John Guildford

As the Monday came, Claire was back in her work-mode, stressed out like never before, still tired and overwhelmed.

Gabriel finally managed to free himself from his own over-loaded schedule and find his way to the thirty-sixth floor at almost lunchtime.

"I wouldn't." Gina warned him before he entered Claire's office. Gabriel gave her a perplexed look but ignored the advice. As he opened the door to the office, he noticed piles of paper across the floor, and another file wooshed past his ear taking him by surprise. He looked at Claire in shock, as she threw more paper around the desk, cursing loudly.

"Claire…" he started cautiously but she ignored him. After some hesitation, he walked up towards her, noticing that she was panicking. Without another word, he grabbed her hands and pulled her into the embrace, which made her stop the clattering. As she felt the comfort of his shoulders, Claire started sobbing. "What happened?"

"I've made a mistake." Claire wailed into his shoulder.

"Okay." Gabriel nodded. "We can fix it."

"I've spent days working on it and I have to re-do it all!" Claire sobbed even harder.

"I understand that you're frustrated. You're overtired and overworked. Let me help you fix it." Gabriel offered as he gently led her to her chair.

"I don't want help." Claire grumbled, still really upset.

"What about a cup of tea?" Gabriel suggested. "Take a five-minute break, then let me have a look."

"I don't want you to interfere with my work!" Claire roared moving away. "I can do it on my own!"

"Okay." Gabriel nodded. "I will not step in until you ask me. But try to give yourself a moment of break. You're on edge, Claire. Right now your entire department is feeling it. How long before you explode in front of them?" Gabriel took a deep breath. "I've been there, Claire. I know how it feels, and I know how easily it is to lose control. I don't want you to make the same mistakes as I did. And you do seem to need help." Gabriel pointed at the paper spread across the office. "There's no shame in accepting help. It doesn't show that you're incompetent. Because you're the most competent employee there is. You value your job so much that you put so much pressure on yourself that no human, regardless of their superpowers, could keep up. This isn't manageable, Claire." He walked closer to her, closing the distance between them again, gently putting his hands on each side of her face so that she looked him in the eyes. "We're in this together, for better or worse. This relationship, this marriage, it is my promise to you that I'll do anything for you. I know that you may not see me as such, but I am your husband. I want to share my troubles with you, and I hope that you can share yours with me." Gabriel leaned over and pressed his forehead against Claire's. "Now, at the very least, let me help you calm down. Let's breathe together." He said decisively, taking deep breaths in. Claire didn't follow his suit, but her panic started waning as she looked at his handsome face so close, his long eyelashes, his chiselled face. Gabriel opened his eyes and noticed Claire's stare. "What are you thinking now?" Gabriel asked with a warm smile, the kind that made Claire's heart melt.

"I don't know. All of my thoughts seem to be shouting at once." Claire said in a shaly tone.

"Focus on one of them." Gabriel said softly. "Or… I'm sure that you've heard of grounding techniques."

"Yeah." Claire nodded.

"So, let's start by steadying your breath. Think about it as you do it. In and out." Gabriel directed her. "Try to shut down everything else, and just focus on that." Claire tried to do so, but she still struggled. "Okay, what about a scent? What can you smell?"

"You." Claire replied quickly, blushing straight away.

"What do I smell of?" Gabriel asked with a smile, slightly worried that he smelled badly.

"Chypre."

"What the hell is that?" Gabriel asked with a sudden worry.

"Random fact alert." Claire laughed. "It's a name for family of perfumes. The name means Cyprus in French. It's a citrusy smell, with a hint of oak-moss, and labdanum. You also smell of mint."

"Is it a pleasant smell?"

"Very. It reminds me of summers, woods, and lemonade with mint leaves." Claire said as she closed her eyes, finally calming down.

"You smell of vanilla and coconut, and you. You smell so sweet" Gabriel said quietly. Claire smiled at his words. Gabriel gently kissed her forehead before letting go off her and looking around her office.

"Sorry, I think I've lost it a bit." Claire said in embarrassment.

"Go get a cup of tea and five minutes out of your office." Gabriel ordered. Claire nodded and walked out as Gabriel started picking up the papers.

"Are you okay?" Gina asked with worry.

"Yes." Claire nodded as she hid in a kitchen.

"That's good." Gina smiled warmly.

"Hey, Guildford's meeting is today." Derek said as he walked in. "Just got a call in."

"F*cking brilliant." Claire said sarcastically with an exasperated sigh.

"You know what I think about it." Gina said rather coldly. "You should avoid them."

