“Sit.” He gave her a loaded look as though talking to a mentally challenged imbecile, and she almost dropped onto the seat behind her. Embarrassed and just wished for five minutes he would give her a break. “Mr. Sakuro was talking to you.” He ground out, lowering his brows as though trying to translate his annoyance with her, and she gulped down and turned the older man’s way with a weak red-faced smile. As a tech, dealing with clients had never been her favorite thing, and she rarely did it.
“I am sorry, Mr Sakuro. I didn’t hear you.” She apologized, nodding politely, and froze when the man placed his hand on top of hers on her lap. Enveloping her small hands in an overly familiar way that made her sit up like a shocked statue. Instant body tension as her blood drained from her face.
Meilei squirmed under his hold, looking at his hand and then glancing at Kai’s legs, longing for assistance. Feeling awkward and uncomfortable, she squirmed internally with repulsion. She had never had a client touch her before in any way. Even Anna Taylor seemed unphased by the unwanted contact. She could see it yet was acting indifferent. Meilei didn’t know what to do and tried to keep all her reactions internal. Knowing she could not insult or offend a client while being scrutinized by senior staff.
Meilei was flushing with heat from toe to face, willing him to take his fingers off her. Mentally screaming for one of her superiors to ask him to, but no one said anything.
Kai watched Sakuro’s hands trail further left, so he almost cupped Meilei’s thigh through her thin sundress and looked away, a spike of anger hitting him low in the stomach, but pushed it down. Mr. Sakuro had always been hands-on with young women, and this was not a new issue. It’s why Anna kept her distance; he was too important a client to say anything, and things like this were common in the business world, where rich men had to be kissed up to and contacts made. It grated Kai’s instinct to intervene.
Kai shifted uneasily and picked up his mug, decidedly restless while he listened to the small talk between them, simmering a weird mood the longer Meilei sat there, allowing his touch. Anna raised a brow his way, eye gesturing to the man’s hands, and he could translate easily she wanted him to act. She wanted him to say something to save the poor secretary and had no idea why Kai wouldn’t. She was so used to him swerving in to protect female staff.
Kai smarted internally. Mentally answering Anna’s gaze with a silent muttering, ‘Like I have ever been able to control what men she allowed to touch her.’ Bitterness rose in his throat, and he rolled his neck to ease the tension before gulping a mouthful of coffee to push it away.
Kai watched her leave, irritated by the dramatic way she did it, but yet something inside of him was lighter. The red mist of anger that had been building seemed to disperse a little. Almost like relief, even if that made no sense to him, and he moved in with a smooth smile toward Sakuro.
She was not impressed with this little scene and kept side-eyeing the door, wondering if the girl was okay. She looked young, shy, and not equipped for handsy old creeps who used business contacts like a shield for lewd behavior. She was pissed at Kai for just sitting there and deliberately ignoring her. This was not him at all.
“I should go and check on her in case she’s unwell. Have her sent home if that’s the case.” Anna moved to get up, confused as to why this new assistant was even there. Qian was more than capable, and his usual shadowing presence was absent for some reason. She knew Kai would never replace him. He had been his aide for years, and he trusted him completely. He had other receptionists out there to do anything administrative. This girl had no purpose. Anna had never laid eyes on her before and could tell right away that she had no idea what she was doing there. Kai’s insults and coolness towards her were extreme, even for him. Her radar was pinging insanely that something was up here.
Meilei stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror and pressed the damp paper towel to her cheeks to cool their heat. She was close to tears and felt dirty all over. That pervert’s hands were ingrained into her leg, and she shuddered. Memories of unwanted touch invading her brain that she had to shake out before she ended up in a worse emotional state.
It had only been half a morning, and Kai was making her crazy. Constant demands, snappy tone, and stupid errands that not even interns would be used for. She was tired from all the running around and carrying. Agitated by how he spoke to her constantly and in front of other people. Even though she signed up for this, it hit differently when you were forced into his proximity and experienced the constant spew of orders and cold treatment. She knew he was only warming up. She did not doubt that this was not the extent of what he had planned for her. She just had to endure the best she could and try not to react.
