Chapter 2. Not-So-Good Encounter

I woke up so early the next morning feeling a bit dizzy, so I just made myself a coffee before I opened the door for our balcony area. Nana and Dahlia went to sleep around 11 o'clock in the evening last night, so maybe they'll wake up a bit late.

I've been trying to think about the article from last night. I mean, it could be a good thing that the person at the top of the food chain is a woman, right? I can naturally befriend her and offer her a great deal to invest in my company. It's not a scam at all.

My start-up company was all about marketing. We sell our creative minds to the different companies and offer them various sets of deals or even strategic plans, as well as harnessing their ability when it comes to publicity. In short, we make companies famous. I know it's not even a real business, but we have real estate on the side too, so if we don't have any major clients in marketing, then my company can still go on with selling lands and properties as well as investment and insurance.

I'm meaning to say it's not even a start-up company anymore. Well, the location of my business is still under a huge building with other companies too, so I think we're still at the bottom.

I only have 28 employees, and all of them are from the same university that I graduated from. It's like all of us meet and suddenly think of a business to start, and that's it. Nothing special. 

I get my laptop from my room and take it out with me to the balcony. I sat in the chair and put the laptop on a small coffee table beside my coffee. I'm still reading the article about Cadence Jess Malcolm.

"She now owns multiple buildings and yachts all over the world, and she's also the sole heir of Malcolm Corporation, which has been one of the most famous companies around the city."

She's that rich, huh?

She's got a wealthy daddy, and now she suddenly climbs up to the top? Is this some sort of nepotism or something?

I read for more interesting facts about her, but my attention was redirected to the message that suddenly popped up on my laptop.

It's from @not_your_typical_girl. She's an online friend of mine that I've never gotten to see since we first talked. She's a woman, I think. We only talked about Korean actors and idol groups when I was still in college, and now we still get along because we're in the same industry, according to her.

@not_your_typical_girl: so work is tough nowadays, huh?

@classyrosie: u have no idea

@not_your_typical_girl: guess where I am right now. 

@classyrosie: idk i don't want guess

@not_your_typical_girl: so lazy

@classyrosie: wer r u?

@not_your_typical_girl: I'm on vacation. Currently sipping my pina colada, to be exact. 

@classyrosie: lucky u

@not_your_typical_girl: I won't bother you anymore today, just have a good day at work. Cheer up!

@classyrosie: thank u bye 

Her username is the exact opposite of who she is. Well, I don't know her face or her true identity at all, but her lifestyle is totally different from mine. She mentioned one time that she has bodyguards or something, so I guess she's super rich like this woman on my laptop screen right now.

Cadence Jess Malcolm looked very elegant. She had this pointed nose and pouty lips that looked so delicate. Her eyes are very attractive, not to mention that she has alluring almond-shaped eyes. Plus, her face is totally small. Her fashion sense also rocks. But unlike some women that I know in their society, she's not that girly. She's a bit edgy, and she prefers man-cut outfits. Well, that is just based on the pictures I'm looking at right now.

Based on her lifestyle and the luxury attached to her name, I suddenly felt like I wouldn't like her, or maybe I wouldn't even get along with her. To be honest, I hate people who come from their society. They are too entitled and very pampered with extravagant things in life. It's not like it's their fault though, but at least they should have some decency or a good attitude towards people because most of them are not totally friendly with middle-class people like me.

Instead, they just took a glance for a second, then moved on.

"She's a painter, huh?"

I read in the last part of the article that her hobby is painting.

"So I can just act like I coincidentally saw her wandering around museums."

It looks like a natural way to get to know someone on a daily basis. I called my best friend slash secretary, Lexie, to let her know what I wanted to do.

"Hey! What time are you going to the office today?" She asks like a force of habit since I'm technically her boss.

"I'll be there around 10:00 o'clock," I said while looking at the digital clock on my laptop screen.

"Great, there'll be a meeting today for Freddie's presentation," she said before she hung up the phone.

That woman! I forgot to tell her what I was about to say. 

Since I don't have any choice but to go to work earlier than what I said, I began to prepare food for my Nana and Dahlia for the whole day so they wouldn't have to worry about what they were going to eat all day. Nana can't do heavy chores like cooking and other stuff anymore. I'll just let them have fun in this small apartment of ours. I'll do all the chores and manage my company at the same time.

