Chapter 5
"Oh, I almost forgot," Cullen checked his watch and added, "I've got to stay late for another case tonight, so I won't be able to drive you home. Make sure you get a cab and take care."
"Okay."
He smiled, reached out to ruffle her hair, then turned and headed for the parking lot.
His car started up, the taillights glowing as it blended into the rush hour traffic and vanished into the city lights.
Athena stood there, the wind whipping at her, making her eyes sting.
Her phone buzzed. It was message from Marlon Burke, the owner of Evergreen Building Materials.
[Ms. Morton, are you free tonight? I'd like to discuss a few details about the case.]
This was a case that she had been following for three months. It involved a complicated contract dispute with a large amount of money. The trial would start next week.
Even though Sasha had officially taken over, Athena was the type to finish what she started. If the client reached out, she wasn't about to say no.
[Sure.]
Athena arrived at the cafe they'd agreed on.
"Mr. Burke," Athena said as she sat down, pulling a stack of documents from her bag. "I've got everything organized for your case. Even though I'm not handling it anymore, I'll make sure the handover goes smoothly. You can count on me..."
"Ms. Morton," Marlon cut her off, his eyes fixed on her face with a strange, sticky kind of attention. "No rush. Let's have some coffee first."
Athena frowned slightly, but didn't say anything.
"Let me walk you through the evidence chain," she said, flipping open the folder and talking for nearly ten minutes.
Marlon was completely fixated on her, his gaze lingering on her eyes, then her lips, sliding down to her collarbone, before lazily wandering back up again.
Athena paused and looked up at him. "Mr. Burke, are you listening?"
"Of course, of course," Marlon replied with a greasy grin, leaning in closer. "I hear every word you said."
Athena closed the folder. "Mr. Burke, if you're not here to talk about the case, I'll just head out."
"No, no, hang on," Marlon said, waving his hand, his voice suddenly turning flirty. "Ms. Morton, hope you don't mind me asking. Are you single?"
Athena paused.
She almost blurted out a denial, but stopped herself before saying anything.
She and Cullen were truly over.
So she nodded. "Yes."
As soon as the words left her lips, Marlon suddenly reached out and seized her hand on the table.
"Well then, Ms. Morton, how about considering me?"
Athena yanked her hand back, her face turning pale.
"Mr. Burke, please, keep it professional. We're just business partners."
He leaned in, voice dripping with temptation. "Ms. Morton, just hear me out. If you say yes to me, I'll put you in charge of all the legal affairs for every company I own. You know what that means? We're talking millions every year. You'd never have to worry about money again."
Athena yanked her hand back, stepped away, and snatched her bag off the table. "Mr. Burke, we're done here. Ms. Cline will follow up with you about the handover."
She turned to leave.
"Stop!"
His tone flipped, all that fake charm gone, replaced by raw hostility.
"Who do you think you are, acting all high and mighty?" Marlon sneered. "You're just damaged goods. You should be grateful I even gave you the time of day! If you weren't at least a little pretty, you think I'd waste my breath on you?"
His voice was so loud and crude that people all around started staring.
Athena's fingers tightened around her bag strap.
"What, cat got your tongue?" Marlon jeered, getting more and more worked up. "Your scandal is all over the internet. Your stepdad slept with you when you were just fourteen. You really think you're some kind of saint?"
As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed Athena, yanking her forward so she stumbled.
Just then, her gaze swept past Marlon and landed on a table tucked away in the corner of the cafe.
She froze.
Cullen's face was hidden in the shadows, his expression unreadable, while across from him sat Sasha, a mocking smirk playing on her lips.
In that instant, everything clicked into place in Athena's mind.
Cullen had said he'd stand up for Sasha, and this was his idea of justice, having someone harass her, humiliate her, and then watching her squirm right before his eyes.
Athena's chest tightened so painfully that she could barely breathe.
She dropped her eyes to her wrist, still locked in Marlon's grasp, then calmly reached for the coffee cup with her other hand.
With a sudden motion, she tossed the entire cup of coffee straight into Marlon's face.
Marlon wiped his face, looking absolutely furious, and shouted, "Are you fucking crazy?"
Then he yanked her and hauled her right out of the cafe.
"Help!"