Chapter 4
ETHAN
The more Natalie raises her shields, the more determined I am to break them down.
Her icy tone and professional demeanor do nothing to deter me.
If anything, it’s making me more excited.
The girl I knew was shy, but witty. She’s grown into a confident woman who doesn’t back down from a challenge.
As I look at Natalie, I wonder what she’s thinking behind those guarded blue eyes of hers.
She’s not pushed my hand away or reprimanded me for touching her hair.
She’s just staring at me.
Finally, her eyes flicker towards the wall clock behind me, and when she looks back at me, she gives me a sweet smile. Reaching forward, her hand gently wraps around my tie. Anticipation fills me, along with wariness.
Before I can blink, however, she yanks me forward. “Ethan.”
Hearing her call out my name has the blood rushing to my nether regions.
“It is still shy of 8 o’clock,” she continues calmly. “That means office hours have not begun. Which means I’m not going to get into trouble for saying this. The next time you touch me without my permission, I will stab you in the leg with the closest thing I have on hand.”
Our faces are inches apart, and I can feel her minty breath on my face as she adds, “I don’t enjoy being manipulated twice. My hair belongs to me. The only man I allow to touch my hair is the man I bring to my bed. And you are not, and will never be, in the running for that position.”
A cold feeling washes over me, and my hand moves on instinct, wrapping around her nape, forcing her to keep looking at me. “And do you have someone currently in that position?”
“So what if I do?” Those blue eyes are filled with anger and defiance. And under it is raw attraction, the same heat that made me want to lose myself in her five years ago.
“For their sake, Natalie—” I remove my hand from her nape, grabbing her chin instead “—I hope you get rid of them.”
She trembles but refuses to back down. “Is that a threat?”
“I don’t like sharing what’s mine.”
Her eyes darken, and I wonder how she’ll react if I lower my mouth and kiss her. She might be angry with me, but her body clearly knows who it belongs to. I get my answer in the next heartbeat.
“Get out of my office,” she breathes.
I can see from the look in her eyes that I’ve pushed her too far. Her hand releases my tie, and I straighten up, adjusting it. “Very well. I’ll take a raincheck on that breakfast.”
Hearing her hiss makes me want to smile. I’ve ruffled her feathers. If nothing else, I’ll be on her mind for the rest of the day.
As I return to my office, I think back to her words.
I didn’t know that she and Lucas had fallen out, but the timing of it makes me wonder.
I remember Lucas being close to Natalie.
The few times I saw the two of them together, he was sweet to her, and considering their nine-year age difference, it made sense. She was his baby sister.
But for him to cut ties with her... Is it because of what happened between Natalie and me?
The idea is absurd. If he had found out what I had done, no matter the situation between us, he would have come pounding on my door. I couldn’t imagine cutting ties with Megan for sleeping with someone I disliked.
So what happened?
Clarice is sitting at her desk when I walk in.
She greets me. “Mr. Dean sent a message. He’s on his way to your office.”
I nod. “Tell Miss Thorne to come see me. Wait for me to call her in.”
Robert Dean is the head of the Finance Department. I already have the documents in front of me on my desk when he walks in. In his late forties with greying hair, the man looks like he’s had a tough night. Dark circles shadow his eyes, and his usually crisp shirt is wrinkled at the collar.
“Mr. Wilder?”
“Have a seat, Robert. Do you have the reports ready?”
The man remains standing, sweating despite the aggressive air conditioning that battles against the heat outside.
He hands me a thick file with trembling fingers.
“I spent the night going over them. Iris did send me the finance report from her department. It was sent to my assistant. He claims that not an hour later, he received another email from her assistant that the wrong report had been sent. The report you forwarded me, which had the discrepancies, was the second report.”
“I see.” I open the file and the emails are printed out and time-stamped. Studying the two emails, I scowl. “The employees go for lunch at one, right?”
Robert nods.
I hand him the second email. “Check the time. ”
After a moment, he glances at me, his voice cautious. “Seventeen minutes past one.”
I lean back in my chair. “It’s my understanding that the finance department head is responsible for verifying the reports from the other departments.
” Robert nods, his face white. “And I assume you never bothered to do so. Do I need to check reports received from the other departments as well, Mr. Dean?”
