Madam Escaped Again, Sir (Lillian Hawkins and Eric Walker) novel Chapter 102

Tina chewed on her bottom lip as panic filled her. No longer in the mood to stay for Cynthia’s appeal, she turned and left.

Half an hour later, she found herself at Fuller Group.

“Toby...” Tina couldn’t care less if there were others in the presidential office as she strode over to Toby’s desk. With her eyes red and glistening with tears, she sat down on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, thereafter nuzzling into his chest as she began to sob quietly.

Toby stiffened at her unanticipated behavior, but when he regained his composure, he frowned at the woman in his arms.

If it weren’t for the fact that she was crying, he thought he might very well push her away.

“Leave the documents here, and I’ll get back to the both of you after I’ve reviewed them. Go back to your own desks for now,” Toby announced to the man and woman standing in front of his desk. He put down the documents in his hand and rubbed his temple tiredly.

The man and woman standing in his office nodded. “Yes, President Fuller.”

After that, they left his office.

It was only after the door closed behind them that the woman whispered disapprovingly, “Isn’t she President Fuller’s fiancee? She ought to know better than to barge into the office without knocking first. It’s so rude of her to interrupt while we’re in the midst of a work discussion, not to mention sit down in President Fuller’s lap at first instance. The company is no

place for her to throw her girly tantrums.”

The man next to her simply shrugged. “President Fuller always lets her have her way.”

The woman was obviously displeased. “Okay, well, he needs to draw the line somewhere!”

“Alright, that’s enough now. We’re the ones who would get in trouble if we keep talking about this.”

The woman pouted but said nothing more.

Meanwhile, in the office, Toby carefully pried Tina away as he said, “There, there, Tina. Why don’t you get down for a bit?”

“No!” Tina whined, burrowing back into his arms.

He sighed and did not try to push her away again. Indulging her whims, he asked, “Go on,

then. Tell me what happened.”

She lifted her head like a wounded kitten as she stared at him with red-rimmed eyes. “Why are they all accusing me, Toby?”

“Who?” He narrowed his eyes slightly.

She sniffed. “Miss Read and Mrs. Stone. I was on my way to Cynthia’s appeal when I saw Mrs. Stone on her knees, begging Miss Reed to forgive Cynthia. Miss Reed refused to do so, and I spoke up for Mrs. Stone—”

He put up a hand and cut her off momentarily. “Wait. You spoke up for Mrs. Stone? As in, you were trying to persuade Sonia to forgive Cynthia?”

Tina hummed in response as she nodded. “I mean, Mrs. Stone was already on her knees, and I had to—”

“Tina, you were in the wrong. You shouldn’t have done that,” Toby interjected as he regarded her with a dark gaze.

Unable to take such a rebuff, Tina grew sullen as she protested, “I don’t think I did anything wrong at all!”

“Yes, you were entirely at fault! Cynthia was the one who caused this mess in the first place, and Sonia was the victim, which means she gets to decide if she wants to forgive the former. You have no right as a third party to interfere and plead Cynthia’s case, do you understand?” Toby said in a low voice.

She bit down on her lip and tried to argue, “But

“That’s enough. You were probably going to say that it was harsh for Sonia to not forgive Cynthia even though Mrs. Stone had gotten down on her knees in front of her, but did you ever stop to think that this was less of a begging situation than it was coercion?”

A coercion? she repeated, sounding stunned.

He nodded gravely. “That’s right. Mrs. Stone could easily plead with Sonia in private, but she decided to get down on her knees right there in a public space. She was likely trying to pressure Sonia into forgiving Cynthia.”

“I see,” she mumbled, lowering her head as she feigned sadness. “It was no wonder that Mrs. Stone would blame me for helping her get on her feet. I ruined her plan.”