Chapter 132

Because she couldn't scream, her frantic struggles felt like a twisted form of flirtation in Thorin's mind.

"Tell me who got you this job," he hissed. "Tell me, and I'll let you go."

He was testing the waters. If her backer was someone more powerful than him, he'd have to reconsider. If not, then he had nothing to fear. But he had forgotten-with both her hands pinned, how could she possibly answer him?

His patience wearing thin, he let his hands roam over her body, slipping one inside the collar of her blouse.

"You're really not going to talk?"

Desperate, Latisha saw an opening. As his hand moved under her collar, she twisted her head and bit down hard on his arm. She bit with all the strength she could muster.

Thorin yelped in pain and instinctively recoiled. "Fuck!"

Seizing the opportunity, Latisha yanked the door open and fled, stumbling and running as fast as she could.

Her disheveled hair, panicked expression, and rumpled collar told a clear story to anyone who saw her. But she paid no mind to their stares, running straight to the restroom and locking herself in a stall. Leaning against the door, she trembled uncontrollably.

...

Thorin rubbed his arm, the bite mark already turning a deep red.

Panic began to set in. He hadn't had time to clean up the mess before she escaped. If people saw her like that, his reputation would be ruined.

That was secondary, of course. His main concern was that he still didn't know who had arranged for her to be hired. The most urgent task now was to find out, so he could decide his next move.

He smoothed his suit, composed himself, and walked out with a feigned air of calm.

Although their floor was relatively

quiet, a few people had seen Latisha run out in a state of distress,

followed shortly by Thorin. It didn't

take a genius to figure out what had happened.

Thorin's first stop was the HR department. He found the employee who handled

new hires and called her aside.

"Sasha, I need to ask you something."

The young woman, Sasha, blinked. "What is it, Thorin?"

"The new assistant in the president's office, the mute one. How did she get hired?"

Sasha tilted her head, pretending to think. "I don't know. I didn't process her paperwork. Our manager did. Why don't you ask her?"

Thorin's blood ran cold. "What kind of connections does she have that your manager had to handle her onboarding personally?"

Sasha just shrugged. "No idea."

Thorin didn't press further. A sense of dread washed over him as he left the department, completely missing the eye-roll Sasha gave him as he walked away. His reputation was already terrible, especially among the women in HR and

administration. If he were

handsome, they might have

tolerated him. But he was a balding, greasy pig who thought he could charm beautiful young women, and it was utterly repulsive.

He'd once managed to fool a naive new hire. When she got pregnant, he turned on her, accusing her of trying to frame him. The young woman eventually couldn't take it anymore and resigned.

Latisha stayed in the restroom stall

for half an hour until she finally

calmed down. She unlocked the

door and stepped out. She stared at

her reflection in the mirror- disheveled mess with a red mark on her forehead. She hated the face

staring back at her.

As she was trying to fix her hair, another figure entered and stood beside her to

wash her hands.

Latisha looked up and met the other woman's eyes in the mirror.