Chapter 3. Me vs My Boss

"Y-you're the owner of the 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? Oh my goodness! 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.

"B-but, 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.

"W-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 university. 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 a cold-hearted 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 goodness, 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.