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Review Responses:
cherry-tree-of-life - You couldn't have to described any better! That's why Masquerade hates him so much. I wouldn't be concerned about the banquet itself, but what happens afterwards is a different story...and quite the plot twist for the midpoint of this story.
ladyluck1668 - The dojo-raiding scene was based on the original dramas! What would a modern business Asian drama be without raiding a protagonist's residence? I skipped the part where Shun went on PTO, so he's back to work and ready to eat at the banquet! You'll be surprised to know why she has spare clothes at home!
MagicxMusicxMelody - The problem is that Alice still hasn't told anyone about what happened at the first banquet! I originally wanted to use the word "comeback" in the chapter title, but I opted for "revenge" instead. You'll see why!
CookieDecor22 - Shun's only interested in the mysterious file for maybe a day, then he'll forget about it after Alice explains and after the banquet. His grandfather will have cameos in future chapters (because everyone needs to know that he recovered). You'll like the petty revenge later!
Chapter 8: Petty Revenge
-x-
On the evening of the company banquet, Masquerade was putting on his dress shoes when Alice asked, "Are you going to say anything about the video clip?"
"No, because it's just like that recording from Zenoheld's shareholder meeting. There's nothing we can do because this video and that audio aren't admissible evidence."
"I'm just not sure what their endgame is."
"Stealing the company from you, of course. They wouldn't sabotage anyone for no reason if they didn't want to kick you out." He opened the front door and saw his maternal cousin and her car parked outside. "Chris is here. Alice, are you ready?"
The redhead searched through her purse repeatedly before replying, "You two can go first. I left an important file in my office. I'll see you later at the venue."
"Don't stay too long."
Masquerade and Chris left first while Alice drove to Testarossa Electronics. After retrieving the necessary files from her team meeting room, she exited but bumped into someone in the hallway. "Shun?! Why are you still here instead of at the banquet?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
The interim CEO picked up her fallen papers and then fully glanced at her receptionist. "You fit nicely in the business casual attire that I lent you."
"I was surprised too... Just exactly whose clothes are these? They definitely don't belong to Masquerade."
"Unfortunately, the previous owner never had the chance to wear these clothes, which is why they remained in my basement with the original plastic wrap still on. You don't have a bowtie or regular tie or anything?"
"I told you that a lot of stuff was stolen from my grandfather's dojo. The police still haven't recovered anything. You didn't lend me anything else besides the shirt and suit set, either."
"I might have an alternative item that should work." Alice led her receptionist to her office and closed the door behind them. Then she searched through the desk drawers and later pulled out a gold chain. "Found it!"
"What is that?"
"I bought this collar chain a long time ago, and it still hasn't been worn before. This design has a short chain, a long chain, and pin decorations in the shape of rhombuses. I think this will suit you nicely."
"But how do I wear that?"
"I can put it on for you, if you don't mind and don't move." The redhead cleaned her hands with hand sanitizer and took the metal backings off both pins. "This might take a while. The shirt collar is still new and inflexible."
While Alice was piercing each pin into each collar tip on Shun's dress shirt, the latter suddenly asked, "Who exactly is Joe?"
"And why do you ask?"
"He existed in the company at some point. You always talk about past employees, including Hydron's first trial run here, but no one's ever mentioned Joe's name at all."
"Joe was an employee here like everyone else. It's normal for people to come and go."
"Then how come the old office you told me to clean up has a framed photo of you and him standing together in front of a marble fountain at a park?"
"That photo..." The redhead finished fastening the backings onto the pins but continued pinching firmly on one of the collar tips, making the receptionist uneasy. "What if I told you that he and I used to be together?"
"So, these clothes and the collar chain were his?" Before Alice could finally let go, Shun grabbed her wrist and asked, "What kind of scandal happened back then?"
"What do you want to know?"
"I found several old documents in that office that suggested Joe was responsible for insider trading, but now the whole case just disappeared into thin air." After feeling the redhead relax her hand, he then asked, "You still don't know what to believe..."
