CHAPTER-15: PEOPLE PLEASER

As they both were heading towards their floor, they saw Alan coming from the opposite side of the hallway. 

He was holding the hand of a female colleague, Innah, who worked in the same department while his other hand was busy holding a coffee mug. 

He had a mischievous smirk on his face which was showing how happy he was with the CEO 's decision. 

They didn't want any trouble with him so decided to pass them silently. But as they came across him, he intentionally poured the coffee on Maxwell's shirt.

She quickly took out the handkerchief from her pocket and helped Maxwell to clean his shirt. 

ALAN: Watch where you're going. (Smirks). I know your game would be as clumsy as you are. 

EVELYN: (While wiping Max's shirt) what's your problem, Alan? Can't you behave like a mature person even for a single day. 

ALAN: What's my problem? What's your problem? It's not my fault Maxwell is so clumsy and can't handle a simple coffee spill. Why don't you get your facts straight, Evelyn?

MAXWELL: G It's okay, Eve. It's just a small speck. Let it go. Just ignore him. (Calm tone)

EVELYN: It's not okay, Max. He did it on purpose. He needs to learn some basic etiquettes while being in a professional relationship.

ALAN: What?! I need to learn etiquettes? (Chuckles) Whatever, Evelyn. Keep defending Maxwell like he's your knight in shining armor. You're lucky to have a couple of men by your side but I think your other boyfriend is much better than Maxwell, don't you think so? (Smirks and raises an eyebrow)

EVELYN: Alan, you are crossing your limits now. (Yells at him with angry tears welled up in her eyes)

ALAN: Or what? You'll cry and play the victim once again? Is speaking the truth a crime? Why are you overreacting? 

People in the office started gathering up because of the sudden commotion in the hallway. Maxwell tried to calm her and dragged her away from there. 

As they walked past him, she could feel Alan's gaze burning a hole in her back. 

MAXWELL: (whispers) Please calm down Eve. People are gathering up. It would lead to a bad impression which could harm the progress of our game. Let's go and I'll clean up the shirt. (Grabs her hand and leads her to her desk)

After cleaning his shirt, he came back and sat beside Evelyn with a tissue in his hands. 

She took a deep breath and tried to control her anger and emotions. She couldn't believe that Alan had the audacity to bring up the name of Dayun in front of everyone. But she knew she had to remain composed and not let this affect her work.

MAXWELL: (hands over the tissue to her) Eve, are you okay? I can't believe Alan would say something like that. I bet he was spouting nonsense. Don't mind him. He's just trying to annoy us.

EVELYN: Alan is becoming more and more courageous just because I'm ignoring all of his foolishness. 

MAXWELL: I think you are right. He's getting ahead of himself. We should report him to HR but we need to wait until the promotion of our game. 

She took a deep breath trying to calm herself down and not let Alan's words affect her. She couldn't believe how much Alan had changed in those few years.

The day went on, with Evelyn and Maxwell being working on the promotion strategy and preparing the tactics of attracting more players. 

But despite all those preparations, she couldn't help but be doubtful about the success of the game. 

They were so engrossed in the work that didn't even realised it was already the lunch break. 

Maxwell suggested them to grab lunch together to get some fresh air. They headed towards the office cafeteria, on the 1st floor and chose a corner table to sit. He rose up to get their meal but Evelyn insisted to go. 

As Evelyn was standing in line waiting for her turn, she felt some negative vibes behind her. Her heart leapt but she quickly composed herself. 

On her turn, She took the food from the counter but as she turned back, the person standing behind her intentionally put her foot in between her way which made her trip over 

But Maxwell came on time for her rescue and held her in his arms which prevented her from falling on the ground. 

As she looked up at Maxwell in gratitude, she noticed Innah's nasty face behind him. The negative vibes she felt earlier were definitely coming from her. 

''She's hanging out with Alan. What could be expected from her. Of course, she would be like him.''- Evelyn thought in her mind and tried to remain calm. 

She ignored her misbehaviour and went back to her table. She knew that Innah was deliberately trying to pick a fight with her. 

''Are you okay! Just wait here, I'll go get the food.'' Maxwell said in a concerned tone and came back with 2 dishes in his hands. 

As they were eating their lunch, she couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling that Innah's presence had caused. 

After lunch, Maxwell brought the flavoured popsicles for them in order to elevate her mood. She chose the strawberry flavour for herself. After finishing the meal, she excused herself to go to the restroom. 

While in the restroom, she took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves. Suddenly, her phone rang. It was a text from Dayun. 

But before she could even read it, the restroom door opened and Innah walked in with a couple of other girls from their department. 

As soon as they entered the restroom, they pulled out the lipsticks and foundation from their bags and started fixing it. She could feel a peculiar gaze of Innah on her. 

As soon as she saw Innah walk in, her heart started racing. She quickly put her phone away, not wanting her to see the text from Dayun. 

In order to avoid any trouble, she hurriedly washed her hands and walked away from there. 

Due to thin walls, she could hear the conversation of the girls from outside. It felt like they were talking about her which compelled her to stay and listen. 

