Chapter 57: Am I Dead?
Leah’s heart clenched. Asher’s tone was so casual, he might as well have been asking someone if they’d eaten.
Having spent so much time with him, Leah had almost forgotten who Asher really was. He hung up the phone as soon as he was done, not even waiting for a reply.
He took off his glasses, tossed them onto the table, and turned to look at Leah. "Am I dead?"
It took Leah a moment to process. "What?"
"Do you think I need you to do these things?" Asher gripped her chin, pulling her closer.
It hurt a little, but compared to the other times, Asher wasn’t actually using much force.
But his eyes were cold. Leah was scared, but she had to answer. "I wasn’t planning on doing anything. He sought me out today... I just thought if I could get some evidence, you’d be able to fire him."
"And did you ever stop to think what would have happened if Zion Sawyer and the others hadn’t gotten there in time?" The moment she finished speaking, Asher knew exactly why she had done it.
But knowing her motive only made him more agitated. He knew the girl had a courageous streak, but he never imagined she would dare to be so reckless.
"I... I timed it. It only takes a little over ten minutes to get there from the office. And I told Sheila that if I was inside for half an hour and didn’t text her, she was to call the police for me."
In truth, Leah had a backup plan. She was worried that Zion Sawyer and Todd Coleman might not check their phones during their lunch break, so she had told Sheila Hughes everything before she left. Sheila had tried to talk her out of taking such a risk.
But by then, she was already on her way, and Sheila couldn’t stop her. The two of them agreed to start a thirty-minute timer from the moment Leah sent her first message. If Leah didn’t contact her by the end of it, Sheila would immediately call the police.
"So you actually had a plan? Half an hour? Half an hour is enough time to do the whole thing!" The anger she induced was giving Asher a headache.
"Huh?" Leah froze for a second. "Then why does it take us so long every time?"
The moment the words left her mouth, she realized her mistake. ’This probably isn’t the right time to be talking about this.’
"..."
Asher almost laughed out of sheer exasperation. He pinned her beneath him. "Then how about we try for half an hour?"
But then he saw the red slap mark on her face and the large bump on her head, and his anger flared up again. He pinched her cheek hard. "Don’t you know how to fight back when you get hit?"
"The blow dazed me."
Leah said plaintively, "Besides, he’s so fat. I couldn’t have won a fight against him."
Asher got up to grab an ice pack and the first-aid kit. Leah took the ice pack and held it to her head herself while Asher dabbed her forehead with iodine and antiseptic solution.
Leah hissed, sucking in a sharp breath. "HISS! Asher, that hurts."
"So now you feel the pain?" Asher said, his face cold, but his touch softened slightly.
Looking at his face, which was inches from her own, Leah said, "Asher, please don’t be angry anymore. I know I was wrong."
Asher didn’t say a word, so Leah leaned in and gave him a small kiss. When he still remained silent, she simply threw her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply.
After letting her kiss him for a moment, he finally relented, pulling her into his arms and deepening the kiss. A long while later, he released her. "Why didn’t you come to me?"
’That was what really infuriated him. She had thought to ask Zion Sawyer and Todd Coleman for help. She’d even thought to involve her best friend, who was in another province. But it hadn’t occurred to her to come to him at all.’
"I did think about it! My first instinct was to tell you," Leah said, sounding wronged. "But I didn’t have any evidence then. I was afraid that going straight to you would tip him off. If he tried to turn the tables and accuse me, wouldn’t I just be making trouble for you?"
"Do you think I’m afraid of you making trouble for me?" Asher felt his anger surging again. ’She’s not afraid to trouble other people, but she is afraid to trouble him? Does she really think I’m dead?’
Leah didn’t dare reply, just looking at him with a pitiful expression. Seeing her glistening, puppy-dog eyes, Asher kissed her fiercely.
’This girl needs to be taught a lesson tonight.’ He was lucky nothing had happened. ’If something had...’ The thought made Asher kiss her even harder.
But just as his hand slipped under her clothes, she caught it. "Asher, let me take a shower first. I feel gross."
Asher simply scooped her up with one arm and strode toward the bathroom. The sudden weightlessness made Leah instinctively wrap her arms tightly around his neck. She didn’t dare provoke him right now, terrified that if he got any more upset, she wouldn’t be able to get out of bed tomorrow.
「The next day」
Aevon Group issued an internal notice: HR Director Winston Lawson had been taken into custody on suspicion of sexually harassing a female employee by abusing the authority of his position. Aevon Group is resolutely opposed to any manager using their position to oppress or violate the rights of any employee. Should any such incidents occur, they can be reported directly to the President’s Office, which will handle the matter with the utmost severity and without leniency.
The notice originally included a clause accepting anonymous reports from anyone previously harassed by Winston Lawson. However, when Sean Yates sent the draft to Asher for review the night before, Asher had hesitated for a moment.
If they sent it out like that, it wouldn’t be long before everyone figured out the victim was Leah. But Leah herself didn’t seem to mind.
"If he hadn’t targeted me this time, who knows how many other people he would have harmed. But, Asher, maybe we should drop that last part? The women he... succeeded with... probably don’t want to bring it up again. If someone really does want to report him, the first part of the notice is enough. They can figure out how to contact the President’s Office on their own. For those who don’t, we shouldn’t re-traumatize them."
Asher was surprised she had thought it through so thoroughly. Seeing his astonished expression, Leah smiled. "I’m a near-victim, so I know this is the hardest kind of thing for a victim to talk about."
Asher pulled her into his arms and pinched her cheek. "From now on, you stay out of trouble. If you ever hide this kind of thing from me again, you’ll see how I’ll punish you!"
Leah quickly swore she wouldn’t dare do it again. "I’m not a masochist. Going through something like this once is more than enough."
The next day at the office, Mr. Langdon called Leah aside to speak with her privately for over half an hour. After hearing the whole story, he was filled with retroactive fear. "You were far too reckless! You’re lucky nothing happened. What would you have done if something had gone wrong?"
"Mr. Langdon, I’m sorry. I know I was wrong. I won’t do it again," Leah apologized, her head bowed.
Mr. Langdon looked at her still-swollen forehead and sighed. "All right. HR just sent notice that you’ve passed your probation. And while President Keating didn’t say it outright, he’s issued an order forbidding anyone in the company from discussing this incident. You need to be more careful from now on. If anything feels wrong, you come and tell me."
"I will."
Mr. Langdon didn’t say much more before letting her go. When Zion Sawyer saw her come back, he quickly pulled her aside and asked in a low voice, "Leah, are you okay?"