IN LOVE WITH MY STINGY BILLIONAIRE CEO

CHAPTER THREE

Jeff eyes moved past the table, sharp

and paused, but they didn't stop on faces.

He didn't recognize people that way. Never had.

Face blindness was a weakness he'd

buried under years of control, memory, and habit. In a room like this, one slip would give the board exactly what they needed to take him down. So he read posture, voice, the way people sat. Anything but faces.

Jeff gaze slid past the executives,

past interns lined up against the wall until something else hit him.

A smell.

Familiar, faintly cutting through the sterile

air of cologne and coffee. It didn't

belong to his staff, but he knew it,

but couldn't remember.

Nikki looked at his face. The

way she stood. The angle of his shoulders, the slight, impatient shift of weight from one foot to the other.

when he was holding hisself back.

familiar.

Too familiar.

Nikki gaze dropped to his mouth for

a second, then moved on.

Jeff's eyes locked on Nikki. Not because

he'd finally seen her face, but his

body remembered her before his

brain could.

"Who responsible for the $150 charge?"

The words came out low, even

controlled.No sign that his

hands were trembling as he grabbed the iv pole,out of sight.

One assistant muttered under his breath,

"Sir." "it's the intern. Miss Nikki."

Jeff's eyes didn't blink. He let the silence stretch until it was uncomfortable.

"Stand up." "To my office."

The office door closed with a

soft final click.

Jeff didn't sit. He stood behind his desk like it was a barricade.

One hand braced on the edge to hide

the faint tremor of his fingers. The

iv pole was gone, abandoned in the

corner of his office. Now it was him

and her and the silence that pressed

between them.

"You," Jeff said, no preamble. "Why did you spend $150?"

Nikki arms crossed before she replied.

She was doing it. "Because I need to."

"The policy is clear. $50 per item, no exceptions without approval." His voice flat, controlled like if he let it waver for a second, the whole thing would crack.

"Did you not read it?"

"I didn't know," nikki said, and the defensiveness was already creeping into her voice.

Jeff eye flicked to her mouth, to the way

her jaw set. He didn't recognize the face.

He never did. But her stance, her scent

"you didn't know, now you do.

The amount will be deducted from your salary."

"That's not fair," Nikki stepped forward, and he caught the shift in her stance -

chin up, shoulders back.

Familiar.

Too familiar.

"You can't just decide I didn't know

a rule I didn't see."

"I can," jeff said simply. "

"then am reporting you to the employee

committee. Let's see what they will

do about you taking money from

people without them knowing."

For a second, nothing moved. Then

he gave a short, humourless nod toward the door.

"Go."

Nikki didn't wait, her words stopped. She turned and walked out, her heels sharp

against the floor.

An hour later

The room was too quiet. light wood,

glass tables. Six fancy chair. No frills. One wall had a Cork board with pinned HR policies and a calendar. The air smelled faintly of coffee and printer paper. Professional, calm and the kind of room where you came to sort out workplace issues without feeling like you were on trial.

Nikki sat at the end, hands flat

on the table.

"So you're saying Mr Jeff told you he going to deduct $150 from your salary" said Mrs Dan, the committee head, glancing from her notes. "For a policy breach you didn't know about?"

"Yes," Nikki said. Voice tight. "He didn't

deduct it yet. He said he wants to.

That it will come out of my salary. For

something that wasn't in the handbook I got."

A man across from her shifted in his

chair.

"And you were in his office alone arguing this?"

Mrs Dan down set her pen down.

"Miss, do you know who Mr Jeff is?"

Nikki frowned "He is the CEO"

"I mean who he is," the man said

quietly. "He built this company

after the 21 crash. The board doesn't

overrule him unless it's legal issue.

An unauthorized deduction isn't

be one until he actually does it."

Nikki sat back, frustrated, tightened

her chest .

"So until he actually takes the

money there is nothing you can do.

Mrs Dan continued "We'll note your

complaint. But my advice: Don't escalate

this .

Nikki stood fine, chair scraping softly,

"fine. Let him try it."

As Nikki walks out,

She caught Mrs Dan and the man

mouth to mouth muttering beside her.

The apartment was quiet except for the sound of her sister voice on the couch.

"You are kidding me," her sister said,

sitting up arms crossed. "He said he's going to take $150 from your salary and

the Committee just told you to wait and see?

Pretty much," Nikki kicked off her heels and dropped onto floor, back against the

couch. "They’re scared of him. Said he

rebuilt company, board doesn't overrule

him, like that,make it easy."

Her sister passed her a glass of water.

She took the glass, fingers cold around it.

Her sister watched her for a second,

then said, "but You keep making that face. Like you've seen him before."

Nikki frowned. "I think I have, he looks familiar"

"Where?"

"That face thing," Nikki shook her head

frustrated. "It feels familiar, like

I should know him. But I can't

recall where I've seen him before."

Her sister blinked "Wait you know you

know the CEO?"

"No," Nikki drank her water too fast.

