Chapter 6: That was not my intention

In the main meeting room of Seren Corp, the top managers were listening to the report of the company's progress on the establishment in the orient.

"As expected, we are receiving resistance from the other companies already here in Huisu. A lot of lobbying is going underneath the surface so that we are not elected for the government development projects."

A cold voice interrupted.

"Who?"

The presenter, Jeong Da-Eun, cleared her throat, suddenly nervous at having the head of the company stab her eyes directly at her. Sitting in the main chair in an immaculate navy pantsuit, Iris Zhou's gaze weighted down on everyone inside the room. Her perfectly manicured fingers were interlaced beneath her chin, and her severe face made her employees unable to discern her mood.

"Mostly Qin Industries, Gwan Construction and Namgung Corporation along with some other minor firms. Mr. Qin appears to be the head of the movement. He has recently been hosting many parties, inviting numerous major government figures. His son has also began entertaining the youths of relevant political families."

The managers stared at their superior with uneasiness. Although they would not define her as tyrannical, Miss Zhou did expect nothing but excellence from those who she had granted such high positions in her company, rewarding them handsomely when they succeeded, and dismissing them if they didn't meet the standard. She would allow them breaks if they really needed them, but no excuses were accepted for a job badly done.

'If you can't work well then, stop working, rest, and come back once you're capable again, but don't drag the team down. There is no shame in being tired, but there is shame in being mediocre.'

This was what Miss Zhou often told them when they made a mistake out of exhaustion. No second chances were granted. It was thanks to this understanding but strict management that she had accomplished so much in such a short time. An empire cannot be built with only two hands after all, so her capability to retain and nourish great talents had become Seren's cornerstone.

A tense silence fell over the attendee's heads. They all knew what happened to companies that went against Seren. They were swallowed up whole.

Every eye in the room rested on Iris' face. Her rosy lips parted to let out a sigh.

"That old man is still bitter. I guess I'll need to have a talk with him."

She turned to the presenter once more.

"Who compiled this information?"

The woman straightened her back and cleared her throat.

"Me and the rest of the Market Research team."

Iris nodded.

"Good job, Miss Jeong. I'll add a bonus to the research crew's wages this month."

Barely containing her joy at Iris' praise, the woman expressed her gratitude.

"Thank you so much, Boss!"

"Alright, just make sure to keep up the good work."

Looking at the head of her legal team, Bruno Caval, Iris asked:

"How is the draft for the tech supplies leasing contract coming along?"

"It has been finished, Miss Zhou. After a final revision with our law firm, we expect to hand it in by this afternoon."

"Right on schedule. Well done, Mr. Caval."

The legal team manager smiled. Iris' assistant immediately jotted down this information, giving a small nod to confirm he had written it all down when his boss' eyes fell on him. Iris addressed the rest of her employees.

"Does anyone else have anything left to discuss?"

Laura Davies, the head of the marketing department, raised her hand.

"An invitation to a charity ball arrived this morning. They have asked for your attendance along with a donation. The event is this weekend."

"What is the charity for?"

"Superior Education scholarships for children with no resources."

"Is it legitimate?"

"Yes, we researched it in depth."

"Settle the donation with our Dahlia Seren charity, and inform them to refer to them for any other charity events. Also, relay to them I will not be assisting."

Laura hesitated.

"Um, Boss, they specifically insisted in your attendance. They even said they would refuse the donation if you don't go."

Iris frowned.

"Why are people so scheming in this place? What do they want? Media attention? A relationship with Seren?"

"We expect it to be both, Miss Zhou. Although you regularly appear on the media, you have barely participated in any of the high society events, so many have become impatient."

An irritated look marred Iris' face.

"I guess I can't keep holding it off anymore."

"At least it will be for a good cause," consoled Laura.

Her boss nodded in agreement.

"You're right. This weekend, you said?"

"Yes. Friday night."

"Fine. If there is nothing else, we can adjourn this meeting."

Stepping out into the hallway with her assistant behind her, Iris quickly walked to her office. Sitting on the chair by the floor to ceiling windows that framed the beautiful city view, Iris felt deeply annoyed.

"Do you need me to accompany you to the event?"

Iris looked at the young man in a crisp suit who smiled at her. Marco Rossi was a talent she specially hand picked from one of her scholarship programs. He wasn't extremely adept in the sciences, but his intelligence in her opinion was unparalleled. His learning speed was incredible, and he was quick to catch onto things, with a keen eye for detail and extremely organized. In the two years he had been by her side he had grown to become the best assistant she had ever had, and their working dynamic was extremely fluid.

"No, Marco. You're off work on weekends, your salary is high enough already, stop trying to rob me blind."

Marco was completely aware of the high extra-hour bonus in his contract, so he always tried to squeeze in some off-work time next to his boss. Although he was quite capable, Iris was sure there was nothing he cared for more than money. She also knew for a fact that he was the best paid assistant out there, but there was very little she could do about it as the cost was worth it.

"Okay then. Do you want me to book you a fitting at some boutique for the dress?"