"Those accusations came from nowhere. Joe wouldn't have access to all that financial information. I'm still upset that he died before we could clear his name. If I had known that those old documents were in his office, then I would've cleaned that room up myself. Then you wouldn't be asking me these questions."
"That was straightforward... But the real reason you never cleaned up that office is you still can't let go. It's as if the whole case disappeared after he died."
"And now all I have is myself."
"You still have Chris and Masquerade."
"Until who knows when..." The redhead wiggled her hand loose and opened her office door. "Do you need a ride to the banquet?"
"How did you know?"
"You usually walk to work because you don't want people to know that you have a motorcycle. But even if you drove your motorcycle to work, you obviously don't want to drive a motorcycle to a banquet for everyone to see."
"Very observant of you..."
After a half hour drive to the banquet venue, Alice parked her car in a distant parking lot. "As interim CEO, I need to walk around and greet everyone at every table. Check in with Chris, and then you'll be free to do whatever you like as we discussed."
"You make it sound like you want me to enter the venue from the front entrance while you sneak inside from a side entrance because you're late or something."
"Just focus on the free dinner instead!"
Shun sighed and entered through the front entrance. Chris was helping other guests at the check-in table before looking up. "There you are! You're sitting with me, Alice, Dan, Runo, Baron, Soon, and Masquerade. I think Alice needs to fulfill her meet-and-greet duties first."
"And when do you finish your check-in duties?"
Suddenly, Soon ran over to the front table. "Sorry I'm late! I'll take over the check-in table now. Chris, you should go to the appetizer counters immediately. The calamari bites are irresistible!"
"Now you've got me intrigued. Shun, let's go eat!"
The pair grabbed appetizers and before sitting down at their assigned table. The raven-haired receptionist then saw Alice talking to and bowing at other people at another table. "What is she doing?"
The blonde looked up and shrugged. "Networking as usual... Bowing is obviously a sign of respect. At least this is an anniversary banquet for employees and their plus-ones only. When we hosted our larger Mission and Vision banquet, she didn't even have time to sit, let alone eat."
I still don't think Alice told anyone about what really happened that night with the fake security guards. Then he saw a fellow employee ascend the stage with a microphone in hand. "Now what's he doing?"
"He's from public relations. Each department usually sends one representative to speak at the banquet. Anyway, look over there." Chris pointed to the left side stairs of the stage where Hydron and Zenoheld were standing. "Those two are clearly up to no good."
"Are they scheduled to speak too?"
"No way. The banquet committee and I already scheduled when everyone will speak. Hydron wasn't on that list, so I don't even know why he's standing there. He wouldn't dare announce his new product line again, especially after that awful press conference. Oh look, it's Alice's turn to speak now."
"I didn't even notice. She walked up from the right side of the stage."
"Definitely to avoid Hydron."
The redhead adjusted the microphone height and breathed deeply before speaking. "Thank you everyone for attending our 48th anniversary banquet tonight. This past fiscal year has been an extremely challenging and emotional rollercoaster. We've had leadership changes, personal invaluable losses, severe sick calls, system malfunctions, supply chain issues, employee turnover, and obstacles in hiring qualified and competent candidates. I want to thank every single one of you for your dedication and commitment to our clients and customers. I highly appreciate all the effort that you've put in. This team always finds a way to get things done, and I cannot thank you all enough! You all should be undeniably proud of your accomplishments..."
The interim CEO paused to wipe her eyes and catch her breath before speaking again. Meanwhile, Masquerade took a seat next to Chris and asked, "What did I miss?"
"The entire past fiscal year, apparently. I've never seen Alice this emotional when speaking in public before."
"No kidding about the emotional rollercoaster. Gunz and I didn't establish MGL Semiconductors that long ago, but maybe I'll also consider hosting an anniversary banquet for my employees."
"As long as your company doesn't have annoying people like—" Suddenly, she stopped to check her phone. "My dad needs my help. Be right back."
With Chris away, the blond visitor discreetly asked Shun, "What made you decide to wear this outfit to tonight's banquet? That's quite an exquisite collar chain."
"This was all borrowed just for tonight. Long story short, there was an accident at home that destroyed several of my personal belongings."
