Chapter 3 — The Man Everyone Feared

The moment Alexander Volkov stepped into the building...

The atmosphere changed.

Conversations ended.

Laughter disappeared.

People who had been casually chatting only seconds ago immediately stood straighter.

"Good morning, Mr. Volkov."

"Morning, sir."

"Good morning."

He acknowledged them with the slightest nod.

Nothing more.

His expression remained unreadable.

At thirty-one, Alexander carried himself with the quiet confidence of someone who never needed to raise his voice to be heard.

His black tailored suit fit him perfectly.

The crisp white shirt beneath it contrasted with the dark overcoat draped over his broad shoulders.

A silver watch rested against his wrist.

Every step was calm.

Measured.

Purposeful.

There wasn't a hint of hurry.

Yet everyone unconsciously moved out of his way.

He disliked unnecessary conversation.

He disliked excuses even more.

To his employees, he was a brilliant CEO.

To his competitors, he was ruthless.

To the media...

He was a mystery.

...

"Today's schedule."

His assistant, Ethan Carter, matched his pace while handing him a tablet.

"Nine o'clock board briefing."

"Ten-thirty meeting with the overseas investors."

"Twelve o'clock contract review."

"A one o'clock lunch meeting."

"Two interviews for the European branch."

Alexander glanced at the screen.

"Anything urgent?"

Ethan hesitated.

"The marketing department wants your approval for the winter campaign."

"It can wait."

"And Human Resources is welcoming twenty-three new employees today."

Alexander simply hummed.

New employees came every month.

It wasn't something that required his attention.

"Anything else?"

"No, sir."

They entered the private executive elevator.

The doors slid shut.

Silence settled between them.

Alexander preferred it that way.

...

Meanwhile...

On the other side of the lobby...

Iris stood in front of another elevator.

She stared at the buttons.

There were...

Too many.

"So..."

She frowned thoughtfully.

"...Twenty-four."

She pressed the button.

Nothing happened.

She pressed it again.

Still nothing.

"...Did I break it?"

"No."

A old man behind her answered.

"You have to call the elevator first."

"Oh."

She immediately looked down in embarrassment.

"Right..."

Without realizing it, she had been pressing the floor number on the panel beside the closed doors instead of the call button.

"...That makes sense."

The old man beside her smiled politely before pressing the correct button.

A soft ding echoed through the lobby.

"There."

"...Thank you."

"It's my first day."

"I noticed."

Her ears turned pink.

"Was it because of the elevator?"

"...Mostly."

She sighed dramatically.

"This isn't going very well."

"It'll get better."

"I hope so."

The elevator doors opened.

Several people stepped inside.

Iris waited.

She always preferred entering last.

When everyone had settled, she quietly walked in and stood in the far corner.

The elevator began its ascent.

Five floors.

Eight floors.

Ten.

More employees entered.

The space became smaller.

Warmer.

Noisier.

Someone's perfume was overwhelmingly strong.

A phone rang.

Two coworkers began discussing deadlines.

Another laughed loudly.

Iris lowered her head.

Too many voices.

Too little space.

She adjusted her breathing the way she'd practiced.

In...

Out...

In...

Out...

Almost there...

Her fingers tightened around the strap of her backpack.

A familiar pressure slowly settled behind her right eye.

Not yet...

Please.

The migraine.

She closed her eyes for just a second.

When the elevator stopped on the eighteenth floor, several people stepped out.

The extra space helped immediately.

She quietly exhaled.

Better.

Much better.

The elevator finally reached the twenty-fourth floor.

The doors opened.

She was the last one to leave.

Following the signs marked Human Resources, she eventually found a bright conference room.

Inside, around twenty new employees were already seated.

Some chatted confidently.

Others introduced themselves.

Iris chose the chair in the very last row beside the window.

It felt safer there.

She placed her notebook on the table.

Then accidentally dropped her pen.

"...Oh."

It rolled underneath the neighboring chair.

Before she could crawl under the table to retrieve it, someone picked it up.

"I think this belongs to you."

A cheerful young woman with curly blonde hair smiled warmly.

"Thank you."

"No problem."

The woman held out her hand.

"I'm Chloe."

"Iris."

"It's nice to meet you."

"You too."

There was an awkward pause.

Chloe noticed Iris nervously fidgeting with the edge of her notebook.

"First corporate job?"

Iris nodded.

"...Is it obvious?"

Chloe laughed softly.

"Only because I'm exactly the same."

That made Iris smile.

A genuine one.

The first since leaving home.

Just then, a woman in a navy suit entered the room.

"Good morning, everyone."

"My name is Amelia Hayes from Human Resources."

"Welcome to Volkov Industries."

The conversations stopped immediately.

Amelia smiled.

"Congratulations. Out of more than three thousand applicants, each of you earned a place here."

Several people looked impressed.

Iris blinked.

Three thousand...?

She hadn't known that.

Her heart skipped.

Did...

Did they really choose her?

Amelia continued.

"Today you'll learn about our departments, company policies, and expectations."

"One more thing."

She smiled knowingly.

"If you happen to cross paths with our CEO..."

The room became noticeably quieter.

"...Don't be intimidated."

Several people exchanged nervous glances.

Amelia chuckled.

"I know the rumors."

"No, he doesn't smile often."

"Yes, he expects excellence."

"But he's fair."

"As long as you do your work well, you'll have nothing to worry about."

Iris quietly wrote one line in her notebook.

CEO doesn't smile.

Then, after thinking for a moment, she added another beneath it.

Try not to accidentally bump into him.

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