66
Rachel took the bus to the office, feeling annoyed again that she didn’t see the bodyguards following her. She had grown used to their presence, but it seemed that her last meeting with Leo had finally driven him away.
She didn’t want to think about it, but she couldn’t help feeling a little hurt. It was one thing to reject her, but to ignore her completely was another.
As she walked down the corridor, her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of laughter coming from Leo’s office. Curiosity getting the better of her, she made her way over and peered through the glass walls. There, sitting across from Leo, was a gorgeous woman. Rachel felt her heart drop.
She didn’t know who the woman was, but she knew that she was a threat. The way the woman looked down her nose at Rachel made her feel small and insignificant. It was clear that the woman was confident and in control, and Rachel felt a twinge of jealousy.
She didn’t know what to do. Part of her wanted to turn around and leave, but another part of her was determined to confront Leo. She pushed the door open and walked in, her heart pounding in her chest.
“Leo,” she said, her voice surprisingly steady.
He looked up and their eyes met. For a moment, it was as if no one else was in the room. Then, the woman cleared her throat, and the spell was broken.
“Rachel,” Leo said, standing up. “This is Elena, she’s a business associate.”
Elena stood up and offered her hand. Rachel took it, her own hand cold and clammy like the look on her face.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Rachel said, trying to smile.
“Likewise,” Elena said, her smile not quite reaching her eyes.
Rachel’s mind was racing. What was Leo doing with this woman? Was she more than just a business associate? She was about to ask, when Leo spoke.
“Can I talk to you for a moment, Rachel?” he asked, gesturing towards the door.
Rachel nodded and followed him out into the corridor, her arms crossed in front of her.
“What’s going on, Leo?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, his tone clipped.
“I saw you with that woman, Elena,” Rachel said, her anger rising. “What’s she doing here?”
Leo sighed. “She’s just a business associate,” he repeated. “There’s nothing going on between us.”
“I don’t believe you,” Rachel said, crossing her arms. “She looked at me like I was dirt.”
“She’s just very professional,” Leo said, trying to placate her.
“Leo,” she said, “I need to talk to you about something.”
Leo raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair, his eyes focused on her. “What’s on your mind?” he asked, his tone nonchalant.
“It’s about the bodyguards,” Rachel replied. “I noticed that they weren’t following me today. What happened to them?”
Leo chuckled, running a hand through his hair. “I thought you didn’t want it. Anyway, I had to reassign them to a different role,” he explained. “I had to make sure that our other assets were protected as well.”
Rachel felt a twinge of disappointment in her chest. She had grown used to the constant presence of the bodyguards, and the fact that they were gone now felt like a sign that Leo was no longer taking her seriously.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked, her voice rising. “I thought we had a deal. You were supposed to protect me at all times.”
Leo leaned forward, his eyes darkening. “I did tell you,” he said firmly. “I’ve never broken my promises to you. But sometimes, things have to change for the good of the company.”
Rachel could feel her anger dissipating, replaced by a deep sadness. She didn’t know what to do or say. She wanted to believe Leo, but she couldn’t, not again.
“Is there anything else you want to talk about?” Leo asked, breaking the silence.
Rachel shook her head, feeling defeated. “No,” she whispered. “That’s all I wanted to ask.”
Leo gave her a small smile, his eyes softening. “Okay,” he said. “You can go back to work now. I have a lot of things to catch up on.”
Rachel walked out of Leo’s office, her mind racing. She couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to the story than Leo was letting on. She made a mental note to do some more digging, to find out what was really going on.
achel walked through the halls of the office, her thoughts consumed by the conversation she just had with Leo. Despite the reassurance that his bodyguards were still keeping an eye on her, the way he rudely dismissed her had left a bitter taste in her mouth.
As she made her way to the storage room, she couldn’t shake the feeling of being unwanted and insignificant to Leo.
She pushed open the door to the storage room, her mind focused on finding the file that William had requested. She was so preoccupied that she didn’t even realize Leo was in the room until she heard a rustling sound in the far corner. Rachel spun around to see Leo rummaging through a pile of papers, his back to her.
“Leo?” she called out, a hint of uncertainty in her voice.
Leo didn’t even look up, simply waving a dismissive hand in her direction. “Not now, Rachel. I’m busy,” he replied gruffly.
Rachel was taken aback by his cold demeanor, but she tried not to let it show. She approached the shelves, scanning the rows for the file she needed. She couldn’t help but feel hurt by Leo’s brush-off, and she was determined not to let it get to her.
As she reached for the file, she realized that the door had closed behind her, and she found herself locked in the room with Leo. A feeling of dread washed over her as she turned to face him.
“Leo, what’s going on? We are locked?” she asked, her voice wavering slightly.