The next day, early morning.
None was in the CEO’s office when Charlotte Thompson wearily walk in her high heels inside. She slightly pursed her lips, her face cold, standing in front of her desk to pull out the draft papers she needed. Chapters first released on NoveI(F)ire.net
She looked down for a second to make sure all the documents were there and then took a pen out of the pen holder, ready to leave with her stuff.
The longer she stays, the more she remembers Justin Battleson’s advice from yesterday, and the hotter her temper gets.
Just as she turned around and looked up, she unsuspectingly met the man’s deep eyes at the doorway.
Justin Battleson, dusting off an imaginary speck of dust on the cuff of his sleeve, froze in place when he was about to step into the office. Seeing Charlotte gathering her files and about to leave, he was slightly taken aback.
"What is this?" He asked.
"It’s none of your business." She replied.
Charlotte lowered her eyes and coldly responded, ready to step out.
As she passed Justin, he subconsciously reached out and grabbed her wrist, looking somewhat helpless, "Are you still angry?"
Justin was obviously asking a rhetorical question.
"Angry?" Charlotte sneered, slowly pulling her hand away, her voice slightly cold, "I am just a designer after all, how dare I be mad at you."
After her words fell, she slightly turned her body, deftly bypassing Justin, and headed out towards the corridor.
The sound of keyboard taps sometimes echoed in the design department downstairs. Charlotte tried her best to walk lightly through the hallway, but still people looked up, their expressions faltering when they caught sight of her.
Charlotte simply walked on, pushing open the door to her former office, ignoring these out-of-place gazes.
Outside, a sleepy woman wearing a work badge perks up when she sees Charlotte returning to the office. She rubbed her eyes, watching as the office door closed.
After a good while, she thoughtfully nudged the person next to her, her voice teasing, "Our great designer Ms. Thompson is not exclusively allowed to work in the CEO’s office, isn’t she, she also doesn’t attend meetings in the design department? Look at her now..."
She smacked her lips, her eyes meaningful.
The woman nudged by her looked up at her, they exchanged a glance and burst into laughter, "You’re still saying? There’s definitely a chance, she seems to have a crush on him but got dumped, she really thinks she’s all that."
"It’s really funny, to see her rise is one thing, to see her fall now is another. I bet that arrogant attitude of hers has no chance to show off now, let’s see how she shows off in the future."
The two people lowered their voices, but Charlotte’s office door wasn’t closed properly and the insulation wasn’t good, so the sound of the discussion outside could easily be heard.
That’s how it is in the workplace, people had been ass-kissing one moment and changed direction the moment they caught a hint of something different.
Their language even became harsh.
Charlotte casually placed the thin stack of files on her desk, grabbed some tissues from the table, and cleaned her slightly dusty chair before sitting down.
The curtains weren’t drawn on the window, the scorching sun was shining through, making the solid wood desk hot.
The noise outside was getting louder, but Charlotte simply carried on with her work, completely unaffected.
At noon, the sun was getting bigger.
Charlotte had to stop her work and get up to draw the curtains. The khaki-colored curtains that were somewhat heavy instantly blocked out the harsh sunlight. She touched her cheek which was sunburned and felt more restless.
The light became dim, she suppressed her displeasure, strode back to her desk, sat down, and began to look over the designs.