Chapter 52: Chapter 52

Chapter 52: Bartering

I thought that after saying those things to Enzo, he would feel ashamed and reconsider his words and actions of rudeness and meanness, but I was wrong. I didn't know before that Enzo might also try to flirt with female partners like this, which I couldn't accept even if it was just a harmless joke that didn't harm me.

Back home, Enzo and I became distant from each other again, his face becoming colder and more irritated every time he saw me, even though I did nothing wrong, just my presence made him uncomfortable.

Taylor was still the driver who took me to the company, despite my many refusals, but the only answer I received was:

"This is my duty."

But when I arrived at the company, the atmosphere in the office made me feel suffocating and tense, I didn't know what had happened since I was new here.

One of my subordinates spoke hesitantly:

"Flora... please come to the chairman's office, he wants to meet you."

I raised my eyebrows, not knowing what was so important that the chairman wanted to meet me. I nodded and said:

"I know."

But when I was about to leave the room, she continued:

"I don't feel okay."

Looking at her anxious expression, I only knew how to console her with a few words and then leave the office. Along the corridor, many employees looked at me with a shy and avoidant gaze, I didn't think I had done anything wrong to them to have such an attitude of avoidance towards me.

Entering the chairman's office, I went straight to ask what was going on:

"Is there anything, sir?"

The middle-aged man looked up from the documents and breathed heavily as if he was furious. As I had predicted, he slammed the documents on the table and said:

"Flora, do you know what terrible things you have done? Clearly, you also know that this project is very important to the company, but in your position as the person responsible for this project, you are gradually destroying it."

I didn't understand what he was talking about, I was doing my job very well, even better than everyone's expectations. But now I was being blamed for no reason.

"What are you talking about? I didn't do anything wrong." I frowned, annoyed.

He breathed heavily and rubbed his forehead before continuing:

"Yesterday, you went to meet Mr. Enzo Robert, right? What did you say that made him angry, now his assistant has just sent me an email that they want to reconsider the cooperative project with us."

"Everything was going well, we are about to sign the contract, and now if they change their minds, we have to wait for how long. Do you know how many people desire this project and the position of being a partner with DIZ Group? Isn't that you are gradually destroying everything?"

At this point, I understood what he wanted to ask, yesterday I made Enzo angry. I clenched my fists, suppressing the anger within me, constantly cursing Enzo as a scoundrel, not only with the words of insult to me, but now he used my work to make me bow my head to him.

Because I was too angry, I didn't even know what the chairman had said, but before I left his office, a sentence kept ringing in my head.

"Flora, do something to please Mr. Robert, we must get this project. I don't care how you do it, but if you don't get the position of finance director, there won't be one anymore. I don't want to pressure you, but if Mr. Robert gets angry, our company will bankrupt, not only you, but all of us and even me will die." He said this in a choked and somewhat powerless manner.

At this point, I realized how powerful Enzo's power and wealth were.

I sat in front of the computer screen and thought that maybe Enzo really just wanted to sleep with me. No! I didn't think he wanted to sleep with me, but it was just an excuse to insult me. Enzo was such a terrible person, he wanted revenge because I had left for a few years.

After some thought, perhaps the chairman was more urgent than me. He called me up to his office again and reminded me again and again about making "Mr. Enzo Robert" happy. Finally, I couldn't stand his pressure anymore, so I agreed and said:

"I understand, I will go to meet Mr. Robert and talk about this contract."

And this time, I took the initiative to send an email to Enzo's assistant and received a very quick and humorous response. His assistant asked me to meet him at the same cafe as before.

This time, Enzo raised his eyebrows and looked at me as I approached. I silently thought that no matter what, I had agreed with the chairman and Enzo's insulting and despising words towards me, I was used to it. Everything I did now was for work and my promotion, there was no emotion in it.

It's just that I didn't expect that one day, I would have to use sex to exchange for a promotion in my job.

Enzo looked at me, his expression showing how much he despised me:

"Flora, have you thought carefully about what I said yesterday?"

I clenched my fists and said:

"I have thought carefully, I am very sorry for my rudeness yesterday. So please think carefully about this project."

Enzo smiled at me for a long time as if he wanted to see the truth in my heart. And he spoke, "Yesterday, weren't you very determined, how did your attitude change so quickly?"

Still with a condescending smile and tone, but now I didn't have the right to speak up to refute him. Knowing that I couldn't argue back against what he said, instead of getting angry and negatively affecting my mental and physical health, I put on a standard and professional smile and said, "I can do anything for you as long as you agree to that project."

Enzo stopped smiling and looked at me with narrowed eyes, seeming to be dissatisfied with something. I didn't understand what he wanted, making me feel embarrassed and causing me to bow my head in front of him wasn't what he wanted, was it? And now that I've done what Enzo wanted, why does he have such an unhappy expression on his face?

Enzo got up, making me jump, and I heard him say, "Let's go."

"Go where?" I asked.

He smirked, his voice low and hoarse, saying, "Didn't you say you would do anything for me? Alright then, I'll agree to that project if you make me satisfied."

I hurriedly followed him, panicking and not knowing what he was planning. And after calming down, Enzo and I were in the VIP room of a hotel, and I stood still in the room looking at Enzo's back in front of me.

Enzo began to undress and said, "Go take a shower, I already showered before."

