Chapter 3

During fall recruiting season, Adrian’s company came to our university for a campus presentation.

I submitted my résumé.

No other reason.

The offer was too good.

Among all the companies recruiting that season, Adrian’s company offered the best salary and benefits.

Besides, I wanted to go in and see what kind of monster this CEO who fought with me online every day really was.

If I could dig up some flaws and gossip, I would be doing society a favor.

The interviews went smoothly.

First round: technical.

Second round: project discussion.

When the interviewers asked how I won the ranking system optimization award, I broke down the whole solution step by step until all three interviewers kept nodding.

I used ability to speak for me.

Top of my major for four years. Three national competition gold medals. Every achievement in black and white.

I was confident.

The day I passed the interview, HR smiled and told me, “Your résumé is the cleanest and strongest one we’ve seen this year.”

Adrian did not even know I had joined his company.

My offer went through the most ordinary campus recruitment process. Step by step. All by merit.

Chloe’s offer, however, arrived even earlier than mine.

She announced it in the class group and invited everyone to celebrate.

Chloe: Adrian personally recruited me into the company! No written test, no interview. Straight into the design team!

Milk tea this afternoon for the whole class. Celebrating my offer!

The group chat exploded.

“Oh my God, special recruitment!”

“Adrian opened a back door for her?”

“Chloe is going straight to his side!”

“This is too sweet. What kind of CEO romance is this?”

Chloe posted a nine-photo grid. The last photo was a screenshot of her offer letter, the company stamp bright and official.

The comments were full of worship.

Only I knew something was wrong.

Chloe had failed three classes in four years and did not even know the basic format of a game design document.

Special recruitment?

I later heard the inside story through unofficial channels.

That special hire came directly from Adrian.

“Pull Chloe Evans’s résumé out separately.”

Because of the history behind the game account, Chloe did not even touch the written test. She just put on an employee badge.

I stared at the screenshot for a while, then calmly locked my phone.

During the first week of work, Chloe began behaving like the CEO’s future wife.

She demanded a desk by the window.

She ordered the most expensive afternoon tea.

Even interns picking up packages for her were criticized endlessly.

“This milk tea is thirty percent sugar? I said no sugar. Buy it again.”

“You can’t even photocopy a document straight? Didn’t your school teach formatting?”

Privately, the whole design department started calling her Princess Chloe.

On Friday, Chloe blocked me in the break room.

“Stella Brooks, be smart and resign on your own.”

“This is Adrian’s territory. It isn’t a place for some dull nobody like you.”

“If you stay here, nobody will be comfortable. With one word from me, Adrian can fire you.”

She lowered her voice. Her smile was elegant, but her eyes were full of threat.

“I suggest you think carefully. If you go against me, it won’t end well.”

I held my cup and took a slow sip of water.

“Ms. Evans, I have no interest in your little game. But you should think carefully too. I’m not afraid of burning everything down.”

Her face turned livid. She glared at me, then turned and left.

That afternoon, Chloe went straight to Adrian’s office and filed a complaint.

“Stella Brooks cheated in her interview, faked her résumé, and has serious character issues. Someone like her must be fired immediately!”