34 You're demoted!

"Bella, did Jordan contacted you? I'm afraid Carla had contacted him," Elis walked out of the kitchen and approached Bella Lim at the coffee bar. He stared at her with a worried look, however, she simply glanced at him without responding.

"I'm afraid, things will get worse after this. Carla is Jordan's cousin and I heard that her father was the closest to Jordan's father. What if..."

"Jordan will not fire me," Bella Lim said assuredly, cutting the other's speech. Elis nodded but his face apparently disagreed. A few lines were formed between his eyebrows making his face looked dreadful.

"I know you're the biggest reason for this cafe's success, but you should know Carla's true intention by now. She wants to take over the cafe and you are her biggest threat," Elis spoke again. He smiled charmingly when Bella Lim finally turned to look at him. He rejoiced at his successfulness to make the woman showed a bit of curiosity. This way he could stare at her without holding back.

He gulped as wicked thought began to form in his mind.

Indeed, Bella Lim was intrigued. She only knew that Carla was interested in replacing her as Simply Cafe's manager. However, if Elis was speaking the truth, could it be that her annoying act was just the outer layer of her real intention.

Still, she wasn't the kind of person who would accuse someone without solid evidence.

"Elis, you know that I hate rumors. Although Carla is dislikeable, you shouldn't say things casually without backing them up," she advised him. Then, she proceeds to do her work, organizing the utensils. He noticed the man was getting closer to her.

"Carla was the one who told me this. That's why Bella, you shouldn't be too harsh on her next time. What if you'll get fired because of it?"

Bella Lim's sneered with an eyebrow rose. Her hands which were cleaning a cup with a soft towel paused in the air. Elis was always the guy she found awkward to interact, be it in her past life or present. This man was creepy.

"Even if I'll get fired, it's none of your business," she stated. Right now, she just wanted to leave him because a foreboding feeling was alerting her to be cautious of this man.

"Bella..." Elis muttered as he walked even closer to Bella Lim who was now removing her apron. He looked at the woman of his admiration, seeing her face being so casual, a knot was tied inside his heart.

Why was this woman so stubborn? He had been courting her for years but it was only coldness she gave in return. Why couldn't she become like the other women who easily climbed on his bed with little effort? Was she trying to challenge his patience?

Elis was tempted to hold Bella Lim's shoulder...

Bang!

Suddenly, an impactful sound shocked the people inside Simply Cafe. Everyone was looking at the door which suddenly flung open giving them the shock of the day.

Bella Lim saw Elis's hand that was about to touch her shoulder retracted in a quick manner. She noticed the sudden anxiety on his face which also disappeared within seconds. Her brows knitted at this.

Regardless, she soon lost interest and now was looking at the door. There, a man in a printed suit made his entrance. This was her boss; Jordan Lee.

"Boss, you're here!" Daniel who was the closest to the door greeted the man who just entered. However, he was ignored as the man continued to walk until he reached the center of the cafe lounge.

"Bella!" he shouted when his eyes pinpointed Bella Lim's location.

All eyes were on Bella Lim when they heard Jordan Lee shouted her name. Everyone was secretly speculating. However, most believe that the boss was calling the other's name in such a harsh manner because of today's unexpected event; Carla's dismissal of her position as Simply Cafe's worker.

"Boss, you came!" Bella Lim announced and then looked at the man with joy. She had been waiting for him to show up as she was really excited to share the news of last night's interview.

Despite the fact that she was late for the interview, she was actually the luckiest among all the representatives. That was because the judges had given their approval right after the interview. According to them, she shone more in comparison to the others and her view was aligned with The Exquisite's motto.

She promised to share the good news with Jordan Lee in person and let him conveys it to all the coworkers at Simply Cafe. This was also the reason why she was confident that Jordan Lee wouldn't penalize her for today's incident because she scored good merit home.

As she stepped out of the drinking bar, another two persons made an entrance.

Carla and an old man in a blue suit.

Bella Lim felt something was wrong after seeing the two people.

"You're Bella?" the old man walked towards Bella Lim with a sneer on his face. Carla who was now standing by Jordan Lee's side smirked.

Bella Lim stared at the old man who was marching towards her. His aggressive manner made her stood with wariness.

Suddenly, there were two tiny hands spreading in front of the old man who seemed impatient to get his hand on Bella Lim.

"Tch, and who is this brat!" the old man jeered, trying to scare the little boy away. However, the little boy simply stood there without showing any fear. He stared at the old man as if threatening him from taking another step.

"Pumpkin!" Bella Lim was alarmed. She went to little pumpkin who was blocking the old man. "Why are you out here? I told you to wait for me inside the room?" she asked as she crouched down to match little pumpkin's height.

"Big sister, this man is evil. Look! his eyes are scary. H-he might hurt you," little pumpkin explained and then once again stared at the old man.

"Old uncle, why are you coming with so much anger? Are you trying to hurt my big sister?" he asked fearlessly.

The old man stopped in his track as he looked at the little boy with an ugly frown on his face. Everyone in the cafe was dumbfounded at the little boy's bravery.

"How shameless. Who are you to speak to my uncle like that?" Carla stepped forward as she tried to shove little pumpkin to the side. However, she froze as she felt a strong force was restraining her movement. She looked at the hand's owner and saw Bella Lim was staring at her intensely. She cowered as fear began to creep inside her mind. This was the oppressive feeling she felt earlier this morning.

Carla couldn't believe that she was fired by Bella Lim today. She had been working with Bella for quite some time and thought that she was timid as a person. That was why she wasn't afraid to make trouble for this woman.

However, this morning's incident had truly humiliated her. Her hatred towards Bella Lim was getting intense. Therefore, she decided to get revenge. She thought the best way to get back to this woman was to humiliate her and to do that she wanted to remind her of her status as a commoner. Thus, she had persuaded Jordan's father to come along as the accessory to make Bella Lim terrified of her or to be exact the power behind her.

But, it seemed that she had miscalculated. This woman wasn't frightened at all. In fact, it was she who was repressed. She couldn't unshackle the fear that was gripping her heart. This woman was too intimidating!

Carla tried to look calm, however, when Bella Lim let go of her hand, she subconsciously stepped back as if running away from her. She touched her wrist to ease the pain.

"Bella, how dare you!" Jordan Lee yelled as he moved forward and checked on Carla's wrist. He was relieved to see it unharmed. He moved to the side. Now, the trio was standing side by side, creating a wall in front of Bella Lim and little pumpkin.

"Jordan, what is happening?" Bella Lim asked. Her eyes were looking at the man with a sharp look as if trying to get his answer by reading his mind.

Jordan Lee met Bella Lim's eyes in a scornfully derisive way.

"Bella, I've reminded you before that the only person who can recruit and fire people is me and me alone. How dare you misused your power! That's why, from now on, Carla is the manager. That is also for everyone's attention!" Jordan Lee announced as he looked around the cafe, ignoring the shocking faces of everyone.