CHAPTER 300: CHAPTER 299: UNEXPECTED ARRIVAL

Just when the tension reached its peak, the air in the lobby felt like it would snap at any second. Not a whisper, not even the sound of breathing dared to break it. Everyone was frozen, afraid to move or even shift in their chairs, eyes darting between Rex and Victor as if waiting for the first punch to be thrown.

The girls stood tense at Rex’s side. Hannah’s jaw was tight, her eyes burning with indignation, while the other girl’s hands clenched against her notebook. Both radiated the kind of anger that comes not just from being disrespected but from being cornered by someone who thought he could get away with it.

They had been afraid at first, watching things spiral out of control, but seeing Victor push further, crossing lines with his arrogance, their fear had begun to twist into something sharper, their eyes burning with barely restrained fury. It’s not like they were afraid of Victor or anything, they were just a bit worried due to their project, especially Daisy, her hands hovered on the phone, ready for an emergency.

Victor leaned forward, his face twisted with spite, his hand twitching like he was one gesture away from pushing too far. Rex didn’t move, his gaze steady, a coiled defiance that only seemed to incense the older man further. The tension in the air was unbearable, a collective breath that never came.

And then—

"What the hell is going on here?"

The voice was sharp, authoritative, and cold enough to freeze the blood in the room. Employees flinched instinctively as though struck, shoulders snapping back, faces paling. The oppressive heat of the moment shattered, but in its place came something heavier: dread.

Victor’s cruel smirk spread across his face, smug and venomous, without any fear unlike other employees. He straightened, brushing at his suit like he had just been inconvenienced by children. The crowd of employees parted almost instinctively, like water forced aside, heads ducking, bodies moving out of the line of fire.

In the gap, the boss strode in, the real big boss of the company. His eyes sweeping the room with barely contained fury. Behind him, two senior executives followed, their expressions a mix of irritation and disappointment as their gaze fell on the gathered staff. Jaw muscles worked, teeth clenched tight at the sight of so many employees huddled together, wasting office time... on the very day the boss had chosen for an unannounced visit.

The room, moments ago alive with murmurs and suppressed laughter, was now deathly still. Every breath was careful, shallow, afraid of drawing attention. The only sound was the slow, deliberate footsteps of authority crossing into the battlefield, his gaze narrowing, already demanding answers. The girls shifted uneasily, their indignation giving way to unease once more.

The silence was unbearable. Everyone knew what came next. The boss was infamous for his cruelty, a man whose wrath could destroy careers in minutes. Rumors whispered through the company said Victor wasn’t just his favored subordinate, but a distant relative...someone untouchable, untouchable because of blood ties.

Every gaze turned toward Rex, almost pitying. He might have been sharp-tongued, but standing against Victor was one thing... standing against the boss was suicide.

So when the boss’s expression hardened, his chest swelling with breath as he prepared to unleash a storm, every employee braced for the inevitable. They knew Rex was finished. The girls, too, stiffened. One of them grabbed Hannah’s hand instinctively, her knuckles pale.

But then...

As the boss came closer, suddenly, his eyes landed on Rex.

The words forming on his tongue faltered. His voice caught in his throat. His brow furrowed as if his mind had suddenly betrayed him. He blinked once, then again, staring as though he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Confusion rippled across the room. Employees who had been ready to hear the boss’s thunderous scolding instead exchanged puzzled glances. What was happening? Why had their boss, the man who had cut down senior managers without hesitation, suddenly stopped? Even Rex and the girls noticed it. Hannah tilted her head ever so slightly, suspicious, while Rex narrowed his eyes in mild curiosity, wondering why the employees’ fear suddenly shifted into uncertainty.

And then it happened.

The boss gulped. His ferocious aura... his sharp, commanding presence that made people tremble... evaporated like fog under the morning sun. In its place bloomed something utterly alien on his face: shock, disbelief... and flattery.

Before anyone could react, the boss moved.The fierce aura, the heavy pressure he carried like a mantle... vanished, dissipating like fog under morning sun. His face shifted from rage to something almost trembling... shock and flattery mixing in an expression no one thought the man capable of. Before anyone could even react, he moved. Not walked, dashed, like the real one. He actually hurried across the room, weaving through the parting employees until he stood right in front of Rex.

Rex, equally stunned, masked his surprise more quickly than the others. His expression remained calm, though his brows knitted in quiet puzzlement at the sudden spectacle.

The boss stopped right in front of him, breathing quickly, his hands twitching nervously before he steadied himself. His lips parted, stammering, "A–are you... Mr. R–Rex...?"

"Yes, I’m Rex. Who are you?" Rex replied calmly, though genuine confusion threaded his tone. The subtle flattery in the man’s voice only deepened his frown.

"I-I’m Steven. Steven Roberson," the boss said quickly, his tone already deferential. The boss straightened, but his back remained slightly bent, his head nodding like a servant.

Rex blinked, unimpressed. "And...?"

A nervous laugh escaped Steven’s lips. "Haha, of course you wouldn’t remember... You may not know me, sir, but I was there last night at the party. I... I had the honor of seeing your excellency from afar."

"Hm?" Rex raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected to run into someone from last night, especially not in this setting.

The office fell into stunned silence. Behind him, the girls’ eyes widened even further, their earlier fear now morphing into astonishment. Employees stood as though frozen in time, unable to process what they were witnessing. Their cruel, domineering boss... the same man who berated them for minor mistakes, the same man who never spared even executives from humiliation... was bowing and stammering like a nervous subordinate.

Victor, however, looked like his soul had left his body. His smug grin curdled on his face, frozen in a grotesque mask of disbelief. Just a moment ago, he had been celebrating his cousin’s arrival, certain that Rex would be taught a lesson. But now, watching that same cousin almost bow and scrape before the very person he despised, his mind refused to process reality. His chest tightened, and a cold dread seeped into his bones.

Rex, though a little surprised himself, was still calm despite the absurdity unfolding before him, shook his head slightly and said flatly, "Sorry, but I don’t recognize you."

Steven quickly laughed nervously, shaking his head quickly. "Of course, of course, there’s no way someone of your stature would notice a lowly one like me."

The words hit the crowd like thunder in clear sky. Employees gawked openly, the girls’ mouths fell open, and Victor felt his knees weaken.

The entire office looked on as if they were witnessing a ghost in broad daylight.

(End of Chapter)