Chapter 2 Being forced to drink and taken to a room

Katherine slumped heavily onto the plush sofa, her body sinking into its softness, as if weighed down by an invisible burden.

She looked up, meeting Vincent's gaze, which carried a faint trace of mockery.

"You're in charge of this collaboration," he said coldly.

After a brief pause, he added," If you screw this up, you're done here."

With that, Vincent turned away, shrugging off his bathrobe and getting dressed.

He didn't spare Katherine another glance as he left the presidential suite. ---

At eight in the evening, Katherine arrived at the banquet as scheduled, accompanied by one of Vincent's other male assistants.

"Miss Gill, since Mr. Murphy's not here, does that mean you'll be the one drinking with us tonight?"

Before Katherine could even sit down, a glass of liquor was placed in front of her.

The man who spoke crossed one leg over the other, his intention to make things difficult practically written all over his face.

Because Vincent had failed to show up, the client was clearly displeased. If the collaboration was to proceed, Katherine had no choice but to comply.

She picked up the glass and downed the fiery liquid in one go, feeling it burn its way down her throat and into her stomach.

"Haha, Miss Gill, you're quite bold!" the man exclaimed, laughing as he poured her a second glass and handed it to her.

"I've heard that Mr. Murphy's assistant is a stunning beauty, and now I finally get to see it for myself!"

His face creased with a sly grin, his eyes lingering on her with an unsettling intensity.

Suppressing her disgust, Katherine took the glass from him and forced a polite smile. "You flatter me, Alfred."

With that, she tipped her head back and drained the second glass.

"Haha, I like the way you handle things, Miss Gill! Come, have a seat!" Alfred said, his hand pressing against the small of her back as he guided her to a chair.

He pulled another chair close to hers, sitting so near that their shoulders almost touched. His hand rested on the back of her chair, while under the table, his polished leather shoe brushed suggestively against her calf.

Katherine maintained a composed smile, subtly shifting her leg away while picking up the wine bottle to pour Alfred a drink.

The male assistant who had accompanied her was now relegated to a corner, his face filled with worry.

As the drinks flowed and the evening wore on, the atmosphere in the private room grew increasingly hazy with intoxication.

Katherine, too, appeared slightly tipsy, but her mind remained sharp.

She seized the moment to speak. "Alfred, how about we finalize the contract now?"

"Oh!" Alfred slapped his forehead theatrically. "Miss Gill, my memory is terrible! I left the contract in my room!"

He straightened up, his hand sliding from the back of Katherine's chair to her shoulder, where his fingers began to lightly stroke.

"How about this-you come with me to grab it?"

The room fell silent.

All eyes turned to Katherine, their gazes filled with ill intent as they waited for her response.

After a brief pause, Katherine smiled faintly. "Alright."

Alfred wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close as they left the room together. As soon as the door closed behind them, the room erupted into murmurs and laughter.

"I knew it. She's more than just Mr. Murphy's assistant-looks like he sends her to entertain clients all the time."

"But you've got to admit, she's gorgeous. And that figure-wow."

"So, how long do you think Alfred will take to come back? Haha!"

The male assistant could no longer bear it. Gripping his phone tightly, he stepped out of the room, dialing a number as he walked briskly down the hallway.

It took three attempts before the call finally connected.

"Hello? Mr. Murphy, something's wrong! Katherine's been taken upstairs by Alfred from Evergreen Group!"

He didn't notice the sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line. In a rush, he recounted everything that had happened at the dinner-the forced drinks, the inappropriate advances.

"Mr. Murphy, are you still there? What should I do? Should I call the cops right now?"

There was silence on the other end.

After several seconds, Vincent's voice came through, calm and devoid of emotion. "No. Stay out of it. We can't risk jeopardizing the deal."

The line went dead.