Chapter 3

I didn't have time to reply to any messages.

Our lunch break was ridiculously short, so Sharon and I grabbed a small, empty conference room to scarf down our food. 

We honestly didn't expect Mr. Grafton, our department manager, to barge in without knocking.

He was holding up his phone, his eyes glued to a video call. 

"You're such a tease, babe. Come on, let me see..." 

His sleazy voice choked off the second he realized the room wasn't empty.

But the girl on the screen didn't notice.

Her high-pitched, fake-sweet tone echoed loudly in the quiet room. 

"If you want to see more, Daddy, that'll be another hundred-dollar tip." 

Sharon and I whipped our heads down instantly.

I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole.

Everyone knew Mr. Grafton was a creep, but this was a whole new level of bold.

Streaming a paid adult video call in a company conference room? In the middle of the day? 

Caught red-handed, Mr. Grafton scrambled to hang up his phone.

His face flushed bright red, then darkened as he immediately went on the offensive. 

"What are the two of you doing in here?" he snarled. "Is this the time to be eating?" 

"Mr. Grafton, it's our lunch break," Sharon murmured, trying to defend us. 

But that only triggered an avalanche of defensive rage. "Then you should have eaten earlier! What if someone wants to work through lunch and needs this room? Do you think everyone in this company just slacks off and kills time like you two?!" 

I opened my mouth to argue, but he was completely humiliated and lashing out.

He practically shoved us out of the conference room before I could get a word in. 

My stomach was violently empty.

My blood sugar was crashing, and along with it went every last ounce of my polite, professional persona.

And right at that exact, terrible moment, someone stepped right into my line of fire. 

"Paula. Didn't you see my messages? Why aren't you replying to me?" 

I didn't even process who the voice belonged to.

My starvation-addled brain short-circuited. I was a lit stick of dynamite, and I just exploded. 

"Will you completely shut up with the endless questions?! Look at the time! It's my break! I have zero obligation to reply to work messages on my lunch time!"

"Could you corporate bloodsuckers and your brainless lapdogs just let people eat in peace for five damn minutes?!" 

Honestly, everyone snaps eventually.

Once the cursing left my mouth, my soul felt instantly cleansed. 

Then, my sanity slowly rebooted.

I blinked and stared at the tall man standing directly in front of me. 

Simon. 

He was frozen in place, looking like a carved marble statue—a statue with a face full of sheer shock. 

Sharon stood off to the side. She slowly raised her hand and gave me a stealthy thumbs-up. 

"Yelling at the CEO right to his face," she whispered. "You're an absolute legend."