Chapter 1

Karina Leticia sat in front of a convenience store, lost in thought.

Her money barely covered a canned drink and a small snack. With rent due at the end of the month, every penny counted.

She sighed deeply.

Nothing about this year felt special. At twenty-nine, she was still single and working a low-level job at a small company.

How long would her life stay like this?

Tring!

Her phone chimed. She fumbled to pull it out of her bag, her heart skipping as she opened the new email.

[Congratulations! You’ve been accepted as an Administrative Staff Member at Delux Corp. Welcome aboard. For more details, please refer to the attached document.]

“No way… I got in?” Karina whispered in disbelief.

Delux wasn’t just another rising company—it was a corporate giant headquartered in the U.S. Even as a junior staff member, the salary was five times what she used to make.

“I got in!” she shouted, jumping to her feet with pure joy.

She laughed gleefully, unaware of the man watching her from afar, holding her application letter in one hand with a slight smirk.

“Welcome to hell, Karina.”

~~

Reality rarely lives up to expectations—and Karina had just learned that the hard way.

She had imagined working at Delux Corp would be a dream—prestigious, challenging, full of driven professionals.

But instead, she was met with cold shoulders and cruel whispers.

The company might have looked modern, but the toxic culture of seniority still thrived—especially for interns like her. It had been a month, and she still hadn’t been given a proper role. Most of her time was spent doing menial tasks, often handed to her by the female staff who clearly didn’t want her around.

For the past week, they’d done nothing but push her around.

“The CEO is doing a surprise inspection. You’ll be mopping the floor,” Raisa, the Head of Administration, said bluntly, dropping cleaning tools onto Karina’s desk.

“Sorry, Ma’am. Isn’t that the janitor’s job?” Karina asked politely, trying to keep her frustration in check.

She hadn’t even finished her assigned work—and now she was expected to clean the floors?

Raisa shot her a glare.

“The janitor cleans once. We need this room spotless. Three times. Before the CEO arrives.”

“What’s the problem, Karina? You don’t want to do it?”

Karina shut her eyes for a second, then nodded.

“I’ll do it, Ma’am.”

With a silent sigh, she grabbed the mop and got to work.

But after one round, Raisa declared the floor still dirty. Karina mopped again, pushing the wet mop slowly across the floor while the others continued working, pretending not to notice.

Raisa was taking advantage of her undefined role—and everyone knew it.

As she wiped her sweat, Raisa “accidentally” bumped into her shoulder.

Thud!

Karina lost her balance and fell—right into the bucket of dirty water. Her skirt soaked instantly.

Before she could stand up, someone grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet.

“I’m so sorry, Sir. You shouldn’t have seen that,” Raisa said quickly.

“She’s just an intern.”

Karina stood still, unable to speak. She couldn't even defend herself.

Raisa had pushed her. That much was clear.

She lowered her head, unable to meet the eyes of the man standing in front of her—he had to be the CEO.

They said he was tall, handsome, like a prince.

She’d always been curious. But now, all she could do was stare at the floor.

“I don’t want to see anything like this again,” the CEO said, his voice cold.

“You,” another man chimed in, the tone arrogant.

“You’re the new intern, right?”

Karina looked up, hesitantly.

“What’s your name?” asked the man—Bram, the head of HR.

“Karina, Sir.”

“Do you even know who leads this company?” he asked harshly.

“Why are you just standing there with your head down?”

Karina clenched her fists.

How could someone like this be in charge of people?

But instead of answering, she gave a slight shake of her head.

She didn’t know. She’d been too busy surviving to care.

“Stupid woman,” Bram muttered, loud enough for her to hear.

Karina bit her tongue.

Again, she had to swallow her pride and stay silent.

“Allow me to introduce myself,” the man in the expensive suit said.

“I’m Saka Ravindra, CEO of Delux Corp, Indonesia branch.”

Thump.

Karina’s heart dropped. She looked up—and her breath caught.

Her face drained of color.

It couldn’t be. Could this really be Saka—the awkward, nerdy boy she used to tease mercilessly?

What kind of fate was this?

Saka’s expression was unreadable.

“I rarely visit the office. Maybe that’s why some employees don’t recognize me.”

He slipped one hand casually into his pocket, calm and detached.

Karina froze. Did he still remember her?

He was nothing like the Saka she used to know.

That boy had disappeared, replaced by a man with presence, sharp eyes, and quiet authority.

“Ahem.”

“I apologize. I’ll be more careful,” Karina said quickly, snapping out of her daze.

Saka didn’t respond. He simply cleared his throat again and turned to leave, walking out of the room.

Karina watched his back silently.

“Ow!” she winced as someone tugged hard on her hair.

“What are you staring at? Trying to seduce Mr. Saka?” Raisa hissed.

Karina shook her head, trembling.

“No, Ma’am.”

But Raisa and the others only smirked.

“They say Mr. Saka is already married,” Raisa sneered, poking Karina’s forehead.

“Don’t even think of flirting with a married man. You’re nothing compared to his wife.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Karina whispered, choosing silence to avoid more humiliation.

Finally, she was left alone. She quickly tidied up and slipped into the restroom, locking herself in a stall.

As soon as she sat, the tears came.

She covered her mouth tightly, holding back sobs.

Everything felt unbearable.

She had no one. No place to cry, except here.

Once she managed to calm down, she wiped her tears and prepared to leave—only to freeze as voices echoed outside.

“Have you seen the new admin girl? I heard she’s a flirt.”

“Not yet. But they say she looks like a tramp,” another voice replied.

“Apparently half the guys in the office are into her.”

Their words hit like knives.

Why was she always the one they picked apart? As if her life was some juicy scandal.

Karina exhaled shakily, wiped her face again, and stepped out—walking past the gossipers with her head held high.

“No matter what happens… I have to keep going.”

She inhaled deeply, walking with confidence, pretending nothing had happened.

~~

After nine hours of emotional torment, Karina finally arrived home.

But when she opened the apartment door, she sighed. Her mother was passed out in the living room, surrounded by empty bottles.

“What are you staring at?!” Rita snapped, her eyes bloodshot with rage.

Karina stared back in silence.

“Mind your damn business!” Rita yelled, her anger exploding as she stood and yanked Karina’s hair.

“If your stupid father hadn’t been a corrupt bastard, my life wouldn’t be like this!”