Chapter 7 Out of Control
Clearing his throat, he sat up straighter. "Please don’t overthink what happened today. Christian was just worried about you. With an unknown man approaching you and getting that close, it must have been hard for him to watch."
Ivy continued to stare at him in silence.
Sawyer pressed on. "Christian just came back from therapy today after the attack last night. He might have been overwhelmed. So, coming home and immediately finding out that you went to a bar, and then seeing you getting close to some other man—it could have just been too much. All the emotions, the sadness, everything probably made him lose his mind. You know he doesn’t handle jealousy well. When it comes to you, he goes mad at everything in the world."
"Then he should simply stop appearing wherever I am," she said blankly.
Sawyer let out a small laugh. "You know that’s not possible."
He took a deep breath and leaned in, his voice turning softer with understanding. "You know how he is when it comes to you. As long as you’re in front of his eyes, he stays calm and in control. But if he sees you ignoring him and meeting other men, he’ll get jealous and angry. For now, just go with it instead of challenging him. It’ll calm him down faster, and this will be over for you quicker too."
At that moment, Christian approached them, carrying a plate of food in one hand. He was now dressed casually in a white t-shirt. Without a word, he placed the plate on the table in front of Ivy, along with her medication. Then, bending down onto his knees in front of her, he picked up a spoon and brought a bite of food to her lips.
"Eat."
Ivy sighed in frustration, turning her head away. "I don’t want to eat anything."
Sawyer stood up and quietly took his leave from the house.
Christian paused for a moment before murmuring, "After you eat and take your meds, I’ll take you home."
"It’s not your fucking decision!" she snapped, pushing herself up from the couch. "You’re not in control of me."
Christian immediately reached out, his hands landing firmly on her bare thighs, keeping her seated. His eyes locked onto hers.
"You’re not leaving my house until you eat," he said firmly. "Even if I have to stay like this all night long."
Ivy’s glare burned into him, her fists clenching tightly at her sides. Letting out a frustrated breath, she snatched the bowl and spoon from his hand. She shoved a few bites into her mouth, swallowing without care, and then tossed the bowl onto the table. Gulping down the medication with water, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
"There. I’m done."
Pushing his hands off her thighs, she stood up, grabbing her dress off the floor and heading toward the door.
"I’m leaving now."
Christian rushed after her, his suit jacket draped over his arm. He reached for her shoulders, placing the coat over them before grabbing her hand and pulling her along.
"I’ll drop you off."
She yanked at her hand, trying to free herself, but he didn’t loosen his grip. With a frustrated sigh, she gave up and followed him out.
***
Ivy spent the entire day buried in work at the office. A few hours without dealing with Christian felt like a relief. As she stepped out of her office, she approached Kayla’s reception desk.
"Hey, can you call Jenna and ask her to meet me in my office for some work? Thanks."
She turned to leave, but Kayla’s voice stopped her.
"Jenna?" Kayla gave her a look. "Ivy… don’t you know?"
Ivy turned back, frowning. "Know what?"
Kayla glanced around cautiously, making sure no one was listening before leaning over her desk.
"There was an issue today. Jenna’s in trouble for messing up a critical project, apparently." She lowered her voice. "Do you know about the project at the Grand Aurelia? Jenna was in a meeting there, and she had a major fight with their CEO over some shady shit he pulled. Now she’s getting fired. In fact, she’s in the meeting room with our CEO right now. He’s forcing her to apologize to that man."
Ivy frowned. Jenna could be playful, flirty, and wild, but when it came to work, she was meticulous. She rarely made mistakes. Without wasting another second, Ivy turned and headed straight for the meeting room Kayla had pointed out.
Pushing the door open, she stepped inside.
Brendon, the company’s CEO, a man in his fifties, looked up in surprise. Across from him sat Jenna and the company lawyer.
"What are you doing here?" Brendon asked, his brows furrowing.
Ivy shut the door behind her and walked over to stand beside Jenna.
"What’s going on?" she demanded.
Brendon sighed, rubbing his temple. "Ivy, this is none of your business. You don’t need to interfere."
"Jenna is my teammate on this project. I have every right to be here and know what’s happening."
Brendon glanced at the lawyer, then back at Ivy before exhaling sharply. "Fine."
Before he could say anything, Jenna spoke up, her voice tight with anger.
"You know that asshole Liam? The CEO of The Grand Aurelia?"
Ivy nodded.
"He took credit for all the work I did on this project! And then he had the nerve to humiliate me in the meeting room, in front of all his shareholders! He destroyed my professional reputation in front of everyone—calling me worthless—while in the background, he played the work I had done and passed it off as his own to make himself look like a genius!"
Jenna huffed angrily, shooting a glare at Brendon.
"So I filed a formal complaint against him for unethical behavior, but guess what? I’m the one getting an earful for calling him out on his bullshit in front of a room full of his shareholders!"
Brendon raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, his face set in frustration. "Jenna, he’s our biggest client!"
"He exploited me!" Jenna cried out.
