Chapter 2

By the time Lisa returned to the office the next morning, her feet were still sore from the dinner the night before, and her pride was hanging by a thread.

She hadn’t just survived Jennie’s icy stares and the dinner’s terrifying amount of cutlery...she’d learned two important things: 1) Jennie could cut you down with a glance, and 2) Lisa had the fine dining etiquette of a toddler.

As she stepped off the elevator, she ran into her reflection in the glass wall of Jennie’s office and paused to check herself. Her hair was a little messier than usual, and there was a faint coffee stain on her blouse that she hadn’t noticed earlier. "Oh, fantastic. Off to a great start, Lisa," she thought, grimacing at the smudge.

Pushing open the door to the executive floor, she braced herself for another long day. Jennie was already at her desk, of course, focused on a mountain of paperwork. Lisa always wondered what time the woman actually left the office if she even did.

“Morning, Ms. Kim!” Lisa greeted with a fake cheeriness that she hoped would mask the fact she was still half-asleep. “How’s the queen of the corporate world today?”

Jennie didn’t even look up. “Busy.”

Lisa grinned, more to herself than anything else. “Wow. Great to see you’re in your usual chipper mood.”

Jennie’s only response was a pointed silence, which Lisa had learned was the corporate version of “Do not push me today.”

But Lisa wasn’t the type to back down easily. “Well, I brought coffee,” she said, holding up two cups. “One’s black because I assume you like your coffee as cold and bitter as your demeanor.”

That earned her a flicker of movement from Jennie’s eyes, which barely glanced at the cup before returning to the paperwork. “I don’t drink coffee.”

Lisa blinked. “You don’t? Like, at all?”

Jennie’s expression was unreadable. “I drink tea. Herbal. Coffee is too… chaotic.”

Lisa squinted at her, as though she’d just heard something scandalous. “You mean to tell me you survive those 16-hour workdays on herbal tea? No caffeine? How are you still alive?”

Jennie’s gaze lifted slowly, locking onto Lisa with a look that could have made even a grizzly bear back down. “Discipline, Ms. Manoban. Something you might want to learn.”

Lisa held up her free hand in surrender. “Alright, alright. Tea it is. Next time, I’ll bring you... chamomile or something. Whatever fuels the soul of a corporate warrior like yourself.”

Jennie’s gaze lingered for another moment before returning to her computer. Lisa, sensing the conversation had reached its natural (icy) conclusion, awkwardly set the extra cup of coffee on Jennie’s desk and retreated to her own corner of the office.

---

For most of the morning, Lisa worked in relative peace, answering emails, organizing schedules, and trying to figure out what exactly was going on with the Singapore tech expansion that Jennie had casually mentioned the night before. But, of course, peace never lasted long around Jennie Kim.

“Ms. Manoban,” Jennie called out without looking up from her screen.

“Yes, Ms. Kim?” Lisa spun around, almost knocking over a stack of files in her haste to respond.

“Where is the report I asked for on the partnership logistics with Hong Kong?”

Lisa paused, racking her brain. “Uh, that’s due... today, right?”

“Correct. And I expected it this morning.”

“Right.” Lisa winced internally. “I, uh, definitely have it... almost done. Just needs a final proofread, you know? Gotta make sure all the... uh, ‘t’s are crossed and ‘i’s are dotted. I'll get it to you ASAP.”

Jennie gave her a long, withering stare. “You do realize this is a high-priority task, correct? Or did you assume I gave you a deadline for fun?”

Lisa felt herself shrinking under the weight of Jennie’s glare. “Of course not! No fun here. Totally serious. I’ll have it on your desk within the hour. Pinky promise.”

Jennie’s expression didn’t change, but there was a slight raise of one brow. “You have thirty minutes. Not an hour.”

Lisa swallowed. “Thirty minutes it is.” She practically sprinted back to her desk, muttering under her breath. “Why, why did I say ‘pinky promise’? She probably thinks I’m a child now. Great job, Lisa. You’ve nailed the professionalism part.”

---

By the time she finally handed Jennie the finished report, Lisa’s nerves were so frayed she half-expected Jennie to toss it back at her, find a typo, or worse give her that silent, disapproving look again. But instead, Jennie simply scanned the document, flipped through the pages, and nodded once.

“Acceptable.”

Lisa exhaled loudly, the tension finally releasing from her body. “Oh, thank God. I mean great! Acceptable is good! We can work with acceptable.”

Jennie didn’t acknowledge her relief. “You can handle the meeting with the logistics team this afternoon.”

