Chapter 12: Why are you doing this to Henry?

Laila POV

Three days had passed and the issue about Henry won't die down as expected. The owner of the hotel released a video of Henry where it looks like he is taking advantage of some female staff.

"Are you ready?" Tina said to me. I nodded my head before following her into the parking lot. Most of my fans at the event had been asking about Henry knowing his a close friend of mine though I highly doubt that most of them are paparazzi in disguise just to get some scoop out of me.

As we are waiting I heard a loud laugh and voices talking.

"That's what he gets for yelling at me." a female voice said. "He should have known this is coming. How dare he humiliate me like that."

"Well I heard he's a close friend of that b*tch. " another said. "Your uncle must be powerful to be able to do that to a famous director."

There was a shrill laugh, "Of course, especially now that the Malarkey group will be his business partner. No one will dare to say anything against him."

"Then you'll be able to see Jeremy now." the other replied.

"Let's go." Tina interrupts listening to the two girls talking. I took a glance at the girls and got a confirmation that they are the ones who got Henry in trouble.

The whole ride was quiet. Tina had stopped talking to me seeing I wasn't paying any attention. We were halfway when an idea came into my mind."Can we go to the Malarkey office?"

Tina was obviously stunned by my request, "Why?"

"I just had an idea on how to help Henry." I pleaded. Tina narrowed her eyes at me first. She's looking at me as if I had suddenly grown a second head.

"Fine" she finally agreed. When we arrived, Tina stayed in the car saying I can do whatever I think of by myself.

Against all that I have said ever since coming back here, I am here standing inside Malarkey's Group building. And to make it worse is that, I am here to ask a favour from the devil himself.

I won't make the same mistake so instead of heading straight to his office, I stopped by the reception area at the lobby first. The girl, Mia was busy typing on her computer when I cough to get her attention.

"Hi, is Mr Malarkey here?" I asked her.

She gave me nervous smile, "Do you have an appointment?"

"No but can you tell that Laila Condes is here." I tried.

She bit down her lower lip before dialling Jeremy's secretary. "Sorry but his EA won't answer. I don't know if Mr Malarkey is available at the moment."

"I'll just go to his office then-"

"NO!" She almost yelled at me. She looked around before ushering me to come closer to her. "Sorry Miss but that would be a very bad idea. Mr Malarkey had his weird tantrums today and if you go up there and he got angry who knows who'll be sent home next."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if he's in a bad mood anyone who displeased him will be sent home immediately. And not just one but everyone can get fired at just a snap. I remember the whole team on the 14th floor got fired and that was five years ago the very first tantrum. So right now forgive us if we are all very careful because the tiniest mistake will go unnoticed." Mia explained to me.

That was something I didn't know. But still, I need to go ahead and try. "Thanks for the concern but I don't think he'll be sending people home if he sees me."

I went ahead despite her protest. It was a nerve-wracking ride on the elevator to his floor and the moment I got there, I was almost hit by a flying folder.

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY SIGHT!" I heard Jer yell and saw a guy get down to his knees.

"I gave just a simple task. Was that so hard for you to do?" Jeremy continued on.

"I'm really sorry sir. Please just give me another chance and I'll do better." The guy pleaded.

"GET OUT! YOU ARE FIRED! I don't need you in my company."

I hadn't seen that look on Jer's face before. It was as if the devil had possessed him. For a moment I forgot what I was supposed to do.

"You do know you don't have to do that." I interrupted without thinking. I don't like the look on his face or the way he treats his employee.

All eyes were on me. Jeremy's eyes widen at the sight of me. I walked towards the guy and helped him up.

"I think you should go back to your station and correct whatever you need to fix and hand it back to him again," I told the guy.

He was just staring at me and I kinda understand why. I'm in no position to say anything or even be in here but here I am.

"Who told you that you can decide for my employee? If I wasn't being cleared, I just fired him not a minute ago." Jer snarled at me.

"You can't just go and yell at someone. I may not know what just happened but I do know there's a humane way of doing things. You can't just step on their feelings." I retorted back at him.

