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23.76% Feral Obsession / Chapter 24: 24

บท 24: 24

LUCAS' POV

I stared at Stephanie speechlessly, and immediately bent to her, trying to see if she was still breathing.

"Damn." I muttered, realizing she wasn't breathing, and lifted her into my arms. She was quite heavy for a woman, and I had to grunt to adjust her properly in my arms.

Then, I placed her back into the car, and got in, trying to drive to the nearest hospital. I didn't know if she had a medical condition, but if anything happened to her, I could easily be blamed, and apart from being blamed, I'd feel terribly guilty.

I hated being around victims. Somehow, my mind always found a way to blame me for their condition. Crazy, isn't it?

Damn…

There seemed to be traffic on the road, and I kept glancing back at her, to ensure she didn't fall off or stop breathing.

No matter how I disliked her, I didn't wish for her death. This was the second time she was showing signs of being a weakling—something I hated in women.

They all thought they had to be weak to be perfectly feminine. Well, they were mistaken. In my dictionary, females were strong creatures, who were stronger than men using their brains, wits, and their charms.

They could think long, and deep, and were able to plan in ways men couldn't… those were traits I adored in women. Not a weak one who seemed to have all her worst fears unleashed on her in a panic attack because a guy rejected her.

Just then, I glanced back at her to check on her, but after returning my gaze to the road, I turned back to her almost immediately. I had seen something.

There was a little smile on her face, which quickly disappeared.

It felt like someone had turned on the steam in me.

My face turned a bright red, and I looked for a safe way to veer off the road.

After safely parking at the edge of the road, my fingers fumbled for the door knob, and I pushed it open, slamming the door harder than I should have.

I opened her door, and pulled her arm harshly, forcing her to leave the car. She was startled by the sudden jerk, and stumbled, almost falling to the floor, but I didn't stop until she was outside.

Then I let go of her hand, which made her fight to regain balance for some seconds.

She looked a little scared, as she tried to regain her swaying balance, and when she balanced, she scoffed.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked, rubbing her wrists, and looking at me in horror.

"That was a pretense? What do you take me for?" I asked, hotly, not believing she had made me panic for nothing.

How could she fake fainting, and get my heart rate up? What exactly did she gain from that?

The corners of her lips turned upward in a little smile, and there was something like pride in her eyes.

Was she proud of doing something like that? My eyes lit up in disgust, as I watched her rock backwards, and forwards on her heels.

I didn't think I disliked a woman more than I disliked her. She was downright shameless.

"I was just trying to tell you not to hide your feelings." She drawled, ending her words with a skillful pout.

"What? What feelings?" I asked, getting really irritated.

"You like me, but do not want to admit it. Immediately I fell, you went bonkers, trying to raise me, and get me to the hospital. Your hands were shaking. You were worried about me." She said, raising her hands, and shaking them to represent my shaking hands.

"Exactly what I'd do for anyone who faints." I pointed out, like it was obvious. It probably wasn't obvious to her because she was obsessed with getting me to like her.

I continued, "Be it a man, a woman, or a child… It's called instinct, you know. Honestly, I just can't believe you. How could you joke with such a thing? You think you can just do as you please? You're despicable. If you think I'll ever like you, then I'm sorry, as this is giving you more hate than you can get from ten people altogether.

"Staring at you is like staring at something deformed. My skin crawls. You're not deformed, but the woman in you is. Does any man actually find you attractive? Do you think you can just decide to scare people like that? I have to admit that I couldn't think when you fainted because I, unlike you, think too deep, and do not allow childish reasons to define my actions.

"Is this how you find men? Get them to like you? Date them? You pretend to faint then have them rush you to the hospital, and make them feel you have to be protected? You disgust me." I spat my last words out with such intensity that she let out a little, unintended gasp.

Clearly, she didn't expect me to take it so serious.

I left her standing there, and pulled open the door of my car with a jerk.

I got in, slammed the door, and pulled back onto the road, leaving her standing there in shock.

Ever since I was young, I'd never been able to turn a blind eye to anyone experiencing difficulty.

I always had to help in some way, or I'd feel guilty, scared, torn, and annoyed if I couldn't do anything.

