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 size, even under the leadership of Gery's late father.
Mrs. Daphne looked up at her assistant. "Is it not my grandson?" she asked, surprised. Usually, she never received any visitors in her office other than Gery himself.
"No, Madam. She said she is a new employee from the marketing department and she is eager to meet you to discuss an important complaint." The assistant replied, slightly lowering her body.
Mrs. Daphne furrowed her brow in confusion.
"A complaint, you say?" asked her, confirming her hearing because it was indeed unusual. What kind of complaint could a new employee possibly have for her?
"She is a brave young girl, Madam. I suggested that she go to the HR department to address her complaint, but she insisted that only you could help her with this particular matter." The assistant continued, evidently swayed by Eve's firm attitude outside the room.
The aristocratic woman sitting on the plush velvet sofa pondered for a moment.
"Very well, let her in. Let's see what this girl wants," she said.
In reality, she no longer wanted to be bothered by other trivial matters within the company, apart from acting as a supervisor for her grandson and providing guidance. However, the fact that a junior employee sought her out to express a complaint made her think that it must be related to her grandson.
A few moments later, the assistant returned with a young and strikingly beautiful girl. Even at first glance, Mrs. Daphne immediately thought that the girl before her must have effortlessly captivated any man she desired.
"Yes? What do you need from me, Miss?" Mrs. Daphne directly addressed the core issue. She became even more convinced that the matter must involve her grandson. Hence, she was eager to find out.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Daphne Foster. I apologize for my audacity. My name is Evangelin Ravenwood. I am an intern in this company. I recently signed a valid and legally binding contract with Vinestra Group. However, the issue is that Mr. Gery Foster felt entitled to use his power to terminate my employment without me committing any wrongdoing here, Madam." Eve gathered all her determination and courage to explain briefly what had happened to the lady.
"I'm sorry? Gery fired you on your first day of work? May I know the reason behind it? Because it's unlikely for him to terminate someone without any wrongdoing." Mrs. Daphne asked, now highly intrigued to hear the complete story from Eve.
"Please have a seat, oh, my apologies for my impoliteness," Mrs. Daphne continued, realizing that Eve was still standing before her. She had been so curious that she forgot to offer her guest a seat.
Eve sat on the sofa, facing Mrs. Daphne. The room lacked the typical office furniture such as desks and chairs. Instead, it resembled a spacious lounge with one wall entirely made of glass, providing a wide view of the sky and the surrounding office buildings.
"I genuinely haven't done anything wrong here, Madam. I just ... made a foolish mistake elsewhere some time ago, where I happened to encounter Mr. Gery ...." Eve began her story.
"Okay ... so you mean you already knew each other before?" Mrs. Daphne asked, trying to comprehend Eve's narrative.
"No, Madam. We only met briefly, and it was entirely coincidental. We didn't know each other at all. It was just a foolish act during my teenage years when my friends and I were engaged in some youthful game. We ... um, I ... slightly disturbed Mr. Gery's comfort, but it was merely a minor misunderstanding. It's truly unfair that I should be fired from a position I worked so hard for, going through rigorous selection, just because of such a trivial matter, Madam. I implore you to handle this matter with wisdom," Eve concluded.
She tried to place as little blame as possible on Gery and hoped that this grandmother of his would be more supportive of her than her all-powerful grandson.
Mrs. Daphne's assistant had now served a cup of cold beverage on the table in front of Eve and invited her to have a drink first. Eve nodded and expressed her gratitude. She immediately took a sip because conversing with someone of Mrs. Daphne's stature had drained her energy.
Suddenly, she felt dehydrated and in need of fluids to restore her strength and stabilize her emotions. Ck! Goodness! The aura of the wealthy was indeed different from ordinary folks, Eve silently thought to herself while feeling her throat becoming slightly more comfortable after the recent sip.
"I see ... It seems it was just a minor misunderstanding." Mrs. Daphne said after a brief moment, as the old woman with wrinkles on her face but still radiating remnants of her past beauty gazed at Eve.
Her elderly eyes had been trying to scrutinize and scan Eve, searching for any gestures indicating lies, deceit, or even the smallest hint of dishonesty. Yet, she found none of that. Instead, what stood out about the brave young woman before her was her resolute demeanor and an aura of unwavering determination to fight for her rights, even if it meant challenging the ultimate authority. Instantly, Mrs. Daphne felt a sense of admiration for Eve.
"What was your name again? Miss Evangelin, right?"
"Eve, just call me Eve, Madam." Eve replied with a shy smile. Deep down, she also feared being seen as an audacious employee who dared to meet Mrs. Daphne directly, considering that she was not accustomed to meeting random employees. But she had no other choice, this was her only opportunity to save her job.
"Alright, Eve. Please wait here while I summon my grandson." Mrs. Daphne said. Her words sounding like a battle drum in Eve's ears
This was the moment she would confront Gery directly and be judged by his own grandmother. Who wouldcome out victorious in the end?
***
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
"But, Sir. So what if I feel attracted to Eve and want to get close to her? Isn't that okay if it doesn't interfere with my work?" Dave finally asked. He was starting to wonder about the prohibition that his boss had just stated. Why was he strictly forbidden to get close to Eve? What could it be? His mind was wandering all over the place.Hearing the assistant's protest, Gery was outraged. He thought it was a deliberate act of defiance."Oh, now you dare to go against my orders, right? Whereas usually you always say yes to whatever I want. See how you've changed since you got to know that girl. That's why I told you to stay away from her, Dave. It's all for your good!" Gery argued with his opinion that everything was Eve's fault.Dave was getting suspicious. "I have been obeying all your orders because they are worth obeying, Sir. But this time, I'm sorry that I have to ask your absurd prohibition because, in my opinion, my closeness to Eve in this office is none of your business."G
"Oh, hi, Eve. I was just talking to Sofia about you," greeted Mrs. Daphne, who welcomed Eve into her office.The woman glanced at the clock on the wall that didn't show the break time for regular employees, so she thought Eve must have an urgent business this time. Was Gery making things difficult for her again? Mrs. Daphne wondered to herself."I'm sorry, Ma'am. But I dared to come here again because Mr. Gery is making trouble again. Mr. Gery fired Dave because Dave briefly chatted with me in the corridor. I don't think that's a mistake worth punishing so severely, Ma'am." Eve babbled on what she had come to the room.Mrs. Daphne seemed surprised to hear the news."Oh my! What happens to that child?" Mrs. Daphne complained later. She had to sit back on the sofa to calm herself down because acting out her emotions would not suit her heart health.With Sofia's entrance, Mrs. Daphne told her assistant to call Gery. However, she was even more surprised to find Sofia's response."I'm sorry