for this!’
****
Meanwhile, in Phoenix Entertainment.
“I heard she tried to get Darien’s attention by asking him to meet her in a bar last night. But he never showed up!”
“I’ve always said she’s shameless. She probably slept her way to the top.”
“She’s disgusting! I can’t believe we have to work with her!”
As Bianca entered the break room for a cup of coffee, she overheard two colleagues from her department gossiping about her in the corner.
Bianca couldn’t help but frown. How did word about her appointment with Darien spread?
She walked up to the two colleagues and slammed her coffee cup on the table with a crisp sound.
The two women were so startled that they nearly jumped. When they looked back and saw Bianca, their faces turned ghastly pale.
Bianca asked icily, “Where did you hear those things exactly?”
The two colleagues lowered their heads, not daring to say anything.
“If you have a problem with me, then tell it to my face. If you continue to gossip behind my back, I’ll start to wonder if you’re only doing it out of jealousy!”
The two girls were embarrassed by her blunt criticism. After Bianca left, one growled, “She’s so arrogant! What’s so amazing about being an executive agent?”
The other girl echoed, “She might feel high and mighty now, but when she fails at her job and is demoted, we’ll be the ones laughing.”
After saying that, the two of them exchanged tacit glances and smiled meaningfully.
****
After finishing her work in the morning, Bianca sat in her office and thought for a while. Then, she decided to call Dave.
“Hey, Mr. Evans, do you have some free time this afternoon?”
“What’s up?”
“I’m thinking, could you come with me to Golden Gate Films? I want to find the truth behind last night’s incident.”
Bianca wasn’t going to let this injustice slide.
Dave was right; having a guy with her in these situations was smart. Plus, he was tough, which made Bianca feel more secure.
“Sure, I’ll come with you.”
Truthfully, Dave was curious about how Bianca had upset Joshua, too.
After ending the call, Dave called a number on the office phone. Soon, his assistant, Zane, walked in.
“Zane, cancel all my meetings for this afternoon.”
As he spoke, Dave got up and grabbed a black jacket from the closet.
“Boss, where are you going? Need a ride?”
Dave took off his expensive watch and grinned at Zane, teasingly saying, “Heading to Golden Gate Films with my future wife to cause a stir.”
“What?!” Zane was shocked. Could his boss actually be planning something like that?!
At two in the afternoon, Bianca got to the Golden Gate Films’ main office. Dave was already there, waiting at the entrance.
They went in together.
In the lobby, Bianca slammed down her badge hard on the receptionist’s desk.
“I’m from Phoenix Entertainment, and I need to talk to Mr. Darien Crawford right away. Tell him I’m here.”
Darien had blocked Bianca’s calls last night, so she had to come in person to find him.
The receptionist noticed the serious expression on Bianca’s face and felt the tension from the man beside her. She quickly dialed Darien’s number.
After the call, the receptionist awkwardly told Bianca, “I’m sorry, but Mr. Crawford is busy right now and can’t meet with you.”
Bianca smiled, but it wasn’t a friendly one. The receptionist felt a chill down her spine at the sight of it.
“Don’t worry. I won’t cause you any trouble. Can you at least tell me where Darien is? I’ll find him on my own.”
“I-I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you.”