Well, Nana has several heart complications and severe asthma. It got worse last year, so I'm really trying to do things with extra care. They were still asleep when the helper came into our main door. She told me she'd handle the rest, so I got ready for work. She only works for me three times a week to clean the house whenever I don't have the time to do it. After my preparations, I went down to the garage around 8:45 while I was trying to call Lexie again for my plan.

She answered the call again.

"Hey!" She greeted me shortly.

"I'll be there shortly, but I have something to tell you," I said as I got in my car.

"You have a new prospect, right?" She said excitedly.

"No, more like an enemy if I don't try to befriend her or something," I replied immediately.

"Why?" She asked shortly.

"Well, she's rich, and you know my opinion about them," I said as I connected my phone to the car and started the engine at the same time.

"Wait, she? What are you trying to do now?" She sounded so shocked.

"I'm going to try to make a deal with the top entrepreneur now, who by the way is a woman. A woman! So it's either she'll be a big competitor of our company or she can be a great help, right?" I explained while I was in the middle of driving my way to the office.

"You're talking about Cadie? The woman who was literally trending around the corporate world? Well, let me tell you right now that she's not interested in partnerships or any deal with small companies like us."

It looks like Lexie already has an insight into her.

"What do you mean about that?" I asked.

"Well, right now, I heard from my cousin that that woman is basically evil. She fired all the employees that were believed not to be good enough for their company, plus she made a general inspection so she could see them one by one."

"Isn't she just trying to be detailed with the company?" I curiously asked.

"That's her point, but her method was quite harsh for everybody there. It's like you're taking away other people's lives and you don't seem to care at all," she said, almost angry.

"Should I back out with my plan?" I asked for her opinion. I'm already in the parking lot of the building where I'm working.

"For now, yes," she said firmly.

"Well, based on your informative speech about her, then I should just settle down for rich bachelors who're trying to have me for now," I said before I bid my goodbye.

She's that bad, huh? I guess I'll be hating her for some reason.

I went inside the building and saw lots of employees already rushing to go to work. That's the usual chaos in the lobby. I went directly to the front desk in the main lobby area.

"Good day, Ms. Rosie," Brie greeted me.

"Good morning. I just want to know if my payment for the rent is already settled for this month," I asked right away. As I said, I only own one whole floor for my company, and the rest of this tall building is also owned by small companies under the Strata Empire.

"Well, ma'am, Ms. Lexie already asked for the details about it earlier, and as far as I remember, it is all settled," she explained, and so I thanked her.

I was already on my way to the elevator when suddenly I felt like I had forgotten something. Is it my wallet?

I opened my bag to look for my wallet, and while I was busy doing it, I bumped into someone and fell on the floor.

Ouch! I think my knees just got a little scratch. What the hell happened?

"Shit," I uttered as I tried to stand up as I also felt the pain in my knees. It's all red!

"If you could have been more careful, you wouldn't end up like that," a voice surfaced. It's a woman, and obviously she's telling it to me.

I was still busy trying to tap that dirt away from my skirt when she said something again.

"Should I pay for your hospital bill if you might overreact to it?" she coldly asked, and I lost it.

Don't test me today. Not today. 

"Excuse me, what the hell is your problem?" I said as I turned in her direction, but I suddenly felt an instant regret when I saw her face.

She's just the woman I was talking about earlier. She's none other than Cadence Jess Malcolm, the top entrepreneur.

And just like Lexie said, she's a total evil.

She's giving me a cold stare while she has about four guards around her.

"What do you want me to do now?" She asked.

"Just," I'm still hesitating if I want to say this. "A simple apology is good."

From what I said, I saw how she tried to stop her smirk. What the hell?

"That's the problem with all of you; you just want petty apologies, and that will make it alright," she said in disbelief. "That's the reason why some of you can't even crawl up to the top."

I can't believe she said that.

I scoffed at the thought of what she said. This woman is officially out of my business.

"The reason why we can't crawl up to the top is because of your shitty society and toxic lifestyle," I said.

She's now almost glaring at me.

"Nepo baby."

Yeah, right. Accept that sh*t.