Bedmates Soulmates
CHAPTER 265

She turned down Kai's request to go up to the 48th floor.

Five minutes later, Austyn showed up at the cafeteria.

It was hard not to take this as an act of retaliation, and a childish one at that.

What on earth was he thinking?

There were four people at the table-Kira, Lexi, Vanessa and Dan.

Kira was staring at her linguine with bacon.

Vanessa was blushing furiously.

Dan was tongue-tied.

Libin Face

Only Lexi retained enough of her composure to say, 'Yes, of course. Please join us!"

She sprang to her feet and pulled out a chair for the president.

Austyn sat down across from Kira.

Employees at the other tables nearby stomped their feet, disappointed.

'I hear there are some complaints about the café on the twelfth floor,' Austyn said by way of explanation.

His voice rang out clearly.

'So I decided to come down and take a look for myself."

He pointed to his assistant. 'Kai here will be going from table to table, collecting feedback. about the café, if any. Please feel free to share your views.

Kai held back a sigh and whipped out his tablet.

He had not known about this task, but a smart assistant knew when not to ask questions.

Austyn

Swept his

eyes over the crowd hanging on to his every word. 'Please, as you were."

The employees retracted their gazes reluctantly and returned to their lunch.

Kira's head snapped up when she saw a sudden flash.

Austyn scowled.

Lexi glared at her colleague. 'Vanessa!'

'Sorry, sorry. Vanessa blushed.

She was holding up her phone.

In her excitement, she'd forgotten to turn the camera flash off.

'Delete the photo!' Lexi said through gritted teeth.

It was a stupid thing to do, taking photos of the president secretly.

Even stupider to get caught in the act.

Lexi was anxious.

What if the president was offended?

'I'll delete them right now,' Vanessa said sheepishly.

She just wanted a memento of this once-in-a-lifetime event.

She was sitting at the same table as the president the man of her dreams!

Why Pu Long Face

'It's fine,' Austyn said, 'as long as you don't circulate them publicly.'

Kira hid an eye roll.

The man was such a good actor.

She knew how much he loathed having his pictures taken in public, but he put on a convincing act in front of his employees.

'Oh, okay!' Vanessa held her phone to her chest. I understand. I won't leak the photos to the press, I promise! I'll put them in a special album, password-protected. Thank you so much, Mr McCarthy!'

Her colleagues gawked at Vanessa, who was gushing like a fangirl.

Austyn smiled politely before turning his attention to Kira. 'You've hardly touched your lunch. Is the food not satisfactory to you?"

He donned a serious look. 'Would you care to offer some feedback?"

Everyone else at the table looked at Kira.

She raised her head and plastered on a smile. 'Uh, no, Mr President. The food's fine. Everything's fine. I have no complaints." "Then why the long face?'

'I'm...I'm just nervous to meet you. I'm a little overwhelmed. That's all.'

"Austyn's eyes twinkled with amusement.

'It seems that I should come down to the staff café more often. I don't want my employees to be scared of me."

The President And The Intern

'Yes, please!' Vanessa blurted. 'Mr McCarthy, you should join us more often! I have a lot of feedback to give. I bet the other 'Ahem.' Lexi kicked Vanessa's leg under the table,

"Um, not feedback. Vanessa quickly backtracked. What I meant is we have a lot of constructive suggestions to offer.'

'Noted.' Austyn nodded, then he looked at Kira again. 'What do you think, miss?'

'I think you're doing this on purpose!' Kira thought. 'Stop making me the centre of attention!

Out loud, she said, 'I think there's more than one way to gather feedback. It doesn't have to be done face-to-face. We have the company intranet, for example. Or we can talk to HR. I don't think it's something that should take up the president's time. 'Don't you have better things to do?' she wanted to add, but didn't.

Vanessa elbowed her in the stomach. 'Kira, how could you say that? Face-to-face feedback is the best. Besides, Mr McCarthy owns the company. He can come to the cafeteria as he pleases, Why are you trying to chase him away?' Dan nodded and said timidly, 'I agree with Vanessa."

The more face time they had with the boss, the more promotional opportunities could land in their lap.

Even Lexi glanced at Kira disapprovingly.

It was one against three, so Kira just shut up and returned to staring at her food.

'Mr McCarthy, what would you like?' Vanessa asked solicitously. 'There are ten stalls open today. We have chicken fried rice, turkey burgers, ham and Swiss quesadilla, pepperoni pizza, mac and

"That looks good.' Austyn stopped Vanessa before she could rattle off the entire list of lunch items.

He pointed to Kira's plate. 'I'll have whatever she's having.'

"The linguine! An excellent choice!' Vanessa shot to her feet. 'I'll get it for you!"

"Thank you."

Kira sighed inwardly.

'Silly girl,' she thought. 'Don't be fooled by the president's courteous public persona. Underneath that bespoke suit is a grudge-bearing man who uses his position to settle private scores."

