When Vesna finally arrived at her office, she was fuming. She was currently inside the common elevator in the office building. She could not take the exclusive elevator because no one here knew she was the actual CEO of Kairos. The moment she pressed the thirty-seventh-floor button on the elevator, everyone present inside looked at her and they did not even try to hide their gaze. After all, not just anyone can enter their CEO's floor.
A young woman in a crisp suit leaned closer to her colleague, whispering, "Who is she? I've never seen her before."
Her colleague shrugged, eyeing Vesna with curiosity. "Maybe she's new? But why would a newbie be going to the top floor?"
An older man in the corner raised an eyebrow, a knowing smirk on his face. "Perhaps she's Mr. Shi's... special friend. You know how he is with the ladies."
A woman with perfectly coiffed hair scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Please. Not everyone can warm Mr. Shi's bed. He has... standards."
A few people snickered at his comment, while others looked shocked.
"Shh!" her friend hissed, elbowing her. "She can hear you!"
"So what? Did I say anything wrong?"
Vesna titled her and gave a casual look to that woman who immediately shut up. The woman immediately fell silent, her smug expression fading. She had no idea what happened, but the moment she made eye contact with Vesna, she felt a shiver run down her spine and goosebumps rise on her skin.
Vesna didn't say anything. She simply watched as everyone stepped out of the elevator one by one, floor after floor, leaving her alone. The moment the elevator doors closed, the nonchalant look in her eyes was replaced with a dark, dangerous glint.
"They're lucky I don't care about gossip as long as they are working properly," she muttered to herself, her voice low and cold.
When the elevator finally reached the thirty-seventh floor, Vesna stepped out. The atmosphere here was entirely different from the bustling lower floors. It was much quieter and emptier than the rest of the building. There were only a few people here, yet none of them knew who she really was.
"Excuse me, can I help you? Are you looking for someone?" the female employee asked politely.
Vesna was about to respond when she spotted a familiar face hurrying towards her.
"It's alright, I've got this," Amaya said to the employee with a smile before turning to Vesna.
"Bring me some coffee," Vesna said and without waiting for a response or paying any further attention to her assistant, she strode towards the CEO's office and entered without knocking.
Inside, she was greeted by the sight of a spacious, modern office. Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a breathtaking view of the city skyline. In the center of the room stood a massive desk, and behind it, a high-backed leather chair faced the windows.
"You're late," a deep voice said as the chair swiveled around, revealing a man in his late twenties with sharp features and piercing eyes.
Vesna rolled her eyes, dropping her bag on a nearby couch. "Good morning to you too, Chris."
Christopher Shi, the public face of Kairos and Vesna's most trusted friend, raised an eyebrow. "Rough morning?"
"You have no idea," Vesna sighed, sinking into a chair across from him. "But enough about me. How are things going?"
Chris leaned back in his chair, a small smile playing on his lips. "Better than expected, actually. The Zhou merger is proceeding smoothly, and our quarterly reports are looking strong."
Vesna nodded as she listened to Chris giving her details. Chris had always been reliable. One of the few people she could trust implicitly, he had been with her since the beginning.
She had found him standing on the edge of a bridge, a man who had lost everything - his friends, his family, his home, and his job. He was drowning in debt, all because his work had been stolen by his best friend and colleague. The news of his unemployment had somehow reached his bedridden mother, his only family left, who died of a heart attack.
Her death had been the breaking point for Chris. With no hope left, he had walked to that bridge, ready to escape the pain forever. But then, Morana had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.
"Do you want revenge?" She had asked him.
It was one question, four words but those four words were enough to change everything.