Max could no longer stand still. Every now and then, his body was pulled forward, making the woman in front of him getting desperate.
“Okay! I will trace the pattern,” Gabriella exclaimed, finally giving in. “Are you satisfied?”
“Almost,” the faintly smiling man answered. A second later, he helped his wife back up and straightened her clothes.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Once again, the husband and wife’s attention became distracted.
“Mr. Roberto has arrived, Sir,” a woman called from behind the door.
Unexpectedly, the CEO’s expression turned warm. “Finally, he came.”
Without wasting time, Max sat Gabriella down on a chair at the side of the table. Then, he placed the pattern papers in front of her.
“Be a good girl! Don’t let my partner get distracted because of you!”
Ignoring Gabriella’s narrowed eyes, Max headed to the door.
“Come in!”
With the access card that Amber had snatched, the CEO’s second secretary opened the door. A man who almost matched Max’s handsomeness came in with his arms wide open.
“Good morning, Mr. Evans. Long time no see.”
“Roberto.” The CEO greeted his colleague with a distinctive greeting. “I thought you don’t want to join in my project.”
“How can I refuse to work with the most popular guy on campus?”
Max suddenly narrowed his eyes. “You’re still good at praising, huh? Please have a seat. I know you must be being chased by another agenda. We can’t waste time.”
Seconds later, Roberto’s index finger pointed at the woman at a different table. “Who is that?”
“My partner, just like you. But, she’s an introvert, doesn’t like greeting strangers.”
Gabriella almost snorted. Instead, she rolled her eyes and returned to focus on her task.
“What is she doing?” Roberto asked, keeping his gaze fixed on the woman.
“I need her help to make a mockup.”
The guest’s eyebrows shot up high. “Are you still making mockups manually?”
As soon as the CEO nodded, Roberto’s laughter broke the air. “You’re really amazing, Max.” He shook his head in disbelief.
A second later, the man’s gaze returned to Gabriella. “Then, where did you meet her?”
“Why? Are you interested in her?”
Without thinking, Roberto nodded and replied, “Yes. She looks like an angel.”
Max spontaneously snorted. But, when he realized, he quickly covered the annoyance with a bland laugh. “Enough talking about woman. Now, let’s focus on this project.”
After glancing at Gabriella one more time and smiling, Roberto finally shifted his attention.
***
“What are you doing, Miss?”
Gabriella spontaneously turned to the left and found that Roberto was smiling at her. That man was free to approach as long as Max went to take the files he had left in the car.
“Mister CEO asked me to work on the patterns,” the woman answered without interest.
Roberto nodded as he moved to the chair at the right of Gabriella, so their distance was much closer than before.
“Max is really weird. Why would he ask a girl as beautiful as you to do such a useless thing?”
Gabriella’s brows furrowed in displeasure. After flashing a stiff smile, she traced the pattern again.
Watching that response, the man tried a different way to get attention. “Would you like me to teach you a trick?”
After a few seconds, Gabriella just blinked. All she could do was wishing that the man would stop bothering.
Unluckily, Roberto didn’t give up easily. He stood up and held the marker that Gabriella was still holding. Not only that, the man also stretched his arm around to grab the pattern under the woman’s left hand.
Not even a second passed, Gabriella was already standing, avoiding the man’s ulterior motives.
“I have to go to the toilet.”
Without wasting any time, the woman stepped in. However, Roberto was desperate to hold her wrist.
“Don’t go, Miss. I don’t want to be here alone.”
Gabriella began to put on an unfriendly face. “Sorry, but I have to go.”
“Why? Are you afraid of being scolded by Max if you serve me too?”
The woman’s brow furrowed deeper. “What do you mean?”
“You don’t think I’m a fool, do you? I know you are no ordinary partner. Rumors about Max Evans being clean of women are not true.”
Gabriella began to wiggle her hand, trying to escape from the grip. “Please let go! I’m not that kind of person.”
“If you are a good woman, there can be no sign of love on your neck, Miss.”
The woman spontaneously covered her neck with another hand. She didn’t know if Max had left any traces there.
“This is from my husband. Please don’t think that way.”
“Is it true? So your husband was here before I arrived? It’s impossible.”
One of Roberto’s hands began to play with Gabriella’s hair. The woman automatically brushed it off.
“Don’t touch me!” Gabriella’s speech was no longer polite.
Feeling challenged, the man started laughing happily. “What happens if I touch you, huh? Are you easily heated?”
With a very quick movement, Roberto twisted the woman’s body and pushed her against the wall. In an instant, Gabriella had difficulty moving or resisting.
