“He?” I questioned, my head tilting suspiciously.
At this point, I already knew who she was talking about. I just needed confirmation.
“Who’s ‘he,’ Agata?”
Silence.
Her head dropped again.
“It’s him, isn’t it? Karik?”
She glanced up at me, clasping her palms together. “Please, ma’am. I don’t want any trouble.”
“Son of a bitch,” I cussed under my breath. “What did he do to you?” I demanded.
“Nothing. I told you it was my fault. I shouldn’t have spilled tea on his documents,” she replied, shaking as though she knew this was about to escalate.
I stepped closer. “What…did he do to you?”
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Fine.” I turned away. “I’ll ask him myself.”
“No, no, please, don’t! It’ll only make him angrier.” She crossed over and stood in front of me, weeping. “I swear, he only scolded me. The only reason I’m crying is because his words were too harsh and I’m an emotional person.”
I paused, watching her closely.
She was telling the truth. He didn’t touch her. He couldn’t have. But he still made her cry with his words, and that’s just as evil.
“Wipe your tears,” I said to her. “I’ll take it from here.”
“Please, let it go,” she said, pleading with her eyes. “I don’t want any trouble.”
“No, you don’t,” I answered. “But I do. And he has some explaining to do.”
With that, I walked away, leaving her standing there, hoping I wouldn’t make things worse.
***
“Karik Tarasov, what the hell is wrong with you?!” I barged into his study, my feet pounding the floor.
He was seated at his desk, speaking to someone on the phone. “Let me call you back.”
I halted before his table, glaring at him. “Why do you delight in causing other people pain?”
“What’re you talking about?” he asked, setting his phone down.
“You know goddamn well what I’m talking about.”
A pause.
“Unfortunately, I do not.”
With both hands on his table, I leaned in, my eyes boring into his. “What did you say to her?”
He raised his brows. “Are you allergic to specifics?”
“Agata,” I blurted. “Why did you yell at her? What exactly did you say that made the poor girl cry her eyes out?”