"I think I can work it out. Guildford's can really bring huge profits in within months if we build a good relationship with them, especially seeing as they have amazing connections on the South coast."

"Look, Claire. We don't need it. Our department is doing the best ever. We don't need to compromise our well-being to bring some profits. You can find better companies than that, with much better connections." Gina grumbled as she made herself a coffee.

"Let's see how the meeting will go today." Claire decided.

"If it's any consolation, we have a second one tomorrow." Derek said sarcastically.

"Why two?"

"Today is the introduction with few of the reps, but tomorrow it's a signing of the contract with John Guildford himself."

"When's today's meeting?"

"In about an hour at a restaurant nearby." Derek answered.

"Couldn't they give us more notice?" Claire rolled her eyes.

"Remember our code." Gina said with a smile.

"Yeah, I know. I'll text you if things go south so that you can get us out of there." Claire smiled before returning to her office.

"I've tried to organise it the best I could." Gabriel said as she came back, pointing at a pile of paper on her desk.

"Thank you." Claire smiled as she walked up to him and kissed his cheek.

"No worries. I'll catch you later?"

"Of course." Claire sat down in her chair scowling at the report in front of her. "Gabriel." She started as he was about to leave. "Could you please help me with it? I am unsure where I've made a mistake and I wonder if a pair of fresh eyes wouldn't be able to find it."

"Of course, Claire. I am free for you at any time."

"It's not that urgent, and I do have a meeting within an hour which I must prepare for now. But if you have some time this evening…"

"Yes, of course. Let me know when." Gabriel smiled, walking around and giving Claire a goodbye kiss before he had to rush to his own meeting.

"Mr Moore!" Zoe ran up to him passing him the printout. "I thought it'll be good if you had it. I wouldn't worry about today, but tomorrow…"

"Is this about what we spoke of the other day?" Gabriel asked with furrowed brows looking at a printed schedule.

"Yes, it is. Tomorrow's meeting is over lunch with the key client present." Zoe said in rather professional tone as they were in the open space and she didn't want to gather anyone's attention.

"Thanks, Miss Green." Gabriel nodded before leaving.

Claire was somewhat relaxed when she arrived for the meeting with Derek beside her. She wasn't too worried about that one as John Guildford, CEO of Guildford's & Sons, was not attending. Or so she thought. As she walked down the hallway, a familiar face showed up. The middle-aged bald man whom she detested from deep within. His black beast eyes landed on her, sending shiver down her spine.

"Good afternoon, Mr Wood! Miss Thompson." He moved forward and shook their hands, holding Claire's hand for that little longer that somehow it already felt awkward.

"Good afternoon, Mr Guildford." Claire said keeping her voice calm but struggling to fake a smile.

"A little smile won't harm, would it now?" He said with a laugh, as if it was the best joke of the day. Claire tried her hardest to control her facial expressions and try not to scowl at the comment. "It's probably that time of the month." Guildford said in a loud whisper to Derek, who tried to smile himself but also struggled. Claire was clear that he must remain calm and not interfere directly unless threatened, but he didn't like to be in that situation either, and he definitely didn't like his female colleagues being treated that way.

"May we begin?" Claire asked with the slightest smile that she managed.

"Of course." Guildford nodded. "Isn't she bossy?" He directed another comment to Derek.

"Well, she is my boss." Derek replied with a smile.

"But like, not for real, is it?"

"What do you mean?" Derek raised his brows.

"Never mind." Guildford said as he sat down opposite Claire.

"Here are all the current drafts, rendered pictures, and current terms and conditions." Claire said as she passed a neat folder to Guildford. "I am happy to discuss any sections before our signing tomorrow."

"Little birdy goes right into it, doesn't she?" Guildford said to his two colleagues who seemed to be okay with his behaviour, smiling along with him. "I wonder if that's the case with everything." He snickered, amused at his commentary. Claire remained professional but their meeting was far from pleasant, with Claire being talked over and Derek being considered a much better expert than herself, even if it was her work that was being discussed. Thankfully, with it being a mid-day meeting, they were able to cut it short using next meeting as an excuse. Guildford pressured Claire into giving him her phone number which she did with hesitation, knowing exactly where this was going to go.

They were more than happy to be back in the office later in the afternoon.

"Honestly, Claire, I can't just keep standing back while he's a pig." Derek grumbled as he walked with her.

"Don't interfere, Derek, please. I can manage it."

"He is convinced that your work belongs to me."

"Let's go along with it. I can't be asked to argue against it."

"But, Claire…" Derek whined.

