Adeline stood frozen on the pavent, staring up at the towering glass building glinting under the afternoon sun.
The structure was so tall that even hundreds of people standing one atop another would barely reach halfway up its sleek exterior.
The glass shimred like a polished mirror, reflecting the entire city around it.
For a mont, her breath caught in her throat. ’How can a building even be this huge...? And Alex owns this?’
A faint urge to turn around and run shot through her chest. She had expected sothing professional and grand, yes... but this looked like the headquarters of a billionaire tech mogul.
She had never thought Alex was the type to casually own sothing of this scale. Alex’s Corporation was clearly a company ranked among the elite.
Taking a slow breath, she steadied her racing heart and walked toward the entrance.
The mont she stepped inside, she was greeted by a wide marble lobby with crystal chandeliers and the faint scent of eucalyptus.
The floors glead, polished to perfection, and employees walked back and forth in crisp formal attire.
Before she could admire it further, the receptionist at the front desk raised her head and eyed Adeline with a cool expression.
"Good afternoon. Purpose of your visit?" the receptionist asked, her tone polite but laced with condescension.
Adeline straightened subtly. "I’m Adeline. I was hired by the CEO. I’m here to et him."
The mont she said her na, the receptionist paused, brows arching in recognition.
"Oh? The CEO did ntion soone nad Adeline..." She leaned forward ever so slightly. "Do you have any identification?"
"Of course." Adeline took out her ID card and handed it over.
The receptionist glanced at it, barely three seconds, then returned it with a faint smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
"I’m sorry, Miss. I can’t let you in just because you showed an ID card. These things are easy to fake."
Adeline stiffened. ’So this is intentional... she’s making things hard on purpose.’
She inhaled carefully. "Then what do you suggest I do to prove myself?"
"You may wait in the waiting room," the receptionist said lightly. "I’ll contact the CEO and confirm whether the full na he provided was Adeline Hopkins."
There was no need to emphasize "full," yet she did. Adeline understood imdiately. This woman wasn’t doing an identity check; she was simply trying to annoy her without crossing the line into actual misconduct.
Adeline exhaled softly and nodded. "Fine."
The waiting room was elegant, with soft cream sofas, a coffee machine, and magazines neatly arranged, but as the hours passed, even the comfortable setting felt suffocating. Ti dragged painfully.
Five minutes... ten minutes... an hour... two... Soon the glowing clocks on the wall read early evening.
Adeline stood, intent on leaving, when the receptionist suddenly appeared at the doorway.
"Miss Adeline," she said with a bright, sugary smile, "I’ve confird with the CEO. You may go in now."
Adeline looked at her, expression unreadable. "Thank you."
As she walked toward the elevator, she paused and glanced back.
"Ah, by the way," she said calmly, "I’ll be sure to tell Alex how fascinating it was that determining the legitimacy of my ID took an entire afternoon. I’m certain he’ll be... intrigued."
Then she gave a polite smile and stepped into the elevator.
The receptionist’s expression collapsed instantly. Her eyes widened, panic twisting across her face.
"She... she’s going to tell Alex?" she muttered, scrambling to grab her phone. Her fingers trembled as she dialed a number.
When the call connected, she burst out, "Miss Tanya! Adeline said she’ll complain to Alex! I’m going to lose my job for sure!"
A woman’s languid voice responded, "Calm down. Why panic over such a small issue? If Alex fires you, I’ll bring you into my departnt. Don’t worry."
The receptionist sagged in relief. "Thank you, Miss Tanya..."
"But," Tanya added casually, "if you leave the front desk, your value decreases. That position gives you influence. You have eyes and ears everywhere."
The receptionist’s throat bobbed. "Don’t worry. I still have many connections in this company. If you keep , I’ll make sure to be useful."
Tanya chuckled. "Good. I like people who think ahead."
The line clicked off.
The receptionist, Laila, stared blankly at her phone, her face drained. She knew she had only a few hours left before the official call fired her. Tears welled in her eyes.
Her friend arrived monts later and gasped. "Laila? What happened?"
