Chapter 41
Harrison walks to me calmly. When our eyes meet, I suddenly feel guilty, because I always get him in trouble. I lower my head, not daring to look at him. Natasha's eagerly waiting for Harrison's decision. A lot of women are gathering around her. Harrison, who stays calm, doesn't ask me what has happened. At the bottom of my heart, I feel an unprecedented sorrow. As Harrison has said, power and money can make people ignore the rules, let alone the facts.
"Harrison, say something. How are we gonna fix this today? Your woman seduced my man while we were discussing business. I can't just let it go." Natasha sounds like she really likes that man. After that, she looks at me and says, "I heard she was a slut at the last banquet. Mr. Stewart, I don't think this woman is worth giving up your business with me."
I feel uncomfortable to hear this. A slut? I want to refute, but someone holds my shoulder.
I'm stunned. Raising my head, I look at
Harrison, who's smiling at me as if he's trying to appease my anger.
"Are you denying my charisma, Natasha? Do you think your man is better than me?" Harrison asks with a smile.
There's a hint of laughter in his voice, making it impossible for others get mad at him.
The truth finally comes out after Harrison made a few phone calls. Natasha's man has no idea there are cameras in the hallway outside the bathroom. When we get the surveillance footage, he finally shuts up. Natasha didn't apologize for wronging me. Instead, she gave me a meaningful look before she leaves.
I don't want to know what she means, nor do I want to see her again.
On the way back, I look at Harrison's side face. He's taking me home just like the night we met, and I'm just as enamored with his handsome face as I was that time.
He chuckles and brings me back from my memory. I hurriedly look away from his face and change the subject. "I won't thank you for today. That's what you should do." "Oh?" he asks, "You knew that I would help you?"
I shake my head. "To be honest, I thought you might sacrifice me when you came to me. After all, I could have cost you your business with Natasha."
"Compared to your business, I'm worthless, aren't I?"
As hurtful as that sounds, I'd rather I said it than him.
No one can understand how I feel. I'm not on equal footing with him and I have to listen to him. I've had trouble at both banquets. What about next time? It's only a matter of time before I go mad with all this trouble.
Recently, I have wondered more than once whether meeting him at the most desperate time was my good fortune or the beginning of another tragedy.
Harrison says while driving, "I'm not gonna lose my business unless you were lying."
"What if I was lying?" I ask in another way.
He thinks for a moment and says, "Then you wouldn't be sitting here right now but receiving Natasha's punishment."
For some reason, I feel a chill run down my spine. Why can he still be so calm?
I want to thank myself fro being honest from beginning to end. I'm glad to be a man of principle after all I've been through. What happened tonight is not really a big deal.
I've been feeling a lot of whispering at work lately. Every time I try to ask my colleagues, they walk away without a word.
At noon, I bring it up while having lunch with Sean. "I think there's been a misunderstanding, so we'd better keep our distance."
"Don't do that. We're friends. Why do you have to care about others?" Sean disagrees.
"I got the offer because of you. I don't want to be gossiped." I insist.
Actually, I'd rather not have anything to do with Sean. He's no longer the same guy he was in high school.
Social experience may have changed him, but I don't like this kind of change. At my insistence, he agreed not to have lunch with me any more.
At tea time, I accidentally spilled juice on my shirt while eating fruit.
There's a bathroom next to the tea room. I go in to get the stain out of my shirt because it is so obvious.
"Did you see that? Chelsea has a special relationship with Sean."
I stop. I already knew that everyone was talking about me and Sean, but this is the first time I have heard this.
"Hell yeah! Look at how nice Sean is to her. I bet they're in a relationship."
"But I heard they were classmates. Maybe he's just being nice to his classmate."
"You're too naive. The words 'Affair' and 'Classmate' always come together."
"I feel sorry for Sean's wife. She's going into labor. If she finds out about this, she'll probably get a divorce."
I'm not in the mood to continue listening. I just want to tell them immediately that Sean and I are just classmates. We didn't do anything wrong.
But just as I'm about to do it, I change my mind.
There's no point in explaining. I might as well stay away from Sean and let the rumor mill grind to a halt.
I hate cheating, so I'm never gonna be the other woman. When I'm thinking about this, Harrison's face comes to my mind. What if he makes me the other woman? When I get off work, I see Sean's car not far away. I turn a blind eye to it and want to leave, but he stops me.
"I've been waiting for you. Didn't you see me?" He says with a grievance.
I nod. "Yes, but I think we should keep a distance."
He didn't seem to see that coming. "Chelsea, we are all adults, so don't be so impulsive. Let's have a good talk."
After thinking for a while, I get into his car. It's the best way to stop this matter from getting worse.
But I didn't notice the smile at the corner of his mouth.