Zaria stared at the phone in her hand with a complicated gaze. There were so many things she was tempted to do. Call Desmond and thank him for it, sell it, and use the money to try and save F&P Media, look through it out of curiosity… but the only rational thing to do was to return it to Desmond.
They were not close enough to send presents to each other, much less such expensive ones. If he was doing it solely out of pity, she didn't need it.
Hence, making up her mind, she made her way to his mansion.
…
As soon as she got to the entrance, she clenched her fists with a sigh. She had left this place with almost no dignity left, after being kicked out like she was a stray animal. Yet here she was again.
But then again, she was only here because she wanted to return a gift she didn't want. Who knew what terms that unreasonable man would come up with if she used it?
If only there was any servant in the mansion. She would simply leave it to them and flee as soon as possible. But then, the man liked to be alone and all the part-time servants would leave as soon as he came home.
"Wait a minute. I can do just that." She thought. Creeping in through the open door, she placed the box containing the phone on the white leather couch closest to the entrance and stuck on it a post-it with the label [Thanks. But no, thanks—Z]
Her brows furrowed when she realized that she sounded just like him, but that didn't matter. She didn't have time to change it.
She was preparing to sneak out when she heard footsteps coming from the staircase. Her whole body froze in trepidation. Had she been caught so soon?
"Are you sneaking into my house while I'm right here?" He gazed at her teasingly.
Zaria felt a chill down her spine as she recalled the events from the last time she was in this mansion. "I… I didn't…"
He walked over to her. Before she could try to escape, he slammed a hand against the wall behind her and trapped her. "Are you denying what you did even though you were caught in the act? How very naughty of you."
Her heart raced, but she was sure that it had nothing to do with her being scared. She tried not to look at his bare chest, which was suddenly in her vicinity. The man must have just finished showering because he was wearing nothing but a loosely tied bathrobe, which had a low cut.
His firm, perfectly toned abs were a feast for the eyes and the fact that they were still moist from his shower was not doing anything to keep her eyes away from them. She unknowingly checked and estimated that paired with his solid biceps, he should have eight cubes on his abdomen and a perfectly defined V-line.
"Do you like what you're seeing?" He followed her gaze down his body.
"Hell no!" She reflexively denied it. She did appreciate handsome men with such sexy bodies, but she didn't like his. Scratch that, she found his body seductive and his face was drool-worthy too.
She knew her thoughts weren't making any sense at the moment, but she found it such a pity that a handsome man like him had such an arrogant personality. What a waste of handsomeness!
Desmond laughed at her denial despite how flushed her cheeks were and decided to let her off, then sat on the couch with his legs crossed. "I would ask why you are here, but then I was expecting you."
"Great. That saves me the trouble of having to explain." Zaria finally gathered her brains back into place. "In that case, I will be on my way."
"I didn't say you could go." He stopped her just as she was about to flee.
"What do you want?" She sighed helplessly.
He raised an eyebrow at the phone on the couch beside him. "I believe that does not belong to me."
"I'm giving it back." She explained that even though she knew that he had already figured it out and didn't need her to point it out. Seeing that he was not reacting, she added "I cannot say that I do not appreciate your gesture. But Desmond, I can buy my own phone when I think I need one. I don't need you to buy me one out of pity."
"I see." He looked deep in thought. "Whoever said I was pitying you?"
She gave him a blank look. Wasn't it obvious?
He shrugged at her accusatory look. "You are mistaken. I'm only doing this because you will soon be an employee of Preston and Fort Group. One of the employee benefits is to ensure that you live comfortably, communicate comfortably and travel comfortably. So, if you see a car arrive at your home within the next few hours, don't waste your time trying to give it back."
Her mind went blank. Not only was the phone part of her employee benefits, but she would also get a car too? Were multi-billion conglomerates so generous? She had not even verbally agreed to work for him, let alone sign a contract! Wasn't he scared that she would run away with the benefits he was giving her?
"Your interview is on Monday at 9 am. Use this time to prepare." He rubbed his damp hair and added, as though reading her mind, "Don't worry, you are already qualified and the interview is merely a formality, but don't you even think of missing it. You will not get away."
"I…" She couldn't deny that she was indeed thinking of doing just that. Hence, she nodded and said nothing more.
She took up the box from the couch and was about to happily gush about how she had misunderstood him and he was truly a gentleman, but what he said next ruined it all.
"Besides, you were my girlfriend for a while—albeit a fake one—but you did not receive any benefits. Take this as one of them."
She looked at him in shock, surprise flashing in her eyes. So this was what it was about.
She dumped the phone right back on the couch. "You jerk!" She angrily made it to the door.
He leaped from the couch and grabbed her hand to stop her. "How am I…"
She swung her hand and in the next second, a slap resounded as she glowered at him. "Keep your ridiculous gifts!"