"I don't know him. I think I know

someone who moves like him, talks like

him, stands like him." She set the

glass down hard.

"But the face? Nothing. Like it's brain refuses to connect it."

Her sister went quiet, then muttered

"That's creepy."

Nikki laughed.

"So what are going to do now? Just

let him?" Her sister said.

Nikki stared at the ceiling. "No, but

I can't go to HR again, and I can't confront him directly. He'll just shut it down."

A slow sharp smile touched her

mouth.

"But there are other ways to make

a point."

Her sister raised an eyebrow.

"What are you thinking?"

"Nothing illegal," Nikki sat up, eyes sharp.

"Just visible something he can't ignore

but can't prove was me."

Her sister groaned. "You are going to

get yourself fired."

"Not if I'm smart."

The next morning, the front of company

building was still quiet, only a few

staff trickling in. Nikki stood across

the street, hoodie up, holding a small

rolled banner under her arm like it

was nothing.

It was simple: white fabric, white

letters

Rules apply to every one - Even the CEO

Nikki strung it hesitantly, cheap pencil

quick trick to the low fence out

front where everyone walking in

could see it. Not defamation. Not

illegal, just enough sting.

She stepped back due by the angle

perfectly.

It was 7:42 AM. The front of the

building had that polished, early-morning

bleached look: polished stone steps,

steel glass doors, the company logo

catching the light like it was supposed to

mean something. Workers trickled

in, coffee in hand, heads down.

Then one of them saw it.

Laughter, broke out first, quiet,

surprised.

Then louder.

People stopped to read it, some snapping photos, some nudging coworkers.

The whole entrance had that buzz of a secret everyone was in on except one

person.

"NIKKI," she stood among them

walking past, as she smirked,a cup of coffee was held to her face as she watched.

Then Jeff appeared.

walking in ,on foot like most staff

Through the same main gate, his was

coat was simple, but his posture made

it look intentional - shoulders back, stride measured, like the building itself straightened when he entered.

He saw the banner immediately.

The laugh died.

People scattered, pretending they'd been

late for something else.

Jeff didn't shout. He didn't need to.

His jaw tightened. Eyes narrowed as

he read the words again. Slow

deliberate.

He knew

Not who did it, but what it meant

And who it was aimed at.

He stepped forward, grabbed the

edge of the banner and ripped it down

in one sharp pull. The fabric

tore with a sound and that cut

through the quiet.

Among the crowd, Nikki smiled.

Jeff stood there for a beat, hands still

clenched around the torn

fabric. He turned, walking back into the

building, leaving the fabric with his

secretary. "Tells him to take up a

case and round up everyone involved,

in front of everyone. The crowd froze realizing.They are in trouble.

AFTER WORK

People were logging off, packing bags.

talking in low voices near the exit.

Nikki was folding up her laptop cable

when two of the other staff members stopped by her desk.

"Are you going to the intern dinner

tonight?" one asked. Casual.

Nikki blinked. "The intern welcome

dinner? I thought it was optional."

The second staff member smiled but

didn't give her a straight answer -

"Some people are going... some aren't.

"Yeah," The first one said quickly, "You will see who shows up when you get there."

Nikki frowned. "So are you going?"

"Nah, I've got something else," The

second one said.

"Same," The first one added. "We catch you tomorrow."

Then Nikki's phone buzzed.

Attendance At the intern welcome dinner,

is Mandatory for all staff.

Non attendance will result in a deduction

from Salary.

The two staff members said at

once, "Oh! he made it mandatory now."

"Of course he did," The second one said

under her breath. "Can't get people

to come willingly, so he threatens salary."

The floor went quiet, for a second. People who'd been heading out paused, checked their phones, groaned quietly.

Nikki stared at her message

"Wait... he will actually deduct from

her salary if we don't go?"

The first staff member just shrugged

and picked up her bag. "Guess we

are going now."

The room was full but dead quiet.

Staff sat in small groups, menus in

front of them, untouched. No one was

ordering. No one laughing. Drinks sat

half-full from water refills.

It wasn't awkwardness.

It was strategy.

Everyone knew the rule: if you ordered,

you pay for it. He'd made that clear last year when he "hosted" a team lunch and

expensed zero dollar.

The staff had been paying out of pocket ever since. So they waited - hoping he'd come early. Happy "Mandatory"

Show Your face 10 minutes and go.

Jeff walked in ten minutes late, shirt

sleeves rolled up, no jacket, didn't

greet anyone, just scanned the tables.

"Drinks haven't been ordered."

His eyes narrowed. "This is mandatory.

Act like it."

Still no one moved - they knew the

game. If he wanted dinner, he could

buy it.

Nikki sat for two minutes, watching

the stale mate. She'd missed the memo.

Her phone already out - she thought

they were waiting for someone to

start the order.

Fine. So she did.

Five bottles of drinks, one chicken dish.

She had seated before she thought about it.

The room went silent.

Waiters paused mid step.

Staff turned slowly, like they were

watching a car crash in real time.

Even the Jeff stopped mid-conversation

and looked at her table.