Chapter 43
The next morning, Victoria woke up still wrapped up in William's arms.
She quietly opened her eyes and saw his chiseled profile.
The warmth from his body made her skin feel unusually hot.
His arm was like a vice, making it impossible for her to wiggle free.
She tried to push him gently, but he didn't budge.
"William," she whispered.
No response.
Victoria frowned and tried to wriggle out of his grip.
Suddenly, William rolled over, pinning her beneath him. "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to squirm in a man's arms first thing in the morning?" he said.
She felt his morning wood pressing against her and froze.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
They'd gone at it several times last night. Wasn't he tired?
Was this guy for real?
William raised an eyebrow and teased, "What's on your mind?"
"Nothing," she said, quickly looking away.
Seeing she wasn't lying, William let it go. He released her, sat up, and said, "Get up, it's time for breakfast."
He got out of bed, got dressed, and left the room.
Victoria got up, put on the spare clothes she had brought, and freshened up.
She headed to the dining room.
William was already dressed in a white suit, standing by the window, talking on the phone.
A gentle smile, one she'd never seen before, spread across his face. "Yeah, I just got up," he said.
Seeing her, he pointed to the breakfast spread on the table.
Victoria sat down and started eating her oatmeal.
"Okay, take care," William said into the phone.
After hanging up, he looked at Victoria and smiled. "You've been more obedient than I expected lately."
Victoria lowered her eyes and said, "You promised me freedom in two months. I should be smart and not piss you off."
William's good mood vanished. He sneered, "Since you're so sensible, I hope you'll be just as obedient at tonight's business dinner."
Victoria frowned. "What business dinner?"
"Didn't you agree last night? Or are you planning to back out?" William's tone was threatening.
Victoria remembered his demands from last night. Did she agree to something?
"Alright," she sighed. "But at least tell me who I'm dealing with!"
William, satisfied with her compliance, said, "Remember Kirk and Rufus? You promised them you'd follow up on that project, but then you quit. The project's almost done, and they specifically asked for you tonight."
Victoria remembered Rufus's lecherous looks and felt disgusted.
But she didn't want to anger William.
"I'll come after work," she reluctantly agreed.
She grabbed her bag and left for work.
William watched her go, his gaze unreadable.
He thought, 'Victoria, I gave you a chance, but you didn't take it. Don't blame me for teaching you a lesson.'
After a long, grueling day at work, Victoria felt like her legs were about to give out.
She rubbed her sore legs and turned down Wendy's dinner invite.
She freshened up her makeup to look a bit more alive and grabbed a cab to the address William had given her.
When she found the private room, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Besides William, the only other people there were Kirk and Rufus, who she'd met before.
Rufus's eyes roamed over her shamelessly, while Kirk was busy chatting with William about the project's profits.
Victoria hated the way Rufus looked at her. She lowered her head and softly said, "Sorry I'm late."
Rufus patted the seat next to him and smiled warmly, "Ms. Carter, come on in. Have a seat and make yourself comfortable."
His eyes stayed glued to her, making her feel grossed out.
She hesitated, but William gave her a look that told her to sit next to Rufus.
Reluctantly, she sat down.
Rufus's eyes lit up. He put his hand on her shoulder and leaned in closer.
"Ms. Carter, since you're late, you owe us three drinks," he said.
Victoria instinctively pulled away, grabbed a glass of wine, and downed it in one go.
The wine spilled down her neck and into her collarbone, hinting at her cleavage.
Rufus's gaze was burning into Victoria.
Victoria's face darkened, and she awkwardly adjusted her neckline to cover up.
Rufus licked his lips, looking unsatisfied.
William watched Rufus's behavior with growing impatience, sipping water to hide his disgust.
If his grandfather hadn't disapproved of him and hadn't pushed him to forge his own path, he wouldn't have to deal with people like Rufus.
But William thought using Rufus to teach Victoria a lesson wouldn't hurt. She'd lied to him about Joshua, and if he didn't put her in her place, she'd get too bold.
A sinister smile crept onto William's face.
Rufus couldn't take his eyes off Victoria.
He moved closer, touched her arm, and said, "One glass isn't enough; we agreed on three."
Victoria felt sick under his gaze. She forced herself to stay calm and said, "Mr. Chapman, you're doing great. Why make things hard for me?"
Rufus squinted, displeased. "What? Ms. Carter, you weren't like this before. Think the project's done, so you don't need to humor us anymore?"
"Mr. Chapman, you're joking. How could I dare?" Victoria forced a smile and apologized.
Rufus, pleased, patted her shoulder.
"Ms. Carter, you're straightforward. Let's keep drinking," he said, handing her another glass.
Victoria reluctantly took it and drank.
She glanced at William, but he was indifferent, laughing and chatting with Kirk.
Her heart sank.
She knew William was making things hard for her because of the Joshua incident.
Victoria smiled bitterly. Even after last night, William had no mercy.
Such a William was truly terrifying.
She put down the glass and said, "Excuse me, Mr. Chapman. I need to use the restroom."
Without waiting for his permission, she headed to the restroom and vomited.
After washing her hands, she was about to leave when someone grabbed her wrist.
She turned and met Rufus's lecherous gaze, making her scream and step back. "Mr. Chapman, you..."