Break mine and we'll be even

Zaria woke up two hours later. Although she had not slept for too long, it was enough to make her feel refreshed. She noticed a new set of clothes beside the bed when she got up. Without needing to ask, Desmond must have prepared them for her. She didn't allow herself to think too much about it. He had said it himself that he didn't want her to embarrass him in the presence of his partners. It was nothing personal and he was merely saving his own face.

Aside from a cream peplum dress, a pair of matching heels, and makeup products, there was also a note from Desmond, asking her to freshen up and change her clothes.

When she was done taking a shower, she dried her hair and changed into the new clothes. She initially thought that it would not be an exact fit and was ready to call a nearby store to order her clothes. However, she was shocked when everything fit perfectly. How would that man know her exact size? Was he so good at guessing?

She was about to gush at how easily he could tell one's exact size by eyeballing them when she frowned. Just how many women had he bought clothes for before? And why did she suddenly think about it? It wasn't in any way her business!

The man was so good at this. He had even bought nude lipstick from the brand she liked using. If he was not a known womanizer, she would have suspected him of being a stalker. Recalling that she had left her boss to work on his own, she finished up quickly, cleaned after herself, and exited the room.

The man had faintly heard her movements, so he was waiting for her.

"You are awake. Are you ready for work now?"

He was not overly friendly, and she was not expecting anything more than politeness. She nodded. "I will resume right away. Please send me the receipt for the clothes and I will transfer the money to you."

"I don't need that little money. Anything else?" He did not allow any chance for her to negotiate.

She knew that she would be fighting a losing battle if she insisted, so she used the chance to talk about serious matters instead. "I have something to say."

He glanced at her and reclined in his seat, swinging it to look at her clearly. "I'm listening."

"I understand that people have different reactions to anger, but can you not take it out on my phone every time? Thanks." A frown formed between her brows when she imagined the number of people that must have tried to contact her in vain,

On the contrary, he grinned at her words and took out his expensive phone, holding it out to her. "Break mine and we'll be even."

She scoffed and didn't react to it, making it apparent that she was in no mood to joke around.

He knew when to stop. To avoid vexing her any further, he gestured for her to wait and made a call. An intern instantly brought over a food box.

Zaria glanced at the food then at him after the intern left. "Why are you doing this?" He was being so kind that it was suspicious.

"Zaria, I don't want to have a sour relationship with you since I'm stuck with you for 10 years." He breathed, knowing that the feeling was mutual, then added, "So tell me the truth. Are you Jamie's accomplice? Were you forced or blackmailed into anything?"

If he used the same accusatory tone as the day before, she would have stood up and left without saying a word. However, he had given her the chance to explain herself and try to prove her innocence. Even so, all she had was a piece of paper on which the message was printed. It wasn't even handwritten, and she had thrown it away knowing it would not be able to prove anything.

She could only use her mouth now. "Will you believe me if I insist that Mr. Preston is the one who had me contact him?"

He studied her for a while, as though trying to find the credibility of her words. She waited for his response like she was waiting for the court's verdict. When he finally opened his mouth, he let out a heavy breath. "Let's not talk about it anymore."

She didn't insist on the topic. If someone told her that her best friend had set her up, it would not be easy for her to believe it either.

"Okay. I'll get everything ready for your trip to Japan." She changed the topic.

He frowned at her words. "It's our trip, not mine alone. You're coming with me."

She almost choked on her food. "Are you kidding me? Mr. Preston is going too. I'll need to stay back and help take care of the company while the two of you are away, and of course, I'm afraid I might end up killing him before we land in Tokyo."

Based on her expression, that was highly possible, so he shook his head." I don't want any of you dead. Just stay back."

She finished eating and disposed of the disposable food box. "Then I'll get back to work."

"Wait." Opening a drawer, he took out a box containing a phone and held it out to her. "This is for you."

She recognized that box. Wasn't that the very phone he had bought her not too long ago, the one that had earned him a ruthless slap from her?