Here for you [3]

She cannot concentrate at work. How can she? The message from Cario and then the entry of this lad named Vincent is a lot to take. She absently gazes at the laptop screen thinking about him, whether he left or is he still there.

"18% we say, Miss Athena," the CEO of Xander Corp who is sitting across the glass meeting table says. Athena comes out of her thought bubble and looks at him, absently giving a slight nod.

"Pardon me. Your deal is too high" she tells him, dropping the stylus pen on the table. "10% is the least I can agree on to. Besides, this is only reasonable, Mr. Kruger."

The man's thick eyebrows draw in, not satisfied by her answer. "10% seems downgrade, don't you think, Miss Followhill?" he tries to talk nice. He is aware of how important the deal is with the Followhill Empire, so he has to get it by hook or by crook.

Athena gives him a cold gaze, slightly inclining her head to her left, raising an eyebrow at him. "Mr. Kruger, I am kind enough for the 10%. Don't make me change my mind."

He smiles sheepishly, wiping his sweat off his shiny forehead. "I won't dare. I agree for the 10%" he agrees bitterly. It's better to get the 10% instead of getting nothing.

Athena smiles, the wicked kind of smile which she gives when she manages to get something that she wants. "Pleasure to work with you, Mr. Kruger" she stretches her arm forward for a handshake.

He takes the offer and politely shakes her hand. "A great pleasure is mine, Miss Followhill."

With that the meeting ends and gathering his things, he lefts. The moment he steps out of her office, she heaves a sigh of relief and closes her eyes for a while. Her head still hurts and why wouldn't it be?

A knock comes on her office door, making her winch. "Come in!"

Santos enters and with steady steps, he walks up to where she is sitting. "Here's the report. 2.4% profit with minor issues related to it." Athena keeps the file Santos hands to her because she is in no mood to go through pages full of numbers and words.

"There's another report, My Lady" he asserts. Santos has always been the stoic polite man since the moment he started working in the mansion, working with her. It took a while for him to adjust as a right-hand man but he worked and is doing his best.

"Please proceed."

"The man is still standing at the gates. The men even dragged him to the Fadington Street, yet he came again."

That made Athena frustrated. Just what does the man want? She pinches the bridge of her nose and then looks at him. "He has been saying he wishes to meet you. He won't go until you talk to him." There is nothing to talk about. They spend a night together and that was it. Apart from that, there is nothing else.

"He is still in the condition to talk?" she asks.

"You ordered not to cross the line. Bruises and minor injuries aren't stopping him."

Athena sighs. She has left with no choices other than to put him in the underground dungeon. But what crime has he done anyway? Pester her?

"Tell Beckham to make him understand and if he doesn't, throw him in the dungeon. I will deal with him" she tells with a stern look.

"I will notify him, My Lady" Santos obeys and leaves the room, closing the door behind him.

**

"In the Dungeon?" Cynthia asks as they reach the Mansion. She steps out and hurries to open the door for Athena. Ushering her out, they head inside the Mansion. Beckham comes to update her. "As per your order, I have thrown him in the dungeon, My Lady. Yet he has been yelling for hours."

How can that man be so annoying? "You don't have to come. I will go alone."

Cynthia disagrees, "No my Lady, let me come with you."

"He is no harm, my love. Obey my orders" she asserts. Cynthia opens her mouth but closes it again. She nods, obeying her order. Athena gives her a small smile and heads in the direction of the dungeon.

When her Grandfather used to rule, he built this dungeon to keep his enemies, torture them until they scream and shed blood. It has been there since and has been in use. The dungeon is located on the right side, near the kitchen. A storeroom is made like a facade just so others cannot predict what's inside.

Athena steps in takes cautious steps as the light isn't projecting throughout the room. Few of the men are guarding each block of the cell she passes. The cells are empty because Athena has been impatient these months. She would kill the criminals on the spot which is not what she is allowed to do.

"You may leave" she orders to the two guards who are guarding the cell of Vincent. When they leave, she takes a look at how vulnerable he appears inside. With his back turned towards her, he is lying opposite to her, facing the wall.

She can see the marks and his shirt is badly torn, revealing the golden skin she has touched with pleasure that night.

"Vincent" she speaks, loud enough for him to wake up from his sleep if he is sleeping. He flinches and snaps his attention towards her. The eyebrows which are drawing together start to relax as he sees her.

"I knew you would come, Missy!" he smiles, getting from the fodder bed and hastily approaching her. Good thing, she has not opened the lock yet, or else he must have been embracing her.

He grips on the cell's borders with his calloused hands, expectantly looking at her. The way he looks at her does something to her heart which she finds very irritating.

She clears her throat and says, "You must know why you are here."

He slightly frowns as if he was expecting something else to hear from her. "I don't. "

Athena cocks her eyebrow, "You don't? You don't know why you are badly hurt?" The words come out as mocking and insulting.

The smiles from his face fall and his expression turned serious. "No, I don't. I don't know why those men in black beat the hell out of me. I don't know why I was thrown by that bulky man into this dungeon. I only came here to have a word with you, Athena." His words make her a little guilty but she will not show it to him. She knew it was not right to put him in the dungeon, yet she did because of his stubborn actions.

"And I clearly said earlier that there's nothing I want to discuss with you" she grits out. "I have given you chances to leave but it was you who chose to make me mad, you chose those men to drag you out and it was your foolish act that made me throw you into this cell." Her chest rises and falls as how pissed she is. She has been bottling the emotions inside her, thinking it will dissipate after this case is over.

He stretches forward his hand out of the rectangular space and reaches to touch her cheeks, in a way to calm her. Athena flinches and jerks away from his hand from her. "How dare you?" she yells.

Vincent embarrassingly puts his hand to his place, making a hurtful face. "I was just—"

"See? It's this outrageous acts you do that have you in this condition."

"Outrageous?" he scoffs. "This is outrageous, Athena? Well, you didn't utter this word when I was kissing you. Nor did I hear you say this word when I was inside you, thrusting you and making you scream. That wasn't outrageous?"

Athena glares, radiating fury. "You bastard. You don't even have the slightest idea where you are Or who you are speaking to."

"Tell me then," he says and there is desperation in his voice.

Athena is on the edge of losing her patience and killing him right here. "You want to know, huh?" He nods with determination. She takes out the keys which she earlier gathered from the men and opens the lock of the cell. She tells me to get out and he did.

"This will be your last chance" she grits out and grabs his wrist, dragging him with her out of the cell.