CHAPTER TWO – OFFENDING THE BOSS

Karina stood frozen, horror washing over her as she watched dark stains spread across the CEO's clothing. Miguel's expression morphed from surprise to fury in an instant. "What the hell?" he roared, his eyes locking onto Karina with an intensity that made her want to disappear into the floor. "I-I'm so sorry," Karina stammered, her face burning with embarrassment. "It was an accident, I didn't mean to-" Miguel cut her off with a sharp gesture. "Who are you? How did you even get in here?" Tom stepped forward, his face pale. "Mr. Eladio, I apologize. This is Karina Zaslav, our new junior analyst. It's her first day." Miguel's eyes narrowed dangerously. "First day? And you thought it was appropriate to have her serve coffee during an executive meeting?" Tom opened his mouth to respond, but Miguel wasn't interested in excuses. He turned back to Karina, who was still rooted to the spot, surrounded by broken mugs and puddles of coffee. "Ms. Zaslav, was it?" Miguel's voice was cold and controlled, which somehow made it even more terrifying. "I suggest you leave this room immediately. Your incompetence has no place in this company, let alone in this meeting." Karina felt as if she'd been slapped. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Without a word, she turned on her heel and fled the conference room, ignoring the whispers that followed her. She made it back to her cubicle before the first sob escaped her. Collapsing into her chair, Karina buried her face in her hands. How had everything gone so wrong so quickly? As the initial shock wore off, however, another emotion began to simmer beneath the surface: anger. Who did Miguel Eladio think he was, treating her like that? It had been an accident, and she'd tried to apologize. Wiping her eyes, Karina sat up straighter. She hadn't worked this hard to get this job just to be bullied out of it on the first day. Taking a deep breath, she stood up and smoothed down her blazer. With determination in every step, Karina marched towards Miguel Eladio's office. His assistant, a severe-looking woman with glasses perched on the end of her nose, tried to stop her. "Mr. Eladio isn't taking any visitors right now," she said firmly. Karina squared her shoulders. "He'll want to see me. Tell him it's Karina Zaslav." The assistant's eyebrows shot up, but she pressed the intercom button. After a brief exchange, she nodded reluctantly. "You can go in, but make it quick." Karina pushed open the heavy oak door, stepping into a spacious office with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. Miguel Eladio stood with his back to her, gazing out at the skyline. He'd changed into a fresh shirt, but Karina could see his ruined jacket draped over a chair. "Mr. Eladio," she began, her voice steadier than she felt. "I came to apologize properly for the incident earlier." Miguel turned slowly, his expression unreadable. "Did you now? I thought I made myself clear earlier, Ms. Zaslav. Your presence is not welcome here." Karina felt her temper flare. "With all due respect, sir, it was an accident. I understand you're upset, but your reaction was completely unprofessional." Miguel's eyes widened in disbelief. "Unprofessional? You dump coffee all over me in front of my entire executive team, and you have the audacity to call me unprofessional?" "Yes, I do," Karina shot back, her voice rising. "Accidents happen. A true leader would understand that and handle the situation with grace, not by publicly humiliating a new employee." Miguel stepped closer, his imposing frame towering over Karina. "You seem to have forgotten your place, Ms. Zaslav. I am the CEO of this company. I don't owe you or anyone else an explanation for how I conduct myself." Karina refused to back down. "Being CEO doesn't give you the right to treat people like dirt. I came here to apologize and make things right, but clearly, that was a mistake." "The only mistake," Miguel growled, "was hiring you in the first place. I'll be speaking with HR about your termination immediately." "You can't fire me for an accident!" Karina exclaimed, her fists clenching at her sides. Miguel's lip curled into a sneer. "I can do whatever I damn well please. Now get out of my office before I call security." Karina opened her mouth to argue further, but the look in Miguel's eyes told her it would be futile. With a final glare, she turned and stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind her. As the door clicked shut, Miguel let out a frustrated growl. He reached for his phone, punching in a familiar number. "Jake? It's Miguel. You'll never believe what just happened," he said as soon as the call connected. "Some new hire just spilled coffee all over me in the middle of a meeting, then had the nerve to come to my office and lecture me about professionalism." He listened for a moment, then chuckled darkly. "Oh, don't worry. I'm not about to let this go. Nobody talks to me like that and gets away with it. I think it's time we teach Ms. Zaslav a lesson she won't soon forget." As Miguel continued to vent to his friend, plotting his revenge, he remained blissfully unaware of the true identity of the woman who had just challenged him. The next morning, Karina arrived at Eladio Enterprises with a mixture of determination and trepidation. As she stepped off the elevator, she could feel the weight of curious stares from her colleagues. News of yesterday's coffee incident had clearly spread like wildfire. Karina kept her head high as she made her way to her cubicle, refusing to let their whispers affect her. She had barely settled in when Tom appeared, his face drawn with concern. "Karina, can I see you in my office for a moment?" he asked, his voice low. With a sinking feeling in her stomach, Karina followed him to a small, glass-walled room. Tom closed the door behind them and sighed heavily. "I've just come from a meeting with Mr. Eladio," he began, not quite meeting her eyes. "He's... well, he's not happy about yesterday's events." Karina bristled. "It was an accident, Tom. And his reaction was completely out of line." Tom held up a hand. "I know, I know. But he's the CEO, and he's made some... decisions about your role here." He slid a thick folder across the desk. "These are your new assignments. Mr. Eladio wants them completed by the end of the week." Karina flipped open the folder and felt her heart sink. Inside were requests for detailed market analyses, complex financial projections, and reports on emerging technologies - each of which would typically take weeks to complete. "This is impossible," she protested. "There's no way anyone could finish all this in three days." Tom's expression was sympathetic but firm. "Those are Mr. Eladio's expectations. I'm sorry, Karina, but you'll need to figure out a way to make it work." As Karina left Tom's office, her mind was reeling. She knew exactly what Miguel was doing - he was setting her up to fail. But she'd be damned if she'd give him the satisfaction.