Chapter 119 Wrath
Chapter 119 Wrath
The marketing manager's presentation echoed through the boardroom. Xavier sat at the head of the table with an impassive expression. His index finger tapped the glass surface in a constant, rhythmic motion. The atmosphere in the room was thick with tension. No one dared to make the slightest sound other than the manager who was currently speaking.
Buzz. Buzz.
The phone inside Xavier's suit pocket vibrated softly. Xavier ignored it. His eyes remained fixed in a sharp glare on the projector screen at the front of the room.
Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.
The vibrations continued relentlessly. Xavier clicked his tongue softly.
"Tsk."
He reached into his suit pocket, annoyed that his concentration had been broken. He glanced at his phone screen. There were a dozen incoming messages from Frans.
Xavier opened the latest message on the screen. His eyes widened instantly. His jaw clenched so tight that the veins in his neck bulged. His heart raced at a painful speed.
Slam!
Xavier slammed his open palm against the glass table. The loud crash made everyone in the room jump in their seats. The marketing manager snapped his mouth shut immediately.
"Meeting dismissed, right now," Xavier said in a heavy, cold voice.
"But Mr. Xavier, this financial report has not..." a director tried to speak.
"I said dismissed!" Xavier barked. His voice boomed across every corner of the room.
Xavier stood up instantly, turned on his heel, and bolted out of the boardroom. He left his suit jacket draped over the chair. He pressed the private elevator button brutally, over and over again. His hands trembled violently. His mind was flooded with terrible visions of his wife.
Meanwhile, down in the main lobby, the receptionist still had her arms folded across her chest. She smiled cunningly at Frans, who stood frozen with his back to her. She assumed the CEO's assistant agreed with her actions to kick out this shabby woman. She felt as though she had saved the company's reputation.
"Mr. Frans, you should call security now. This crazy woman is very stubborn," the receptionist coaxed, her voice pitched to sound as sweet as possible.
Frans did not answer. He continued to stare at Agatha with an anxious gaze. His hands were clenched tightly at his sides. He was fighting the urge to slap the woman standing behind him.
"Do you hear me, Mr. Frans? Let me just call security if you are too busy," the woman added, stepping toward the telephone on the desk.
Ding!
The chime of the CEO's private elevator rang out loudly. The gleaming steel doors opened slowly. Every employee gathered in the lobby held their breath. They immediately bowed their heads.
Xavier stepped out of the elevator. His black shirt looked messy, the sleeves rolled up haphazardly. His wild eyes swept across the entire lobby area. His chest rose and fell rapidly.
"Agatha!" Xavier called out in a booming voice.
The receptionist's smile grew even wider seeing her big boss come down. She quickly adjusted the buttons of her shirt, which she had intentionally left unfastened a bit low. She stepped forward with an exaggerated sway of her hips, intending to welcome Xavier.
"Mr. Xavier, you must be disturbed by all this commotion," the receptionist said in a flirtatious tone. "You do not need to worry. I am taking care of this trash for you."
Xavier did not spare the woman a single glance. He walked right past her, their shoulders brushing slightly. Xavier broke into a light run toward Agatha, who was still holding her stomach near a pillar.
"Sweetheart," Xavier whispered.
Xavier immediately dropped to his knees in front of Agatha, uncaring that his expensive trousers touched the marble floor. His hands trembled as he touched both of his wife's arms. His face was deathly pale.
"Are you hurt? Where does it hurt? Tell me," a barrage of questions tumbled from Xavier's mouth. He looked at his wife's face with a gaze full of panic.
Agatha looked into her husband's face. She let out a long breath. "I am fine, Xavier. Do not panic in front of all these people."
"Frans said you were pushed. Did you fall? Did your stomach hit the floor?" Xavier carefully felt Agatha's back and waist.
"Ugh, my stomach just tightened a little because I moved suddenly. I managed to keep my balance," Agatha answered softly. She stroked Xavier's jaw to calm him.