She reached for her company ID, ripped it off her neck, and threw it onto the table.
"I resign. I no longer work at this company, so I am not going to apologize to any asshole."
Brendon clicked his tongue in irritation. "You’re making a big deal out of this."
"Look, Jenna," he continued, his voice softening. "He holds a larger value to us than you do. He’s our biggest client, and you’re just an employee. If you want to keep your job, you need to apologize to him, tell everyone you lied, and admit that he did all that work. Close this matter." And," he gestured to the lawyer, who slid a check and some papers across the table, "there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar check. You can keep it as compensation."
Jenna’s eyes darkened. "So, you’re bribing me to shut my mouth?"
"It is what it is," Brendon shrugged shamelessly. "You aren’t as important as our client, Jenna. In fact, you should be happy that the only thing we’re asking you to do is apologize. And you’re getting a large sum in return."
Ivy let out an appalled breath.
"What?" Ivy let out a disbelieving laugh. "You’re telling me that man is going to badmouth Jenna, ruin her reputation in front of potential future clients, and you expect her to just brush it off and take some money?!"
Brendon’s lawyer spoke up nonchalantly, "It’s a lot of money. Jenna’s going to work for what? Two or three more years before she gets pregnant and quits to take care of her kids, right? So what difference does it make? We’re already paying her a monthly salary."
Ivy’s fury shot through the roof. She turned to Jenna, then to the two men across the table. Without a word, she reached for her own ID, pulling it from her neck and tossing it onto the table.
Brendon’s smug expression faltered as she met his gaze.
"Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Brendon," she said, her voice chilly. "I’m quitting too."
Brendon immediately straightened in his chair, his brows furrowing in disbelief. "What? Ivy, you're our best employee. This is just a small matter—we’ll sort it out. You don’t have to quit because of it. And we pay you very well. There’s no other company in this city that would offer you more than we do for this job."
Ivy shook her head politely, her expression firm. "I'm sorry, Brendon. Your values and ethics don’t align with the kind of person I want to work for. If something like this can happen to Jenna, then every woman in this company is at risk of being treated the same way. And I won’t stand for that." Her voice didn’t waver as she added, "I’m quitting too."
She turned to Jenna, offering her a gentle pat on the shoulder and a small smile. "See you around, Jenna."
Jenna returned the smile, but as she turned to leave, she shot Brendon a sharp, scathing glare before walking out of the office without another word.
Ivy headed straight to her office, gathered her belongings, and left the building without looking back.
As the evening fell and the clock struck six, Christian checked his watch again, impatience threading through his veins. But when there was still no sign of Ivy, his expression darkened. Without wasting another second, he pushed himself up from his seat and strode toward the building, heading straight for her office.
Just as he was making his way toward her meeting room, a voice called out behind him.
"Mr. Evans!"
Christian turned to see Kayla approaching with a hesitant expression. She offered a small, almost apologetic smile. "You're here for Ivy, right?"
His brows furrowed, and he gave her a slight nod.
"She quit this morning," Kayla informed him, her expression falling. "She doesn’t work here anymore."
Christian’s entire body tensed. His heart lurched. Christian turned on his heel and strode out of the building. He drove straight to Ivy’s house, but when he arrived, the place was locked.
Frowning, he drove to Licious, scanning the coffee shop for any sign of her. Nothing.
A muscle ticked in his jaw as frustration and unease clawed at his chest. His grip tightened around the steering wheel. The city lights blurred past as he drove, his eyes darting to the sidewalks, the roads—anywhere she might be. But she was nowhere to be found.
It was already late at night.
"Where the fuck did she go?" he muttered under his breath, making another round by her house, only to find it still locked.
His jaw clenched as he pulled out his phone and dialed Samuel’s number.
"Find out where Ivy is. Right now. Immediately."
He ended the call without waiting for a response and headed straight to Sawyer’s office.
The moment Christian stepped inside, Sawyer looked up in surprise. There was another one of their friends present in the room. Larry Lawson.
Larry was tall and lean, with an easy charm that came naturally. His dark brown hair was tousled in that effortless way that somehow still looked deliberate. His sharp hazel eyes held a glint of mischief, and the light stubble along his jaw only added to his roguish appeal. Dressed in a crisp black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, he lounged casually in the chair, one ankle resting on the opposite knee. His lips curved into a smirk the moment Christian walked in.
Christian didn’t waste a second. "Ivy quit her job," he said, pacing back and forth, his hand rubbing his forehead. "She isn’t at home. She’s not at Licious either."
“Hello to you too, man.” Larry muttered with a frown.
Sawyer’s brows pulled together as he rose from his chair, approaching Christian. His gaze flickered to Christian’s hands—they were trembling. His entire frame radiated tension, worry, and barely contained agitation.
"Christian, you need to calm the fuck down," Sawyer muttered, frowning as he dragged Christian to sit on the couch. "Why do you get so fucking out of control when it comes to Ivy?"
Christian didn’t answer. His silence was heavy, his worry only deepening by the second.