Chapter 69: Teasing Bella
Theodore froze, mirroring Bella’s stunned expression. His mind rushed back to the events of that very morning. Instinctively, he wanted to reach for Bella, offer some silent comfort, some reassurance. But he paused as his gaze collided with Zack.
Annoyance flared hot within him. Why did Zack bring Bella along?
Before Theodore could even formulate a question, Zack’s voice boomed through the room, "Mr. Brooke... What is going on? I’ve been waiting for you, and here you are with..." His eyes flicked to Theodore, "Mr. Reid! Are you trying to humiliate me?"
Mr. Brooke, the middle-aged man, waved a dismissive hand. "Don’t fret, Zack," he drawled. "An important meeting is going on here. Don’t disturb us. I’ll talk to you later. Come see me in the office tomorrow, alright? Let’s address this calmly and find a resolution."
The casual dismissal only stoked Zack’s fury further, his eyes blazing as he took a step forward, his fists clenched at his sides. "Calmly? You expect me to be calm when I’ve been deceived?"
The tense counterpoint continued. Theodore and Bella, locked in a silent exchange of worried glances, seemed to be having their own unspoken conversation. Bella was nervous at the unexpected encounter, while Theodore was seemingly distressed to see her with Zack.
Why would Zack bring her to such an important meeting? She wasn’t his assistant, nor his secretary. What game was Zack playing?
Theodore’s irritation grew with each passing moment.
"Humph!" Zack barked, his disdain barely contained. "If you weren’t interested, you could have just said so! Why waste my time? This is disrespectful. You think you can just humiliate people like that?"
His outburst jerked Theodore back to the present, forcing him to tear his gaze from Bella and focus on the escalating argument. Bella, standing on the periphery, felt the tension escalate and wondered how this situation would resolve itself.