Chapter 12
When Martin arrived at Quinlan Group, his assistants immediately huddled around him.
“Mr. Quinlan, you’re finally here. Please go through the company’s latest profit and loss statement.”
“This is a list of collaborative partners who wanted to call off our collaborations. We’re in deep water now.“.
“Also, this report details the company’s recent staff turnover. A group of experienced staff are thinking about quitting their jobs.”
Martin’s eyebrows furrowed deeply. He didn’t come to the company for a while, and yet things were already this bad?
He took the documents, feeling a splitting headache as he went through them. At one point, he hurled them, asking, What the hell is wrong with you guys? I was just gone for a few days, and we’ve already suffered this much loss!
“Do I have to spell it out? Why didn’t any of you persuade our partners to change their minds?”
||
The folder hit the table with a loud thud, scaring every one of his assistants to silence. Only after a brief moment did one of them speak softly.
Chapter 12
“Ms. Scully has always handled matters like these, Mr.
Quinlan.”
“What the hell has Jasmine been…” Out of pure instinct,
he
wanted to call her over. A split second later, he recalled that
she had resigned much earlier.
His expression darkened, and his voice dripped with somberness as he spoke. “Can’t a single one of you do the things that she does?”
None of his assistants dared respond. Jasmine had been
diligent and dedicated for the past four years. Everyone was aware of it, and they knew they didn’t hold a candle to her.
Silence draped over the office for a brief moment, until
Alessa’s soft chuckle broke it.
“Relax, Martin. You lost an assistant. Big deal. I’ll fill in her shoes. I know I can do better. Take a quick break. I’ll handle it.”
He grinned in relief. “I appreciate it, Alessa. From now on, every one of you will listen to her and follow her guidance.”
After that, Martin took the urgent documents with him and left, leaving Alessa and his assistants in his office.
The moment he was gone, her expression immediately turned grim. Sweeping her gaze across them, she suddenly slapped
each of them once.
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She chuckled coldly and said, “You all sure are thick–skinned, standing so close to Martin earlier. What games are you playing? Trying to seduce him, is that it?”
Alessa’s accusation shook Martin’s assistants. Covering their reddened cheeks, they frantically, defended themselves.
“That’s preposterous! We are just carrying out our duties.
Don’t slander us!”
Alessa wouldn’t have any of it. She called the bodyguards over and asked them to kick every single assistant away and keep them from entering Quinlan Group’s premises again.
Afterward, she deliberately changed into office wear—a pencil skirt that barely reached her upper thigh and black stockings that wrapped her legs tightly. She merely had to bend a little to show off her lady bits.
Alessa knocked on the office door and walked inside once she
heard Martin’s response, swaying her hips sensually.
“Martin.” Her tone was seductive, her gaze soft and sultry.
But there were too many messes he had to clean up, and his mind couldn’t be further away from physical intimacy than it
was now. He called her name under his breath, his brow
furrowed.
“Alessa, why are you in that outfit? I’m absolutely swamped now. Can we please focus on work first?”
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She ignored his rejection and sat on his lap, revealing her bare breasts. “You can work later, Martin.”
Then, she wrapped her arms around him, her body soft and weightless as she leaned against his chest. He gulped before succumbing to her seduction. Carrying her in his arms, he put her on the work desk, his intense kiss following right after.
They didn’t stop until noon. Alessa’s stockings were ripped in multiple places, and her neck was covered in hickey. Martin’s collar was utterly disheveled as well.
He checked the watch and was a little baffled that his assistant
hadn’t brought him his lunch. Jasmine would never have forgotten about it.
His expression turned cold as he dialed his assistant’s number. “What is the matter with you guys? How could you forget about bringing me my lunch? Are you trying to get yourselves fired?”
“Mr. Quinlan, Ms. Shaughnessy kicked us out of the company. We’ve given it some thought and decided that we’ve had enough. Unlike Ms. Scully, we don’t have the kind of patience to put up with her crap again and again.”
His assistant blurted everything out, her tone brimming with helplessness. He didn’t quite get what she was saying, and he instinctively asked, “What happened to Jasmine?”
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She sighed over the phone and sent him a file. “You’ll find your answer in it, Mr. Quinlan.”
Then, she ended the call.
A gnawing suspicion rose in Martin’s chest. He frantically tapped his phone screen and opened the file, finally realizing that it contained evidence of Alessa’s every ruse.
From day one, Alessa had blamed Jasmine for a lot of stuff, and she had actually staged every single incident.
Martin was overwhelmed with shock by the time he was done going through the file. The feelings, once buried deep in his heart, could no longer stay hidden.
Never had he thought that Alessa was capable of such wicked acts, and he certainly didn’t know the amount of suffering Jasmine had endured.
At this very moment, it felt like his heart had stopped beating, his gaze lingering on the file’s contents.
Alessa sat on the chair leisurely. Noticing him go still for not
apparent reason, she asked with a hint of coyness in her voice, “Martin, what’s wrong? Weren’t you asking them to bring lunch over? I’m starving.”
He slowly turned, his eyes void of the love and affection they
once held for her.
