Chapter 39
Caroline's fingers tensed on the keyboard, though her face remained calm. "Do you need something, Ms. Cox? If not, I need to get back to work."
"Work?" Edith snorted as if she'd heard a joke. She turned to pull a massive stack of folders from the nearby filing cabinet and dropped them onto Caroline's desk with a thud, sending dust particles flying into the air.
"These are the company's personnel records from the past five years," she slapped the folders, her voice rising. "Mr. Windsor wants you to familiarize yourself with the company. It's urgent, so please organize these by department, digitize everything, and have it completed by end of day."
Caroline stared at the pile that nearly obscured her computer screen, her gaze turning icy.
"Ms. Cox," Jessie said quietly from nearby, "that's... that's way too much for one day. Plus, it's Caroline's first day—she doesn't even know our systems yet..."
"Isn't the point of being new that you need to be challenged?" Edith shot Jessie a sidelong glance, her tone hostile. "Or perhaps you'd like to do it for her?"
Jessie fell silent, unable to respond, and could only look at Caroline with concern.
Edith's gaze returned to Caroline, challenging. "What's wrong? Not up for it? I suppose this kind of grunt work is beneath a rich girl like you. If you don't want to do it, you can quit right now—no one's stopping you."
Caroline slowly rose to her feet, looking down at Edith with a cold smile playing at her lips. "You must be joking, Ms. Cox. Since it's work assigned to me, of course I'll do it."
She lightly tapped the top folder. "Though I wasn't aware that organizing personnel files was a reception desk responsibility. The Windsor Group certainly has... interesting job descriptions."
Edith's expression faltered. She hadn't expected Caroline to accept the task, much less talk back with that passive-aggressive tone.
She gritted her teeth. "Just do what you're told without the commentary! If you can't finish it, that's your problem to deal with!" With that, she stalked away on her high heels, head held high.
"That's so unfair!" Jessie puffed her cheeks in anger, watching Edith's retreating figure. "She's clearly trying to make things difficult for you. This would take three days to organize, not just one!"
She leaned closer to Caroline, lowering her voice. "I always thought Ms. Cox was nice—she used to buy us coffee and everything. I don't know what's gotten into her today. It's like she's a completely different person."
Caroline smiled without offering much explanation. She knew exactly why Edith was targeting her.
Edith was Heidi's good friend, after all. Her behavior stemmed from thinking Caroline wasn't good enough for Arthur, or that Caroline was here to steal credit. With people like that, the more you back down, the more they push.
"Caroline, are you really going to do this?" Jessie looked at the mountain of files, worried on her behalf. "You'll be here until the middle of the night. I've never heard of reception staff having to organize HR files before."
"I said I'd do it, so I'm not going to sit around," Caroline replied, taking out a pen and writing something on a sticky note. "But I never said I'd finish it today."
Jessie blinked, not understanding her meaning.
"Think about it," Caroline said, sticking the note on the folder. "These files represent five years of accumulated data. If I finished in one day, I'd either be cutting corners or making things up."
She continued as Jessie's expression shifted to understanding, "I'm new. I have a lot to learn, so taking my time is actually the responsible approach."
"But..." Jessie still looked concerned. "This means you'll be stuck doing busywork for who knows how long, pulling all-nighters."
"Don't worry, I have a plan," Caroline said, picking up a file and examining it carefully. "Besides, organizing these records gives me a chance to learn about the company's structure. It's not a complete waste."
Jessie observed Caroline's calm profile, suddenly realizing that she wasn't as fragile as she appeared.
---
The wall clock's hour hand lazily pointed to four o'clock, just half an hour before the end of the workday.
Caroline stretched, working out the stiffness in her neck as she glanced at the pile of files on the corner of her desk—more than half processed now.
Her fingertips still cool from the keyboard, the computer screen displayed a long list of neatly categorized documents. Three years of personnel records had finally taken shape under her methodical organization.
Jessie had already packed up her things. She glanced at the remaining files and added, "Don't push yourself too hard if you can't finish. Ms. Cox was just trying to be difficult anyway."
Caroline nodded with a smile. "Don't worry, I know my limits."
After Jessie left, the office gradually emptied, with only a few people still working.
Caroline saved her last document and began packing up her things. Checking the time, she closed her laptop and slipped it into her bag.
Just as she was about to stand, a cutting voice came from behind her.
"Leaving already?"
Caroline didn't need to turn around to know it was Edith. She faced the woman, who approached quickly in her high heels with her customary arrogance.
"Did you need something, Ms. Cox?"
Edith's gaze fell on the stack of files, her eyebrow arching. "How's the task I assigned you coming along?"
Caroline pulled out the processed portion from the folder and handed it over. "I've completed three years' worth of records, organized by department. The digital versions are saved on the shared drive. I plan to process the remaining two years tomorrow during work hours."
Edith took the files and flipped through them casually, a flicker of surprise crossing her eyes that she quickly suppressed.
She had expected Caroline to complete two years of records at most, given how disorganized the files were—just deciphering the handwriting alone would have been time-consuming.
But the organized records before her were clearly written, properly categorized, and even included notes highlighting important details—far more comprehensive than she had anticipated.
She quickly masked her surprise. With a scoff, she tossed the files back onto the desk with a dull thud. "Caroline, if I remember correctly, I told you this morning that everything needed to be finished TODAY."
"Your memory serves you well, Ms. Cox," Caroline replied evenly. "But I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. There's simply too much to process in a single day."
"Too much?" Edith acted as if she'd heard something ridiculous. "You just don't want to do it! Don't think that because you're..."
She caught herself mid-sentence and changed course. "Don't think that being new gives you an excuse to slack off. If you can't finish today, then stay and work overtime!"