She shoved forkfuls of the pasta into her mouth without tasting anything.

Then she smiled.

There was garlic and parsley in the linguine.

Austyn hated garlic.

Kira looked forward to seeing the man's face when he got a taste of the spicy, almost pungent condiment.

Austyn engaged in small talk with her colleagues.

But he had a way of always diverting the topic back to her, asking her about this and that.

Kira tried to dodge the conversation by pointing to her full mouth and shrugging apologetically.

But Austyn just stopped talking, steepled his fingers and waited patiently for her to finish chewing.

Then else at the table would follow suit, forcing Kira to come up with a reply.

everyone

She wolfed down the rest of her food in record time, stood up, pushed back her chair with a loud scrape, and said simply, 'I'm done. I think I'll head back to the office first. See you guys later." Then she fled the cafeteria.

'What's wrong with Kira today?' Lexi mumbled. She didn't even wait for the lemon meringue pie to come out."

Austyn set down his fork, wiped the corners of his mouth with a serviette and stood up. 'I need. to make a move first. Take your time.'

'Oh, okay, Mr McCarthy."

Vanessa ogled the president's backside and long legs as he walked away.

She was all googly-eyed. "The president's so nice! So polite! And so handsome!'

Lexi tapped a finger on the table, looking pensive. 'Do the president and Kira know each other?

Mr McCarthy had paid an unusual amount of attention to the intern during lunch.

Was Kira the reason for him to join their table?

Rumours abounded about the president's secret marriage, but none of the paparazzi had been able to capture a photo of the elusive and maybe fictitious Mrs McCarthy. The Psident And The Intern

34

Vanessa guffawed. 'As if!'

She cupped her flushed face in both hands. 'If Kira is friends with the president, then I'm the wife of George Clooney!*

Dan shook his head.

Fangirls could be such daydreamers.

Lexi thought about it, then she nodded. 'You're right. What was I thinking? Kira's an intern. There's no way she knows the president.'

Kira guzzled a glass of water to wash down the linguine stuck in her oesophagus.

Then she headed into the restroom.

She splashed cold water on her face.

'Horrible man,' she complained to the mirror. I'm going to get heartburn for eating so fast just now.'

The only consolation was that he had not gone too far and exposed their relationship.

But maybe that was just part of his plan to toy with her.

Kira decided to skip lunch if Austyn showed up at the café again.

She came out of the restroom, walked down the hallway, turned around a corner and bumped straight into a man.

She hit her forehead on the smooth, worsted wool of the man's suit jacket and caught a noseful of a minty scent.

'You wouldn't come within ten feet of me just now in the café. Now you're throwing yourself at me?'

His breath tickled her earlobe.

Kira tried to step back, but Austyn locked his arms around her waist.

'Someone's coming!' Kira panicked when she heard footsteps. 'Let me go!'

'So what if people see us? We're not doing anything illegal.*

It wasn't about legality; it was about notoriety!

Kira didn't want to make the headlines in the employee forum as the intern who tried to seduce the boss.

She shoved, but Austyn didn't budge.

The President And The Inter

She squirmed, but his arms were as strong as iron shackles.

Kira debated biting the man.

Reading her mind, Austyn lifted her chin with a finger and stared into her eyes.

'Let me-

The rest of her words were lost in the kiss.

Kira lost the use of her lips.

She pricked up her ears.

The footsteps were getting closer and headed this way.

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Kira stuck a hand under Austyn's suit jacket and pinched his waist hard.

Austyn hissed in pain.

He drew back, letting go of her.

He glared at Kira.

Kira spun on her heel.

Before she could escape, Austyn grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

He whispered in her ear, "There's a party tonight. Come with me."

'Okay, okay!'

Kira would have said yes if he asked her to skydive with him-anything to get her out of the current crisis.

'Stay back after office hours. I'll come and find you."

'Okay, sure, whatever. Just let me go!'

She was sweating now.

As soon as Austyn released his grip, Kira took off like a hare with a hound after her.

'She almost knocked over Kai, who was standing guard at the end of the hallway.

Kai winced.

Young Madam's elbow dug into his left flank.

'Boss, are we heading back to the office now?'

'I am. You're going shopping.

'I am?"

'Kira needs a dress for the party tonight. And call Vincent. Ask him to clear his schedule for 6-8 pm. I'll bring Kira to his studio for hair and makeup.

The party was an annual get-together arranged by Stamford's Chamber of Commerce.

The city's leading business figures and high officials would be in attendance.

The Chamber director sent an invitation to Austyn every year, but he always declined in the

past.

He had more important things to do than to chit chat with people he would meet at work

anyway.

Jonas Mysterious Sugar Daddy

Kai was curious. 'Boss, if you want to make your relationship with Young Madam public, you could arrange a press conference. The party is going to be filled with people, almost all of them strangers to Young Madam. She may not feel comfortable attending such an event."

