Chapter 146: Maybe He Can Compromise
Just after finishing her work, Paige was suddenly embraced by a pair of strong arms from behind. Enrico leaned in close, his lips brushing against her ear, tracing its shape before suddenly taking her soft earlobe into his mouth, gently licking it with his tongue.
“…”
A wave of numbness washed over Paige, making her want to break free, but he held her tightly. Enrico’s kisses quickly moved from her neck to her face, finally locking onto her lips with a fierce possessiveness, exploring deeply, their intensity almost overwhelming.
He pressed his forehead against hers and spoke in a raspy voice, “Let me think.”
“…”
Paige looked at him, puzzled. What did he mean by “let me think”? What was he going to think about?
Perhaps it was because he had just showered, but under the light, his eyes were darker and glistening. It reminded her of a time on Wind Island, when a dolphin had accidentally washed ashore. It lay there, dying, looking at her with those same wet, desperate eyes.
Dying.
Why did that word come to her mind? Wasn’t he perfectly fine?
As she drifted into thought, Enrico’s kisses became more intrusive. He held her with one arm while using the other to push aside the computer and keyboard on the desk, then lifted her up to sit on it. His kisses descended on her again, and he grabbed her hands, making her wrap them around his neck. Their breaths mingled.
That night was wild and chaotic. Enrico was more obsessive than usual, as if he couldn’t get enough of her, trying to prove his dominance and control over her through his fervent actions. But deep down, only Enrico knew the truth.
He was panicking again.
The fear he thought he’d left behind by returning to the busy life of the financial empire had returned. If she insisted on rebuilding the slums, maybe he would choose to compromise. Would his compromise keep her by his side?
His long fingers entwined with hers, pressing into her palm as he kissed her lips with such intensity that she had no choice but to respond. The curtains were drawn tightly shut, not even a sliver of light could get through. The room’s atmosphere became increasingly intimate and suggestive.
…
After being warned by Enrico, Rachel obediently chose to distance herself from Paige and transferred to another department. As she packed up her desk, the entire office was silent, with everyone exchanging glances.
No one knew why Rachel, who had only been in this department for a few days, was leaving. It didn’t seem like she was changing departments because of Miss Gustin’s temper-after all, she had insisted on coming here in the first place. The real reason was perplexing.
Paige sat at her desk, sending out files while Rachel, looking pale and exhausted, slowly packed up her things beside her. Suddenly, Paige felt a shadow cast over her. She turned her head to see Rachel standing in front of her, holding a box. Rachel gave her a bitter smile and said, “I’m sorry, Joss. I didn’t realize my presence would hurt you so much. Now that I’m leaving, I hope everything goes well for you.”
Some of the more perceptive colleagues overheard this and were shocked. So, Rachel was leaving because of this? How kind of her. Even though it was Owen and the others who acted on their own, she still chose to leave to protect Paige.
Paige sat there, listening, then let out a cold laugh. “Keeping up the act even as you’re leaving? Aren’t you tired of pretending? I’m tired of watching.”
She didn’t care about the eyes on them.
“…”
Her colleagues sat at their desks, but their attention was on Paige and Rachel, straining their ears to hear every word.
Rachel stood there, her expression stiffening for a moment. “You’ve misunderstood me a lot. I never intended to hurt you.”
“…”
Paige’s gaze was full of mockery.
“I’ll still be at the Public Law Council, just in a different department. If you ever want to find me, I’m always available,” Rachel said with a soft, pleasant smile. “We can also compete to see who gets a permanent position first.”
“Haven’t you had enough of competing with me?” Paige found it amusing. It seemed she had never realized she had no interest in competing with Rachel at all.
Hearing this, Rachel looked at her deeply, her gaze darkening. After a long pause, Rachel leaned down, her face close to Paige’s, still smiling, but now with a hint of bitterness. “Joss, you should know, it’s not that I can’t compete with you.”
She simply couldn’t compete with the Enrico. Enrico, with that expression of his, didn’t care about the innocence of the outside world-his eyes were only on Paige. She dared to go against Paige, but not against the Enrico.
“…”
Paige understood the implication, her grip on the mouse tightening as the cursor on the screen moved erratically. She knew that Enrico was already showing her favoritism.
Rachel straightened up, “I’m leaving now. I hope we’ll have another chance to compete in the future.”
Not giving up yet?
Paige glanced at her coldly, “Then I wish you a smooth journey.”
The farther, the better.
Since Rachel was of no use to her anymore, Paige had no desire to see her again.
“Alright.”
Rachel still smiled as she turned to leave. “By the way, I left you a parting gift. Please accept it.”
Paige said this while refocusing her attention on the computer, continuing her work. Rachel glanced back at her in confusion, but seeing Paige no longer looking at her, she walked on, exchanging a few words of farewell with the other colleagues.
Even in leaving, she maintained a noble posture, not letting anyone see her leave in disgrace. The others offered polite expressions of regret. And so, Rachel’s brief stint in the department came to an end, leaving alone with her box.Content provided by NôvelDrama.Org.
As she stepped out of the office, the vast lobby greeted her. Rachel’s steps were heavy as she walked forward. She hadn’t expected to leave like this. Her plan to get close to Enrico through Paige had been nothing but a dream.
Since Paige’s arrival, she hadn’t accomplished anything. Could it be that she would never get close to Enrico? She couldn’t accept that. The bitterness welled up inside her, and suddenly, she felt something move in the box. She looked down to see several upright books shifting.
Stunned, Rachel’s eyes widened in shock. Just then, a black snake emerged from the bottom, its dark eyes fixated on her, its tongue flicking out with a hiss.
“Ah-”
Rachel screamed in terror, throwing the box to the ground. It crashed with a mess of scattered files, books, and stationery. Two black snakes slithered out, moving freely across the floor.
Rachel, pale as a ghost, fell to the ground, pushing herself backward in a panic.
“By the way, I left you a parting gift. Please accept it.”
It was Paige!
She had put the snakes in there!
“Ah-”
Rachel screamed hysterically, not even sure if it was because of the snakes or the pain of not being able to get close to Enrico.