THE NIGHT WE RUINED EVERYTHING

Chapter3

Chapter 3

As Ariana walked out of Vale Corporation, everything Damien had said echoed repeatedly inside her head.

_Your class can’t afford chairs like that. You need training._

She pulled off her heels angrily and held them in her left hand while walking down the empty sidewalk. Her feet hurt badly, but the pain in her chest hurt more.

The city lights blurred through her tears. Ariana looked up at the dark sky like she had completely lost hope. Sometimes it felt as though the world enjoyed watching her struggle.

First her father left. Then they lost their home. Now she had to deal with Damien Vale.

The moment she sighed heavily, rain suddenly started pouring from the sky.

“Perfect,” she whispered bitterly. She quickly covered her head with her bag and rushed toward the road.

A taxi finally stopped beside her after several minutes. The driver rolled down his window slightly.

“Where to?”

Ariana gave him the address quietly before getting inside. The ride home felt silent and heavy. She stared outside the window while rain slid across the glass. Her reflection looked exhausted.

She hated crying. Especially over someone like Damien.

A few minutes later, the taxi stopped in front of the small apartment building she shared with her mother.

Ariana stepped out slowly and walked toward the door. She knocked weakly.

Almost immediately, the door opened. Her mother stood there wearing a simple sweater, concern instantly filling her face the moment she saw Ariana’s tears.

“Ariana?”

That was all it took.

Ariana immediately hugged her tightly and burst into tears again.

“Mom,” she cried softly, “I’m not sure if I can do this.” Her voice trembled painfully.

Her mother gently rubbed her back.

“My child,” she said softly, “It’s only your first day. I know how difficult it must have been for you, but don’t worry. Everything will be fine. Just stay strong.”

Ariana pulled back slightly and wiped her eyes.

“But Mom,” she whispered sadly, “you always say everything will be fine… but nothing ever changes.”

Her mother’s expression fell for a second. Pain flashed through her eyes, but she still smiled gently.

“I know, my child,” she said quietly. “But if we stop believing things can get better, then what do we have left?”

Ariana stayed silent.

“Come inside,” her mother continued softly. “I already made dinner.”

The smell of food filled the tiny apartment the moment Ariana entered. It wasn’t much — just fried rice — but after the horrible day she had, it felt comforting.

For the rest of the evening, Ariana tried not to think about Damien Vale.

Unfortunately, it was impossible.

---

The next morning, Ariana woke up at exactly 6:00 AM. She forced herself out of bed despite barely sleeping during the night. Her body still felt exhausted, but she couldn’t afford to be late. Not again.

She quickly got dressed, tied her curls neatly, and ate breakfast with her mother before packing her lunch. By 6:10 AM, she was already at the bus stop waiting for the city bus.

The cold morning wind brushed against her skin while she replayed yesterday’s humiliation in her mind.

_Today would be different. It had to be._

At exactly 6:52 AM, Ariana arrived at Vale Corporation.

The building looked strangely quiet that early in the morning. Most office lights were still off, and the massive hallways echoed beneath her heels as she walked toward Damien’s office.

She stopped outside the large black doors and knocked once.

“Come in.”

His deep voice immediately irritated her. Ariana pushed the door open slowly.

Damien sat behind his desk wearing a black-and-silver shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He looked focused on his laptop, barely acknowledging her presence.

He didn’t even look up immediately.

“You’re late,” he said calmly.

Ariana blinked in disbelief.

“It’s 6:54.”

“Exactly,” he said. He finally raised his eyes toward her. “Which means you should’ve been here by 6:45.”

Her jaw tightened instantly.

“You told me seven.”

“I changed my mind.”

“Of course you did,” she muttered under her breath.

Damien slowly leaned back in his chair.

“Excuse me?” he asked coldly.

Ariana crossed her arms.

“Nothing.”

“For going against my wishes,” Damien continued smoothly, “you deserve punishment.”

He stood up and walked toward her slowly. Ariana hated how intimidating he looked up close. He stopped directly in front of her and leaned slightly against the desk with folded arms.

“We have a presentation today at 9:00 AM,” he said. “And you’ll be presenting it in front of the executives.”

Ariana’s eyes widened instantly.

“What?”

“The new project discussion from last week,” he continued calmly. “You’ll handle it.”

Her mouth fell open.