Laila sniffled dramatically. "I... I only asked Adeline, the new hire, to wait five minutes for identity verification! And she claid she’d report to Alex that I made her wait an hour! She even claid that he would fire for her! Why is he so protective of her?!"
Her friend frowned. "That’s impossible. Alex wouldn’t fire soone who’s been with him since the company’s early days just for a trivial complaint. And five minutes is standard protocol."
Laila shook her head, sobbing harder. "You don’t understand! She’s too pretty! I’m sure she’ll exaggerate everything!"
Before her friend could respond, the phone rang.
Laila stared at the screen with horror.
Her friend answered, voice tight. "Hello?"
Alex’s assistant spoke calmly from the other end, "Inform Laila that she is terminated effective imdiately. She does not need to report for work tomorrow."
The friend’s eyes went wide, darting toward Laila, who let out a sharp breath and closed her eyes in despair.
The friend tried to argue, "It wasn’t her fault, she only... !"
"If you insist on defending her," the assistant interrupted coldly, "you will be dismissed as well. Do not forget your place."
The call ended.
Laila began to cry again. The friend hugged her, muttering how unfair it was. But inside, Laila wondered if her friend would still keep this friendship once her influence was gone.
The friend, however, whispered fiercely, "Don’t worry. I’ll get revenge for you. Adeline won’t get away with this."
Laila jerked upright in fear. "No! Don’t! She might sche against you, or you’ll lose your job!"
But the receptionist looked at her with a determined glint.
"I’ve been here for months. Alex can’t silence everyone just because of one pretty newcor. He’s being biased. He should think of the other employees. If he believes we’ll all stay quiet after such an unfair firing, he’s underestimating us."
Laila felt moved and hugged her tightly. "If you ever need anything, co to ," she sniffled.
"I will," the receptionist smiled sweetly.
But the mont Laila left, her smile vanished, replaced with a cold sneer.
She opened the unofficial company group chat and posted an exaggerated version of the story, painting Adeline as a tyrant who abused her connection with Alex to fire an innocent receptionist.
By the ti the ssages spread, Adeline already had half the building whispering about her.
But Adeline knew none of this.
Even if she had known... she wouldn’t have cared. She wasn’t here to make friends. Her only goal was to work temporarily, earn money, pay off her debt, and build her path toward her dream of becoming a millionaire.
So when she finally entered Alex’s office, she carried only mild annoyance... not anger.
Alex stood from his executive chair the mont he saw her.
"Adeline, were you stuck in traffic?" he asked.
She blinked. "No... I was stopped by the receptionist. She said she needed to verify my identity. It took the entire afternoon before I was allowed to co up."
Alex’s fingers froze mid-tap against his desk.
’The entire afternoon?’
A storm passed behind his calm eyes. He had been waiting for her since morning.
He attended etings, kept glancing at his watch, thinking she was delayed due to traffic. He didn’t dare rush her... not wanting her to feel pressured.
But soone dared to obstruct her inside his company.
"I see," he said quietly. His tone was too calm, too controlled.
Adeline shifted slightly. "It’s not a big..."
"I’ll handle it," Alex said firmly, picking up his phone.
Within seconds, he ordered, "Fire the receptionist at the lobby. Effective imdiately. I do not tolerate employees who mistreat guests."
Adeline blinked. She didn’t try to stop him.
’If she can bully , she can bully soone important later. This isn’t personal... It’s discipline.’
Alex hung up and turned back to her. "Since it was our mistake, I’ll compensate you with ten thousand dollars."
Her heart almost jumped out of her chest, but she hid it well.
"I can’t accept that," she said quickly. "It was just a small matter."
Alex shook his head. "I let you suffer unnecessary inconvenience. This is the least I can do."
After a mont of hesitation, she nodded.
He exhaled softly, relieved. "Good. And one more thing."
She looked up.
"Since you’ve joined," he said with a faint smile, "we’ll prepare a small welcoming party for you."
Adeline blinked twice. "A... welco party? For a temporary doctor?"
Alex simply smiled. "It’s the company rule."
She doubted that. But with no grounds to argue, she nodded slowly.
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