Chapter 214 One Last Hurt

Chapter 214 One Last Hurt
Leon’s POV

By one o'clock in the afternoon, I was almost dying from all the awkwardness at the office.

First, I couldn't focus on any work at all. Every time I looked up from my desk through the glass walls of my office, I saw Bianca sitting at her computer, typing away with a cold, distant look on her face.

She was completely ignoring me, treating me like nothing more than some kind of invisible little ghost in an expensive suit.

I was still contemplating ways to apologize for my unknown wrongs or even get her to speak to me, when I heard my telephone ring.

I picked up, somehow glad for a distraction. “Yes," I replied dryly.

“Your 1:00pm meeting has arrived, sir. Should I send her in?"

I looked at the clock and nodded, “sure."

A few minutes later, my office door opened softly, and Miss Folake stepped inside.

Miss Folake was one of our primary international shipping investors and I didn't like how boldly flirtatious she was.

Don't get me wrong, it feels good to gain the interests of a beautiful and successful woman, but when your heart belongs elsewhere, everything feels like an irritation.

Miss Folake was wearing a tailored designer dress, her hair pulled back into a sleek style and she still had that annoyingly charming smile.

"Good afternoon, Leon," Folake said, stepping toward my desk with a bright, charming grin. "I hope you haven't forgotten about our scheduled working lunch today. We still need to finalize the regional distribution contracts for the upcoming quarter."

"Of course not, Miss Folake," I said, standing up from my chair and buttoning my suit jacket. "I have the files ready."

"Please, call me Folake," she purred, leaning against the edge of my desk. "We've been doing business together for sometime now. There's no need to be so formal."

"Right," I said politely, stepping around the desk.

As we walked out into the corridor, my eyes instinctively drifted toward Bianca’s workstation.

She was leaning over her desk and I stopped in my tracks and looked at her.

I couldn't bear the thought of going to a private lunch while she sat here alone, eating dry crackers or skipping meals entirely.

"Bianca," I called out softly, keeping my voice calm.

She paused, inhaling deeply before she slowly lifted her head. Her eyes were completely flat, looking right through me. "Yes, Mr. Steele?"

"Miss Folake and I are heading out for a work lunch at the restaurant downstairs to discuss the regional distribution contracts," I said, offering her a faint smile. "You are the head partner managing the tracking lines for this project. Please, join us. Your input on the regional hubs would be very valuable."

Folake turned around, glancing at Bianca with a subtle, dismissive eyebrow raised.

“You wouldn't mind that, would you?" I asked Folake on a second thought.

She shrugged quickly and offered a polite smile. "No, of course not. The more the merrier, I suppose."

Bianca didn't even blink. She set her pen down on the desk and shook her head.

"Thank you for the invitation, Mr. Steele," Bianca said briskly. "However, I have far too much work to take care of here at my desk. The manifests for the northern hubs need to be verified before three o'clock, and I cannot afford to waste time on a lunch meeting. You can handle the discussion without me."

Yeah, right. She was definitely overworking herself because that could be completed in the next month and it would still be timely!

"Are you sure, Bianca? The work can wait an hour. You haven't eaten anything all day."

"I am very sure, Mr. Steele," she replied, looking right back down at her papers, completely cutting off the conversation. "Have a pleasant lunch."

I stood there for a second, feeling the awkward silence hanging between us.

Folake cleared her throat softly, touching my arm.

"Well," she said sweetly. "It seems your partner is very dedicated to her paperwork, Leon. Shall we go? The driver is waiting downstairs."

"Right," I muttered, reluctantly turning away from Bianca’s desk.

We took the elevator down to the ground floor and Thomas drove us to the restaurant which was a good distance away.

The place was quiet, filled with soft piano music and wealthy executives having quiet business conversations.

The waiter led us to a private booth in the back, setting down two menus and pouring sparkling water into our glasses.

Throughout the entire lunch, Folake made it blatantly obvious that she was interested in far more than just shipping manifests and distribution percentages.

She sat across from me, leaning forward on her elbows so her eyes were fixed directly on mine.

Every time I tried to steer the conversation back to the logistics figures or the contract clauses, she would laugh softly, touch her glass, and shift the topic back to my personal life.

"You look a bit stressed today, Leon," Folake said smoothly, tilting her head as she took a small sip of her wine. "A powerful man like you shouldn't be carrying so much weight on his shoulders. You work far too hard."

