Chapter 97: An Important Lesson!
Luca Hale got to his feet and walked around the desk until he was standing behind Vivienne. He spread his arms, intending to pull her into his embrace, but Vivienne turned in her chair before he could.
Her slender arm pressed lightly against his chest, stopping him in place.
"I have work to do," she said, her tone calm but firm. "You should get going."
It seemed she really was upset.
Then again, a woman like Vivienne, the beautiful and capable chairwoman of Octaveo Pharmaceutical, wasn’t the sort who would happily share the man she liked with someone else. Luca let out a quiet sigh. There was nothing he could say right now, so he lowered his head and headed for the door.
Just as he was about to close it behind him, Vivienne’s voice drifted over without her looking up from the computer.
"Oh, right... lend me your Koenigsegg One:1 the day after tomorrow."
Her fingers continued flying across the keyboard as if she hadn’t said anything unusual. Every now and then, the corners of her lips threatened to curl upward before she suppressed them again. It looked almost like she was smiling.
Luca’s gloomy mood vanished in an instant.
’So she’s just pretending to stay mad.’
A grin spread across his face.
"Of course, my angel"
Vivienne’s hands paused over the keyboard for a brief moment. She closed her eyes, took a slow breath, and swallowed the smile tugging at her lips. All she gave him was a soft, cold snort before returning to her work.
Luca left the office in high spirits. By the time he stepped out of the elevator, he was humming cheerfully to himself as he headed toward the company’s main entrance.
Outside, Tristian Caldwell had been waiting for quite some time.
He had expected Luca to come out looking frustrated after being chased away by Vivienne. Instead, the man practically skipped out of the building with a smile on his face, humming a tune as if nothing in the world could bother him.
Tristian stared blankly.
’Impossible.’
’There’s no way a proud woman like Vivienne would stay calm after learning he already has a girlfriend.’
’He’s putting on an act. He has to be.’
Lost in thought, he didn’t notice Luca had already walked right up to him.
As they passed each other, Tristian lowered his voice so only the two of them could hear.
"So... getting kicked out by Vivienne didn’t feel too good, did it?"
Luca’s expression changed instantly.
"What? You’re saying you want to teach me a lesson?"
His voice rang loudly through the lobby.
Tristian blinked in confusion.
’I never said that.’
Before he could explain, a heavy knee crashed into his stomach.
"Ugh!"
The impact forced the air from his lungs. He staggered backward two steps before collapsing onto the polished floor.
Luca strode over with a dark expression.
Smack!
Smack!
Two crisp slaps echoed through the lobby.
"I let you off easy last time, and you’ve still got the nerve to provoke me?" Luca said coldly. "Who gave you that confidence?"
The hits left Tristian seeing stars. His cheeks burned as they swelled almost instantly, and the sharp pain made his eyes water.
His cry drew the attention of employees throughout the lobby.
"Director Caldwell’s being beaten!"
"Shouldn’t we help him?"
"Are you crazy? Chairman Hale is one of the company’s major shareholders."
"I also heard he’s close to Chairwoman Vivienne. Plenty of people saw them together today."
"So... what do we do?"
"Pretend we didn’t see anything."
"Honestly, I’ve been sick of the Caldwell family for ages. Watching Tristian get beaten is oddly satisfying."
Even inside the security room, the guards exchanged glances before quietly turning the surveillance cameras away from the scene.
Tristian had been certain someone would rush over to save him.
Instead, nobody moved.
By the time Luca finally stopped, shook out his slightly sore hand, and stepped back, the entire lobby had somehow become completely empty. Anyone who had been nearby had conveniently found somewhere else to be.
Luca pulled a tissue from his pocket and calmly wiped his hands.
"Don’t go looking for trouble if you can’t handle the consequences," he said indifferently. "Sometimes, all you’ll earn is a slap in the face."
In Tristian’s case, it had been several.
Luca tossed the used tissue neatly into a nearby trash bin, spun the Mercedes-Benz G-Class key around one finger, and walked away without another glance.
Only after Luca disappeared through the entrance did Tristian finally let out the breath he’d been holding.
’That lunatic...’
Bitterness filled his heart.
Ever since Luca Hale had appeared in his life, nothing had gone right. Becoming the future head of Octaveo Pharmaceutical was now nothing more than a fantasy. His father’s position as general manager was hanging by a thread, and today, he had been beaten in front of countless employees.
How was he supposed to show his face in the company after this?
Not long afterward, the secretary entered Vivienne’s office.
"Chairwoman, here are the documents you requested."
She placed a folder neatly on the desk before pouring Vivienne a fresh cup of coffee.
"Oh, Chairwoman... Director Tristian Caldwell was beaten downstairs just now."
Vivienne looked up in surprise. After a brief moment of thought, she already knew the answer.
"Luca did it?"
"Yes," the secretary replied. "I heard Director Caldwell threatened to teach Chairman Hale a lesson, so Chairman Hale decided to beat him to it... by beating him."
She suppressed her laughter as the statement came out of her mouth.
Vivienne’s expression changed immediately.
"Is Luca alright?"
There was unmistakable concern in her voice.
The secretary blinked.
"Chairman Hale is perfectly fine. Director Caldwell’s the one who got kicked a few times and slapped."
A quiet sigh of relief escaped Vivienne.
"As long as Luca’s alright."
She nodded lightly, picked up the folder, and began reading through the documents as if nothing had happened.
The secretary watched her for a moment before quietly smiling to herself.
’The chairwoman really does care about Chairman Hale.’
’Director Caldwell... I really do pray for you.’
Suppressing a laugh, she quietly left the office, gently closed the door behind her, and silently offered a moment of sympathy for Tristian Caldwell’s unfortunate future.