“No can do,” Flora murmured, shaking her head. “I haven’t spilled the beans to my mom about you being back. Let’s hold on just for a few days, and I’ll bring you over then.”
“Fine,” Justin gave in, sounding bummed. “But remember, you’re mine. No one else lays a finger on you.”
At this, Flora’s face went slightly pale for a sec. Unable to hide her reaction, she glanced away and plastered on a smile. “Yeah, yeah, I got it.”
Justin’s smirk was ice-cold. As he casually adjusted Flora’s collar, he said, “Head on in and catch some Z’s.”
“Sure thing.” She nodded. Every moment with Justin was a blast.
As Flora’s small frame vanished into the shadowy hallway, Justin lit a cig, took a drag or two, and snuffed it out near the car before taking off.
The next day at La Comte, the vibe was all kinds of weird.
When Flora stepped into the design department, she spotted Lilian at her desk.
Julie had been eyeing Flora like a hawk since she arrived but hadn’t found the guts to speak up.
“Flora, you sure have got some real guts, huh?” Lilian remarked.
“Lilian, we went to hash out Wonda’s proposal together yesterday. Where’d you vanish to after that?” asked Flora.
Lilian sneered, “I came back to find the place empty. Later, I heard you roughed up Lewis. Now he’s talking about taking you to court.”
Flora saw this coming and wasn’t too fazed. After all, Lewis had been the one with a hidden agenda.
“Flora, the prez wants a word with you,” Kitty hollered from outside the office. Without a second thought, Flora grabbed her purse and took off.
In the president’s office, soft sunlight snuck into every nook and cranny while Dylan buried himself in paperwork.
His rolled-up sleeves hugged his shoulders, and his messy black hair gave off a chill vibe.
Still, Flora hesitated at the door, not coming any closer.
“Mr. Bowles, you needed me?”
Dylan stopped, put down his gold pen, and looked up. “Why are you hanging back? Get over here.”
The office was pretty roomy, and Flora felt miles away. She closed the gap and asked, “What can I do for you?”
Dylan stretched out and leaned back in his chair, a sly grin tugging at his lips as a dangerous glint flickered in his eyes.
Flora knew that swagger all too well.
“That dirty old man, Lewis, tried to make a move on you, and now he wants to sue.”
“I’m not scared,” Flora asserted, standing her ground. “He was on something at the time; I was just defending myself.”
“What? He was on drugs?” Dylan pretended to be shocked. “What kind of drug?”
For some reason, Flora’s heart dropped. Her hands balled into fists at her sides as she stated plainly, “Must’ve been some sort of love potion.”
“Really?” Dylan’s thin lips parted as he scrutinized Flora, not missing a single flicker of emotion on her face. “But the hospital report said everything was normal. He just had some nasty cuts, needed stitches on his head, and had a mild concussion. Flora, do you know? The Wonda proposal was a government gig, and now you’ve stirred up a major chaos.”
His nonchalant tone sent chills down Flora spine. If what Dylan said is true... She couldn’t bear the thought and panicked.
“No way,” Flora insisted, remembering the specifics. “When I first went into that private room, I saw a camera. All we got to do is check the footage to back me up.”
Anyone else would’ve given up teasing the poor Flora any further, but not Dylan. Calling him a devil would be putting it mildly, and to Flora, he was even kind of twisted.
Sometimes, Dylan felt twisted himself, or else he wouldn’t have enjoyed crushing people’s spirits so much, particularly when their hard-won hope had just been rekindled.
“Are you some sort of bad luck charm?”
“What do you mean?” Flora’s brow furrowed.
Dylan snickered, “All the security cameras in the club were working fine, but by some freak accident, only the one in that particular room yesterday…”
Flora’s heart hung on Dylan’s every word, her anxiety so thick she could hear her own breathing.
As he finished speaking, Dylan’s grin grew wilder, even slightly unhinged.
Suddenly suspicious, Flora asked, “How come you know all this stuff so well?”
“Just asking now? Aren’t you a little slow on the uptake?”
“You—” Remembering the locked door from the day before and Dylan’s sudden appearance, she shuddered as the truth hit her. “Did you set this all up?”
“Flora,” Dylan enunciated each syllable, exuding an arrogant swagger. “I told you, you’d come crawling back to me.”
“You’re a lowlife!” She couldn’t hold back her rage.
“Add one more to the list: I’ve got no shame,” Dylan said as he rose from his chair, his black suit pants hugging his long, enticing legs. Then he continued, “Assault with malicious intent is no slap on the wrist. With someone as rich and powerful as Lewis, he could potentially put you away for life.”
“I don’t buy it. The world can’t be this unfair.” Flora was livid. She refused to believe that even the law could be so easily twisted by Dylan’s schemes.
Dylan casually strolled up behind Flora, his right hand unexpectedly landing on her shoulder. “You’re such an idealist. You still haven’t adjusted to this dog-eat-dog world. Don’t be fooled by its seemingly peaceful facade.”
“What do you want now?” Though hesitant, Flora’s tone had softened.
“It’s not what I want, but what do you want to do that matters now. I’m not the one who’s going to get behind the bars.” Dylan closed in, his chin barely grazing the top of her head.
Flora didn’t want to be too close to him, so she stepped back and raised her chin, showing no signs of weakness. “I don’t need your help. I can handle it myself.”
A sudden icy glint appeared in Dylan’s eyes as he thought, Is she so confident because she expects Justin to step in?
“Fine, I’ll be watching.” Dylan walked past his large desk to the floor-to-ceiling window, his hands in his pockets, his slender figure striking. Flora didn’t want to stay a moment longer and turned to leave.
“Stop.” Dylan turned his face, his voice deep and booming.
Flora’s right hand had already reached out, ready to open the door.
“Mark my words. You’ll be crawling back, again,” Dylan said with certainty. Flora left the office and slammed the door shut with a bang.
Nearby, Kitty shot her an unhappy glare, but Flora ignored it and returned to her office in a daze.
Hours later, Flora finished her day at work.
The setting sun stained more than half the sky, casting a red glow on everyone’s face as if it could bleed.
Flora sat on the stone steps at the entrance of the place last night, burying her face in her arms, without the strength to go on.
Echoing in her ears was the conversation she had with the manager.
Dylan’s words had made Flora realized something off. After work, she rushed to the club, only to find that the mess had already been cleaned up, the surveillance camera was broken, and the wine bottle had been taken away as evidence.
The manager vehemently denied any drug use, saying, “Miss, this is a reputable establishment. How could such a thing happen here?”
A trap had been set, and she was firmly ensnared.
Flora had expected trouble when she fought back, but she had taken everything for granted and underestimated Dylan, the twisted man who never played by the rules!
