because you turned down her advances. At root, this is about revenge on her part—payback from a woman scorned.”
Peter leaned his elbows on the arms of his chair and steepled his fingers. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“You intimated this wasn’t the first time you’ve refused a woman’s advances.”
Peter blinked slowly. “That’s right.”
“Have other women ever reacted in this way?”
“They’ve been upset. But no, they’ve never threatened me in this way.”
Felix frowned. “I don’t understand what Miss De Langen felt she had to gain by threatening you. She was unlikely to force you to have a relationship with her by threatening to tell your wife or someone at the office. In my experience—albeit limited, I accept—if a woman thinks a guy likes her and reacts to that effect, only to find out he doesn’t, the likely result is embarrassment. I would have thought Miss De Langen would have been horrified if she’d genuinely thought she’d got it wrong—that she would more likely have made a speedy exit or even apologised. Not got angry. Not unless she’d been given reason to think you were interested.”
Peter went still. Jack’s eyes flicked to Felix and back to the man sitting beside him.
“I didn’t encourage her,” Peter said.
He met Felix’s gaze, the same as he had when Felix had first walked into the room. This time, however, Felix didn’t look away. He held the icy blue stare, content to wait, to prove that he was in control of this hearing, acting on his gut instinct that this man was guilty, that he’d intimidated Sasha and tried to make her have a sexual relationship with him, and when she’d stood her ground and refused, he’d turned to blackmail. The woman had been upset enough to file a complaint. That in itself deserved further attention. Felix wasn’t going to play along with the partners and pretend it was a trivial matter. He wasn’t that type of man.
Peter continued to stare at him, his building anger evident in the way he clenched his fists once again. But Felix waited. And eventually Peter dropped his gaze.
Felix refused to let a smile of triumph touch his lips, but inside him the wave of relief made him feel almost light headed.
He finished off his coffee, closed the manila file and replaced it in his briefcase. “After some consideration,” he said, “I’ve decided the matter needs further investigation. I propose that I stay here until the end of next week to interview other members of staff, consider my verdict over the following weekend and give you an answer on the Monday. Is that acceptable?” He looked at Christopher, not Peter.
Christopher met his gaze, void of expression. Then he nodded.
Felix stood. “Thank you, everyone,” he said. And he turned and left the room.
Chapter Thirteen
Several hours later, Coco leaned against the doorjamb and studied the young lawyer where he sat deep in thought. Christopher and Peter had left the building, leaving behind a low murmur of rumour and speculation rumbling through the office like the earthquake tremors that occasionally plagued the capital.
Felix had disappeared into his office and shut the door when he vacated the boardroom, and she’d left him to it, although she knew Christopher had gone in to say goodbye. What had the Auckland boss said to him? Had he berated him for not brushing the case away as if it were the cobwebs in the dusty corners of the offices? Been angry and worried about the reputation of the firm being brought into disrepute?
She’d seen Rob Drake, who said Felix had asked for the rest of the day to read through some files and look up the procedure he was expected to follow, ready to start interviewing the next week.
Forget about him, she’d thought, and had busied herself throughout the morning, casting her eye over that day’s work generated by the secretaries, sorting out their hours for the following week, making sure everyone had been paid for the
Peter leaned his elbows on the arms of his chair and steepled his fingers. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“You intimated this wasn’t the first time you’ve refused a woman’s advances.”
Peter blinked slowly. “That’s right.”
“Have other women ever reacted in this way?”
“They’ve been upset. But no, they’ve never threatened me in this way.”
Felix frowned. “I don’t understand what Miss De Langen felt she had to gain by threatening you. She was unlikely to force you to have a relationship with her by threatening to tell your wife or someone at the office. In my experience—albeit limited, I accept—if a woman thinks a guy likes her and reacts to that effect, only to find out he doesn’t, the likely result is embarrassment. I would have thought Miss De Langen would have been horrified if she’d genuinely thought she’d got it wrong—that she would more likely have made a speedy exit or even apologised. Not got angry. Not unless she’d been given reason to think you were interested.”
Peter went still. Jack’s eyes flicked to Felix and back to the man sitting beside him.
“I didn’t encourage her,” Peter said.
He met Felix’s gaze, the same as he had when Felix had first walked into the room. This time, however, Felix didn’t look away. He held the icy blue stare, content to wait, to prove that he was in control of this hearing, acting on his gut instinct that this man was guilty, that he’d intimidated Sasha and tried to make her have a sexual relationship with him, and when she’d stood her ground and refused, he’d turned to blackmail. The woman had been upset enough to file a complaint. That in itself deserved further attention. Felix wasn’t going to play along with the partners and pretend it was a trivial matter. He wasn’t that type of man.
Peter continued to stare at him, his building anger evident in the way he clenched his fists once again. But Felix waited. And eventually Peter dropped his gaze.
Felix refused to let a smile of triumph touch his lips, but inside him the wave of relief made him feel almost light headed.
He finished off his coffee, closed the manila file and replaced it in his briefcase. “After some consideration,” he said, “I’ve decided the matter needs further investigation. I propose that I stay here until the end of next week to interview other members of staff, consider my verdict over the following weekend and give you an answer on the Monday. Is that acceptable?” He looked at Christopher, not Peter.
Christopher met his gaze, void of expression. Then he nodded.
Felix stood. “Thank you, everyone,” he said. And he turned and left the room.
Chapter Thirteen
Several hours later, Coco leaned against the doorjamb and studied the young lawyer where he sat deep in thought. Christopher and Peter had left the building, leaving behind a low murmur of rumour and speculation rumbling through the office like the earthquake tremors that occasionally plagued the capital.
Felix had disappeared into his office and shut the door when he vacated the boardroom, and she’d left him to it, although she knew Christopher had gone in to say goodbye. What had the Auckland boss said to him? Had he berated him for not brushing the case away as if it were the cobwebs in the dusty corners of the offices? Been angry and worried about the reputation of the firm being brought into disrepute?
She’d seen Rob Drake, who said Felix had asked for the rest of the day to read through some files and look up the procedure he was expected to follow, ready to start interviewing the next week.
Forget about him, she’d thought, and had busied herself throughout the morning, casting her eye over that day’s work generated by the secretaries, sorting out their hours for the following week, making sure everyone had been paid for the
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