JESSICA
Jessica was buried in paperwork to deliver to her father that afternoon. At eleven, she needed to greet a client in the lobby.
In the elevator, her phone chimed. Chadrick's name flashed on her screen. Her chest tightened; he was the last person she wanted to see right now.
'Monica has returned. Then why is he still pestering me?'
Jessica heaved a long sigh, deliberately choosing to ignore Chadrick's message as she walked to the company's entrance.
At that moment, several cars pulled over. A total of eight men in business suits came out, one after another.
Jessica positioned herself at the door and smiled politely.
"Welcome, Mr. Hans. My name is Jessica Collins. I'll be escorting you to our conference room."
The men paused, exchanging surprised glances. Jessica immediately grasped the cause of their reaction.
"Alright." CEO Hans was the first to recover. He smiled slightly and nodded. "Let's go."
It isn't the first time she has been scrutinized. Upon meeting her, clients would scan her from head to toe, and most didn't hide their distaste. They preferred voluptuous secretaries as greeters.
'Don't mind Jessica...' She knows her true appearance, and so she doesn't care about Mr. Hans's company's opinion.
"This way, please." Jessica led them out of the elevator.
Mr. Hans spoke to his assistant in his native language.
Jessica, fluent in more than five languages, cannot remain silent after she understands their concerns.
"Please have a seat, gentleman. I'll send someone to serve you tea. By the way, I can be your interpreter the whole time of your stay, and so I hope you don't mind."
Mr. Hans looked surprised as Jessica spoke. The initial shock among the group quickly turned to respect when they heard her fluency.
"That's great, Miss Collins. Thank you."
Mr. Hans nodded in satisfaction. He had been worried because the hired interpreter was sick, and it was too late to find another. Then, Jessica's offer proved to him that Collins Group is competitive, given the caliber of its employees.
"Jessica Collins! You are such a sl*t!"
As Jessica exited the conference room, a woman suddenly appeared in front of her and slapped her hard across the face.
Caught off guard, Jessica froze when a palm smashed against her left cheek. Her ear rang, and she reacted belatedly.
After the hard slap, someone grabbed her by the hair. They shoved her down, slamming her forehead into the cold floor. Whoever did that wasn't satisfied yet. The rage thrown at her only intensified.
"You're such a wh*re!"
"You're a sl*t, ditching your sister's fiancé, hah?!"
Recognizing her three assailants, Jessica summoned her strength and reached out for them.
She seized whatever her palm could grip. Two of the women screamed in outrage and pain as she yanked their newly styled hair.
"You sl*t, let me go!" one woman shrieked. But Jessica had no intention of letting go. She kept pulling until they both kneeled before her.
"What right do you have to attack me?" She yelled back.
Jessica raised her elbow, swinging the back of her palm, and attempted to slap the woman who had kicked her.
Unfortunately, her palm landed on the different face she aimed at.
"Ah!"
A body slumped on Jessica's side, creating a loud thud.
"Monica!"
The three attackers screamed and rushed to Monica's side, coaxing her anxiously.
"Look at what you've done! How dare you hurt Monica?!"
They instantly threw the blame on her, pointing their index fingers at her. But they don't threaten her. Jessica's lips merely twisted into a smirk.
"It's not my fault if she's in the way. The three of you attacked me first." She would not take the blame. Why would she?
"Stop it, Susan. I know my sister didn't mean it. Don't blame her, okay?" Still, Monica defended Jessica using a pitiful voice, but this only upset her three friends.
Concerned, they turned to Monica. "Monica, you're so kind! Even after she seduced your fiancé, you are still defending this bitch!"
"Don't say that, Winnie! It's just a misunderstanding! I know Jessica would not seduce her future brother-in-law. The rumors that she spent a night with Chadrick are baseless… Right, sis?"
Jessica opened her mouth to defend herself, but hesitated when she heard Monica say that. She swallowed the words she wanted to counter.
She never seduced Chad as they believed, but she felt guilty because it was the truth that she had shared his bed, and every touch left her aching with longing and desperate passion.
Trying to steady herself after the confrontation, Jessica straightened and smoothed her hair. Monica's friends were still shrieking behind her. Suddenly, when she spun around, they fell silent. Her eyes flared, despite her bleeding forehead and a cut on her lip from being slapped several times.
She looked different, but only for a moment. She quickly put on her glasses, which almost covered most of her face.
"What's going on here?"
When the commotion erupted, someone rushed to the president's office and alerted Raymond. He hurried over and found his two daughters disheveled.
"Uncle Raymond, it's a good thing you're here. Look at what that adopted b*tch did to your daughter!"
Raymond creases his forehead. He looked around, and upon seeing Mr. Hans standing by the door in the conference room, the color drained from his face.
"What's wrong with you? Why did you bring your friends here?" Raymond approached Monica, grabbing her left arm, momentarily forgetting that she was his favorite daughter.
Monica's eyes welled up. She felt a wave of sadness at her father's accusation. It was the first time he treated her this way. He always spoke to her gently, as a loving father should. He never raised his voice at her. His sudden behavior change surprised her.
"Dad, it hurts."
Raymond just realized how tightly he gripped his daughter's frail arm. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I didn't mean to. But what is going on? Do you realize I have an important client on tour in our company?"
"I—I'm sorry, Daddy, please don't blame Jessica. It's my fault for not stopping my friends from coming to the company and causing a commotion."
Monica kept her facade. Jessica chuckled at how Monica attempted to drag her into this.
Seeing her humbling herself, Monica's three friends objected.
"Monica, why are you apologizing when the person who should be ashamed is that slut adopted daughter in your family!"
"That's right, Monica! Your adopted sister should be ashamed!"
"I don't really understand what is happening here... Care to explain, Jessica?" Raymond turned his head to his left, looking at Jessica with questioning stares.
"I've done nothing wrong, Dad," she answered resolutely.
"Hah! Uncle Raymond, don't believe in her! I saw your adopted daughter with Mr. Murray at a cafe! She is throwing herself at him!"
"Is that so?"
Raymond does not look surprised, and Monica wonders. She looks at her father with anticipation, but she doesn't see any reaction from him. Her father should be angry, right?
'Why doesn't he scold Jessica in front of our employees?'
She wanted Jessica to lose face. She was pleased when her friends believed her sadness was real. But now?
Dissatisfied, Monica tugged Raymond's sleeve.
"Dad?" She bit her lower lip and looked at her father with a pitiful expression. 'Why isn't dad angry at this bitch?'