"Y-you're the owner of this company?" Eve stammered.
Of course, she had suspected that the man held a high position. It was evident from his appearance and the number of employees who bowed their heads when they passed him in the corridor.
But the owner of Vinestra? OMG! This was a disaster for Eve!
"Did you really get hired in my company? Damn it!" The man cursed with an angry expression.
"Call the head of HRD and ask them to see me immediately after lunch!" The man commanded, turning his head to the left where a young man had been following him.
Perhaps that was his assistant, Eve speculated. However, she didn't have time to investigate the truth of the matter because her mind was now consumed with anxiety. Why did the man call the head of HRD? Was he going to fire Eve? Oh my goodness! This was really bad!
"Wait! Please forgive me for my mistake at the beach, Sir. But you shouldn't mix personal matters with company issues, should you? It's unfair to me—" Eve attempted to protest against her boss, who immediately glared at her.
"Unfair, you say? I don't care about your opinion! What's clear is that I won't tolerate an employee with your unstable and reckless behavior in my company! Pack up your things because after the break, your termination letter will be on the desk!" The man shouted firmly.
However, seeing the nervousness and anxiety in the girl's eyes before him only made Gerald Foster, affectionately known as Mr. Gery, the CEO of Vinestra Group, enjoy tormenting and threatening her even more. It was like a small revenge for her daring actions that night when he was in turmoil.
"Wait, Sir! How can you do that? Even if you are the owner of this company, you can't just act however you want! I've already signed the employment contract, and—"
"And I'm still the CEO here. I have the right to fire anyone! Keep that in mind, cunning girl!" Gery retorted, cutting off Eve's protest.
"Cunning girl? What have I done? I was just having fun at the beach, and that was even before I started working at this company, Sir. Why are you bringing it into the realm of professionalism?" Eve countered, maintaining her stance that she shouldn't be treated like this.
"I don't know what made you get accepted here, but I'm sure a girl who enjoys playing around, is unstable, and as reckless as you would never pass our rigorous tests naturally!" accused Mr. Gery.
"What? Please differentiate between having fun with friends during leisure time and working professionally, Sir. I am professional and idealistic enough. Just so you know, I graduated as one of the top students from my college. Please retract your statement that I used cunning means to get hired here. Besides, if I had known from the beginning that the CEO here was an irritating and arrogant person like you, I would have thought a hundred times before applying!" Eve vehemently argued against Gery's remarks.
The debate continued until the assistant nudged Gery's shoulder, reminding him that they were supposed to be on their way to attend the board meeting.
"Sir, we will be late for the meeting." The assistant said, successfully diverting Gery's attention from Eve.
"Just pack up your things from now on. Okay?" With those words, Gery turned around and headed towards the room where the board meeting was held. He couldn't believe he had wasted a few precious minutes engaging in a heated debate with a new employee, a reckless girl who had disturbed him at the beach that night. But what could he do? Gery simply couldnnot let that moment pass without asserting his dominance over her.
Meanwhile, Eve was left sitting there, feeling dejected. She slammed her spoon and fork into the lunchbox she had barely touched. Her appetite had disappeared. Now she was confused about what would happen after the lunch break. Would the man really send the head of HRD to unilaterally terminate her employment? But could a superior act so arbitrarily on her first day of work? Especially since this was a personal matter between them, not related to her job at all. The CEO shouldn't have mixed them up.
"I won't stay silent. I went through all the tough competition during the interview session yesterday. If that man dares to mess with me, just wait and see my resistance. This Eve doesn't give up, Boss. See what a person like Eve can do!" She seethed to herself, stabbing the nugget pieces on her rice with her fork in a frustrated manner.
In her mind, she imagined that she was stabbing the face of the refrigerator CEO. His behavior was truly infuriating and arrogant. How could God grant such great power to a man with such poor ethics? It was unbelievable!
Eve snapped back to reality when her phone rang. Cindy's name appeared on the screen, and she immediately answered the call.
