Chapter51 Caius Catches Her with Soren
Linnea really wished she could pretend she hadn't heard anything.
She actually did, because Soren and Cameron quickly came over, making Caius lose his chance to threaten her quietly. Soren wore a slight smile. "Mr. Caius, you've nearly frightened my dear friend—Ms. Linnea. That's not the behavior of a gentleman."
A flash of annoyance at the interruption crossed Caius's eyes, like a wolf king whose pleasure in toying with his prey was ruined by a young male wolf who didn't know his place. He cracked a smile. "And you are?"
But he didn't look like he didn't recognize Soren.
Even though Soren's family was well-established, Caius's age, refined by experience, and his commanding arrogance as an alpha male still created a subtle difference in their presence.
Soren's smile stiffened for a moment.
"Soren Sterling, Clinical Development Manager at Thorne Medical Devices. I've met you before at work."
"The Sterling family?" Caius's evaluation was cool. "Not bad."
Linnea was surprised. The Sterling family? Weren't they the deep-rooted medical dynasty?
Rumor had it that all members of the Sterling family showed immense talent in the medical field from a young age, and the family held many exclusive healing techniques that could miraculously bring people back from the brink of death.
She had never known about Soren's background.
Soren had used a common fake surname all through college. Perhaps out of respect, or lack of interest, even though Linnea vaguely sensed he had a mysterious family aura, she had politely not thought much of it.
"Thanks for the compliment." Even the usually guarded Soren rarely dropped his smile in the face of such undisguised animosity. "But I apologize, right now my dear friend and I need to start our workout, so we must cut this chat short."
"Who said I'm leaving? I'm here to work out too," Caius said smoothly. He looked at Linnea. "Since I coincidentally ran into Ms. Linnea, of course, we'll work out together. Wouldn't you agree, Ms. Linnea?"
Linnea wanted to shrink into the floor.
She could only nod, immediately receiving a slightly wounded look from Soren.
"Linnea, you two know each other? Could you introduce us?"
She vaguely replied, "Mr. Caius here is... my boss."
Caius smiled. "And introduce me, too?"
"Mr. Soren is... my friend."
Soren immediately looked proud.
"So you are Linnea's boss. I heard she's your assistant? Thank you for looking out for my dear friend. She says you are a very good... boss."
He deliberately emphasized "dear friend" and "boss."
Linnea nervously glanced at Caius. His expression was normal, showing no change in mood.
Only the look he gave her sent an unwarranted shiver down her spine.
Cameron gave Soren a helpless look. He coughed twice and walked out while pretending to take a call.
The two men who remained showed no sign of leaving.
Soren continued to politely exchange pleasantries with Caius. "Linnea must be doing excellent work at the company? Otherwise, she wouldn't be favored by a powerful CEO like you."
"She is indeed doing well. Not just in her work, of course."
"Yes. Linnea is exceptional herself. As her dear friend, I am also deeply impressed by her charm..."
"Is that so? I didn't know she liked to spend all her free time charming other people."
Linnea was extremely annoyed, rapidly draining her energy. During her last set of dumbbell curls, her wrist loosened, and the weight nearly slipped.
A fresh scent of men's cologne hit her—the same one Soren used four years ago. "...Why so careless?"
Soren, who was closest to her, helped stabilize the dumbbell.
At the same time, his hand wrapped around the back of hers, and his freshly-worked-out chest pressed against her back. "Are you running out of energy? If that hit your foot, I'd be heartbroken."
"...Thank you."
Linnea didn't dare breathe. She could feel Caius's chilling gaze.
Caius stepped off the treadmill, his eyes fixed on their overlapped hands. "Mr. Soren is certainly helpful. But is that dumbbell really so heavy? Does it really take two people and two hands to lift it?"
"Linnea, did you and Mr. Soren agree to come to the gym because you anticipated needing his help in this area?"
"I..." Linnea was close to tears.
Soren finally released her, speaking in a very familiar tone. "You used to get weak a lot back in college. When you got cramps after a long-distance run, I was the one who personally put a cold compress on you."
"Don't worry. We'll work out together often from now on. I'll take good care of you. Just one more set? I'm here to spot you."
But just then, a phone rang.
Soren frowned as he answered. "...A surprise inspection at Thorne Group headquarters? I'm not at the company. Please find someone else."
Hanging up, he gave Caius a flat look.
Caius merely shrugged. "If you're really busy, you can leave. Otherwise, if you're not there and they uncover some violations or illegal activities, what will you do then, I wonder?"
"Mr. Caius, you—"
"It's a routine group inspection. Do you have a problem with that, as an employee?"
The smile froze on Soren's face, but he could only tell Linnea, "I'm sorry, Linnea, please excuse me for a moment."
He walked away.
Linnea couldn't help but mutter, "Some people just use dirty tricks."
She only dared to complain softly. How could she possibly challenge Caius's authority? Yet Caius walked toward her.
"...What are you doing? Soren is still here!"
"Can't let him find out?"
"Do you want your top executive to walk in on your affair?"
"Linnea, what are you thinking? I wasn't going to do anything." Caius feigned surprise, but forcefully used his hand to separate her legs, his thumb pressing deep into the bend of her knee. "When using this machine, tensing your thigh can strain your knee."
...Her leg did feel relieved.
He leaned close, and only then did Linnea realize—it was the first time she had seen Caius in workout clothes. She was momentarily stunned. It made Caius look a bit younger and made her even more aware that he was at an age where his energy and desire were mature and robust.
"But judging by your reaction, it really doesn't look like I didn't do anything... Is your face burning up?"
Linnea was shocked. Did she really react?
She immediately turned her face away in embarrassment. After Caius left, she caught sight of her pale face in a reflection on the machine... That Caius, he always found ways to tease her!
She was too angry to speak. Then, she noticed a faint bruise in the bend of her knee. That violent Caius...!
Soren returned, and he confirmed, "I apologize. I have to leave for a bit. There are some issues with the surprise inspection that I must handle."
As he left, the look in Soren's eyes was a fleeting disappointment. Linnea immediately felt a sense of guilt for letting him down.
When Caius turned back, she quickly stood up. "I think my workout for today is over."
"Tired?"
Linnea didn't dare answer. She fled toward the changing room but forgot her locker key.
She pounded her head and was worrying about it when she heard the lock turn. She forgot to lock the door!
"...Damn it!" She instantly slammed against the door, trying to block it, but a tightly muscled arm steadily pushed the door open anyway.
Another arm squeezed through the widening gap and grabbed her wrist!
Her wrist immediately lost strength, and a strong, hot body completely squeezed through the gap. In a dizzying moment, she was pinned hard against the lockers.
"You dare lure other men, yet you're afraid of being disciplined by your master?"
"You naughty, fearless kitten... I finally caught you."