"No, it's alright. I'll just wear a suit."

Seeing him give her some side eye, she asked:

"What, you think I shouldn't wear a suit?"

"No, but you'll give these people a shock for sure. Here women are preferred to be feminine and demure, so I don't know if it will leave the best impression."

"I'm practically a foreigner to them, so I should have some leeway."

"Yeah, just make sure to look stunning. If you're gonna surprise them, you better go all the way."

Iris agreed with the idea. If she had to go to this event no matter what, she might as well look good while she did it. She felt like this could be a good chance to lift herself up from the gloomy mood she had fallen into since two days prior. She had stayed in bed all Sunday, barely dragging herself to the office this morning.

Deciding not to think about it anymore, she dove into her work for the day. Suppliers wanted to meet to discuss their future productive capacity, human resource managers needed her to approve the new capacitation program and the finance and market research team had finally submitted the budget for the new construction project, along with that contract draft that had been discussed previously. Many people entered her office for one-on-one meetings, along with myriads of documents that came and went from the room after she signed them.

Like this, her day flew by, until she was finally done and could go home.

"Are you sure you don't need to say a little longer?"

Marco's sly smile followed her out of the office and into the elevator. His crescent eyes studied her face excitedly.

"Stand back, you greedy man. I am going home. You should too, otherwise Daniel will think I bully you, and I am not about to get scolded by him again."

A shiver went down her spine as dark memories flashed through her mind.

Glancing at the ring on his finger, Marco's gaze grew gentle and he finally relented.

"Sure. See you tomorrow then, Boss."

"See you tomorrow."

Already in the parking lot, they went their separate ways. Iris walked to her car, opening the door and being greeted by a pleasant smell. She almost thought she could smell Li Jun's scent still lingering inside it for a second.

That day he was driving her home. On the way, she asked him more random questions like what his favorite pair of socks looked like, or whether he had dated anyone before.

He had grown more comfortable to her presence by that point, but that last question changed his relaxed expression to a frown.

"What? Sensitive subject?", she had asked. After a slight pause, Li Jun replied.

"Yes."

"Sorry."

His knuckles turned white as his fingers wrapped tightly around the steering wheel. Stopping at a red light, he saw her dejected face.

"It's alright."

She turned her body towards him, making him flinch. Her eyes paused on his profile, studying the way the afternoon light fell on his features.

"Li Jun."

"Yes?"

"Why do you dislike women?"

The car screeched to a halt, earning a honk from the one behind it. Li Jun's eyes were wide as he stared at her.

"You... What do you mean?"

His fingers trembled and he felt his pulse spike. Suddenly the car felt too small. Suffocating.

"I noticed how you always wince when I get too close, and you constantly make a conscious effort to avoid touching me. After watching you for a couple of days, I noticed you are only weary of women. You accidentally grazed other men's hands all the time while serving them coffee, but when a woman came near you, your whole demeanor changed. You looked... Uncomfortable."

Her sharp eyes were indeed terrifying. It was the fist time he had been confronted so directly like this. Not knowing what to say, he opened the door and got out of the car.

"I already drove you home. Good night."

Stepping down from the passenger seat, Iris chased after him.

"Wait, Li Jun!"

Her calling out to him gathered some of the passerbys' attention, but luckily she was still wearing her cap and glasses. Hearing her coming after him, Li Jun stopped. Iris was taken aback after looking at his pained gaze, but persevered anyway.

"I'm sorry if I made you upset, that was not my intention."

She stopped in her tracks when she saw him withdraw as she had come too close.

"I won't come any closer, but please don't run away anymore."

He sighed, but still stayed.

"Listen, Miss... Iris. I appreciate your honesty, and I'm honored that you even took an interest in me in the first place, but I'm not the person you think I am."

"Are you mad that I asked-"

"No, Iris, I'm not angry at your question, I just can't do this. I really thank you for today, but I think it would be best for the both of us to go our different ways from now on."

"Do you truly feel that way?"

Li Jun looked at her face, seeing for the first time such a cold expression on it. Not being able to hold her pained gaze, he stared at the floor.

"Yes."

A small silence fell over them.

"Okay then, I will leave you alone. Thank you for driving me back."

He heard her footsteps getting further and further away until he eventually lifted his face to watch her back shrink as she walked back to her car. She didn't turn towards him once before starting the engine and disappearing down the road.

He finally felt his pulse go back to normal, along with a chilling emptiness that crawled into his chest. Resigned, he headed towards the bus station, barely even noticing the ride back home was over before the familiar sight of his run down front door came into his sight.

His keys jingled as he opened the lock and stepped inside. A compact room with a small kitchen, a mattress and a low table greeted him. It was cold and dark, the sun was already setting, but it was home. Dropping his backpack, he let himself fall onto the bed. His eyes were stuck to the moldy ceiling, but his mind was elsewhere, reexamining the memory of her face in that last moment. It was bizarre to him how he had gotten so used to her friendly expression that now he couldn't get the image of her cold eyes out his head.

Out of all the questions she could have asked, why did she have to pick that one?