They Hated Me in My First Life, But Now I Have the Love System
Chapter 263 - 263 Heart Pounding

Chapter 263: Heart Pounding Chapter 263: Heart Pounding But he did not.

Instead, he simply stared at her.

Silent.

Observing.

The weight of his gaze was intense, piercing, unreadable.

Seconds stretched.

It felt like he was looking right through her.

The air grew thick with unspoken words.

Then, at last, after what felt like an eternity, he gestured to the seat across from him.

“Sit down,” he said, his tone calm but firm.

Nnenna hesitated for the briefest second.

She did not want to sit.

Something about this moment felt… off.

But refusing was not exactly an option, was it?

So, reluctantly, she walked forward and sat down.

Her back straight.

Her hands resting lightly in her lap.

Her heart pounding.

The man leaned back slightly in his chair, still watching her with that same unreadable expression.

“Your friends’ transfer paperwork will be easy since they have already filled out everything,” he said, his voice smooth but firm.

“But you haven’t done yours yet, so you’ll need to complete it before you officially start working.” Nnenna swallowed.

So that was it?

Just paperwork?

No confrontation?

No sudden revelation about why he kept looking at her like he knew her?

But she wasn’t naïve.

There was something in his gaze, something calculating, searching.

He wasn’t just checking if she was fit for the job.

He was looking for something else.

She took a breath.

Maybe it was best to come clean before things got out of hand.

“The thing is…” She hesitated for a fraction of a second before deciding to just rip the bandage off.

“I’m not even eighteen yet.

That means I’m under the legal age for working.” The room fell into silence.

The man’s pen, which had been tapping lightly against the desk, stopped.

His sharp eyes locked onto hers, and for the first time, his carefully neutral expression cracked.

“You’re telling me,” he said slowly, as if making sure he had heard correctly, “that Manager Young hired an underage worker in her store… without even checking your age?” A visible flash of disbelief crossed his face, this time, he didn’t bother hiding it.

“Who does that?” His tone darkened, and then, with the same ease as someone commenting on the weather, he muttered, “Looks like it’s time to fire her.” “Fire her.” Those two words stood out to Nnenna like flashing neon signs.

Wait, fire her?

Her brows furrowed as her brain raced.

How could this man fire Manager Young?

Weren’t they on the same level?

All managers were under the authority of a head manager, so unless Her eyes widened slightly.

Was he the head manager himself?

The realization hit like a bolt of lightning.

It suddenly made sense, why he had the power to hire them, why he was handing out high ranking positions like it was nothing, and why his office wasn’t just inside one of the top floor stores but positioned at the very edge of the building, complete with a personal secretary.

The signs had been there all along, yet none of them had pieced it together.

Probably because who would have thought that the head manager would be interested in them?

He seemed to notice the way she was looking at him, her sharp gaze evaluating every detail she had missed before.

With a knowing smirk, he leaned back and casually confirmed her suspicions.

“I’m the head manager.” His tone was smooth, effortless, as if he wasn’t dropping a revelation that could shake the entire store hierarchy.

Nnenna’s mind reeled.

The head manager?

No wonder he had the authority to give out positions like the Head Recruiting Manager and the Head Accountant.

No wonder his presence alone carried an air of quiet dominance.

But why them?

Out of all the staff, out of all the well trained and well groomed employees of this place, why would the head manager go out of his way to recruit three girls who had just been fired?

She didn’t know.

She really didn’t know.

After taking a deep breath to steady herself, she finally spoke.

“As much as I don’t like what Manager Young did to us,” she said carefully, “I won’t lie just to put her in trouble.” It was the truth.

Yes, Manager Young had humiliated them.

Yes, she had falsely accused them.

Yes, she had made their lives miserable.

But lying?

Setting her up for something else?

That wasn’t who Nnenna was.

Lilian had been the one to interview and hire her, but she hadn’t known the truth either.

“I deceived her,” Nnenna admitted, keeping her voice steady.

“I was just trying to work for a while.

At first, I told them I didn’t have my ID, and since other people also forget theirs sometimes, no one really questioned me.

I planned to keep delaying it… until I couldn’t anymore.” She let out a breath.

“I know I did the wrong thing,” she added quickly, before the manager could say anything.

“But I didn’t have a choice.” Then, realizing how that sounded, she corrected herself.

“No… that’s not an excuse.” The head manager sat back, watching her closely.

His sharp gaze made her feel like he was assessing more than just her words, like he was weighing something about her.

For a moment, he said nothing.

Then, finally, he exhaled through his nose.

“At least you’re admitting it now.” He looked away briefly, considering something.

Then he met her eyes again.

“But you won’t be able to work here either.” Nnenna felt her stomach drop.

She had expected this.

Of course, she had.

But hearing it still sent a wave of panic through her.

“How old are you?” he asked.

His tone was calm, but something about it made her pause.

It was like he already knew the answer.

Still, she had no reason to hide it anymore.

“I’m sixteen,” she answered.

“I turned sixteen a few months ago.” This time, the flash of recognition in his eyes was obvious.

He had known.

But he didn’t say anything about it.