Chapter 34
Sirena thought. A bet! Sirena furrowed her brows in confusion. Why is Joanna so confident?”
But Sirena wasn’t worried. She’d already spoken to Luke, and he definitely knew what to do.
If things didn’t go as planned, she’d make a scene–she wasn’t about to let herself get played. She thought, ‘After all, who gets that lucky?
Besides, Luke had too much pride to let this slide. He wouldn’t be signing the contract.
“Alright, we’ll make a bet. If you lose, Ms. Osborne, you’ll leave Menzie Group. How about that!” Sirena said, brimming with confidence. She was certain she had the upper hand.
“Agreed. And if you lose, you’ll leave the design department,” Joanna replied calmly.
Someone like Sirena didn’t belong in the design department. A designer needed creativity, but at least their heart couldn’t be black.
Menzie Group didn’t need employees who resorted to backdoor deals like she did. If word got out, it’d seriously damage the company’s reputation.
Joanna had noticed all the flirtatious exchanges between Sirena and Luke earlier. The two were definitely having an affair, but Joanna wasn’t about to let that shde.
When you wanted to take someone down, you targeted their weakness. And Joanna was confident she knew exactly where Sirena’s weak spots were,
“Tine, it’s a deal.” Sirena said, putting it all on the line. Il take the afternoon off to rest. I need the morning to recover.
She looked at her reflection and cringed. After last night, she definitely needed a little time to recover before facing anyone.
Sarena was determined. She wasn’t about to let Joanna keep pushing her around. This was her chance to turn things around–and she was sure she’d
WIL
Once the call ended. Sirena immediately contacted Luke. They spoke for a while before hanging up.
She thought. That bitch is done for. A cold smile curled on the corner of Sirena’s lips.
That afternoon. Joanna had an unexpected visitor. It was Luke, someone she’d been expecting
She hadn’t reached out to him this morning, probably because he had been resting. Joanna didn’t mind; she understood.
“Mr. Hicks, good afternoon. I’ve been expecting you, she said with a warm smile, even though he entered without an appointment, his mood clearly sour
Joanna could guess why he was upset, but she chose to play d
dumb. He was a guest, after all, and she greeted him as such.
Luke dropped onto the sofa, leaning back against the armrest, his eyes fixed on Joanna. “Ms. Osborne, why did you leave so suddenly last night? Without saying anything?”
Now that he was seeing her again, Luke couldn’t help but feel stirred. She was something ele–he’d been sure he’d get his hands on her, but in the end, it had been Sirena in his bed.
He still didn’t fully understand what happened last night, but since the whole drugging incident was shameful, he didn’t dare bring it up.
Now that he was face–to–face with Joanna, he thought to himself, ‘No matter what, I’m going to have her. The contract still isn’t signed. If she’s smart, she’ll know exactly what to do.
He watched her, his gaze drifting over her
her flawless face, her curves, and her smooth, pale skin. His eyes wandered greedily, and he licked his lips, swallowing hard.
Luke was getting impatient. He thought, ‘Damn, this woman is something else. He’d never come across anyone like her before, and now he couldn’t stop thinking about her.
But now that he had the upper hand, he didn’t believe for a second that she wouldn’t bend.
As for his earlier question, Joanna lud already prepared herself. She wasn’t caught off guard at all.
bathroom but somehow ended up walking out. I had some things to take care of, so I just left,”
“Luke, I’m sorry, I was drunk last night. I went to the b she explained nondulantly.
Luke, ever sharp, knew exactly what had happened. But just like everyone else, he chose to pretend.
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12:02 PM
Chapter 34
He forced a smile. “I see. What a coincidence. I was actually hoping to discuss some contract details with you, Ms. Osborne. I wanted to go over
some revisions.”
“Is that so! Well, now we have time to talk,” Joanna replied coolly
She could tell he wasn’t here just for business. The sleazy Lake was practically dripping with desire. She could feel his eyes undressing her, and it
made her skin crawl.
Luke swallowed hard, his gaze lingering on her curves.”
“Ms. Osborne, you are by far the most alluring woman I’ve ever met. You have such an
irresistible charm.”
Joanna barely resisted the urge to gag. She forced a smile–one that barely touched her eyes–and replied, “Mr. Hicks, let’s get back to the matter at hand. Let’s talk about the contract.”
She was done with his disgusting behavior. She tho
thought. This old pervert is relentless.
She practically wanted to kick him where it hurt and make hun regret ever acting this way.
“Ms. Osborne, I thought you were a woman who knew how to play the game. If you want me to sign the contract, you know exactly what needs to be done.” Luke said, his tone losing its pretense. He was done beating around the bush.
playing dumb.
It was clear to him that Joanna was pretending not to understand. He’d made his intentions obvious, and she was still pl
Joanna didn’t flinch. She calmly pulled out her phone and opened a video. “Mr. Hicks, you might want to watch this. I think it’ll interest you.” Her voice was flat, emotionless–like she was talking about something entirely mundane.
Luke’s interest was piqued immediately. A grin spread across his face as he eagerly reached for the phone. “Oh? Ms. Osborne, trying something new! If you like, Tim more than happy to cooperate”
He grabbed the phone, eager to watch, but as soon as the video began, his expression changed. His brows furrowed, his pupils shrank. His voice turned sharp, Joanna, what is this? How do you have this video?”
Though Luke was a man with a reputation for indulging in explicit content, he never wanted to star in such a video. The moment he realized what it was, he knew he’d been set up.
The screen showed a man and a woman locked in a passionate embrace, completely exposed, making crude sounds that made Joanna want to puke. This was a shameful display of their unchecked desires.
Luke’s blood boiled. He glared at Joanna, his eyes full of fury.”
of fury. “You filthy bitch! You dare record me? Are you looking to get yourself killed?”
Luke was a powerful man i
in the business world, and he wasn’t stupid.
“Mr. Hicks, don’t get so worked up, Joanna said, her tone calm as ever. “Let’s just take things slow. I wonder how your wife will react when she sees
this video?”
She let her words linger in the air, speaking softly, almost like she was talking to herself.