Lisa froze. “Wait, what? Me? Handle the meeting?”

Jennie’s gaze turned frosty again. “Yes. You.”

“But... I don’t usually... you know, lead meetings?” Lisa scratched the back of her neck awkwardly. “I’m more of a ‘support-from-the-sidelines’ kind of gal. You’re sure you don’t want to, uh, take the reins on this one?”

Jennie’s eyes bore into her, completely unfazed. “You’ve been working with this team for two weeks now. You should be capable of handling a basic discussion about shipping routes.”

Lisa opened her mouth to argue but quickly shut it. There was no winning against Jennie Kim when she had made up her mind. She knew this by now. “Right. Sure. No big deal. It’s just a... logistics meeting. What could go wrong?”

---

As it turned out, quite a lot could go wrong.

Lisa entered the boardroom that afternoon feeling like a soldier heading into battle. She had Jennie’s report in one hand and her phone in the other, where she had frantically Googled the difference between shipping lanes and trade routes just moments before the meeting.

“Alright, team!” she greeted, trying to sound confident as the logistics department heads took their seats. “Let’s, uh, get down to business. Shipping. Logistics. Important stuff.”

The blank stares she received were not encouraging.

“So,” she began, flipping through her notes and trying to look as though she had everything under control, “Jennie.... Ms. Kim..wanted me to talk to you guys about... supply chain strategies. Specifically... um... in relation to... optimizing, uh, costs.”

There was a long, awkward silence. One of the department heads raised an eyebrow. “You mean the cost-benefit analysis we sent to Ms. Kim last week?”

Lisa blinked. “Uh, yes! Exactly that. And she just... wants us to dive deeper. You know, really scrutinize those numbers. Gotta leave no stone unturned!”

The logistics manager frowned. “We already did that. It’s all in the report.”

“Right.” Lisa nodded vigorously. “Of course. Well, we’re... really into reports here. Can’t get enough of them. So, let’s just... go over it again. Just for fun.”

She spent the next thirty minutes fumbling through logistics jargon, trying desperately to sound like she knew what she was talking about, all the while feeling the weight of Jennie’s looming presence...even though the CEO wasn’t in the room. By the end of the meeting, Lisa was ready to collapse from sheer embarrassment.

As the logistics team filed out of the room, one of them gave her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. “You did your best.”

That’s not encouraging, Lisa thought as she slumped into one of the chairs.

---

Later that day, Lisa returned to Jennie’s office, fully prepared for another round of icy disapproval. She knocked lightly before entering.

Jennie was, as usual, typing away on her laptop without so much as a glance in Lisa’s direction. “How did the meeting go?”

Lisa hesitated, then forced a smile. “Oh, you know. It went... as well as it could have. No fires this time.”

Jennie’s eyes finally flicked up, and for a moment, she just stared at Lisa, as if trying to decide whether or not to be amused.

“You’re still employed,” Jennie said dryly. “I’ll take that as a small victory.”

Lisa grinned, relieved that she hadn’t been fired on the spot. “Hey, I’ll take a victory anywhere I can get it.”

....

The following week arrived with an email that made Lisa’s stomach drop: Kim Industries was hosting a major conference, and as Jennie’s executive assistant, Lisa was in charge of overseeing the entire event.

It was, naturally, Jennie’s doing.

Lisa stood in front of Jennie’s desk, holding the email as if it were a death sentence. “You want me to handle a conference? Like, a whole conference?”

Jennie didn’t look up from her computer, her fingers typing at lightning speed. “That is what I just said, yes.”

Lisa blinked. “Right. Cool. Just making sure we’re on the same page.” She forced a smile, her brain already spinning. “I mean, this is great! Totally within my wheelhouse. Love conferences. Who doesn’t? Big rooms, lots of people, endless opportunities to mess up in front of hundreds of professionals....what’s not to love?”

Jennie finally looked up, one eyebrow raised. “Are you trying to inspire confidence, or are you rehearsing for your own failure?”

Lisa grinned sheepishly. “Confidence! I’m all about confidence. This is just how I hype myself up, you know? Gotta laugh or else I’ll cry.”

Jennie’s expression didn’t change. “I suggest you focus on preparation, not jokes.”

Lisa straightened, trying to muster a more serious expression. “Right. Preparation. I’m on it.”

Jennie’s eyes narrowed slightly. “This is an important event for the company. Everything needs to go perfectly. I expect professionalism, punctuality, and precision.”

“No pressure, then,” Lisa muttered under her breath, but she quickly added, “I mean, no problem! Everything will be flawless, I promise. No fires, small or otherwise.”

