Chapter 16
16 The Devil Boss Arrives
Various photos which seemed like paparazzi shots of Ace with various beautiful women on his arms or locked in his embrace started showing on the screen as the host began narrating through the list of his ex-girlfriends and others that he’s had an affair with. I recognized some of the famous names from various industries. Movie stars, singers, supermodels, and other socialites.
A sigh escaped my lips as I turned off the television. Who cares about his love affairs anyways?
Time to go back and focus on hunting for a new apartment. Time is of the essence here and I didn’t have the time to worry about that crazy player guy. He’s the CEO of the company that I work for now, but it didn’t really have anything to do with me. I knew that I was way down there on the corporate ladder, and he was way up there so the chances of us ever meeting again or working together was next to non-existent.
After finding a couple of reliable-looking real estate agencies and noting down their address, I decided to visit them soon to see if they could recommend me a place that fitted my requirements and budget. After taking a quick shower, I tiptoed into the bedroom before getting into my bed. My mother was already sound asleep by that time.
That night when I lay alone in my bed, my head was filled with thoughts of Ace and Kyle as the two seemed to fight against each other in taking up the space in my mind. The image of Kyle’s smiling face and the things that he said to me kept entering my head. Even though, I tried to push thoughts about him away from me, I wasn’t exactly successful in doing so. When I closed my eyes, the scene of us together would pop up and replay itself behind my closed eyelids. Then I would see memory of Ace’s cocky smile and how he forced money on me. I didn’t even know his name until like...just now. It was a while before I finally fell asleep from a mix of exhaustion and confusion.
...
The next day everything seemed a lot more chaotic when I arrived at the office. The chaos started even before I stepped foot inside of the office building. The employees had formed small groups here and there in the company’s lobby and also in front of the company’s entrance. Walking past a couple of groups made me quickly realize that they were gossiping frantically about the new CEO.
That wasn’t surprising since the change in CEO was supposed to be a big news to everyone. However, the content of their gossip caught my attention. Basically, there was a wild mix of the good and the bad. The staff seemed to enjoy sharing their version of gossips with each other because they spoke quite loudly, and I didn’t have any trouble overhearing them.
“He is the only son of the current CEO and I also heard that he’s a devil at work”
.....
“Everyone who worked with him before said that he’s super scary to work for. He’s so strict and so mean, although he’s supposed to be very good at what he does,”
“I heard that he used to work abroad in many countries, and he has a good track record of setting up his own companies. It’s been a while now since then, so he has finally decided to take over his family business from his father,”
“That’s not all. There are loads of rumors surrounding him. Have you heard?”
“I heard that he has a lot of affairs with the people that work with him, especially the beautiful women. He changes his secretary very often. I don’t know how much of those rumors are true, though,”
“I heard that he’s a genius. Apart from his family business, he has a lot of businesses that he created on his own. I heard his father wanted him to take over this company a long time ago, but he refused, saying that he’d rather start something on his own. And then after establishing so many successful companies, he’s now back to turn this company around and take it to greater heights!”
“I know that there’s so many rumors about him and it’s pretty scary, but I think we should wait and see how he does. I’m just hoping that the rumors about him being a devil CEO and a devil boss isn’t true,”
I walked along the building’s lobby as these rumors floated around in the air and entered my ear. I didn’t need to make an effort to hear them because the people were talking loud enough for them to be heard. I quickly made my way up the elevator to the auditorium where I would be attending the second day of my orientation.
Surprisingly, I ran into Kyle right in front of the auditorium. He was leaning casually against the wall, and I wondered if he also heard the rumors from downstairs and the news that the company had gotten a new CEO. He waved and smiled at me the moment that he spotted me, and I found myself smiling back at him naturally. The way that his beautiful smile lit up his face made me believe that he was such an angel. I approached him with a smile on my face.
“Good morning. You’re here quite early.” I said before I flashed him a smile.
“I could say the same thing about you. Excited for the second day of orientation?” Kyle asked.
“Yes, there’s supposed to be some team activities today, so I’m looking forward to that. Honestly, the lectures yesterday was a little bit boring and a little scary with all the rules and everything,” I confessed my honest thoughts.
“I know, right. Let’s enjoy our orientation together today,” Kyle said invitingly.
I had a feeling that it was going to be a good day already.
“Sure...” I replied with another smile.
Soon it was time for the orientation to start and we made our way into the auditorium. Kyle invited me to take the seat next to him and that was what I did. The second day of the orientation started right on time with the same middle-aged women coming up on stage to make an announcement. Her announcement shocked everyone in the auditorium, including myself.
“Listen up everyone. As you have probably seen on the news, our company has had a change in management. As of today. Mr. Ace Hill will be taking over as the company’s CEO. And I am delighted to share with you today that Mr. Ace has taken his time to share a word of inspiration with you to mark the start of your journey at this company. Please put your hands together for Mr. Ace, our new CEO,” the woman announced before stepping aside and clapping her hands together.
There was a moment of silence as everyone was stunned by the sudden announcement that the new CEO would be giving a welcome speech to the new employees who have just joined the company. After a moment of stunned silence, the auditorium exploded with the loud sounds of people clapping their hands in applaud. The spotlight turned on and focused on a man as he walked up on stage and stood behind the podium.
–To be continued...