Crash into love

Ryder's outburst

Anya rushed into the conference room, apologetic and flustered. Her feverish body and racing mind made her feel disoriented.

Ryder's stern gaze greeted her, his expression a mix of disappointment and annoyance.

" Sorry, sir," Anya whispered, taking her seat beside Emily.

The presentation continued, with Anya struggling to focus. Her mind was foggy, she scribbled notes, trying to catch up.

As the meeting concluded, Ryder's assistants began gathering their belongings.

Ryder's voice cut through the murmur.

"Anya, my office. Now."

Anya's heart sank. She knew she was in trouble.

Emily offered a sympathetic glance.

"You okay?" Emily whispered.

Anya nodded, still feeling unwell.

Anya entered Ryder's office, she stood before Ryder's desk, her eyes cast downward.

"What happened this morning, Anya?" Ryder demanded, his voice thundering. "You're late, and your presentation was subpar!"

Anya's hands trembled. "I- I'm sorry, sir. I overslept."

Ryder's expression darkened. "Overslept? That's unacceptable! Do you know how much time and resources were wasted?"

Anya hesitated before revealing, "I wasn't feeling well, sir. I had a fever."

Ryder's face softened for an instant, but his expression quickly hardened.

"Why didn't you inform anyone? We could have adjusted the meeting schedule," Ryder said, his tone sharp.

Anya shrugged. "I didn't want to inconvenience anyone."

Ryder's voice rose, "Inconvenience? Your lack of communication caused chaos! This attitude won't do any good for this company."

Anya felt her eyes stinging.

"I understand, sir. It won't happen again."

Ryder's gaze bore into hers.

"See that it doesn't. Now, get out of my sight and take the rest of the day off."

Anya nodded, hastily exiting the office.

As she walked out, Emily approached her.

"Hey, are you okay? You look shaken."

Anya forced a smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just need to get my act together."

Emily's concerned expression lingered.

"You know Mr. Ryder's tough on everyone. Don't take it personally."

Anya nodded, still reeling from Ryder's outburst.

Anya trudged into her rental home, exhausted and emotionally drained. She dropped onto the couch, replaying Ryder's outburst in her mind.

" Why did he care?" She whispered. "He's just an emotionless boss, she scoffed at the memory of Ryder's brief moment of softness.

" He's just pretending to be concerned," she told herself. "He only cares about the company's success."

With her project complete, Anya felt a sense of relief wash over her.

"Now, I'll just follow Rachel's instructions," she decided. "No more dealing with Ryder's mood swings."

As she changed into comfortable clothes, Anya's phone buzzed.

Emily's text appeared: "Hey, how's it going? Want to grab dinner?"

Anya smiled, grateful for Emily's friendship.

"Hey! Yeah, dinner sounds great. Need to vent about Ryder."

Emily's response came quickly: "Coming over to pick you up. We'll dish about him."

Anya chuckled, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders.

With Emily's support, Anya began to shake off Ryder's harsh words.

But as she waited for Emily, Anya couldn't shake the feeling:
Was Ryder truly emotionless, or was there more to him?