"What's up?" Zoe caught onto their rotten mood almost as soon as they came out of the elevator.

"Nothing." Claire replied rather sharply.

"Guildford was there." Derek said with a sullen face.

"What did he do this time?" Zoe asked, knowing what to expect.

"Nothing, Zoe." Claire said as she let out a heavy sigh. "I'm going to my office. If anyone needs me, drop me a chat message."

"Nothing my ass. She's in denial." Derek grumbled. Claire scowled at him but she hasn't said a word as she walked away, too emotionally drained from the meeting to be able to deal with it yet. "He believes that her work must be mine because it's too good for a woman. He pestered her the entire time and demanded her phone number. Overall, it wasn't his worst, but I needed to really fight an urge of biting back, but you know Claire…" Derek sighed in defeat.

"Did she give him her phone number?"

"In the end, yes."

"That's not great. I'll let Mr Moore know. Maybe he will be able to deal with it."

"She's going to rip you to shreds if you do." Derek warned her.

"I know. It's a risk I am willing to take to keep a fellow female safe." Zoe decided. "Claire isn't going to see anything wrong with his behaviour, regardless of the amount of harassemtn and how uncomfortable it is going to make her. She'll dismiss it."

"I know. I've noticed. She kept coming up with excuses on the way back for his behaviour." Derek said unsatisfied.

Zoe was quick to drop Mark a message and within moments she met Gabriel on the corner of the building, whilst she had a cigarette break. She offered him one but he shook his head. Zoe leaned against the wall, feeling tired from yet another long day, whilst Gabriel stood a safe distance away with his hands in the pockets

"So, I thought I'll put it out there. Guildford was unexpectedly in the meeting with Claire and Derek today. Derek was outright forbidden from interfering, so don't blame him. Claire is stubbornly acting like what Guildford does is okay."

"What happened?"

"It may not sound like much but I know that it is going to escalate. Chatting with Derek, he was given credit for all of Claire's work because Guildford doesn't believe woman can do anything well. He might have implied that Claire earned her spot as the head of the department through 'special favours' and he pressured her into giving him her personal phone number. And knowing him, and from what I've hear, Claire will quite likely receive plenty of explicit messages within days, including some very unsolicited pictures." Zoe sighed. "Claire doesn't have an understanding of what is a normal behaviour, and what is a behaviour of a misogynistic pig and an actual sexual harassment. She already came up with excuses for his behaviour today, such as the infamous 'boys will be boys' bullshit that she was fed over the years. I hope that you're decent enough to understand that Claire is being harassed and that she is in the very vulnerable position."

"What a dick." Gabriel said angrily, feeling his blood rushing through him.

"I'm glad that we are agreeing on this. I was worried that he might be your type."

"My type?" Gabriel repeated, Zoe's words hurt him deeply. "Look, I am a prick. I've f*cked up plenty of times, but I never was a douche to women. I'll pop by their meeting tomorrow and I'll see whether I can get enough to file sexual harassment lawsuit against him. I've worked on the new company policy too which reinforces that every customer who shows any inappropriate behaviour will be automatically breaching the contract and it can be terminated without any physical evidence if the employee files the complaint. I don't want any of our female employees feel pressured into working with people like Guildford."

"Who knew that Claire can make you shift your views this much." Zoe laughed.

"It wasn't Claire. I've known plenty of women who were mistreated throughout their lives by men like Guildford. Don't laugh, but myself and my friends are bound together by the honorary oath. Since we started hanging out at uni, we took it upon ourselves to make sure that any female in our company was safe and that they felt comfortable."

"Gentlemen's Club?" Zoe asked with a laugh.

"I've said that you shouldn't laugh." Gabriel said sternly.

"Sorry. You just never stroke me as that kind of person."

"It seems like I make some really bad first impressions." Gabriel laughed as he remembered Claire's opinion of him.

"Here you are." Claire said as she came out, noticing Zoe. Her eyes landed on Gabriel, but she hasn't commented on it. "I'm heading out to meet with the Green City reps. I've copied over the data for you." She said to Zoe, throwing her a USB stick before rushing off.

"I've just realised how dodgy this must look." Zoe uttered as she looked behind Claire. "But yeah, please do something about Guildford tomorrow. I don't care if Claire will loose her shit at me afterwards, I can't beat the shit out of him myself."

"Ahhh… So you want me to do the dirty work?" Gabriel laughed.

"Obviously." Zoe nodded. "Anyways, that's all. You can bugger off."

"I'm starting to worry whether Claire has picked herself the right friends." Gabriel said teasingly.