Jennie’s gaze lingered for a moment before she returned to her screen. “See that it is.”

---

Fast forward to the day of the conference, and Lisa was a bundle of nerves. The venue was massive...a glossy, high-rise hotel with multiple conference rooms and a ballroom that had been converted into the main stage area. Attendees were already milling around in suits, clutching coffee cups and conference pamphlets, and Lisa was juggling five different tasks at once, barking orders into her phone.

“Yes, the presentation should be on the screen now! No, not the company logo—why is there a picture of a cat on the screen? Oh, it’s a stock photo? Okay, well, get it off and put the slides on!” Lisa paused, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Also, where’s the coffee station? People are starting to panic. I repeat, there is no caffeine. We have a crisis.”

Her phone buzzed, and she glanced down at a new message from Jennie: I’ll be arriving shortly. Everything better be in place.

Lisa gulped. No pressure, Lisa. You got this. She shoved her phone into her pocket and raced toward the main stage area, where the final preparations were underway.

As she arrived, she saw one of the tech crew fiddling with the AV equipment. He gave her an apologetic look. “There’s a bit of a glitch with the projector. The slides keep freezing.”

“Not again,” Lisa groaned. “Why do projectors hate me?”

The tech guy shrugged. “Could be worse. At least it’s not smoking.”

“Small blessings,” Lisa muttered as she glanced at the screen, which flickered for a second before stabilizing. “Okay, okay. It’s working for now. Let’s just pray it stays that way.”

She turned to check on the seating arrangements when she heard a voice behind her...sharp and unmistakable.

“Ms. Manoban.”

Lisa flinched and turned to find Jennie standing just a few feet away, dressed in her signature black power suit, every hair in place. She looked like she had stepped straight out of a CEO training manual, while Lisa was sweating through her blouse.

“Oh, hi, Ms. Kim! You’re... early,” Lisa said, forcing a bright smile.

Jennie’s eyes swept over the room, taking in the attendees, the stage, and the bustling crew. “You appear... scattered.”

Lisa laughed awkwardly. “Oh, me? Nah, I’m not scattered. Just, you know, multitasking like a pro. It’s all under control. Totally smooth.”

Jennie’s gaze was ice-cold, scanning the venue with a practiced eye. “The projector better not malfunction.”

Lisa’s stomach did a somersault. “It’s fine! I mean, there was a tiny issue earlier, but it’s totally fixed now. All systems go.”

Jennie didn’t respond, but Lisa could tell she wasn’t convinced. She watched as Jennie strode toward the stage, where she would be giving the opening speech in less than an hour. Lisa trailed behind, trying to look busy and not like she was falling apart at the seams.

---

Forty minutes later, the conference was in full swing. Attendees were seated, the stage was set, and Jennie was moments away from delivering her keynote address. Lisa hovered in the back, nervously eyeing the projector, which had been behaving itself... so far.

Jennie stepped onto the stage, her commanding presence immediately drawing the attention of the entire room. The lights dimmed, the projector hummed to life, and Lisa crossed her fingers behind her back.

“Good morning, and welcome to Kim Industries’ annual conference,” Jennie began, her voice smooth and authoritative. The audience was captivated. “Today, we’ll be discussing.....”

The screen behind her suddenly flickered, and before Lisa could react, it went completely black.

“Oh no, oh no, no, no,” Lisa whispered, panicking. She darted toward the AV table, but it was too late. The screen sputtered, blinked, and then, to Lisa’s absolute horror, the dreaded stock photo of a cat appeared large and in high definition behind Jennie.

The room fell silent, and Jennie turned slowly, staring at the giant cat image on the screen. She didn’t say a word, but Lisa could feel the temperature in the room drop about ten degrees.

Lisa practically leaped toward the AV tech. “Get it off! Get it off now!”

The tech fumbled with the controls, and after a few agonizing seconds, the correct slides finally appeared on the screen. Jennie turned back to the audience, seamlessly continuing her speech as if nothing had happened, but Lisa knew. Oh, she knew.

As soon as Jennie finished her keynote and stepped off the stage, Lisa braced herself for the fallout. Jennie walked toward her with slow, measured steps, her face completely expressionless.

“Ms. Manoban,” Jennie said, her voice so calm it was terrifying. “Care to explain why I was upstaged by a cat?”

Lisa grinned nervously, running a hand through her hair. “Well, you know... technology, am I right? Sometimes things just... go wrong. But hey, you handled it like a pro! No one even noticed.”

