Unexpected encounter

The next morning…

Bella arrived at the office on time, keeping her head low, not intending to draw attention. She noticed something weird around her, whispers flitting between cubicles like startled birds. A snippet caught her ear.

"Mr. Woods is fired," someone said with disbelief. "It's said that he...well, he harassed a female colleague. How strange it is! I never thought he could do something like that."

"Me neither. He looks harmless," another chimed in.

The first voice dropped to a conspiratorial hush. "Heard Cooper Group is in hot water too. I was shocked to hear that both Mr. Cooper and Mr. Woods tried to rape that woman."

"She must have a strong backing," the second voice echoed.

As Bella pondered the implications of their cryptic conversation, a sense of unease settled over her like a dark cloud. She sank into her chair, mind reeling.

Mr. Woods was already fired. A single question echoed in her head: Who had complained about him?

Not only Mr. Woods, but the Cooper Group was also in trouble. Was it a mere coincidence?

Bella grew more and more perplexed.

"Bella…" Bella flinched at a woman's nasal voice, snapping out of her reverie. It was the annoying Olivia.

She felt a bitter tang in her mouth as she recalled the conversation she had heard last night.

"Did you hear about Mr. Woods?" Olivia drawled, her tone dripping with saccharine sweetness that curdled Bella's stomach even further. "He was fired. Apparently, some poor woman accused him of sexual assault. Isn't that just awful?"

Bella gritted her teeth, forcing a neutral expression. "Haven't heard a word," she mumbled, hoping to shut down the conversation.

Olivia, however, wasn't one to be easily deterred. "But you went to deliver a file to him yesterday, right? Did you see something suspicious?" she pressed, her voice taking on a faux-conspiratorial tone. "Did he try to violate you? Were you the one who complained?"

A white-hot rage threatened to boil over in Bella's gut. Every fiber of her being screamed to retaliate, but she suppressed the urge as she didn't want to indulge in this matter and become a topic of gossip. Moreover, it would only get her further into trouble.

Swallowing the bitter taste in her mouth, she forced out a tight, "No. I don't see anything."

Olivia, however, seemed determined to make a scene. "Really? I thought he did something to you." She deliberately raised her voice, grabbing everyone's attention. "You went to meet Mr. Woods at a nightclub last night."

Silence descended momentarily. Then, gasps erupted, followed by a chorus of hushed murmurs. Bella felt a cold sweat prickle her skin as she became the unwilling center of attention. A thousand accusatory eyes seemed to press down on her. 

A sharp, icy voice sliced through the suffocating tension. "What is going on here?"

"Amy, I was…" Olivia tried to explain, but Amy didn't give her the time.

"Go to your place, Olivia," Amy commanded.

With a final, withering glare at Bella, Olivia stomped off.

Amy turned to Bella, her gaze as cold and unwelcoming as a steel trap. "Mr. Hudson needs this file. Take it to him." She slammed a manila folder onto the desk.

Bella felt a jolt in her heart as she heard her boss' name. Memories of the previous night flooded Bella's mind. Facing him was the last thing she wanted to do.

"What are you waiting for?" Amy spat, snapping her fingers an inch from Bella's nose. "Go and deliver the file. It's urgent."

The sharpness of Amy's tone jolted Bella back to reality. With a shaky nod, she grabbed the file and fled for the CEO's office on the top floor.

Her heart pounded a frantic rhythm against her ribs as she neared the office. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, she raised a hand and gently rapped on the door.

"Come in," Zack Hudson's strong voice boomed from within.

Squaring her shoulders for a courage she didn't quite feel, Bella pushed open the door. "Good morning, Mr. Hudson."

Her steps came to an abrupt halt, and her expression froze. The carefully crafted façade crumbled. Across from the CEO sat the man from the nightclub. His gaze held her captive.

The floor seemed to tilt beneath her feet, her knees threatening to buckle under the weight of his cold scrutiny. The file, forgotten in her trembling hand, hung limply at her side.

Time seemed to stand still. His presence took her breath away.

"Bella Dawn." Zack's sharp and clear voice snapped Bella out of her paralysis. "This is Theodore Reid, the CEO of the Ace Group."

Theodore Reid!

The name seemed to echo in her ears. Theodore was the main investor of the company – someone who shouldn't be offended. Rumors said that he was quite a shrew while dealing with business. 

A dizzying wave of nausea washed over her as the memory of his proposition from the previous night resurfaced.

"Bella!" Zack's voice cut through her jumbled thoughts.

"Y-yes, Mr. Hudson," she stammered, forcing herself to straighten and project composure. "This is... the file you requested." She held out the folder to Zack.

"Give it to Mr. Reid," he instructed.

Bella stiffened but quickly masked her reaction with a smile plastered on her lips. "Hello, Mr. Reid," she greeted, extending the file towards him.

To her immense relief, Theodore remained impassive, his gaze coolly appraising the file in her hand. It was as if he didn't recognize her.

"Mr. Reid," Zack interjected smoothly, "it contains all the information on the new project. I'm confident it will be a worthwhile investment for Ace Group."

Theodore's gaze flickered up, meeting Bella's for a fleeting moment.

Bella's heart lurched in her chest. Did he recognize her? The intensity of his stare sent a jolt through her, leaving her rooted to the spot.

"Bella," Zack called out once again, this time laced with a hint of impatience. "You can leave now."

With a grateful nod, Bella tore her eyes away from Theodore and turned towards the door.

"Wait!" Zack stopped her. "Can you grab some coffee for us?"

"Sure," she mumbled, casting a final glance at Theodore before exiting the office. Her hand flew to her chest as she stepped out into the hallway, a sigh escaping her lips. "Oh, my goodness. Why am I so nervous?"

As she made her way to the break room, Bella couldn't help but feel unease. She couldn't shake the memory of Theodore's marriage proposal from her head. Did he really mean it?

Bella soon finished preparing the coffee. Clutched the two steaming cups of coffee, she headed back to the CEO's office, her nerves jangling with every step. But just as she rounded a corner, she ran into Olivia.

"Started to seduce the bossman already!" Olivia sneered, blocking Bella's path with a haughty posture. "You are such a bitch, Bella. First Mr. Woods, now the CEO? Are you that hungry?"

Bella wasn't interested in talking to her. "Move aside. I don't have time to squander on you."

But Olivia didn't move a bit. "I know what happened at the club. You seduced them. Otherwise, why would a gentleman like Mr. Woods do such a shameful thing?"

Bella's temper flared, her patience dying. She wanted to ignore her, but Olivia forced her to retaliate. "You were supposed to deliver the file, but you asked me to go there. Were you trying to get me in trouble?"

"How dare you?" Olivia snapped. Her eyes flashed with a glint of nervousness momentarily, wondering if Bella had found out about her little trick. But she recovered quickly, her voice sharp with renewed aggression. "You seduced him, and now you try to pin it on me?"

She lunged forward, shoving her with surprising force. The coffee cups flew from Bella's grasp, scalding liquid splashing onto her hands.

"Uh…" A strangled cry escaped Bella's lips, pain blooming on her skin.

Olivia seemed to revel in her cruelty. A malicious grin stretched across her face as she reached out to tug at Bella's hair.

"Bullying others at the workplace is not acceptable."

The icy voice sliced through the air like a whip. Olivia's hand froze mid-air, her eyes widening in terror as she spun around. Standing there, tall and imposing, was Theodore Reid, his gaze a glacial shard fixed on Olivia.

Chills pricked on her nape, and she stumbled backward.