We live in a flat. The flat consists of one big hall, a kitchen, a bathroom, a toilet, and two balconies. Three of us share the place: me, my best friend Laura, and my enemy Adriana. Although, after what happened between Laura and my ex, it’s clear Laura is just as poisonous as a snake.
The auto stopped at my building, and I paid the driver. I knocked on the door, and Adriana, who was home, opened it.
She gave me a faint smile and said, "Where were you last night?"
I ignored her, which irritated her. She clenched her fist and asked again, "Where were you last night?"
I roared back, "Are you my father or mother that I need to tell you everything?"
Adriana placed her hands on her hips and said, "No, I'm not. But I wanted to tell you that your so-called best friend Laura didn’t come home last night either, just like you. So, I thought that..."
Hearing this, I clenched my fist tightly. "Laura, that b*tch! She must be spending time with that b@stard Nick," I growled.
Adriana said nothing. Although she wasn’t my friend, instead of laughing at me, she offered some advice,
"Jenny, I know you're going through breakup trauma. I know I don’t mean anything to you, but as a woman, I want to tell you—don’t make any rash decisions in anger.
You should focus on your life. You're free now, no longer under that possessive guy's control. You only have one life. Don’t do anything that could hurt you forever."
After saying this, Adriana sat on her bed, opened a book, and started studying. She’s a college student and works part-time. My salary is at least seven times higher than hers.
Her parents are poor, so she has to work while studying. She can't afford her own place, which is why she lives with us.
I was surprised by her behavior. I remembered clearly that a year ago, she went through an ugly breakup, and instead of comforting her, Laura and I made fun of her. We even bullied her. But now, she was giving me sensible advice.
What does that mean? She’s much more mature than I am.
But what can I do? I’ve already done everything!
---
I washed up and changed clothes. Adriana offered me a new packet of chips. I thanked her and gave her some money. Although her gesture was nice, I didn’t want to owe her anything, especially since she’s also broke.
I ate quickly and left for the office. As soon as I walked in, I heard,
"Hey, hurry up and finish all your assignments. The Big Boss is coming for an inspection!"
Big Boss?
Does that mean George Feige?
"Why is this guy suddenly doing an inspection? The man who hasn’t shown his face for three years is now suddenly making an appearance."
All my work was still pending. It would take me at least eight extra hours to finish everything! God, why are you so cruel to me?
I looked up, but of course, there was no response.
I pouted and hurried to clean my desk, put down my bag, and start finishing some small tasks. I knew he wouldn’t look at everyone’s work. He’d probably only check one or two people. And even if he did come to me, he wouldn’t check everything.
He’d just glance at the top of the pile for two seconds and move on. Haha! I could fool him easily. I bit my lip and started knocking out the easiest tasks that were pending.
Luckily, I finished before the announcement came.
Sigh!
Just as I stretched my arms in relief, I heard, "Everyone, stand up. The Big Boss is here!"
I immediately stood up and adjusted my chair. I glanced at my desk to make sure everything was in order. I put the only finished file on top and its record on the computer.
I finally looked up, and there he was, the CEO of Lotus Company, George Feige. He was a charming man!
---
He entered and scanned the room. For a moment, I thought his gaze lingered on me for a fraction of a second, but before I could dwell on it, he moved on, observing everyone else.
He was wearing a navy blue suit with a matching tie and stood exactly 1.89 meters tall. His back was straight, his hands strong, and his body solid as a rock. For a moment, I thought, what if he were my boyfriend?
"Oh no, what am I thinking?" I scolded myself and shook my head. Then my gaze fell on the person standing next to him.
It was none other than the man who had given me pain last night.
Peter Morrison!
Our eyes met for a brief moment. I bit my lip and smiled slightly, but he ignored me, focusing entirely on his boss’s movements.
I felt so ignored! Huh!
George Feige began the inspection, randomly asking questions of various employees. I liked the way he walked, but I certainly wouldn’t like it if he came over and asked me business-related questions.
I was praying to God, ‘Please save me this time,’ but I believe God really hates me. He always does the opposite of what I pray for.
I prayed that the CEO wouldn’t come to me, and yes! HE DID.
Out of more than 50 employees, he approached only four people. One was Peter, the second and third were ‘Star Achievers,’ and the fourth was me.
I smiled and gave a slight bow, "Good morning, sir."
He didn’t reply but stared at me. I felt uncomfortable. I could only reach his chest—he was so tall...
My heart was racing, and I felt like if this continued, my legs would give out and I’d collapse. I pursed my lips and greeted him again, "Good morning, sir!"
He shifted his gaze to my computer to see what I was working on. I started explaining what I had just finished. I felt lucky that I had actually completed something.
Since everyone else had only explained one task, I stopped after finishing mine too. I bit my lip and said, "That’s all, sir."
He raised an eyebrow and asked, "That’s it?"
Oh my god, he was terrifying. I looked up at him and said, "Yes, sir, that’s it."
His face remained expressionless as he glanced at the other files on my desk. "What about these?" he asked, his voice as cold as ice. I got goosebumps.
I forced a smile and said, "Ye...yes, sir."
I showed him the files one by one, explaining the projects and work. But I felt like he wasn’t interested.
He randomly picked up a file and said, "Tell me about this one."
What the hell! He had picked up the pink file I hadn’t even started yet!
I looked at Peter with pleading eyes, but he ignored me again, just like before. I was terrified...