Chapter 49: Feared the Wrong Man
"I know. Don’t worry, I’m not that kind of man." Nathan chuckled and approached her, even passing her. He leaned on the sink just a step away from her. "You got two girls fired today. You must be working so hard now."
"Are you related to them?" Luellen gripped the sink’s edge tightly. She took note of everything she could use to distract him if she needed to run.
"Not really." Nathan chuckled and sighed, shaking his head. "You’re here with your boss for the merger, aren’t you? Do you want it?"
Luellen stared at the man’s dark eyes. The longer she did, the more she inwardly feared this man. However, she couldn’t show him that she was scared. She knew well what could entail if the other person found out. Luellen then turned away and slipped her lipstick inside the bag. She held her perfume without taking it out.
Step. Her entire body froze as Nathan stood behind her. He even trapped her with both his arms. He leaned his chin on her shoulder.
"I can give that merger to you... if you ask. Those two old men outside knew that I could destroy them from top down." He hummed, a big, amused smile on his lips. "You don’t have to beg. I won’t force you into anything either. Just ask me... to give you the merger, Luellen."
"How did you even know my name?" Luellen hissed. Right, even in their first meeting, he already knew her name. She glared at him through the mirror. "Get away from me."
Nathan didn’t move back. He even pressed his lips on that patch of skin visible from Luellen’s cut-out sleeve. "Is that a ’yes’ or a ’no’?"
Luellen felt her heart racing inside her chest. Her ears even felt like she couldn’t hear anything else anymore. When Nathan stroked her waist, she flipped out.
[Proficiency activated!]
Luellen grabbed him by the back of his head and then kicked up behind her. It didn’t matter if she hit his crotch or his thigh. She only wanted to drive her low yet solid heel into it.
She didn’t have to beg her system. The Hearts System was quick to rescue the Diarist as long as the Diarist had enough resources. Even if Luellen didn’t know if it would work, her Proficiency made sure she would cause momentary damage.
As for Nathan, he was out of luck. When Luellen held him in place, her heel drove up to his crotch. He groaned in pain, only to get elbowed in the face. His body went horizontal in no time. That woman had no prominent muscles, but why was her strength too great for him to handle?
Luellen huffed as she found Nathan grasping at his bruised face and his aching navel. She grabbed her bag from the sink and ran out.
She burst out of the restroom, where a pair of women were waiting to use it. However, Luellen didn’t care about them. She pulled on her blouse, which lifted from her actions. She quickly found the table where Leander and the others were waiting for her. Her flushed face and deep frown descended on the two secretaries, who paled at her emergence.
"You..." Luellen huffed as she caught her breath. She clawed at the top of Leander’s chair. "Leander, let’s leave. I won’t let you have dealings with people who trap others in bad situations. You’re scared of pissing off one man. Then you’ve chosen the wrong man to fear. Leander, let’s go."
"You dare harm my wife under the guise of a business meeting?" Leander glared at the two men. He slowly rose from his seat. "Then I am wasting my time."
The owner got up and tried to justify himself. "Mr Wentworth, I didn’t even know why he was blackmailing us! I want this merger! Please, let’s talk about it! If he bothers you, surely you can fend him off, right?"
Leander snorted. "And save the likes of you? You’ve taken more than I can give. Don’t make me go after you next."
Next? Of course, next. He would have to deal with that other man first. He didn’t look for the assailant for now. His wife could tell him everything he needed to know. Moreover, this establishment would be wise enough to cooperate with him.
Luellen rubbed her palm against her shoulder, shivering at the thought of that man’s lips on her skin. She would even cry from fear.
"I’m sorry. I didn’t protect you enough." Leander tried to stop her by putting his thumb between her shoulder and her palm. "Tell me about his crimes."
"I..." Luellen wheezed, only to start taking deep breaths. She grasped at his arms and pressed her forehead against his shoulder. It was as if his perfume would soothe her. However, her body suddenly felt weak, and her heart pounded louder than earlier.
"Luellen? Luellen!"
...
The loud song played in the background, and Luellen held her hands against her ears. She didn’t like how the bass felt like beating against her chest. The laughter around her also made her want to crawl under the carpet. Her parents spoke with many other adults far away, and the children ran around the huge hall. Every loud step reverberated along with the booming bass. Tears lined her cheeks, and Luellen could only close her eyes.
It felt like a hazy memory. She only remembered this birthday party in pieces. Perhaps it was because she was only five when it happened.
Tap-tap. Luellen opened her eyes and saw a boy standing in front of her. He smiled at her, his small hand just before her face. Without a word, he brought his other hand up and fixed a pair of headphones over her hands.
"You can have this..." The boy’s voice was so soft, but Luellen heard it. "My dad bought me a new one."
"...what is this?" Luellen removed her hands, and the boy adjusted the headphones. It quickly cleared the loud noises. However, it also made it impossible for Luellen to hear the boy. She could only whisper, "Thank you..."
The boy nodded and ran off. Luellen followed him with her gaze and saw him take an adult woman’s hand. He must be leaving with his parents now. She looked back at the huge hall, enjoying the respite the silence provided. Her small hands held the headphones in place, and she smiled.
...
It didn’t take Luellen another minute before waking up again. Her dream didn’t seem as vivid as it should have been. All she remembered was the noise and silence. She couldn’t even remember the headphones’ color. And that boy... She wondered why she thought of him after a long time.
Luellen closed her eyes again. She reviewed the last few notifications. The system noted her fainting as it crashed. She also reviewed the proficiency thrust upon her and her unspent points.
"Huh?" Luellen flinched as she moved the invisible scroll up and down. "Where’s the part where I lose his favor? Didn’t I lose points for kicking him?"
"If you mean my favor, I will even reward you for defending yourself."
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