"Oh God, no. I've done my share of shit things to her."

"Really?"

"We almost ended our friendship over Claire's cousin." Zoe laughed. "I think she should be the one telling that story. God, was I stupid." She shook her head.

"I'm not sure whether I want to know. Anyways, see you around."

"Karaoke night?"

"Yeah, something like that." Gabriel chuckled at the idea as he walked away.

Claire came back home late after her business dinner, and once again she left in the early morning. She managed to get through her counselling session before she had her business dinner with Guildford, of course, with Derek on hand.

They sat down around the round table in a private area of the Horton Club, which made Claire feel particularly on edge. Besides herself, Derek, Guildford, there were two other men that seemed to be in mid-thirties to mid-forties. Claire knew that she had Derek on her side no matter what, but even then, they were outnumbered.

Guildford was particularly keen on the wine and talking, unfortunate combination that made him even more insufferable. They were almost at the point where Guildford were to sign the documents when a tall man with black hair and strikingly blue eyes appeared, catching a glimpse of conversation without making himself noticeable yet.

"You know, it's much easier for women in design industry nowadays." Guildford spoke to Derek. "All they need to do is put a pretty smile on and they'll be picked for all the marketing the company needs to pretend that they are all into the whole equality shit." Claire bit her lip but she didn't say anything. Derek was too dumbfounded to speak. "They have to fill the female quota, don't they?" He laughed. "Now, men like us know what they're doing."

"Well, I completely disagree with that statement. Miss Thompson earned her spot and is the greatest lead our team ever had." Derek said quietly as Claire looked at him with the warning.

"Did you smile nicely at him to defend you?" The man asked Claire putting his arm around her back and grabbing her waist. "Wouldn't you mind giving me that pretty smile too?" He was visibly tipsy, or drunk at this stage, getting increasingly handsy.

"Excuse me." Gabriel cut him off sharply. The man took his hand of Claire, now interested in him.

"Aren't you…?" The man stood up.

"Gabriel Moore. The owner and CEO of the Diamond Corporate." Gabriel introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you. John Guildford." The man shook Gabriel's hand and pointed at an empty chair opposite of him. Gabriel sat down, quickly noticing Claire's discomfort. "I was just saying that you have a rather stunning employee. Such a young girl and already has gone places." John said in a patronising tone. "See, I'm praising you sweetheart. I'm sure your boss will take notice of you now."

"Mrs Thompson is the most stellar employee our company ever had. Her performance and specialism is outstanding. Her position has been earned through her exceptional work." Gabriel said rather coldly, watching Guildford carefully, now understanding Zoe's concern.

"I guess your boss likes blondes." Guildford laughed towards Claire, his arm creeping onto Claire's back again.

"Do you often touch people without their consent, Mr Guildford?" Gabriel asked sharply as he poured himself a glass of champagne. His calmness was terrifying, at least to Derek and two other men from Guildford's company.

"She doesn't mind it, surely." John responded with an ugly smile on his face.

"Did you ask?"

"If she didn't want to be touched she wouldn't dress like that or put all that make up on." John said with a laugh. "She's getting the attention she wants."

"Mrs Thompson, are you comfortable with Mr Guildford's hand on your back?" Gabriel asked Claire directly.

"In all honesty, I would prefer…" Claire started mumbling uncomfortably, looking down at her hands. "I would prefer not to be touched."

"No is a complete sentence." Gabriel said to Claire, looking directly at her. "Now, Mr Guildford, I think it's only appropriate if you do as she wishes."

"She's only trying to play hard to get." John laughed as he grabbed Claire's waist and placed his other hand on her thigh, still not backing away. Claire flinched at his touch. "I'm sure she did plenty of naughty things to get that promotion, didn't she MR Moore? It's okay, we all know the ambitious types and what they'll do to get higher up. The secret will stay with me." He winked at Gabriel as he finished speaking.

Gabriel scratched the side of his nose as he tried to bite his tongue, but no matter how much he tried to calm down, he wanted to kill him.

"Mr Guildford, I can assure you that your assumptions are incorrect. I would highly appreciate it if you showed adequate respect to my employees, as I choose them carefully. And Mrs Thompson deserves the upmost respect as her skills and experience already exceed the level of men like yourself, not to mention that Mrs Thompson treats everyone with equal respect and a basic human decency."

"Is that a smudge of lipstick on your collar, Mr Moore? Isn't that a bit hypocritical?" Guildford joked but no one laughed beside himself.

