Chapter 156: Chapter 156: Narcissistic Man
Ivana Monroe escaped Leon Keane’s clutches, dawdling in the bathroom, scrubbing herself until her skin almost peeled off. Only then did she dry her body with a towel, slip into a tightly wrapped long-sleeve pajama set, and walk into the room.
Leon Keane lay lazily on the bed. Waiting was a drawn-out process as he waited for Ivana Monroe to finish her bath, nearly losing his patience, finally seeing her emerge from the bathroom.
The energy inside Leon surged once again when he saw the pajamas on Ivana. He froze for a moment, his thin lips curving into a wicked smile, thinking: So wrapped up? It’ll come off later anyway, so why bother?
His gaze was quite wicked; although Ivana was fully clothed, she felt as if she wore nothing in front of him.
Ivana’s cheeks flushed slightly; she walked to the bedside, keeping a distance from Leon, and said, "Leon Keane, I need to talk to you."
Leon raised an eyebrow: "Hmm?"
Ivana wanted to tell him to go back or sleep with Timmy. She still had two autumn outfits that needed finishing, hidden under her bed. The plan was to work overtime for the next two nights to get them done, as the fashion show was in three days.
Her autumn designs needed to be completed in advance for the models to try on.
Just as she was about to speak, Ivana held back. Perhaps she sensed that this domineering man wouldn’t allow her to work overtime at night, and telling him might make her job even harder.
Ivana hesitated, then thought about the matter with Secretary Sullivan, deciding to seize this chance to ask about it.
"Have you been facing any troubles at the company recently?" Ivana couldn’t directly bring up Secretary Sullivan; she first probed with this question.
Troubles?
Leon hadn’t had any. He furrowed his brows, his dark eyes deep as he looked at Ivana: "Are you concerned for me? Or is there more to what you’re saying? What are you trying to find out?"
Ivana felt a little guilty.
Leon saw her expression and realized he was just being self-indulgent.
He huffed coldly, the boiling blood in him cooling down considerably: "What do you want to say? Just say it directly, no need to beat around the bush with me."
Seeing that she had been seen through, Ivana gave a sheepish smile and said, "Did Secretary Sullivan make a big mistake? Did you reassign her from her original position?"
Leon’s handsome face cooled slightly: "She came to see you?"
This woman, Sullivan, usually timid as a mouse, dared to go seek out Ivana to complain?
Ivana saw the domineering CEO was getting angry and feared he would worsen things for Secretary Sullivan when he returned to the company tomorrow, realizing she might as well not interfere at all rather than make matters worse for her.
She hurriedly sat beside him, saying, "Hold your anger. She didn’t come to find me. I just happened to run into her at the convenience store this afternoon. I saw her eyes were red and asked her about it out of concern."
"When Timmy and I were hospitalized, she and Derrick Stern came to the hospital to bring us food, so they looked after us."
As she leaned closer, the scent of her recently showered body wash wafted into Leon’s nose.
Leon’s dark eyes dimmed slightly, and he listened to Ivana’s words, holding little belief. The Kane Group was quite a distance from GK Edge, and without Secretary Sullivan making an effort to come over, Ivana couldn’t possibly meet her on the way to the convenience store.
Leon didn’t expose Ivana, merely humming, his expression showing neither belief nor disbelief.
Seeing his handsome face still cold, Ivana moved closer to Leon, her bright eyes smiling, meeting his gaze softly as she said, "At that time, I didn’t make any promises to Secretary Sullivan either. I just thought I would ask you when I got back. If she made a fundamental mistake, naturally, I wouldn’t plead for her. But if it’s just a minor mistake, then... given that she took care of Timmy and me back then, how about giving her another chance?"
Leon looked at her enticing little mouth opening and closing, his dark eyes growing darker, as his mind started to wander.
He suddenly reached out to wrap around Ivana’s soft waist, flipping her beneath him, and in a husky voice said, "If Secretary Sullivan covets your handsome and charming future husband, wouldn’t you be jealous?"
Ivana let out a gasp, her body beneath Leon’s, seeing the flames rekindling in his dark eyes, her face heated up as she heard his words.
Ivana was dumbfounded. Was Leon implying... Secretary Sullivan coveted his good looks?
Ivana’s mouth twitched. Is this man really that narcissistic?
Regarding other women, she couldn’t say, but for Secretary Sullivan, she was sure there wasn’t even a hint of inappropriate feelings toward Leon. If there were, Secretary Sullivan wouldn’t have gone to GK Edge to find her.
Moreover, from Secretary Sullivan’s reddened eyes, Ivana could tell she was terribly afraid of Leon.
Ivana rolled her eyes at Leon: "You’re overthinking this; Secretary Sullivan really doesn’t have those intentions towards you."
Leon lowered his head to kiss Ivana, his voice hoarse: "You don’t understand women enough."
Startled by his movement, Ivana turned her face away, causing his kiss to land at the corner of her mouth. Her heart pounded as she pushed against his chest, but he remained unmoving.
Her cheeks burning, Ivana said, "Leon Keane, don’t do this. Finish what you were saying first. What do you mean by it? Could it be that you reassigned her to the call center of the logistics department because you felt Secretary Sullivan coveted your handsome appearance?"
It was as if a bolt of Thunder struck Ivana.
If that were true, Leon Keane would be... overly narcissistic.
Leon hesitated briefly, naturally unable to admit the truth of Ivana’s statement. His gaze flickered as he said, "There are many female employees in the company who admire me; who has the time to care about them? Secretary Sullivan made a mistake, and I transferred her to the logistics department to punish her for a few days, not intending to keep her there permanently."
He huffed coldly: "I didn’t expect her to be so weak, to rely on having brought you a meal and then run to you looking for a favor. Such a woman should be kept in the logistics department forever."
If it were truly a mistake, when Ivana asked Leon, he would have simply explained, with no need for this drama about whether Secretary Sullivan fancied her fiancé.
Ivana was now almost certain that Leon, due to his extreme narcissism, misunderstood Secretary Sullivan.
Leon, stubborn as a mule, would not admit it, leaving Ivana speechless.
She pretended to believe Leon, hastily advising: "So that’s how it is. It’s all my fault for being nosy. Please don’t keep her in the logistics department forever. There wasn’t really an issue; if she were to suffer because of me, I’d feel guilty."
Seeing her believe him, Leon didn’t want to continue the topic: "Forget about her. If she performs well, I’ll know. A moment of intimacy is worth a thousand pieces of gold; let’s not waste this beautiful night..."
Leon pressed his thin lips against Ivana’s again. That tingling sensation, like electricity, coursed from her lips throughout her entire body.