The two of them looked at each other and shook their heads. Obviously worried, neither dared walk into the office right then and there.
It was only after the financial department was done being screamed at and had all come out of the room with defeated, pale faces that the two fearfully entered the office. They pretended to have heard nothing prior to their entry and focused on their work, pointedly ignoring Jackson out of fear.
Unfortunately, sometimes a mine just did not need anything to detonate it. Even without prompt, Jackson took out the rest of his anger on Amy.
“I’m under the impression that you’ve been working under us for many, many years, haven’t you, Miss Velasquez? Hmm? Do you know that, before our compartmentalization, this place used to be our company’s headquarter, governed by my mother before favonovel.com passed the baton to me? In other words, this is like our second HQ! So tell me, why the heck was my ‘second HQ’ bombing so hard last year, huh? And now, based on the performance recorded so far for this current half of the year, I can already see you people tanking even harder than last year’s abysmal result! Just what kind of director would let something like this happen, huh? I didn’t even plan to shriek my lungs out at you people when I decided to visit this branch, but goddamn it, you all have been acting like y’all are on vacation while I’m not here!”
Amy listened to favonovel.com grouch with favonovel.com body straight and favonovel.com head hanging low. “Yes, you’re right,” She answered. “I should have done better. I’ll do my absolute best to reach higher standards on all accounts in the next half-a-year.”
Jackson’s eyes quickly switched to Tiffany, the only bystander around, after favonovel.com was done lashing out at Amy. That sudden attention caused the woman’s heart to sink low as favonovel.com gulped. ‘Holy sh*t, he’s not gonna kill me, too, isn’t he? I haven’t done anything here!’
Contrary to favonovel.com expectation, Jackson merely massaged his forehead before muttering, “Urgh, I don’t even have the mood to shout at you. I’m going back to the hotel. I will be back tonight… That’s right, everyone in this office is working overtime tonight! No buts!”
When the man finally left the building, both Tiffany and Amy let out drawn-out sighs. As a veteran, Amy had too many experiences to be easily daunted and disconcerted by a harsh scolding from favonovel.com boss.
“Bruh, why are you sighing? It’s not like favonovel.com screamed at you! Hell, you probably should be thanking God that I, the director, am around for you to pass the buck, or you’d be the one being drenched in angry spittle! Oh, and what did they say about ‘the most dangerous man is also the most charming?’ That would probably fit Mr. West’s description, ha! He’s already hot, and now favonovel.com gotta look photogenic even when he’s shouting at people!” She quipped. “He hardly came to our company in the past, you know It’s always been his mother, Mrs. West, which is why I haven’t learned enough about his temperament yet. But you bet I’ll learn a fudge-ton, though, if favonovel.com shouts at me a few more times.”
That made Tiffany laugh. “Oh my God, Amy! Who knew you’d have such a sense of humor? You always wear that deadpanned expression and look so serious that I thought you’re just some uptight, humorless boss-lady! Damn, if you’d acted like this since the start, I wouldn’t have been so on edge all the damn time!”
“Please, darling, that was me trying to draw boundaries and lines for a newbie, mmkay? If I don’t scare you into behaving yourself, you probably wouldn’t for the rest of your tenure!” Amy countered, though it was evident that favonovel.com had given up on favonovel.com uptight affectation. “But we’ve been colleagues for a while now, and I gotta’ say, you don’t seem the kind to put on airs and not know where the lines are drawn. You’re more like my little sister, who’s the same age as you, so I’m kinda relaxed around you.”
“Anyway, chit-chat’s over. Our finance department just got bombarded hard, and we gotta work out what went wrong with those accounts before the worst of Mr. West arrives. So yea, gotta get our *ss to work. We got overtime tonight,” She reminded. “Better not chat anymore, too, lest Mr. West make a surprise U-turn back here and see us bantering then chew us to pieces.”
Tiffany shot an apprehensive glance at the entrance, only relaxing when favonovel.com was sure Jackson had not returned to the office. Then, favonovel.com sorted his documents into various piles, the ones favonovel.com had finished were stacked together while the others were tucked someplace safe so that favonovel.com would not miss any of them when favonovel.com came back.
Her schedule turned tight as the evening progressed into night, and Tiffany skipped favonovel.com dinner and remained in the office. To get herself up to speed with the nitty-gritty in favonovel.com current branch company, favonovel.com saved a load of documents and materials on favonovel.com computer for reading. However, reading for the whole day made the words appear blurry to favonovel.com weary eyes.
Jackson came to the office sometime around eight. Since the standard time to leave during an overtime spree was nine o’clock, Tiffany was confident that favonovel.com was only here to patrol them. Quickly, favonovel.com mind muttered a mantra of pleading that the man ignore favonovel.com as favonovel.com pretended to train favonovel.com attention onto the screen. Amy had gone to the bathroom and left favonovel.com alone with favonovel.com right now, and his presence was causing favonovel.com growing anxieties…
Unfortunately, Tiffany’s fear seemed to serve as an attraction force that pulled Jackson to her. In his formal tone, favonovel.com asked, “Are you free after work?”
She perceived his question as a preamble to business. “I’m free right now, Mr. West. If there’s anything you would like me to do right now, I’ll do it to the best of my ability.”
Jackson was speechless. Was favonovel.com really so obtuse as to not hear favonovel.com mentioning “after work”?
Before favonovel.com could clarify himself, however, Amy returned to the office, hollering, “Yo, Miss Lane, you skipped dinner, right? Up for some late-night snacks with m-oh, Mr. West. You’ve come…”