"Why did you suddenly go silent earlier? What did you want to talk about?" The voice on the other end asked.
"Oh my Godness, Cindy! The man I confessed to, the one from the beach during the Truth or Dare game. Remember? He's the CEO of Vinestra, and he just threatened to fire me right now!" Eve ranted with a trembling voice, trying to contain her anger.
"What? How is that possible? Does he still remember you? That's really bad, Eve!" Cindy joined in the panic.
She knew how much Eve wanted that job. She also knew how proud Eve's parents were after finding out that their daughter had finally passed the entrance test for that reputable company.
"I won't stay silent! I will fight back!" Eve declared with determination.
"Well, I don't know what to say, but you're strong. I'll pray for you from here, Eve. You're not at fault. Maybe you can try talking to your boss calmly. Explain that you were just following our dare. If necessary, I can be a witness for you." Cindy suggested, feeling guilty herself as she was also involved in that night's game.
Who would have thought it would lead to such a disastrous outcome? Out of all the men in the world, the one who happened to pass by them that night was none other than Eve's future boss. Oh my goodness! It was such an unfortunate coincidence for Eve!
"No need! Clearly, he's abusing his power for personal gain. And I won't allow myself to become a victim of such corrupt practices by those in power!" Eve proclaimed, clenching her fist.
***
Throughout the meeting, Gery appeared calm and composed. He made an effort to focus on the data being presented by one of the managers, while also referring to the files in front of him.The image of the sweet girl kept flashing in his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. He needed to concentrate on the meeting because if he couldn't understand everything in detail, he would stumble when questioned by his grandmother, and he couldn't afford that.Yes, his grandmother was the sole ruler of Vinestra. She was the CEO, but the ultimate decision-making power still rested with his grandmother. Mrs. Daphne Foster, despite her advanced age, could still think critically and refused to delegate all company matters to her grandson for several reasons. Particularly because of his somewhat unstable nature due to a traumatic past event that left anyone severely traumatized.That's why Mrs. Daphne continued to oversee Gery's leadership. Although Gery had shown improvement in terms of professionalism a
The personal room of Mrs. Daphne was specially designed for relaxation and made as comfortable as possible for an elderly aristocrat like her. She was no longer actively involved in managing the company. Her role was mainly to control her grandson, Gery Foster, to prevent him from relapsing into his unstable phase. The woman, always impeccably dressed in semi-formal attire, was sipping on a warm herbal tea that afternoon. Yes, she no longer drank cold beverages as it had proven to be harmful to her aging throat. Regardless of the season or the time of day, warm drinks were always her preference. "Madam, there is someone who wishes to meet you," reported a middle-aged woman who served as her personal assistant both at the office and at home. She had been devoted to Mrs. Daphne since the latter's younger days and marriage to the late Darren Foster, Gery's grandfather. They had been a couple who worked hand in hand to expand the family business, which eventually grew to its current si
The assistant had to call Gery to come to Mrs. Daphne's room after Eve had waited for a while with her heart beating, the door finally opened, and the cold CEO's footsteps went in the direction where Eve was sitting and looked down deeply."You?" Gery screamed to see the girl who had angered him so much in his grandmother's room."What is this girl here for, grandma?" Gery asked Mrs. Daphne. Mrs. Daphne casually swallowed her drink and made an expressionless face."Is that how you welcome guests, Gery? Although she is your subordinate, she is my guest in this room. You shouldn't behave like that in front of a guest." Mrs. Daphne rebuked her grandson. Eve was spontaneously a little shaken. Dave was right that Gery's grandmother didn't seem to favor him even though he was her grandson. Instantly, her confidence rose again, and she dared to raise her chin with a little challenge toward Gery.Meanwhile, Gery himself stared at Eve with a piercing gaze. He was furious and did not think Eve w
