Chapter 27: Confronting the Saboteur

I can’t believe I’m back at KB Studios.

All of the unwanted memories that I had of him and of this company started flooding in, taking over my thoughts. My knuckles have turned white from clenching my fists tightly as I gritted my teeth in an attempt to restrain myself from losing control. My hunched form exuded an animosity that was like acid - burning, destructive and potent. As I walked inside and towards the elevator with confidence, my face was red with suppressed rage, ready to explode.

And so when someone I didn’t know set a finger on my shoulder, I immediately swung around and mentally snapped. I narrowed my eyes and glared at the person, letting out a groan of annoyance.

My eyes widened in surprise when I saw that it was one of the employees. I furrowed my eyebrows at her in confusion. I have never seen her before. She must be new.

“E-excuse me, ms. Is there someone you’re looking for?” She stuttered nervously as she struggled to meet my intimidating gaze. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down as I forced a smile.

“I just need to speak with Kevin.” I responded curtly as I proceeded to walk towards the elevator. I stopped mid-step when I heard her following behind me. I snapped my head towards her, scowling at her persistence. I don’t have time for this.

“Don’t worry, I know the way. I’ve worked here before.” I stated matter-of-factly as I quickly entered the first elevator that opened.

“But--” She was cut short by the elevator suddenly closing in on her face. I let out a sigh of relief as I leaned against the elevator walls. I was determined to confront him. I didn’t want to hide behind layers of makeup and hairspray any longer. I don't want to be a coward anymore.

A surge of adrenaline ran through my veins as the elevator opened to his floor.

With every step, I got angrier and more determined to face him. The thought of being able to see him again drove me insane.

When I still worked in this company, he felt empowered to micromanage every little aspect of my life, every damn thing done his damn way. I would often swallow my pride and just do whatever he wanted, smile and move on. But now I know that it only made it worse and even after I left the company, he has continued to harass me and ruin my life.

I can no longer tolerate this abuse anymore.

I just finally snapped. All that rage came out faster than magma and it’s just as destructive. It consumed all that I was, so delicate under that carefully ordered world I’ve created for myself. I wanted him to shrivel before me and do damage with my words. I have become vengeful and mean; I am now a person he didn't want to know anymore.

As I approached his office, I saw his assistant look at me as if she had seen a ghost. Her eyes were wide as she stood up to try and stop me from entering. “Excuse me, Ms. Bailey, Mr. Butler is busy right n--”

“Kevin!” I yelled, pushing the door of his office wide open and completely ignoring his assistant. Kevin’s eyes widened as his jaw dropped in surprise. He was on the phone with someone right now and it seemed important because he was actually taking notes. I rolled my eyes.

When I used to work for him, he claimed that he had a fantastic memory and that he only needed to take notes when it’s necessary. I placed one hand on my hip and closed the door behind me with the other, locking it so that his assistant could no longer intervene. He let out a long, exasperated sigh.

“I’m sorry, sir. Can I please call you back? I suddenly have an urgent matter to attend to.” His voice sounded very polite that you would actually mistake it as his true personality. Underneath all of his kind acts, there’s a monster that’s ready to devour and take advantage of innocent women. I held back the urge to gag as he ended the call. His whole being made me sick.

“Are you done?” I spat impatiently as he placed down his phone. He cleared his throat and loosened the collar of his shirt. He seemed to be taken aback by my harsh tone. His surprised expression was soon replaced with arrogance, an expression I knew too well.

“Look who’s here, if it isn’t Sandra Bailey.” He let out a dry and sarcastic laugh. “Please have a seat.” He gestured to me to sit on one of the metal chairs in his office. He had on his signature smirk that I desperately wanted to wipe off his stupid face.

“Enough with the pleasantries, Kevin. Let’s cut to the chase.” I retorted in annoyance. He still had this smug look on his face, thinking that he had the upper hand. “Why the hell did you step in to ruin my chance at LLL, Corp?” I said through gritted teeth.

Kevin being the douchebag that he is, feigned a shocked expression as he registered my question. “What are you talking about, sweetheart? I don’t know anything about that.” He stood up and walked around the table to stand closer to me. “You don’t have any proof now do you?” He whispered viciously as he leaned in closer. “Pathetic.”

By this time, my face was now red with rage. My hands were now itching to smack his face but I had to fight the urge not to.

I leaned back as I grimaced in disgust. I felt uncomfortable being too close to him. Even though I was no longer terrified to face him, I still knew deep down that he’s capable of other terrible things and I definitely do not want to find out what those are anytime soon. “What makes you think I’d barge in here without any proof?” I spat, trying to stand my ground. The cocky expression on his face quickly faded and was replaced with a frown. A smirk formed my lips, knowing that I finally had the upper hand.

Lying had become a thing I got accustomed to lately so why not use this newfound skill to have leverage over him. After all, he doesn’t need to know about this.