"Running a global logistics firm requires a lot of attention, Folake," I said flatly, keeping my eyes fixed on the printed contract sitting on the table between us. "Now, regarding section four of the agreement—"

"Oh, forget section four for just five minutes," she interrupted with a chuckle as she reached across the table and placed her hand directly over mine.

Her fingers were warm, but the touch made my entire body tense up with discomfort. "We have already agreed on the core numbers, Leon. Tell me about you. I heard rumors that you recently cleared out your estate. No wife, no family drama... you must be feeling very free these days."

I immediately pulled my hand away from under hers, picking up my glass of water to create physical distance between us.

"My personal life is completely stable, Folake. And I prefer to keep my private affairs entirely separate from my work."

Folake didn't seem bothered by my cold rejection at all. In fact, it seemed to spark her interest even more.

She leaned back in her leather chair, smirking.

"You are always so serious, Leon," she murmured, a playful smile touching her lips. "That dark, stoic aura of yours is precisely why women find you so irresistible. But a man can't stay alone forever. You need a real woman by your side, someone who understands your status, someone who can handle your world without going crazy."

I didn't answer her.

All I could think about was Bianca. Bianca, who didn't care about my billions, who didn't care about my status, and who was currently sitting upstairs in an empty office because she wouldn't tell me what I'd done wrong.

The contrast between the woman sitting across from me and the woman waiting upstairs was staggering.

"If we are finished reviewing the main contract points, Folake," I said, setting my napkin down on the table and signaling the waiter for the bill, "I need to get back to my desk. We have a board briefing at three."

"Always so eager to rush back to work," Folake sighed as she stood up from the table. "Very well, Mr. Steele. Let's head back upstairs."

I paid the bill, and we walked out of the restaurant together, heading to the car.

Folake walked exceptionally close to me as we finally arrived back at Steele Tower. Her arm kept brushing against my suit jacket with every step she took. I kept my posture rigid, moving quickly toward the private elevator.

I hit the button, and the doors slid open as we stepped inside and I pressed the button for the top floor.

As soon as the door shut, Folake moved closer to me, smiling.

“I was thinking if I could invite you over for dinner," she offered sweetly.

"Folake, please," I growled. "We are in a work environment."

"Oh, relax, Leon," she whispered, stepping right into my personal space.

Before I could step back or push her away, Folake reached out, placed a hand on my shoulder, stood up on her tiptoes, and pressed her lips firmly against my cheek.

At that exact, terrible second, the elevator let out a chime as it reached the middle floor and the doors slid open.

Standing right there in the hallway, holding a stack of blue shipping files in her hands, was Bianca.

My heart stopped in my chest.

Bianca stood perfectly still outside the elevator, her eyes went wide for a second, staring directly at Folake, whose face was still inches away from mine, her hand resting against my suit jacket.

Bianca looked at the red lipstick mark on my cheek, then looked directly into my eyes.

"Bianca—" I choked out as I instantly shoved Folake away from me.

"Excuse me, Mr. Steele," Bianca said flatly, looking away from us. "I didn't mean to interrupt your private meeting."

"Bianca, wait!" I pleaded, stepping forward out of the elevator as the doors began to slide shut again.

I hit the door sensor with my hand, forcing the panels to stay open. "It's not what you think. Miss Folake was just—"

"I really do not care what Miss Folake was doing, Mr. Steele," Bianca cut me off smoothly. She didn't even look at Folake, who was standing inside the elevator smoothing down her dress with a smug smile on her face. "I was simply on my way down to the filing room to drop off the regional tracking manifests. Please, continue your ride."

"Bianca, please look at me," I begged, taking a step toward her in the hallway, completely ignoring the two junior secretaries who were watching us from down the corridor. "Listen to me for one second."

"I have work to do, Mr. Steele," she said, stepping around me and marching down the hallway.

I whipped around to face Folake. "I think we've completed our lunch, if you have any concerns, please take it up with my assistant.”

"Leon, why is that little girl talking to you like that just because she's your new partner at work?”

I almost slapped the stupidity off her face.

"Have a nice day, Miss Folake,” I said dismissively and walked off.

I didn't mind losing that deal if I could turn back the hands of time and make Bianca not see us in that elevator.