Letting Victoria go with him would be like tossing a lamb to the wolves. By the time McNeil had his way with her, it’d be far too late for regrets.
Curtis knew all too well how dangerous McNeil could be around women. Never mind his terrifyingly powerful background—the way he lavished gifts and resources on women was enough to make anyone wary.
Take Violet, for instance—his perpetual muse. McNeil had thrown hundreds of millions into her, handed her a company, poured resources at her feet. What woman could ever willingly walk away from a man like that?
And now, he was just as generous with Victoria. Curtis had even checked on that set of emeralds McNeil gifted her—they were worth millions.
Victoria was someone McNeil had only just started to pursue, yet he already spared no expense.
Even at work, McNeil had promised her a five percent cut on the project. At this rate, a deputy director at Quantum Core Technologies would soon out-earn Curtis himself.
All his years of hard work couldn’t compare to three months of McNeil doting on a woman.
It wasn’t that Curtis was jealous of Victoria or Violet. He just worried that Victoria would get swept up by McNeil’s money and charm, end up losing herself, and tumble straight into his arms.
Victoria was the one he’d set his sights on. She’d been at the company for months, and he hadn’t dared make a move. McNeil, on the other hand, didn’t care if a woman was married or had kids—he went after anyone he pleased.
Curtis’s expression darkened, his voice cold as ice.
“I won’t allow you to go out alone with one of my female staff. Last time I saw you with your wife, and now the whole city knows you’ve got a girlfriend. Yet somehow, you’re already making moves inside my company. McNeil, business is business. Don’t forget the old saying—don’t foul your own nest.”
McNeil shot back, “So you’re really going to turn against me over a woman?”
Curtis was brimming with challenge. “It’s not about a woman—it’s about you crossing the line. Can’t you just focus on work for once?”
McNeil bristled at Curtis’s obvious protectiveness over Victoria. But he couldn’t exactly tell him Victoria was his wife.
“I know what I’m doing. As for whether Victoria and I end up together, that’s up to her. Don’t act like you’re her boyfriend. She’s been at your company for months and never looked twice at you, has she? So why shouldn’t I go after her? She’s not yours.”
The tension over the phone was palpable, both men refusing to back down.
Curtis dug in his heels. “This isn’t up for discussion.”
He simply refused.
McNeil’s tone turned mocking. “Come off your high horse. If I bring you to the client meeting, do you even understand tech? Do you know how to code? Can you speak to the technical specs?”
He fired off his questions, and Curtis went momentarily silent.
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