Chapter 54 Torture
The day felt like a long examination for Audrey.
Since morning, the woman had decided to avoid Elliot as much as possible.
Whenever Audrey had to deal with the man, she ensured their conversations were brief, straight to the point, leaving no room for further discussion.
And to her slight relief, Elliot didn't seem to try to make things difficult. The man remained cold and professional as usual, showing no signs of wanting to discuss what had happened before.
However, even so, the memory of the incident in the car last night continued to haunt Audrey.
Who could forget an incident like that in a short time?
"Focus, Audrey. Focus!" she muttered, staring at the computer screen in front of her.
Despite her best efforts, Audrey managed to throw her full concentration into her work.
The clock showed 4 PM when the phone on her desk rang. Audrey sighed softly before answering. "Yes, Mr. Harrington?"
"To my office. Now," Elliot's voice sounded firm and highly commanding.
Audrey swallowed, her body tensing slightly. "Yes, Sir."
She tried to calm herself as she walked toward Elliot's office. Each step felt slow because her legs suddenly felt weak, but she tried to keep her face composed.
When she reached the door, Audrey exhaled once, then knocked softly.
"Come in."
Audrey carefully opened the door to Elliot's office, then entered after hearing permission from inside. The man seemed busy reading something on his desk, not even looking at her at all.
"Sit on the couch," Elliot instructed curtly. Audrey nodded softly and immediately did as requested.
The atmosphere felt intensely silent. Moments passed as if in slow motion, making Audrey increasingly nervous. She didn't know what Elliot wanted, but she tried to restrain herself from showing too much awkwardness.
A few minutes later, Elliot finally stood up. The man took a report and a tablet from his desk, then walked toward the couch. Without saying anything, he sat next to Audrey, making the distance between them feel extremely close.
"This is the report you need to check," Elliot said, handing the document to Audrey. "And these are the analysis results on the tablet. I want you to recalculate some probabilities based on this data."
Audrey accepted both with slightly trembling hands, but she tried to mask it with a serious expression. "Yes, Sir. I will check them immediately."
"Good," Elliot replied, leaning his back against the couch, but his gaze remained focused on Audrey.
Audrey immediately opened the report and began reading. However, even though her mind tried hard to focus on the numbers in front of her, she couldn't ignore Elliot's sharp stare that kept observing her.
She felt hot all over, especially when the man suddenly moved, as if adjusting his sitting position, and his elbow accidentally brushed Audrey's arm.
"Sorry," Elliot said briefly, but there wasn't the slightest hint of apology on his face. Instead, there was a strange glint in his eyes that made Audrey even more flustered.
"I-it's fine, Sir," Audrey replied nervously, looking down so the man wouldn't see the blush that now decorated her face.
However, the situation didn't stop there. As Audrey tried to type on the tablet, Elliot slowly leaned in. He pointed to one of the columns on the screen with his finger, bringing their faces only inches apart.
"In this section, you need to re-evaluate the margin of error," Elliot said in a serious tone. However, his eyes weren't entirely focused on the screen. Occasionally, his gaze flickered toward Audrey's face.
"Oh, yes... of course, Sir," Audrey quickly responded, her voice slightly shaky and getting softer. Everything suddenly felt strange.
Meanwhile, Elliot seemed to enjoy Audrey's reaction. He never looked away for too long, as if trying to gauge how far the woman would maintain her composure.
"Are you uncomfortable?" Elliot suddenly asked, making Audrey jump.
"N-no, Sir," Audrey quickly replied, forcing a stiff smile, even though it was clearly a lie.
"Then continue," Elliot replied with a tone that sounded meaningful. Even the thin smile that curved now looked slightly terrifying to Audrey.
Audrey tried to refocus, but every small touch, sharp gaze, and Elliot's close presence disrupted her concentration. Her hand even almost pressed the wrong button on the screen several times.
"Audrey," Elliot called again, this time his voice was lower.
Audrey turned, her eyes meeting the man's intense gaze directly. She felt like she was drowning in those eyes, but quickly took a deep breath to calm herself. "Is there anything you would like to add?"
Elliot didn't answer immediately. He just stared deeply at her, before finally saying in a tone that was almost a whisper. "You're too tense. Just relax. I won't bite."
Audrey gasped, but she tried to offer a small smile to cover her embarrassment. "I just want to make sure there are no errors in these calculations, Sir."
Elliot smiled faintly. "I'm sure you won't make a mistake. You always ensure everything is perfect, don't you?"
The comment made Audrey's heart flutter, but she immediately looked down, refocusing her attention on the tablet in her hands.
"Do you have the final result?" Elliot asked after genuinely allowing Audrey to work.
His secretary nodded, smiling with satisfaction. A smile that made Elliot Harrington's feelings flip and made him even more captivated.
"Can you explain what I should do with that result?" Elliot asked, still staring intently at Audrey.
Audrey held up the tablet with both hands, trying to remain professional even though she felt Elliot's intense gaze made her chest tighten. She inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to keep her voice stable as she answered.
"Based on this data, Sir," Audrey said, rotating the tablet screen so Elliot could see it more clearly. "We have three main scenarios for the probability of the acquisition result. The first scenario is maintaining the current structure. However, the profit margin is only around 15%, which may not meet the company's target."
She quickly glanced up, ensuring Elliot was still listening. But when she looked at the man, Elliot's eyes weren't on the tablet. Instead, his gaze remained fixed on her, making her face flush again.
"The second scenario," Audrey continued with slight nervousness, forcing herself to stay focused. "Involves changing the asset structure by moving some divisions to a new location. This increases the profit margin up to 23%, but the risk is higher."
Elliot only nodded subtly, as if checking, but his eyes still hadn't moved from Audrey. He leaned slightly closer, his hand reaching out as if to take the tablet, but instead accidentally touched Audrey's hand.
"Sorry," Elliot murmured in a low tone, but he didn't immediately pull his hand away. The touch was brief, but long enough to make Audrey even more uneasy.