Chapter 142
Katherine's
POV
I was just in time to see Clarkson throw the transfer letter on his desk and slam his hands on it out of anger. His face was red and flustered.
I guess he never expected that I would use his countermeasures against him.
I pushed his office door open and frowned, acting surprised.
"Well, what's wrong with Mr. Clarkson?" I asked, "Do you lose your temper often?"
Clarkson immediately suppressed his anger and smiled coldly at me, and I internally rolled my eyes.
I have already looked through his actions; I just needed to find out what he was up to.
"Ms. King, this is a surprise; what are you doing here?" he asked.
"Mr. Clarkson," I said, and a taunting smile followed my lips. I wanted to see how he would react to the news. "As per your recommendations, I have indeed decided that Emma Smit can stay. You are right; we can't lose such a raw jewel. Thus, she will be working under your watchful eye."
Clarkson's face turned even redder.
"Also," I said, "beware. Rumors are going around that you are romantically involved with Ms. Smit. You know the company's policies clearly state that senior employees are not permitted to get involved with interns."
Clarkson looked at me and balled his fist out of anger, and I lifted an eyebrow at him, taunting him. I wasn't afraid of him; on the contrary, I think he was afraid of me.
"I have not done such a thing," he said. "All the interns crossed my path in some way or another. I can't help if anyone gets jealous and believes I would favor one intern above the other."
"Well, Mr. Clarkson," I said with a teasing smile, "maybe you are giving too much attention and care to Ms. Emma, which inevitably causes people to criticize."
"Oh?" Clarkson smiled lightly. "In other words, I should not value Ms. Smit's abilities?" he asked, smiling. "After all, she is your uncle's daughter, and her ability to handle affairs might be just as good as her father's." Clarkson's words were like a knife coated with honey, stabbing at my heart with each word spoken.
Everyone in the company knew that John was my enemy, and Clarkson actually praised John in front of me!
I really had the urge to rush up and strangle him, but then it would create unnecessary gossip.
I internally growled, then sighed and kept the same mocking smile on my face.
No matter how much I struggled to keep control, I was still able to pretend to be nonchalant on the surface.
"So, then I look forward to her performance even more," I said, turned on my heels, and rushed out of his office.
I knew those last words would bother him. He will have to do everything in his power to make sure she performs. His job was on the line.
As soon as I was out of breath, I rushed into the nearest ladies' restroom, locked the main door behind me, and buried my face in my hands.
Scenes from my past flooded my mind, hitting my heart again and again.
Pain rippled through my body as the tears spilled over.
The sound of whipping echoed in my ears, and the burning sensation on my back made me cry out in pain.
Warm tears spilled over, and I looked at myself in the mirror against the wall. Cold green eyes stared back at me in worry; they had lost their spark and innocence. This is what they took from me.
My innocence! My purity! My sanity!
Don't any of them understand what John has done to me?
How much had he hurt me?
How ill-hearted he was?
How heartless his mate and daughter were?
Why can't people see that?
Why are they still praising him?
He was evil!
I walked to the basin, opened the tap, and filled the basin with cold water.
My face was burning from all the crying, and my mascara had run, leaving a black mess under my eyes.
I pushed my whole face into the water, feeling it slowly cool me off.
After being in the ladies' room for more than ten minutes, I looked at myself in the mirror.
My eyes were swollen, my hair was messy, and I wasn't presentable enough to walk out of the restroom looking like that.
I reached for my handbag, took out some facial wipes, and dried my face. Then I reapplied my makeup.
When I was done, I pulled my clothes straight and looked at myself in the mirror.
"I must not be provoked," I said to myself, "else I will not be able to defeat those with ulterior motives!"
I quickly left the restroom and headed to my office.
Sophia saw me come in and immediately brought me a cup of coffee.
"Are you okay?" She asked, worried.
"I am fine; thanks, Sophia," I said, and I gave her a sad smile.
"Hmm," Sophia said, and she put the coffee mug on my table. She didn't say anything more; she just calmly waited for me to tell her what was bugging me. "Clarkson has too much power," I said; "he is using his shareholding to throw his weight around."
Clarkson was not a very good-looking man, but many things in the company passed through his hands. If I wanted to get rid of him, I needed to do it slowly, and I wasn't in a hurry to do so. No, I can't rush this. He was the key to everything else.
I was exhausted when I got home.
I dropped my ass on the sofa and was unwilling to move an inch.
Julia came to inform me that Xavier had arrived, and I nodded, not moving.
Xavier laughed when he saw me, and I rolled my eyes at him.
"Come on," he said, "let's go up the stairs, and I'll give you a message."
"Only if you carry me there," I joked, "I am dead tired. I would rather fall asleep here than climb those steps to my bed."
Xavier saw that as a challenge, and he lifted me from the couch and carried me back to my room.
"Why does it smell like Emma was in here?" He asked.
"She stayed in my room for a few days," I said.
"Oh," Xavier said, and he set me down and walked towards the bathroom, and I could hear the bathroom taps opening.
Julia had moved Emma down the hall while she was at work.
When Emma saw it, she was upset, but I quickly told her that if she wasn't happy about the arrangements, she was welcome to find her somewhere else to live.
When Xavier returned, he had taken off his shirt, and my eyes roamed over his perfectly crafted body.
"Come on," he said, helping me up, "let's get you bathed.
I sighed and pouted, and Xavier picked me up and carried me to the bathroom. Then he stripped me of my clothes, sucked on my nipples, and helped me into the bubble bath he had run me. "Relax," he said, kissing my head. "I'll be back in a minute."
Xavier left me to relax. The warm water was soothing my stiff muscles, and I closed my eyes, enjoying the warm water.
Xavier returned a few minutes later with my robe, set it down on the basin, stripped him of his clothes, and got into the bath with me.
He pulled my back to his chest, grabbed the sponge and soap, and started to bathe me.
Xavier's breathing had become a soft melody in my ears, and the slow movement of his hands holding the sponge washing my body was comforting, and I slowly drifted off to sleep on his chest.
"Wake up, Kate," Xavier whispered, and I moaned. He pushed me forward so that he could get out of the bath, then he helped me out of the bath, covered me with the robe, and carried me to my room. Potions and lotions were standing ready next to my bed.
"Make yourself completely comfortable," Xavier said.
I lay down on my stomach, and Xavier immediately started to work on my shoulders.
"Mmm," I moaned, "you are so talented; I just can't get enough of how your fingers work my body."
Xavier chuckled lightly.
"You have not seen half of what these fingers can do," he said. "You will, in the future, slowly discover other talents."
"Okay," I said, and I yawned.
Xavier's hands were powerful; they moved over my sore shoulders and down my back, rubbing and dancing their way up and down my back, removing all the fatigue and soreness all over my body. Xavier slowly lifted my ass in the air and dropped warm oil on my butt.
He then slowly massaged the oil over my butt and down to my pussy.
I sighed in contentment, enjoying the amazing, strong hands running over my body.
Xavier suddenly pushed two fingers inside, and I moaned out loud.
He slowly started to pump his fingers inside me and lifted my ass to give him more access, enjoying the sweet massage he was giving my pussy.