Ames rejected Lydia years before, leaving her in a state of newly awakened and unrequited lust. She's returned ten years later a confident, educated woman with a gleam in her eye only power and wealth can produce. He underestimated her resolve to prove him wrong.
The girl he once disrespected has blossomed into a beautiful woman he wants for himself, and who happens to be his boss. The rejection is now his, leaving him lusting after what he can't have. He'll pay for his slight, but she'll pay for her impudence.