51. Infamous Act 3

51. Infamous Act 3
The Canteen
George spent the whole of the morning in the Production Department and monitored the television broadcasts. Meanwhile, he was happy with himself and could imagine how Laura was standing in the empty office.
“Can you imagine the guts? (Yes. It has everything to do with the present administration. I am hopeful that everything will fall into shape when the President resumes.) She is indirectly saying that I don't know what I am doing. Stupid girl,” he cursed and walked to the canteen.
Presently, Stephanie was not finding it easy. The callers were not mindful of the time - whether she was on break or not. They called at their convenience and in most cases, her line would be busy. She walked into the canteen and observed that all eyes were on her. Before she could process the reason for that, her phone rang again and she picked up the call.
“Hello. This is the Auxiliary Armory PLC. How may I help you?”
“Hello, Miss Benjamin. I got your contact from the television.”
“That is good to hear. What is your challenge?”
“Thank you for asking. I wish to know if I could register for the bidding. Is there any way I can do that before that day?”

“We planned to do the accreditation that morning for only those who indicated interest. Now that you have asked, kindly share your details with me, and I will do that for you right away.”
“Thank you for this, Miss Benjamin. I will do that right away,” the man appreciated.
“It is my pleasure, Sir,” she responded politely and he sent his details as Mr. Henry Watson.
She hardly moved an inch when her phone rang again and she picked up the call. George and the other managers observed it and considered it taxing.
“Is there nothing we can do to reduce the calls? She may be exhausted if she continues like this,” George faced the Head of the Media Department and asked.
“There is. We can embargo the calls and ask for short messages only.”
“That will be better,” the General Manager agreed, and Capt. Trenton informed the media houses.
Nevertheless, Laura walked into the canteen and observed that everyone was looking at her and she wondered why. She walked to a table and sat in a chair. Apart from Alice, she had no friends and she had distanced herself from her.
She was waiting for a waiter to take her orders when the television program captured her interest. She watched and waited for her interview to be aired but it was not. Rather, it was George's interview and the fleet of buses that were trending. To her dismay, she saw an addendum to her interview saying that it should be disregarded because it did not represent the state of the organization.
'How did it not represent the state of the organization?' she asked herself bitterly.
She would have contained the pain of the embarrassment if the jingles for the auction had not come up at once, and Stephanie's name had not been announced as the contact person.
She frowned and waited attentively for the jingles to play again, but they did not. Notwithstanding, her waiting was interrupted by the waiter who requested her order.
Tim's House
He got to the basement and inspected the materials that George brought back the previous day and was not in the mood to work. His mind was restless and he thought of how to treat Laura without sacking her because he needed her salary as his spousal support.
“How will she pay my spousal support if she has no job?” He asked himself.
At lunch, he walked back to the house and waited for the chef to serve him. While waiting, he saw the addendum to Laura's interview and was thrilled.
“How did it happen?” He asked himself and turned on his device to see what had taken place in the office after he logged out. He saw when the Corporal arrived after George called him. Not only that, he watched the meeting session in Laura's office was empty.
“The food is ready, Boss,” the chef informed him and he dismissed him immediately.
“I got you. Thank you for that.”
He returned to the office and his eyes beamed with delight.
Then, he asked himself, “Can I think of such a measure as a punishment?”
He watched on and saw her pacing up and down and murmuring to herself. The joy of the humiliation filled his stomach faster than food and he replayed it. After watching over again, he declared, “She is getting a taste of her medicine.”
He moved to the dining table to have his meal without losing focus on the television. He saw the jingles on the auction again and was pleased with the arrangement.
“The managers are giving him the support that he needed. I will know what Laura will tell her black-hearted family about her office,” he said to himself, and began to eat.
The Auxiliary Armory PLC
George returned to the office after lunch and followed up on both the war news and the jingles. He shook his head in dismay when he saw the intensity of the war threat, especially their comments.
(That backstabber must reap what they sow. We won't forget.)
(Get ready to die in your numbers. Nincompoop.)
“This is obvious that they are referring to us,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, the Head of State and Tim had the same thoughts as him.
After Laura's bitter lunch, she returned to the empty office and looked at the President's door. She stared at it for a while and could not decide what to do.
“Should I find out from him when the furniture will be replaced?” She asked herself. Nevertheless, she pondered the idea for a while before she dismissed it.
“I don't think he would know because it is the President's order,” she told herself and leaned on the window stool.
She thought of the jingle and Stephanie as the contact person.
“Is she the President's Secretary? Or did she betray me to take over my job?” She wondered.
Now, she was out to vent her bottled-up anger on anyone and Stephanie was her first target.
“I will see her after work. She has to explain to me,” she hissed, turned, and leaned on the window to watch the activities on the premises.
Nevertheless, at 3:30 PM, George got out of his office. She was startled when the door opened and looked at him. Unaware of the right thing to do, she watched him lock his door and left.
“Has he closed for the day? How will I know when he won't discuss anything with me?” She murmured and continued to wait idly.
Meanwhile, the mind cannot be idle for long - the devil will always engage it. She thought of Barr. Gibson and the payment she transferred to his account.
“Why did he give me his account details instead of Tim's own? He just wanted to make money out of the situation,” she told herself.
“I will report him to my lawyer,” she concluded.
Soon, it was closing time. To catch up with Stephanie and avoid missing her bus, she left quickly.
“Is there any need to lock the empty office?” She asked herself.