Chapter 7
News that Jessica had been summoned to the CEO’s office spread like wildfire.
By lunchtime on the tenth floor, people were whispering behind her back at the cafeteria, certain that she had stolen the design entries.
But it didn’t spoil her appetite at all.
If anything, she seemed unfazed. She looked at Eric across the table and said, “Mr. Jakerman, I’d like to take a few days off work starting the day after tomorrow.”
Eric studied her tired face. Thinking about that morning’s events, he agreed.
“Yeah, you should take a break,” Lilian chimed in. “When the cameras are fixed, the truth will
come out.”
“It’s not because of this,” Jessica replied. “I’ll sort this incident out before I go, so it won’t trouble the company. I’m just exhausted and need to rest.”
She didn’t explain further. Instead, she pulled out her phone and transferred some money to Zachary to cover her breakfast.
Upstairs in a meeting, Zachary’s phone chimed.
The executives stiffened, worried for the person who had forgotten to silence their device. Then they saw Zachary unlock his phone.
A chuckle escaped him when he saw the notification.
Bewildered, everyone in the room stared at him. It was the first time they had ever seen their
boss smile.
Perceptive as he ever was, Joshua immediately caught on.
“The meeting is adjourned. Let’s continue this afternoon,” Zachary said, sending a thank-you text to Jessica.
“The HR department says that Mr. Jones is looking for a secretary. He even specified that he think only wanted women,” Lilian whispered as she saw the HR employee passing by. “Do you he’s finally going to date someone?”
Jessica scoffed, thinking that a man who had gladly let her pay for breakfast wasn’t going to fold for just any woman. However, she didn’t argue with Lilian.
After they parted ways, Jessica headed to the underground parking lot. She got in the car and
Chapter 7
called Derrick.
She had blown off their date the night before, claiming her car had broken down and asking him to take it in for servicing.
Ironically, Celine and Derrick had run into each other the same night. But worried that Jessica might appear, they had acted like casual acquaintances.
Derrick had waited outside the cinema for Jessica all evening-only to have Celine mock him
instead.
Still, his acting was passable. Jessica could tell that he genuinely liked her, so he didn’t hesitate when she asked him to take her car in for servicing.
She knew that Derrick would agree right away. Guilt made him easier to handle than a puppy on a leash.
Jessica adjusted the hidden pinhole camera inside her car, then touched up her makeup. Her mind drifted to the expressions on the faces she’d seen this morning. Most of them seemed fine-except for one.
The woman who had been watching her with visible contempt had left a deep impression on
her.
It was Riley Wagner, the daughter of the head of the logistics department. She was also a key designer on the team. Coming from a privileged family, she was generous with small gifts to win friends and attractive enough to stand out.
Nevertheless, Jessica didn’t want to jump to conclusions.
Later that evening, Jessica clocked out of work ten minutes earlier. This was her first time sneaking off since joining Jonest.
She slipped into a black field jacket and pants, then tucked herself into a dark corner near the elevators to watch the cars leaving the parking lot. Phone in hand, she was ready to snap a photo at any moment, as if afraid to miss a thing.
Finally, Riley strutted out of the building. She slid into a BMW 290 and drove off.
She was certain that Riley was the culprit.
After contemplating for a few minutes, Jessica emerged from the secluded corner at last. In her haste, she bumped straight into someone coming out of the elevator.
The moment her canvas shoe tripped over a larger leather shoe, she lost her balance and fell. Her phone dropped to the floor.
Just as her body lurched forward, a strong arm grabbed her waist and hauled her upright against a broad chest.
She crashed into him, the hair tie on her blond ponytail snapping and sending her locks cascading over her shoulders. The momentum had her grab his shirt out of his instinct, and two buttons on it popped off and hit her brow.
A soft yelp escaped her as she pressed her forehead to his chest, a faint sandalwood scent filling her senses.
By the time she regained her balance, she rubbed her forehead and glanced up at the man who had caught her.
“Mr. Jones,” she mumbled, her cheeks flushing red.
Their eyes locked, and Jessica could feel the rise and fall of his chest beneath her palms.
Joshua subtly turned away, pretending that he hadn’t seen anything.
Under the dim lights, Zachary took in her blonde curls before glancing at his ripped shirt. The open fabric revealed the edge of his collarbone and the broad expanse of his chest.
“That’s the second shirt you’ve torn,” he said evenly, as if noting the weather.
He wasn’t wrong. Jessica had torn his shirt off for the first time in the car.
As he slowly released her, Jessica bit her lip, trying to straighten his shirt and adjust his tie. His body turned rigid, and he didn’t dare move a single inch.
His skin felt aflame as her fingers unintentionally danced across it. He didn’t dare look at her, for his gaze had turned thick with lust.
When Jessica finished tidying his clothes, she stepped back and apologized, “I’m sorry, Mr. Jones!”
Zachary said nothing. Instead, he swallowed hard and handed her her phone.
Jessica quickly took it with both hands, thanked him, then retreated to her car.
Inside, she buried her face in her hands against the steering wheel. She wondered if fate was playing a joke on her.
Why did she keep crossing paths with her boss? Why wouldn’t her face stop burning?”
It took her some time to finally collect herself. After regaining her composure and confirming that Zachary had left, she hurried out of the car and stepped inside the elevator.
She made two cups of coffee in the pantry, then split a sleeping pill in half before spiking the coffee with it. When the elevator reached the second floor, she left the cups outside the
surveillance room and knocked on the door three times.
The door swung open. A security guard glanced around and saw no one-except for two steaming cups of coffee with the note, “Thanks for your hard work.”
A smile crossed the guard’s face as he took the coffee and closed the door behind him.
About ten minutes later, Jessica knocked on the door again. This time, she was greeted with only silence. She eyed her surroundings carefully before confirming that she was alone.
As she sneaked inside the surveillance room, she learned that the cameras weren’t broken. It seemed that the footage had been edited and moved to the computer’s recycle bin. She copied it to a drive and slunk out of the room.
:.
Back at home, Jessica made herself supper while watching the backup video. As she had expected, the culprit was Riley.
She had sabotaged Jessica just after 1:00 am-around the same time Jessica had seen her rushing out of the garage.
“Damn it,” Jessica cursed. “Has she seen me and Zachary…”
Her cheeks warmed again at the thought of him.
Riley’s father worked closely with Zachary, and since Jonest’s company logistics ran through the Wagner family, Jessica knew that going public could harm him.
With this thought in mind, she decided that it was better not to act rashly.
A sigh left her lips as she lifted her plate and turned on a movie. Sprawled on the couch, she began devouring her supper.
That was when she noticed a man’s suit jacket draped over the armrest beside her.
