Chapter 454
Lauren bit her lip playfully, her voice turning husky as she said, “Really? Then why don’t you prove it to me? It’s simple—help me take off these stockings. Remember, you won, so they’re yours now.”
Andrew was left speechless, his eyes widening in surprise.
Meanwhile, in another office on the same floor of Rhodes Corporation, Michael violently slapped Cindy’s bottom as she rose from his lap.
Cindy’s face showed a mix of pain and resentment as she complained, “Mr. Rhodes, what’s making you so angry? You’ve been different ever since Ms. Rhodes returned.”
Michael snarled, “Shut up! Haven’t you seen how many people are sucking up to that little bitch since she came back? I’m the CEO and spokesperson of Rhodes Corporation, not Lauren, yet these idiots still flock to her!”
Cindy tried to calm him down, saying, “Sir, try to look at the bright side. Ms. Rhodes did manage to recover that 60 million for the company. To be honest, that was quite an achievement–nobody else could have done it.”
Michael let out a cold laugh and sneered. “Oh? So you’re on Lauren’s side now? You think she’s so impressive?”
Cindy whispered, “I’m not supporting her. It’s just that, as a woman, I admire her capabilities. And Mr. Lloyd beside her is quite remarkable too. I heard he personally forced Madblade Martial Academy to return the money.”
Michael’s gaze grew colder as he grabbed Cindy’s dress, yanking it up with a sneer. His hand roughly slid underneath as he spat venomously, “So what now? Don’t think I didn’t notice how you were eyeing that Andrew during the meeting earlier.”
He added, “You’re not falling for him, are you? Hoping he’ll take you to bed? If that’s the case, I might as well let you be his woman.”
He laughed and mocked cruelly, “But come on, do you really think someone like Andrew would give you the time of day? Compared to Lauren, you’re nothing!”
His cruel words and rough treatment brought tears to Cindy’s eyes. Yet, she did not dare resist. Being Michael’s personal secretary meant enduring both physical and emotional abuse, acting as his punching bag when he needed to vent.
The only consolation was the generous compensation. Whenever Michael had his fill and entered his “calm period”, he would leave her with a stack of cash.
To Cindy, it was worth it.
After all, compared to her friends—some toiling endlessly as nurses in overcrowded hospitals, others slogging away at dead-end office jobs for measly pay, or even those selling drinks and themselves at nightclubs—her situation felt like a blessing.
“Madblade Martial Academy isn’t someone to mess with,” Michael muttered after pushing Cindy away. “For that good-for-nothing Andrew to get 60 million from a psycho like Rodney, he must have some real skill.”
Andrew’s support of Lauren had created an invisible threat to Michael’s position. He recalled Andrew’s earlier warning about putting him in his place–something Michael had dismissed at the time, but now he could not help but feel concerned.
Michael pulled out his phone with a dark expression and called Jerry. He needed to know why Jerry had not used the Madblade Martial Academy situation to eliminate, or at least seriously injure, Andrew when he had the chance.