When she had fainted, I had been really scared for her, and all I could think of was getting her to the hospital. There were lots of health reasons related to someone fainting unexpectedly, and those reasons were never good.

How low could she go just to snag my attention?

I drove back to the house, and went straight to the room I was given, and lay on the bed.

She annoyed me sick. It made me angry that I had been worried for no reason, and she'd probably seen the worry on my face.

It was a thing John teased me about. He'd always said I ought to be a doctor, not a businessman, or someone working in a facility for impaired children, so I could help as I wanted, and satisfy the longing I had to help people.

Trying to help didn't feel bad until you realized you were frantic for nothing, and the person you were trying to help, had been laughing at you from behind.

~

The next day, I didn't see Stephanie anywhere. She didn't even come down for breakfast. Mrs. Mayer and I talked about business while eating, but it felt more like a casual conversation.

Thereafter, we shifted to a topic of despicable businessmen we'd met during business; it was such a fun topic, as I had met a lot of douchebags in suits, and Stephanie was one of them. But of course, I didn't mention her name.

"So, I came up with a tech idea. I don't know if it would be for everyone, as not everyone has the same problems, but I think it will be really useful for the old, and specific people." I began, after we had settled on chairs in the balcony, with a bowl of fruits, and a beautiful scenery before us.

"Okay, go on, I'm all ears." Mrs. Mayer said, tucking her gray hair behind her ear, as the wind blew it across her face.

"So, yesterday, we were by the seaside, and I noticed the roll, and crash of the waves appealed beautifully to my senses, and made me calm— so calm I wanted to sleep. I began to wonder. What would people who have insomnia feel about a tech product that could help them sleep better? What if there was a way we could hypnotize people to sleep, set their minds at rest, and push their worries aside for the next day?" I proposed, taking a strawberry from the tray.

"That's a brilliant idea." She remarked, staring into space, like she was already imagining how glorious the product will be. "You know," She turned to me with more interest, "I have trouble sleeping. Every so often, it's so bad that I take a walk around the house, and the garden just to feel more tired than I already am, still it doesn't work. On days like that, I'm left awake until the wee hours of the morning. It could be at the first blush of dawn when I'm finally able to sleep, only to wake two or three hours later to catch up with an important meeting, or stuff. If we could make such a tech product, it would be beautiful." She said, tossing a grape into her mouth.

"I thought as much. You don't need to worry anymore. Once our product is made in the form of a mini robot that can talk, and perform a few more functions, you'll no longer have these problems."

"You're so confident," She said, with a smile. "So what do you have in mind for the product name?" She asked, and I smiled.

"I spent all night thinking about it, but I finally decided on one I thought you might like." I said, and her eyes lit up in admiration.

"Really?" She asked, holding up another grape.

"Yes. I came up with LuxNight."

"LuxNight." She repeated, rolling the name over her tongue slowly.

"Luxury Night. A night of luxury. A night of bliss. A night without worries. And because it also sounds like Knight. A warrior; I want us to add something like: LuxNight, will fight for your Night." I explained, and she seemed impressed.

"LuxNight will fight for your night. Damn, that's good. Our LuxNight is a knight fighting for us." She laughed, and clapped her hands. "I like that. Now, I know we did not come here for nothing. So, how do we do it? Are you sending your people to New Zealand, or I'm sending my people to L. A?" She asked, crossing her legs.

"I'd like it if you sent your team over to L. A." I replied respectfully, and she nodded.

"We'll go over the contract once more, and sign it. Then you'll be free to leave." She said, smiling.

~

The next day, I prepared my things to leave, making sure I didn't leave anything behind.

It was funny to see that I had left John's house without any clothes, but was returning with a bunch of them. A lot of them, actually, and some of them hadn't even been worn once.

I had breakfast, and Stephanie didn't come down at all. Mrs. Mayer didn't seem to mind, and chuckled merrily. She would have escorted me to the airport, but she got an urgent last-minute call; we both laughed because almost every businessman has had those annoying last-minute calls when they were about to do something important.

I bid her goodbye, and began my journey to the airport. Honestly, returning to L. A made me excited for some reason I couldn't understand.

