Chapter 18

Monique Xander fled downstairs like a crazy woman with her hair in a mess. Out of breath, she held her chest as she gasped for air. Henry Moore watched her run all the way down from the 23rd floor and he almost died laughing. He was never the laughy type but he could not help it when he saw her gasping for air. The employees outside the general manager’s office were in shock. Was the girl who ran with her hair in a mess wearing the chairman’s clothes? They always thought that their chairman was uninterested in women! Monique was unable to suppress her shock when she was on the way back to the café. She quivered internally when she remembered that she had to return his clothes the next day. Those people in the secretary’s office were giving her an astonished look as if she was a ghost when she was fleeing the scene. How would she be able to face them the next day? Monique returned to the café, still lost in her thoughts. Cindy Lee was there. She stared at Monique as she returned, hoping that she messed up. It would be a miracle if she managed to send the 20 cups of coffee without an accident. She noticed that Monique came back in men’s clothing and messy hair. “Wow, wow, wow. It didn’t take you long to start seducing other guys,” Cindy sniggered. Monique who was already agitated became even more irritated when she saw Cindy’s smug face covered in heavy makeup. It was her who talked crap to the manager and incited him to get her to deliver so many cups of coffee which caused her to meet that pervert! Her arms were still numb from carrying the coffees yet Cindy was relentless and picking on her already. “Still better than someone who intends to flirt but fails.” Monique could not help but scoff. Cindy stunned and reacted with a cold sneer, “Look in the mirror, I guess you can only seduce disgusting old men.” “...” Monique was too lazy to argue and proceeded to walk away. Cindy walked to her swiftly and blocked her way. She scanned Monique up to down and circled around her. The tee was not just an ordinary shirt. She had seen it in magazines before as she read popular magazines frequently. The tee was a design by Emma, known as the phantom between famous international designers. He only had 24 sets available worldwide for his spring collection. Hence, that exclusive shirt could not be bought solely by using money. She could not believe it. She yanked on the tag on Monique’s tee to check and saw Emma’s cursive signature on it. Cindy was speechless, it was indeed a design by Emma. Perhaps Monique seduced a rich gangster? She felt even worse now due to jealousy. “Wow… That’s an expensive shirt. Which man did you sleep with?” Cindy raised her voice on purpose. The other employees looked in their direction. With Cindy blocking her way, staring at her like a clown, yanking at her shirt, Monique lost her cool. Monique pulled Cindy’s hands from her shirt and sneered. “Who I sleep with is none of your business.” She walked away without turning back, unconcerned of Cindy’s face twisting in fury and the employees gossiping and calling her a degenerate. Monique walked straight into the changing room. Her pretense crumbled when she was alone, her heart was convulsing in pain. She changed and kept the clothes. The shirt’s quality was indeed excellent. It was smooth to the touch and extremely comfortable on her body. It was a shirt belonging to the perverted chairman of Moore International, after all. The excellent quality was expected. Recalling Cindy’s lustful gaze on the shirt, Monique deduced that the shirt must be extremely expensive. She told herself not to stain it or she would suffer extreme financial losses paying for it. Monique kept the clothes and continued her chores. She still had to go home early to cook for Little Nomi. Little Nomi was playing with her Dora plush toy after dinner, she genuinely liked the toy. Monique took out the clothes to have a look and thought of the terrifyingly handsome face. He should not flirt with others as he pleases even if he was very attractive! He was a beast in human form! Monique got goosebumps when she thought of his domineering kiss. “Mommy, whose shirt is that?” asked Little Nomi, her eyes twinkling with curiosity. ‘Mommy had been staring at the clothes for a while with her cheeks red… That is not mommy’s, nor have I seen it before. It looked like men’s clothing. Perhaps mommy has a new boyfriend?’ Her eyes swirled as she thought. Monique pinched Little Nomi’s chubby cheeks. ‘This smart girl!’ “It belongs to the man you called daddy,” replied Monique before she walked to wash the shirt. ‘It belongs to the disgusting pervert…’ thought Monique. She was reluctant to destroy Little Nomi’s purity. It was odd that her heart started pounding when she mentioned that man!! ‘I must be traumatized,’ thought Monique. “Mommy, are you in love with daddy?” Little Nomi followed and asked with a surprised smile on her tiny pinkish lips, her huge bright eyes enlarging from excitement. “No, of course not.” Monique denied immediately without putting any thought. ‘Mommy actually hates him now, I would give him a big slap if I could!’ She looked at Little Nomi lovingly once again. She was looking back at her expectantly with her adorable cheeks. She sighed, “I’m just grateful for his help.” Monique knew that she was indeed grateful when he asked her to change in his office when she was cleaning up the spilled coffee helplessly with many others standing there watching her as if she was a clown. However, what happened after that was… She wanted to return the clothes spotless. She washed it meticulously as she did not want to give the disgusting pervert an opportunity to humiliate her if he found a stain on the clothes. Little Nomi thought that it was peculiar. Monique went to the café early the next morning and she ignored Cindy’s angry look completely. Her manager, Sacha Long looked down on her even more now after listening to Cindy’s words the previous day. He was surprised that she was a promiscuous woman as she did not seem like the type. He sent Monique out to deliver every coffee order on purpose. Monique had to deliver orders and clean the café so she was extremely occupied to the extent that she did not have any time for a break. 23rd floor of Marriott International. Henry was lounging on his leather couch with his legs crossed, his expression cold and unreadable. He had been thinking about that woman the whole day. He was still curious as to why he fell asleep in her car twice. The day was almost over. Why was she not there to return the clothes yet? He even thought of calling her to ask. Mandy Jane who walked in to drop some files noticed the chairman’s gloomy face and started quivering. He was fine that morning, why did his expression worsen as time passed? He looked distracted. “Chairman Moore, these are the files from yesterday’s meeting.” She placed the files onto the table carefully and proceeded to walk out courteously. “Did the woman come to return the clothes?” asked Henry unhurriedly with a brow raised, there was a sternness in his eyes. “Clothes?” Mandy remembered the delivery girl from the café who fled in the chairman’s clothes yesterday. “No!” Mandy thought twice before she answered. It was just clothes. Since when did the chairman care about clothes? Perhaps it was because of the woman? Henry furrowed his brows together with visible displeasure on his face as an intense gloomy aura was emitted from his tall built figure. ‘Why is she not here yet??’