Chapter 3

Just then, the elevator chimed, causing everyone to instantly jump out of their seats and stand straight.

Subsequently, a man in his 50s strode out of the elevator. He had an angular face and salt-and-pepper hair. Dressed in a charcoal gray suit, he exuded an air of authority, especially since a group of five people was following behind him.

"Good morning, Mr. Lane!" everyone greeted him simultaneously.

The chairman, Marty Lane, nodded in response.

Kevin approached him with a wide smile. "You're here, sir. Allow me to give you a tour of our office—"

"No need," Mr. Lane interrupted him. "I'm here to see my son."

Silence descended upon the office as everyone eyed me from the corner of their eyes.

I had no idea why, but my palms were damp with sweat even though I technically hadn't done anything wrong.

The smile on Kevin's face brightened further. "Oh, your son is on our team. He's so incredibly outstanding that our team—"

"Your team?" Mr. Lane shot him a strange look.

Kevin paused in surprise.

"At the very least, I still know what team my son is on."

With that, Mr. Lane began to stride forward.

Everyone watched with bated breath.

Louis tugged on my sleeve excitedly. "The chairman is coming toward you!"

I kept silent.

Mr. Lane walked over to me, then passed right by me without any hesitation. As everyone stared in wide-eyed shock, he came to a stop at the desk in the furthest corner of Team B's side of the room.

That desk was none other than Michael's.

"Where's Michael?" Mr. Lane asked his assistant.

After checking his phone, the assistant replied, "Mr. Lane, Mr. Michael says that he's in the washroom and will be back in a moment."

He had barely finished speaking when the door to the washroom opened.

Michael stepped out, but the moment he spotted Mr. Lane, an obvious look of surprise crossed his face.

"Dad?" He furrowed his brows. "What are you doing here? Didn't we agree that you wouldn't seek me out in the company?"

The word "Dad" seemed to go off in the office like a bomb.

I watched as the smile on Kevin's face froze before slowly cracking. Meanwhile, Louis' eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as his mouth dropped open in astonishment.

As for George, who was holding a mug, he jerked violently, causing the liquid to slosh out.

The entire office was so silent that only the humming of the air-conditioning could be heard.

The instant Mr. Lane laid eyes on Michael, the stern look on his face vanished. What replaced it was the exasperation of a father who had been told off by his son.

"I just wanted to come and see how you were doing. It's not like I'm bothering you."

"Your very presence here is already a bother," Michael retorted indifferently. "I already told you that I wanted to depend on my own capabilities, so could you not come here?"

"Alright, alright!" Mr. Lane threw his hands up in surrender. "I'll leave right away! Happy now?"

With that, he turned to leave, only to suddenly halt in his tracks. Looking over at a deathly pale George, he asked, "You're the team leader for Team B?"

George's lips quivered. "Y-Yes, Mr. Lane."

"My son is working as an intern on your team. How has his performance been?"

If possible, George paled even further, and when he spoke, even his voice was trembling. "N-Not bad. Michael is an outstanding young man with strong capabilities, so our entire team really likes him…"

Michael stood nearby, not saying a word.

Mr. Lane nodded. "That's good to hear. Thank you for looking after him."

The second the elevator doors shut, George's legs gave out. He was only able to steady himself by grabbing the nearby desk.

The rest of the office erupted into chaos.

"Oh, my! So it's actually him!"

"Oh, no! We made the wrong assumption!"

"So his dad's the chairman? Then, why didn't he say anything when George was tearing into him the other day?"

"If he had spoken up, that would've revealed his real identity! He was just genuinely trying to keep a low profile, okay?"

"That's right! What's wrong with him wearing a Rolex? His dad's the chairman of the company, so he can wear whatever he likes!"

Those who had once looked down on Michael were now fighting each other to get closer to him.

"Michael, are you thirsty? Want me to get you some water?"

"Michael, let me help you edit that report. You just rest, okay?"

"Michael, wanna have lunch together? I know of this new restaurant that serves great food…"

As I watched this all happen, I suddenly found myself lost in a daze.

Just yesterday, these people had been insulting him behind his back and delighting over his misfortune. Now, however, their attitudes had taken a 180-degree turn. It was honestly shocking how quickly they changed their behavior toward him.

From then on, the tides turned.

When I arrived at my desk the next morning, I found it to be completely empty. A brief search revealed that my computer had been shifted to the desk in the furthest corner of the room.