Tray would be too happy to see me, only to realize a few days later that he wanted me to go away on another business trip.

I chuckled at the thought of that. He was, in a way, the worst, and the best personal secretary. Always arguing with his boss, and talking back to him, but in the end producing results that were beyond the capability of ten people put together.

I paid the taxi man when I got into the airport, and walked with the wheels of my traveling bag gliding smoothly behind me. The excitement of having business with Mrs. Mayer was still bubbling in me, and I couldn't wait to let my employees know I was successful in signing the contract.

"Lucas!" I suddenly heard someone scream, and when I turned around, it was Stephanie, wielding her way among the people, trying to get to me.

I looked around, and wondered if walking away from her was the best thing, or I was to hear what she had to say.

She looked as if she had something else up her sleeve.


บท 25: 25

EMILY'S POV.

I sprang to my feet, staring at the smashed laptop in disbelief. What had just happened? Was it really John's laptop that had been smashed to the floor?

Why would she do that!?

"Why would you do that?" I asked hotly, turning to her, but the only thing she did was glare at me, like I was the one who had done something wrong.

I was confused.

"If you answer my question, then I'll answer yours." She replied haughtily, "Why would you do such a thing?" She asked, leaving me in more confusion than I had been.

"Why would I do what?" I asked, my brows knitting together.

"How could you even think in all your lowliness to raise your voice on John? I mean… each time I hear how it all played out, I get mad. I boil with so much rage that it feels like I'll go crazy if I don't do something drastic." She spat out, using her hand gestures to show how she felt.

"And what is so bad about that? People raise their voices when they get mad, they…"

"Not you! Not to John. He's a freaking Alpha, and someone like you raised your voice disrespectfully on him, making him feel less of himself. Over what? Over a little, flimsy affair."

"Little? Flimsy?" I asked, horrified at her adjectives.

"Yes, all men do it, so what's the fuss? You've got to let them go free, okay? You can't just bind them to you forever, no. They will get attracted to another."

"Mandy. Let's leave." Katie intoned, but the secretary named Mandy didn't look like she was willing to leave.

"If I slept with your man, would you call that little and flimsy?" I shot at her, and she seemed like she was willing to tear me apart. Instead, she took a deep breath.

"Not you. Even if my man were to cheat, it can't be with the likes of you." She spat, poking me in the chest, and that single poke sparked a flame of anger in me—a flame I tried hard to stop from spreading.

When would people stop discriminating? Would they ever stop?

"This is for John. You lowly idiot who can't even respect rank. Disrespect my boss one more time, and I will have it in for you." She threatened, and continued to glare at me. "Don't look like the victim here. Why don't you try denying that you've also slept with someone else while you were still with John?" She asked, and that was like a blow to me.

I knew I couldn't deny it. Even if it was an unfortunate accident, it didn't change the fact that I slept with someone else while I was still with John.

As at that time, I was yet to break up with John.

Due to my inability to reply, I turned back to the broken laptop, and began to pick up the pieces.

I'd die of guilt first if I tried to lie that I had never slept with someone else while dating John.

"Damn, she infuriates me!" Mandy shrieked, turning away, and I could hear Katie trying to pacify her.

Both of them were John's puppets. Secretaries he had slept with. Secretaries who were allowed to look down on me because they had been intimate with him.

I sighed, and attempted to assemble the laptop in the best way I could.

I picked it up, and placed it on the table, staring at it. My forty thousand word count. Would they be retrievable? I didn't recall signing in, and I hadn't plugged in any external device.

I plopped down on my chair, and laid my head on the little space on the desk. What was their business with whoever humiliated John? They were secretaries, not bodyguards.

Due to their stupid outburst, and feelings of unfairness, they had cost me the work of a day. Where was I to start from? It was obvious that John would never let me off the hook simply because I wasn't the one who destroyed the laptop.

I sighed, and tried being optimistic about starting again, but it was so hard. Trying to smile made me feel like crying, so I didn't.

I simply sat there with my head on the desk, taking in deep breaths.

That night, Dahlia called, and I was so happy to hear her voice. I could not comprehend the rushing feeling in my chest that made me want to keep giggling, instead of talking.

