Chapter 8
Upon hearing the words that fell out of Victor's mouth, Janet felt as if the sky was falling. She wished that the ground would open up and just swallow her whole. The rumors that surrounded Victor always spoke of how he was man of his word. Whatever he laid his eyes on; he always would find a way to get it—no matter the cost. The way he appeared out of nowhere today was proof that what he currently had his eyes on was, Janet Kingsley… the most unsuccessful actress in the entertainment industry.
Janet groaned on the floor and was about to stand up when she saw a pair of strong hands extended out to her. She looked up at the man's unreadable features and swallowed—hard. Lowering her eyes slightly, Janet placed her small hand into his large one and got up from the ground. Director Martin just stood there gaping at them. She couldn't blame him.
Who would have imagined that a D-listed actress like her was going to be Victor Reynolds wife?
In the following moment, Victor Reynolds did something beyond anyone's imagination. His head bent down slightly to take a closer look at her pants and frowned. Her pants had a smudge of dirt on them due to her fall. Victor quickly grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket and began to carefully clean Janet's pants. Heat poured into her cheeks and she instinctively wanted to run away. But the man's presence did something to her that made her want to be obedient. Zaid had almost choked with his own saliva when he saw his president behaving in such a loving way. If the public managed to capture this side of Victor Reynolds, the footage would have undoubtedly gone viral.
Janet panicked and tried to move away from his gentle touch. "Mr. Reynolds, this isn't necessary..."
"Quiet," he said, effectively putting an end to the conversation.Janet swallowed her scornful retort and remained rooted to the spot. Then, having second thoughts, she felt so stupid. Why was she so swayed by this man's words? Victor possessed an intimidating presence. He reminded her of an angry king. Wherever he placed his feet, he influenced everyone around him. After he finished cleaning the smudge on her pants, Victor's sharp eyes fell on the completely awestruck Director Martin Williams. Martin, who had come to a realization that he had picked on the wrong person, immediately got on his knees. Clutching his palms together, he started to beg mercy from Janet who was equally shocked by his sudden change of attitude.
"Miss Kingsley! Please punish me however you want! I didn't know that you were Mr. Reynolds fiancée. Please forgive me this time!"
Wow! Power can make people so obedient! Janet thought as she stared down at the old man who was groveling at her feet.
She shot a suspicious look towards Victor. He didn't say a single word. Instead he stood still, shoved his hands into his pockets, and lazily watched the old fool as if he was watching a performance. Janet didn't want to escalate the matter any further so she parted her lips to speak but Victor's icy voice echoed through the lounge.
"It's too late."
Turning around, he signaled at Janet to follow him outside. Janet still had to gather the information. What about her plan?
She spoke loudly as she looked down at her broken camera with disappointment, "Wait, Mr. Reynolds! The evidence was destroyed. What am I supposed to do now?"
Victor glanced over his shoulder and replied indifferently, "You won't have to do anything. You will get a higher resolution of the video later."
Janet gaped at him in awe. Director Martin's was still on his knees and Janet thought that his complexion was turning a little green. If Victor had taken care of this matter personally, it was a guarantee that the director's career would be coming to an end. However, this meant nothing to Victor. He never showed any mercy to his enemy. Victor exchanged meaningful glance with Zaid, who nodded as he immediately understood what his president wanted. Staying by his side for so long, he had a general idea about his temper. Zaid just didn't expect that this girl whom Victor met yesterday would become so important to him.
***
Janet followed Victor outside. The only thing that she heard on her way out of the door was Director Martin's continuous wails as he begged for forgiveness. Coming out of the lounge, the two walked until they reached the front of Victor's car.
Unable to bare the silence any longer, Janet asked, "Mr. Reynolds, why did you suddenly come here?"
Victor didn't rush with his answer. He leaned against his car and leisurely pulled out another cigarette from his pocket. After lighting it, he took a drag before asking in a mysterious voice, "What do you think?"
His intense gaze captured her troubled expression. The words were on the tip of her tongue but they wouldn't come out as she felt the beads of sweat on her forehead. In an attempt to get rid of the knots in her stomach, she snorted derisively, "H-how would I know?"
Victor raised his eyebrows in amusement. A while ago, the girl was acting so daring with such perverted man like Martin but now she was a bundle of nerves as she stood in front of him.
Victor revealed his thoughts without hiding anything, "Because I am pursuing you, of course."
The answer was like a huge blow to Janet. Her eyes darted away from his gaze in disbelief. Instinctually, she felt that another headache was coming her way. Janet held her forehead with one hand and placed the other on her waist.
"Mr. Reynolds, I thought we made this clear earlier. I am not planning to get married ever! I am too focused on my career and, honestly, I really don't think that we make a good match."
The light in Victor's eyes dimmed as he pressing his lips together in irritation. "So, you came to seduce the director?"
"No!" Janet yelled while emphatically shaking her head. "Mr. Reynolds, you're not understanding me. I had a purpose in coming here tonight and I really didn't need your help. Wait, I didn't even ask you! Why did you help me?"
Victor moved his body closer towards her and in sultry tones, he repeated, "Simply because I am pursuing you, Janet. Tell me, why would you choose to show attentions to someone else when I, Victor Reynolds, am standing right in front of you?"