Vivian forced herself to stay calm as she asked, “You’re going to the bathroom too, Mr. Hark?”
“Of course not…” Mr. Hark slurred, scooting over to her. Vivian recoiled at the alcoholic stench that his body emitted. “I’m here for you…”
Vivian almost puked at the sound of that.
You’re here for me?
You could almost be my father at this age!
“That’s really funny, Mr. Hark,” Vivian said, giving him a strained smile. She put a hand against the wall and tried to walk towards the ladies’ bathroom, only for him to grab her by the arm.
“Hey, Ms. William… Don’t you like me?” Mr. Hark drawled.
Of course not!
Vivian resisted the urge to snap at him for the sake of her job. “Mr. Hark, you’re drunk.”
“Haha! It doesn’t matter! I can still have my way with you!” Mr. Hark sneered, moving over to pin Vivian against the wall with his large belly. “I’ll show you just how good I am in bed!”
Vivian glared at him and started to struggle against him. “Hey! Watch your words, Mr. Hark!”
Her struggling irritated Mr. Hark, and his smirk turned into a scowl. “Stop resisting, Vivian William! The Chief Editor practically handed you over to me!”
It was as though an explosion had gone off in Vivian’s head, and she could only stare at Mr. Hark in shock and disbelief. “What do you mean?”
“Stop pretending you don’t know!” Mr. Hark growled, pressing his face against hers. “The Chief Editor agreed to all of this, so you’re just a gift from the magazine company. You’re mine now!”
Vivian’s mind went blank, and her arms relaxed out of grief, drooping to her sides.
Fabian probably despises me for what happened two years ago, but why would he do something as despicable as this?
Am I just a prostitute to him?
Suddenly, Vivian looked up to see a familiar figure at the other end of the corridor.
It’s Fabian!
Fabian had come after her as he was concerned for her safety.
He had been suspicious of Mr. Hark since he caught the latter eyeing Vivian throughout their meal, and his anxiety only mounted when Mr. Hark followed Vivian out just shortly after she left to go to the bathroom.
The scene before him caught him off guard.
Mr. Hark was practically squashing Vivian’s tiny frame against the wall, yet Vivian stayed still, as though she had given Mr. Hark permission to treat her as such.
Fabian could feel his blood boil.
Why the hell are you not resisting, Vivian William?
Are you really the sl*t that I think you are? Do you have a fetish for old, slimy men like Mr. Hark?
Fabian considered pulling Mr. Hark away from her, but her lack of resistance disappointed him.
What’s the point of helping you out?
What if she does have a thing for those old geezers? Won’t I be ruining her fun if I intervened now?
With that, Fabian turned around and left the scene without hesitating for even a second.
As for Vivian, a glimmer of hope appeared when she caught sight of Fabian.
There’s no way he would give his female subordinates to other people as gifts, even if he hates me!
However, before she could open her mouth to scream for help, Fabian had already turned around and walked away.
Boom!
The last sliver of hope Vivian had crumbled into a heap the moment she saw Fabian turn his back on her.
Why would you do that, Fabian?
Didn’t you see me just now? Why did you just walk away?
Vivian shuddered. Maybe Mr. Hark is right… Maybe Fabian was the one who suggested this…
She began to shake uncontrollably.
How could you, Fabian? How could you?
Suddenly, a revolting stench filled her nostrils, and she raised her head to see Mr. Hark pressing his lips against her face.
“Ew! Get away from me!” she yelled, smacking him on the face with her hand and leaving a red handprint on his cheek.
Unfortunately, it only angered him even further.
“Vivian William!” he yelled, grabbing her by her hair roughly. “Do you still want your job in this industry?”
Vivian scrunched her face up in fear and pain. When she noticed Mr. Hark raising his hand to slap her, she squeezed her eyes shut and braced for the pain.
However, the stinging pain never came. In fact, the next thing she knew, Mr. Hark gave a frightening yelp and pulled away from her.
“M-Mr. Norton? Why are you here?”
