The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 1285 Rachel's Intention

Half an hour later, Rachel was ready to go out. She looked great in a black dress, which emphasized her curvy figure. Make-up was applied delicately. And, she completed her outfit with her favorite stiletto

heels.

At the Hu Group

When the Hu Group became an empire, its building became one of the landmarks of the city. The view of the city from the top was breathtaking. As Rachel stepped out of her car, she realized that she had never taken a good look at it before.

After passing through the doors and the security, she walked to the concierge and smiled at the young lady standing behind the counter. "Good morning. I am Rachel Bai from the Tarsan Corporation. I'm here to meet Mr. Hu."

Rachel beamed at the receptionist as she spoke.

Anyone who saw her flashing her best smile would be thinking of her being an apparition of an angel. And, the receptionist was not an exception. The young lady was so dazzled by Rachel's smiling face. Without hesitation, she picked up the phone and dialed Black's private line.

The call lasted only for a couple of seconds.

"Ms. Bai, Mr. Hu is already waiting for you in his office. Please proceed to the fifth floor."

"Thank you very much."

The person who answered the receptionist's call was no one but Black. When the phone rang, he already expected it to be Rachel coming to see him.

Whatever reason Rachel had in coming today was a mystery to him.

"Good morning, Mr. Hu. I am Rachel Bai. It's so nice to finally meet you!" Since it was their first meeting, Rachel acted accordingly. She gave him her best polite smile. It surprised her to see how young Black was. Knowing the wealth he amassed, she expected him to be in his mid-thirties or early forties.

In a flash, many thoughts crossed Rachel's mind.

"Nice to meet you too. So, may I have the honor to know why you came here?" Black was surprised to see Rachel. Thanks to Holley, he knew so much about her that he didn't have a good impression of her. Though he tried to look patient with her, inside his mind, he could not wait for the meeting to finish. His guard was up for any inappropriate antics the girl had up her sleeves.

"Well, I heard a lot about you. And, to be direct, I want to know why you didn't show up at the board meeting in the Tarsan Corporation the other day." Upon hearing her, Black already knew her intention. Whatever her agenda was, he was one hundred percent sure that Rachel failed during the board meeting. And, she came to see him in the hope of gaining his assistance to achieve her own interest. He almost failed to hide his evil smirk. He concealed it by forcing a polite smile. Then, he answered blandly, "I happened to be busy that day. So I decided to skip that meeting."

Understanding the underlying meaning of Black's reply, Rachel knew that he had no intention of supporting her over the board matter. But, she didn't give up easily. Using her charms, she started to move towards him. Black noticed right away the change in her.

There was also a sudden change in Black. His facial expression reflected his alertness in him. Before Rachel got too close, he quickly took a step back. A sign that he did not approve. A rejection. Seeing Black's reaction, Rachel got irritated. At the same time, it made her confused. Black's actions were the opposite of the usual reaction she got when she worked her charms on men. She knew that men had primal urges and could easily be aroused by any sexual insinuations made by women. Then, what went wrong with Black? What she didn't know was not all men could give in so easily. She was right. Men had the urges. But men could also control themselves. And Black was one of those men who had control over their own bodies.

Aiming for another shot in the art of seduction, Rachel pretended not to notice what just happened. This time, she flashed him her angelic smile. In a sultry voice, she said, "Mr. Hu, we are both the shareholders of Tarsan Corporation and we meet for the first time. Isn't it just right for us to get to know each other more? Why don't we go to lunch together? I hope you are available."

Knowing what she was trying to do, he was now on the verge of losing his patience. He realized now that it was wrong for him to treat her nicely and politely. It would have been better if he had told her from the start that there was nothing she could do to change his mind. And anyway, it was also impossible to accept her invitation. He already had a lunch date with Holley.

To the best he could, he managed a polite refusal on Rachel's lunch invitation.

"Oh, perhaps another time then. Let's schedule it next time when you are not too busy anymore. To make it easier to contact each other, why don't we exchange phone numbers?"

