Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 1681

Sylvia's teeth ground together in fury, but she couldn't formulate a single word in retaliation. The person she respected most in her entire life was Emmy Lincoln. She had been one of the few rays of light in Sylvia's exceptionally dark life. Emmy had endured so much suffering before finally securing a stable, happy life. How could Sylvia bear to burden her with such a trivial grievance? Weighing the pros and cons, she reached out and snatched the resume right out of Steve's hand.

"Since you're here to apply for a job, leave your documents." She pointed a freezing glare toward the door. "Now, you can go home and wait for my call."

Steve easily saw through her stalling tactic. If he didn't lock this down today, he would undoubtedly be left waiting indefinitely. He simply crossed his arms and leaned back against the armrest of the sofa, assuming an incredibly lazy, shameless posture. "That won't work. My rates fluctuate. I'm in a good mood today, so I'm offering you a bargain. If I go home and get put in a bad mood while waiting, the price will skyrocket to an astronomical figure." He stared down at her from his imposing height, his gaze heavy with intimidation. "Are you absolutely sure you want me to wait?"

Driven to the edge of exasperated laughter, though her eyes remained entirely devoid of amusement, Sylvia mocked, "Are all lawyers in your field this arbitrary with their pricing?"

Steve shrugged, acting as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Others lack the skill, so they can only charge market value. I am arbitrary because I have the talent to back it up."

There was no denying he was a fiercely intelligent man with a razor-sharp tongue. He was notoriously venomous, capable of verbally flaying a person alive. But Sylvia knew his venom was usually reserved for specific targets, or unleashed when he was profoundly irritated. The problem was, Sylvia had been on the receiving end of his absolute worst. It had happened years ago, during those dark days when she was forced to marry him and live at the Michell family estate just to afford her grandfather's medical bills.

He had weaponized the most elegant vocabulary to trample her self-esteem into the dirt, making her feel utterly worthless. Those words had been as sharp as daggers, and even now, the memory of them sent a lingering shudder through her heart. That was exactly why she was so deeply terrified. If she hired him today, it would guarantee endless, inescapable professional contact with him in the future.