Chapter 123 Julie's Ordeal

"Onboarding process? Are you going to work at Luminex Innovations?" Julie looked up at Maria in shock, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Julie always thought working at Luminex Innovations was her thing, something she was better at than Maria. But now, with Maria joining too, Julie's face twisted with a mix of emotions. "Which department?"

"The Design Department." Maria didn't see any point in hiding it since it was easy to find out anyway. Julie's face darkened, and the air between them got a bit tense. Julie almost couldn't hide her jealousy.

"You participated in the design competition?" Julie asked, her voice tinged with doubt. Maria nodded without hesitation, causing Julie's expression to stiffen as she forced a smile. "That's impressive. I heard only the top three get in."

Maria just smiled, not saying anything, and the silence grew awkward. Right then, a knock on the door signaled the arrival of their coffee. Maria didn't really know Julie well, and if they hadn't run into each other today, she wouldn't have thought of grabbing coffee together.

Julie was lost in her thoughts, not even noticing her phone ringing until Maria pointed it out. Julie picked up the phone, and her face turned pale upon seeing the caller ID.

"What's up?" Maria asked, noticing Julie's odd reaction. Julie looked at Maria, her face anxious. "Maria, please don't tell my mom about today. I don't want her to worry."

Maria nodded. She wasn't one to gossip, and since Julie asked, she'd be extra careful. But Julie looked so distressed that Maria couldn't help but say, "If you're in trouble, you should call the police. They can help."

Julie shook her head, her voice filled with despair. "They can't help. No one can."

Unless she found a new scapegoat, Julie thought, her eyes locking onto Maria. Considering Maria was joining Luminex Innovations, if she found out about Henry, Julie bit her lip and hatched a plan.

"Maria, I need to tell you something, but you have to keep it a secret, okay?" Julie's eyes were pleading. Maria wasn't too keen on getting involved, but Julie didn't wait for her answer and blurted out, "I was raped."

It happened a month ago. Julie had been transferred to another department because of her stellar performance. When she first got there, the department manager, Vernon Larson, and the supervisor, Marshall Cooper, were super friendly. She thought it was because she was so good at her job. But that illusion shattered after the first week's company dinner.

Julie got drunk. She still had some sense and knew she needed to get home. But when she came back from the restroom, her colleagues were gone, leaving only Vernon. He said the others had gone to karaoke and he was waiting for her. Julie felt guilty and held back her words about wanting to go home, thinking it would be better to say it in front of her colleagues at the karaoke place.

She got into Vernon's car, which was warm and made her sleepy. Just as she was about to doze off, she felt something on her thigh. Julie opened her eyes to see Vernon's hand there, and she was horrified. She tried to struggle, but she was too weak. At this point, Julie knew something was seriously wrong. She wasn't dumb; she could see what Vernon was up to. She tried to open the car door, but it was locked. She struggled and threatened Vernon, even dropping Henry's name, but Vernon didn't buy it. Henry had never shown her any special attention at work, so Vernon didn't believe she had any connection with him.

Vernon dragged Julie to the back seat, his grubby hands unbuttoning her clothes. Julie was beautiful, and Vernon had been eyeing her for a while, which was why she got transferred to his department. As he looked at her delicate body, he couldn't control himself and kissed her. Julie felt disgusted, but her body betrayed her, reacting to his touch. She bit her lip to hold back the urge to moan.

Vernon played with her breasts until her nipples were hard, then moved down. He didn't bother taking off her stockings; he just tore them apart after removing her shorts. Like a dog, he sniffed at her private parts, laughing lewdly, "Why pretend to be pure? You're already so wet."

Julie was filled with shame and anger, biting her lip to stay silent. But soon, her body felt pleasure again, even stronger this time. Unable to hold back, Julie cried out. That night, Vernon had his way with her twice in the car before sending her home.

Julie thought that was the end of it, but she underestimated Vernon's shamelessness. At work, he called her to his office and had sex with her several times. Once, Marshall walked in on them, and to Julie's shock, he joined in. That time, she was so exhausted by the two men that she could barely stand.

Thinking about all this made Julie's face pale, and she didn't want to dwell on it. Today, she managed to escape because Vernon wanted to get her drunk and deliver her to a business partner's bed.

Julie didn't tell Maria everything. She only said that Vernon had drugged and raped her. Maria was shocked but also confused. "Why didn't you call the police? This is clearly a crime."

Julie lowered her head, her voice hoarse. "I can't. If I call the police, everyone at the company will know. Maria, I can't face those judgmental looks."

As she spoke, Julie's eyes reddened. Maria felt sympathy for her, but that was all she could offer. Having just started at Luminex Innovations, she couldn't do much to help. The atmosphere turned silent. Julie forced a smile and said, "Thanks for listening. I feel a bit better now. Maria, I'm sorry for how I've treated you before."

"It's okay." Maria was a bit surprised. Julie had only been verbally harsh and hadn't done anything too bad. Maria didn't dislike her that much; otherwise, she wouldn't have come to the café to listen to her story.

"Maria, I realized you're really nice. I was just focused on Henry and took it out on you. I've given up on Henry now. Maria, can we be friends?"

Julie looked at her hopefully. Maria didn't know how to respond at first. After thinking for a while, she slowly nodded. After all, they lived in the same house, and refusing would seem unkind.

Julie instantly brightened up, chatting about other topics and even sharing some tips about Luminex Innovations.