"So how are things over there, sugar plum? Bearable? Is it as bad as we thought it would be?" She asked, and I didn't even hesitate to answer her questions.

"It's just fine for me." I replied, and more lies came tumbling down my lips. "John rarely has time to bully me, as he's busy with work, and getting a new sculpture ready to replace the one I broke. Then I think he'll be away for a while after that, so it's really bearable."

"Oh, that's much better. I've been so worried about you here. I keep wondering if you're okay, and if you aren't being pressured by John." She said, sounding truly relieved.

It was the main reason I had lied. I didn't want her worrying about me.

"Very soon, I'll pay you a visit, and I'll need my favorite snacks prepared. I'm really missing home." I said, sweetly, and she laughed.

"Don't you worry, dear. I'll have all your beloved munchies awaiting you."

That night, I wondered about Dahlia, and the lie I had told her. I felt guilty, but what more could I do? I didn't want her worrying about me, or feeling terrible.

"Don't worry. You won't have cause to lie to Dahlia again." I told myself, and tried to go to sleep.

The next day, I was awoken by a terrified maid, who said John was calling for me. I wondered what could make her as scared as that, but had my questions answered when I went down the stairs.

John was in the dining room, and on the table was the broken laptop. Katie, and Mandy stood in front of him, hands held in front of them, and heads turned low.

I didn't like the way the atmosphere felt like.

"Good morning, Mr. Granger." I greeted, and wished I had been given time to change into something better; instead of the peach satin nightshirt, and pants I was putting on.

"What the hell have you done to my laptop?" He asked, and I raised a brow confused.

"I wasn't the one who destroyed it. It was her. She smashed it." I said, pointing to the Blondie. She looked at me with something resembling shock, and I suddenly had a bad feeling.

It felt like an old bullying technique that had been alive for years was about to be used against me.

"Explain. Mandy here, says you got annoyed when she corrected you, and you smashed it. Explain yourself." He said, pointing to the laptop.

I knew it. Same old trick; never gets old.

"Do you think I would smash a laptop I can't afford?" I asked.

"I don't know. You're not the lady I used to know, so how the hell am I to answer that question?" He asked, fuming. "My question is why did you smash the laptop?"

"I didn't smash the laptop!" I defended, strongly.

"Damn you!" He spat, getting off the chair, and coming to stand in front of me—really close.

He was using his height to try to intimidate me.

"You know very well that I did not do that." I said, in a fierce tone he alone could hear, trying to let him know I wasn't scared of him.

"I trust my secretary more than I'll ever trust you." He replied, and pushed me backwards. "Before tomorrow, I need my laptop. You must provide it." He snapped menacingly, and walked past me, hitting my shoulder hard with his.

If I had no money, I'd have happily done my best, without stressing myself, but I knew where I could get the money, and it hurt me to go there.

~

Later that day, I went to the bank to withdraw the money in my savings.

It was money I had saved for a whole year, through the bits I had gotten from my fashion designing job. It had been so challenging to save, and each time I looked at the amount, I always felt a sense of pride welling through me.

Well, it turned out John's laptop was worth the entire amount I had saved for a year.

Withdrawing it nearly made me cry. I wasn't even using it for myself, I was using it to cover someone's mistakes. The fault wasn't mine, but I was the one suffering for it.

Tears pricked my eyes, as I ordered the laptop online, and they were so difficult to contain.

"A new dawn… I mean, The darkest hour of night is just before dawn. This… this is nothing. I'll earn all this in a month when I'm better." I sniffed, and tilted my head backwards, so whatever tears were finding their way to my eyes would go back in.

Luckily, there was a discount on the app, so I got just a small amount for myself. I bought some drinks, and drank one of them, gobbling it down immediately.

There were varieties of drinks in the house, but I wanted to console myself that a little out of my hard-earned money was spent on myself.

I got into the house with the new laptop in my hand, and on my way to drop it in John's office, I spotted Katie sitting on the window. She stared out the window for a while, then looked at her hands.

Something was definitely wrong with her. 

Either she had a lot of problems, or she had caused a lot of problems.

It felt like her eyes were alive with gloom.

Depression.


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