Vini opened her eyes, looked around, and shook me back to my senses. "Hasini! Hasini!" she called out, telling me to look at everyone. She said, "Look how much you've scared everyone with your shouting." I looked around and my mouth fell open in shock.
"Close your mouth, or flies will get in," Vini said, closing my mouth for me. She told the people gathered around, "Everything is fine, please get back to your work," then pulled me aside and asked, "What happened? Why did you scream like that?"
Just as I was about to tell Vini what happened, Sri Sir came up to me and called, "Hasini." I asked him, "Yes, sir?" He told me, "The CEO wants to see you. Let's go." Terrified, I asked him, "But why, sir?"
"I don't know, Hasini. You'll find out when you get there. Let's go," he replied. I said, "Okay, sir," and followed him toward the CEO's cabin, walking in fearful silence.
Oh God, please, I pleaded in my head, practically brainwashing poor God with my prayers. Please let that psycho I hit not be the CEO. If that psycho really is the CEO, I'm out of this company. My job is gone for sure. Please, God, just do this one thing for me. Finally, Sri Sir and I reached the CEO's cabin. Sri Sir asked, "May I come in, sir?" and went inside. I stayed by the door, trembling with fear, until Sri Sir gestured for me to come in. I signaled "Okay" with my eyes, prayed to God one last time, and asked for permission in a low, trembling voice: "May I come in, sir?"
A deep voice boomed, "Yes, come in." I stepped into the cabin, trying to gather some courage, with my eyes squeezed shut. Suddenly, I heard that same deep voice shout, "Welcome to my world, Miss Hasini, alias 'Arrogance'!"
I froze like ice. It felt like the fuses in my brain had blown out. I realized that from this day on, bad luck was going to haunt me like a shadow. Why, you ask? Because the very same "psycho" I prayed wouldn't be the CEO turned out to be exactly that.
Oh Hasini, you are finished today, my soul seemed to whisper to me. Now that you've fallen into this psycho's hands, he is definitely going to show you a "3D movie" (hell). Fidgeting with my fingers in fear, I managed to stammer out, "S... S... Sir."
"Oh my God, is this real? Did you just call me 'Sir'? A storm is definitely coming today!" He stood up from his seat as if shocked, walked over, and stood right in front of me, staring at me seriously. I couldn't get a single word out of my mouth.
"Sir... that... I... I am... I am sorry!" I blurted out with my eyes shut tight. Then that crazy guy snapped his fingers in front of me and said, "Hello, Miss Arrogance, open your eyes."
I slowly opened them. Internally, I was fuming. Why are you staring at me like you're going to deep-fry and eat me? I thought. I called you a psycho, but you're not a psycho—you're a monster. "Monster" is the perfect name for you. Even as I thought this, I kept staring back at that "Monster" with hidden anger.