Chapter 85 - 84
[5 YEARS LATER]
The business world is a place where you either eat or get eaten.
Hard work alone won't get you anywhere. It's a world where connections matter the most. And among all the people who are in that industry, one man stands above most men.
Slicked back light brown hair, downturned green eyes that showed no emotion or weaknes, and a poker face that makes everybody around him tremble in fear and nervousness.
He is an alpha who's feared by everyone.
"Good morning, sir," the employees who came across him bowed their heads as a way to show their respect for the man before them.
The man ignored their greetings and proceeded to walk to the elevator. The elevator doors opened, and everybody who was about to go in backed off and let the man go in alone.
"Ugh, first thing in the morning..." one of the employees mumbled as he watched the elevator doors close.
"I know right. He sure is great at his job and is annoyingly good-looking, but just seeing his face makes me want to throw up from nervousness," another employee said and sighed.
"Imagine working under him and getting fired on your first day at work. Just the thought of it gives me goosebumps," the employee said as he hugged himself.
He was indeed a terrifying man in the eyes of his people who are working under him.
Starting as a normal employee in the company at the age of 29, he was promoted to the position of a manager in just half a year and became one of the board directors two years later. And just a month ago, he became the CEO of the conglomerate that his family owns.
His father, the chairman, boasts about his eldest son with so much pride because of his quick progress and great accomplishments.
He was a man with a breathtakingly handsome face, lean and muscular body, bottomless pockets, and he was even competent in his job.
He's every person's dream guy.
Despite being seemingly perfect, his attitude cancels out everything that's good about him.
He's like a ticking bomb.
If you make even the tiniest mistake, he'll show it on his face how displeased he is. He doesn't yell at people when he's mad, but that's what makes him even scarier.
Of all the things that could disappoint someone or make them feel mad, there was something that gets on his nerves the most.
Tardiness.
The man whom everybody looks up to got off the elevator and headed to his office. As soon as he sat on his swivel chair, he looked at his wrist watch and thought, '8:30 a.m. Perfect.'
He proceeded to do his work while waiting for his secretary to arrive. He wasn't entirely that bad because he doesn't ask his secretary to arrive before him. The only thing he wants is for her to arrive on or before 9 a.m.
After reading and signing a few documents that were on his desk, he leaned his back on his chair and looked at his wrist watch.
It was 30 seconds until the clock strikes at 9. He emotionlessly watched the number of seconds change as he waited for his secretary to arrive.
"Hmm..."
It's already 9 a.m. and his secretary hasn't arrived yet.
5 seconds.
10 seconds.
15 seconds.
20 seconds.
25 seconds.
30 seconds.
"31, 32, 33..." he counted as he tapped om his watch.
His office door suddenly opened and a woman wearing a corporate attire stood before him. She was wearing thick layers of makeup, making her face look so cakey. She was also sweating so badly and her hair looked messy, clearly because she ran to her boss' office.
"33. You're 33 seconds late, Miss Anne," the man sais as he watched the woman in front of him smile nervously while panting.
"I... I'm so sorry, sir. This won't happen again," she said as she lowered her head. "Do you know what this means?" the man asked as he leaned towards his table and clasped his hands.
The woman raised her head and looked at him with pelading eyes. "I'm so sorry, sir. Please forgive me. I was l... late b... because I missed the last bus. I'll make sure to come on time tomo..."
The man cut her off when he spoke. "Is that my fault, then?" He asked with a blank face.
The way he looked at her as if she was nothing scared her to the bones. She knew there was no way she'd get out of the building without getting fired.
"This is already the fifth time you got here so late, Miss Anne. Are you expecting me to let you off again this time?" he asked as he raised his brows.
"N... No. I'm sorry, sir. I'll go pack my things up and... go," she said as she lowered her head.
Anne felt like her heart was squeezed tightly. She wanted to cry. She was so upset because she didn't think she'd get fired like that. She only got the job two weeks ago, yet she's already on her way to pack her things.
The real reason why she got there late for the fifth time was because she wanted to look pretty for her boss. Working directly under him means that she'd be spending every single day with him. She didn't want to look hideous. She wanted to look good in front of him.
She's heard rumors about how strict her boss is, but he never got mad at her for being late before which made her complacent. She thought she was somehow special and that she must have captivated him with her looks, even though she only started working there just recently. Little did she know, her boss was counting the times she got to work late.
"That would be great," the man said and gave her a small smile that vanished right away after a second.
She went out running and immediately packed her things up, feeling so embarrassed of herself for thinking that her boss was interested in her.
The man went back to work l right away as if nothing happened at all.
He hates tardiness. He hates it when people aren't punctual. He hates it so much that it angers him when people arrive late and waste his time.
He hates it because he was like that to the person whom he loved the most.
After Anne finished packing her things up, she went to the elevator while crying. She was sobbing so loudly that the people who rode the elevator on the next floors kept throwing glances at her.
"She's his secretary, right?" an employee whispered to the person standing next to him. "Yeah, she is. Poor her, working under that monster..." the man said as he shook his head. "Tristan Lee is not a monster. He's the devil," the employee whispered back.
Tristan Lee. That's the name of the man that everybody feared.
People already feel like shit when they see him, but they feel even shittier because they know that no matter what they say and do, it wouldn't change the fact that he's a great man except for his personality.
Tristan spent the whole day getting buried with papers, skipping lunch and not even taking a break at all.
He looked at his wrist watch and saw that it was already 4:59 p.m.
"Just in time," he said as he leaned his back against the chair and stretched his arms, finally taking a very short break after working the entire day.
'Im hungry. I want to eat pizza...' he thought.
He glanced at his watch and saw that it was already 5 p.m.
He stood up, fixed his tie and coat, and grabbed his bag.
One thing that always amazes the employees is that their boss, Tristan Lee, arrives at work 30 minutes earlier and gets off work at 5 p.m. sharp every single day. He doesn't arrive late, and he doesn't go overtime.
The employees greeted him as he passed by, and those who are inside the elevator got off just so they wouldn't be in the same space as him.
Tristan went in, and as soon as he got off from the elevator, he immediately headed to the parking lot where his car was.
On his way home, he decided to stop at a pizzaria. There was no vacant space where he could park his car, so he decided to park it somewhere else and just walk there.
He locked his car and proceeded to walk to the pizzeria that he frequents.
Facing straight as he walked, Tristan saw a man who looked like someone whom he wanted to see for years.
About 5'4 feet in height, petite, and has jet black hair.
The moment the man passed by, he immediately turned around.
'Is it him?' he thought.
His hand instinctively reached out for the person's shoulder as his heart started racing wildly, wishing that it was the person he wanted to see.
"Justin...?"
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