30 REASONS NOT TO FALL IN LOVE WITH MR ARROGANT

Do you want to know the irony of my life?  Back when I was in high school, I was a big time nerd. I was so focused on achieving my dreams by becoming a designer for a big company than having fun in my teenage days. I never had much friends or boyfriends because I felt I like they will be nothing more than a distraction to me. I never went to parties, I never had many friends and I mostly kept to myself, studying hard to achieve greatness in the future. I plan to achieve my dreams and after that, I would catch up to all the fun I missed out in highschool. But of course, that was the biggest irony of my life. I achieved my dreams alright. I got a good job at the biggest company in the country. DD jewelry company. That was the company I've always dreamed of working at ever since I was in highschool. I wanted to be a designer and I felt that there is no place good enough for me to express my skills and passion.  But the fun I planned to have was so far away cause I never expected my job to be so stressful and frustrating. Sometimes I didn't even have time for myself, working hard all day and all night with not a single moment of rest. I do love my job but what I hate about it is the president, Pedro Salvador; a multi billionaire who was so arrogant and full of himself to the extent that every single employee in the company was fed up of him and that includes me. Pedro was never satisfied with any designs that was brought up by the designing team. He was always ready to point out flaws on the items we had presented to him for our December collection. We had to work overnight cause Pedro decided that our last designs weren't enough and we had to come up with new designs on a very short deadline, and for that reason, the designing team had to be extra busy for the entire week. Our manager was so bent on finishing before the deadline so he wouldn't fall into the president's wrath. Therefore he pushed us to worker harder, keeping us at work even after working hours. The last couple of weeks have been really stressful for me and I hoped that Pedro Salvador would finally accept what we presented. We were going to present our new found design to him today and last night, I could tell everyone was nervous especially our team manager. He would be the one to receive the scolds and insults directly from the almighty Pedro Salvador if anything went wrong. We had all been required to be at the company as early as possible because we would be a part of the meeting where the new designs will be presented. Last night was hell for me. I was on my computer at the office all day and we only left the company almost at midnight. Last night drained every single dose of my energy and it took a whole twenty minutes before I could barely drag myself out of bed. "another day of hell!" I mumbled to myself as I dragged my worn body to the bathroom. I lived in a fancy apartment thanks to my paycheck. I lived on the twentieth floor and the view was magnificent. Every morning, I usually watch the sun rise from my balcony and every evening I watched it retire for the day. It was a beautiful sight and it made me extremely happy that I had chosen this apartment. But today I didn't have the time to watch the sun rise cause I was too tired to wake up as early as I used to. All thanks to the company president Pedro f*****g Salvador. Thinking back to him, I've never really seen him up close. It has always been from afar, either when he walks into the company like some majestic king or when our company was having a party, but the stories I've heard about him was terrific and also the fact that our team manager almost always has tears in his eyes after returning from Pedro's office or a conference meeting with the president. Every single thing I've heard about Pedro Salvador was no good and his actions proved it. I mean we had to work until mid night because of his constant disapproval and that pretty much proves what an insatiable psychopathic inconsiderate asshole he really is. I didn't know much about Pedro Salvador but I already hated him!  I had already got dressed in my white button up shirt and black pencil skirt when my phone vibrated on my make up table. I halted from applying make up on my face and answered the call, putting it on loud speaker so I could continue what I was doing. "Hello?" "What the hell Aline, why aren't you here yet?" I rolled my eyes at my friend and colleague's exaggerated panicked tone. She had been so worked up since yesterday about the meeting and I knew her worry hasn't subside even now. "Morning to you too Mari" I said in a sacastic tone rolling my eyes at her even though she couldn't see me. "This is no time for pleasantries Aline. Have you forgotten that today is the d-day?" I rolled my eyes again when she whispered the last sentence. She made it seem like we were going to get executed today even though we were just going to come face to face with President Pedro Salvador. Even his name sounds evil. Anyway I was already used to Mari's dramatic attitude, so I didn't complain. "I know what day it is Mari. I'll be there soon" "Then hurry up lady it's almost eight already" I looked behind me at the wall clock and sighed loudly when I realize that seven had just barely passed "its just a little after seven Mari" "It doesn't matter, be here quickly. We're dealing with the president and you don't want to get on his bad side" Deciding not to argue, I gave in. After all one can never win an argument with Maria Fernando.  "I'll be there soon" I hung up and finished up my make up. I grabbed my car keys and purse and soon I was driving away from my apartment building to my work place which I would also like to call hell. ~O~ "About time!" Mari said loudly as she saw me walking into the office. She was standing beside Bibiana's desk. Bibiana is a short woman in her early twenties with messy brown hair and huge glasses. "I'm not late!" I defended catching the accusation beneath Mari's words. I sat on my desk right besides Bibiana's and gave her a friendly smile. "Good morning Bibi" Bibiana return my smile "good morning, although my morning isn't really good. I mean we'll be coming face to face with Mr Salvador" she fidgeted with her hands "to be honest that scares me" "I know right" Mari agreed shivering dramatically "what if he gets so mad and fires one of us, or worst all of us" Bibi gasp taking in her words and I could do nothing but roll my eyes. Mari is always so extra. "We are not getting fired Mari. Be a little optimistic. We worked hard to come up with this design and I don't see any reason why he won't like it" Bibi seem unsure and Mari expression showed that my words did nothing to assure her. "But he had already rejected ten designs in two months," Bibi moaned in worry anxiously fixing her huge glasses "what makes this one different?" I smiled at the young woman to assure her "just believe in your hard work Bibi. This is going to work out" "Stop giving her fake promises Aline, we all know that, it is close to impossible as long as Mr Salvador is involved" I turned and glared at Mari "shut up Maria! Stop spreading bad energy in this. There's power in the tongue you know" She rolled her eyes unconvinced. "Maybe Aline is right" Bibi agreed finally managing a small relaxed smile "we should be optimistic about this. Who knows what would happen?" "That's the spirit girl" Mari clicked her tongue "well I'm not sure about that but I'll roll with it for now" I rolled my eyes while Bibi laughed. "Hey ladies" Gabriel Marko, another one of our colleague greeted us with a smile as he joined in our small trio. Mari immediately put a smile on her face as he approached and I knew why. For the longest time, Mari had a crush on Gabe and I could see that he does too but each were to shy to confess their feelings. I don't blame Gabe for holden back though, Mari can be slightly insane when it comes to things like dating. In fact she is pretty insane when it comes to everything. Everyone who knew her refers to her as the design team's drama queen. "Hi Gabe" we all chorused in greeting. He smiled his usual friendly smile. Straight white teeth on display, delighted brown eyes and expertly styled brown hair. There is no denying the amount of ladies chasing after him on daily bases, but Gabe was a gentleman, he was far from being a player. "Mr Valdez ask that we all present ourselves at the conference hall. The meeting is about to start" "Damn! its happening" Mari whispered in a worried tone and Bibi's face went pale like a water ghost. "God I feel sick already" she mumbled slapping her palm to cover her mouth to prove her point. "I don't think we have anything to worry about," Gabe assured still keeping the friendly smile on his face "after all we worked hard for this" Finally here was someone who agrees with me. "I've been trying to tell them that for a while now, but they won't listen" Mari glared at me "I mean who wouldn't. Mr Valdez is usually the only one who needs to make an appearance at the conference hall during the presentation but this time he asked every single person in the design team to make an appearance. I smell something bad here" "She's right you know" Bibi agreed, her face getting pale with each words. "It doesn't mean anything" I stood up refusing to agree with them "stop putting thoughts in Bibi's head and let's go get this s**t done" I said to Mari. Bibi stood up and Gabe patted her back to ease her up a bit. We made our way out of our department to the conference hall which was at the tenth floor of the building. In the elevator, Bibi kept murmuring 'oh God help us' under her breath several times and one would think that we were criminals on our way to being sentenced. My last two colleagues in the department Ana and Carlos were already standing beside the door to the conference hall.  