Page 115 of A Win-Win Situation

All the stakeholders seem to be here as well, but I haven’t spotted Antoine yet. I caught a glimpse of Milena and Michel a few minutes ago and, telling by the look they threw my way, both seem to still despise me. It doesn’t matter though; the only thingI’m praying for right now is that all the stakeholders see how beautiful this new hotel is and know how much work Lucas has put into it. Everything he does, he does with passion. He loves these hotels, and he has so many amazing plans. I just hope I haven’t ruined it for him. They have to let him and his uncle stay.

Lucas had to leave before me, and I haven’t spotted him yet. I’m wearing the dress he got me, and it fits like a glove. It’s the most beautiful dress I’ve ever worn and when I put on the necklace all I could visualize was Lucas’s whispered promises and the curiosity of what he would do to me. My hand instinctively goes to the necklace and I smile to myself.

"There you are," a soft voice whispers in my ear, sending shivers down my whole body. I quickly turn around to find the most gorgeous man in front of me. "You look beautiful, Leora." It’s hard to describe the way he looks at me, as though he wants to cherish me while still ripping my dress off and devouring me whole.

And I want both—more than anything.

He’s wearing a black tuxedo with a bow tie that matches the color of my dress, and when he smiles at me, the confidence in his gaze and the subtle curve of his lips exude a captivating blend of power and masculine charm. My mouth almost falls open and I think I might be drooling. "You don’t look so bad yourself. If there weren’t so many people around, I think I would go for one of those fantasies of yours," I murmur as I throw my arms around his neck.

"Don’t make promises you can’t keep,Ya Amar." He kisses me softly. "Because I will be taking you up on that offer." Then he kisses me again, this time not as soft and when we break away he looks back towards the bar, and there’s a hint of a smile on his lips. "Come, there’s someone I would like you to meet." His hand grabs mine and he walks me toward a woman dressed in a black dress that reaches her knees.Who is that?

I wish I never found out, because when she turns around, my stomach drops.

"Agnes, what are you doing here?"

Her eyes widen in surprise. "Did you forget the invitation you sent me? You told me this was your way of apologizing for how you acted when you worked for Momentum Marketing. I couldn’t say no to that or an all-expenses paid trip to France," Agnes says with a leering smile on her lips. I turn to find Lucas looking at me with a smile of his own. There’s a knot forming in my stomach at the sight of her. I don’t understand; why is she here? Why is she saying that I sent her an invitation asking to apologize? Because I didn’t, and I wouldn’t. I still can’t wrap my head around the whole situation. I don’t remember.

"Leora didn’t invite you.Idid. Not for Leora to apologize, but rather for you to apologize to her."

I turn to Lucas and his face is stone cold, anger brewing behind his eyes.

"Why would I do such a thing?" Agnes replies.

"I’m happy you asked." He takes his phone from his pocket and shoves it in her face. "If you take a look at this video, you’ll see the papers that Leora misplaced are in the hands ofyourclient."

Why is he showing her this? I experienced this embarrassment once, I don’t need to do it again.

"But do you know what I found odd? If we rewind this video a little bit, we’ll both see that it wasn’t Leora who misplaced the papers." He pauses. "It was you."

Ice washes over my whole body.

It washer?

I watch, captivated, as Agnes stumbles to a table, holding on to a folder. In the background, people are cheering, and for a brief second, I see Mike and I walk by. We wave to her but she dismisses us.

A few heartbeats pass, and then she walks away, leaving the folder on the table.

The folder I supposedly left behind.

I don’t know what to say or think. All this time, I’ve thought I made that mistake. All this time, I thought I was fired for a reason caused by me, even though I could have sworn it wasn’t me. Now it all makes sense, why I didn’t remember it. How would I, if it never happened? My mind continues to drift, if it was Agnes’s fault, why would she fire me and make me believe I was in the wrong?

"I-I don’t know," she stutters.

"You didn’t think you’d get caught, did you? Now, listen carefully. Unless you want your entire world to unravel, you will personally reach out to every individual you've ever uttered a word about Leora to. Tell them it was all a colossal misunderstanding and that you mistakenly terminated the employment of the best damn worker you ever had." His eyes narrow, and a menacing smile plays on his lips as he leans toward Agnes. "Understand this: I won't allow anyone to tarnish my wife's name. Do you understand? Because if you don’t, this video will find its way to every corner of my network, and you'll find yourself blacklisted from the marketing industry, and any other industry that doesn't involve flipping burgers."

Her face, once smug and alive, is now white as a ghost as she nods hysterically. She starts to turn to get away from us, but Lucas stops her and tsks. "Agnes, you forgot the most important part"—he nods his head toward me—"beg Leora for forgiveness."

She turns to me and speaks so low, I almost can’t hear her. "I’m sorry, Leora."

"No, Agnes, I saidbeg.On your knees,"Lucas commands.

On shaky legs, she bends down, her knees hitting the marble floor.

"Lucas, this isn’t neces?—"

"Now beg for forgiveness, Agnes," Lucas demands.

I look at him and what I see in front of me is shocking. His eyes are furious and hard; they would make even the strongest bend to his will. His back is completely straight, demanding respect, and that’s what he’ll receive. This is the powerful man I’ve seen glimpses of—the man who is destined to run an empire.

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