"I'm sorry to hear that. Anyway, how's everything at work? Alice's comment about employee turnover reminded me of how you're the newest receptionist to date."
"It's not that bad. I recall that Soon had a difficult time balancing reception work and HR assignments before I came. That reminds me of Alice's comment about the inability to hire new employees."
"I haven't kept up with Testarossa Electronics because Alice always tells me not to worry whenever I ask. How did you end up here out of all the companies out there?"
"I'm new to this area of Bayview. Alice offered me the receptionist position because she needed coverage immediately, and I don't have the skills to do what her team does."
"Not bad... I'm sure you already know to stay on Alice's good side, so I don't need to—" Suddenly, one of the employees onstage called Masquerade's name. "Looks like it's my turn to talk."
Halfway through the blond guest's speech, Shun saw Alice sitting and talking with another table's guests. Once Chris returned, he asked her, "Did you say that employees could bring plus-ones with them?"
"Yeah, it's been like that for as long as Doctor Michael has been here. What's up?"
"Look at that table where Alice is. Those guests look... really out of place."
"Oh... I see what you mean. Those guys are from HR, PR, and accounting. They probably invited their spouses as plus-ones. If only Alice would stop visiting every table and come back here to eat with us!"
"You're the one that said she has endless networking to do..."
"But how can you network when you're hungry?!"
Shortly after, Alice went to the restroom but remained in the stall after hearing two women talking at the sink. "A table of ten is already crowded enough. Why did Nakamura-san insist on having Alice sit with us even for a few minutes? If she can walk around from table to table, then she should have no problem just standing."
"She's the interim CEO, after all. It's her job to keep the company in order."
"If Alice didn't have her grandfather supporting her, then would she still be interim CEO today? And can you believe what she said about how she couldn't hire and retain new employees? My husband said that there's a new intern named Hydron, who's also Alice's second cousin. Apparently, she treats him like trash."
"He's not Doctor Michael's grandson, after all."
"I'm just saying that it might be better to let someone else take over. If Alice ever gets married, then company wouldn't belong to her anymore. She's not Queen Elizabeth or anything."
"She's definitely not Mother Teresa either. Shouldn't you prepare for the ballroom segment soon?"
"I can do that from backstage. We still have time."
The two women finally left but continued talking in the distance. The redhead finally exited the stall to wash her hands and then stared at her reflection in the mirror. Ignore them, Alice. They probably have nothing better to do than to spend their husbands' money as if it all fell from the sky. She left the restroom and gasped after seeing Shun standing to the side with a glass of apple cider in his hands. "Why are you standing here?!"
"As weird as it sounds, standing at the restroom entrances provides a better view of the stage than sitting uncomfortably from the tables."
"But then you can't eat your food."
"I'll go back if the next presentation turns out to be boring. Right now, Masquerade is still speaking. He's very engaged with the audience."
"Sounds like him, alright." Alice stood next to her receptionist and suddenly asked, "Do you think I'm trying too hard to convince people to let me become the actual CEO?"
"Your question is really confusing... But do you actually want to be CEO?"
"I know exactly how to handle every single problem that happens... except for Hydron."
"I know what you're trying to ask, but you didn't answer my question. If you know exactly how to handle all the possible consequences, then I don't see a reason to step down. But there are other jobs where being promoted to manager means signing your life away."
"I never would've expected you to say that."
"You asked, so I answered. I know more than you think but purposely don't show it around certain people. Besides, who would take over if you did step down? Would you be satisfied working under someone else's management? Testarossa Electronics is your grandfather's hard work. Your speech earlier said it all."
The lights suddenly dimmed, surprising everyone at the venue. "I didn't even realize that Masquerade finished talking." Alice checked the event schedule and then her wristwatch. "I'm not sure what the banquet committee was planning, but entertainment is supposed to begin right now."
"What's first on the list?"
The redhead froze for a moment before answering, "Some ballroom dancing segment..."
Shun glanced at the schedule quickly until Alice folded it back up. She was about to walk away when he asked, "Can you hold my glass? I'll be right back."
"Where are you going?"