"Claire…" Gabriel said quietly as if he hoped that she'd give him her permission to beat Guildford into the pulp.

"No." Claire shook her head.

"What a slut." Guildford laughed under his nose, quiet enough that it barely reached Gabriel's ear.

"What did you just call my wife?!" Gabriel roared. He stood up, flipped the table out of the way, and grabbed John by the collar, pushing him against the wall, freeing Claire off his grabby hands.

"See, I've tried to teach you a lesson nicely." Gabriel said through his gritted teeth. His eyes turned dark, and his face twisted in rage. "But you've lost your chance now." He punched John with a wide swing, stopping himself from punching him again, fully aware of Claire panicking in the background. "Diamond Corporate isn't going to do any business with you until you learn to respect our employees and treat them with dignity. And if I catch you doing this ever again, I will not stop at one punch. I'll make sure that your hands are broken enough that you'll never be able to touch anyone again." John whimpered, blood running down his cheek from the new cut. He dropped to the ground as soon as Gabriel let go of his collar. Gabriel looked around noticing Claire's pale face and knowing how badly this situation affected her. Derek was shocked but he nodded with approval. "Mrs Thompson and Mr Wood, I'm afraid that you have nothing more to do in here. Mr Wood, please go ahead. My driver is downstairs and he'll take you back. I think Mrs Thompson may need a moment to calm down." Gabriel sent Derek away. Derek nodded obediently grabbing his briefcase and disappearing. Gabriel picked up his briefcase and held Claire's hand, leading her out of the room and towards another empty private room. Once they were alone he turned to face her. "Claire, are you okay?"

"You've just interfered with my work and punched my client. What do you think?" Claire asked angrily.

"I'm sorry. I lost my temper." Gabriel admitted. "I couldn't watch him belittle you and downplay you, never mind touching you against your will, and do nothing about it. And the fact that he has probably done it to many more women before just boils my blood. He wasn't going to stop if I didn't call him out on it." Claire hid her face in the palms of her hands.

"I need to go back to the office." Claire decided, walking away. Gabriel followed her silently, getting in the car with her and Derek. Derek was staring at them, trying to work out if what slipped Gabriel's tongue was true. As soon as they arrived in the office, Claire stormed off, with Derek and Gabriel following her through to the thirty-sixth floor.

"Everything alright?" Gina asked as Claire walked in.

"Claire, I'm very sorry." Gabriel said behind her.

"Get out of my way, Gabriel. I am in no mood to see you." Claire raised her voice as she turned towards him.

"Whose blood do you have on your shirt?" Gina asked Gabriel, but he was too focused on Claire to reply.

"Guildford's." Derek answered for him.

"I need a moment to calm down." Claire declared. "I need a moment alone."

"Okay." Gabriel nodded in agreement, but this somehow triggered Claire.

"Actually, you! How dare you interfere with my work?! I have full autonomy of this department! That was our deal! And you decide to just come by to MY meeting and punch MY client in his face?!" Claire roared at Gabriel who stood frozen, feeling very conflicted about her attack on him. "YOU HAD NO RIGHT!!!"

Everyone around looked at them with their eyes wide open, trying to work out the cause for the scene.

"Hang on, you've punched Guildford?" Zoe asked Gabriel.

"It was you!" Claire looked at Zoe. "You conspired with him behind my back!"

"Do you blame me? You aren't going to listen to me, so I thought that you might at least take his word for something." Zoe answered back. Gabriel scowled at her for daring to talk back at Claire.

"It wasn't about Guildford, though, and you know that. His company has strong links with many others on the South Coast. It was about opening that channel so we can expand our project portfolio in the direction we want to." Claire said angrily. Her cheeks were all red from the 'excitement'.

"I don't give a shit." Gabriel said coldly. "I do not want Diamond Corporate to be associated with assholes that sexually harass my employees. Frankly, it is not only about you, even though the punch was, but even then he should be happy that he could walk away afterwards."

"It was not your business to be involved in."

"He named-call you!" Gabriel roared.

"Then I should be the one dealing with it, not you." Claire said with a huff. "I am not done with you yet, either." She said to Zoe before she walked away to the office.

"That must've been fun." Zoe declared turning to Derek. "You must catch me up."

"Ehhh…" Derek struggled to say anything, still caught in his own thoughts.

"Zoe and Gina know. Don't sweat it." Gabriel said to Derek remembering the big reveal of his and Claire's secret right in front of him. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't spread it further though." Gabriel turned around.

"Why did you punch him?" Zoe asked with a smile.

"He touched her."

"Well deserved then." Zoe laughed.