Chapter 451 The Condition
Michael’s warning that he might accidentally lose the recording to then be picked up by Nicholas or my colleagues was nothing but a veiled threat. By doing so, he couldn’t be any more unscrupulous.
“Michael, are you blackmailing me?” I glared at him with my eyes spitting fire. I couldn’t believe how loathsome he could be for threatening me with something like that.
“There’s nothing I can do if you feel this way. Although, I must admit that you don’t seem to have much of a choice. Anna, the decision is in your hands.”
Michael shrugged his shoulders as he ignored my words. Moreover, I could even see the smugness in his eyes.
“Michael, you’re too much! If you dare leak the recording out, I swear I will be your mortal enemy for the rest of your life!” I threatened while staring furiously at him.
His vileness was now beyond my belief.
“Fine. Doesn’t that mean we will be entangled with each other for the rest of our lives? Even though you love me, is all this really necessary?”
He cracked out a smile, as if whatever I said had no effect on him.
Having been rendered speechless every time I talked to him, I was both angry at the situation and at myself. After all, I was always at the losing end of every argument.
“Michael, can you just stop it?” I shot him an exasperated look.
At that moment, I felt as if I was about to explode from him getting on my nerves. If I were to agree to his conditions, I wondered if I would be driven mad by how despicable he was.
Raising his brows, he retracted his mesmerizing smile and asked me in a serious tone, “Wouldn’t the problem be solved once you agree to my condition? The decision lies in your hands, don’t you think? After all, I have given you two choices.”
Cognizant that he would never give me a third choice, I was filled with anger. Nevertheless, I had two paths in front of me. Obviously, I couldn’t choose the latter. In the event the recording fell into the hands of my colleagues, there was no way I could face the world anymore.
In spite of that, agreeing to his condition was just as difficult. Given that all I wanted to do was to break ties with him, there was no way I could consent to what he was asking of me. If I did, it would mean that I had to give in to him every time he asked me to sleep with him.
“Have you made your decision?”
Michael looked at me with a knowing smile.
I was irritated by the confident look on his face. Evidently, he could already guess what my decision was going to be.
“I’ll agree to your condition, but I too have one of my own.”
Left without a choice, I was forced to relent. Nonetheless, I was a lot smarter now and no longer the Anna of old.
“What is it?” he asked in an indifferent tone.
“I need to have enough time to rest within the week. You cannot get me to sleep with you every day,” I replied in a serious tone while locking my gaze with his.
I was well aware of his stamina. If it was the same as a year ago, I would even have trouble going to work. Furthermore, I needed my own space too. It was impossible for me to spend every day in bed with him.
Staring into my eyes, he pondered upon my words for a long while before finally giving me an answer.
“Fine, that’s acceptable to me. However, you cannot refuse me when I feel the urge. Also, you have to respond passionately like how you did last night. Anna, your performance the night before has gotten me hooked,” Michael replied with a grin so annoying that I wanted to tear it apart. The way he spoke to me now had become unbelievably audacious.
“Now that I have agreed to your condition, can you go now? I need to get out of bed and prepare for work. For goodness’ sake, I’m already late!”
When I picked up my phone to check, I realized that it was almost nine and I was definitely late for work. Although no one would dare complain due to my position, I disliked those who were not punctual. Therefore, I didn’t like to be late myself.
“I have already informed Nicholas that you will be out for the morning. Therefore, you can return to the office in the afternoon.”
Having heard Michael’s words while I was rummaging through my closet, I almost fainted over the fact that he had applied for leave from Nicholas on my behalf.
“S-Say that again?” I asked in disbelief.
Nicholas had always been against our relationship. Consequently, Michael’s call to him would only arouse his suspicion over our involvement with each other.
“Didn’t you get what I just said?”
Michael didn’t answer my question as he stared at me with a frown.
“You actually gave Nicholas a call? What did you tell him?” I asked curiously. Deep down, I could feel that he had set me up.
“What else can I say? I told him that you were exhausted from last night and that you needed rest today. Also, I reminded him not to call you.”
Despite Michael’s calm gaze and tone, I was filled with the impulse to storm out.
Evidently, he said all those things to Nicholas to insinuate what we did the night before. In fact, by saying that I needed rest, he had implied that we enjoyed a night of wild passion. Even though it wasn’t difficult for me to guess what Michael’s intention was, I was still infuriated by his actions.
What I was concerned about wasn’t Nicholas’ feelings but the faith he had in me. Ever since he returned from overseas, he had never trusted me. After what Michael had done, Nicholas would definitely think that something was going on between the two of us.
Furrowing my brows in frustration, the worries I had begun to grow.
Turning around to face him, I questioned, “Michael, did you do it on purpose? Did you deliberately give Nicholas a call?”
I knew how possessive he could be and I always tried to compromise. However, I didn’t expect him to do something like that. By calling Nicholas, Michael was well aware of the conflict he would create between the both of us. I didn’t know what his goal was and wondered if he was really trying to get Nicholas to lose his trust in me.