Meilei fixed her appearance while regaining her composure and smoothed her dress, lifting the hem to look at her reddened kneecap. A bruise formed from how hard she knocked the table, and she sighed. Dropping the skirt to cover it and straightening up with renewed determination. Inhaling heavily and pulled her head up with a chin lift to fool herself into feeling more controlled. She dreaded returning to that room, fearing he would put her right back next to the handsy old pervert, but she knew she had no choice. She had been in the bathroom for almost twenty minutes, and if she delayed any longer, he would probably come to drag her out.
Meilei tried to blow out and inhale slowly and dramatically to calm her body and gain courage. She had to be smarter and stronger. She had to improve at removing herself from situations like that, too, because she knew it was probably not the last. She made such an idiot of herself.
Meilei finally left the bathroom and walked along the corridor back to Kai’s office at a turtle’s pace, clenching her hands and combatting a pounding heart rate. Her whole body was clammy, and her stress-induced restless night, plagued with dreams, drained her of her normal energy. She hesitated by the door, noting it was open, and leaned to take a quick peak inside.
No one was there.
“Excuse me, miss.” A man behind her made her jump, and she turned to see she was in the way of a young, suited office worker pushing a large metal cart stacked with archive boxes. It was heavy and barely fit through the door, so she had to get out of the way fully.
“Sorry.”
He wheeled it into Kai’s office, and she followed him, glad of having a shield to enter behind, except they were not in the desk area of his office either. She scanned the room and found no evidence of the trio she had left there.
Meilei turned and almost walked straight into a second cart and another employee, equally packed with boxes nestled three high in multiple piles. She ducked around him and hurriedly walked back into the corridor to look around. Kai would be mad if she didn’t catch up with them. She didn’t need another row so soon.
“Miss Liu?” A feminine voice pulled her attention, and she turned to see one of the floor’s main receptionists standing beside her.
“Yes.” Meilei smiled brightly, always friendly.
“Mr. Xuchen told me to inform you they have gone for lunch with Mr. Sakuro. Files are being delivered to his office, which you are to organize. Alphabetized and in order of date and department. You can go home when the task is completed, as Mr. Xuchen won’t return until late.”
Meilei blinked at her in slight surprise, and then her expression sank as another equally heavy laden trolley was wheeled past her. So far, that had been more than two dozen large boxes.
“Those?” She pointed at it weakly as it passed, her mood nosediving as a fourth came into view along the hallway.
“Yes.. they are OTS’s archives spanning the last several years. Mr. Xuchen requested them. I suggest you get to it.” The receptionist eyed Meilei up and down, taking in the informal sundress and sandals with a haughty flick of judgy eyes. Inappropriate attire for the executive floor, and she criticized her for it. The woman smiled, but it was with slight hostility matching her cold tone and turned on her heel with bitch girl attitude before walking off. Leaving Meilei sensing the dislike and dampening her spirit.
Everyone on this floor had seen the new girl and knew she had zero clerical qualifications to be here. It was a sore point among the staff who had all hoped to become the CEO’s EA. They were furious some tech reject had waltzed up here and right into their new boss’s office. Looking like a ditzy, clumsy moron who couldn’t even use a copier.
Not only did the girl have zero experience, but she dressed like she was on a summer vacation, and rumor had already begun that she was only here because she was sleeping with the boss. He had pulled her up here from a department that had no correlation to the runnings of things in their space. Meilei was hated before she even started. And was already amassing an anti-fan club of administrative staff who were brewing some nasty gossip about her throughout the floor.
In her years of no scandal and making no waves in OTS, they made up for it in less than a day.
Xuchen had heard the beginning of the chatter and ignored it. Uncaring what treatment staff would give Meilei if they thought she used her body and connections to lasso the role as his shadow. He knew how offices worked, and Meilei had been set up before she even stepped foot in here. It had been a factor in forcing her into this role. He knew how it would look. He had no intention of clarifying it either. Her reputation within OTS would nosedive the more it spread, and staff would avoid being seen with her. It was a fickle place, and jealousy was rife among peers.
Let her know that once a dirty mistress, always a dirty mistress. It was time society treated her how she deserved after getting away with her dirty affair so long ago.