On the Ruins of His Regret I Soar novel Chapter 223

Jessica and Rebecca raised their glasses.

The executive’s voice filled with emotion. “I’ll be honest with you. When Mr. Harris was in charge, we were all forced to ‘perform’ for clients. We were senior managers, but they treated us like showgirls. I remember when a new girl joined the company, her first business dinner was with Joe Brooks. He demanded she try on a new lingerie design, promising to sign the contract if she just wore it for three minutes. Mr. Harris, desperate for the high commission, forced that poor girl, fresh out of college, to do it. She came out, sat in front of Brooks for three minutes, and fell into a deep depression. She quit not long after and is still in therapy.”

Her eyes welled with tears. “I won’t say any more, but from now on, I will give my all to this company.”

Jessica and Rebecca exchanged a look and drained their glasses.

“You have my word,” Rebecca said to the room. “As a woman, I despise this disgusting culture of powerful men preying on women. I won’t ask what you’ve been through before, but I promise you, it will never happen again on my watch.”

A round of applause filled the room. Jessica gently patted Rebecca’s hand. A company that disrespected women was doomed to fail. In this world, women had long since proven they could hold up their half of the sky.

Later, Jessica excused herself to go to the restroom. As she was coming out, a hand shot out and grabbed her. Before she could scream, another hand clamped over her mouth. In the dim corner of the hallway, she saw her attacker’s face: Joe Brooks.

The scumbag hadn’t left. He’d been hiding here.

Jessica thrashed wildly, but he pinned her arms. She kicked out, her shoe connecting hard with his shin. Brooks hissed in pain, his anger turning to rage. He slapped her across the face.

“You bitch,” he snarled. “You wouldn’t put it on? Fine. I’ll put it on you myself.”

He started dragging her toward a utility closet down the hall.

Strong arms steadied her.

“Help me,” she gasped, clinging to him like a lifeline. Only then did she look up.

The moment she saw George, a wave of relief washed over her, and the tension that had seized her body finally began to fade. She collapsed against him, her voice trembling as she told him what happened. “He… he tried to hurt me.”

George’s powerful arm wrapped around her waist, holding her close.

Brooks skidded to a halt when he saw George, his face paling. “Do you know this bitch?”