Inside the spacious office, decorated in a sophisticated modern-classic style, the faint aroma of Arabica coffee mingled with expensive incense, permeating the chilled air. Gunny sat shrinking into the large leather chair across the executive desk. Downlights cast a sharp glow onto the employee files, which were arranged with mathematical precision. The silence in the room was so heavy that the faint hum of the air conditioning sounded like a roar.

Kawin slowly flipped through her personnel file before closing it and setting it down. His long, slender fingers began to tap a rhythmic cadence against the fine oak surface. Tap... tap... tap... It was a deliberate psychological play, designed to rattle her until she was forced to look up and meet his gaze.

The accountant flinched as if struck by a sudden electric current. She caught a glimpse of his well-defined lips curving into a devious smirk—the kind of look that made her blood boil with silent irritation. Kawin stared at the young woman’s dainty, doll-like face and clear complexion for a moment, his eyes shimmering with a predatory glint, clearly enjoying having his prey cornered.

“Ms... Kannaranee...” he drawled her name slowly in a deep, resonant voice.

Gunny swallowed hard, her throat feeling like sandpaper. “Yes?” she replied curtly, forcing herself not to look away from his piercing eyes.

“What is your nickname again?” he asked casually, as if making small talk about the weather. Yet, the way his gaze swept over her face felt like a high-resolution scan searching for hidden secrets.

“Gunny.”

“Ah...” He arched an eyebrow. “I remembered your face quite clearly from yesterday... you and that little troublemaker friend of yours.”

Exactly as she feared. Gunny’s eyes snapped up to meet his. Her small hand instinctively clutched her chest in self-defense. She took a deep breath, gathering every ounce of courage she possessed, and fired off a response like a machine gun.

“If you intend to fire me because of a personal matter from yesterday, I will fight for justice to the very end!” she declared, her voice trembling slightly but laced with resolve. “I have dedicated myself entirely to this job. My HR performance rating is number one! I’ve never been late, never been absent, and I am fully committed to my work. You shouldn’t lose a high-quality employee over a personal grudge... and most importantly, I absolutely cannot afford to be unemployed right now!”

She threw out every possible reason as a shield. Though her face was pale and her anxiety was plain to see, the fire in her eyes blazed with the dignity of someone who believed in the value of her work.

Kawin raised an eyebrow slightly. He leaned back into his large executive chair, crossing his arms over his chest while looking at her with a mixture of amusement and intrigue at her audacity.

“You’re quite clever... trying to negotiate by pitching yourself to me when your back is against the wall,” he chuckled softly, his voice less aggressive than she had anticipated. “But I’m sorry to disappoint you... I have no intention of firing you.”

His words made Gunny freeze, as if someone had pressed a pause button on her mid-air.

“I only want to clear the air about what exactly happened yesterday. Why did your friend pursue me with such relentless vengeance?” He stared deep into her eyes without blinking, demanding the truth.

Gunny hesitated, her heart skipping a beat. How could she tell him it was all a massive misunderstanding? Ultimately, her loyalty to her friend won out, and she decided to take the blame.

“Actually... my friend wasn’t in the wrong,” she bit her lip hard before blurting out, “The fault lies with me.”

Kawin narrowed his eyes. The faint smile vanished, replaced by a growing curiosity. “Why? Why do you say it was your fault?”

“Because I despise you!” Gunny looked him straight in the eye, no longer caring to hide her feelings.

Kawin blinked, stunned for a moment. Then, he began to scrutinize her once more—from her simple ponytail and checkered shirt down to the boots that looked nothing like those worn by the socialites he knew. He looked at her cute, flustered face and suddenly burst into an uncontrollable laugh.

“Tell me... did I somehow flirt with you in my sleep without realizing it?”

The question—arrogant, mocking, and dripping with self-confidence—made one thing very clear: an ordinary office girl like her would never, ever be on the list of his dream women.

“No... it’s not like that at all,” Gunny blurted out, losing her composure. She decided to play her final card by being completely honest, rather than letting him view her as some woman trying to catch a rich man. “But last Friday... you ran into me and caused me to sprain my ankle at the parking lot. Then you just ran off. My friend was angry on my behalf, so she wanted to get back at you. That’s all.”

The accountant’s face looked visibly relieved as she finally released the truth she had been holding in.

Kawin, who had been posing as the superior figure, froze. He rested his chin on his hand, looking at her thoughtfully. His thick brows furrowed in confusion. “When? I don’t recall running into anyone.”

“It was in the evening after work,” Gunny snapped back, her voice tinged with unintended resentment. “You hit me so hard I fell flat on my face. My ankle twisted so badly I could barely walk. I don’t know where you were rushing to, but you didn’t even have the heart to look back at the person you knocked down.”

