Chapter 4 The Deal is On

TDB3: The Deal is On

Janice had no choice but to sign the Marriage Certificate he brought. She was upset, and at that moment, she wanted to make him suffer.

"Congratulations, you are now Mrs. Matteo Cordova," he said with a smile.

She sneered and rolled her eyes at him. "Congratulate yourself, Mr. Cordova. You might have gotten what you wanted, but that doesn't mean you already have me."

His smile disappeared as he looked her straight in the eyes. "That's fine with me. I won't stop until I have you completely-heart, body, and soul."

She shook her head and gave him a mocking smile. "Oh, dear, that won't happen. After this meeting, I'm calling my lawyer and filing for an annulment."

To her surprise, he chuckled softly. "Suit yourself, but I'm telling you, you won't succeed, Janice. Before I came here, I had already spoken with my lawyer. He explained everything to me. A marriage can be annulled anytime within three years after the wedding ceremony, but there must be valid grounds."

She clenched her fists because he had a point. The court wouldn't approve an annulment request without solid evidence.

"Why the f*ck are you doing this to me?" she asked angrily.

"I like you, Janice, and believe it or not, I'm starting to fall for you... harder, deeper," he replied thoughtfully. "I won our bet and want to prove myself to you."

She laughed bitterly and looked at him sarcastically. "And this is your way of proving your love? Seriously?"

"You pushed me to do this," he replied firmly. "I've confessed my feelings to you multiple times and asked you out, but you always found reasons to reject me."

"That's because you work with me!" she yelled, slamming her hand on the table. "Why can't you understand? I've told you many times that I can't get involved with you because-"

"F*ck those excuses!" he shouted, his face filled with anger. She was shocked at how furious he had become. His jaw clenched, and his face turned red with rage. "Stop using those f*cking excuses to deny your feelings for me, Janice. I know we both feel the same way about each other."

"Ha!" she scoffed and leaned back in her chair, laughing loudly. "What feelings are you talking about? The ones we feel when we f*ck each other? Is that it? I'm sorry to tell you that I have the same feelings for everyone I fu-" She didn't finish her sentence because he quickly grabbed her by the waist and kissed her fiercely.

Caught off guard, she didn't immediately react. She felt his tongue trying to force its way into her mouth, but she refused to let him in. She tried to pull away, but with just one hand, he managed to pin both of her hands behind the chair and held them there while continuing to kiss her.

She clenched her lips tightly, burning with anger. No man had ever done this to her. She was always in control, and being in a helpless situation like this made her feel humiliated.

Matteo stopped kissing her and loosened his grip on her hands.

"Get the hell out of here," she commanded, her voice hard and full of authority.

He didn't say anything but took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I got jealous and-"

"Damn you! I don't want your f*cking explanation. Get the hell out of here!" she screamed at him.

Slowly, he stepped back and began gathering the papers, including their Marriage Contract, into the attaché case his assistant had brought.

Just before he could leave, she spoke again. "If you really want this sh*t, fine, I'll do it." She looked at him with no emotion on her face. "I'll give you one month, but after one month, if nothing changes, you will publicly admit that you forced me into this marriage."

He paused for a moment, then nodded. "We're settled then," he said with a smile. "Call me if-"

"I'm not done," she interrupted. "Stop bossing me around. If I want to call you, I will. But if not, and you want to talk to me, you call me." She walked closer to him, giving him a teasing smile. "You're going to regret messing with me," she added before leaving the conference room.

When she opened the door, she caught sight of their assistants flirting. Darla quickly straightened up and rushed over to her.

"I-I'm sorry, Miss," she said, her head lowered in embarrassment.

Janice glanced at Matteo's assistant before turning back to Darla. "We're done here. Pack up my things and bring them to my office," she said casually.

"Yes, Miss Ortega," Darla replied before entering the conference room to tidy up.

Janice turned to leave the area but heard Matteo's assistant speak.

"So, are you done signing the contract?" he asked suggestively.

She looked back at him, her face still emotionless. From the tone of his question, she was sure he knew about Matteo's plan.

"Which contract? The one with my company seal? Or the one with a seal from the Civil Registrar's f*cking office?" she replied sarcastically.

