Chapter 56 Trouble on the Horizon

Almost immediately, Sabrina felt the power of rumors once again. In less than half a day, the news of her acquaintance with Victor had spread like wildfire. Now, Sabrina was entangled in two different problems within a single day. Her head was starting to ache. She couldn't bring herself to discuss this with Victor since he had meant well. As for Victor, he remained blissfully unaware of how wrong he had been. He basked in his own glory, thinking he had done a great job. "Do you have any idea how handsome and charismatic I was when I walked in there? I told everyone that the company would provide a response for Sabrina, and oh my, the way they all looked at me, it was pure admiration. Curtis, you have no idea. Even Sabrina looked shocked. I'm sure she couldn't have anticipated that the company's CEO would swoop in and help her resolve this issue." Victor continued to talk about this matter as if he were the hero of the day. He seemed to believe he had single-handedly resolved a massive problem. "Please, Victor, you're not solving anything here. You've only made matters worse," Marcus, who was sitting by the side replied. Victor shrugged off Marcus's cynicism. "Impossible. You weren't there, so you don't know how awe-inspired everyone was. Obviously, my efforts were successful. Don't be jealous just because you couldn't do it." Marcus rolled his eyes. He decided it was futile to argue further with Victor. Victor still had no clue how wrong and disastrous his actions were. Marcus knew that Sabrina's situation within the company would become exceedingly complicated from this point on, all because she had become acquainted with the CEO. "Curtis, tell Marcus he's wrong, and that I did a good job!" "You really think you did well in this situation?" Curtis asked. "Of course, you can check the surveillance footage now and see how admirably they were looking at me, how impressed they were. After all, I've helped your wife, and you're surprisingly calm about it. I don't think you're showing enough appreciation for me!" Victor grew angrier as he spoke, wondering why everyone was giving him those judgmental looks, as if he had committed some unforgivable crime. Curtis took a deep breath and felt some regret. He wished he hadn't tasked Victor with handling this situation today; it might have been better to let his assistant deal with it. Curtis tried to make Victor understand the gravity of his actions. "Victor, everyone knows you as the CEO. You can't simply approach an employee and announce that the company will provide a response on her behalf. Have you thought about how all the other employees would look at this situation?" Victor, still in a state of self-satisfaction, responded, "What could they possibly think? I'm sure they are thinking their CEO is incredibly smart and caring toward the employees." Curtis sighed, realizing that Victor was oblivious to the consequences of his actions. He understood that Sabrina's position within the company would be compromised, now that she had become closely associated with the CEO. Marcus shook his head in disappointment. He got up from his seat and walked toward Victor, then tapped his shoulder, saying, "How is my usually bright friend being such an idiot today? Do you realize what you've done, Victor? Sabrina is just an ordinary person who has never openly acknowledged that you are acquainted. Obviously, she did not want this to affect her life, but today, your unequivocal support has shifted the balance. Even if the whole matter has nothing to do with her, everyone will look at her differently because she has the CEO to back her up." Victor's face turned pale as he took in the reality of the situation. He had potentially caused serious trouble for Sabrina by his actions. Victor gasped at the revelation. Did he really make a big mistake? He struggled to turn around to look at Curtis, whose expression remained calm but conveyed the same message. Regret washed over Victor. He had only intended to show Curtis how much he cared about this situation, but he never anticipated that it would spiral into this. He wished he hadn't done it. "So, what do we do now?" Victor asked anxiously. "There's not much we can do. After all, your connection with her is no longer a secret. It's up to Sabrina to figure out how to handle this." An uneasy silence hung in the office as Victor stood in silence. He considered stepping out and speaking up for Sabrina again, but it might only make matters worse. Perhaps it was better to not meddle anymore. Poor Sabrina. He had made things even worse for her. * Meanwhile, downstairs in the administrative department, Sharon had summoned Sabrina to her office. "Everyone in the company now knows about your acquaintance with the CEO. Have you thought about how to deal with this situation?" Sharon inquired. Sabrina was struggling to find an answer. She had never expected Victor to approach her directly with this topic, in front of everyone nonetheless. "I'm sorry, Sharon. I didn't mean to cause you any trouble, but Victor and I aren't that close. We've only met a couple of times. I'll do my best to minimize the impact of this on our department." Sharon sighed; she knew that simply saying she would minimize the impact wouldn't be enough to solve this predicament. "Alright, I'll figure out how to handle this matter. In the meantime, please attend to your other tasks," Sharon said as she handed Sabrina a document. "I remember you expressing your interest in the development department when you applied for your job. We are, after all, a tech company, and the development team is always full. In any case, take a look at this." Sabrina had a background in physics and a minor in computer science, both of which she excelled in during college. She had even earned money by designing her own software. So, when she applied for jobs, she emphasized these skills. However, due to her striking looks, many people overlooked her technical abilities. When interviewers saw Sabrina's face during interviews, they often assumed she was just a pretty face and failed to recognize her as a tech-savvy professional. Sabrina had worked in the administrative department for several years, and her salary had gradually increased, but she still yearned for an opportunity to work in the development department. Even though her current administrative position was comfortable and high-paying, she still harbored a desire to do something that would challenge her abilities, like working in the development department. Sharon handed Sabrina a document that could potentially be her ticket to the development department. "What's this?" Sabrina asked with a glimmer of hope. "Next month, there will be a major forum called Ace Forum in the neighboring city. Each department will be sending representatives to compete for a slot. If all goes as planned, the head of the development department will be representing their department. But the administrative department has yet to decide who to send. I hope you'll work hard to secure a spot for yourself at Ace Forum."