Ficorpio
Chapter 1
A new college graduate had just joined the company, and there was something about her gentle, obedient air that made her especially tempting.
With a little manipulation, I got her.
I had planned to discard her the moment I grew tired of the game.
I never expected that while I was playing with her, she was playing me too—and would eventually drag me into an abyss.
Walter Hayes was her project supervisor. He had no exceptional talent, but he was extremely skilled at reading the room. One look from me, and he could pinpoint exactly what I wanted.
In my office, I took another look at Chloe Bennett’s resume.
Walter gave me a lecherous smile. He understood at once.
“Mr. Sterling, I’ve handled this kind of thing before. Leave it to me, and you can relax.”
I smiled knowingly and waved him out.
That afternoon, the moment I stepped out of my office, I saw Walter reprimanding her.
“You couldn’t even finish a PowerPoint deck in an entire morning? The company doesn’t pay people to sit around doing nothing. If you can’t handle the work, then don’t bother staying.”
Chloe looked like a startled rabbit. She nodded obediently and apologized.
Walter’s expression turned fierce. “If you don’t improve your skills, the company definitely won’t keep you. You’d better leave on your own.”
That was when I walked over.
“Supervisor Hayes, it’s normal for a new hire not to understand everything at first. You need to be more patient and teach her properly.”
“Yes, Mr. Sterling.”
Walter immediately began nodding and bowing, addressing me with exaggerated respect.
Women were naturally drawn to power, especially young women who had only just entered society.
Once she understood the difference between our positions, it would be much easier to control her.
I reached out and patted her shoulder.
“You’re Chloe Bennett, right? I’ve looked over your resume. You graduated from an elite university. Work hard, and I think you have real potential.”
Chloe looked flattered. “Yes, Mr. Sterling.”
I laughed coldly inside. She hadn’t resisted my touch. Taking her would be effortless.
When the workday ended that evening, Walter gave me a sly grin through the office glass and gestured toward Chloe’s workstation with his eyes.
He had kept her behind to work overtime.
Having a subordinate who understood me so well always made things easier.
The enormous office was left with only Chloe and me. Her desk faced my executive office directly.
The glass was one-way. I could see everything outside, while no one outside could see in.
Her eyes were clear, and her oval face was fair. At that moment, she was staring intently at her computer screen, working with meticulous focus.
Just watching her through the glass was enough to make heat spread through my body.
Chapter 2
Over the years, I had been involved with plenty of women behind my wife’s back. Chloe was the first who could awaken something so openly predatory in me.
I ran my tongue over my lips as I watched her, burning with desire. I wanted to take her right there in the office.
But I held back. It was rare to come across such an interesting prey, and I wanted to enjoy the hunt.
An hour later, she stretched. Her lovely features and striking figure were fully exposed before me.
Damn, she was tempting.
I stepped outside as if by coincidence. Chloe froze for a moment, then greeted me politely.
“Good evening, Mr. Sterling!”
“Chloe, it’s so late. Why haven’t you gone home?” I asked.
“I had a little work left from today, so I stayed to finish it.” Her voice was soft and gentle.
“Supervisor Hayes really went too far, leaving a new employee here to work overtime.” I pretended to be displeased. “I’ll tell Finance to pay you triple overtime for tonight.”
“Thank you, Mr. Sterling.” Chloe looked flattered, then added, “But I stayed because I hadn’t finished my work. It’s only right that I take care of it tonight.”
“You’ll receive every dollar you’re owed. We’re not some heartless company. Exploiting new employees isn’t part of our corporate culture.”
I smiled and reached out to touch her head.
She clearly hadn’t expected it. Her body stiffened at once.
I was quite satisfied with her reaction.
Today, I could pat her shoulder and touch her hair.
Tomorrow, I would be able to pat her backside and run my hand along her thigh.
She was still a young woman who had only just entered the working world. Give her a few small favors, and she would be mine.
The moment Chloe Bennett stepped out of the Sterling Corporate Office, the rain came down in sheets.
She stood beneath the awning, glancing anxiously from one direction to the other.
I drove past in my Ferrari and lowered the passenger-side window.
“Get in. I’ll take you home.”
Nothing drew a woman in quite like status and money.
It was time to let her see what I had.
After a moment’s hesitation, Chloe climbed into the passenger seat.
Unlike other women, she didn’t look around the car with wide-eyed excitement or pull out her phone to take pictures. She just sat there in silence.
It was like throwing a punch into cotton.
Her wispy bangs were soaked, plastered against her cheeks. From the side, she looked fragile enough to make anyone feel sorry for her.
I reached over and brushed the wet strands away from her face.
She jolted.
“Mr. Sterling, what… what are you doing?”
Chapter 3
I said nothing. I leaned halfway across the console, my breath warm against her neck as the faint, clean scent of her perfume reached me.
“Put on your seat belt.”
My arm passed across her as I pulled the belt into place.
“Oh. Thank you, Mr. Sterling. I could have done it myself,” she said quietly.
I smiled.
Then she spoke again. “Mr. Sterling, earlier today, I didn’t want to embarrass you in front of everyone. But from now on, could you please not touch my hair? I’m not used to physical contact with men.”
My expression darkened.
There were plenty of women outside who would line up for the chance to have me touch them. Chloe had some nerve acting as though I had crossed some unforgivable line.
Vain women could be conquered by status.
Gold diggers could be won over with money.
I’d already shown her both. What exactly was she still holding herself apart for?
Yet the more restrained she was, the more I wanted to force her beneath me, use her until I was tired of her, then cast her aside without a second thought.
The rain intensified, hammering against the windshield.
Then Chloe’s phone rang.
It was her father.
“Chloe, why aren’t you home yet?” Thomas Bennett’s worried voice carried clearly through the car. “It’s pouring out there. Do you need me to come get you?”
There was nothing but concern in his tone.
Chloe came from a poor family. She had made it through high school and college only because of financial aid from kind strangers.
But her family was close. They didn’t have much, yet they were happy.
I gave a cold smile to myself.
Wasn’t that the perfect weakness to place in my hands?
Over the next few days, Walter Hayes made Chloe’s life miserable. He assigned her impossible tasks, criticized her incompetence in front of everyone, and kept her working late into the night.
She endured it in silence and never once complained.
During that time, I hinted that there were certain problems I could solve for her—as long as she asked.
She always responded with the same polite yet distant attitude.
It infuriated me. She had been given a chance, and she still dared to act as though she was above it.
I transferred her directly to my side as my secretary.
To my surprise, she hesitated, looking distinctly unwilling.
I gave a cold snort. I decided it was time to show her how the wealthy lived.
I had my assistant, James Carter, take her shopping for several outfits from luxury brands—clothes that each cost the equivalent of two months of her salary. Then I ordered her to put one on and accompany me to a business reception that evening.
Chloe tried to decline, but I fixed her with a cold stare.