"You'll see."
The interim CEO stared at the half-full drinking glass in her hand before looking up, but her receptionist was out of sight by then. A single spotlight shined onstage to reveal a man and a woman. That woman was talking about me in the restroom earlier. That man is from accounting and probably her husband.
Several guests began recording the waltzing couple with their phones. Shun later returned, and Alice handed back the drinking glass. "There you are. I want to sit down and—"
"Just wait a bit longer."
"For what?"
During the waltz sequence, the woman was about to complete a natural spin turn when one of her shoe's heels broke, sending her falling to the ground. A mix of gasps and snickers emerged from the audience as people recorded this awkward moment. "Serves her right. Don't you think?"
The redhead's eyes widened before facing her receptionist. "How did you know?"
"She and her friend wouldn't stop talking about you even after they left the restroom. Then you came outside and asked me all your weird questions. It doesn't take much to piece the two together."
"Is that why you stepped away earlier? What did you do?"
"She was about to put on her dancing heels when someone called her outside to talk. I saw the opportunity and took advantage of it."
"I didn't expect you to hold a grudge about something that happened to me instead of you. You didn't have to do that."
"There will always be mean people in life whose words and actions will hurt you. Sometimes, the best thing to do is to ignore them and not give them any attention. But once the situation gets out of hand, then it's time to escalate. Besides, she's only a plus-one. Who does she think she is talking about like that?"
"Shun, that's the best advice I've heard all day. Thank you so much."
Despite some mishaps during the entertainment segment, the banquet ended on a smooth note. The announcer went onstage and tapped the microphone multiple times to get everyone's attention. "Before you leave, I must remind you that the following Monday is the start of Daylight Saving Time, which means all your clocks will move one hour ahead."
"The following Monday?" Alice ran over to her brother and asked, "Aren't you leaving Bayview that day?"
"Unfortunately, so. Alice, are you going home right now? Or do you need to stay for cleanup?"
"I don't need to stay, but Shun forgot something at work, so I'm driving him there before going home."
"He didn't drive here?"
"I told you there was an accident at my house," the raven-haired receptionist reminded.
"Right... I'll see you on Monday then."
The redhead was on her way back to her car when Shun asked, "How did you know I needed to go back to headquarters?"
"This morning, you wore your regular clothes to work. You haven't left the building all day, which means you brought these business casual clothes with you to change after the building was closed. If I were you, I'd want to change back to regular clothes as well before going home, even if you temporarily live next door to me."
"Very observant of you... again..."
"I'll take that as a compliment. Come on."
-x-x-x-x-x-
On his last day in Bayview, Masquerade packed his belongings from Alice's house into his suitcase before going to Testarossa Electronics with his sister to pack the rest of his items from his temporary office. "I wish I could return soon, but Gunz said he has a huge project planned for the next few months."
"No worries. We can always video call as usual. Are all your clocks and other devices displaying the proper time?"
"Everything's one hour ahead already." Then he watched the redhead reply to people's messages on her phone. "If you have urgent matters to attend, then I can take a taxi to the airport."
"Absolutely not! Taxi drivers will purposely take long routes for airport passengers to charge more fare." Alice took her brother to the lobby and approached Shun. "I need help."
"No, I won't leave the front desk and drive Masquerade to the airport because I don't—"
"That won't be necessary. I wanted to ask if Linus is available to drive, because Dan and Runo need my help in the meeting room. I don't have the phone number for the security office saved on my phone."
"Oh... One moment..." The raven-haired receptionist speed-dialed the security office and spoke briefly before hanging up. "Linus said he'll drive one of the company cars to the driveway up front."
"Great! Let me call Runo back..."
With Alice away, Masquerade faced Shun and said, "Thinking back about what Alice said about employee turnover during the anniversary banquet... If you plan to stay at Testarossa Electronics, then don't ever let her down."
"Of course, I won't. But what makes you think I won't stay?"
"You're too smart to be working as a receptionist, and I mean it as a compliment. Just don't end up like the previous full-time receptionist before you."
"You mean Katie? I find her annoying, but she works well with her PR people."
