Chapter 468 Waiting Out the Storm

Chapter 468 Waiting Out the Storm

Returning to work was more difficult for me than I would like to admit. I wished that I could have taken a week or two off after the announcement regarding my relationship with Ace was made; however, I also thought that if I did that then it would be like I was admitting that there was something wrong with our relationship. Honestly, I was scared to face the scornful reactions of people head-on. Unlike reading the vile and harsh comments online, facing them in person felt much more real.

Everything unfolded almost exactly how I had imagined that it would inside my head. The people who didn’t know me personally either did not pay much attention or said the exact same things that I had expected them to say when they gossiped with each other. The notion that I exploited some kind of nepotism to rise through the ranks was everywhere. Nepotism wasn’t at all as extreme as the accusations that I slept my way up. Many also believed that I was having an affair with Ace even when he was dating Elizabeth and that I had planned to steal Ace away from Elizabeth all along. The financial status of Ace’s family did not help either.

The only saving grace seemed to be the fact that Ace was no longer working at the company and that meant that any acts of favoritism that may have happened in the past could no longer take place. On top of that, everyone thought that I would be screwed for sure now that the news was out in the open because the one sitting at the very top as the company’s CEO now was none other than Elizabeth, my supposed love-rival. Little did they know that one of the people who worried about me the most turned out to be Elizabeth herself.

“I guess I don’t need to ask you if you’re fine or not because you’re obviously not fine. Anything that I can do to make it better?” she asked after calling me to her office.

I doubted that she realized that calling me to her office already made for another source of juicy gossip to go around. Regardless of that, I felt quite thankful for her concern.

“I guess there’s nothing that you can do. It might get worse if you attempt to do anything. Let’s just leave things as they are until everyone calms down,” I replied.

“You sound much more mature than before. Maybe Ace’s influences have rubbed off on you. You seem more used to these kinds of things,” she said observantly.

“I guess. It’s not easy but we’ll get through it,” I replied simply.

“That’s the right spirit,” she agreed with a soft nod of her head.

Having the CEO intervening with this issue was going to bring more trouble than good. Elizabeth had a thoughtful look on her face as if she was pondering something.

“I have to say that this issue has caused quite the uproar and it’s clearly hurting everyone’s productivity,” she said sternly.

“I’m very sorry about this...” I apologized softly.

“It’s not your fault. I guess I am more than partly to blame for this as well. I’m not saying this to blame you, but it is an issue for me and I’m still trying to find a way to get people back on track for their work,” Elizabeth said before letting out a sigh.

“Maybe give it a week and things will return back to normal,” I suggested.

“You might be right. A week’s time feels like about the right time for people to move on,” she agreed before showing me a smile. n(/o.-v)/e(.l/)b.-I(-n

It seemed like there was nothing else to discuss so I was ready to excuse myself so that I could go back to work and contribute something meaningful to the company especially when everyone else seemed so out of focus.

“Karina...” Elizabeth called my name to get my attention.

“Yes?” I replied questioningly.

“What is Ace up to these days?” she asked as she leaned over her table with clear excitement.

“Nothing much, really. We took a holiday together to get away for a bit, but he doesn’t seem to be doing much on a daily basis,” I replied truthfully.

“Are you sure? He’s not...doing anything? Like, he’s not working on anything?” she asked in disbelief.

I could understand why she was surprised but that was the truth. Ace really hadn’t been doing anything. I was going to give her more details about the relaxed life that he was leading but then decided against it. Something told me that Elizabeth would have disapproved of Ace making such a choice and I didn’t want her to do anything that would disturb Ace and his extended rest.

“He’s still taking a break,” I replied in short.

“Hmm...I see...” she replied before making a disapproving face.

“What about you and Kyle?” I asked to change the direction of our conversation.

Now that she had become the CEO and Ace was truly out of the picture, I wondered how her relationship with Kyle would turn out. I got the sense that nothing would ever be smooth sailing for the two of them and that made me feel bad for Elizabeth. For a moment, I thought that Ace might be right for supporting them to go their separate ways.

“It’s a little complicated. My father has backed off somewhat on that issue although I can tell that he still isn’t happy, and I doubt that he would ever be...” she replied before trailing off.

I could see that this issue truly troubled her and she seemed to me thinking about something. It occurred to me that she may have yet to make a decision about her relationship with Kyle. Just when I thought that it might be better for me to take my leave, Elizabeth spoke up again.

“Even though my father has taken a step back from this, I know that I still have to seriously think about it and decide for myself. You know, sometimes when I think about it, I feel like it isn’t so hard to decide. Maybe I was just being stubborn all along just to go against what my father wanted,” she said before heaving a sigh.

--To be continued...