I looked toward the bathroom in my heart feeling hurt and painful, I thought that emotion would never come to me again, but now, when this man is treating me no different than a cheap prostitute, it makes me feel helpless and desperate.

But the moment I followed him from that café to here meant that I agreed to his unreasonable demand.

I entered the bathroom...

After showering, there were no clothes to change into, and it didn't matter because we were about to do something that didn't require clothes. I put on a white bathrobe that the hotel had prepared and stepped out.

Enzo was lying naked on the bed, his muscular and robust physique exposed before me, a thin blanket covering the lower part of his body. Enzo was on his phone, not paying attention to my approach. This wasn't the first time we slept together, but why did I feel so nervous and panicked that it was hard to understand?

Enzo looked up at me and we looked at each other but didn't say anything, the silence in the room made me unsure of what to do. While I was still confused, Enzo sat up straight and put his arm around my waist, pulling me closer. He pressed his face against my chest and took a deep breath but still didn't say anything. Enzo held me like that for over ten minutes without saying anything.

Since Enzo didn't say anything and I didn't want to break this peaceful moment. Then, he looked up at me because the lights in the room were off, so I couldn't see Enzo's face clearly, only a faint light from the bedside lamp. Enzo pressed his muscular chest against me, his body temperature was high, and his breathing became even more ragged, but he still didn't say anything. I pressed my lips together and waited, feeling both unfamiliar and familiar, maybe because it had been a long time since I had sex.

In the dark room, could only hear the sound of our breathing. I felt ashamed every time Enzo's hand touched me. He slipped his hand inside my bathrobe and gradually moved upwards. My mind was blank and I suddenly moaned unconsciously.

"A...um...hmmm"

I was embarrassed and blushing because of my unconscious moan, which quickly covered my mouth. At this point, I wished there was a hole for me to crawl into, and in my heart, I secretly felt lucky that Enzo couldn't see my embarrassed face.

I heard Enzo say, "Ha...so sensitive..."

I pressed my lips together, not wanting to say anything to him because I thought he didn't have good intentions toward me. I wasn't used to this tenderness, so I pushed him away slightly and said, "Don't fool around, let's get to the main point now."

Enzo squeezed my thigh, but with a warning, he said, "Don't forget your position right now, don't make me uncomfortable."

I heard those words, his words were like a slap in the face, extremely painful even though I knew those things, but why didn't I want to hear them at the moment? I breathed heavily, unable to suppress the resentment in my heart. Enzo didn't see me refute him, so he laughed, and his laughter made me feel even more inferior and foolish.

...

Early the next morning, when I woke up in the hotel room, I felt like I had been crushed by a rock. I wasn’t wearing any clothing except for a thin blanket that was covering my body. The man next to me was still fast asleep and holding me. Enzo rarely ever held me after we had sex, so at first, I thought that he didn’t like being close to anyone.

As I felt Enzo’s warmth, I suddenly remembered his words from last night. He always looked down on me like this, and I only needed one gentle gesture from him to be moved. Being looked down upon by this man was not the first time, but at this moment, I truly looked down on myself.

Enzo got what he wanted, and I completed what I was supposed to do. We didn't have to share a bed like this anymore.

After taking a shower, Enzo was still fast asleep in the bed. I got dressed and didn't leave a message before leaving the hotel. It was best if we didn't leave the hotel together, if Enzo was caught by paparazzi, it wouldn't be good for his reputation.

And of course, after that night, Enzo's assistant sent an email saying that they officially agreed to become our company’s partner. The chairman called me to his office and praised me, he said:

“Flora, you did a great job. If this project succeeds and satisfies Mr. Enzo, your bonus at the end of the year will be very significant. I will also consider a higher position for you.”

Hearing these compliments, I should have been happy, but I wasn't. I just felt frustrated and discouraged. After last night, Enzo let me know that despite having a job and a high position in the company, I was still a failure and easy to manipulate for him.

My colleagues looked at me with admiration because they thought that I was a highly skilled person, which was why I could cooperate with DIZ Corporation, but they didn't know that I had traded my body for what they see now.

To continue the project, I not only worked like crazy but also had to regularly meet with the "important partner" whenever he wanted to. Initially, Enzo's assistant would email me, but after a few times, Enzo would text me directly, and the frequency was more frequent. And our meeting place was still that cafe.

I was annoyed and said, “I know that I agreed to meet your demands, but don't always arrange to meet me like this. I have to work too!”

Enzo took a sip of his coffee, looked at me without any expression, and said, “I am your partner, isn't it natural to meet you?”

“But you only arrange to meet me for…” I didn't want to mention the latter part.

It seems that he also understood what I wanted to say and smirked.

I sighed. After all, I had come here to meet him. Enzo was not my husband now, but an important partner of the company, so although I was annoyed at being bothered by him, I couldn't be angry.

“Fine, let's go,” I said.

He asked, “Where to?”

“Isn't it the same place as always? Don't pretend,” I knew he was confused about something.

Enzo stared at me for a long time before standing up and saying, “Let's go home.”

I didn’t understand what Enzo wanted to do. Wasn't it better to go to a hotel like usual instead of going home? But now, he wanted to go home. His unusual behavior and attitude made me confused, and I didn't know what he truly wanted to do.

During the ride, I couldn't contain my suspicions and asked, “What are we going home for?”

“Make love,” Enzo replied firmly, and that answer made me hesitant to continue talking.

We didn't say a word to each other until we got home.