Jennie stared at her, unblinking. “It was a giant cat.”

Lisa cleared her throat, trying to salvage what little dignity she had left. “Right. But at least it was a cute cat?”

Jennie’s gaze didn’t waver. “If this happens again, Ms. Manoban, you won’t have to worry about ‘handling’ conferences anymore.”

Lisa straightened, nodding vigorously. “Got it. No more cats. No more disasters. I promise.”

Jennie gave her one last, icy look before turning and walking away, her back ramrod straight. Lisa watched her go, wiping sweat from her forehead.

“Well,” she muttered to herself, “at least I didn’t spill coffee on her.”

---

By the time the conference wrapped up, Lisa had managed to avoid any further catastrophes, though the looming memory of the cat incident hung over her like a dark cloud. As the last of the attendees filed out, Lisa gathered her things and glanced around the now-empty room.

Jennie appeared at the door, catching Lisa by surprise. “Ms. Manoban.”

Lisa winced, bracing herself. “Yes, Ms. Kim?”

Jennie’s expression was, as usual, unreadable. “Good work today.”

Lisa blinked, her brain struggling to process what she’d just heard. “Wait... what?”

Jennie’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Aside from the... cat, the event went smoothly.”

Lisa grinned, unable to resist the urge to lighten the mood. “Hey, some people would call that a success. A tiny cat disaster and still walking out in one piece? I’ll take that.”

Jennie’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly, as if considering whether or not to respond. “Be here early tomorrow. We have a meeting with the board.”

And with that, Jennie turned and left, her heels clicking sharply on the polished floor. Lisa stood there for a moment, stunned.

“A compliment,” she whispered to herself. “I think that was a compliment.”

As she packed up her things and headed out of the conference hall, Lisa couldn’t help but smile. Sure, Jennie was still as cold as ever, but at least she hadn’t been fired. That counted as a win in Lisa’s book.

And who knows? Maybe next time, she’d get through an entire day without any disasters. Maybe.

....

The day after the cat catastrophe, Lisa was back in Jennie’s office, bright and early. She had come in extra early this time... an hour early, to be precise. No way she was giving Jennie another reason to roast her about punctuality.

Lisa hovered outside Jennie’s door, gathering her thoughts. She was running on three cups of coffee, and after the debacle of yesterday’s conference, her determination to stay out of trouble was at an all-time high. She knocked lightly before entering.

Jennie was, unsurprisingly, already at her desk, engrossed in some important-looking documents. Her office was, as always, pristine everything in its place, not a single paper out of line. Lisa sometimes wondered if Jennie even allowed things to move. Maybe she used invisible glue to keep everything perfectly positioned.

“Good morning, Ms. Kim!” Lisa chirped, trying to sound as upbeat as humanly possible.

Jennie didn’t look up from her work. “Morning.”

Lisa took that as her cue to stand there awkwardly, waiting for further instructions. After a few seconds of silence, she cleared her throat. “So, about yesterday... I just want to apologize again for the, uh, uninvited guest on the screen.”

Jennie’s eyes flicked up, cool and unwavering. “The cat?”

Lisa laughed nervously. “Yes. The cat. I swear, next time it’ll be flawless. No cats, no glitches. Just perfectly boring, professional presentations.”

Jennie raised an eyebrow, her expression still icy. “That would be ideal.”

Lisa nodded vigorously. “Right. No fun allowed.”

Jennie’s gaze lingered on her for a moment longer than usual before she returned to her work. “I need you to prepare for the board meeting this afternoon. You’ll be taking notes and organizing the follow-up reports.”

Lisa tried not to visibly panic. A board meeting? With Jennie and all the top executives? She was still recovering from the trauma of the conference. But she pasted on her best smile and gave a thumbs-up. “No problem! Notes, follow-up reports, maybe even a flawless AV setup if I’m feeling brave.”

Jennie didn’t react, which was typical Jennie. But Lisa swore she saw the tiniest twitch at the corner of Jennie’s lips. Not quite a smile...more like a restrained smirk. It was progress, right?

---

As the day went on, Lisa busied herself with preparing for the board meeting, doing her best to stay out of trouble. She had already double-checked the AV setup (no cats this time), triple-checked the documents, and mentally prepared herself for sitting in a room with some of the scariest people in the business world. She had even managed to grab Jennie’s herbal tea just the way she liked it.

By the time the meeting rolled around, Lisa felt... cautiously optimistic.

