Chapter 487

Honestly, I did want to eat what Ron brought. But if I gave in, Hayden would think his little peace offering worked, that he’d secretly made it up to me. I couldn’t let him have that satisfaction. I’d make sure he stayed worried, unable to swoop in and fix things for me.

Luckily, I had some snacks stashed in my cabinet. Just as I was reaching for one, the office phone rang. I grabbed a snack with one hand, the phone with the other.

“What? How bad? I’ll be there right away.”

By the time I hung up, the snack was forgotten, and I was already on my feet, ready to go. One of my subordinates had called—he was struggling to negotiate a project, and it had escalated quickly. Not only was the other side giving him trouble, but things had gotten physical.

This was serious. When someone on my team gets bullied, it’s like they’re picking a fight with me. I grabbed my keys and headed over.

“Ms. Kay, I swear, I didn’t go into their women’s locker room. They’re setting me up,” my injured subordinate explained, rubbing his swollen cheek, looking pitiful. I stepped in close to check his face—just surface injuries, thankfully. “Who hit you?”

“Their head of security.”

“Where’s their supervisor?” I asked, and right on cue, a middle-aged man came running over.

“Ms. Kay, this is all just a big misunderstanding. I’m really sorry about what happened,” the man, Sandor Laird, stammered. He was their project lead.

“You call this a misunderstanding, but my guy’s been beaten up. So what are you going to do about it?” I asked, my voice ice-cold.

“We’ll cover all medical expenses,” Sandor replied quickly.

I scoffed. “That’s it?”

He hesitated, scrambling. “We’ll also cover his lost wages and any recovery costs—”

I raised a hand, cutting him off. “Bring the guy who hit him over here.”

“Uh… about that… I’ve already fired him and sent him home,” Sandor stammered, but it was obvious he was lying.

“Mr. Laird, I want to see him. If not, I’ll call the police right now.” I pulled out my phone.

In the next second, a sharp pain shot through my wrist as my phone was snatched away.

“You think you can call the cops on our turf, you bitch?” a voice sneered before smashing my phone to the ground.

Chapter 487

I looked down at the shattered pieces. My injured subordinate leaned in and whispered, “That’s the guy who hit me.”

“Yeah, I punched you,” the man sneered. “And you deserved it, you perv.”

I didn’t flinch. “Got any proof?”

“Proof? I am the proof! Saw him waltzing into the women’s locker room myself,” he barked, pointing right in my face.

My eyes narrowed. “Move your hand.”

He smirked. “And what if I don’t? Maybe I’ll put my hands on you too.”

As he reached for my face, I didn’t give him the chance. My hand shot up, slapping him hard across the cheek.

Smack! The sound echoed, and he staggered, stunned just long enough for me to lift my leg and kick him straight in the gut. I was wearing heels—not exactly fighting gear—but the sharp heel landed right where I aimed. It didn’t pierce, but he doubled over, feeling every inch of it.

With a pained grunt, the guy doubled over, clutching his stomach, then staggered backward until he smacked into the wall and slumped to the floor.

Just as he opened his mouth to throw another insult, a figure stepped in, and bam—a polished leather shoe came down hard on his hand. He let out a scream that echoed down the hall.

I looked up, genuinely shocked to see who’d just arrived.

Chapter 488