Chapter 449-Pissing Him Off Is Fun
Verity:
"The way you’re reacting so aggressively, I can already tell you’re going to accuse me of something again," I said before he could even question me.
He planted both hands on his hips, pushing his coat back as he glared at me.
"Seriously?" I asked, his expression practically confirming my suspicions.
"How did these videos get out?" he demanded.
I was honestly stunned. This time, his accusation stung even more because I genuinely had nothing to do with it.
"You seriously think I would want to record any of this? Why would I, Mr. Ragnar? I didn’t even know you were going to chase me or try to get into my hut. My hut!" I snapped, stepping closer and pointing a finger at him.
In my anger, I had moved a little too close without realizing it.
It wasn’t until I ran out of things to say that I noticed I was standing on my tiptoes, with my face only inches from his.
"I did nothing," I hissed.
Once I realized how awkward it was to be standing so close to him, I slowly lowered myself from my tiptoes.
"I don’t know who did it, and honestly, I’m more bothered by this than you are. Trust me, being shipped with you, being seen with you, and having you an affair with you is the worst thing that could ever happen to me," I muttered as I headed toward the door.
However, I stopped briefly, unable to resist getting on his nerves one last time.
"Even worse than losing my brother."
The moment those words left my mouth, I didn’t even make it out of the office before he rushed toward me and slammed the door shut.
"What are you trying to say, huh?" he demanded.
His face had turned so red in a matter of seconds that I couldn’t tell whether I’d really just said something so terrible or shoved my hand down his throat and ripped his heart out.
"You heard me. Or do you have a hearing problem?" I retorted, watching him clench his jaw and squeeze his eyes shut.
"Apologize. Right now," he muttered.
"What? For something I actually mean?" I challenged.
His eyes snapped open, and he straightened his posture. I watched as he stretched his neck before narrowing his eyes at me.
"Verity, you..." He paused, his jaw tightening. "Every time you open your mouth, all that comes out is nonsense," he muttered.
"Okay," I replied with a shrug. "Now, can I leave?" I asked innocently.
"You don’t mean it, okay? I know you miss your brother, and his departure hurt you more than anyone else. You’re only saying these things because you think they’ll bruise my ego. Well, bad news for you, they don’t," he insisted.
I merely shrugged again. "Okay."
I noticed his jaw tightening as his eyes narrowed even further, until they were barely open.
"What? Let me go. I have to do some damage control because apparently, my mates might have seen those videos, and I don’t want them thinking I’ve stooped so low that I’ve resorted to someone like you," I remarked deliberately.
Oh, it felt so good to watch his jaw clench even harder and his already narrowed eyes squeeze shut.
For a brief moment, I wanted to burst out laughing at him.
But then I found myself wondering how Theodore and Jaguar would take the news.
After all, they were his brothers, and if they’d inherited even half his arrogance, dealing with them would be a nightmare.
"You know, I’m not exactly pleased to be rumored to be involved with you either," he retorted, curling his hands into fists until his knuckles cracked.
"Well, I’m glad we’re on the same page," I replied, refusing to give him the satisfaction of knowing whether any of his remarks had bruised my ego.
"Yeah, because I have a perfect mate like Gigi. Why would I ever settle for someone like you? Someone who plays games with two of her mates and probably isn’t even honest about her feelings for either of my brothers?"
As he spoke, I simply shrugged, which seemed to infuriate him even more.
"Okay, that’s your opinion, and I respect it."
The moment I said that, he slammed his hand against the wall again, making it painfully obvious just how fucking bothered he was.
"You know what? You..." He pointed a finger at me, clearly searching for an even bigger insult that might finally get under my skin.
"What?" I challenged, lifting my chin and meeting his gaze without flinching.
"You were even willing to flirt with that royal beta who has a wife! You let me touch you, too, and now you’re standing here acting like being associated with me is the most disgusting thing in the world?"
He paused, and I could tell he was secretly hoping his words had finally struck a nerve.
And they had, to some extent. But what was the point of getting upset over something that was undeniably true? I had done all those things, after all.
"Yeah, I know. That’s exactly why I’m realizing just how low I’ve stooped," I replied with unwavering confidence, keeping my voice calm.
"Get out, Verity. Don’t show me your face for the rest of the day."
There it was. His fragile ego had finally taken a hit.
"Okay," I answered once again.
"I’m sorry for saying anything to you," he hissed through clenched teeth.
"Okay," I mumbled.
But just as I reached for the door, he stopped me.
"You know what? You have to finish all the files today."
Oh, now he was really in the mood to punish me.
"That’s not possible," I protested. "It’ll take me the entire day, and I’ll probably have to stay late into the night."
I was reminding him that the workload would force me to stay well beyond office hours.
"Well, it’s in your contract. You’re supposed to stay until the work is finished, so you’d better get started now, unless you want to lose your job. Is that what you want?"
That fucking asshole.
His ego was so fragile that he’d resorted to a power play just because he couldn’t handle a few insults.
I groaned inwardly and reached for the door again, but he placed his hand against it, blocking my way.
"I can’t even get an espresso?" I asked in disbelief.
"Go sit at your desk and work. I don’t think you need an espresso. You already have too much energy," he replied, pointing toward the table.
"I have to speak with your brothers. They’ll be stressing out," I reminded him, hoping he’d understand that he wasn’t the only person in the world I had to deal with.
There were other people I owed explanations to.
"I’ll speak with them. You don’t need to open your mouth and make things worse than you already have."
The audacity of this man, throwing all the blame on me as though he’d done nothing wrong.