Chapter 24 Exchange

Leena looked at him with fear in her eyes. She didn't expect Carlson to be this strong.

Thankfully, he loosened his grip on her slightly, but she was still cornered. He was still a bit tipsy. Leena could smell the alcohol on his lips. Pressing his forehead against hers, he said in a hoarse voice, "If you dance like that every night, no man would be able to resist you." He paused, breathing heavily. "You're even sexier than Alina. I want you so bad. You've flirted with me for half a year. When are you planning to give yourself to me?"

"I said I'll only sleep with someone I actually like," she said through gritted teeth. Her hostility didn't seem to faze Carlson.

"Don't you like me?" Carlson asked, pinching her chin. Despite being drunk, his eyes had surprising clarity.

"Carlson..." But before she could say anything else, the man jolted her chin upward and smashed his lips against hers. Leena mustered the strength to shove him off her. Carlson took a heavy step backward from her push, finally giving her a second to breathe. "Have you forgotten? We're still negotiating!" she scolded him.

Carlson seemed to finally acquiesce. He stopped touching her, but he leaned in so close, she could feel his breath on her skin. "Well?"

Leena glared at him. "It looked like you were satisfied with my performance. Don't tell me you're going back on your word!"

He knew what she was after. With a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth, he said, "Do you really want to know what happened to your brother?"

"What do you think?" she snapped impatiently.

Carlson was unfazed by her impertinence. Bringing his fingers up to her face, he caressed her cheek gently. Then, he kissed those luscious lips once more. "Don't move. I'll tell you," he said in a low voice. She wanted to push him away again, but figured it'd get her nowhere. So, she endured the anger, although she didn't know how long she'd be able to take it. Just as she was about to explode from anger, Carlson pulled away slightly, enough to whisper, "Your brother joined the Empire Group a year ago." Kissing her became an addiction in just a span of this brief conversation. With a last, lusty indulgence before he left, finally, he satisfied her inquiry. "He agreed to work for Dylan Chen because he couldn't repay the usury... He actually did really well. So, Dylan Chen decided to take him in. But do you think we would allow Dylan Chen to train a confidant without our permission?" Carlson asked.

"What do you want to do to my brother?" Leena asked quickly, hoping to squeeze as much information out of him as possible.

"It's not nice when you interrupt me while I'm kissing you." His eyes lit up mischievously. "While we're on the topic of negotiation, how's this? If you continue to please me, I'll do a lot of things for you. I'll even get rid of Alina!"

Leena narrowed her eyes at him. She never expected he'd dangle such a tantalizing offer in front of her.

Then, realizing what he was really asking for, Leena was furious. She could no longer bottle up the feelings she'd been hiding since the beginning of this negotiation "I have had enough of you!"

But before she could leave him in the dust, Carlson reacted faster. He grabbed her by the hand and slammed it against the wall. "So, the famed Director Yang does indeed get angry! All this time, I thought you were only capable of smiling!"

She clenched her teeth, seething with rage, but there was nothing she could do. This crazy drunk was way stronger than her. This made her realize

that she had offended him openly. He might not be her customer anymore in the future. Why did she have to be polite?

"Actually, I admire you a lot," Carlson said with a nonchalant smile. "I've been keeping an eye on you for a while now, and I've never been so interested in any woman."

"You're just after my body, you pervert!" she spat in disdain. He was crazy... and horny. Leena didn't give a damn how powerful this man was. He needed to be scolded. How could a man be so rude!

Carlson stroked her hair gently. "It's not just your body I like. Honestly, won't you be my girlfriend? I'm way better than Miguel. I'll treat you better than he ever did. I'll spoil you!"

"Is this how you chase women?" Leena replied, frowning with disgust. All the while, she struggled to break free from his clutches.

"Then tell me, what do you want me to do? "

"Let go of me first!" she exclaimed.

This time, Carlson let go of her obediently. Leena huffed indignantly, then began to straighten out her clothing, which had grown tousled from their "close encounter". Seeing her struggle, he reached out to help her, but Leena evaded him. She wrapped her arms across her chest defensively, glaring up at him. To her surprise, Carlson seemed unbothered by her hostility. His hands hovered in the air, idly waiting for consent to help her. It seemed he was insistent to straighten out her clothes. After all, it was he who had sandwiched her against the wall.

Because it looked like Carlson had finally calmed down, Leena relaxed a little. Her hands dropped to her sides, indicating it was okay for Carlson to help her straighten out her clothes. When they were done, he even offered his tailored suit jacket to cover her. Leena accepted it, confused at his sudden change in attitude. He had just been so cruel to her moments earlier, but now he was as gentle as a spring breeze. This perplexed Leena. She realized she didn't really know much about Carlson. He was always "just a bandit" in her eyes. But tonight, it seemed he was more than that... Why was he so hellbent on chasing Leena?

"Why do you like me, Carlson?" Leena voiced her thought with inquisitive eyes.

Carlson chuckled. "You should be able to answer that by yourself. Why do I like you so much?"

He dodged her question, leaving Leena dissatisfied. Carlson then scurried closer, bridging the gap between them to gently stroke her face again. "It's the first time I've chased a girl seriously. Don't let me down." Eyeing her intently, he added, "If you reject me, it'll bite you in the ass."

Leena froze at the touch of this towering man. "Starting tomorrow, don't you dare hide from me! And don't worry, I will take care of your brother," he said reassuringly.

She looked at him confusedly. Was she supposed to be grateful? Was this a sexual contract of some sort? It seemed unlikely... After all, Carlson didn't say anything of the sort. It looked like this beast simply longed for her to give him a chance, other than the fact that she was making him divulge classified information in exchange.

Carlson leaned towards her again. However, this time, he did it slowly. His eyes stared into hers the whole time. Finally, Leena leaned forward too, and the two kissed again passionately. Just then, Miguel appeared from around the corner. He'd been looking for Leena for a while. What he saw shook him to his core, unleashing a beast he never knew he had inside him. Rushing over, he violently yanked Carlson away from Leena, screaming, "Who said you could kiss her?"