Half of the attendees there wanted to talk business with Austyn.

The other half wanted to marry him.

If they saw Austyn show up with a woman on his arm, Young Madam was going to become public enemy number one.

Austyn

tossed his assistant a look. 'She's my woman. Nobody will dare touch her.'

Kai wasn't convinced.

Based on what little he knew about Young Madam, she did not seem like the type who embraced the spotlight.

The lunch earlier was a case in point.

ut if I

'You don't know her like I do,' Austyn said, seeming to read Kai's mind. 'She'll freak hold a press conference. I need to do it slowly and gradually. Introducing her to my social circle is step one. Eventually, the news will spread and she'll get used to being addressed as Mrs McCarthy.

Kai nodded.

He still had reservations, but then, he was just the assistant slash chauffeur slash sometime legman, not a relationship consultant.

000

Martin knocked on the door of the study and waited for a reply before he entered.

'Any news?' Gideon stood in front of the French window overlooking the lake.

He didn't turn around.

'Sorry, Young Master. I tried my best."

'Just tell me what you know."

'Miss Kira Hewitt is a Year Three Communications & Media Studies student at Stamford University. It's the summer break now. She's interning with a company in Stamford. That's all I can find.

'You can't find her home address or her phone number?"

'Sorry, Young Master. Her school records are sealed.'

'Did you offer them money?"

Kiras Mysterious Sugar Daddy

'I did, but the dean turned me down. Said his hands were tied.'

Gideon scowled.

Kira was an ordinary student.

Why would the dean guard her personal info so fiercely?

Was this the doing of Kira's mysterious sugar daddy?

Gideon saw red just thinking about the possibility.

'Did you at least find out the name of the company she's working at?'

'Yes. The M Group.'

'The M Group?' Gideon cocked an eyebrow. 'Are you sure?'

'Yes, I double-checked. Is Young Master familiar with the company?'

'Of course. It's the largest conglomerate in Stamford, ranked number five nationwide by capitalisation. The owner and founder is Austyn McCarthy."

"If Young Master is acquainted with Mr McCarthy, perhaps we could reach out to him for help."

Stamford was not Ourhlana.

Martin couldn't just snap his fingers and have Miss Hewitt's dossier delivered to him within, the same day.

Gideon pondered the suggestion.

'I had not wanted to trouble him for my private business, Gideon said. 'But now it seems that I have no choice. If Kira's working at Austyn's company, going to him is the quickest way to get to her.'

Martin nodded.

He set an embossed invitation card

On the desk. 'A representative from the Chamber of

Commerce delivered this yesterday. It's for a party tonight. It will be attended by the city's upper echelon in business and politics. If Young Master wants to gain a foothold in Stamford, this will be a good starting point."

Gideon didn't look at the invitation. 'Is it really necessary?'

He wanted to call Austyn right now.

'I think attending the party will prove worthwhile."

Martin wasn't just Gideon's personal assistant.

He had a duty to see the Garner family prosper.

Young Master had a good head on his shoulders, but lately, he had been a little too distracted by this affair of finding Miss Hewitt.

When he sensed Gideon's hesitation, Martin added, 'Mr McCarthy runs the biggest company in Stamford. It's highly likely that he'll be there tonight.'

'In that case, I should probably go as well.

'It's a black tie event. I'll prepare the tux, Young Master."

Knowing Gideon probably wouldn't read the invitation card, Martin reminded him, 'Young Master, it's customary to bring a plus-one."

Gideon wasn't in the mood to hear the details. 'Just make the arrangements. You know what to do."

Kira started packing up her stuff when the clock struck six times.

Her colleagues left one after another.

Kira waited for her turn to clock out.

Her phone vibrated with an incoming text message.

'Stay in the office. I'll be there in ten minutes.'

I The Sulking About Now!,

What Is He Sulking About Now?

An order from the boss man.

Kira rolled her eyes.

The man never started a request with 'Please' or ended one with 'Thank you.'

It was always just 'Do this,' 'Do that,' or 'Stay here.'

She had not forgotten about what Austyn said after lunch, but she was kind of hoping he had.

The man must have a memory like an elephant.

Kira remained in her seat and killed time browsing her school forum.

Summer break would be over soon.

She should start planning her timetable for the next semester.

Meanwhile, she wondered absent-mindedly about the M Group's policy on office romance.

It had always been a thorny issue.

Should coworkers be allowed to date each other?

Would it lead to favouritism?

Or lost productivity?

Like right now, she had to waste time at her desk, instead of being on her way to the hospital to see Dad.

No wonder some companies banned it entirely.

Kira was tempted to ignore the message, but Austyn was sure to give her a hard time once she got home.

She thought of something and then quickly typed out a reply. 'No hurries. Take your time.'