Chapter 1. An Exhausting Day

"Nina! I hope you know why I called you here," said Nathan. The baritone voice sounded piercing to the ears of Nina, a young executive under him.

Inside the elegant and luxurious office, Nathan Wilson, a 32-year-old man, sat in front of his desk, filled with piles of documents that he had to peruse. His masculine face complements the majesty of the boss, nicknamed the killer boss by his employees.

He leads firmly and harshly, always demanding perfection from his subordinates. However, under his leadership, considerable progress has been achieved. He has brought his company to become one of the most respected giants.

While in front of him, Nina Evans, a 23-year-old lady, sat with a tense face, her hands sweating; she had no idea what she had done wrong.

It was already the seventh month since Nina joined Nathan's large company. Initially, she was very ambitious to join the prestigious company because she was among the best university graduates with special values and talents.

However, reality was not as beautiful as she imagined. Nina had to work extra hard to prove her worth. However, she often finds it difficult, or rather complicated, by her big boss because everything she does is always criticized. However, Nina always tried to work professionally, all of which she faced as part of the risks of a job.

"I'm not sure, sir. What's going on?" Nina replied, trying to remain calm despite her tension.

Nathan looked at the girl in front of him sharply. "It's about the report you submitted yesterday, look! There are so many mistakes in it!" The man slammed a bundle of files before Nina, making her gasp.

Nina sighed; she tried her best to calm down; she grabbed the file and opened it, stunned as if Nina couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"But sir, yesterday I checked it very closely," Nina replied.

"You're always making excuses, Nina. I don't know why you keep making mistakes like this." Nathan snorted, his gaze piercing the girl in front of him.

Nina tried to muster up the courage; she lifted her face, and their gazes met. They were silent momentarily before Nina finally said, "I didn't intentionally make a mistake, sir. I tried my best."

Nathan looked dissatisfied, his eyes glaring even harder as if he was skinning her.

"You know, Nina. I rate your work highly. Mistakes like this should never happen again," Nathan said coldly.

"Yes, sir. I'll double-check this report and fix it right away."

"Hmm, you may return," Nathan ordered flatly, his eyes refocusing on the files before him.

"Yes, sir. Excuse me." Nina stood up and then turned to leave Nathan. The man lifted his face; he stared at her back, which disappeared behind the door, a faint smile crossing his handsome face.

Nina left Nathan's room with mixed feelings; she had worked hard on the report and checked it carefully before submitting it. But why were there so many mistakes? Had she been too excited yesterday and needed more focus?

The girl became increasingly chaotic; many questions after question flashed through her mind. She wondered why every report she made was often like this, 'did someone deliberately change it? But who? And what is possible?' Nina muttered inwardly.

Suddenly

"Aww!" someone shouted. Nina slammed into a girl, and they both fell, their belongings scattered on the floor.

"'S-sorry, I didn't mean to," Nina said as she helped pick up the girl's belongings that had been knocked over.

The girl whom Nina hit was stunned; she didn't expect the stupid girl who hit her to be Nina, her own best friend. She was just about to bump into her.

"Nina ..." Laura called out, looking at Nina, who was still bowed and putting her things away.

To hear a familiar voice say her name, Nina raised her face. Sure enough, Laura, her best friend and coworker, was looking at her in confusion.

"Oh, there you are; so sorry, Laura, I wasn't focused earlier."

"Hey, what's wrong with you, Nina? It's still in the office; you're walking like you're dreaming; try it out there; it's not people you hit; it's cars." Laura immediately burst out.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I was daydreaming a bit earlier," Nina replied as needed, immediately handing over Laura's belongings. "Well, it's all sorted now. Nothing was damaged, so I don't have to compensate you."

"Wait, wait. What's wrong with you, Nina?" Laura asked quickly, looking at Nina's dazed face. Nina didn't answer; she just shrugged her shoulders.

"Okay-okay, then let's drink coffee first; caffeine is good so that the body becomes fresh again," Laura invited.

"But I have to finish my work, Laura." Nina tried to argue, but instead of answering, Laura pulled Nina by the hand to a café in the office neighborhood, where they had a cup of coffee.

Laura and Nina sat down and sipped a warm cup of coffee. Laura had known Nina for a long time, so she knew that the girl must be in trouble, making her absent-minded.

"Now tell me, what's wrong with you, Nin?" Laura asked curiously.

"Nothing at all, Ra," Nina replied casually, taking another sip of her coffee.

"Hey, Nina. Come on, I'm your old friend; don't tell me there's nothing wrong." Laura grumbled.

"Yes-yes, Miss. Chatty, I'll tell you," Nina said, looking at Laura.

"There you go, honey. It's not Laura if she's not chatty." Laura pursed her lips.

Nina sighed as she swirled her cup. "Mr. Nathan just called me," she said.

"What?!" Laura exclaimed in surprise, "called again? Scolded?" she asked.

"Well, I don't know what it's called, scolded, or preached at, but it's more or the other way around."

"Wait," interrupted Laura, "what's the problem, Nin? You've done your job well, haven't you?"

"Yes, you saw it yourself, Ra. I put a lot of effort into it. I checked it before I handed it in, but after it got into Mr Nathan's hands, something went wrong." Nina sighed.

"And this time, the mistakes were deadly, almost 50 percent," she added.

The two friends fell silent, their faces becoming serious. Laura took another sip of her coffee, surprised that her best friend was often reprimanded by the big boss; even though Nina always worked hard, she was also among the smartest and most talented employees.

"I don't think this is the first time, Nin."

"You're right, Ra." Nina confirmed, "This is the third time my work has been rejected, even though I've checked it carefully."

"Hmm, could someone be carrying out sabotage..."

As the two girls were guessing at various possibilities, there was a sudden sound of clapping hands and someone's sarcasm.

"How can you get good work results if you keep gossiping."