Imani's Paradox (Sylus x Y/N)

1

Wang Li, or Imani Watts which is her actual name, has always thrived under the pressure of Qin Pharmaceuticals. It was something she had to get used to being the oldest daughter in a low-income household that hungered for money. This bred hard work and a resilience that allowed her to claw her way close to the top in a cutthroat, competitive industry. As the R&D Operations Manager, she had learned how to navigate the sharp edges of her corporate life. With an air of calmness, methodical, and even a touch of underhandedness she had earned the respect of her peers and slight fear from those who had to learn to do so.

The thing was, Qin Pharmaceuticals wasn't an ordinary company. Being founded by Qin Wei, it had expanded from a small research lab to a multinational corporation in just three decades. The empire sprouted from it cutting-edge medical research and aggressive business practice reminiscent of the man himself. With its ruthlessness towards its competition they always stayed ahead of the game for the next big drug or technological breakthrough.

Then there was Qin Che, the current COO, who was the epitome of the company's values—sharp, manipulative, and committed to results. Also, tall, handsome, with broad shoulders and sharp gorgeous red eyes. His father truly raised him to lead, and with his father's legacy weighing against his back, that man just seems hell-bent on ensuring Qin Pharmaceuticals remained the pinnacle.

As much as she had been able to hold her own, Qin Che had just figured out how to crack her internally though her exterior was calm. The constant criticism, no matter how perfect she was, and especially the subtle undermining of her abilities after she was the key player in helping the integration between the Chinese and Americans after the acquisition.

Though, she must admit, he definitely perfected her knacks for making people feel small. What worse, she seems to be a couple of steps behind finding a way to combat against that skill of his. And now, with a major crisis on both their hands, she was sure today was going to be a shitshow.

       A chemical leak at one of their primary research facilities had not only destroyed a significant amount of product, but even left several employees significantly ill. The damages were severe, from what she could manage to get information on. Though, they keep the media out of it for now, the internal ramifications were a disaster with everyone starting to throw each other under the bus in hopes they wouldn't get caught in the cross fire of being made an example of.

      Wang Li sighed as she made her way down the hallways of  the corporate headquarters. Her heels clicked against the marble floors, while a few employees looked at her with concerned stared. It was 48 straight hours of reviewing initial reports and speaking to her team, just to end up with fragmented information. Without being able to assess on-site herself, it was difficult coming up with any concrete solutions and she knew that what the board wanted, especially Qin Che.

     She knew he was going to be the first one to zero in on that. Honestly, he always does.

    As she got closer to the glass-wall conference room she straight her back and smooth her pencil skirt. Inside, she could see several of the senior executives gathered around the large oval table. Qin Che, was at the head, as usual when operation managers appear, he exuded a casual authority as he spoke with the other men. When she entered, his crimson eyes slightly narrowed as he looked over her with a sly smirk. No warmth, only a coldness that made goosebumps appear on her arm. He closely examined her behavior, her clothes, and probably small indications of what she was thinking, though she grew accustomed ro his gaze to not falter.