Chapter 2 A Deep Sense of Shame
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Eloise was confused, wondering what card Callan had placed on the desk.
“What?” She walked over to his desk and saw a hotel room keycard with “Room 1505, Maple Hotel” written on it.
Eloise’s face turned pale in an instant. She looked up at Callan in disbelief, her cheeks flushing. Was Callan the guy she had hooked up with that night?
Out of all the men in the world, she had to sleep with her client! And to make matters worse, she didn’t even recognize him and acted like a heartless woman.
Embarrassment overwhelmed Eloise. She wished she could just disappear into a hole.
She had imagined praising herself and the company, but now, she couldn’t say a word.
She thought maybe she had called out Adam’s name while having sex with Callan. Callan was clever and probably figured it out after investigating. Plus, he had her room keycard, so finding out who the room belonged to was easy.
“Do you recognize me now?” Callan looked up, his sharp eyes fixed on Eloise.
Chapter 2 A Deep Sense of Shame Eloise nodded, feeling a deep sense of shame.
“You should leave now,” Callan said calmly.
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He reached for a pen to write something, clearly indicating that he didn’t want to waste his time with her and there was no
chance of getting the project back.
Eloise didn’t know how she would explain this to Brian when she returned to the company.
She felt desperate and thought she had nothing left to lose, so she boldly said, “I was drunk and couldn’t control myself, but you were sober. Why didn’t you stop it?”
Callan paused, clearly reflecting on Eloise’s words.
“I couldn’t refuse! And thanks to you, I caught a cold!” He lifted his head, staring at Eloise, causing her cheeks to flush again.
He was insinuating that Eloise was too eager, like a desperate woman who hadn’t had sex in ages.
The memories of that night came rushing back to Eloise’s mind. She had wanted to get back at Adam, so she took him wherever they could go – the bathtub, the carpet, even the sink.
“But I didn’t know you, which means I didn’t intend to…” Eloise thought about her words, realizing it would be too blunt and disrespectful to say she didn’t plan on sleeping with him. “I didn’t intend to use that as leverage for the order. I don’t have any character issues.”
Chapter 2 A Deep Sense of Shame
“If I give you the order, it might prove that you do have a character issue,” Callan replied.
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“But…” Eloise’s voice trailed off. “No one else knows about it.”
Callan stared at her.
“Isn’t it enough that I know? Besides, secrets can’t be kept forever. You should leave!” he said.
Eloise admitted that despite Callan’s few words, each one hit home and left her unable to argue.
Unable to bear Callan’s gaze any longer, she left.
Back at the company, Brian was berating his subordinates, as he often did.
Just as Eloise was about to slip away from Brian, he stopped
her.
“Eloise, Girado Group called and said they revoked our bidding documents because our qualifications weren’t up to par. It’s a fucking ridiculous reason, but you need to go beg Mr. Barone. After all, it affects our company’s profits for the next two years. If you can secure the order, I’ll give you a raise. But if you fail, your salary will be cut!” Brian said to Eloise with a stern expression.
Hearing the reason, Eloise was surprised and didn’t expect Callan to come up with such a good excuse to cover up their
Chapter 2 A Deep Sense of Shame
night together.
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Although she promised Brian she would give it a try, she knew it wouldn’t be easy.
After settling into her office, Eloise was greeted by her assistant, Ada.
“Eloise, what did Girado Group say? We have to snag this
project or we won’t get any bonuses this year. I had plans to go to Bergel with my boyfriend at the end of the year. Brian is being unreasonable again,” Ada expressed her dissatisfaction with Brian’s bossy behavior.
Ada’s boyfriend was very wealthy.
Eloise was caught in a dilemma and didn’t know how to tell Ada
that it was all because of that night she slept with Callan.
“I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do,” Eloise helplessly responded.
“Why not give it a shot? Maybe you can send Callan something he likes,” Ada suggested. “Besides, you’re so pretty. He might go easy on you.”
Eloise lacked the courage to face Callan.
She could tolerate a pay cut, but going to Callan again and embarrassing herself was too shameful.
After work, Eloise headed back to her uncle’s house.
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with
Having lost both her parents at a young age, she grew up her uncle, Derek Riley, and her aunt–in–law, Medea Riley. She also had a cousin named Eliza Riley. Medea and Eliza made her life difficult during her stay in their house. One day, after school, Eloise encountered some troublemakers. When Derek went to pick her up, he ended up with a broken spine from those troublemakers‘ actions.
The troublemakers were later caught by the police and had to pay for Derek’s medical expenses, but Derek would remain bedridden for the rest of his life.
Since then, Eloise’s life became even more miserable in Derek’s house. Medea held a grudge against her. Aside from making her do household chores, Medea would yell and insult her every day.
When Eloise went to the police station to cooperate with the investigation, the troublemakers claimed they were after Eliza and mistook Eloise for her. It explained why Eliza wanted to switch clothes that day and why she didn’t accompany Eloise after school for the first time.
But the truth didn’t change anything. Medea continued to berate Eloise frequently.
During her four years in college, Eloise worked multiple part–time jobs to pay for tuition, allowing her to graduate. When Eloise started dating Adam, Medea’s attitude towards her softened because Adam came from a wealthy family. Medea adamantly refused to let Eloise move out, threatening to cause trouble at the company if Eloise left.
Chapter 2 A Deep Sense of Shame
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After Eloise graduated, Medea demanded that she transfer five thousand dollars to her account every month.
Medea was reluctant to let Eloise move out because she wanted to extort money from her.
It was a struggle for Eloise to earn five thousand dollars when she first graduated. But as she got promoted and received a raise, she felt obligated to give Medea an additional two thousand dollars each month out of guilt for Derck.
Despite accepting the pay cut, Eloise felt distressed and somewhat depressed.
Upon arriving home from work today, Eloise noticed that Eliza was surprisingly wearing a particularly joyful expression.
In the past, Eliza always had a sour expression on her face.
“Why are you so excited?” Eloise asked her.
“Eloise, I got a job offer from Girado Group, and I’ll start working tomorrow. I’ll be the assistant to the design director in the advertising department,” Eliza said, rolling her eyes at Eloise. “The next step after being an assistant is becoming the director. Girado Group is a big company, much better than your small company.”
“Congratulations! Since you’ve found a job, what gift do you want?” Eloise asked kindly.
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They were cousins, and Eloise was just one month older than Eliza.
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Eloise started working after completing her undergraduate studies, while Eliza used her money to pursue further studies.
Moreover, Eliza always wanted whatever Eloise had since they were kids. If Eloise got something, Eliza would scheme to get it
too.
When Eloise started dating Adam, Eliza wanted him too.
“I want you to pick me up when I finish work on Monday!” Eliza said arrogantly.
Eliza probably wanted to show off that she leaves work with Adam.
Little did they know that Adam had already broken up with
Eloise.
Eloise remembered Ada’s suggestion to give Callan something he liked. She thought she could use the excuse of picking up Eliza to see Callan and bring him some cold medicine.
Eloise wanted to take a chance and see if she could run into
Callan.
Even if she didn’t, it wouldn’t bother her too much.
With that in mind, Eloise agreed, “Sure.”
next chapter plzz