Filed to story: Watch Out, I’m The Lady Boss (Eleanor & Sebastian) Book PDF Free
His skin looked waxy. His eyelids drooped. He blinked slow.
The man probably couldn’t climb a flight of stairs without collapsing.
I sat Preston’s hand lifted from my shoulder.
He moved around the table, filled a glass for Maxwell, poured a second for himself, then said, “This is Mr Gary Maxwell, Senior VP of Corporate Procurement. This is my cousin, Eleanor Vance.
Franklin chuckled.
“Come on, Eleanor. Say hello. Give Mr Maxwell a toast.”I stared straight ahead and kept my mouth shut.
Franklin’s smile twitched.
“She’s, uh… shy. Not much of a talker. Let’s eat.”Still blocking the door, he waved for the waiter.
Plates started arriving Prawns, roast duck, asparagus spears glazed in something thick and amber.
No drinks yet, but the food alone could’ve fed twenty people.
I counted the plates The total bill would land deep in four figures Maxwell must’ve been holding something they wanted A project contract Something big enough for the Vances to pull out all the stops and their dignity along with mine.
I dropped my pase, lell eyes crawling up my arm Maxwell was still staring he hadu” slogged since I came His rath came put thick. His elle brushed mine again Jshoved my chair sideways with a sharp scrape. The legs dogged the ule, local enough to startle a busbuy.
Franklin snapped, “What the hell is wong with you w He leaned in close and hissed, “It thus deal. I’ll wie wine cah buat shut up and behave.”
I rolled my eyes straight into the back of sy skull He tried to laugh it off.
“Let’s eat, then Mr Maxwell, how’s the spread it there’s anything you don’t like, we’ll order something else.”Maxwell’s eyes stayed locked on me.
“It’s fine”He wasn’t talking about the food.
Still, he didn’t touch me.
Eventually, he started chatting with Preston and Franklin, something about procurement cycles and contract clauses.
His attention shifted off me, which meant I could finally stop holding my breath.
I stayed put. Back stiff. Fork untouched. I didn’t drink the water.
Preston broke first.
“Mr Maxwell, about that project, any update?”Maxwell’s cheeks pulled tight with a grin. His eyes disappeared into the fleshy folds.
“Almost at the tender stage.”You must be swamped. Appreciate you making the time.”Franklin jumped in, lifting his glass.
“Yes, thank you for squeezingus in. Cheers.”He took a sip, then leaned sideways, dropping his voice.
“You know if the contract lands with us, we’ll be… very grateful.”He raised two fingers behind the glass and flicked them once.
I caught it.
What did that mean? Twenty thousand? Twenty million? Or twenty per cent?
Maxwell didn’t blink. He reached for his fork.
“There’s a process. Let’s stick to that. Food looks great.”Franklin nodded.
“Of course, of course. Let’s eat.”They’d just started moving their cutlery when I cleared my throat “Mr Maxwell, just a heads-up, you should steer clear of Vance Overland. The place is tiny, outdated, and they’ve got a pile of violations stacked higher than their forklifts. Total shitshow.”I clucked my tongue and shook my head slowly.
They tricked me into this dinner. They locked the door, played dumb, shoved me at this perv.
Fine: If they wanted drama, I’d give them the full set list.
Last I heard, tax investigators showed up at their warehouse unaounced. If you sign with them and they vanish in a month, you’ll be chasing ghosts Just saying-it’s a risk.”All three of them stared Franklin slammed his palm on the table “What the hell is wrong with you? Just shut up and eat!
Preston’s voice was strained “Mr Maxwell, she doesn’t know whshe’s saying. She’s just a kid. Ignore it. Hell, she doesn’t even work at the company I’m the C, and I can speak with cous that our books are clean, our permits are infact, no incidents un record Everything’s also board Maxwell looked ansuryed for half a second, then shoved it down grined like nothing bad happened. No harm done. I guess Miss Vance was just riding you Cousins, eh?!
