Chapter 15 - She Said That?

The rest of the people in the hallway were left speechless. They didn't know what transpired inside their boss' office that made Katherine Miller so mad, she quit right then and there.

Regaining his senses, Markus dashed towards the CEO's office and found his boss was still kneeling before writhing in great pain on the floor.

"Boss!" Markus rushed to Damien's side and helped him get up. "What happened?"

"Sh*t!" Damien's pain made him curse a lot. Katherine used a lot of force on her kick. He could not believe that she could do that much damage to him.

"That woman dared to kick me." He managed to utter while still trying to manage the pain. He tried bending and jumping, thinking that it was going to help ease the pain but it's not doing anything at all. Damien feared he wouldn't be able to have kids one day.

"Why did she kick you? What exactly happened?" Markus assisted him towards the sofa. Damien curled up in a fetal position, waiting for the pain to go away.

Damien told him about what happened and Markus shook his head. "Why would you do that?"

"What do you mean why? She can make the first move, seduce me, but I can't even tease? It's not as if we haven't kissed before." Damien scoffed. He shifted into a sitting position and laid his head on the backrest of the sofa.

"But that was five years ago. Things have already changed. She may not even be available anymore."

Damien glared at Markus. "She disappeared on me and now she suddenly appears in front of me after all these years. What is she trying to do? Who is she this time? And why the hell was she acting like she doesn't remember me at all?"

Markus also tried to think about it but he came up short. "Andrea said she's your new secretary."

Sighing, Damien rubbed his forehead when he felt a headache coming. "Where is she right now?"

"She left and said she's quitting."

Damien abruptly turned his head to Markus. "What!? Why did she leave? What did she say?"

"Well, she said she doesn't want to work under a pervert like you." Markus laughed, throwing his head back as he recalled Katherine's reaction after she escaped from Damien.

"She said that? Ha!" Damien scoffed. "Who's the pervert? She got the nerve saying that. Don't tell me she forgot everything that she did to me before?!" Standing up, Damien walked towards his desk and retrieved something from the locked drawer. He stared at it as he said, "Find her. Don't let her leave."

…

Arriving at the lobby, Katherine angrily stepped out of the elevator and headed outside of the building. She was so pissed that she looked up at the top floor and clenched her hands. How could a man just suddenly drag her like that and trap her?

Yes, he was handsome and smelled really good but that's not the point! She wouldn't want to work with a boss like him who takes advantage of his employees. It doesn't matter how much she was going to be paid, she doesn't care.

Just as she was cursing Damien in her mind, a gentleman walked closely behind her.

"I take it that you passed the interview?"

Katherine was startled to hear the man's voice next to her. She studied his smiling face and instantly recalled the incident yesterday. "Ah… It's you. You were the one from the convenience store. Hello, sir." She politely greeted.

"You don't have to call me sir. My name's Caleb." Chuckling, he extended his hand to her.

"Oh, okay," Katherine shook his hand briefly and introduced herself. "I'm Katherine. Do you work here?"

"Yeah… sort of." He scratched his head. "What are you doing here outside? I can show you the way to the HR department."

Shaking her head, Katherine exhaled a sigh. "No, thanks. I'm quitting!" Katherine sneered and looked up the top floor of the building again. She could still remember the devilishly handsome face looming over her.

"You're quitting already? Why?" Caleb asked, confused as to why she furiously looked up at the top of the building.

"Well, your big boss is a pervert! I don't want to work for a man like him!" She crossed her arms in front of her as she was still enraged because of what happened earlier.

Seeing the expression on her face, Caleb threw his head back as he laughed heartily. "Big boss? Do you mean the CEO?"

Katherine nodded in agreement and continued to glare at the topmost floor wondering why the man knew her name and acted like they knew each other.

Caleb couldn't believe that someone would dare to call Damien a pervert. While most people would curry favor and women would scramble and throw themselves at him, this lady whom he just met was unique. He couldn't help but smile at her bold character.

At the lobby of the building, Markus Lee scanned the place from left to right and found Katherine with Caleb outside. "Ms. Katherine?" he called as he walked towards them, pausing to greet Caleb briefly before he faced Katherine. "May I speak with you for a moment?"

"What is it about?" Katherine was not aware who Markus Lee was so she was not sure how to respond to him.

"My boss would like to talk to you. Will you come back with me to the office?"

Katherine's brow furrowed, she looked at Markus Lee seriously, making him gulp. "I won't go back to that place anymore! I already quit! You can tell him that."

Markus thought that Katherine was being difficult. If he can't make her come back to the office, he might as well send in his resignation as Damien will surely make things difficult for him. After contemplating, a friendly smile appeared on his face as he responded, "Well, if you have really decided to resign, then I will escort you to the HR department so that you can finalize your exit."

"Okay." Feeling relieved that she was no longer forced to go back, Katherine exhaled a sigh of relief and smiled. "It was nice meeting you again, Caleb." She waved her hand and walked back inside.

Markus tilted his head, puzzled how Caleb and Katherine knew each other. Should he tell his boss about it?

Caleb returned her wave with a charming smile before casually entering the lobby, employees greeted him politely as he walked.

When Katherine reached the HR department, Markus told her to wait for Andrea and then he left. While she sat on the chair, her heart felt heavy as the huge salary slipped out of her hand.

"Hello, Ms. Miller. Welcome back." Andrea sat on the chair behind the desk with a smile. Even after the incident earlier, she was still professional in front of Katherine. "Mr. Lee told me that you want to leave?"

Katherine bit her lip and nodded, feeling embarrassed. She had just signed the contract and now she was already resigning.

"Not a problem. Kindly sign this part right here," Andrea pointed at the document in her hand. "And make a deposit of the bond on this account then you can go once it's settled."

"What?" Katherine scanned the document and saw the part where Andrea highlighted. Her eyes almost popped when saw the scary amount. In her previous job, she would have to work for half a year without spending any cent just to be able to pay the bond. "I-I-I have to p-pay for this?" Her words stumbled along with her fluctuating heart.

Maintaining a professional smile, Andrea answered, "Yes. According to this section on the contract that you signed this morning, you are not allowed to resign within the year. But since you insist on leaving the company before that, you will have to pay for the bond. I'm sure you are aware of it since you signed the contract."

Katherine felt like a huge boulder had fallen on her shoulders upon hearing Andrea. 'What is wrong with you Kath?! Why the hell were you in a hurry to sign without reading everything?!'

Katherine did not know how she was able to reach her neighborhood in a daze. Andrea allowed her to go home so that she can think over her decision and sleep on it.

Arriving at her apartment, she noticed a paper was taped on her door. It was another reminder for her to pay her rent. She removed it and entered her apartment lazily, stepping on the pile of envelopes on the floor. Picking it up, she checked it one by one but was dismayed to see that they were all bills that she had to pay. She felt even more depressed than she already was. She couldn't possibly go back to her old job. Ruby must be waiting for her with her sharpened claws and a baseball bat.

There was no way that she could ever pay that ridiculous amount of money for a bond just so she can leave that company. She had bills to pay, her own mouth to feed and not to mention, she was possibly about to be homeless if she could not pay her rent on time.

Feeling defeated, Katherine slumped on her bed and closed her eyes.

Tomorrow…

She'll just worry about it tomorrow.

Without changing her clothes, eating and even thinking about anything else, Katherine slept from afternoon until dawn.