Chapter 27 - You Are Worse Than Murderers

"Obviously." She muttered. With a CEO like him, why would the company's reputation be ruined by an employee? His reputation had already damaged whatever there was to damage.

"Did you say something?" He turned and questioned her.

"Nope." She feigned a work-related phone call—even though there was no signal in the elevator.

….

Preston and Fort Group.

As soon as they got back, the first thing Zaria wanted to do was investigate whatever grudge could exist between her and Mr. Dumont.

The investigation was her forte, so she had found an answer within a few minutes.

"Are you kidding me?"

The man had held a grudge because of something that happened years ago when she was still an intern at F&P Media?

Rolling her eyes at the absurdity, she decided to get back to work. If it were about something else, there might have been room for negotiation. But since it involved a scandal that F&P Media had exposed years ago, there was no chance for the man to back down.

As she read through the documents sent to the CEO, she rejected those that were irrelevant and organized the others, then took them to Desmond's office for approval.

"What's the deal between you and Mr. Dumont?" He questioned as she placed the documents on his desk. He guessed that she should have investigated it.

She straightened up and let out a smile of ridicule. "Four years ago, F&P Media investigated him and published the news of his true colors, then helped the police arrest him."

His eyes flickered slightly as he looked at her, so she cleared her throat and added, "It's a… horrible piece of news."

He was still looking at her.

Her heart almost skipped a beat when their gazes collided. His ocean-blue eyes were so beautiful that they almost had a hypnotic effect, as though they were enticing her into making a mistake. His chiseled face was flawless and attractive and it made her want to lament. It should be considered illegal for a man this handsome to be a jerk. What a waste of handsomeness!

However, it was very likely that his arrogance had stemmed from the fact that he knew that he was irresistible. After all, not many women could resist the allure of a seductive and insanely wealthy man who was said to have the world wrapped around his fingers. In fact, most of his brainless fans liked him for being the sadistic tyrant that he was. It was a lost cause.

When he frowned, she realized that she was yet to answer him, so she quickly explained, "He had been reported for sexually harassing an employee, but he has the police in his pockets so the case was closed. The only place the poor girl could seek help was with the media."

"So F&P Media helped her by exposing him?" He guessed the self-explanatory part.

She nodded, saddened by the cruelty of society. "The powerless often end up as victims. Only by exposing the truth to the entire nation will the police be forced to execute justice against those ruthless tycoons. Anyway, it's been so long, and countless scandals happen every day. I would have forgotten all about it if I didn't meet Mr. Dumont again."

As soon as she finished speaking, she frowned. She had never met the man before. Back then, she was still an intern and was not allowed to be directly involved in the matter. She had majorly investigated behind the scenes. How did she still end up in Mr. Dumont's bad books? He couldn't have kept a record of every employee from F&P Media right?

"So, did you manage to get this so-called justice? Mr. Dumont is still a free man, though." His tone was humorous and almost sarcastic as he rolled his black pen with a smirk.

She didn't realize the tension in the room as she was lost in her own thoughts, shaking her head sadly. "The girl was exposed to be bipolar. We hit a dead end because…no matter what she said, it was no longer credible. No one was willing to testify as a witness. Anyway, she didn't have a good ending. Although the douchebag got away with his crimes in the end, he seems to be clinging onto this grudge."

"Do you realize what you have done?" The man's tone turned dangerous.

She almost jolted in fright but kept her stance. "What did I do?"

He frowned at her attempt to feign ignorance. The way she blinked her eyes made her look confident of her innocence and it was driving him crazy. "Zaria Williams, do you really not see it? Your life is doomed. You have wrecked it piece by piece—and you are now dragging me down the drain with you—and it's all because you simply could not stick your nose where it belongs!"

She was taken aback by his sudden outrage. "All we did was expose the truth. What else should we have done, watch an innocent woman get bullied and not receive justice? As a media group, it's our duty…"

"Stop with this 'duty' nonsense. All you ever publish is lies!" He suddenly roared.

"What did you say?" Her voice lowered into a gasp.

He stood up, laughing bitterly as his eyes dimmed. "I used to believe in the media until I learned the truth. All you journalists and broadcasters ever care about is subscriptions. You spend your days fabricating nonsense and giving it eye-catching headlines in the name of news. As long as the masses get something to watch or read, it does not matter how many lives you ruin. You are worse than murderers!"

"That's enough. You have no right to slander my career." She glared daggers at him.

"Your career?" He turned and gave her an amused look. "You are no longer a journalist or whatever you were. You are now an executive assistant—my executive assistant—and I forbid you from poking your nose where it does not belong."

Zaria took a deep breath in disbelief. Even though she already knew what a hateful devil this man was, she was still surprised by how venomous his tongue could get. In the next instant, she ripped the work badge off her chest. "You do not have that right anymore. I quit."