Carlos a light skinned man with brown eyes and long black hair seem as nervous as the rest of us but as usual, Ana seem giddy and almost excited. She was the youngest in the group and always a little too jumpy. "You guys made it" she screech happily seeming as happy as a five year old high on sugar. "You seem excited" Mari stated the obvious, obviously irritated by the younger girl's energetic actions. "Of course I am!" Ana snap with a smile like she expected Mari to know the reason for her excitement "today we'll get to see Mr Salvador up close. I heard he's undeniably hot!" "Seriously! That's what you're thinking about?" Mari was annoyed at Ana. They have never really liked each other and their reasons was clear to everyone. While Ana is always happy, excited and jumpy, Mari on the other hand was always grumpy, many people find her scary. "Should I be thinking about something else?" Ana asked innocently and Mari looked away in annoyance. Gabe laugh to ease the tension "alright can we all go in now. Mr Valdez must be waiting" Carlos pulled open the door to the conference room and he allowed us to go in first before coming after beside Gabe. Our manager Mr Valdez was standing close to the huge screen and many of the company directors were already seated around in the empty chairs waiting for the presentation to start. I notice that the head chair was empty which means Mr Salvador was yet to make an appearance. "It seems like Mr Salvador isn't here yet" Mari voiced out my thoughts in a whisper as we joined our manager. "You guys are here" mr Valdez nervously address us as we walked towards him to stand in front to everyone else. Mr Valdez was a man in his early forties. His tired blue eyes reflected just how worn and anxious he was about the entire thing. I felt sorry for him because Mr Salvador had been really giving him a hard time over the months. He even looked older than he actually was. "Sir are you okay?" Bibi asked truly concerned about the man. He looks like he was about to fall sick any second. "I'm fine" he assured with a warm smile in Bibi's direction "I'll get through this. We all will" We all nodded in agreement "just know we are here to support you sir" I added to ease his worries even a little. His smile moved to me and he nodded "you all don't have to worry. After our design is approved I'll take you all to dinner to compensate you on your hard work" We all nodded with a smile not quite sure about his promise. Soon the doors to the conference room flew open in a dramatic way and a tall well built man walked in. I heard Ana, Bibi and Mari gasp beside me and I myself was holding back from releasing a gasp. The man before us was a Greek god and I knew my colleagues agreed with me at the way they were all looking at him. He was dressed in thick black suit that hugged his muscular figure perfectly. His black hair was neatly arranged and a few strands were long enough to reach his eyes. His green eyes were cold and intruiging and his face had a permanent scowl on it. The room fell into a tense silence as the man walked forward. His shoes were the only sound that could be heard in the room as well as the shoes of the man walking behind him. Everyone stood up in greeting and only sat when the young man had settled at the head of the table. My eyes widen in realization at who the man is. Pedro Salvador. I had always caught a glimpse of him from afar but never seeing his full face. Sometimes I only got to see the side of his face and most times the back of his head, and now seeing his full face, I agreed with all those ladies who said he was devilishly handsome. I mean they didn't even exaggerate. "Shall we begin" His voice boomed through the entire room sending shivers down my spine. His voice was smooth and lovely just like his face. I realize that this man could really drive every woman crazy if need be. The lights went off and the huge screen turned on. Mr Valdez heaved one last encouraging sigh before approaching the screen. He pressed a button on the remote controller and the picture of our new jewelry design filled up the screen. Pride filled me as I stared at our hard work being put on display, but that pride would swell deeper if it is approved. "Good morning everyone" Mr Valdez greeted with confidence radiating from his figure and a serious expression on his face "I want to present to you the designs for our new collection" Mr Valdez went on with his presentation, talking about the design, its importance, how it would attract more customers and many other things which I was barely paying attention to. My eyes were fixed on Pedro Salvador. His cold eyes remain steely as he watched and listen to everything Mr Valdez was saying. Sometimes he flipped through the written documents in front of him to know more about the product but not once did an approved or impressed look cross his features. The room was dark but the light from the screen reflected on his face and I could see him clearly. He looked as cold as an unmoving ice statue. Almost an hour later, Mr Valdez was through with his presentation and I couldn't be more proud of our team manager. Not once did he stutter or quiver in fear. He kept his composture straight and his eyes serious. I could tell that even the rest of my colleague were proud of him. The lights came back on and everyone watched Mr Salvador with scared and anxious faces. Neither one of the directors made any comment like they were waiting for Mr Salvador to speak first and I could see that the confidence had worn off Mr Valdez's composture. He was now shaking slightly waiting for his judgment. My colleagues and I waited as well with beated breath. Everyone was anxious of his decision. He flipping through the papers a while longer and stared at our team manager with cold green eyes. "Is that all?" His