111At Waterfall Corporation, Allvar sat in his spacious office, surrounded by a mountain of paperwork. Morning sunlight poured through the tall windows, illuminating his desk, yet his mind was a tempest of thoughts. The previous night’s confrontation with Derek lingered heavily on him, despite his best efforts to push it aside. He had ensured that no one in the office was aware of it—his personal troubles were to remain just that.A gentle knock on the door broke the silence. Allvar looked up, his tense expression softening slightly as Clarabelle stepped in. With her bright smile and warm demeanor, she seemed to bring light into the room, effortlessly lifting some of the weight on his shoulders. She held a neat stack of files and her ever-present notepad.“Good morning, Mr. Falck,” she greeted, her voice cheerful. Her fiery red hair fell in loose waves around her shoulders, perfectly complementing the rich green dress she wore. “I see you’re already hard at work. Didn’t take you for

113The meeting continued, but Allvar felt the tension in his shoulders rising with every mocking comment she threw his way. What had started as mild sarcasm had morphed into something bolder, almost outright disrespectful. Her dismissive tone and relentless jabs tested his patience, and the amused looks from his other team members weren’t helping.“Maybe we should hire a stylist to keep the boss on brand,” she quipped with a smirk, earning scattered chuckles from around the room.“All right,” Allvar said, his voice steady but firm. He was determined to keep his cool. “Let’s keep this focused. This issue isn’t a joke, and we need real solutions.”“Oh, lighten up, 'BOSS,'” she responded, leaning back with an exaggerated sigh and a knowing grin. “If you’d stop taking everything so seriously, maybe we’d actually get somewhere. Or do you need a dress code to help you concentrate?”Allvar gritted his teeth but forced himself to keep a professional tone. “This is serious. We’re here to work

115Victoria sat there, her face flushed with a mixture of anger and disbelief, still processing the sting of her two-week suspension. It wasn’t just a punishment—it felt like an outright humiliation, and she wasn’t one to take it quietly.Allvar turned back to the agenda, casually resuming as though nothing had happened, his calm demeanor only pouring fuel on her fiery frustration. The rest of the team shifted in their seats, glancing at each other with uneasy expressions, each silently agreeing they wouldn’t dare say a word in Allvar's presence after the display they’d just witnessed.Unable to contain herself any longer, Victoria leaned forward, her voice sharp with defiance. “So, this is how it is now, huh? You hand down punishments like you’re the judge, jury, and executioner, and we’re just supposed to bow down? Is that how respect is earned in your world, Allvar?”Allvar didn’t even look up right away; he let her words hang in the air, his silence speaking volumes. When he fina

117Victoria looked at him, her face overtaken by panic. “Allvar, please, listen to me! I didn’t mean for things to get out of hand—I was just doing what I thought would be best for the company,” she pleaded, her voice trembling as she tried to gauge his reaction.Allvar’s expression remained unreadable, his eyes steady on hers, but his tone was unwavering. “You’re making it worse, Victoria,” he replied calmly, though there was an unmistakable steel beneath his words. He took a deep breath. “Leave the room. Now.”Shock twisted her features as she took a step back, but the desperation in her eyes quickly shifted into defiance. “You’re seriously kicking me out? After everything I’ve done here?” Her voice rose, each word laced with disbelief and anger. “This is how you repay my loyalty?”“Yes,” he replied bluntly, his tone clipped and final. “That’s exactly what I’m doing. I don’t want you here any longer. Please leave.”Victoria planted her feet firmly, crossing her arms as she glared a

119Outside the company building, Victoria stumbled slightly as the guards released her arms. She immediately spun around, her face a mixture of fury and humiliation.“Don’t you dare touch me again!” she snarled, brushing imaginary dust from her dress, though it was clear her pride was the real wound here. Her voice dropped to a dangerous tone, eyes narrowing. “You’ll all pay for this, every single one of you!”The guard closest to her raised his hands, attempting to defuse the situation. “Ms. Harper, please—”“Don’t you ‘Ms. Harper’ me!” she cut him off, taking a step back, her eyes blazing with indignation. She attempted to storm off, but her heel caught on the uneven pavement, and she stumbled, her ankle twisting as she fell forward. With a gasp, she landed hard on the ground, her hands scraping against the rough surface. Her curvy black mini dress now bore streaks of dirt, a visual testament to her disheveled state.“Ugh!” she hissed, glaring up at the guards who moved forward as