Bella took a deep breath and let it out through her mouth. Her heart was racing, her lungs felt tight, and her body trembled. She prayed she wouldn’t get a scolding from her boss. This had never happened before. She had never been called by the CEO of her company, and she could not have been called by her boss. Because, if her work was not optimal, Abigail was the one who always nagged her.
Although the boss this time looks young, he is a little scary. Did he think that face-to-face was the best way to reprimand an erring employee? Isn’t there a team leader who usually gives direction and advice to the employees under his care?
She knocked on the door of Gabriel’s room and pushed after getting approval from the new ruler of the company. With slow steps, a slight bow, and still trying to regulate her breathing rhythm, Bella tried to be polite.

“”Good afternoon, sir. Is there anything I can help you with?""

Gabriel took off his glasses. Examining and watching Bella from toe to head. That’s right, she was the woman who took him out for the night, then left him with two hundred dollars.

“Bella Cameron? Right?”

The woman looked up, staring at the face of her superior. Quite good-looking. “”Yes, sir. I’m Bella. With no disrespect, I would like to ask you about your purpose for calling me here?""

Gabriel looked down, hiding a smile. He didn’t expect that the woman in front of him was a professional employee, in stark contrast to the one he met at the club the other day. A woman who looks stupid, desperate, and hurt.
“I was just curious.”
The woman’s brow furrowed. “Yes, sir?”

“Ah, I was just curious about the personality of the employee who arrived late at my welcome ceremony this morning.” He nodded. “You’re pretty decent. You were polite, but it’s a shame you didn’t follow the rules. In fact, Abigail had instructed all employees to arrive fifteen minutes earlier than usual. However, you disobeyed me the first day I came here.”

“I had my reasons, sir,” Bella argued, not wanting to be cornered. “Abigail’s message did not arrive, because my phone was in airplane mode, and when I woke up, I forgot to restore it to normal settings.”

Gabriel stood up and put his hands in his pants pockets. He walked over to Bella, then smiled. “I don’t accept any excuses, Bella. As an employee, take full responsibility for yourself.”

Bella looked up. The man in front of her was quite tall, made her neck and nape ache. “So, what do I have to do for you to forgive me?”

The blue-eyed man lowered his gaze, aligning his face with Bella’s. “How about you accompanying me for a drink tonight?”

The woman’s pupils dilated. Wasn’t her superior’s attitude so unreasonable? They had just met, and he was already asking her out for a drink. Bella waved both hands in front of her face. “I can’t, sir. What will others think if they see us drinking together?” She raised her index and middle fingers. “Just the two of us?”

Gabriel snorted with laughter. “Hey, you’re surprisingly confident. Why would I invite you alone? I’ll take some employees into the planning and marketing department.”
He lied. Just because Bella refused, Gabriel had to change the plan. He was actually quite surprised that Bella rejected him. Refusing to go out together, even though he had imagined spending the night with Bella. Previously, no woman had dared to refuse him. Was the woman in front of him just acting and wanting to maintain an image? Has his charm waned? That’s impossible! Gabriel Asahavey has always been the number one man many women look for.
“Do you think I’m an easy-going guy who can easily ask a strange woman out for a drink? Especially my own employees.” There was a mocking grin at the end of his sentence.
The hazel-eyed woman blinked, her mouth ajar. She didn’t know what else to say. Embarrassment and irritation made her speechless. She wanted to protest again, but she realized that the man in front of her would not remain silent if she argued again. In corporate law, the boss’s word is absolute, and must obey.
“I apologize for misinterpreting your invitation.” Although Bella was upset and wanted to curse, she tried to suppress the urge. She didn’t want her dismissal letter sitting at her desk tomorrow.
Was this one of her bad luck days? Why did she have to come here and listen to the insults uttered by her new boss? She had never encountered such disrespect before.
“No problem. I have heard it many times. You’re not the first woman to misinterpret my words.” He looked at Bella’s face, which seemed to not understand. “Ah, you don’t understand, apparently. Many women have misunderstood my words. Yes, it can’t help. My pretty face makes them crazy.”
Bella’s pupils dilated. Quite surprised by her superior’s high confidence beat Mount Everest. She admits that her new boss is quite good-looking. However, as a woman, she herself was not interested in liking the man. Gabriel was a very unattainable man. Yes, an ordinary employee like herself could not possibly be attractive in the eyes of a high-status man like her boss. Her life is not like a novel, where a superior pursues and begs for the love of an ordinary employee. Reality is not as beautiful as fiction.
After analyzing, Bella knew a little about the character of her new boss. Her previous boss had a warm and friendly demeanor, and her current boss was far from that. Their new CEO is a little stubborn and childish.
“However, I am not infatuated, sir. You said it was so ambiguous that I didn’t immediately understand.” She tried to restrain herself, but her mouth seemed to rebel for justification.
“Really? Don’t lie to your heart. All women who must be attracted to me. You’re just denying it.”
His high self-confidence made Bella curse inwardly. Besides being childish, her boss turned out to be narcissistic. Why would any human given sky-high trust like him?