2 am, the same night

Victoria couldn't sleep. She couldn't believe she let Andrew do this to her. How could she let him do this to her?

While she was lost in her thoughts, or rather in her anger, her phone buzzed. She reached over and picked it up to check the message she had received.

"Did you sleep?"

"Who is this?"

"You don't have the number of your boss?"

"Andrew? The right question is how did you get my number?"

"I am wondering...did you think of me while you masturbated? Do your fingers work better than mine?"

"You pervert!"

"I? A pervert? I am not the one walking around without panties."

"Fuck yourself!"

"Nah, thank you. I already fucked Charlotte."

"You are sick bastard!"

"Someone is unhappy that I didn't finish what I started, ah? We can finish it tomorrow. I know you want it. I know what you want, Victoria."

"You know nothing! That won't happen again, Andrew! I will tell you only once- forget about tonight!"

"I can forget, but can you?"

Victoria didn't answer him. At that moment she was wondering if she hated herself more than she hated him... But then her phone buzzed again.

"You didn't answer. I'll take it that you can't."

"Believe me, I forget the things that don't give me pleasure very easily. Good night!"

She threw her phone furiously against the wall and covered her head with the pillow.

"I hate you, Andrew Smith!"

***

The next morning / 6:30 am

Probably many people were still asleep at that time. Justin was still asleep, too. The first time he heard the doorbell, he tried to ignore it, but the second time it made him get up.

"Damn it! Who could be here so early?"

He put on a T-shirt and went downstairs to open the door.

"Tori?" He was surprised to see Victoria at his front door, but his surprise quickly turned to joy. "Come in."

Victoria walked into Justin'd house and he hugged her tightly.

"What are you doing here so early? Not that I am not happy to see you."

"I hate him! I hate him! I hate him!"

Justin took her hand and led her into the living room. She sat down on the couch, and he headed for the coffee machine.

"O-okay... I actually wanted to talk to you about something very important. But I guess you will be first." He took the two cups of coffee and headed to Victoria. "Whom do you hate?"

"Andrew Smith!"

"Oh, nothing new."

"It's new! Now I hate him more!"

"What happened?"

"My father sold our company to him."

"What? Why would Walter do that?"

"That's what I'm asking too. Somehow that bastard has played my father. I am sure. And now I have to work with him. For him... For Andrew, Justin!"

"Why don't you decline? After the company is no longer yours, you are not obliged to work there."

Victoria took a sip of her coffee.

"Are you crazy, Justin? I won't give up on our company that easily! I will take it back!"

"Okay... And how do you plan to do it?"

"I don't know yet. But what's for sure- I need to be inside."

Justin also took a sip of his coffee, then moved his cup to the other side of the table and took Victoria's hand.

"Try to calm down, Tori. You will think of something."

"Will you support me?"

"I am always supporting you, Tori! We have been best friends since we were children. You can count on me for everything."

Victoria hugged him.

"Thank you, Justin! Now, what did you want to talk to me? My spectacular, long-awaited return has turned into a nightmare ... But I want to hear everything that's been happening to you lately ..."

Yeah, Justin was looking forward to her return impatiently. He has finally decided to admit to her that he was in love with her. But he didn't plan for their meeting to go like this exactly...

"It's... it's not that important... Forget about it. We can talk about it another time."

Victoria took a deep breath.

"Okay. I will go to work. Thank you for listening to me!"

"Yeah. Anytime."

She picked up her bag and headed for the door, and Justin just watched and enjoyed her every move like a teenage boy in love.

***

Half an hour later, Victoria was in the company building. She headed directly for her father's office.

"Good morning, Dad." She walked over to Walter and kissed him on the cheek. Then she turned frowned. "Andrew."

"Good morning, Victoria." Andrew greeted her with his arrogant smirk.

"Honey," Walter hugged his daughter around the waist. "This will be Andrew's new office. But he doesn't mind sharing it with you."

"Are you kidding me? First, he took the company, and now he will use exactly this office?"

"I warned you about your attitude, Tori!"

"Walter, Victoria," Andrew approached them and placed his hands on their shoulders. "We don't want to start our first working day together with fighting, do we? We made such a good start yesterday. Let's not spoil it."

Victoria's irritation grew, but she didn't want to give Andrew pleasure with showing it. Because she believed that was his goal. She simply removed his hand from her shoulder and rolled her eyes.

"Victoria, as partners," Andrew continued, placing his hand again over her shoulder. "Because I accept you as a partner, I decided that it would be most beneficial if we share one office."

"You know what, Andrew? Now that I think about it, I think you're absolutely right."

"I'm glad to see that you're starting to understand each other, kids. I'm sure you two will make a great team. Well, I'll leave you to work." With saying that, Walter left the office and Victoria used the moment to get away from Andrew.

She stood by the window, looking out.

"So, you already can't stay away from me, Victoria?"

"You wish! I just think it would be really more beneficial for me to keep an eye on you."

"And you have no hidden motive?"

She turned to Andrew. "I always keep my cards open, Andrew. Do you know why?" After that, she went close to him again. "Because I always win anyway."

"That's good. I like challenges. As you already saw- I also always win."

Andrew stopped talking for a moment, went to his desk, and picked up a box. Then he returned to her and handed it to her.

"And in the name of our good work relationship, I have a present for you."

She opened the box in disbelief as if expecting it to explode at any moment. But it didn't.

Panties. There were black lace panties in the box.

And while Victoria was watching the box in anger, Andrew continued. "Although probably I'll be the one to rip them apart. But until then, accept them as a sign of truce."

And that was the limit of her patience. The box might not have exploded, but Victoria's nerves certainly did.

She tossed the box to Andrew and started yelling.

"Do you want me to tell you where to put them, along with your truce?"

And Andrew was just standing and having fun. Laughing.

At the same moment, the door opened. Something that probably prevented a potential crime. Or at least slowed the emotions down.

"Good morning kids!"

"Mum!" Victoria ran to her mother and hugged her tightly.

"Good morning, Mrs. Summers." Andrew walked over to them and shook his hand.

"I am so glad to see you, Andrew. And please call me Chloe. This "Mrs." makes me feel so old."

"You are anything but old, Chloe. Twenty years old girls can envy you for your look."

"Argh, I will vomit!"

"What, Tori?"

"Nothing... Ahm, dad left a few minutes ago. Apparently, you missed each other."

"I am not here looking for your father. My daughter had returned yesterday, but she hasn't visited me yet."

"I will leave you alone." Andrew held out his hand to Chloe again. "Have a good day, Chloe".

"You too, Andrew."

Seeing his back while he was leaving the office, was like medicine to Victoria at that moment. But now she had a mother to answer to.

"Mum, I am sorry. Dad greeted me with a very unpleasant surprise. And I was thinking you will come to the cocktail. But you didn't come. Then other things happened..."

"Calm down, honey. I was kidding. I am sorry that I didn't come yesterday, I had an awful headache."

"A headache? Are you alright now?"

"Yeah, I am alright. But this migraine is a bitch. I needed a rest. But, as I said, I am feeling perfect now, so how about we have lunch together?"

"I am happy to hear that. And of course, we will have lunch together!"

"Okay. See you later, honey."

"Later, Mum!"