He let out a sigh of defeat as he folded his arms over his chest. “Alright, fine. What do you want?” He said hesitantly as he stormed back to the other side of his desk. “You want money? How much do you want?” He added angrily as he pulled out a check from his drawer. I just stared at him in disbelief. What does he take me for? Do I have to spell it out to him? Before he could write anything on the check, I made sure to cut him off.

“No, I don’t want your money. I just want you to stay the hell away from me and my career. Leave me alone.” I responded sharply. He stared at me in disbelief, checking to see if I was joking or not. I held his gaze with the same intensity.

He was the first to break away from our fierce staring contest and he started laughing hysterically. I raised an eyebrow at him, unamused at his reaction. Why is this bastard suddenly laughing? I just gaped at him the whole time, waiting for him to finish. He gasped for air as he fell down to his chair with a soft thud.

“Wow, you’ve changed, Sandra.” He eyed me top to bottom. I tried to look unfazed by his stare.

“Of course I did. I’m not the same naive girl that you once thought I was.” I replied confidently to which he just shook his head and looked down. It took him a while to look back up to me. I scowled in confusion. What is he doing?

Maybe he’s in deep thought or maybe he just reminisced on the days he abused me. Whatever it is, it sure changed his aura. As he glanced back up to me, his eyes looked cold. The look that he gave me made a shiver run down my spine but I still held my ground.

“Yes, I did underestimate you.” So now he only acknowledges me when I try to threaten him. Great. Looks like this is the only good thing that my lies had brought me.

He then started to glare at me; his eyes held a glint that I couldn't decipher. I arched an eyebrow at him, trying to mask the fact that he started to intimidate me at this point. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

“It got me thinking..." He trailed off as he rubbed his chin while he was deep in thought. "Maybe you’re the one that’s behind the cancellation of one of my deals with LKG Pictures.” He said suspiciously as his eyes darted daggers accusingly. I tilted my head and raised my eyebrows at him. Confusion is an understatement to what I’m feeling right now. What is he talking about? Does he think that by accusing me I’ll back down?

Well, prepare to be disappointed, Kevin.

“Stop spouting nonsense. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” My voice went a bit higher than usual. I slapped myself internally. Sandra, don’t falter!

He didn’t look convinced with my statement.

“Just admit it. You had done something to rescind my newest collaboration with LKG Pictures.” He shouted at me, making me feel a bit scared because of his loud voice but I tried my best not to flinch. You have to stay strong, Sandra.

“First of all, I am just an events coordinator at Williams, Inc. Secondly, I’m not some powerful person who can just magically revoke your agreement with this company.” I yelled back at him. He can’t just scream at me and expect me to stand still. I’m not the defenseless girl I was back then.

“How would you not know?" He looked at me as if I was stupid. "I saw you one time with Arthur Williams in a coffee shop once. His company is closely tied with LKG Pictures.” He explained as he narrowed his eyes at me. “You must have told him something.” He stated matter-of-factly as he pointed at me accusingly. I scowled at him in confusion. I really didn't know what he was talking about. I would never ask Arthur to do something like this.

“And here I thought you changed. Still hiding behind some rich guy to help you slither your way back to the industry.” He spat back, making me laugh at his lame attempt of blaming me.

It was then it hit me.

What if he’s right? Was Arthur really behind it all? Even though it made me think about what he said, I’ll just save that for later after our conversation. I can’t be distracted or else I’ll lose this.

“You’re really blaming me for something I didn’t do. That’s rich of you to do.” I sneered at him as I desperately tried to mask the confused expression that I had on my face. “If I told him something, that’s not the only thing that I’ll ask him to do to you.” I added just to scare him a bit.

“So you do admit you were behind it?” He retorted arrogantly, acting as if he caught me red-handed. I just gave him a dry smile. He really does seem pathetic. I can't believe that I used to be so terrified of this man.

“I said if. That doesn’t mean anything.” I shrugged nonchalantly as I turned my back at him. “I guess our conversation here is done.” I made my way to the door. I’ve had enough of our conversation. It was starting to become pointless.

As I reached for the door handle, his words made me suddenly stop.

“This isn’t over, Sandra.” His tone was low and serious. I couldn’t care less as to what he had to say. I already said everything that I had to say. I didn’t turn around and acknowledged him. Instead, I just pushed the door open and proceeded to show myself out, slamming the door shut in the process.

I walked out of the building with a heavy heart. I can feel the fatigue that I got from meeting Kevin. Each step to the bus station grew heavier. As I sat down at the waiting area, my mind drifted back to what he said earlier.

Maybe Arthur had something to do with it. Why did he do that? Was it because of me? Or was it just purely business? Lots of unanswered questions popped inside my head. I must confirm it with him.

I held my face with both of my hands in exasperation.

When will all of this end?