Rachel furrowed her brows. "You did mess up this time, Tracy."
Tracy was shocked when Rachel actually backed Matthew up. They had been close friends for so many years, and now Rachel actually sided with a man. She simply couldn't accept it.
Standing at the side, Matthew declared, "You don't need to show up at the laboratory anymore, Tracy. You're fired!"
Fired? Tracy was dumbfounded. It dawned on her that Matthew was her boss, so he could totally disregard Rachel and go after her.
It hit her harder than a slap in the face. Furious, she stomped her foot and bolted out of the office.
Rachel sighed and turned to Matthew. "C-can't you be a little nicer? You're not giving her any respect at all."
Matthew gazed at Rachel and explained, "You're the only woman I'd care about. Everyone else is just irrelevant."
Rachel looked surprised, then smirked. "You're quite the smooth talker, aren't you? But you still need to patch things up with her, or I'll be in a tough spot."
Matthew shook his head. "What if I don't?"
Rachel was taken aback before she frowned and warned, "I'll be mad at you if you don't."
Matthew coldly remarked, "Even if you're upset, I'm not going."
This rascal! It was Rachel's first time being shut down like that, and she didn't know what to say for a moment.
Meanwhile, Matthew ignored her and turned to walk off. Watching Matthew from his back, Rachel was stunned. Was he actually mad?
But the longer she watched, the stranger her expression became. Matthew actually walked over to the office door and locked it. Then he started making his way toward her.
Rachel knew what was about to happen, but she was still fuming. "What are you doing? Why are you locking the door in broad daylight?"
Matthew leaned down to pick Rachel up. "What did you just say?"
Rachel felt her muscles tense up. Her cheeks turned rosy, and she felt her heart racing. Despite that, she protested, "Get off me! Can't you tell I'm upset?"
Without warning, Matthew pulled up her skirt and set her down on the desk.
In the other office, Tracy paced around in frustration. After falling out with Matthew, she faced off with him for the first time and ended up getting smacked down. She wasn't going to take it.
After going over the conversation again, she suddenly realized she had reasons to shoot back. Rachel had some shares in the laboratory. Since Rachel was also her boss, Matthew couldn't just fire her.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Why didn't she think of the reason to argue back? She couldn't let it slide, so she decided to go back to set things straight.
In a huff, Tracy walked out of her office and headed toward Rachel's when she heard faint murmurs in her ears. It reminded her of the sound she heard in the car when she was in the valley.
When she neared the door, the sound got clearer. She immediately understood that Matthew had purposely driven her away so that he could fool around in the office.
Everything clicked in her mind. Matthew had yelled at her because she was in his way.
Rachel's voice got louder and louder. Tracy felt her knees going weak, so she had to lean against the wall for support. She touched her face and realized it was burning hot.
Tracy tried to walk away, but her legs seemed to be rooted to the ground. She simply couldn't bring herself to leave.
The noise in the room was ramping up. It sounded more intense, and the way they were addressing each other was getting weirder.
"Please... stop... Matty. You're being so rough, hubby."
"I-I want you more..."
"I see my mistake now, sweetheart. I'm not upset anymore. I won't defend Tracy again. I surrender. I was wrong, baby."
"You've got me, darling."