Chapter 5

It was a week later, during the weekly meeting, that Jasper returned to the company looking completely wiped out. He had dark circles under his eyes and scratch marks on his neck. Christian paused in the middle of his speech, and everyone in the conference room immediately turned their attention to Jasper. Jasper looked visibly awkward as he said, "I'm sorry. I got held up earlier. You may continue with the meeting." Then, once the meeting wrapped up, a colleague approached him and asked, "Where'd you go last week, Mr. Jasper? You must've had it good!" It was then that someone nudged the colleague in the arm, subtly gesturing with their eyes that I was still there. I had, after all, joined Lambert Group as Jasper's fiancée. Instantly, that colleague shot me a quick look and clammed up. Jasper, likely still resentful about the two slaps I'd dealt him, dismissively snorted. He asked, "What are you so scared of? Isn't she just a mere woman?" Without paying them any mind, I gathered my documents and headed straight for my office. … I finished revising the new project proposal just as it turned noon, and all the employees had already left for the cafeteria. I walked to Jasper's office and was just about to knock on the door when I heard the sound of Jasper and Isabella brazenly going at it in the office in broad daylight. I paused mid-action, and just then, another hand reached out and held mine. I didn't even notice that Christian was behind me until he took my hand and gently intertwined his fingers with mine. His tone carried a subtle tease, while his gaze—profound and affectionate—lingered on me. "What's the point in eavesdropping on other people's business, honey?" I conceded that Christian had a point. Then, I got on my tiptoes and kissed the corner of his lips, which were slightly curved into a smile. Christian visibly froze for a second before swiftly scooping me into his arms. He then strode toward the private elevator, pressed the button for the 52nd floor, and told his secretary to clear the floor for us. I could still feel my heart pounding when he set me down on the bed in his office. With ragged breaths, Christian roughly pulled off his tie and kissed me. In response, I wrapped my arms around his neck. There was some truth to what Jasper said—some temptations were truly impossible to resist. Just as things were reaching its climax, Christian stopped. He then took a moment to get his breathing under control, then kissed my forehead. "Those partners from Pan-Xancentian will be here soon." He then paused and asked, "Do you want to come home with me tonight?" … I returned to my office once I had composed myself. There, I saw my secretary, Demi Smith, who had a troubled expression on her face. She said, "There's a woman claiming to be your sister waiting for you in the lounge, Ms. Stone." I nodded, then turned and made my way to the lounge. There, Isabella lounged with her legs crossed while leafing through a magazine and nibbling on some snacks. She didn't bother to get up when I walked in, and her wide open collar revealed several faint hickeys. "I'm sorry, Madison. I just finished a workout and got a bit hungry. I'm sure you don't mind, right?" she asked. I lightly chuckled before asking, "Is this all you have to throw at me? It seems like your mother didn't teach you everything she knew." Isabella's expression faltered briefly before she quickly broke into a smile. "You see, Mom said I should follow your lead since you have the best taste in men, Madison. "You know, Mom actually wanted to be a mere mistress back then. But who knew that your mother's mentality would be so delicate? You're not going to be like her, are you, Madison?" Instantly, I went right up to Isabella and slapped her twice. Then, I instructed Demi to call security to drag her out. But it turned out, I'd underestimated just how shameless Isabella could be. Even as she was being dragged out, she was yelling about her affair with Jasper. In the end, I simply instructed Demi to call Jasper and have him come down to clean up the mess. Upon reaching my office, Jasper noticed that the security guards were tussling with Isabella, and during the scuffle, all the hickeys on her body were fully exposed. His expression turned grim as he kicked Isabella and scolded, "What the fuck are you doing, causing a scene at the company?" Isabella clung to Jasper's leg, uncontrollably weeping as she said, "What should I do if Madison refuses to forgive me, Jasper?" Jasper glanced in my direction before turning back to Isabella. He then coldly said, "You should just scram then. Do you even have any idea what it means to be the mistress here?"