Chapter 97:
Robert’s Point of View
I stepped into the club, my body groaning under the weight of a suffocating exhaustion; four consecutive etings were enough to suck the last drop of energy from my nerves.
I loosened my tie slightly, feeling the heaviness of my steps on the luxurious carpet as I headed directly toward Julie’s room.
My motivation was nothing but to see "Axel" yes, Axel, not Julie.
I opened the door quietly, but the scene that greeted made freeze in my place for an extra second.
Julie was standing before the mirror, raising her arms to style her hair, which seed to have just regained its vitality.
She had discarded her previous clothes and wore a tight pink dress that hugged the curves of her body with extre precision down to her knees, and she wore high-heeled shoes of the sa color.
In the middle of the dark room, she looked like a rebellious painting, or a fashion model who had lost her way into my dark lair.
Axel rushed toward , breaking the silence of the mont, so I leaned down to him with my exhausted body and circled his neck with my arms, ignoring her presence for a mont.
I said in a low voice carrying a tone of tenderness I do not show to humans:
"Have you been a good dog today, Axel?"
Her voice ca softly, but it carried a strange stability I hadn’t sensed in her before:
"He was an obedient and sensible dog."
I raised my gaze to her slowly, letting my eyes roam over the details of her dress and the pink tinting her skin.
There was sothing different in her stance, sothing not granted by clothes alone, but by a sense of power.
My eyes remained locked on her while my hands were still stroking Axel’s coarse fur, and a silent question began to swirl in my head about what had happened in my absence to make her dress up in such a defiant manner.
She gracefully raised her hand to spray perfu on the side of her neck, and in monts, the refreshing scent of lavender wafted out to envelop the room’s atmosphere.
She said in a calm and formal tone:
"I am ready, Mr. Robert, if you want to accompany you to your office."
The words froze in my throat, and I almost opened my mouth in sheer amazent; is this the rebellious girl I left this morning? Or had I fallen into a deep dream?
I quickly regained my mask and answered in a tone I tried hard to make seem indifferent:
"Yes... let’s go."
She turned toward Axel with a strange dignity and pointed her hand at him, saying:
"Axel... sit here."
Then, with total coldness, she turned on the television for him and left the dog staring at the screen in complete compliance.
I watched the scene in silent astonishnt; how did this delicate girl manage to impose her control over a beast like Axel, who bows his head to no one but ?
She moved with calm and steady steps, preceding toward the hallway with pride.
Upon reaching the office, we entered with silence surrounding us; I threw my exhausted body into my leather chair, closing my eyes for seconds trying to absorb the day’s fatigue, while she settled into the chair opposite .
She sat with a straight back and a steady gaze that didn’t waver, then broke the silence saying:
"Mr. Robert... I want to ask a favor of you."
I opened my eyes slowly, and our gazes t; there was a new glint in her eyes, a glint that made realize the request to follow would not be ordinary.
I raised my gaze to her and rested my elbows on the wooden desk surface, slowly interlacing my fingers:
"What request?"
She said in a confident tone that did not shake:
"I want to train in the gym downstairs."
My body stiffened for a second.
How on earth did she know about the basent? Not even twenty-four hours had passed since her appointnt as a personal assistant, and that part of the club is not accessible to everyone.
I narrowed my eyes, trying to read what lay behind her calm features:
"Mmm... I think you’ve gone on an extensive exploratory tour after I left."
She didn’t get flustered; instead, she made a movent that indicated sudden confidence; she crossed one leg over the other and adjusted her seating while looking at directly:
"Yes, I wanted to explore the place more. Since I am your personal assistant now, it would be a sha not to know the secrets of this place."
I raised my left eyebrow, feeling a faint smirk play at the corner of my mouth:
"And what is the reason that drives you to think of training suddenly, Julie?"
She answered coldly:
"Exercise is important, Mr. Robert."
I scrutinized her slight fra wrapped in that pink dress and said in a dry tone:
"You are thin; I see no need forcing you to exert physical effort."
She remained silent for a bit, and a heavy silence lood over the office, then she leaned her body forward slightly and said:
"Do you rember the day I first ca here?"
I knitted my brows in wonder:
"Yes... why?"
She said, fixing her eyes into mine with force:
"You told that day that I am a jewel, just as my father told you... but in reality, I am weak and small."
Her honesty and precise mory of those words I had uttered in a fleeting mont caught off guard.
I leaned my back against the leather chair, which made a slight creak, and asked her in a low tone:
"And do you still rember those words?"
A mysterious smile ford on her lips, a smile that made my heart beat irregularly for a single second, and she said:
"I have a very strong mory."
I leaned my back against the leather chair, which emitted a slight creak, and began to scrutinize her suspiciously relaxed features.
I said in a tone that carried a hint of sarcasm:
"My words have suddenly started to affect you now, Julie?"
She tilted her head slightly, and her eyes shimred with a glint I couldn’t quite discern was it sincerity or a trap?
She answered:
"I’ve discovered that you are the one with experience here... so of course, I would be affected."
Despite the tone of submission she tried to paint on her face, the words ca out from between her lips wrapped in clear irony, as if she were coldly stinging .
I knitted my brows while contemplating her delicate fra, which didn’t seem capable of enduring hardship, and asked her sternly:
"And how will you find the ti for both training and work?"
She didn’t hesitate for a single second; instead, she answered firmly:
"You won’t need all day... and I will find ti for both."
Then, with a slow, feminine gesture, she raised her hand, brushed a rebellious strand of hair behind her ear, and fixed her gaze into mine, saying:
"Do you agree?"
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