Chapter 266

Jasper's unexpected presence in my office sent a wave of unease crashing through me, shattering any hope for tranquility that I'd sought. "Jasper, what are you doing in here?" I questioned, my voice tinged with exasperation.

He didn't respond immediately. Instead, he reached for his phone and tapped on the screen, the camera lens pointing towards me. Alarm bells rang in my mind as I realized what he was doing.

He remained composed, an unsettling calmness in his demeanor as he spoke. "I'm here to discuss certain concerns, Evie," he replied, his voice measured as he initiated the recording.

"Jasper, what is this? Why are you recording me?" I swiped at the camera, though he quickly evaded my hand.

He smirked, his gaze cold and calculating. "Just gathering some evidence, Evie. Evidence of your incompetence," he said with a cruel edge in his tone.

My heart sank, a wave of disbelief crashing over me. "What? That's ridiculous! You have no right," I protested.

It was naïve of me to believe that his last visit would be exactly that. He had no intentions of quitting, it seemed.

He leaned forward, his eyes fixated on the screen of his phone. "Your leadership is questionable, Evie. The way you handle things, it's all over the place. And now, this breakdown in the office—quite unprofessional, don't you think?" His words dripped with contempt.

Panic surged within me, my mind racing with a whirlwind of thoughts. "Stop recording me, Jasper. I demand you delete that footage immediately!" I commanded, my voice laced with a hint of desperation.

But he merely chuckled, his gaze fixated on the screen as if reveling in my discomfort. "I don't think so, Evie. This will be a good record of your erratic behavior. You should seek help—you don't look right in the head," he taunted, his words slicing through me like daggers.

My hands trembled as I backed away from him. "Get out! Leave immediately, Jasper, or I'll call security," I warned, trying to maintain a semblance of authority.

Instead of complying, he walked back and situated himself in my chair. He propped his legs up on the table and crossed them.

"You wouldn't want to escalate this, Evie. Think about your reputation here," he sneered.

My chest tightened, a knot of frustration and helplessness constricting my every breath. The camera in his hand felt like a weapon, capturing my vulnerability and amplifying my distress.

"I won't ask you again, Jasper. Leave now!" I pleaded, feeling the weight of his accusations crushing me.

Jasper wasted no time delving into another line of questioning, his tone accusatory as he analyzed my leadership and decisions, his words laced with an underlying intent that made my skin crawl.

Panic seized me as memories flooded my mind, haunting flashbacks of past vulnerabilities and struggles. I felt the walls closing in, the weight of past traumas resurfacing with ferocious intensity.

"No," I murmured, desperation lacing my voice, as I lunged to snatch the phone from his hands. But Jasper saw my desperation as an opportunity, framing my actions as erratic and unstable, a narrative spun in the blink of an eye.

My heart raced, my mind clouded by fear and distress. "Give me that!" I cried, my voice quivering with an urgency as I rushed toward him.

In a moment of desperation, I tried to force the phone from Jasper's grasp, but he resisted, twisting the situation to his advantage. “See? She can’t even own up to it, instead resulting to violence. She’s no better than Erickson, in my opinion.”

Realizing I couldn't reason with him, I dialed the number for security, desperation pulsating through my veins. "Security, please come to my office immediately," I pleaded into the receiver.

As the security team rushed in, Jasper's smug expression faltered. His attempts to manipulate the situation crumbled as they restrained him, dragging him away from the chaos he'd instigated. He kept the phone focused on me up until it was torn away from his grasp.

As the commotion escalated, my coworkers began to filter in, curious and concerned. Their worried glances and murmurs only added to my distress.

"Please, I need a moment alone," I managed to request, my voice barely above a whisper. I could still hear Jasper shouting as he was dragged down the hall.

I locked the door to my office and pressed myself against the door. Gasping for air, I tried to steady my erratic breathing, each breath feeling like a battle against an invisible force. With trembling fingers, I reached for my phone.

As the phone rang, each tone felt like an eternity. Finally, Timothy's voice broke through the deafening silence.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Tell me something nice," I pleaded, desperation lacing my words. I needed the comfort of his words to anchor me.

A moment of silence followed, as Timothy contemplated his response. "Remember that time we took that trip to the beach? I was surprised you still came along when I didn’t even tell you where we were going," he began, his voice carrying a warmth that soothed my fraying nerves.

"But you had the biggest smile on your face when you were in that water, even with it being a little cold. You made that day a whole lot easier to get through."

His words painted a vivid picture, a cherished memory that momentarily diverted my attention from the chaos. I could recall the violet skies and the waves lapping at our ankles. Even the food we got after was memorable, though it’d been a little greasy.

“Thank you,” I murmured into the phone, already feeling a migraine come on.

“Of course.” Timothy was quite for a moment, but I could picture the tension in his face as he sat in thought.

“Tim?”

"I'm coming to pick you up," Timothy declared finally, sounding resolute. “You sound like you need the day off.”

I hesitated, feeling the weight of his offer, and I knew I’d just be wasting time if I stayed. "Okay," I managed to whisper, my voice laden with fatigue and vulnerability.

As I hung up the phone, a profound exhaustion washed over me. The emotions had taken their toll, leaving me feeling hollow and drained, clinging to the fleeting comfort that Timothy's words had offered.

I took a deep breath, attempting to steady the erratic rhythm of my heartbeat. The echoes of Jasper’s desperate cries reverberated within the confines of my office, leaving an unsettling aftermath in their wake.

With the door closed, it merely muffled the distant sounds of hurried footsteps and concerned whispers outside. I moved to my desk, attempting to find a sliver of solace in the familiarity of my workspace. Shaky fingers traced the edges of a framed photo on my desk, one with Aria, Lucas, and I at a ski resort.

A knock at the door interrupted the long stretch of silence. I hesitated, already sensing the curiosity of my coworkers through the closed door.

“Who is it?” I asked, trying to mask the edge in my voice.

"Ms. Sinclair, are you okay?" came a concerned voice, one I recognized as Sophie.

I contemplated for a moment, weighing the need for support against the vulnerability of exposing my lack of control. "I just need a moment," I replied softly, the words leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

The door opened slowly, revealing concerned faces peering in. The compassion in their eyes tugged at my heart, but I needed time to process.

"I'll be alright," I assured them with a fragile smile. “I’ll make sure that Jasper is handled accordingly.”

They offered a collective nod of understanding before reluctantly retreating, leaving me alone once more.

As the door closed behind them, a heavy silence settled in. At this point, I had no choice but to handle Jasper. How I would handle him would be the difficult part.