Kawin raised an eyebrow at her pale face, which was now flushed with anger. Her large, sparkling eyes glared at him without the fear she had shown earlier. The man began to piece the events together... Friday evening, the emergency call about his father’s illness, the frantic run through the crowd to suddenly assume the CEO position. Yes... he remembered feeling like he had collided with something, but his mind had been focused on only one thing at the time.

“Ah...” he murmured softly.

“But then again,” Gunny lowered her voice, a hint of self-deprecation creeping in, “I’m just a small-time employee. I know that an apology from a CEO of your level is probably an impossibility.”

“I’m sorry.”

The apology came out of Kawin’s mouth quickly and firmly, making the quiet room feel as if time had momentarily stopped. Gunny sat with her mouth slightly open, blinking in disbelief.

“I was in a terrible hurry last Friday. It was a dire emergency that caused me to be so rude and unintentionally hurt you,” he admitted his fault without hesitation. His eyes, which had looked mischievous, transformed into an expression of genuine sincerity. “I’m glad I met you today... so I finally have the chance to apologize officially.”

Gunny was stunned for a long moment. The resentment that had been smoldering in her chest vanished almost entirely, replaced by a massive wave of guilt for the revenge plan she and her friend had concocted.

Kawin tilted his head slightly, locking eyes with her. “I’m not just apologizing out of social etiquette. I am apologizing from the heart... I’m sorry I caused you pain.” With that, he lowered his head slightly—an act of accountability that few high-level executives would ever show to a lower-level subordinate.

“I... I have to apologize on behalf of my friend too,” Gunny stammered, her voice shaking with guilt. “For acting so impulsively and causing you such embarrassment and loss of dignity.”

She felt she had completely misjudged this man. At the very least, he wasn’t a power-tripping tyrant who overlooked what was right. This unexpected apology proved he had no small measure of gentlemanly character.

“But about what was done to me... I’m still a bit sore about that,” Kawin said, knitting his brows in a playful scowl. “I’m quite annoyed with your friend... tell her that I won’t let this go easily.”

Gunny immediately jumped to her friend’s defense. “CEO Kawin, please don’t take it out on her! If you want to be angry... take it out on me instead. Just one thing... please don’t fire me,” she pleaded softly.

Kawin let out a long sigh before pointing his finger at her. That mischievous smirk returned to his handsome face. “Fine. Then I’ll take it out on you instead... Are you ready to make amends?”

“Make amends?” she repeated warily.

“Yes. I apologized to you, so we’re even on the accident. But what your friend did to me, I don’t consider that even yet. Therefore, you have to take responsibility as the cause of it all.” Kawin stood up slowly, walking around his large desk to stand behind her chair.

“And what do you want me to do?” Gunny asked tentatively, her heart beginning to race.

Kawin leaned down slightly until he could catch a faint scent of her perfume. “I haven’t thought of how to get my revenge yet... but you have to promise first that if I need anything, you will follow my instructions as an exchange.” He moved his face closer until Gunny had to quickly push her chair back.

Is this like those soapy novels where I have to trade my body for survival? The wild thought flashed through the accountant’s mind.

“Except... anything involving being your ‘plus-one’ or... anything physical,” Gunny blurted out, her face flushing crimson down to her neck.

Kawin froze for a second before bursting into uncontrollable laughter. He laughed until his shoulders shook, scanning her from head to toe once more with a discerning look. “There will certainly be none of that, Ms. Kannaranee. I don’t make a habit of dating employees in my own company—it ruins the chain of command.”

He exhaled amusedly, wondering how she could have jumped to such a conclusion. His ‘type’ was models or actresses, not an office girl with a porcelain-doll look like her.

“And most importantly... you aren’t my type at all. You can rest easy.”

Gunny let out a massive sigh of relief, though a small part of her felt a tiny bit slighted by his “not my type” comment. “Then, whenever you think of it, just let me know. I’m willing to take responsibility.”

“You can go back to work now. Mrs.Chulee is probably worried sick that her prized subordinate has been gone this long,” Kawin dismissed her, returning to his seat. Gunny stood up and bowed quickly.

“Thank you for the opportunity, CEO Kawin. I’ll take my leave.” She gave him a vibrant smile for the first time before rushing out of the office.

As soon as the door closed, Kawin’s playful smile faded. Tension returned to his face. He picked up Gunny’s file again, his eyes focusing on her outstanding evaluation scores and flawless work history.

Wonder Package was currently filled with hidden undercurrents. His father had become mentally unstable under suspicious circumstances, and he couldn’t trust anyone on the board of directors. To find the truth buried in thousands of accounting documents, he needed someone clean and brilliant to assist him.

And Kannaranee was the missing puzzle piece he had been looking for.

Without wasting a second, he dialed the internal line to the Accounting Department. “Mrs. Chulee... this is Kawin. I have something important to discuss. Please come to my office immediately.”