“If you give me a day, Mr. Wilder, I’ll verify them all?—”
“If I have to supervise you doing your job, you’re not competent enough to do it.”
The man is shaking. “Sir?—”
“Do you know what I spent last night doing, Robert?” I ask, my voice calm.
“I went over every expense report from each department. I then cross-referenced those with the finance reports included and the receipts from the departments logging their expenses. I just got done with it all an hour ago. Would you like to know what I found?”
From the look on the man’s face, he clearly does not. “If you give me an hour, Sir?—”
“An hour?” I smile coldly. “To do what I did in 10 hours? Or to cover your tracks?”
“It’s not what you think, Mr. Wilder.” Robert is panicking.
I press the intercom button. “Clarice, send in Miss Thorne.”
The door opens, and Natalie walks in. When she sees Robert, her body tenses. The confident woman from moments ago shifts into professional mode, her shoulders squaring.
“Mr. Wilder?” Her tone is professional, as if she didn’t just threaten me with bodily harm a few minutes ago in her office.
“Miss Thorne, you are here purely out of courtesy. I am planning to do a restructuring of this company, starting with Mr. Dean.”
“What?” Natalie looks bewildered. “Robert’s been with the company for years. ”
“He’s also too busy taking long lunches and ignoring his responsibilities. You can see for yourself.”
I gesture towards my screen and she walks around the desk to come stand beside me.
I’ve created an entire spreadsheet detailing each discrepancy down to the last detail.
Natalie has to bend down to move the cursor, and she’s so intent on reading that she doesn’t seem to realize how close she’s standing to me.
She smells like lavender soap with a hint of vanilla today. Even back then, she never liked to wear perfumes. It seems that this part about her has not changed.
As she scrolls down, her generous chest nearly brushes against my face.
I took her to bed only once, but the shape of her body, every curve and dip is imprinted on my memory.
I never understood what it was about her that arrested me, why amongst the sea of women, she was the only one who has managed to hold my attention.
She must have sensed my gaze because her eyes suddenly dart towards me, and I see the flare of heat in them before she reins it in abruptly. It doesn’t hide the flush of red on her pale skin as she straightens up and steps away from me.
Clearing my throat, I look towards the head of the Finance Department.
“You have never verified any of the reports given to you, have you? I checked your resume, Robert. You were an executive at your father’s firm before you joined this company as a department head.
You were not even a manager. Quite the leap, wouldn’t you agree? ”
Robert’s jaw clenches. “I was hired because Mr. Thompson saw talent in me that my father never did.”
“Ah, talent.” I pick up the paper that contains the email I was sent early this morning, the same one I had been reading in Natalie’s office.
“Your old supervisor, Adam, wouldn’t agree.
I reached out to him. I know him, you see.
He was more than happy to tell me why you were unable to get a promotion when you were working in your father’s firm. ”
There’s a flash of anger in Robert’s eyes. “You had no right?—”
“I had every right to know why the head of the Finance Department of my company is so incapable,” I say sharply, cutting him off. “You play golf with Braxton Thompson, don’t you? The two of you are also drinking buddies.”
Robert bristles, and I continue, my voice steely and ruthless.
“You were hired without letters of recommendation. You would spend your lunches with Braxton playing golf. You arrive at the office late. You leave an hour before the working day ends. So you can understand why I feel the need to terminate your contract.”
“Terminate?” Robert’s face grows red. “You can’t fire me! I’ve been with this company for years! Braxton would never allow it?—”
“Braxton isn’t here anymore, as you can see. He fled a sinking ship, and he left you behind to drown,” I reply scathingly.
His hands are trembling. “This is a misunderstanding, Mr. Wilder. I’ve given years to this company.”
“Clearly.” My voice is cold. “You’ve been with the company for years, and not once have you provided any benefit. In fact, you’ve made it easier for the departments to skim money because you’re too lazy to do your job. Miss Thorne, please prepare Mr. Dean’s termination papers immediately.”
Natalie nods her head, but as she walks past Robert, he reaches out to grab her wrist, his voice furious. “Don’t you dare.”
Natalie freezes.
I see the unnatural terror in her eyes when she looks at Robert towering over her, his fingers digging into her skin. “You did this, didn’t you?! You told him to get rid of m?—”