The receptionist's mouth fell open at the sight before her. The cold man whom everyone feared was now kneeling on the floor for a woman in dull, loose clothing. She blinked rapidly, thinking her eyes were playing tricks on her.
"Mr. Xavier? What are you doing? That woman is a crazy beggar who claims to be your wife," the receptionist said. She forced an awkward laugh. "You do not need to pity her. She is just looking for your attention."
The movement of Xavier's hand rubbing Agatha's back stopped. He looked up slowly. His eyes stared straight at the receptionist. The air in the lobby felt like it had frozen solid. The aura around Xavier turned incredibly dark.
Xavier rose from his kneeling position. He stood towering with his imposing posture. He took slow steps toward the woman.
"What did you just say?" Xavier asked in a very low tone.
The receptionist swallowed hard. Her legs began to tremble when she saw the murderous flash in her boss's eyes. "I... I was only protecting this company, Mr. Xavier. This shabby woman entered without permission. She even brought a cheap cloth bag. She came here on purpose to trap you with that swollen belly of hers."
"Shut your mouth," Xavier hissed.
"Sir, I am only trying to do my job well. I was worried she would ruin your reputation. Low-class people like her..."
"I told you to shut your filthy mouth!" Xavier barked. His voice echoed, shattering the silence of the lobby.
Several employees who were watching reflexively stepped back. The receptionist immediately fell silent. Tears began to well up in her eyes from absolute terror. A chill ran down her spine.
"You dared to touch my wife? You dared to push the woman who is carrying my children?" Xavier stepped forward. He exerted a pressure that backed the woman into the edge of the reception desk.
"Wife? Im... impossible. She is so ugly," the receptionist mumbled, stuttering subconsciously.
Xavier raised his hand, preparing to deliver a blow, but he stopped himself when he heard a soft groan from behind.
"Mmh," Agatha winced, holding the left side of her stomach.
Xavier's attention shifted completely. He turned his body, leaving the receptionist who had slumped weakly to the floor. Xavier looked at his personal assistant who had been standing by the whole time.
"Frans," Xavier called out firmly.
"Yes, Sir," Frans answered promptly.
"Deal with this woman. Find out who dared to hire her here. I will teach her a lesson myself once my business is finished," Xavier ordered.
"Yes, Mr. Xavier. I will take care of it right now."
"Sir! Please forgive me! I truly did not know! Mr. Xavier, please have mercy on me!" the receptionist began to cry hysterically. She crawled forward and tried to grab Xavier's shoes.
Frans quickly kicked the woman's hand away. He grabbed the back collar of the receptionist's shirt and yanked her forcefully to her feet. "Keep your mouth shut, or I will break your jaw right here."
Xavier returned to Agatha. He slid one hand under the crease of Agatha's knees and the other behind her upper back. In one strong motion, Xavier lifted Agatha's body into his arms.
"Akh, Xavier. I can walk by myself. I brought lunch for you," Agatha said, showing the cloth bag she had been holding tightly all along.
"We will eat in my office," Xavier replied. His eyes kept staring at his wife's face.
Xavier took decisive steps toward his private elevator. He held his wife's body fiercely, as if afraid someone else would hurt her again. The employees lined up along the path to the elevator quickly parted, making a wide path. The elevator doors opened automatically. Xavier stepped into the steel box.
Agatha rested her head against Xavier's broad chest. She could feel her husband's heart still racing incredibly fast beneath the thin shirt. Agatha's hand slowly stroked Xavier's chest.
"Are you absolutely sure you are not hurt, Sweetheart?" Xavier asked as the elevator doors slowly began to slide shut.
Agatha was just about to open her mouth to answer the question. Suddenly, an intense, agonizing pain stabbed through her lower back. Along with the pain, a rush of warm liquid seeped quickly between her legs, trailing down and dripping onto the elevator floor.
"Xavier," Agatha called out. Her voice sounded incredibly hoarse and trembled violently. "I think..."