Chapter 38 Thirty Eight
The rest of the ride straight to work was smooth. It was as if the universe was against Richie; there was no more traffic stop on the way.
In no time, I reached the company. The tires screeched noisily against the floor as I abruptly pressed my feet on the brake and parked clumsily. I looked around for the cops‘ car as I locked my own car but there weren’t any of their cars around nor were the twinkling or sound of their red and blue light bars any- where around.
“Good, I’m on time,” I muttered to myself and hurried inside. I ignored the greet- ings I got as I rushed to the elevator. I took the elevator and went to the floor.
where Richie’s office was situated. As I rode there, I dialed the line of the head
security.
“Good morning, ma’am.”
“Morning.” I managed to answer his greeting and went straight to the reason why I had called him. “Right now, I want you to tightly guard all the exits and pre- vent Richie, the customer service department head, from going out of the premises if he ever tries to.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Even before I hung up, I could already hear him barking orders to his men.
Good.
I would make sure he got arrested. I have given him enough time and opportuni- ty to reflect on his misbehaviors and change for the better.
The elevator stopped at the floor number I had pressed. I stepped out and rushed down the hall, heading straight to Richie’s office.
I couldn’t hide my disgust when I abruptly opened the door and found Richie in a compromising position with one of the new employees. They were both seat- ed on the cushioned sofa in the office; Richie’s big b*dy almost concealed the la-
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dy beside him. The lady’s skirt had rolled up and Richie’s hand was placed on her b*rethighs as he seemed to be murmuring something to her, his face inched closer to her by the second. They were so engrossed in each other that they hadn’t noticed that I came in.
I snorted loudly, disgusted and irritated and they both flew away from ea- chother. The girl wouldn’t stop tugging her skirt down as she stood before me while Richie ran his fingers through his hair as he walked back to his office
chair.
“Look,” he stuttered and he tried to explain just before he would sit down, “It’s
not what you think. I wasn’t flirting with her.” He pointed at her, “She’s the one.
who is flirting with me. She came in here with the intent to seduce me.”
Richie was really incorrigible, wasn’t he? Despite the threats and reprimand, he still refused to detest from his promiscuous acts. Since I had been unable to make it to work due to Grace’s health and the issues with my divorce, I bet he
had thought his thugs had properly done the job he sent them and assassinat-
ed me.
The lady shot him a shocked look coated with disbelief and betrayal before turn-
ing to me. Her face had gone pale with fear and her eyes were wide as she apol-
ogized. “I’m sorry,” her voice was barely above a whisper. Her l*ps trembled as
she fiddled with her fingers, her head hung down, “I’m so sorry, I wasn’t trying to
do anything, I swear it. I came in here to give him some documents he had
asked for and he-”
I cut her blabbering shut as I interrupted her. “Don’t flirt during work hours. If it happens again, you’re out! Now get out!” She flinched as I snarled at her.
“I understand, ma’am. I’m really sorry. Thank you so much, ma’am.” The lady
mumbled then she scrambled out of the room, with her head hanging low.
I turned to Richie, he had been looking at me but he quickly looked away when
I turned but I saw the glare on his face just before he looked down; the con- tempt that must be spreading inside him because I was still breathing, his palm
flattened on a piece of paper on her desk as he pretended to focus his attention
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I scanned the room for any potential weapon he could use on me. Since he
wanted me dead and we were alone, I was sure he wouldn’t hesitate to slam his
chair on my head until I was bleeding profusely. Though there wasn’t any poten-
tial weapon but to a person with the intent to murder, everything was a weapon;
everything, down to the papers scattered in his desk. I made sure to have my guard up and be alert as I took a couple of steps closer to him. I could see his Adams Apple bobbed as he swallowed nervously.
“Richie.”
“Ma’am Sydney.” He called back and I couldn’t stop the brief bitter chuckle that bubbled up my throat. Wasn’t he plainly calling me Sydney the other day? Now
what was the fuss with the whole ma’am?
“Tell me, Richie, what would you gain by hiring an assassin disguised as a sup-
plier to kill me?”
It all made sense now, when we discussed the new addition to Luxe vogue and obviously, as a department head, Bran had to be present and he had been. He had been among the department heads that even dropped their opinions.
“What assassin?” His l*ps tembled slightly. “What do you mean? I don’t under-
stand what you’re talking about,” he continued, attempting to feign ignorance,
but I could see through it all. His fidgety fingers, his trembling l*ps, his unneces- sarily creased brows and squinted eyes, it was all there – the telltale signs of
guilt.
I raised my brows, “Is that how you want to escape this? By pretending to know nothing about it.”
His brows furrowed deeper, “What…why…” he stuttered pathetically so I shut
him up.
“It’s alright. You don’t need to pretend. The dumb man you hired has con- fessed.” His eyes widened and his face turned pale instantly, he knew he had
been exposed and there was no way around it anymore.
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I regarded him for a while, watching his l*ps wobble as he tried to speak up. “If I were you, I would have taken the money you paid then I would run away, far from here. Unfortunately, you’re still here, filled and clinging to a thin sliver of hope.”
He looked at me and his eyes glinted, whether with hate or anger, I could bare- ly tell but I still held his gaze, there was a limit to whatever he could do to me
here.
“Before you harm me, think about the consequences, Richie. Trust me, I may not be in the field but I am sure that the punishment for ordering a murder and committing one personally are not the same. Besides, I’ve had all the exits. blocked, you can’t escape even if you’re able to kill me and get me out of your
way.”
I walked to the window. I smiled as I looked down at the police cars that were parking, his lightbars dimmed as he tried
to stop her. Then I pointed down to the window with, “Even if you’re able to, the police have also surrounded the whole company. There’s no way out.
I watched Richie’s face turn even paler as he looked down the window. His
eyes hastily scanned the room, probably searching for an escape route.
“I’m sorry!” She grinned as Richie pleaded as his face wobbled. He dropped to his knees, “I’ve been with you since the company w
you since the company was founded, don’t do this to me. I will change. I swear it, Sydney, please.”
I looked at him coldly, “I already gave you a chance, Richie. I gave you a choice but you chose not to cherish it. Instead, you chose not to let me see.
At that moment, one of the police walked in. They handcuffed Richie, ignoring his protests and pleas and took him away. Despite everything, Richie still looked at me pleadingly, “Sydney, please plead for me in court, please!”
I ignored him. They took him out of the room and down the elevator. I stormed to the financial director’s office and yelled out an order, “Print out the evidence of Richie ‘s embezzlement and submit it to the lawyer for prosecution. Inwnat every detail there, the amount he stole from the company, the personal trips, I
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started to pace the room and my b*dy shook with so much anger. I turned to money. I didn’t recall how much he stole from the company, and I don’t want to know. I want whatever he has taken from the company back in multiples!”
The financial director nodded in agreement and immediately set out to do as
he has been instructed.
The office was silent; no one dared to look at me. But at that moment, every-
one knew who the real boss of the company was and they placed it at the back of their heads that, no matter how dear or valuable they were to the company, they would get thrown out of the company, if they misbehaved, in the blink of an
eye.
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