He shifted in his seat and leaned my way His fingers, thick and greasy, crept towards my thigh I smacked the back of his hand, hard “Ow! Bloody hell,” he yelped, jerking back like I’d burned him I studied Maxwell with a frown.
No way someone like him was from their main office.
Maybe he wasn’t LGH at all.
Maybe he was full of shit.
While they kept babbling, I slid my phone out of my clutch and secretly took a photo.
Sent it straight to Sebastian Laurent.
[This guy. You know him?]
It took Sebastian a few minutes to reply.
[Yeah. He’s a Senior VP at Laurent Systems & Solutions. Why?]
[He’s meeting suppliers on the sly.]
I started typing more. Stopped. Deleted.
Typed again.
[Tried to grope me under the table.]
Sent.
I flipped the phone screen down and turned on the recording app.
While Franklin tried to pitch him again, I cut in.
“LGH’s got some tight policies, don’t they? Something about staff being banned from meeting vendors off the record. No gifts. No cash. No freebies. Not even a discount voucher.”Maxwell paused, fork halfway to his mouth.
“I didn’t take anything from them.”
I pointed at the lobster tail swimming in butter and the sliced abalone drowning in brown sauce.
“You think this table set itself?
That’s not free.”He hesitated, then slowly set down his fork.
He tried to shrug, but his shoulders were too heavy.
“If that counts as bribery, I guess I can’t eat dinner with anyone anymore.”Franklin said hastily, “It’s just a meal. Nothing serious.”Preston chimed in right behind him.
“Yeah. We invited Mr Maxwell. He was kind enough to come. That’s all.”
“Exactly,” Franklin added.
“Someone at Mr Maxwell’s level-getting the occasional gift during the holidays is normal.”I let them flail for a moment, then gave Maxwell a lazy smile.
“Everyone’s got bills to pay. And you look like a man who’s got expensive tastes. Bit of kickback on the side wouldn’t be the worst thing. I get it.”I smiled wider, like I meant it.
“You’re joking, Miss Vance. I don’t take kickbacks,” he said stiffly.
I glanced at his watch.
“Didn’t realise you were that noble. All those supplier contacts, project budgets, and still living off payroll? You must be scraping He didn’t say a word.
Maxwell started twitching.
“Mr Laurent, I was just-this is just a business dinner. I’ve been doing due diligence. Research. Vetting suppliers. Logistics firms, you know-“He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.
His face was still blotchy from the whisky, but the colour had drained from around his mouth.
Getting no reply from his boss’s boss, Maxwell tried again.
“Such a pleasant surprise for you to join us, Mr Laurent. Why don’t we all sit down, talk it through-“
“Yes, yes!” Franklin jumped in.
“Please, let’s sit! Preston, order more food-quickly!”Maxwell bent so low I thought he might kiss Sebastian’s shoes. He gestured at the table with both hands.
“Please. Sir, make yourself comfortable-“Sebastian didn’t move. He looked at Maxwell’s hands the same way an executioner at the guillotine might eye a condemned man’s neck.
Maxwell hesitated. He looked down at his hands as if searching for blood stains. Then he tried to shove them behind his back.
But Sebastian grabbed his meaty wrist.
His grip tightened slowly, steadily, until the tendons in Gary’s wrist started pushing against his skin.
“Mr Laurent?” Maxwell was in pain, sweat pouring down his face.
“Which hand touched my wife?”Maxwell gulped, mouth open.
“Wife? What wife? I don’t-I mean, who-“I cleared my throat, loud enough to turn heads.
Then I raised my hand like I was back in Year Nine maths class.
“Me,” I said.
“I’m the wife.”Franklin almost dislocated his neck, whipping around so fast.
I pointed at Maxwell’s arm.
“Wrong hand. It was the left.”Sebastian grabbed the man’s left wrist and twisted hard.
A loud snap cracked through the room.
Maxwell screamed. His knees buckled.
Franklin and Preston jumped back like someone had fired a gun.
I flinched too.
The angle of Maxwell’s hand was all wrong, bent backwards with knuckles pointing towards his elbow.