Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Provoke the Boss

Claire's POV

I spent $150 on sleeping with a man I thought was a prostitute. I can't believe he's my new boss!

What a coincidence. I recalled what I said to the boss...

I said that his skills were not good enough, and I want him to sell at a lower price...

Oh God, why did those words ever leave my mouth?

If he recognizes me, will he fire me on the spot? I can't lose this job! My mother's medical bills and my sister's college tuition depend on my income.

Breathe, Claire, breathe! I commanded myself, trying to steady my racing heart. Despite my best efforts, my legs trembled beneath me.

I stole a careful glance toward the imposing figure at the head of the conference table, making sure he wasn't looking my way.Then I felt a little relieved. I lowered my head and covered half of my face with my long hair!

My only hope was that Lucius Watson,the Watson Group's CEO, had never looked at me closely enough to remember my face.The conference room was packed with employees. Surely he hadn't noticed me among so many faces.

Every second felt like an eternity as I sat rigid in my chair, a cold sweat breaking out across my skin.

As the meeting came to an end, my worries appeared to be unnecessary. Lucius did not seem to remember me at all. I let out a sigh of relief.

When everyone began to leave, I seized my chance and slipped out among the crowd, keeping my head down.

The first thing I did when I returned to the office was to catch Joey and tell her what had happened.

Joey's eyes widened in shock. "Holy shit, Claire! You slept with him? Are you sure you're not mistaken him for someone else? Lucius Watson?"

"Stop it!" I hissed,"This isn't funny. Yes,It was him!I'm terrified he'll remember me, take revenge, and fire me. I have my mom and sister depending on me. I can't lose this job!" I was very crazy.

Joey gave me a meaningful look and said, "Girl, do you know how many women would want to be in your position?"

I don't care about what other women's wishes are. I regretted everything about last night. Why did I go to that bar to drown my sorrows? Why did I let myself be drawn to a stranger with such intense eyes? Why did I give him $150, thinking he was some high-end call boy? And dear God, why did I speak ill of his performance?

Joey shrugged. "Don't panic so much. He probably didn't even notice you. Guys like that have a different woman every weekend."

Before she could finish reassuring me,our manager's voice rang out."Claire, Mr. Watson wants to see you in his office. Now."

My heart plummeted to my stomach. This was it. I was about to be fired.

I walked toward his office with leaden feet.When I entered and saw him again, this time in a perfectly tailored suit rather than a hotel bathrobe.

Last time he was a call boy, now he is my new boss.

Life was always full of surprises.

Since I entered the office, he'd been looking through the documents, as though he hadn't noticed my arrival. I looked at his thick golden hair, noting how it seemed wilder somehow under the office lighting.

Taking a deep breath, I forced a pleasant tone: "Mr. Watson? You wanted to see me?"

He raised his head, and I quickly plastered on my most professional smile. I knew he was my boss, and I didn't want to make him angry.

Lucius's eyes raked over me with an intensity that made my skin prickle.His expression was unfriendly, filled with disdain.

I felt uncomfortable when he looked at me. He looked like a dangerous animal watching its prey. I tried to stay calm when he watched me.

Finally, he set down his pen and leaned back in his large leather chair. He said coldly, "I didn't expect our female employee to be so open. It's unexpected."

He proudly spoke to me. His words hurt my pride, and I forgot to be careful.

Before I could stop myself, I shot back, "It seems that your private life is also very rich, Mr. Watson."

I thought to myself, "We're almost the same. If I'm a dissolute woman, then you're also a playboy!"

The expression on Lucius's face became very ugly again.

Great. I'd just angered my boss again.

I quickly looked down. Although I was very happy, I still felt a little regretful.I had acted without thinking, and this might hurt my job at Watson Group.

He took another step forward, too close now. I could smell him , that same scent from the hotel room.Cold forest, heat.

Lucius reached into the inner pocket of his blazer. My heart stilled.

He pulled out a thick leather wallet, opened it, and withdrew three bills - two fifties, one crisp hundred. He placed them on the desk between us.

"Your performance," he said calmly, "was worth a little more than I thought."

I stared at the money.My throat burned. My chest heaved. I wanted to shout at him. But then I remembered my problems, my mom's hospital bills and my sister's school fees. So I tried to control my anger.

"Stay calm, Claire," I told myself.

I stepped forward, plucked the money from the desk with two fingers, and tucked it neatly into my purse.

I looked him straight in the eye and smiled. "Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Watson."

Then I turned on my heel and walked out, never letting him see the tremble in my hands.

I made it to the elevator before my legs buckled slightly. Pressed the button with too much force.

I gripped the railing inside the elevator as it descended, cold fury threading through my veins.

I wouldn't cry. Not for him.

Not again.

when I got back to my desk, Joey came to me right away.

"What did the boss want?" she asked with interest.

I thought for a moment. "He just wanted to tell me something about his job."

"And what else?" Joy asked, moving closer.

"Nothing else," I said. I didn't want to tell her the shameful truth.

"That's boring," Joy sighed.

"Did you want to hear something more interesting?" I asked lightly.

Joey smiled and moved her hair back. "I thought maybe he's developed a taste for... regular humans like you!And He was looking for you to continue the romantic relationship."

"I'm not interested," I said quickly.What a strange way to put it 'regular humans'? Aren't we all human? Though given Lucius Watson's billions, I suppose he does belong to a completely different social class.

"Not interested? Claire, If others know that you slept with Lucius Watson, how many people will be jealous of you?" Joy whispered, looking at his picture on her phone.

His picture had spread quickly among the female workers. The way they looked at it made me feel strange.

"Please keep this secret. I don't want people to talk about it," I said.

Joey asked eagerly, "What does it feel like to have a sex with him?"

I tried to look calm. "Just normal. You can try yourself if you don't believe me."

"I wish I could," Joy said and went back to her desk.

To be honest, I was drunk that night and couldn't remember much. I only remembered his bright green eyes, strong muscles, and a strange sound he made. That's all.

A small part of me wished I could remember more. But it didn't matter now. It would never happen again, and I didn't want it to. Lucius Watson was just my boss.

The phone rang. It was a call from Susan.

I knew that she must have urged me to attend Uncle John's birthday party in the afternoon.

I couldn't help but take a deep breath when I thought of the scene that I might have to face...