Chapter 4 Will You Sign It Now

"Jason!"

Chelsey was panicking. She tried to break free, but he was already lifting her skirt. A tearing sound rang in the air as he ripped her black stockings.

The sound stuck to her like an ominous alarm bell, and she found herself wondering if Jason had finally gone mad.

In the three years they had been together, he had never touched her in the workplace.

Even when he was feeling desperate, and they were miles away from the villa, the most that they would do was mess around in the car.

"You can scream louder if you want," he growled against her neck.

His large hands were traveling up and down her body, leaving a trail of fire on her skin. Chelsey bit her lip and clutched at the edge of the desk, her tears streaming down her face.

She felt humiliated. In a way that she had never experienced before.

But Jason was unfazed by her pitiful reaction. After three years, he knew all the sensitive points in her body, and he used this knowledge to assert his dominance.

His one hand was pressed against her waist, while the other was clamped on her shoulder, pinning her in place. His thrusts were quick and forceful, and no matter how she cried and begged, he never stopped like he usually would. He simply kissed her to silence her cries.

Jason didn't let up until he was fully satisfied.

Once he was done, he bodily pushed her to the side, then fetched the papers that had fallen and settled back in his seat. He was back to the cool and aloof CEO that everyone knew.

Chelsey was still trembling as she put her clothes back in place. Her skin was still burning from the passionate onslaught she had just endured, but her heart felt cold as ice.

She knew that his actions were a form of revenge for her insolence at the hospital yesterday.

The fact that Jason had broken his own rules by taking her in his office was nothing special. He had done it to embarrass her, and he had succeeded.

When all was said and done, however, Chelsey had made up her mind.

If she didn't get away from him as soon as she could, she would never be able to escape Jason's grasp. She didn't want what little bit of beauty and joy left in her life turn into something shameful and horrid.

Taking a deep breath, she picked up her resignation letter from the floor and held it up towards Jason again.

"Will you sign it now?" she asked in a hoarse voice.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop immediately.

Jason paused in the act of flipping through the documents, his eyes blazing with even more anger as he glared at her. There was a hint of disbelief there, too, as if he wasn't expecting her to do this. In the end, he grabbed the envelope from her hands.

Chelsey closed her eyes in relief, but Jason just tossed her resignation letter onto a pile of pending work.

"Finish handing over your work to others before you leave." His voice was cold and flat. If she didn't know better, she might have thought the sex they had just now was nothing more than her illusion.

Chelsey sighed in a mix of relief and self-deprecation. Of course, he was only concerned about work.

She had a project in her hands that was a bit troublesome and couldn't be handed over to someone else.

"Understood," she said and turned to leave. She was reaching for the door handle when the man spoke again.

"That includes your work as a mistress."

Chelsey stiffened. What did he mean by that? Was he telling her to find another woman to take over her position as his lover?

Jason was the heir to the Martin family fortune, a CEO worth trillions in assets. Surely, he could have any woman he wanted. Did he really need her to find him one?

Chelsey figured that it was yet another way for him to humiliate her. Not wanting to stay in his presence for another minute, she just nodded and left without a word.

Her body felt hot and sticky, and despite being busy the entire day, she was unable to finish all her work. The relief she felt when it was finally time to clock out was almost overwhelming.

She walked out of the building, her mood bleak.

A familiar black Cayenne suddenly screeched to a halt in front of her. The window of the backseat rolled down, and she heard Jason's voice from inside the car. "Get in."

She could see him leaning back against the seat, his long legs crossed, the top two buttons of his shirt undone. Chelsey instinctively took a couple of steps back.

She used to be so infatuated with him that the mere sight of such things would reduce her to a pool of desire. Now, they only filled her with an almost unbearable dread.

Jason did not miss her reluctance. His brows furrowed. "Do I need to come out there and drag you in?"

Chelsey's heart skipped a beat.

Their little episode this morning had made her realize that if this man was unhappy, he would ensure that she felt the same. She didn't want to invite any more unnecessary trouble in the few days she had left in the company.

They were still within the premises, after all. It would be a disaster if he threw one of his tantrums here, where everyone could see.

Gritting her teeth, Chelsey gingerly opened the car door and got in. The window was in the middle of rolling shut when she heard a familiar voice from outside.

"Hey, watch out!"

Chelsey turned to look outside, and was stunned at what she saw.

What was Tim Hussain doing here?

He was holding a bouquet of flowers while talking to someone, presumably the person who had bumped into him.

Chelsey took out her phone. Sure enough, Tim had sent her several voice messages.

