Page 52 of Ruthless Serenade

He winces slightly and glares at me with an expression I can’t quite decipher. It’s somewhere between annoyance and surprise. "Mr. Korolev, are you a married man?" He asks.

I don’t want to engage in a personal conversation with him, so I reply curtly. "No."

"Good for you, Mr. Korolev," he says. His professional smile returns and he winks at me. "But I’m sure you know how itis with women. Sometimes they can get hysterical over nothing. She’s probably on her period or something."

My mind goes from calm and composed to furious in an instant. All I see is red and I suddenly feel like I want to break the fucker’s jaw. A primal rage surges through me, one I haven’t felt in a long time. I’m on my feet with lightning speed. "I happen to know that woman," I growl, spelling out each word like a warning.

Solomon is visibly taken aback. He grips the edge of his desk, like he’s trying to steady himself. "I… um… what do you mean, Mr. Korolev?" he blurts, each word stumbling over the other. ‘Guilty’ is written all over his face. I don’t know what this cretin did to Mindy, but I’m certain he’s done something. And I want to kill him for it.

My hand snaps out before I could think better of it. I reach over his desk and grip his collar. "I’ll tell you what I mean," I sneer. "I’m about to sign a 50-million-dollar contract with you and your company. And just when I arrive, I see your chief accountant crying in the parking lot, getting into her car, and speeding away during work hours. Can you explain how something like this could happen?

"I… I don’t understand what you’re talking about, Mr. Korolev," he stammers, shaking like a leaf. He looks so scared, I’m pretty sure he’s pissed himself. It’s all too fucking clear: he’s done something to her. His reaction to my anger only confirms my suspicion. Whatever he’s done, he’s the one who upset Mindy.

"Tell me what you did to her or I’ll break your fucking arm," I roar. I don’t care anymore that this was supposed to be a civilized business meeting. "And don’t you fucking think about lying to me!"

"Alright, alright! Just let go of me, please!" He’s practically begging me, the pathetic piece of shit. I release my grip and shove him away. He shudders and falls back into his seat.

"I’m listening," I grunt, my patience wearing thin. I don’t want to waste another minute here. He’s either going to tell me the truth about what he did to Mindy or I’m going to beat it out of him.

"I… uh…" he hesitates, struggling to collect himself. "Alright… you really want to know what happened? Yesterday, our dear chief accountant made the mistake of her life. She brought the wrong flash drive to present some numbers to the board. She ended up accidentally projecting some of her, um… private photos onto the boardroom screen."

I frown. For a second, I think there’s something wrong with my hearing. She projected her ‘private photos’ onto the screen? Like nudes? In front of the entire board?

Jesus Christ.

No wonder she’s upset. It reminds me of her slip-up seven years ago, when she was still working for me. When she accidentally sent me nudes. It’s like the same thing all over again.

I glare at the man in front of me, and I already know there’s more to this story. It’s written all over his face. He did something to her. Something unforgivable. "And?" I ask, giving him a stare that is designed to freeze his blood. "What did you do to her?"

He stammers, fear evident in his voice. "I… I…"

My patience snaps like a twig. I grab his collar again and roar into his face. "I asked you a question! What the fuck did you do to her?"

"Nothing!" His voice comes out as a pathetic squeak.

"Did you touch her?"

"No! I didn’t I swear!" He shakes his head frantically. "She rejected me!"

She rejected him?

So, he did try to touch her!

Ublyudok!

I shove him away so roughly that he falls on his ass and crashes against the cupboard by his desk. He stares at me with wide eyes and so much fear on his face that I’m pretty sure he soiled himself.

"Congratulations, Solomon." I scoff, not even making the effort to look at this piece of human garbage. I’m already turning around, prepared to leave his office. "You just kissed a 50-million-dollar contract goodbye."

He immediately jumps to his feet. "Mr. Korolev," he says, frantically trying to collect himself. "I can assure you, this is all just a big misunderstanding. I can guarantee you, our partnership will generate profits beyond your wildest expectations."

"There will be no partnership," I bark. I can barely resist the urge to grab him by the neck and toss him out the window. What a pathetic loser. I don’t even bother listening to him anymore. I know I can’t stay here for another minute, or else I’m going to rip off his dick and feed it to him. So, I storm out of Albert Solomon’s office, shutting the door behind me so hard it rattles on its hinges.

Nobody touches Mindy Williams.

Nobody except me.

As I make my way to my car, a thought keeps gnawing at me. For some strange and unexplainable reason, Mindy keeps crossing my path. I must stop being a fucking pussy. I don’t believe in any esoteric woo-woo shit, but I can’t ignore the signsanymore. If there is a greater power out there, it is clearly telling me that I must take action. I must take action before I go insane with all this longing for her.

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