FIRST GIRL- ''...How lucky she could be to meet the famous artist Dayun Shin besides the rumours that no one knows his true residence as he keeps on changing his house addresses. But how in the hell did she persuade him to invest such a large sum in her 3rd class game project.'' (applies lipstick)

SECOND GIRL-''ohh I see. That's why the CEO was also present in the conference room today along with the director.'' (applying soft strokes of blush on her cheeks)

THIRD GIRL- Obviously, Do you think Me Lee has so much time on his hands to personally come and listen to her presentation. Of course, if the amount of the investment weren't big enough, then I bet the CEO wouldn't even bat an eye on their project. That's why he is showing so much concern and expectations from them. (Reapplies her eye liner)

As Evelyn heard their conversation, she couldn't believe that her success was being attributed to Dayun's involvement. She felt a mixture of emotions- grateful, guilty, and afraid of the consequences.

FIRST GIRL- (frowns and looks at Innah in surprise) ''Innah! That means the rumor of her dating Dayun shin and Maxwell at the same time are true.'' 

INNAH- (Doing touch up) ''I'm 100 percent sure that she is a two timing b*tch. That's why Alan broke up with her. (Pretends to be emotional) 

My poor baby was traumatized because of that slut. It took too much effort to cheer him up. He's too soft and emotional. (Pretends to wipe her false tears)

But I think he still has some love for her in his heart. And he's not happy with me which makes me doubt his loyalty towards me. Besides this, I'll try my best not to let him feel lonely because of her and I'll take care of him more than her.'' 

She was trying to gain sympathy from other girls and making Evelyn the victim. 

The girls gathered around her leaving their makeup near the basin and began to encourage her.

THIRD GIRL- (rubs her back) ''Don't cry Innah. You are an angel. You are too kind to be his girlfriend. Of course, he would be more than happy to have you in his life. Just give him some time to get over that b*tch and to realise your worth.''

Evelyn stood frozen outside the restroom, her heart racing with fear and anxiety as she heard the girls' conversation. 

She couldn't believe how Alan and his new girlfriend Innah were manipulating the people in the office by spreading the rumours about her which filled everyone's heart with hatred and disgust towards her. 

Now she understood the reason why everyone was staring at her when she entered the office in the morning. 

FIRST GIRL- (raged tone) ''We must do something to teach her a lesson. Such girls are just encouraged more if their actions are neglected. 

SECOND GIRL- ''No need to do anything. Mr Lee has already helped us a lot with this by giving her a task of attracting a targeted number of gamers along with a tight deadline of just a week. It's almost impossible even for a professional animator to fulfill such a tough criteria. 

THIRD GIRL- (Sarcastically) ''I even came across a rumor that they are going to celebrate their launch today besides such a difficult target they are allotted with. Their confidence doesn't seem to faze a bit. What a tough couple. 

FIRST GIRL- (Excitedly) ''Don't worry, let her be in the sky for sometime as her happiness won't last long. The higher she would go, the harder she would fall and it's just going to take a week. It would be fun to watch the downfall of that b*tch. Guys, get your popcorn ready for the show.'' (smirks)

SECOND GIRL: ''Poor girl, (ironically) I think the director intentionally put her in such a tight situation considering that she got demoted because of her last project. 

FIRST GIRL: Mr Lee is a man of balance. He doesn't want people like her who would just disrupt the balance of the company.'' 

INNAH: ''Guys! I'm lucky to have friends like you. If things happen according to our prediction, then Alan could be the head of the next gaming project and I could work as his assistant. Of course, there's no one next to him in the line who is as capable as him in the whole department.''

Evelyn felt her heart sinking as she heard the malicious and vindictive words of her colleagues, knowing that her reputation and possibly her job were on the line because of their lies. 

Her mind raced for a plan to prove her innocence and protect herself from their evil intentions. Their words held a strong impact on her physiological state. 

She began to sweat profusely and her hands were shaking. She was running out of breath. Her heart began to ache. 

They were similar to the symptoms which she often used to face during her high school days. They triggered in extremely stressful situations and continued to worsen until she took her med.

The symptoms resembled the panic attacks but the throbbing chest pain on the left side of her thoracic wall, suggested a different diagnosis based on her clinical history. 

She could recall the last time she got that attack was in the last years of her high school days but she couldn't remember the cause which triggered that. 

She thought that her disease had been cured spontaneously as in the past 10 years, she never faced those symptoms again. So, she also left to go for follow ups and to take the medicines, prescribed to her. 

She was already nervous regarding the launch of the game but after hearing their conversation, her mind got filled with the fear of getting failed again. 

Now her suspicion regarding the success of her dream project increased to hundred folds which discouraged her even to proceed with the launch of the game. 

Her mind was filled with panic. She quickly turned to leave the restroom, unable to bear the suffocating atmosphere created by the girls, suddenly her phone started ringing. It was Dayun's call. 

The loud sound of the ringtone alerted the girls inside the restroom which made Evelyn to panic even more. She quickly disconnected and silenced his call. As she hastily tried to leave, the restroom gate opened with a loud slam which ceased her steps. 

She turned back and saw Innah standing wearing an unpleasant look on her face with the other girls behind her, glaring at her with the same expressions. 

She quickly composed herself and tried to walk out of the restroom, pretending like she didn't hear their conv

ersation but Innah blocked her way.

''Can we have a little girl's talk inside, Ms Noran''- Innah smirked and dragged her inside the restroom.