"But she doesn't have the best intentions in mind." Moments later, a white mini SUV pulled up at the driveway in front. "There's my ride. Shun, it was nice meeting you. Alice, I'm leaving—"
"Linus is here?!" Suddenly, Hydron rushed out from one of the hallways and approached the mini SUV. "Are you going somewhere? Can you take me to—"
"What are you doing?!" screamed Masquerade as he ran outside. "Linus is taking me to the airport. I have an international flight to catch at 3PM!"
"I'm about to be late to a leadership conference whereas you're five hours early for your international flight! You still have time to find another ride while I don't!"
"That's your fault for not remembering that we lost an hour when Daylight Saving started. How much more irresponsible can you be? Attending a leadership conference is a waste of your time and company resources."
"You don't even work here!"
"Thank goodness I'm leaving today."
Zenoheld suddenly drove up to the driveway as well. "Hydron, stop wasting your time with those fools and get inside immediately!"
"Yes, Father..."
Alice finally finished her call and stepped outside to the driveway. "What just happened? I heard a lot of yelling."
"That kid will never grow up." Masquerade loaded his suitcase into the trunk and embraced his sister. "Take care of yourself, Alice. I finished everything on my end. Now it's up to you to execute things."
"I will. Grandfather was proud of everything I did here, and so will you."
The redhead returned to the company building, and Masquerade sat in the passenger seat. "Linus, why is the engine light on?"
"I'm not sure. It was like this when I turned the engine on earlier, and this vehicle was last used two weeks ago. I'll take you to the airport and then have the vehicle examined afterward."
Half an hour later, Shun was in the middle of writing an email when several desktop notifications bombarded his screen. What is this? Am I being hacked? He clicked one of the newer notifications by accident when clearing older ones. That action opened a new browser page that later revealed a map with several red exclamation marks. This is a vehicle GPS tracker platform. The red alerts are referring to... the car that Linus just drove?!
Since the company car had its own mobile line built into it, the raven-haired receptionist tried calling it, but call attempts went to voicemail. Then he called Alice's office extension. "We have a problem. I got several red alerts on my desktop saying that Linus's car went offline abruptly."
"Let me call my brother." She called Masquerade several times, but call attempts went to voicemail as well. "Where does the GPS place them at?"
"There's a roundabout intersection on the way to the airport."
"That's a really busy intersection... I have no idea what's going on."
"If you're not busy, then I can take you there on my motorcycle and avoid all the major traffic. But I'll need coverage at the front desk."
"I'll get Chris to cover for you. Something about this idle car isn't right."
Once they both made arrangements with coworkers, Shun drove Alice to the company car's last known location, but they were stopped short by police officers blocking off the road. "It looks like there was a traffic accident. I hope Linus's vehicle didn't—Alice, where are you going?"
The redhead ran under the caution tape to the gurney that carried her brother. "Masquerade, can you hear me?! How did you end up like this?!"
"Ma'am, please step back and let us do our job!" said one of the paramedics as he pulled Alice back. "What's your relationship to the victims?"
"This is my brother, and that's one of my company's security guards!"
The raven-haired secretary watched the heartbreaking conversation from afar before staring at the company car, which crashed into the roundabout island. Masquerade and Hydron were arguing over who should get a ride to their destination. Would things end up differently if Hydron had his way instead?
Me: Happy Lunar New Year! (I'm Chinese so I usually type CNY) Vacation mode has me typing the most random things for this new chapter. Please accept the fact that Daylight Saving Time is on Monday instead of Sunday for this story. OTZ
Dan: At least I got to eat a lot of food at the company banquet!
Runo: I honestly thought you'd forget to set your clock.
Me: Since 2024 is divisible by 4, we have a leap year with February 29th! After that will be DST for me in March, among other things. Next chapter will feature Masquerade's funeral (my favorite scene but all for the wrong reasons), more Hydron/Zenoheld fishy business, and... Shun's grandfather asking some ridiculous questions.
Shun: I have no idea what the hospital did to him.
Dan: This should be fun to watch!
Me: Leave a review on the way out! ^-^"