Maintaining The Lie
The next morning, Leonard came to my office after I hadn't responded to hundreds of his messages and calls. He entered my office without permission and consent, thinking he still had freedom in my office after cheating on me.
"Rein, did you fire Veronica?" Leon didn't beat around the bush; maybe he should have asked why I didn't respond to his messages and calls at all. Leon’s frankness only made their relationship more apparent to me.
"She is no longer useful," I said briefly and coldly.
"What happened? Are you two fighting? Veronica is a smart, highly educated woman, and she can handle your job with ease. You won't find anyone like her again; are you sure you want to fire her?" Leon came this early just to voice his protest because I fired his secret lover. Let me remind you again: Veronica is highly educated because my late father funded her education, and Veronica can easily do my tasks, but still, she is not me. Without me, everyone in this industry wouldn't know a Veronica; without me, she can't do anything.
"Everything she has and owns is thanks to me. If she is no longer useful, why should I keep her? Leon looked at me in disbelief.
"What happened between you two?" Leon raised both hands to his waist; he tried to restore Veronica's work, but what he did seemed to pressure me to retract all my words.
"It's none of your business. If you want to take it, just take it. There are too many talented people to hold back one traitor."
"What do you mean?" Leon asked, not understanding; it seemed Veronica really didn't mention anything we debated last night besides my dismissal.
"Nothing. I'm working; we're both busy, so please take care of your own matters." Leon furrowed his brows, but his face softened immediately. He held my hand and gently asked what really happened.
"What happened between you and Veronica?" I shook my head, just as my bodyguard arrived with three young men they had handcuffed. I didn't make them wait because Leon was inside; I let them in to give their report.
"Miss, these are the three people who caused a disturbance at the dock, disrupting our export operations." These young men do look like troublemakers; according to reports, they have caused a ruckus at the dock and stolen our goods. They shouldn't be as skilled in martial arts as my subordinates, but they are good at deceiving.
I got up without answering Leon's last question. I approached the three young men while loosening my hands. "You know what will happen if you mess with me? You know who I am?" The three of them immediately looked down, their hands trembling in the handcuffs.
"Answer!" I slapped the young men in front of me one by one until they grimaced in pain. Usually, I don't get directly involved in matters like this, but I was so emotional and my hands were itching to hit someone.
"Many losses occurred because of you yesterday. Do you think you can compensate for it?" In unison, they shook their heads, their feigned innocent faces reminding me of Veronica in a state of undress in Leon's room. My punch finally flew. Bruises began to appear on several sides of their faces, but they still remained silent to defend themselves. This reminds me again of how naive Leon was, thinking I didn't know what he did with my friend yesterday, and then I threw another punch at their stomachs.
"Forgive us; we just need an income. You also do it illegally; what's wrong with stealing? We both need money." I furrowed one eyebrow; this little man is as cheeky as Veronica. And I can't help but beat up people like that woman. This time, I kicked him in the head, and he fell to the floor, losing consciousness instantly.
"John, take them away from my sight. Punish them according to our regulations." I returned to my desk, ignoring everyone, including Leon, who was still in my room.
"It turns out this is what happens when you're angry," Leon said softly.
"Punishment applies to anyone." Leon nodded his head, but I just realized that Leon was too stupid to understand the implied meaning of my words.
"What about Veronica? Eleven years you have been together, she will be sad if you fire her. What if I take her as my assistant? So that our relationship remains intact." I chuckled softly upon hearing it; their relationship would become even closer. If I were not bound by my late father's promise, I would have ended all ties with Leon, no matter how great my loss would be later."Just take it; I've already thrown it away."
No more pleasantries; from the beginning, the essence of his visit was only to ask for Veronica for himself. Leon left after I agreed to his wish to adopt Veronica. I didn't want to worry about it, so I shifted my attention to a laptop on the table and saw a message come in from one of the apps I've been using frequently when I'm bored."I see the sadness in your eyes in the photo." A man who has been sharing messages with me for the past few days left a comment on what I had posted.
Realizing that I had read his message, he suddenly typed another message, "Who dares to hurt you, tell me!" Unconsciously, I laughed reading his message; it turns out the man with the username Jean is quite funny.
"Nothing is hurting me, but thank you for caring about me." I sent that message as a reply along with a happy emoticon because I appreciated the concern.
"Do we need to meet at least once so that no one hurts you anymore? I'm willing if you confide in me." I laughed again, why is this man suddenly so flirtatious with me. But suddenly, a little curiosity about this man arose in me, making me want to meet him.