Chapter 9: ：The New Boss

Time seemed to freeze for a second.

Then...

"Hahahaha!"

A sharp, piercing laugh shattered the silence.

Mia clutched her stomach, doubled over with laughter, tears practically streaming down her face.

She pointed at Caesar like she'd just heard the funniest joke of the century. "General manager? You? Are you brain-damaged? Did you get so into your little act that you actually believe it?"

She turned to the crowd of onlookers, raising her voice dramatically. "Did everyone hear that? This nobody who crawled out of God-knows-where just said he's our new PR department general manager! And he's going to fire me!"

A wave of suppressed laughter and whispers rippled through the crowd.

Mia's smile twisted into something uglier. Her gaze fell on the man's jacket draped over Vivian's shoulders, then shifted to Caesar standing protectively in front of her.

"Vivian, your taste in men is as terrible as ever. This time you brought a con artist to interview with you—is this some new kind of foreplay?"

She deliberately raised her voice, making sure everyone could hear, each word laced with venom.

"Look at him. Can he even satisfy you? Or have you been a single mom so long that you'll take any man who'll have you?"

Before the last syllable left her lips—

CRACK!

A sharp, resounding slap exploded through the lobby.

Time seemed to stop.

Caesar didn't even lower his hand. He simply stared coldly at Mia as she stumbled backward and collapsed to the floor, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. The entire lobby fell deathly silent. Everyone was frozen in shock at the sudden, decisive violence.

Here. In the Williams Group headquarters. On recruitment day. In front of dozens of witnesses.

A seemingly ordinary job applicant had just hit the general manager's secretary.

It took several seconds for Mia to process what had happened through the pain and dizziness.

She clutched her rapidly swelling cheek, her scream piercing the air. "You hit me?! You're dead! You're completely dead! Security! Where the hell is security?!"

In less than thirty seconds, three uniformed security guards came rushing over, led by Security Captain Philip Adams.

The moment Mia saw them, her arrogance skyrocketed.

She jabbed a finger toward Philip's nose. "What took you idiots so long?! Break this psycho's legs and throw him out on the street!"

Philip's brow furrowed.

He knew Mia well—she was Vice General Manager Brian Scott's mistress, and she strutted around the company like she owned the place.

She treated everyone with contempt, especially people she considered "beneath her." To her, security guards were nothing but "guard dogs."

He'd watched the entire confrontation unfold from a distance.

Mia had provoked this. Her words had been vicious.

Philip's gaze instinctively shifted to Caesar. Him!

Recognition flashed through Philip's mind.

Not long ago, while on duty at the front desk, he'd personally witnessed this man being escorted into the executive elevator—by Elizabeth's most trusted personal assistant. With utmost respect.

Someone who warranted a personal escort from the CEO's right hand...

Someone who would slap a senior executive's secretary without hesitation in the Williams Group headquarters...

Philip realized instantly: this man's identity was anything but ordinary.

This was an opportunity.

Philip took a deep breath.

He stepped forward, his voice steady and authoritative. "Everyone, remain calm. No one moves!"

Mia looked ready to explode. "Philip! You're just a guard dog—how dare you disobey me?!"

Philip straightened his spine, his voice firm and unwavering. "Ms. Mia Garcia, we are employed by the Williams Group. Our duty is to maintain company order—not serve as your personal thugs!"

It was the most backbone he'd shown in his six years on the job. The moment the words left his mouth, he felt a surge of heat rush to his head.

Caesar's gaze flickered toward Philip. The corner of his mouth curved into an almost imperceptible smile.

Mia trembled with rage, her swollen face making her look both ridiculous and terrifying. "Fine. Fine! All of you just wait!"

She pulled out her phone and quickly dialed a number. The instant it connected, her voice transformed into something sickeningly sweet and pitiful. "Baby... come to the PR department right away. Someone's bullying me... Mm-hmm. I'll wait for you."

She hung up and fixed Caesar and Philip with a look of pure venom. "The general manager will be here any second. Let's see how cocky you are then."

Vivian clutched Caesar's jacket tightly, her voice trembling. "I'm sorry, Mr. Montague. I dragged you into this..."

Caesar's expression remained calm, even faintly amused. He patted her hand reassuringly. "It's fine. I'm curious to meet this so-called general manager anyway."

"Heh heh. I'm just an old man—hardly worth the title 'big shot.'"

A low, magnetic chuckle drifted from the back of the crowd. "But this is my territory. And not just any stray dog gets to run wild here."

The crowd parted automatically.

A man in his early fifties, slightly overweight and dressed in a high-end tailored suit, strolled leisurely toward them.

Brian Scott. Vice General Manager of the PR Department.

The moment Mia saw him, she rushed over in her heels and clung to his arm, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "Mr. Scott, you're finally here! They ganged up on me—look what they did to my face!"

Brian gently touched her cheek, his expression darkening. He pointed at Philip and the other two guards. "You three. You're fired. Go to HR and process your termination immediately."

Philip's face went deathly pale, his heart sinking like a stone.

I bet on the wrong side?

Brian didn't give him a chance to explain. His gaze shifted to Caesar and Vivian, his tone dripping with finality. "And you two—not only are you permanently blacklisted from the Williams Group, I guarantee you'll never find work in New York's PR industry again."

Vivian's face drained of all color. She swayed on her feet.

Just as the atmosphere reached its breaking point, Caesar spoke.

His voice was quiet, but laced with lazy amusement.

"Vice general manager. What impressive authority you have."

He emphasized the word vice.

Brian's face turned black as coal. He hated nothing more than being reminded he was only second-in-command.

Caesar acted as if he hadn't noticed, continuing in that unhurried tone. "As far as I know, the Williams Group has clear regulations. Vice general manager-level personnel have no authority to directly terminate employees. All personnel decisions require the general manager's signature and must be filed with corporate HR. Mr. Scott, you've been with the company for so many years—surely you understand basic protocol?"

That single sentence struck directly at the soft spot in Brian's authority.

Brian forced down his fury, his cold eyes boring into Caesar. "So you're the one who hit my secretary?"

Caesar smiled—a smile full of undisguised contempt.

"Isn't the answer written all over her face?"

"Or are your eyes just decorative?"

Brian's temple throbbed visibly.

He'd run the PR department for years. No one had ever dared humiliate him so openly.

He looked Caesar up and down—ordinary clothes, clearly not some wealthy heir.

His confidence returned. He adopted the tone of a worldly elder offering sage advice. "Young man, having a temper is fine. But you need to learn to read the room. Some people... you'll never be able to afford to offend in your entire life."

The smile on Caesar's face slowly faded, replaced by an unfathomable coldness.

He took a step forward, leaning close to Brian's ear, his voice low enough that only the two of them could hear.

"If this were a year ago, and you spoke to me in that tone..."

"Your next board meeting would've been held in the ICU."