voice sounded so unimpressed and rude. Mr Valdez's face fell and I could almost see him fighting back tears "sir I..." "I gave you two long weeks and this is all you could come up with" he cut him off rudely, his voice cold and calm yet deadly. "Sir we did our best" "This is your best!" He raised his voice and everyone flinch in terror "if this is your best, then I wonder what your worst is!" In rage he flung the papers on the floor and everyone let out a gasp. I could already hear Bibiana sobbing beside me. Mr Valdez heaved a shaky sigh "sir please give us one more chance" "More chances, that is what you always ask for. Accept once and for all that you and your team are incompetent and stop giving excuses for your failures" Rage suddenly overcame me. Who the hell does he think he is?! How dare he refer to our team manager and our team as incompetent?! does he know how much we worked hard just to come up with the designs?! How much more designs does he want us to come up with just so we could please him? I was angry and fed up. Our team leader had worked so hard for this job, we all have. Every single design we made was rejected even though they were perfect. What gives him the right to insult our team. Fed up with his insults at our manager, I didn't even realize when my mouth betrayed me "with all due respect sir," everyone turn to me at the sound of my voice "what is so wrong about the designs?" A hot burning silence filled the room. Pedro's cold eyes fell on me and his gaze held one of stone. The intensity almost made me back down but I wasn't giving up yet. He had no right! "Are you questioning me right now?!" His tone was hard and held an obvious challenge underneath. "You said the designs are not to your satisfaction, it is only right that you give us a reason"  Everyone gasp. Our team manager gave me a pleading look silently begging me to back down. My team mates stared at me like I suddenly grown two toes on my eyebrow.  He scoff in anger "who do you think you are to say that to me? I make the decisions here! This is my company, anything I say stands and you have no right to question it" "Not when it has to do with our hard work!" I snap. "Aline!" Mari scolded in a whisper trying to stop my outburst, but I wouldn't stop. This arrogant prick will tell me why he rejected our design yet again and I don't care if I have to lose my job because of it. "S_Sir she doesn't mean that. She's still..." "No!" Pedro cut him off with a hard voice, his eyes not leaving mine "you want to know why I keep rejecting your designs. First of all the materials used are not satisfying and unattractive, the jewelries will drive off our customers at the very first try. My company is not cheap and your designs says the opposite" I narrowed my eyes, angered at his explanation. They were all lies "with all due respect sir, you're wrong" I moved to stand beside Mr Valdez who seem about ready to s**t himself. I faced Mr Salvador squarely and his eyes followed my every move "we did a good number of marketing research before we made our designs. We didn't just wake up one morning and decide to do it. Our work was based on the number of people who are currently purchasing similar designs on the market. You saying that you don't want your company to seem cheap is ridiculous because every single person in the country knows that every jewelry from DD is expensive. so I'm sorry to say sir, your reason is not good enough" Silence fell again and I could see Mr Salvador's left eyes twitching. "You think I'm wrong about my decision?!" "No Sir" I answered and felt Mr Valdez sigh in relief, until I said my next words "I am saying you are wrong" Gasp filled the room again and this time I knew I had gone too far. Mr Salvador's expression was clouded with rage and he looked ready to explode at any second. I mentally said goodbye to my job. "Is that so!" His voice was calm but it was clear that he was holding back "I don't care what you said, my decision remains the same. I will not aceppt this trash as a design for my new collection and I'm also taking your team off the job" Mr Valdez shoulders slump in disappointment and so was I and my team members. "Someone else will take care of the job" this time a cruel smirk graze his lips "since you know more about my company and my products than I do, why don't you come up with new designs yourself" Mr Valdez's eyes lit up "sir are you putting us back on the job" "No" he answered, the smile remain on his lips "just her" my heart fell and I suddenly felt lightheaded. What the hell is he saying "you have five days to come up with a perfect design Miss..." He allowed the words to trail away not knowing my name and everyone else including me was too shocked to fill him in "if the designs for my new collection is not ready within five days, then be prepared to lose your job" He stood up sharply and glared at Mr Valdez "if I find out in anyway that you are trying to help her, I will make sure you all lose your job!"  He shot me a final glare before walking out of the conference room leaving a gwaking crowd behind him. My mind was running round in circles as I couldn't still make sense of what he just said. Did I just ruined my already messed up life?