Chapter 2

Upon seeing that I was being completely serious, Patrick burst out laughing as if it were a massive joke. "Do you want to say that one more time? What exactly are you going to do to me?"

He yelled while gesturing toward the deputy manager's name tag on his chest. "Where's the manager? Get over here this instant! How was the onboarding training done here? How could a mere intern have the nerve to talk back to me? Do you people want your year-end bonuses revoked?"

Just as he stopped shouting, a middle-aged woman wearing glasses squeezed through the onlookers in a panic. "I'm right here, Mr. Walker! It's my fault for not training him properly, so please go take a break while I sort this situation out, Mr. Walker!"

Moira Smith, the manager of the authorized car dealership I was at, tugged my arm and whispered, "You must be out of your mind, young man! That man is Patrick Walker, the regional deputy manager. You'd better apologize to him this instant!

"You ought to know that Mr. Lingard is coming down to conduct an inspection today—if you cause a scene in front of him, we're all going to pay for it!"

She quickly turned to Patrick after saying that and bowed subserviently to him. "I've given him a good talking-to, Mr. Walker. He won't step out of line again. What do you say we put this behind us? It really isn't worth jeopardizing the inspection over a mere intern."

I furrowed my brow, wondering how they found out about the inspection when my whole visit was supposed to be confidential. It seemed like I had no choice but to get involved in this mess today.

I lowered my gaze as I thought about this. "I'm sorry, Mr. Walker. I hope you can find it in yourself to let this go."

Patrick sneered. "I expected you to show more backbone—turns out you're just a coward."

He thrust out his beer belly, pointing a finger right at my nose as he barked orders. "You're sensible—at least! Get to the restroom this instant and make sure it's spotless! You can kiss your internship goodbye if you try to cut corners or if it doesn't pass my inspection!"

Having said his piece, Patrick turned around and left, looking completely full of himself.

Moira watched Patrick walk away and sighed helplessly. She then asked in a voice tinged with pity, "How did you manage to cross him on your very first day? Patrick is incredibly petty, so you're going to have a hard time from now on."

I feigned confusion, frowning as I asked, "Isn't he just a regional deputy manager? How can he be so arrogant? Is there really no one in the company who can keep him in check?"

Moira glanced around, and seeing that the coast was clear, she whispered, "You don't get it, but the company's newly appointed CEO and Patrick are best buddies. Do you honestly believe he has the competence to be a regional deputy manager if it weren't for that?"

Moira shook her head, her voice filled with helplessness and a trace of unease.

I froze right on the spot when I heard that, wondering when exactly I gained a best buddy like him.

I was just about to press for details when Moira cut me off, handing me a toilet brush. "You shouldn't dwell on it and just get going—don't hold things up for the inspection."

I didn't start working right away. I instead took out my phone and called Mateo Sommer, my assistant. "Go find out everything you can about a guy named Patrick Walker. He's a regional deputy manager at one of our franchise dealerships. Get me all his files in ten minutes."

I leaned against the wall and waited patiently, my mind racing as I planned my next moves. I hadn't even had the time to think it through when the resounding slam of a door came from behind me.

Patrick walked in at a leisurely pace, shaking his head and swaggering with his beer belly. "What's going on? Didn't I order you to scrub the toilets? Why the hell are you just hiding out in here, slacking off?"

I straightened up, looking at him with a deadpan expression. "I've already completed your orders—go ahead and inspect them."

Patrick clearly didn't buy it. He paced around the restroom with a frown, crouching down to check the toilet and running a hand over the sink. He instantly scowled when he couldn't find a single flaw to nitpick.

He did something incredibly disgusting after—he spat directly onto the clean floor right in front of me. "What do you mean it's clean? What's this here, then?"

He then tilted his chin and barked an order at me. "Go wipe it off for me—and make sure there isn't a single trace left."