Chapter 13

The marks on Kelly's fair skin seemed to have been there for some time. They had not completely faded yet. Vincent's expression changed the moment he saw the marks. He locked his eyes onto Kelly, exuding an imposing air. "Where did those marks on your body come from?" "Mr. Lewis…" Kelly sounded terrified as she pulled her shirt back. She averted her eyes as Vincent interrogated her. Vincent grabbed her wrists and held her chin up. "Tell me? Where did they come from?" Tears rolled down Kelly's cheeks. But she bit her lip down, unwilling to say anything. "Alex!" Vincent instructed coldly, "Stay here and clean up the mess." "Yes, sir." Alex nodded. Then, Vincent dragged Kelly all the way into the elevator. … Tiffany was having dinner in the suite. When she heard the door opening, she turned around. "Mr. Lewis? Kelly?" Without looking at her, Vincent pulled Kelly into his bedroom. The door was slammed shut. The sound of it being locked from the inside could be heard. Tiffany recalled what she had seen just now. Vincent had seemed enraged. Kelly, who was being dragged by him, was disheveled and tearing up. The two of them had reeked of alcohol when they entered the suite. Had Kelly done something wrong? As the thought flashed across her mind, Tiffany heard Kelly's sobs from the inside of the room. Tiffany put her stuff away and walked to the door. Pressing her ear against it, she heard Kelly's voice. "Mr. Lewis…" "Take it off!" Vincent's voice was filled with fury. Kelly cried even louder. Without thinking twice, Tiffany plucked her courage as she pounded on the door. "Mr. Lewis!" "Ah!" Kelly yelled in fear. "No, Mr. Lewis… Mr. Lewis…" Tiffany stopped knocking. She felt something damp on her face. Reaching out to wipe her cheeks, she realized that she was crying. They were both adults. Judging by the fact that they had come back drunk and the things Tiffany had just heard, it was clear what Vincent and Kelly were doing inside. Tiffany could not bear the sadness in her heart. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. After standing outside the door for a moment, she turned and left the suite. In the room, Kelly had taken off her shirt. She was only wearing her bra. Vincent stood in front of her as his gaze swept over all the marks on her body. Some were faint, and some were dark. Memories of that passionate night flooded his mind. But he had mixed feelings when he looked at her face. After a long while, he asked with a hoarse voice, "Are you the woman from that night?" Hugging herself, Kelly sobbed hard, confirming the fact in silence. Vincent took his jacket from the hanger at the side and passed it to Kelly. "Put this on first," Kelly accepted it and covered herself. Vincent asked, "Is there anything you want from me?" Stunned for a second, Kelly dropped to her knees. "Mr. Lewis, I was too drunk that night. I know you didn't mean to do it either. "I'm sorry, I really didn't intend for this to happen… I won't mention it to anyone, and I won't ask you for anything. I just hope that you won't fire me!" Vincent looked at her with a conflicted expression. "I'll take responsibility for what I did to you. But you know that office relationships are prohibited. You should resign. I'll ask Alex to assist you afterward." Kelly's eyes widened. "Mr. Lewis…" Did that mean he wanted her to be his woman? "If you don't want to do that, you can stay at the company. But I'll give you a sum of money as compensation." Vincent vividly remembered how inexperienced and innocent she had been that night. He also remembered the trace of crimson she had left on his sleeping bag. He couldn't bring himself to ignore the matter after everything he'd done to her. Since he had found out who that woman was, he would take responsibility. Besides, he hadn't felt repulsed by her that night. It had actually been quite the opposite. Anna was getting old. Her greatest wish was for him to get married soon. He'd never had plans for that before this, but now that this had happened, it would be reasonable to give Kelly and himself a shot. "I'm willing to do that!" Kelly said, "I'm willing to resign my job at Lewis Group just for you." "Alright." Vincent nodded. … After Tiffany left the hotel, she realized that this area was quite remote. It was dozens of miles away from the city. Most of the people who frequented the place were businesspeople or wealthy elites. She didn't manage to call a cab at all. She had nowhere to go. When her legs got tired from walking, she sat beside the fountain. "Tiffany?" She heard a familiar voice. Turning around, Tiffany saw Eric. He was with a few men in suits. They stopped in their tracks when they saw Tiffany and sized her up. "Eric." Tiffany got up and greeted him politely. Eric asked, "Why are you here?" "I came with my boss," Tiffany answered honestly. Glancing at the building, Eric asked doubtfully, "Your boss came here to talk about business?" "Yeah." Just as Eric was about to ask more, Alex showed up. "Tiffany, why did you wander off here? I was looking for you everywhere." Tiffany's eyes were still teary. "I'm sorry I worried you, Mr. Zander. I just came out to get some fresh air." "Let's head back now. Mr. Lewis is waiting for you," Alex said. "Okay." When Tiffany was going to leave, Eric held her back. "Mr. Zander?" Eric looked from Alex to Tiffany. He then realized what was going on. "Teresa told me you'd found a job, Tiffany. Are you working for Lewis Group now?" Tiffany hadn't told Teresa and Eric that she was working at Lewis Group. After all, she knew what kind of person Eric was. He liked to brag, and Tiffany had been worried that he'd use this to show off more. But right now, she couldn't hide it from him. She had no choice but to admit it in a soft voice. Eric's eyes lit up. "Tiffany, well done! Why didn't you tell Teresa and I about such great news?" "I was planning to tell you two after my internship ends—" "Your boss even brought you here for a business meeting. It could only mean that he values you a lot. It's only a matter of time before you're made a full-time employee. Tiffany, this is huge! I'll tell Teresa when I head back home tonight. She'll be so happy." As Eric spoke, he looked at Alex. "Hello, Mr. Zander, I'm Eric Cobb from WS Corp. I'm Tiffany's brother-in-law. It's a pleasure to meet you." Staring at the business card Eric stuffed into his hand, Alex frowned. Tiffany felt her cheeks burning up. … After entering the elevator, Alex asked, "Was that man actually your brother-in-law?" "Yeah." Tiffany nodded. Alex said, "I've never had any interactions with him before. But I heard from others that this brother-in-law of yours is quite underhanded." She didn't need Alex to tell her this; she already knew that. Alex was not a talkative person, nor would he mince words. There had to be a reason for him to suddenly tell her about these. "Mr. Zander, please be frank with me if there's anything you wish to say," Tiffany said. Alex nodded. "Mr. Lewis hates dishonest men the most. If you want to continue working at Lewis Group, you better distance yourself from your brother-in-law so that you won't be affected by his behavior." Tiffany nodded lightly. "Thanks for your advice, Mr. Zander." When the elevator opened, they saw Vincent carrying Kelly in his arms as he stood outside.