âTug along, Mitchel.
Letâs head to your office,â Raegan insisted.
They couldnât afford any more public spectacle.
Raegan knew all too well that Mitchel, as the CEO, losing his cool in front of the staff would spread like wildfire.
His already shaky standing in the company would plummet further, fueled by this incident.
Moreover, without grasping the full picture, people would naturally side with the apparent underdog.
Nobody wanted a hot-headed leader.
As expected, murmurs started rippling through the crowd.
âHow could Mitchel stoop so low? Even if he canât stand Henley, brawling in the office isnât the answer.
â
âHenleyâs always courteous to the receptionist, and heâs often treating us to dinner.
A kind soul like him doesnât deserve this kind of bullying!â
âYeah, Henleyâs a gem.
Remember when he helped me haul that stack of printer paper? No airs of superiority, just genuine kindness.
â
Under normal circumstances, no one would dare air these opinions in front of Mitchel.
But with his recent decline in popularity due to his illness and Alexisâ meddling, factions within the company were forming.
Those speaking up now were likely Alexisâ allies, along with some fooled by Henleyâs facade of kindness.
Raegan shot a meaningful glance at Henley, sprawled on the ground, not fighting back.
Was Henley truly powerless? It all seemed like a performance, from his earlier taunts to his current theatrics aimed at provoking Mitchel.
If Henley was playing dirty, they couldnât just let him off the hook.
Mitchel brushed off the whispers, his attention fixed on Raegan.
He scanned her for any signs of injury, his voice soft as he asked, âAre you hurt anywhere?â
At his inquiry, Raeganâs tears broke free, cascading down her cheeks uncontroLlably.
Mitchelâs brow furrowed with concern as he moved to embrace her, but Raegan gently pushed him away.
She didnât want to hide her tears behind his embrace.
Today, Raegan had donned a fishermanâs hat to avoid attention, making it difficult to see her face clearly.
Only her rosy lips and tear-drenched chin were visible, her trembling shoulders betraying her distress.
Mitchel, about to say something, was interrupted by Raeganâs delicate yet surprising voice.
âMitchel.
â She pointed at Henley, who was now pretending to limp to garner sympathy, and accused him in a tattletale tone, âHe harassed meâ¦â
Raeganâs accusation sent murmurs rippling through the onlookers.
Raegan pressed on, âI came to bring you soup, and when he saw me, he asked who I was searching for.
Even after I said it was you, he stillâ¦â She choked up, seemingly too embarrassed to voice the rest.
She then added indignantly, âHe even touched me!â
Mitchel initially furrowed his brows at Raeganâs unusual behavior, but then he relaxed.
She wouldnât act like this if she was genuinely upset.
He remained silent, playing along with her charade.
Then, Raegan sobbed, her hands trembling as she shook Mitchelâs shoulders with a flair for the dramatic.
âI told him I was your girlfriend, but he still tried to make advances on me and even spilled the soup I had brought for you!â
The spilled soup was there on the floor for everyone to see, drawing their eyes away from the scene at hand.
Suddenly, their perception of Henley began to shift.
Their admiration dimmed.
âCan Henley really be such a person?â they wondered aloud.
Henley, for his part, was completely taken aback by Raeganâs actions, half-convinced she was under some spell.