Chapter 382
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Chapter 382:
Gaston walked in wearing a flawless Tom Ford suit, carrying a sleek black bento box from a three-Michelin-star sushi restaurant. He looked perfectly refreshed, radiating a powerful, arrogant energy.
The physical injustice of it made Jocelyn want to throw her stapler at his head.
She slammed her laptop shut, leaned back in her chair, and fixed him with the look she usually reserved for underperforming department heads.
“Sit down,” Jocelyn ordered, pointing to the chair opposite her.
Gaston raised an eyebrow, amused. He set the sushi down and took a seat, crossing his long legs.
Jocelyn cleared her throat and leaned forward, her voice low and firm.
“Gaston,” she began, her tone deadly serious. “Consider this a formal performance review. Your nocturnal mergers and acquisitions are having a severely detrimental effect on my Q1 productivity. Effective immediately, a new corporate policy is in place p>
She held up three fingers.
𝖶𝘦 uрdаte е𝗏е𝗿𝗒 weе𝗄 𝗈𝘯 ѕ.𝖼om
“One: all hostile takeovers will cease by midnight on weekdays. Two: there will be a mandatory minimum of three non-operational rest days per week. Three: the kitchen and master bathroom are hereby designated as conflict-free zones. Any breach of these terms will result in the immediate relocation of your headquarters to the guest room. Are we clear p>
Gaston stared at her. A slow, devastatingly confident smirk spread across his face, his dark eyes burning with pure mischief.
He didn’t argue. He reached into his suit jacket, produced a solid gold Montblanc fountain pen, and leaned over the desk. He scrawled his signature on a blank sheet of paper from her notepad and pushed it toward her.
Jocelyn blinked, surprised by his easy compliance. She reached out to take the paper.
Gaston’s hand shot out. He caught her wrist and pulled her swiftly across the smooth mahogany desk.
He leaned in until their noses were nearly touching.
“Mrs. Collins,” Gaston whispered, his warm breath fanning across her lips. “I have reviewed your terms. But your policy fails to define the specific hours of a rest day. I assume daytime office hours are completely exempt from this agreement p>
Before Jocelyn could process the loophole, Gaston stood, grabbed her by the waist, and hauled her entirely over the desk and into his lap.
He crashed his mouth against hers, kissing her with a deep, hungry aggression.
The intercom on her desk buzzed loudly.
“Ms. Wolfe,” her assistant’s nervous voice crackled through the speaker. “I am so sorry to interrupt. But Victoria Stein is in the lobby. She is demanding to see you p>
Jocelyn shoved Gaston’s chest, breaking the kiss. She stood up and smoothed down her wrinkled skirt.
The warmth in her eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, surgical sharpness.
“Send her up,” Jocelyn commanded into the intercom. She looked at Gaston, a dangerous smile playing at her lips. “Let’s see what the Stein family garbage wants p>
Victoria Stein stepped out of the elevator on the top floor. She adjusted the plunging neckline of her vintage burgundy velvet dress, ensuring her cleavage was perfectly displayed, and took a deep breath to prepare her most innocent, victimized expression.
She pushed open the heavy glass doors of the CEO office.