~ASHLEY~
Coffee.
That was the only thing keeping me sane right now. If it weren't for this black coffee, I wouldn't have survived the series of mental breakdowns that were breathing down on my neck. I stuck my pen into my hair that was tied in its signature ponytail, my eyes skimming through the mail I had been trying to correct since I got to work this morning.
I yawned, struggling to keep my eyes open. My eyes left the computer in front of me, darting over to the sealed cup of coffee beside the stack of books on my table. I picked it up and opened it, chugging a generous amount down my throat. The black liquid rolled down my throat and I shuddered at its bitter taste.
I shook my head and groaned, dropping my head into my palms.
I was exhausted.
I barely had the chance to shut my eyes all night. I was so busy filing the paperwork that Genevieve ordered me to work yesterday. I couldn't finish it at work. I had to take it home and doing that occupied most of my time.
I can't even remember the last time I had a proper meal. My work was so demanding. It took nearly all my time, leaving me to have none for myself. It was all work, work, work for me. Sure, the pay was okay, but I didn't want something that left me drained each passing day. I honestly wouldn't mind a job with a small payment that allowed me to have quality time for myself.
But then, who was I kidding? I had bills to pay! A girl can only dream, right?
A soft exhale exited my lips as I did a final double-check on the mail before clicking on my mouse to send it in.
Thank God!
I sunk into my swivel chair, heavily, squeezing my eyes shut. I barely had the chance to breathe twice when the shrill familiar sound that belonged to the desk phone invaded my thoughts abruptly, causing me to jolt upwards.
I let out a low hiss and grabbed the phone, placing it on my ears.
"ASHLEY!" She screeched and I winced internally, my face scrunching in a frown. I removed the phone from my ear, taking a deep breath to calm myself down.
"Yes, Gen., I responded, keeping my voice as subtle as it could get. Genevieve was one to interpret your sentences into something else. She'd twist the whole thing and spin the table around in a blink of an eye.
"My office. Now." She said sternly and hung up on me. I got off my seat and smoothened the crease on my short skirt. My feet wobbled as I struggled to keep myself in place, a wave of dizziness washing over me.
I sauntered out of my office and took the elevator that led to the last floor upstairs, muttering profanities under my breath. I knocked gently on the large mahogany door that led into her office. The action elicited a gruff 'come in' from her.
I exhaled and stepped into the cold office.
It was almost freezing here. When I started this job, I was puzzled as to why someone would want to stay inside an office that was this cold. But then, as time went on, I began to realize that everything in this office aligned with her austere personality.
Genevieve, often referred to as Gen, by her workers, had the largest office in this company. The massive space was coated in light grey paint, coupled with the see-through glass at the rear end of the room on my left. The glass aided the beauty of the office, holding an impressive view of the whole building.
There was a large shelf at the right side of the room that housed various important files and a black couch and bean bags with a round glass table in the middle of it, forming a circular shape.
Her black mahogany desk had files stacked up against each other, alongside her computer and other necessities. There were two empty chairs, tucked in properly, opposite the table.
The bright chandelier hanging in the middle of the room, gave life to the dullness of the room, emitting a much brighter allure.
"What the hell is this?!" She queried, her voice rising an octave higher with every word she uttered. I swallowed, keeping my eyes trained on her tall frame that sat gracefully on her black swivel chair. Her obsidian black eyes beheld mine in intense eye contact, her signature bold red lips curled in a sneer.
Genevieve was the acting CEO of Allure, the clothing brand where I worked as a secretary. She wasn't exactly the CEO. I have never met the owner of the company for the past two years that I have been working here. Rumour has it that she was based in Australia.
I moved forward, picking up the files she had dropped on her table earlier. My eyes skimmed through it and my confused ones met her glaring ones.
"I…I don't understand, Gen," I told her quietly, resorting to choosing my next words carefully.
"You don't understand? Were you hard of hearing when I told you to sort these files out according to their dates?!" She bellowed, slamming her palms harshly on her table, causing me to flinch backwards. The action sent the paper flying out of my hands.
"You told me to sort it out according to how important they were!" I cried out and my eyes widened in shock when the realization of what I had just said dawned on me.
"How dare you?" Her voice was low, her words coming out through gritted teeth. Her dark eyes shot lava and laser beams at me from where she sat. She narrowed her eyes at me, peeking at me through her faux lashes.
I swallowed the spit that was starting to build up in my mouth.
"How dare you, a commoner, yell at me in my own office?" She scoffed. I opened my mouth to speak but she shut me up with a glare.
"
Have you forgotten who the boss is?" She queried, arching her brow at me. I shook my head sideways.
"I'm sorry, Gen." I apologized, looking down at my nude stiletto heels.
"Start over," She said curtly. I heard the rigorous tapping of her manicured fingers on the screen of her phone, signaling the end of this conversation.
"What?!" I cried out in shock, snapping my head in her direction. She stopped typing, her fingers hung in the air and she turned to me, cocking her brow.
"You heard me, Miss Miller. Start over. I want it on my desk in the next two hours." She said in a tone of finality.
My mouth hung open in shock, unable to process what I had just heard. A night's work in two hours? How was I supposed to do that?
"Get out of my office." She spat out venomously. I squatted on the floor and felt a teardrop on my arm. I gathered the papers as fast as I could and turned on my heels, heading out of the office.
"Two hours. Tick Tock." That was the last thing she said to me before I shut the door.
I hate this job.
