With his mind racing, calculating the gains and losses, Luis made up his mind.
When they arrived at their floor, Luis and Natalie got out of the elevator.
"Luis, why is your face suddenly so pale? Are you still feeling unwell?" Natalie asked with concern as she looked at Luis after they got off the elevator.
Luis smiled weakly, "It's alright, Mrs. Natalie. I probably didn't sleep well last night."
Natalie frowned, but didn't ask any more questions. She simply told them that she wasn't feeling well and needed to take a leave of absence to see a doctor.
Because she arrived early, there were only a few people in the company yet. Natalie didn't talk to Luis anymore and went to her office on her own.
Luis returned to his workstation and sat down. He felt a little lost and didn't know what to do. Although he had some memories of his past life and knew what his daily work was, he had never worked before. He was not only curious about this office environment, but also felt a little uncomfortable.
After spacing out for a while, having just checked the fortunes of two people, Luis was exhausted and looked rather unwell.
He could have easily lay down and rested, but he had his own considerations. He couldn't rest now; instead, he needed to make himself look even weaker.
Soon it was time to start work, and people began arriving one after another, making the company lively.
A man sat down at the next workstation. "Luis, where did you go yesterday? You didn't ask for leave. During the meeting, Arnold went berserk and started cursing!"
Supervisor Arnold is a bully who uses his position to intimidate others. The boss is his relative, so he always acts arrogantly in the company, bullies honest people, has no skills, and has a terrible temper.
Luis turned his head. This person was called Angler.
He was very talkative and could chat with anyone. He also loved gossip. He always thought that he and Luis had the best relationship.
"I went to the hospital yesterday," Luis said casually. He didn't have a good impression of this person; he loved to gossip behind people's backs.
"Then why didn't you ask for leave? Even if you didn't ask for leave, if you had told me earlier yesterday, I would have helped you find an excuse."
Angler shook his head. "You're probably in trouble today. Arnold will definitely cause you trouble. Honestly, you didn't even tell me beforehand."
Luis sneered inwardly.
"You care about me so much, but why didn't you message me privately yesterday to say hello? You're quite active in the company group, though."
"If I told you, you'd probably exaggerate it even more," Luis said sarcastically, not one to tolerate others.
"You…" Angler looked at Luis in surprise. In his memory, Luis was a timid, introverted and cowardly person whose only advantages were that he was down-to-earth, honest, hardworking, and, well, he also had a very beautiful girlfriend.
When did Luis dare to speak like that? Is this a sequela of his illness, leading to mental problems?
"Have you lost your mind, Luis? I care about you and I'm thinking of you. How could you say such a thing?" Angler immediately changed his expression and said angrily.
"Thank you."
Luis gave a sarcastic laugh.
"I can't accept your concern. Everyone knows that after you show concern on one side, you'll exaggerate and report on others behind their backs. Who in the company hasn't been stabbed in the back by you?"
The colleagues at the company come from all over the country. We only exchange a few words while working there. If he resigns, who will remember whom? We're all just passersby in each other's lives.
If you get along well, communicate more often. If you don't get along, don't spoil him. It's just that Luis used to be introverted. No one else has such a good temper with Angler.
Angler face was dark, but he didn't know how to refute it. Facing Luis sudden attack, he looked around and found that everyone was waiting to see a good show.
His finger trembled as he pointed at Luis, "You... You just wait!"
Luis scoffed. This kind of person is only good at this much; all bluster and no substance.
Too lazy to pay attention to him, Luis just sat at his workstation in a daze, not doing anything, but thinking about other things.
Time passed slowly. Angler left his workstation for more than ten minutes. When he returned, he gave Luis, who was in a daze, a cold laugh.
This type of person is the most vengeful. If you suppress him when you first meet him, he won't dare to cause trouble. But if you indulge him too much, he will feel unbalanced and want to retaliate immediately if you suddenly make a move against him.
Soon it was lunchtime, and the office staff either went out to eat or ordered through door dash.
After Luis finished eating, he figured Natalie had probably finished eating too. He went to the restroom to practice his expressions in front of the mirror and mentally planned how to start the conversation before heading to her office.
Standing at the office door, Luis knocked.
The other employees in the company looked at Luis with surprise. What was going on with an employee going to the vice president's office?
"Come in!" Natalie's voice came from the office.
Luis took a deep breath. This was crucial for his first battle, and it was 12:30 now.
Natalie's losses would be confirmed around 2:00. There were still three hours left, and it was still possible to salvage the situation.
After composing himself, he went inside and closed the door behind him.
Natalie sat behind her desk, and after finishing her work, she prepared to take a break.
Hearing the knock on the door, she thought it was the manager downstairs who had something to say, but it turned out to be Luis.
In fact, when Natalie saw Luis, it was as if she saw a cousin in her family. She had a very good relationship with that cousin, who had always followed her around when they were young.
That's why she was so kind and gentle to Luis. Otherwise, why would she be so approachable to a stranger? Even some of the company's managers felt that Natalie was too aloof.
When she saw Luis come in, she frowned. When she came out of the elevator in the morning, she noticed that Luis looked very pale and weak. He was fine before getting on the elevator, but he changed after coming out.
She asked him at the time, but he was unwilling to answer, so she didn't bother to ask any further. After all, Luis just looked like her cousin, but he wasn't actually her cousin.
But now, seeing Luis, he seems even weaker; his lips have lost all color.
"Please sit down." Natalie stood up and gestured for Luis to sit on the sofa.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? If you are, I'll approve your leave so you can go to the hospital to get checked out." Natalie thought Luis had come to her to ask for leave.
"Mrs. Natalie, I'm not feeling unwell, but you won't approve my leave even if I ask you." Luis sighed, looking into Natalie eyes with sincerity and worry on his face.
"What is that?" Natalie frowned. Why was she being called upon if the leave wasn't approved?
"Mrs. Natalie, I wonder if you've ever had your fortune told?" Luis replied, seemingly unrelated to the question.
Natalie was taken aback. Fortune telling?
She knew that, as she was also from a wealthy family. The elders in her family were very willing to believe in this. The higher one's social status, the more they knew about it, and they preferred to believe it rather than not.
"No." Natalie didn't understand what Luis was trying to say, so she said this and waited quietly for him to speak.
"Your Family must believe in this, right?" Luis continued to guide her.
"Yeah, Somewhat." Natalie was getting a little impatient. She was very familiar with this kind of conversation; it was meant to gradually deepen the person being questionee's understanding and arouse their curiosity.
If Luis didn't look like her cousin, she probably would have kicked him out already.