Chapter 3

After drinking a cup of water, Mel reclined on the bed and gazed at the scar on her left hand, fondly reminiscing about happy moments. "I wish you were here," she whispered with a sweet smile

Shutting her eyes, she tossed from one side of the bed to the other trying to find a nice position to rest. Some minutes later she fell asleep.

Meanwhile, the meeting that Ethan had requested his assistant, Charles, to schedule had just commenced. Ethan occupied a seat facing the board members who were physically present, while the others joined virtually through Zoom, as per his instructions.

Ethan took a moment to glance at the faces of those in attendance before handing a sheet of white paper to Assistant Charles. The latter promptly grasped the significance of the gesture and promptly retrieved the paper.

"Good day, members of the board," he greeted, and proceeded to read from the paper containing the names of various department heads that Ethan planned to terminate.

The department heads in question were recruited by Ethan's uncle, Darth. After conducting a thorough investigation, Ethan discovered that these individuals lacked the necessary skills and were incompetent. It appeared that Darth had hired them with the ulterior motive of exploiting the company's resources.

"Effective immediately, these individuals are no longer affiliated with our company. Furthermore, they are prohibited from departing with any company property or funds," Assistant Charles declared, before returning the paper to the President

Ethan allowed no room for questioning or complaints and signaled to Charles to conclude the meeting. Suddenly, one of the board members stood up in a rush, slamming his hand on the table in front of him.

"How dare you decide without informing us first? Even now you're trying to make a fool of us. Why did you call a meeting if you aren't going to seek our opinion?" the board member demanded angrily.

Ethan glared at the speaker before responding in a stern tone. "If you're not pleased with my verdict, you can as well quit the company alongside the department heads. Otherwise, do yourself a huge favor and stay quiet."

After his remark, Ethan stood up and exited the room, heading towards his office. Following his departure, silence enveloped the meeting room. The board members were stunned by Ethan's audacity.

"All the CEOs we've worked with before were always submissive to our will, trying not to get on our bad sides. Now the table has turned and we're the ones at risk," one board member said.

"Yeah, we better be careful," another board member agreed.

After a few moments, they departed the room, each with their own thoughts swirling in their minds.

Ethan was seated in his office chair, his expression filled with disgust as he reviewed some files from his drawer. He muttered under his breath, calling the board members scheming devils.

Meanwhile, Mel woke up feeling better after taking some medication at the hospital. After being discharged, she stood by the side of Alden street where the hospital was located. She hailed a cab and headed to her friend's house, knowing she would be home at that time.

When Mel arrived, she rang the doorbell and a petite woman named Maya answered. Maya was Mel's childhood friend and had alluring looks, with glossy skin and captivating facial features. Her short hair fell gently on her shoulders.

Maya spread her arms for a hug when she saw Mel, but Mel walked past her and slumped on the couch, ignoring the gesture.

You're really out to annoy me," Maya said seating opposite Mel 

Mel replied in a playful tone, "Oh great goddess of the river, please give me water."

Maya laughed and said, "You always know how to send me on errands," she got up and headed to the kitchen returning with a pack of bottled water.

Mel chugged a bottle of water, shocking Maya who knew Mel didn't usually drink a lot of water. Maya eagerly asked for the news and Mel revealed that she had quit her job.

Quick! My ears are yearning for the gist," Maya said eagerly 

"I quit my Job," Mel said with an unusual smile 

"What? Quit what?, How? Did Jace ask you to? Aren't you supposed to be bawling by now Maya questioned, She knew how crazy her friend could be. Even in the saddest and scariest of situations. Mel would never fail to smile. She was a typical example of a hard girl.

"I understand you're worried because you think I was forced but believe me, I handed in my registration. He's a stinking pervert and was never deserving of you. Mel said patting her friend's shoulder. 

-Author's Explanation-

Jace used to be Maya's boyfriend, but he cheated on her and broke her heart years ago. He was not remorseful and claimed that Maya was no longer attractive to him. Over time, Maya's love for him turned into loathing.

When Mel started working at Mindreads, she didn't know that the CEO was Maya's ex-boyfriend. Back when Jace was with Maya, he didn't own a company and was working at a cloth shop. Maya eventually discovered that Jace was only after her wealth and didn't truly love her.

One day, Maya dropped Mel off at the office and happened to run into Jace. He tried to flaunt his success to her, but she was unfazed. Maya decided not to reveal Jace's identity to Mel until she began to complain about his constant advances. When Maya finally told Mel about Jace's true identity, Mel was disgusted and vowed to take a revenge on him. And that day happened to be the day she quit her job.