Chapter 2

My department was the sales department. When the employees of this department got super busy, there was no such thing as getting off work at all.

Because of that, I formally requested the right for the sales department's employees to have flexible work schedules while enduring immense pressure from the top brass. Now that the system was in place, I had to spend my off-work hours drinking with potential clients in order to secure business deals with them.

However, my act of kindness became a legitimate loophole for the sales department's employees to justify their tendency to show up late and leave work earlier than usual.

Initially, I chose to pretend not to notice anything because I thought everyone in the sales department had it tough. But to think that an intern, who had yet to transition into a full-fledged employee in this company, dared to abuse this system and show up late for work just because he got into a fight with his girlfriend!

People would only continue to take advantage of my kindness if I kept tolerating their shenanigans without drawing the bottom line.

I sat on the office chair while tapping the desk lightly with my right finger. "From today onward, the flexible work schedule will be permanently canceled. It can be reinstated only under special circumstances. Even so, the flexible work schedule will only last for as long as the circumstances do."

I thought my kindness would be paid forward. If I were to be kind to my subordinates, surely they'd repay me with kindness too, right?

But the way they had worked together to stab me in the back in my past life served as a painful lesson to me.

In that case, I might as well let the company's rigid rules keep them in check. All employees were meant to follow the company's rules without any complaints anyway, seeing as they were paid to do their jobs.

The relaxing atmosphere in the meeting room dissipated immediately. The employees, who had previously reclined in their seats, straightened up instantly. All of them looked like they were ready to argue with me.

The person who looked the most agitated about the system being removed was the vice sales director, Ramona Hart.

I had personally trained and watched Ramona's career flourish. She was an ambitious and capable employee despite coming from a poor background. That was why I kept giving her opportunities and promoting her all the way to the position of vice sales director.

I thought Ramona viewed me as her benevolent mentor in her career. But it turned out that she was the mastermind who had me pinned down and refused to give me a chance to strike when I was slandered by Matthew and Lydia in my past life.

At that moment, Ramona's face had turned red out of anger. She slammed a hand onto the table before rising to her feet angrily.

"Ms. Lombard, this is the sales department! Our sales performance should be the only thing that's looked at! The employees' motivation to hit the sales target will only diminish if we're required to follow the company's rigid working hours!"

As expected, the discussion grew louder the moment Ramona was done speaking.

Many people went along with her point of argument as well. "Precisely! We're not like the other departments, who only have to work during working hours!"

"How can we hit our sales targets if we're required to follow the company's working hours?"

"Well then, have you achieved your sales targets?" I asked icily as I opened the document that showed the total sales performance of the department from the previous quarter. After excluding the business deals that I had personally closed, it appeared that Sales Team 2 was the team that had the highest achievement rate of 200%. Unsurprisingly, Kelly was the team leader of that team.

As for the other five sales teams, the achievement rate of their sales targets barely hit 50%.

The atmosphere in the meeting room fell silent instantly. No matter how good one's silver tongue was, the things they said meant nothing before the data presented.

"Still, you seduced an intern and insisted on becoming his mistress despite knowing that he already has a girlfriend. A depraved woman like you with no sense of decorum has no right to remain as our leader!"

Ramona took off her glasses and tossed them onto the meeting table. She looked like she was going to challenge me to a duel anytime soon.

I had no idea why Ramona hated my guts so much to the point that she wanted me dead.

"Sorry for being late."

The meeting room's door was flung open all of a sudden. Matthew, who sported a messy bedhead, entered the meeting room the next second.

Everything proceeded like it did in my past life. The moment Matthew came in, he plastered an upset expression on his face instantly and began crying about his woes in front of everyone.

"Last night, my girlfriend caught Ms. Lombard sitting in the front passenger seat, which is meant to be her designated seat."

He tugged his tie off his collar before pointing at his collarbone, where the faintest trace of red could be seen. "My girlfriend left this injury on my collarbone! Gosh, women are so scary whenever they get jealous!

"Ms. Lombard, you have to take responsibility for this! You can make it up to me by making me a full-fledged employee in advance!"

Matthew wanted me to make it up to him by making him a full-fledged employee in advance?

I just sneered in response. "First of all, all interns are to go through a series of official procedures in order to become full-fledged employees of this company. Even if an exception is to be made, it'll only be made for interns who are exceptionally talented and capable in their jobs.

"Matthew, what's your so-called exceptional talent, in this case?"

Matthew raked his fingers through his hair before grinning at me. "Why, it's my exceptionally handsome looks, of course!"

At that moment, everyone burst into laughter in the meeting room.

However, my expression became stormy immediately. All I felt was sorrow.

One should focus their efforts on doing their best at work at the age of 25. But here Matthew was, making such jokes with his flippant attitude.

Countless university graduates couldn't even secure a proper job upon graduation. Matthew was one of the lucky ones who was blessed with an actual job, and yet he didn't cherish what was given to him.

"You think this is funny?" My response was icy. "Matthew Wells, you're here to work, not to act cute before others.

"Also, I'm your boss, not a catalyst you can use to spice up your relationship with your girlfriend. The fact that I sat in the front passenger seat yesterday is purely accidental on my part. You and I merely share a professional relationship, not to mention we've never talked to each other in private.

"Please deal with whatever issue you have with your girlfriend properly. Do not affect our company's reputation in any way."

Matthew's expression darkened instantly. Perhaps he was too used to my amicable attitude, for he didn't expect to see me criticizing him in front of the entire department in such a stern manner.

"Ms. Lombard, I was just cracking a joke. There's no need to be so serious, is there? Are you trying to humiliate me?"

Ramona decided to help Matthew out. "Yeah! Ms. Lombard, we're all colleagues, aren't we? Why must you put on airs around us just to show that you're our boss?"

After that, she lowered her tone. Still, everyone could hear what she said clearly.

"Besides, Matthew wouldn't have said such things to you if not for you seducing him in the first place."

Now that Ramona opened the can of worms, the other male colleagues began making fun of me.

"Precisely! She's already 35 years old, and yet she's still single! Does she not like men at all?"

"Maybe men are the ones who don't like her! Look at how old she is—she'd be one of those pregnant women at risk of birthing complications if she were to have a child of her own!"

"To think that she's still not married despite being a gorgeous woman… Maybe she has a sugar daddy of her own! Her private life sure is spicy, huh? On one hand, she plays the role of a sugar baby to an older rich man, and on the other hand, she decides to become a sugar mommy to other sugar babies instead! All I can say is 'wow'!"