Beep! Beep! The alarm woke me up at 3:30 in the morning for my workout before going to Mo Company today. After dressing up, I took my toy, strapped it to the back of my leggings, and jogged out of the room. Well, this has been my routine taking my toys out in case of necessity.
I jogged around the apartment toward the forest at the back of Felix's apartment. I kept jogging, searching for a decent or should I say hidden place to set some hidden cameras, bullets, and trifles. Yeah, like I said, my five years in M country had been hell for me.
During my run, I stumbled upon a beautiful view, a waterfall beyond the forest. What a place for a romantic date. Tsk tsk tsk… it's a pity I stumbled upon it, because there's a hidden cave where I could train myself, and maybe later, do my hacking things.
Yeah, I'm still a jewelry designer, but I had to upgrade in many other fields aside from jewelry. Like I said, Country M was hell, but it also helped me grow.
After checking the necessary spots, I jogged back toward the apartment. I noticed some hidden shadows and decided to keep running while staying alert, just in case. Yet, they acted as if I wasn't even a threat, as if they were monitoring my moves. Well, maybe I should inform Dr. Felix about this. I shrugged it off, went to my room, did my normal routine, and prepared for work.
The dining room was filled with a sumptuous aroma. Yeah, Judy loves cooking, I thought in a flat tone. But notwithstanding, Judy still came to hug me and greet me. To top it all, she pecked me. I pushed her slightly away and rolled my eyes before answering her greetings.
After a few minutes, we finished eating. Dr. Felix offered to drop me at Mo Company, which I agreed to. I do not need to spend recklessly, although I have enough. Leeching on someone who can offer help actually makes a lot of sense, right?
Upon getting to Mo Company, I went straight to my department and to my team members. As the manager of the Jewelry department, everyone wore excitement on their faces, eager to hear what I wanted to say as their Design Director.
"Hi everyone, let's meet at the general boardroom for discussion by 10:30 a.m."
I went straight to my office, a space where I could see what was going on in every little department: the managers, the junior and associate designers, interns, design assistants, technical departments, and the gemology department.
Once again, I greeted everyone. "The reason for this early morning discussion is for introductions and getting acquainted with you all. I'll start by introducing myself. I'm Catherine Mason, with the nickname Cee J. I would love for you guys to introduce yourselves."
After everyone had introduced themselves, the door opened. To my surprise, my former manager ,who I now outranked, entered the office with Sandra, rolling her eyes at me and interrupting our discussion.
"Sorry for coming late, Miss Mason."
I sighed. "What time were you supposed to come to the boardroom? Are you defiling the authority order? Let this be the first and last time you try this with me. Kindly take a seat."
After that, I laid out new rules for everyone to follow because my agreement with the higher-ups allowed me to set my own rules if I wanted to work in their company again.
Once everyone dispersed to work on their projects, the ex-manager came inside without knocking.
"Catherine, I can see you really opened your legs only for people to make you this popular. If I had known, I would have had my way with you. You know I regret it. I only wanted you to succumb to me. Even though you now have more authority than me, you still have to consider me as your ex-manager, or else."
I laughed, looking him up and down, scrutinizing him. "Are you threatening me, Jared? Well, you've got the wrong idea. You should be asking yourself why I didn't go to another reputable company with my degrees and experience, and why I came here, where I would have to see you every day. I'll show you tenfold of what you made me go through, all in the name of the bag. Just watch your back."
I left the office with a smirk.
Leaving the office with a smirk still playing on my lips, I noticed someone walking toward the CEO's office. There was something familiar about him… but I couldn't place who he was, or where I might have met him. Still, my stomach twisted with a strange awareness. The way he looked at me, calm, steady, almost like he knew me better than I knew myself, it felt… different. Dangerous. And then, for a fleeting moment, I swore the look carried a hint of something… like a long-lost lover, or maybe someone who had been waiting all this time.