Sigh

Sigh

Zion excused himself politely and told me he wanted to go and get the files I needed to study for the day. He spoke with such calmness that it almost relaxed me, even though my nerves had been buzzing from the moment I stepped into the office.

I smiled lightly and nodded. Honestly, I did not even mind being left alone. I just sat on the chair and continued admiring the office as if it was a painting in a gallery. The place was too beautiful, too organized, too luxurious for someone like me who had spent years doing menial jobs that never gave me the chance to feel important.

I could not help the small wave of pride that washed through me. Everything in this office screamed status and professionalism. Even the air felt cooler, softer, richer. Although I had wanted to reject the offer when Ellie went to Diego behind my back and suggested I should work in his office, now that I was here, sitting in this comfortable chair, surrounded by glass walls and expensive décor, I regretted telling her I did not want the job.

Being inside this office made me feel renewed. It erased the memory of the small jobs I had done over the years. All the struggles, the frustrations, the insults from employers who never valued me… everything felt far behind me. I felt like someone who had shed her past and stepped into a new version of herself. A rebranded, confident woman who was ready to start a better life.

Minutes later, Zion walked in, holding a tall pile of files in his hands. He walked toward me with a bright smile, his energy so cheerful it lifted the atmosphere in the room. He placed the files gently on the table, arranging them neatly like he did it every day without effort.

"Okay," Zion said with a small satisfied nod. "To test your abilities, sir Diego requested that you type out all the words in these files into the computer. Everything must be arranged correctly and clearly."

My heart skipped a beat. Typing everything out? All of it?

I swallowed hard.

The truth was, I was not perfect with computers. I knew how to type a little, open a document, maybe move a few things here and there, but typing out entire files was a different matter. Still, I was not someone who backed down easily. I was ready to give it a try even if it took me all day.

I grabbed the files with both hands and nodded like a determined child.

"Okay sir Zion. I am going to try my best to type everything in," I said confidently.

He chuckled softly.

"Oh no. Just call me Zion. And again, after typing everything inside the computer, sir Diego wants you to send it to him directly."

Immediately my heartbeat increased even more. Why did he want to see it? What if he did not like it? What if I messed up? What if I spelled one single word wrong and he shouted at me?

I thought that by being given a separate office, I would be able to avoid him a little, at least until I became comfortable and skilled. But clearly that was wishful thinking. It seemed impossible to avoid him even for one hour. I would just have to be careful, extremely careful, because the last thing I wanted was to get under his nerves.

"What is it?" Zion asked when he noticed my expression. "You look shocked. You do not want him to check it out?"

I waved my hands quickly in the air.

"No Zion. It is just that, you know, I am new. I am scared of doing something wrong or typing something badly and making him yell at me. I do not want him angry with me on my first day."

He nodded slowly, understanding exactly what I meant.

"I understand, miss Laila. But do not worry. I will cross check your work before you send it to him. Sir Diego is a little bossy, so it is better someone looks at it first."

His reassurance comforted me, and I smiled warmly at him. But then something he said caught my attention.

Sir Diego is not bossy? That was a lie. Even his breathing was bossy. The way he walked was bossy. His aura alone was enough to intimidate anyone who had common sense.

"Sir Zion, please do not say he is not bossy," I said with a playful frown. "Just by his body language I can already tell he is extremely bossy. Do not give me false hope."

Zion burst into laughter instantly, holding his stomach like I had cracked the funniest joke ever.

"Okay fine, you caught me," he said between laughs. "But do not worry. I will make sure to check your work before sending it to him so we can avoid unnecessary yelling or any stressful drama."

I nodded in approval. At least I was not going into this alone.

After Zion left, I settled down and began working on the files. Each document was long and filled with numbers, descriptions, and company terms I was not used to. Transferring everything from the paper to the computer was more stressful than I had expected. My fingers hurt a little, my eyes felt strained, and I kept double checking every line to make sure nothing was missing.

Minutes passed, then more minutes. I was deep into typing when a sudden ding sound echoed loudly throughout the company. It bounced through the glass walls sharply, startling me so much I almost dropped the mouse.

My heart jumped.

Was that a fire alarm? Was something happening?

I stood up slowly, panicked and confused. My mind immediately ran to the worst scenarios.

Suddenly, the glass door opened slightly and a blonde girl dressed in neat corporate clothes walked in with a bright smile on her face.

For a moment, I actually thought she had come to rescue me from a fire outbreak. My panic intensified until she smiled even more brightly, like she had read my confusion before I spoke.

"Hello, good afternoon. My name is Felicia. Nice to meet you," she said in a high pitched, lively voice that was full of sweetness.

Her energy was instantly captivating.

I smiled back at her.

"I am Lyla. Nice to meet you too, beautiful," I replied.

She walked toward me and gave me a light handshake. Her grip was warm and friendly.

"I am your colleague, from the office close by. I just wanted to check on you, see how you were coping, and also ask if you are going for lunch. If you want, we can go together," she said.

Lunch?

"Please, if you do not mind, that ding sound earlier… what was that? It sounded like an alarm," I asked.

"Oh dear, that simply means lunch time for everyone," she said with a small laugh.

I blinked. Lunch time? So the ding bell meant it was time to eat?

That was so organized. It felt like high school with the scheduled bells, but in a good way. Everything was structured and on time.

"Wow that is nice. And yes, I would love to join you for lunch. I am so hungry," I said.

Felicia laughed, and I joined her.

She slipped her hand around my wrist and led me gently out of the office.

As we walked through the hallways, I was amazed again by how huge the building was. Everywhere looked expensive, clean and polished, with employees walking gracefully from one section to another.

When we finally reached the cafeteria, my jaw dropped.

It looked like a five star hotel restaurant. There were chandeliers, long glass windows, soft white lights, silver trays filled with steaming food, and employees sitting at their tables chatting happily.

This company was too organized. Too perfect. Almost unreal.

"So how are you coping with the work?" Felicia asked as we walked toward the food section.

I sighed deeply.

"Girl, it is very stressful. I almost fainted earlier. Especially those files. They are too much," I said, squeezing my hands in frustration.

She burst into laughter.

"I understand, honey. I felt the same way when I started. It takes time," she said.

I nodded.

"And again, I want to ask… how are you coping with sir Diego? His office is right next to yours," she asked.

Before I could answer, we reached the food counter. The woman serving food smiled brightly at us.

Felicia ordered fried rice, two pieces of chicken, and a bottle of Coke. She looked at me afterwards, her eyes telling me to place my order.

I wanted to know everythin
g they sold here, but right now, my hunger was louder than my curiosity.

"I will take what she ordered also," I said.