“How about this? Is it enough to make you feel hot?”
In just three seconds, the man’s fingers were already running in various directions, while the small tower began to press even though there was still a cloth blocking it.
“Stop it!” Gabriella asked through the pinched vocal cords. Her fear had increased drastically. Roberto’s touch was very different from Max’s. The man was much more rude, and knew no bounds.
“Do you feel it?” Roberto massaged the pounding part. “Apparently, you are indeed easily heated, huh? How interesting!”
Even though Gabriella’s heart was beating as fast as when she was with Max, there wasn’t a tingle in her chest. There was only horror and anger.
“Please, let me go!” the woman pleaded for she failed to keep herself away from the wall or the man. Gabriella was really stuck and helpless.
“Uh, you are so hot, Sweety! Just like this, you can raise my passion.”
Suddenly, Roberto pulled the woman so that his stuff could sink deeper. Gabriella spontaneously grimaced and shed tears.
“Let me go!”
“Too bad we’re still hindered by clothes, Honey. What if next time, you come to my house? I’ll pay you double what Max paid.”
“I’m not that kind of person!” the woman cried as she was still trying to hit the assailant.
Unfortunately, the man kept pushing. “I’m not inferior to Max. I can also leave a pretty mark on your neck.”
“I don’t care. Right now, let me go!”
After a fleeting grin, Roberto began to imitate Max’s style. Gabriella’s resistance suddenly became wilder. However, the man still managed to leave an imprint on the other side of her neck.
“Now you may go,” Roberto said with a satisfied smile.
Gabriella suddenly staggered to find a way out. Looking down, she hid her cheeks which were red and wet with anger.
At the same time, Max came back with a stack of papers. As soon as he saw his wife running past him, spontaneous astonishment furrowed his brows.
“Where are you going?”
Without answering, the woman continued to run saving herself. She would not be able to face two men who wanted her.
“She’s going to the toilet,” Roberto said with a faint smile. The CEO suddenly looked up questioningly.
“How do you know? Are you bothering her?”
“Just getting to know her. You’re right, she’s an introvert.”
A sigh of relief wafted faintly from Max’s mouth. “You shouldn’t have to try to get along with her. She’s boring.”
“Not really. She’s very entertaining,” Roberto said spontaneously raising his interlocutor’s eyebrows.
“Entertaining?”
As quick as lightning, the man waved his hand. “Never mind. Why are we discussing it? Please continue your explanation! I’m getting chased by time.”
After dispelling suspicion, Max returned to focus on work. However, something still lingered in his heart, something that made him wonder why Gabriella hadn’t come back.
***
“Are men always evil like that? Can’t they respect women more?” Gabriella sighed, looking down at the sink. Her face that had been washed with water still felt hot, just as her heart was filled with disgust and contempt.
A second later, with eyes blocked by tears, she examined the prominent mark on her neck. Instantly, the sadness flowed more heavily. With trembling hands, she took water to wipe away the evidence of humiliation against her.
“Why can’t it be gone?”
Gabriella continued to rub her neck as if she didn’t care her veins burst. The longer she looked at that disgusting imprint, the greater anger in her heart.
Only when the despair greeted did the woman close her eyes and let out a furious breath. She realized that what had happened could not be changed. What was ingrained in memory, could not be lost, including the oppression she had just experienced.
“Why is my life so pathetic?” Gabriella sobbed as she gripped the sink wall. Her aching heart could only lament.
“I shouldn’t have to think about grudges against the person who destroyed my house. That way, I won’t fall into a more painful trap.”
Gabriella lowered her head and swallowed with all her might. Unfortunately, the dryness in her throat still remained.
“Now what should I do? Should I just keep it? Or try to run? But, what if the bad CEO gets mad and gets me back?”
Imagining the possible scenario, Gabriella’s tears suddenly stopped. After blinking flatly, she wiped her face and dried the collar with a tissue.
***
“Have you seen Gabriella?” Max asked the woman sitting near the door to his room. The secretary suddenly opened her mouth and stuttered.
“Miss Gabriella ran away crying. Maybe she’s in the toilet, calming down herself.”
“Calming down?” The CEO repeated two words that brought a bad feeling into his heart.
Again, the woman in front of him grimaced.
“It seems that something happened while you were away, Sir.”
Without waiting for further explanation, Max hurried off to the women’s restroom. The CEO’s jaw throbbed in annoyance. His hands were clenched into fists, while his heart was beating fast.
“If Roberto really bothers my wife, he’ll regret it all his life.”