Page 20 of Morally Corrupt

But then I realize that this might be to my advantage. Maybe playing the victim is exactly how I can ensnare him.

I look down, and I fidget.

"I'm fine," I say, making sure my voice trembles a little. As expected, he picks up on my distress immediately, and he takes my hands into his. I almost sigh out of pleasure from that contact alone.

"You can tell me if something happened. I don't think I mentioned this last time, but I work with the NYPD." He's clasping my hands, as if to reassure me. I turn my head to the side, a whimper escaping my lips.

"It's nothing I'm not used to," I finally admit, looking at him from the corner of my eyes to gauge his reaction. His eyes widen slightly.

"It's happened before?" he asks as if it's hard for him to hear this, so I just softly nod.

"Goddamn it!" he curses.

"I'm so sorry, Bianca. I'll have a talk with your father." The moment he mentions my father, I vigorously shake my head.

"No. Please. Don't mention it to my father . . ." I keep shaking my head, molding my lips in a thin line to reflect both fear and reluctance.

"But . . ."

"Please, you'll only make it worse." I beg him.

"Then what can I do?"

"You don't have to do anything. It's not your problem."

"I want to," he continues, his expression grim.

"It's fine, really." I stand up, my back to him. Taking a deep breath, I put on the best act of my life.

"You should go, Mr. Hastings."

I don't even turn to see how he might react to this. I just continue what I already started.

"You'll only get me in trouble with my father. He doesn't like me to entertain strange men."

He doesn't speak for a moment, and I have to wonder if I went too far with my rejection.

"I'm sorry you don't feel safe enough to talk to me," he says, his tone defeated.

I don't look back as I leave the room, still debating whether I'm doing the right thing. I'm literally banking on Theo's savior syndrome.

Prove me right, Theo!

The following days turn into weeks and into months. Theo proves to be as relentless as I'd pegged him. Every so often, he would come to check up on me, finding some sort of excuse to question whether I feel unsafe or if anything else happened to me. He's sweet that way. But even though his visits are quite frequent, it isn't enough anymore. Especially with this mystery woman he'd left Pink for still unknown.

I bite on my pen, trying to figure out what to do next. Sure, I'd appealed to his protective instincts, and he'd taken the bait, coming to see me almost weekly. Still, I need more. I need him to see me in a romantic light.

As I keep on thinking how to turn our relationship around, one of the staff announces that I have a visitor. I go down the stairs a little too fast, deep down hoping it will be Theo.

I'm not disappointed as I see him in the foyer, all dressed up in a suit and flowers in his hand. He looks a little uncertain as his gaze roams around until it settles on me.

"Theo?" I ask, coming to stand on the same level as him.

"B, hi." He gives me a lopsided smile, thrusting the flowers in my direction. "For you."

I frown. "With what occasion?"

"I wanted to talk to you about something, if that's ok," he replies instead, leading me toward the garden.

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