He didn't respond, stunned by her words. The door to the conference room opened, and Matteo emerged. She glared at him before finally turning her back on them and heading straight to the elevator.

Once inside, and with the doors closed, she slammed her fist against the elevator wall. Luckily, she was alone so that she could release her pent-up anger. She was furious at Matteo but even more so at herself for not being able to deny that she had enjoyed his kiss.

If she had let herself be weak in front of him, it would have led to something more heated, which she was f*cking missing badly.

She let out a deep breath and composed herself as the elevator stopped. When the doors opened, four women entered. They greeted her, and she only responded with a nod. There was a long silence, but she noticed one of the women kept glancing at her.

She was in a bad mood and needed to cool off. Her reputation, which she had protected for years, was already damaged, so why not go all out?

"Hey, what's your name?" she asked the employee looking at her.

"M-Melinda Santos," the woman replied politely. Her companions exchanged glances but quickly bowed their heads when they saw Janice looking.

"Which department are you from?" Janice asked again.

"E-Editorial," Melinda answered.

Janice nodded. "You know my assistant, right?" she asked.

Melinda nodded. "Y-Yes, Miss."

"Good. Please find her and tell her to meet me in my office. ASAP," Janice commanded sternly.

Although surprised, Melinda quickly nodded. The elevator stopped, and the other women exited. Melinda hesitated to leave, signaling her companions that she would stay behind. Janice smirked inwardly. Even without saying a word, she knew Melinda had a hidden desire for her.

She was an expert at reading people's desires, likely due to the many men and women she had slept with. She didn't care what others thought of her. It was fine with her as long as they were single and willing to have fun in bed. Being dominant, she liked to order and punish them. While her friends were raised as Maria Claras, she came from the lineage of Magdalena. The difference was that she didn't sell her body-she used it to have fun and satisfy herself.

The world has evolved into a modern era; everyone is now more open to this kind of pleasure.

As the elevator stopped again, she glanced at Melinda.

"Come with me to the office," she commanded casually.

"W-What?" Melinda stammered in surprise, but Janice ignored her and exited the elevator.

She continued straight to her office, with Melinda quietly following behind.

"Sit down," Janice said, pointing to the long sofa near her desk.

"Uh... you told me to find-"

"Tell me," Janice interrupted. "Are you attracted to me?" she asked bluntly. She walked toward the small bar in her office, took two glasses, and filled them with ice before pouring whiskey into both.

"Just answer my question. I won't get mad," she added as she approached Melinda, handing her the glass of liquor.

Melinda wiped the sweat forming on her forehead as she sat down, nervously accepting the glass. "I-I admire you...," she stammered. "The reason I joined this company was to have a chance to see you and talk to you like this-I mean, just the two of us." She downed the whiskey in one gulp, wincing from the bitterness but paying no mind.

Janice smiled, also taking her drink in one shot. The bitterness of the liquor burned her throat, but she barely noticed.

"Miss Ortega, I know you don't get involved with employees or colleagues, but..." Melinda paused and bit her lower lip. "I'm willing to resign so I don't miss out on this opportunity."

Janice raised an eyebrow as Melinda began unbuttoning her blouse.

"Are you aware of what you're doing?" Janice asked.

Melinda nodded, continuing to unbutton her top. "I have a huge crush on you, Miss Ortega, and I'm willing to do anything to make you happy."

Janice smiled, pushing Melinda onto the long sofa and helping her remove her blouse. Once it was off, Janice swiftly tied Melinda's hands behind her back. She stood up and refilled her glass, and as she passed her desk, she called through the intercom.

"Darla, come to my office and cancel today's meetings. I want to relax. Come and join us!" Janice said before returning to where Melinda lay. The shock on Melinda's face was evident as she heard what Janice had just said.

"Is something going on with-"

"Darla's my personal assistant. She wasn't hired through the company, and she's not my employee," Janice said with a smile.

The door opened, and Darla entered, quickly moving to where they were.

"Let's go to my room," Janice ordered. She stood up first while Darla helped Melinda to her feet, who was excited about what would happen between the three of them. Janice secretly shook her head as she realized something.

If she reinstituted her rule of never getting involved with employees or colleagues, she might soon find herself surrounded by people eager to play games with her in bed.