Chapter 772: Begging for mercy.
Meanwhile, back in the hotel —
Dressed up in the fresh clothes, Zenith stared at herself in the mirror. She didn’t know why, but Ryan’s words were hurting her more than they should. It was still echoing in her ears as though trying to make her realize that she could never make up to his line of sight.
Not even in the most vulnerable state.
"Why are you sad?" she asked herself, looking in the reflection of the mirror. "Isn’t it good that nothing happened last night? You didn’t cause the trouble you thought you caused him."
To her, it should be a relief, but it wasn’t. Instead, it was making her feel worse inside. And she doesn’t know why.
She closed her eyes, rubbing her face and eyes to wipe away whatever she was feeling. But it was just settled deep within her, along with his words that said:
I didn’t touch you even when you begged me to.
How worse she must have looked when she did that? She should have known her place. If she did, she wouldn’t have been embarrassed the way she had. Maybe that’s what’s making her feel like this inside. Zenith thought to herself. But just then, a voice jolted her to open her eyes.
"It’s not the embarrassment that makes you feel small inside. It’s the loss of chance."
She stared at her mirror image and frowned. "What do you mean?"
Her reflection smiled at her. "You craved his touch. You have been craving it from the day you realized your feelings for him. But when even with the chance, you never had it, you are feeling the loss."
"You are crazy." Zenith’s frown only deepened. "I never thought of him like that. I might like him, but I never expected to have anything with him. I have always known my place as his secretary."
"You are his secretary, but you are also a woman," the reflection said again. "You can’t always subdue your little desires behind your professional look. Someday, sometime, you would have to accept them truthfully. Otherwise, they would keep on making you feel like this."
"Stop it!" Zenith snapped, not wanting to listen more. "There is nothing like that. There is no desire, no regret. Stop looking at things wrongly."
"I am your inner voice," the image spoke again, a quiet mock laced in her tone. "Do you think I won’t know what’s there in you?"
"No, you —" Zenith’s words died halfway when she saw her reflection disappear in the thin air. Her gaze darted back to look at herself as she shook her head, denying what suddenly started to feel real. "Ryan Foster is just my boss. I am his employee, and there are no other thoughts for him in my heart."
She then dipped down and splashed cold water on her face, trying to cool down her skin.
When she thought she was better, she finally turned to exit the bathroom. Sliding the door open, she stepped into the room only to pause again in her step. Her brows tugged into a frown at the unfamiliar presence in the room.
The man looked decent. He was dressed in complete formals as though there to report for work. But she hadn’t seen him before. Nor did she remember him as someone who works at Foster Ventures.
"Ms Zane!" he inclined his head slightly to greet her, and that greeting only surprised her more.
But Zenith held her polite smile. She nodded to him and dipped her head slightly in equal greeting before turning to look at Ryan, who was sitting on the couch with a working tablet in his hand.
Ryan glanced up at her just when she turned to him, and their eyes met. She was about to turn away when he stopped her with his words. "You are done at the right time. Meet Michael," he gestured to the guy standing beside him before introducing him. "He would be joining us from today onwards as my secretary, sharing your workload."
Zenith was taken aback. Her eyes shifted to look back at the guy before coming back to Ryan with confusion. "Your secretary?"
Ryan paused and stared at her for a moment before nodding. "Yes, he is joining as my secretary. Since he is new, you would need to teach him so that he knows how he should function around me. Also ..." he paused before continuing again, "the clients from yesterday ... you don’t have to look after them anymore. He would be taking care of them."
Zenith suddenly understood why it was happening. Yesterday night, whatever happened didn’t just affect her; it also affected the company and its dealings. Of course, knowing Ryan and the way he works, she should have seen this coming. After all, troublemakers weren’t ever appreciated in Foster Ventures. And yesterday night, she had been nothing but that.
"Got it, sir." She nodded and responded. "I will help him learn everything as soon as possible."
Ryan looked at her before nodding. Then, getting up, he tucked his hands in his pockets and said, "You gather your things from here. We will wait for you in the car." And with that, he cued Michael to follow him out.
Zenith watched them until the door closed behind them. And once they were out, the tears she had been holding back all this while rolled down her cheeks.
While at the same time, outside —
Ryan stopped mid-step, his jaws tightening again and his fingers curling tight into fists inside his pockets.
"Did you do what I asked you to do last night?" he asked, his face hard, devoid of any warm expression.
Michael nodded, responding, "Yes, sir. Their companies have been taken care of already. The moment the market opens today, their stocks will plummet gravely. This blow would leave them grovelling. They would surely come to see to your door seeking your mercy."
Ryan’s expression hardened further. "They would be begging for mercy, but not from me."