So disappointed, Rachel could not do anything anymore. Instead, she settled with getting a phone number.

She never expected Black to be a tough guy. This was her first time to fail. Thus, she was starting to doubt her charm.

As soon as she left Black's office, she was already planning her next moves. Black was her last hope. All she had to do was find a way to get him. And, she had to do it fast! Or else, all her efforts would be for nothing.

'Take it easy! Men have their weaknesses. I just need to find them. No matter how tough they are, I can easily get to them and tame them to be my pets!'

In the following days, Black always saw Rachel in different sexy dresses. Once, he saw her at the gym while he was working out in the exercise room. On another occasion, he saw her at the pool in her skimpiest bikini, waving at him.

Black felt really bothered and harassed. He saw through Rachel's cheap plan, but he did not say anything anymore. He felt that it would disgrace and anger her So what he did the next time Rachel appeared in front of her was to quickly turn around and walk away.

Despite Rachel's best efforts, she knew Black didn't appreciate her. It made Rachel feel more puzzled. At the same time, she felt more motivated to get him. She believed that no man could resist her beauty and charms. So the more insensitive Black reacted, the more eager she became to get him. She believed that one day he would lose. However, it was not until she saw the chilly expression in his eyes that she finally realized Black's mockery of her. Finally, she discontinued her plot.

All she did at the present was stay at home doing nothing. Days passed by and she could not bear the boredom anymore. Being alone for quite a long time was driving her crazy. At last, she decided to get back to Tarsan Corporation.

From being a manager, she was now only deputy manager. The demotion left her humiliated. It was another reason why she decided to stay at home. She could not bear the strange looks and snickers of the employees. Those made her angrier. Moreover, she hated to work with Holley and listen to her.

When Rachel entered the building, staff already were everywhere, busy with their own work. She walked straight to the direction of her table, not gazing at the people around her.

She felt all eyes were boring at her through her back. If looks could kill, she would have been dead right now. Also, harsh talks circulated once again in the work area.

"Look! Our deputy manager, Rachel Bai, has already returned. Does she really need to come back today? She stayed away for a long time. Does she still care about the company?" The mockery came from a female staff. She used to be Rachel's assistant but was treated very badly. She was never spared even from just small mistakes.

"Look, watch your mouth. The last time somebody talked badly of her, she reduced the poor guy's salary. Anyway, she is here now. So, stop questioning her devotion to the company. Perhaps, she dealt with something personal that has kept her busy for quite some time." Trying hard to convince the girl to leave Rachel alone, the male colleague couldn't stop himself from giving the ex-assistant a piece of advice. "Have some nerves to speak up! Don't be a coward! She is no longer our general manager now! She doesn't have the right to order us to do whatever she wants anymore. Why should we still be sacred of her?" However, the ex-assistant couldn't help but continue to rant. But this time, with voice lowered down when she thought of that poor guy.

Meanwhile, in her office, Rachel walked back and forth, trying to calm herself. But no matter how hard she tried, she could not will herself to settle down. She was displeased with her new office. This was too small for her liking, and made her depressed. The smell also disgusted her.

To lift her spirit up, she picked up her phone and sent Black a message.

"Good morning, Mr. Hu. I found a very cozy restaurant nearby. Are you available this afternoon? Maybe we can have lunch there together."

A few minutes after sending the message, she was still not in the mood to work. Instead, her attention shifted to the phone, waiting for a reply.

Not even a single page was finished reading. She even tried to sleep. But still, no luck! Worse, there was no reply from Black. This almost made her die of boredom.

'Staying here is not also a good idea. I should probably just go home,' she thought to herself, as she played with her face making different expressions. Then, she jumped to her feet, grabbed her handbag and left her office.

When she reached the parking lot, she spotted Black. She was really surprised to see him here. Before she could call him out, she saw Black approaching a woman and pulling her in his arms tightly. Rachel's mouth opened wide as shock registered. She was unable to speak nor move.

When the woman looked up at Black's handsome face, she clearly saw who she was. To her amazement, the woman Black was embracing firmly was no other than Holley!