There was a look on Jer's face that I couldn't understand. At last, he made a 'tsk' sound before saying in a cold tone, "Coming from you."

This 'tantrum' of his had never happened before while we were together.

Five years ago.

It started five years ago but as far as I can remember Jer wasn't even in charge of the company then.

"This is my company Laila and I can do whatever the hell I want." He bellowed before walking away from me.

I flail my arms as I took a deep breath trying to contain my own annoyance at him.

Remember why you are here.

I kept repeating those words as I followed Jeremy to his office. I was about to open his door when his EA, Mars stopped me.

"Sorry Miss but that would be a very bad idea. Mr Malarkey is not in his best mood," she told me in a hushed tone.

I smiled at her, "Don't worry, I can handle it."

I walked into Jer's office and saw him reading a file in a folder.

"Keep up that monster attitude of yours and you'll be left with no one-"

"I'm already used to people leaving me and disappearing." He cuts me off.

"-working for you." I continued at the same time. I bit my lower lip realizing what he meant.

"They didn't choose to leave. You fired them not because of the worse thing but just because of your whim."

"Laila, clearly I don't need a lecture on this matter from you because you also do things on your whim. And as I said before, this is my company." I can clearly hear the irritation in his voice.

I was dumbfounded by that. I don't have any answer that can change this atmosphere because he is going to the one thing I don't want to talk about.

But what he said was all true. I'm in no place to tell him what to do or lecture him.

The Jeremy in front of me right now is very different from who I used to know. I guess it wasn't just me who changed. Why am I expecting that he'll stay the same? It is obvious that he won't be the same. Not with what I did to him.

"But this is a surprise, Miss Condes gracing me with her presence." He said after a minute of silence. "Didn't you just tell me you'll have nothing to do to me or wait, there was this that you announced to the world I'm not your type?"

Of course, he would have read that article. I had to fight the urge of rolling my eye.

"Look Jer, it is against my better judgement and what I've said but I came here because I need to ask something." I started but he seem absorbed by the file he began to read again.

"I know that you had control over everything and I need help." Still no response from him.

Rolling my eyes, I walked towards him and then snatched the folder away forcing him to look at me. There's clearly that irritated look on him. The way his eyes narrowed and his lips pout a little.

"I'm here to talk business with you," I snapped.

"You'll have to set up an appointment with my EA first." he casually said.

"I tried but it seemed like every one of your employees is scared of you. You do realize that in their eyes you are a tyrant right? The same as before." I answered back.

That made him stand up and walk around closing the gap between us. I tried to keep facing him.

"Same as before?" he glowered as he took steps towards me forcing me to move until my back touched his table. He towered over me.

I put my hands on his chest to stop him from moving closer. "Jer, I am here asking for you to help Henry."

"Why?" was his simple answer. He didn't even think about it.

"Because right now you are the only one I know that can help him," I said in a low voice.

"Whatever happened to him doesn't concern me" He reminded me. "So tell loverboy he can say goodbye to being a director because no one will want to work with him anymore."

We just stared into each other eyes. I gasp as each word that Jer uttered sank into my head. I should have realized that Jer would do this. My breathing becomes ragged as Jer puts his hands on the table on each side of me locking me in.

"This is what he gets for stealing what is mine." He said before slowly leaning his head towards me.

I seem to freeze on my spot.

His lips were inches away from mine when suddenly his office door opened and we hear a yelp of surprise from Jer's EA.

"I'm sorry sir but, Mr Tan is already here and you weren't answering the call when I knocked," she said. Why didn't I hear a call or a knock, surely that would have distracted us?

"Mr Malarkey," I heard a male voice say in a Chinese accent.

Jer composed himself before moving away from me and facing the guy. I took that as my cue to leave as Jer guided the man to one of the couches inside his office. I walk away without even glancing back.

I was outside the building in less than five minutes. I guess my idea was bad, should have known he won't cooperate. I was heading back to the car when someone tapped me on the back.

I turn around to see Mona's fiance's grandmother smiling at me.