“What presentation? What project? You never told me any of this yesterday!”

“This,” Damien said with a smirk, “is what you get for challenging me.”

Ariana glared at him immediately.

“I know what you’re trying to do,” she snapped. “But it won’t work.”

For a second, Damien’s expression changed. More serious. Almost interested. As if nobody had challenged him before.

Without breaking eye contact, he walked back behind his desk and pulled out a large pile of files.

“I want all of these signed and checked,” he said.

Ariana stared at the pile in shock.

“That’s too much,” she protested. “I can’t finish all this.”

“And I need it immediately after the presentation,” Damien added coldly.

“Now pick them up and leave my office.”

Ariana clenched her fists tightly. Deep down, she knew exactly what he was doing. He wanted her to fail. He wanted her overwhelmed enough to quit.

But she refused to give him that satisfaction.

Without another word, Ariana carried the heavy files back to her desk. She immediately set a timer and began reviewing every document carefully.

Soon, other employees started arriving. Some minded their business. Others stared openly. Ariana could hear whispers floating around the office.

“What did she do this time?”

“I heard Damien personally call her into his office.”

“She’s definitely getting fired soon.”

But Ariana ignored all of them. She stayed focused on her work.

Minutes passed quickly. Then suddenly, her timer rang loudly.

Ariana’s eyes widened. “The presentation.”

Panic immediately rushed through her body. She quickly grabbed the presentation files and hurried toward the conference room while trying to remember what to say.

Inside the elevator, she suddenly remembered something: the presentation recording. Last week, she had secretly recorded one of the company meetings for study purposes. Quickly, she played the audio through one earpiece while memorizing important points.

By the time the elevator doors opened, her heartbeat was racing.

Ariana walked boldly into the conference room. Damien immediately looked up at her.

“We shall now begin the presentation,” he announced coldly.

“Miss Ariana, do the honors.”

Every eye turned toward her. Ariana slowly stood up. Her hands trembled slightly, but she forced herself to stay calm.

She took a deep breath. Then another. And finally, she began speaking.

At first her voice sounded nervous, but slowly her confidence grew stronger. Every time Damien interrupted her with difficult questions, she answered carefully without backing down.

The presentation lasted almost an hour. And somehow, she survived it.

The moment she finished speaking, applause filled the room. Ariana blinked in shock. She actually did it.

Several executives walked over afterward to congratulate her.

“That was impressive.”

“You handled pressure very well.”

“Excellent work.”

For the first time since arriving at Vale Corporation, Ariana felt proud of herself.

Eventually, everyone left the conference room until only she and Damien remained. He stared at her quietly for a moment.

“You did great back there,” he admitted calmly.

Ariana looked surprised. But she said nothing. Instead, she simply gathered her things and walked out of the room.

Later that afternoon, she sent a coworker to deliver the completed files to Damien’s office. When Damien checked them, he realized everything was perfectly organized. No mistakes. That amused him more than he expected.

A few minutes later, Ariana overheard two employees whispering nearby.

“Did you hear? Damien Vale has never kept an intern longer than a month.”

“Yeah,” another replied. “He destroys all of them.”

Ariana tightened her grip on her mouse.

_Good. Because she had no intention of being easy to destroy._

---

That evening, Ariana stayed late fixing documents alone while heavy rain crashed outside the windows.

Then suddenly, the office lights went out.

Darkness swallowed the room instantly. Ariana froze. Her breathing quickened slightly. She hated darkness. Always had. The storm outside only made it worse.

Then suddenly, a flashlight appeared nearby. Damien walked toward her quietly. But this time, surprisingly, there was no cruelty in his voice.

“Relax,” he said calmly. “The generator takes a minute.”

Ariana looked at him suspiciously but stayed silent.

Then she noticed his attention shift downward briefly. Confused, she looked down too. The strap of her bra had slipped slightly beneath her blouse. Her face instantly burned with embarrassment. Quickly, she adjusted it and grabbed her bag.

Without saying a word, she hurried toward the exit. She felt disgusted by the entire situation.

Behind her, Damien watched quietly as she left. Then his flashlight landed on something sitting near the desk — a handkerchief.

Her handkerchief.

Damien bent down slowly, picked it up, and stared at it for a moment before slipping it into his pocket.

Then he walked away without looking back.