"Yeayy, Madame Daphne is cool. I just want to hug her!" said Eve, returning to her room.She crossed paths again with Dave, who was probably going to his boss's room. Immediately, Eve approached the young man whose face was quite handsome, even with his work glasses."Dave, thank you so much!" Immediately Eve grasped Dave's two hands and jumped up to make him dance for joy."Hey, you did it? Cool!" Dave joined in the cheering as Eve's happiness radiating from her face was so hypnotizing it rubbed off on him.Eve nodded vigorously and then cheered, "And it was all because of your help! It's a good thing you immediately mentioned that magic name, Dave."If Dave were a girl, Eve wouldn't have hesitated to hug or kiss him on both cheeks. Unfortunately, he is a man, so that is impossible."Haha, maybe it's your destiny to work here longer, Eve," Dave replied casually. It would be nice for him to see Eve hanging around in the same office. Maybe they could also get close or--oh, Dave immediat
For the rest of the day, Gery was grumpy. He nagged Dave as well as some of the managers who happened to see him that afternoon. Everyone wondered what was wrong with their boss. It was apparent that he was in a bad mood."What's wrong with Mr. Gery?" asked Ms. Jenni, the marketing manager who was Eve's boss.Dave just shrugged his shoulders. He was in a bad mood because the work atmosphere was no longer comfortable. It was unusual for Mr. Gery to be like that after the incident about two years ago when a very personal problem entangled the man.The woman then stepped into the CEO's room to meet Mr. Gery, who had called her on the parallel office line with a furious tone. She became a little afraid of whether she had made a mistake or what to be called so suddenly without any need beforehand.Inside, the tall man was sitting behind his desk, gazing down at the files."Um, sir... did you call me?" asked Ms. Jenny as she cleared her throat slightly to announce her presence, even though
Sofia handed over the documents from her investigation into Eve the following day. That is a thick file containing her data, educational history, the results of a psychological interview from the Vinestra company, and other data that Sofia's people had searched for and observed. Mrs. Daphne, who had just finished her morning tea, immediately received and examined the file sheet by sheet. Several times she seemed to chuckle or clear her throat a little, but her eyes remained focused as if she didn't want to miss anything. "Excellent! I knew Eve was a pretty special girl. Isn't that right, Sofia?" commented Mrs. Daphne after examining the file. "That's right, ma’am. There are hardly any blemishes in her record of achievements and grade results during her education. Also, her external and family demeanor is quite good and harmonious. As for her social life, she often associates with college friends who communicate often and go on trips or vacations together." Sofia mentioned the things
And that night, Gery didn't leave the house. He usually preferred to spend the night at his favorite cafe or studio to relieve stress after work by playing billiards and drinking with his friends or business colleagues. He had to give in and stay home to wait for dinner with his dear grandmother.He knew she had something important to talk about because it was unusual for her to ask him to dinner at home. Yes, Mrs. Daphne had been giving Gery free time in the evenings since she had been driving him all day in the company. That wise woman would know that a young man of Gery's age would also need time to himself to enjoy his life as a young man without the restraints and strict supervision of his grandmother."Am I interrupting your big plans for tonight, Gery?" asked Mrs. Daphne when they finally gathered in the large dining room with the large, luxurious oval table that would, unfortunately, be occupied by just the two of them eerily quiet.It was also the reason why the two of them v
Eve has been working overtime at night for the past few days. She had yet to hear that the new employee could work late at night. But because of Mrs. Jenny's strict attitude, Eve didn't dare to argue. Moreover, recently, she had seen her boss woman behaving strangely toward her. There seemed to be something wrong, but she didn't know what.Even though she had a tough day at the office, Eve considered it a test during her internship. Maybe Vinestra is the company that initially molds its new employees into tough workers. Hence, it immediately imposes heavy work with long overtime hours. Perhaps it's just their way of finding the best of the best, Eve thought, consoling and encouraging herself.And when Mrs. Jenny became increasingly nasty by blaming her for things that weren't her fault, Eve kept patient."What's wrong with her? It's like she's having problems with her husband, oh gosh!" grumbled Eve as she stepped out of the room with a permit to the bathroom, even though Eve avoided