Before William could object, Piers was already ignoring the strained look on his face, firing off messages in the project group chat to summon people for the meeting.
Office workers moved fast. Even though William's office sat on the top floor of the building, everyone filed in within a minute.
They all stood there, eyes fixed on William, waiting to hear what needed to be changed.
William's entire body was coiled tight. He suppressed every raw, primal urge clawing at him and launched into a measured, point-by-point discussion with the group.
I pulled out a rag and pretended to clean, working my way from the front of the desk around to the display cabinet behind it.
That was when my eyes met Vivian's under the desk. She glared at me, her gaze seething with hatred.
I reached into my bag and pulled out the purple underwear I'd fished from the toilet that morning. Without a moment's hesitation, I tossed it right onto her.
The fabric was still damp, still smeared with filth. The instant it touched her skin, Vivian let out a shriek of pure revulsion and scrambled out from under the desk.
Just like that, disheveled and half-undressed, she stood face to face with every single person in the room.
And because two companies were involved, there was a live video conference running too.
Everyone in the room sucked in a sharp breath. On the other end of the video call, the conference erupted into chaos.
Some fool even let out a low whistle.
Vivian's eyes turned red instantly. She scrambled to cover herself with both hands, then looked to William, desperate and pleading.
William tossed her his suit jacket and stood, fastening his belt.
He walked over to me. The slap landed clean and crisp across my face.
"Who gave you permission to touch what's mine."
Then he sat back down, his expression as calm as if nothing had happened. "Let's continue the meeting."
I couldn't remember how I got home. My face burned with a searing sting, and my chest ached with a pain so dense it felt woven into every fiber of my being.
I collapsed onto the couch, every last drop of energy drained, and passed out.
When I woke, something cool pressed against my skin.
In the dim light, I saw William's fingers, tracing the swollen curve of my cheek with a gentleness I barely recognized.
I couldn't tell if I was still half-asleep or if it was real.
His eyes were full of anguish. Full of tenderness.