Page 21 of Auctioned to My Bratva Boss

If this bastard thought he could pull something under my nose, he had a death wish.

"Understood, Pakhan." Anton saluted and left.

He was solid when it mattered. If only he could keep his mouth shut the rest of the time.

The office went quiet. Victor's nauseating grin flashed through my mind. Looking back, he'd probably been scheming even then.

"How did you produce this garbage? If you can't cut it, get the hell out!"

A sudden shout from the monitor cut through my thoughts. I looked at the screen and saw a woman towering over Riley, hurling a stack of files at her.

The surveillance was crystal clear. I could zoom in enough to read the documents. Quarterly reports, proofreading... none of it intern work.

A vein pulsed at my temple. Fuck, these people were always causing problems. I rubbed my face hard, barely stopping myself from punching through the monitor. The company's fresh blood was being destroyed by these parasites.

What was this woman's name again? From her uniform, she had to be a supervisor. So how the hell did she get into my company and thrive?

I grabbed my phone to call HR. Get that supervisor fired. But halfway through dialing, I stopped.

"Shit."

HR wouldn't finish until afternoon. She needed to go now. Right now.

I strode out of my office and took the elevator to the twelfth floor where the design department was.

"Riley, look at what you've done!" The parasite was still screaming. "Can't do your job right, walking around dressed like a sausage—do you know what people say about you behind your back?"

If we weren't in the office, if she weren't a woman, her tongue would already be dog food.

"Kate, that's not even my job. You always dump your work on me. I don't think the boss would tolerate your behavior."

Kate. Good.

I approached. The employees who'd been spectating instantly dropped their heads.

The office is filled with nothing but continuous abuse. I stood behind Kate, but she clearly hadn't noticed me.

Riley saw me, though. Shock flashed through her wet eyes, and she forgot to speak. I put a finger to my lips. She blinked.

"Say something! Weren't you so tough just now? If I don't teach you a lesson today, you bitch, you'll get fired someday for pissing off the boss." Kate raised her hand, ready to slap Riley across the face.

"Who said she's getting fired?" I grabbed her wrist mid-air and flung it aside.

"Mr. Bykov!" She whipped around, the viciousness draining into fear. "What are you doing in the design department?"

"Tell me—what did Riley do?" I picked up a file from the side of the desk. "Why did you lay your hands on her?"

Kate's mouth twitched. Cold sweat had already formed on her forehead. So she got afraid, too. Unfortunately for her, it was too late.

"She... she couldn't complete the task I assigned her as an intern, and she—"

Her voice shrank as she spoke.

"And she talked back to you, didn't she?" I looked down at her.

"Yes—no!" She shook her head frantically, words spilling out of order. "I'm very sorry, Mr. Bykov. I overreacted... I was only thinking about her development in the company."

Always a convenient excuse.