The boardroom was filled with the usual corporate heavyweights men in expensive suits, women in perfectly tailored business wear, and, of course, Jennie Kim at the head of the table, looking every bit the unshakeable CEO. Lisa took her place near the back, notebook in hand, trying to look like she belonged there and wasn’t internally freaking out.

The meeting started smoothly enough. Jennie ran through the financial reports, the expansion plans for Singapore, and the next round of product launches. Lisa diligently took notes, nodding along as if she understood all the corporate jargon being thrown around.

But, of course, things never stayed smooth for long when Lisa was involved.

Just as the board members were discussing international logistics, Lisa felt a sudden buzzing in her pocket. Her phone. Oh no. She’d forgotten to put it on silent. Quickly, she fumbled to pull it out and silence it, but as she did, her hand slipped and her phone went flying out of her grasp.

It clattered onto the table, skidding across the polished surface until it landed squarely in front of Jennie.

The room went dead silent.

Lisa froze, wide-eyed, as Jennie slowly looked down at the phone lying in front of her. The board members were all staring, some with raised eyebrows, some trying to hide their amusement.

Jennie’s expression was as frosty as ever. She picked up the phone with the same care one might use to handle something highly unpleasant and turned it over. The screen lit up, displaying a text message notification from Lisa’s friend: "Yo, how's it going with your boss from hell?"

Lisa’s soul left her body.

Jennie didn’t say a word. She simply placed the phone down in front of Lisa, who was now too mortified to even breathe. Lisa grabbed it with a shaking hand, mentally preparing herself for the fact that she would likely be fired on the spot. Or worse, subjected to Jennie’s silent, crushing disapproval forever.

“I...” Lisa started, her voice barely a whisper. “I can explain.”

Jennie glanced at her, her expression unreadable. “Please do.”

Lisa swallowed hard, trying to think of literally anything to salvage the situation. “Well, you see... my friend has this... very dark sense of humor, and, uh...she doesn’t mean ‘hell’ as in actual hell. More like, you know, ‘challenging workplace.’ In a... good way. Like, she’s really impressed with how you run things, and....”

Jennie’s raised hand cut her off. “Ms. Manoban.”

Lisa clamped her mouth shut, waiting for the final blow.

“Let’s stay focused on the meeting, shall we?”

Lisa blinked. That was it? She wasn’t fired? No withering comment or soul-crushing gaze? Jennie had just... let it go?

She nodded so fast she almost gave herself whiplash. “Right. Meeting. Focused. Totally focused.”

The rest of the meeting passed without further incident, though Lisa could barely focus on anything else. Jennie hadn’t said a word about the phone or the text. It was almost more unnerving than her usual cold remarks.

---

After the meeting ended, Lisa lingered outside Jennie’s office, unsure of whether she should disappear into the nearest dark corner or wait for inevitable repercussions.

Jennie, as usual, didn’t seem phased. She was going through emails, her expression as calm and composed as ever.

Lisa finally worked up the courage to speak. “So, um, about what happened in the meeting...”

Jennie didn’t look up. “I don’t recall anything of significance happening in the meeting.”

Lisa blinked. “Wait, really? You’re not... mad?”

Jennie finally met her gaze, her expression still unreadable. “What exactly do you think I should be mad about?”

Lisa opened her mouth to respond, then closed it again, unsure of how to answer. “I just thought... with the phone, and the message, and...”

“Ms. Manoban,” Jennie interrupted, her tone cool but not harsh, “If I got upset every time someone made an offhand comment about me, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I have more important things to focus on.”

Lisa stared at her, genuinely surprised. She hadn’t expected Jennie to brush it off so easily. “Wow. That’s... really mature of you.”

Jennie didn’t respond, but there was something in her eyes...something that almost looked like amusement, though it was fleeting. “I expect your phone to remain on silent during future meetings.”

Lisa grinned. “Absolutely. Silent. Forever. You won’t even know I exist.”

Jennie’s gaze lingered on her for a moment longer, then she returned to her work. “That would be ideal.”

Lisa turned to leave, but she couldn’t resist one last comment. “By the way, just so you know... my friend isn’t entirely wrong. You’re definitely intimidating. But in a, you know... good way.”

Jennie didn’t look up, but Lisa swore she saw a tiny flicker of something maybe the ghost of a smirk cross her face.

“Goodnight, Ms. Manoban,” Jennie said, her voice as icy as ever.

Lisa left the office, a grin spreading across her face. Sure, Jennie was still cold, still as intimidating as ever, but Lisa was starting to get used to the chill. And maybe....just maybe she was beginning to crack the surface of the ice queen.

Just a little.

Continue....