After lunch, I focused on my work, but I couldn't shake what the others said in the elevator. How can people be so quick to judge? And the nerve implying I must be good in bed? I'd been building my resume since high school; there probably isn't anyone my age in this building with more experience than I have.
"Why do you keep frowning like that?" Axel asked as he finished up his task.
"Your face scares me," he added, pretending to shudder.
"I'm just working, unlike someone who keeps chatting with everyone," I shot back, my sarcasm sharp.
"Are you... jealous?" His eyebrow arched in amusement.
"Yes, I'm jealous." His eyes widened in surprise. "I'm jealous that you waste your attention on them instead of focusing on your work." Hearing that made him smile, and I knew he was about to tease me again.
"Don't forget we have a lesson at 6:30 PM," I said, glancing at my watch.
"Then I'll get going. I have appointments with other people," he replied.
"What? It's almost 4 PM, and office work isn't even finished yet," I countered.
"You act like you don't know me, Cora. I'll be here when the lesson starts. Don't worry, darling."
"Every minute you're late will be added to the lesson," I warned.
"Don't miss me too much, sweetheart. It's only two hours without me." He winked and left the office. Meanwhile, I ordered some food for dinner because I planned to keep working until the lesson started. I couldn't waste any time.
6:42 PM
I narrowed my eyes. "The first thing you need to learn is responsibility. You think little things don't matter, but they can have a big impact."
I leaned forward, my tone serious. "Like right now. You were ten minutes late, so we'll be in the lesson until 8:40 PM. The last bus at my second transit stop leaves at 9 PM. The first bus will take me 25 minutes, so I'll arrive at my stop at 9:05 PM. I'll miss the bus and have to pay for an expensive taxi just because you were late."
Axel leaned back, unfazed. "It's not a big deal. I'll take you home."
"Of course, you'll take me home," I snapped, my voice sharp. "But not only do you need to learn responsibility, you also need to learn how to fix the problems you create."
"Fine, then," he said with a grin. "I'll always take you home after the lessons are over."
"That's not the—"
"You said I need to solve problems. I'm solving this one." His smugness was infuriating.
I cleared my throat, pushing back my frustration. "You know about the butterfly effect, right?"
He blinked, unsure where I was going with this.
"It's simple: a small action, like you being late, can lead to much bigger consequences. It's a ripple effect. In a company like Suma Group, your actions don't just affect you. They affect everyone. Employees, clients, customers whether you're on time or late, it all creates ripples."
His smirk faded slightly as I continued. "You being ten minutes late doesn't just mean I miss a bus. It's about the bigger picture. Suma Group isn't just one business; it includes Suma Hotels, Suma Marts, Suma Electronics, and other smaller companies. Your decisions as Vice President touch thousands of lives. What seems small to you can make or break someone else's day, or even their livelihood."
Axel crossed his arms, still defensive. "It's just business, Cora. I don't see how it's that deep."
"Exactly," I said, leaning forward. "That's the problem. You don't see it. Leaders like your grandfather, your father, and your brother do. They understood that their choices no matter how small impact people in ways you can't even imagine. Suma Group didn't get where it is by luck; it got here because they thought about the consequences of their actions."
"Half-brother," he corrected.
I ignored the correction and pressed on. "Leadership isn't just about titles and meetings. It's about realizing that everything you do creates a ripple. Whether it's a 10-minute delay or a multi-million-dollar decision, you're the one setting the ripple in motion. And the farther that ripple travels, the more lives it affects."
He hesitated, the weight of my words sinking in.
"But what if I don't want to do it?" he asked quietly, losing some of his usual cockiness.
"What is it, then?" I challenged him. "What would you do if you weren't here?"
He didn't answer, so I tried another approach. "Remember the first day I started working here? How you had me read your nameplate—Vice President of Suma Group. That's what's written, right?"
He nodded slowly.
"Well, as long as that title's attached to your name, you need to live up to it."
His jaw hardened, "Why should I? Why should I be responsible for something that is not my own choice, the reason I'm being here is not because of my own choice. " His tone was soft but there was some frustration in his voice.
"Because, Axel, none of us are really here by choice. Not entirely. If people could choose, of course they would choose an easier life, one where they don't have to work long hours or deal with endless problems. But life doesn't work that way. People have bills, responsibilities. You might not be here for the money, but everyone has to make sacrifices."
His hazel eyes got darker. "You know well that for me it's not about money, then what will be the reason for me to work here like my other families?"
I looked him dead in the eyes. "That's for you to figure out. But as long as you're here, your actions matter whether you think they do or not."
He didn't respond, just silent but I could see it, the way my words were sinking in his mind, no matter how much he didn't want to hear it, but I will say these words one last time.
"How can you know you're bad and you hated this when you haven't tried working your best in this field?"
Silence hung in the air between us. Both of us kept silent, neither of us willing to give in completely. I saw the conflict in his eyes, the urge to argue more but the realization that he couldn't deny what I was saying. He hated it. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he just held it back, a part of my heart wishing that he would speak what was on his mind, because there is still something that I don't understand about him.
I swallowed my own words, knowing I could push harder but choosing not to. This wasn't the time. I don't think we need argue any longer
"Let's just continue the lesson," I said, my voice quieter, but still firm.
Axel nodded, the tension thick between us. Neither of us are ready to back down–but for now, we both would.