She tapped on them without thinking, and Tim's voice suddenly rang out in the limited space of the vehicle.

"Hi, Chelsey. What time are you getting off work?"

"Your mom invited me to dinner, by the way. I'll come and pick you up, okay? I'll be waiting outside your company."

"Chelsey, have you finished work yet?"

She belatedly realized her error, but she couldn't stop the messages from playing one after another. Tension mounted inside the car.

Jason told the driver to kill the engine before pulling Chelsey into his arms. Right there and then, he slipped his hand under her skirt. Thanks to him tearing her stockings this morning, his roving hand felt very little resistance.

"Want me to roll down the window?" he asked as he nibbled at her ear.

He was threatening to expose her to the public. Another ruthless punishment, one that she knew he would relish doling out.

"Already meeting the parents, hmm?" he whispered. "Is it that serious?"

Chelsey's heart was pounding inside her chest. She had enough experience to know that Jason was on the verge of exploding in rage.

Even so, she couldn't seem to bring herself to appease him. It just wasn't her anymore.

So she pushed him away with all her strength and said, "That's right, we... He makes me feel good. My fiance is here to pick me up, Mr. Martin, so..."

Jason's eyes flashed with a murderous intent, and he flung her aside like she was some piece of garbage.

Chelsey thought she tasted blood on her tongue. She didn't know when his anger would subside, but she wasn't planning on sticking around to find out. She hastily straightened her skirt and opened the car door to get out.

Tim spotted her almost immediately. He jogged over, his expression earnest. "Why aren't you in the office?"

"I..." Chelsey started to say, but she was interrupted by the sound of the car door opening again. Her back stiffened.

She had blurted out those words, thinking that Jason would speed away in disgust. What was he doing now?

"Mr. Martin?" Tim exclaimed, his eyes fixed on the man behind her. "Oh, why were you getting out of Mr. Martin's car, Chelsey?"

Chelsey anxiously grabbed his hand. "Mr. Martin is actually my boss. We just came back from meeting a client."

Thankfully, Tim believed her lie. Truth be told, he was distracted by the fact that she was holding his hand, as evident by the faint blush on his face. He turned back to Jason with a wide smile.

"I see. So that's how it is. You must attend our wedding, then, Mr. Martin."

Jason glanced at their clasped hands, his upper lip twitching. "Sure."

He got back inside the car almost immediately, slamming the door as he did so.

Chelsey wasted no time and led the way to Tim's Buick. On their way over, the man kept chattering on and on about Jason.

With her heart and mind still in a jumble from the day's events, she could only muster a few words in response.

By the time Chelsey came back to her senses, they were already at her doorstep.

Right, Tim had said something about Sylvia inviting him over for dinner.

She was mortified by her mother's forwardness.

As soon as they got out of the car, Sylvia was there. She was beaming as she greeted them and took the valuable gift Tim had brought. She ushered him inside, all while singing Chelsey's praises. In particular, she assured him that Chelsey would make a perfect homemaker.

Tim's cheeks turned redder as he nodded along in agreement.

They kept chatting even as they settled in the living room, making Chelsey oddly feel like an outsider. She could only sit to the side and listen to them talk.

Sylvia led the conversation, of course, bringing up the potential wedding date and the number of children the couple planned to have. And of course, the subject she was most concerned with, the matter of Chelsey's dowry, and the house and car that Tim was expected to provide.

Chelsey had to admit, Tim really was an excellent marriage candidate.

But for some reason, she felt uncomfortable listening to their discussion. She eventually excused herself to the kitchen, saying that she was going to cook a few additional dishes. But the smell of cooking oil instantly made her nauseous. She covered her mouth and rushed to the bathroom.

Chelsey had wanted to get a check-up today, but after everything, it just slipped from her mind. She pressed her palm against her belly as she took in big gulps of air.

When she looked up at the mirror, she saw Sylvia staring at her from the doorway.

Her mother barged into the bathroom, her eyes filled with judgment.

"What is going on, Chelsey? Tell me the truth." Sylvia clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. "How many times have I told you, women should have some self-respect!"

Chelsey almost burst out laughing at that.

Self-respect?

She would happily take that advice from anyone else apart from her mother.

Swallowing her resentment, Chelsey splashed water on her face and tidied up. "I am not pregnant, if that's what you're implying," she said coldly. "Just a stomach bug."

Without warning, Sylvia suddenly took out a box of pregnancy test kits from the medicine cabinet and practically thrust it towards Chelsey.

"Please, I have enough experience to fall for that. It doesn't look like a regular stomachache at all. Now, take the test and put my mind at ease!"