Chapter 55
“You think you’re better than me!” Joe sputtered, clearly caught off guard by my retort. His face twisted as if he’d swallowed something bitter, fumbling for a comeback.
Right then, the elevator doors slid open. I shot him one last disdainful look before stepping inside. “I sincerely hope you get promoted from second-rate bootlicker to first-class minion. Best of luck!”
Imagining the steam practically pouring from Joe’s ears was oddly satisfying, momentarily easing the frustration Ashton had caused earlier.
As soon as I entered my office, Stacey was already waiting. She walked up swiftly, her tone crisp. “Ms. Stovall, Mr. Harrison from Harrison Credit has been waiting for you all morning.”
I nodded, suppressing a sigh. “Please bring me a glass of warm milk.”
Upon stepping inside, I found Nick comfortably reclined in my chair, legs propped up, eyes closed as if he’d made himself right at home.
He didn’t even bother to look at me. “Ms. Stovall, do you always come to work whenever it pleases you?”
Ignoring his sarcasm, I set my handbag aside and took a seat on the couch. Stacey arrived shortly with my milk. “Ms. Stovall, should I bring the Fuller Corporation audit reports?”
I shook my head and took a sip before turning to Nick. “I assume you received my message. Since you’re here, shall we sign the contract?”
Nick finally opened his eyes, squinting at me before stretching lazily. “So, you’ve decided to work with us?”
I sighed, my lower back aching as I gestured for Stacey to retrieve the contract.
Nick barely skimmed through it before signing. Typical.
My role in this was simple—sign the agreement. The rest was up to Harrison Credit and our finance department.
Yet, he remained seated, showing no intention of leaving. I arched a brow. “Mr. Harrison, is there something else?”
Smirking, he leaned forward. “Let’s have lunch together.”
I barely held in an eye-roll before glancing at Stacey. “Get Mr. Harrison some takeout.”
She hesitated, likely caught off guard, but nodded and exited.
Nick scoffed. “Wow, Scarlett. That was cold.”
I leveled him with a firm stare. “Mr. Harrison, professionally, we’re done here. Personally, I’m married, and I’d appreciate it if you respected that boundary.”
He didn’t seem deterred. Typical.
Suppressing my irritation, I moved to my desk and pulled out HiTech’s file. With Fuller Corporation’s audit sorted, I still had HiTech’s financials to oversee. Just thinking about my workload made my head throb.
Moments later, Stacey returned, placing a takeout box before Nick. “Mr. Harrison, your lunch.”
His expression soured. “Oh, how thoughtful.”
She merely smiled and turned to me. “Ms. Stovall, Mr. Lowe from AC Credit has been trying to meet with you. Would you like to see him now?”
I checked my inbox. No new emails. “Not at the moment.”
Skipping over AC Credit to award the contract to Harrison Credit was bound to ruffle feathers. It was only a matter of time before they came knocking.
Nick, still chewing, chuckled. “I’d suggest seeing him. You might learn something.”
I frowned. “Why?”
Setting his fork down, he leaned back. “Oh, I almost forgot—Harrison Credit will only handle Fuller Corporation’s audit. We’re not covering its subsidiaries.”
I stiffened. “What?”
He nodded. “Fuller Corporation’s financials are already complex. If we add Quinn Corporation, we won’t make the deadline for next quarter’s reports.”
I exhaled sharply. “That’s ridiculous. Fuller Corporation merged with Quinn Corporation last year. They function as one entity. If you’re auditing Fuller, you’re auditing Quinn.”
Nick grinned, unfazed. “Not quite.”
That smug little—
I had walked straight into his trap.
Gritting my teeth, I turned to Stacey. “Escort Mr. Harrison out.”
Nick stood, takeout in hand, and gave a final smirk. “Just a reminder—we signed a legally binding contract. I’d advise against any rash decisions.”
Damn it. I needed to talk to Ashton. Immediately.