Babel Novel
Chapter 27
Donna’s lips curled into a sneer as she responded, “A newcomer like you should start with sorting out sundries. It will help you get familiar with the company quickly. And after that, you'll be heading to the underground warehouse to lend a hand. It’s the end of the year, and the warehouse is understaffed.” She crossed her arms, her tone dripping with condescension.
Ariana was taken aback. This was completely different from what she had anticipated. Wasn't she here to compete with Jasper? Why was she reduced to a charwoman? Ariana tentatively asked, “Excuse me, but wasn’t my position supposed to be an agent?”
Donna’s condescending smile grew wider as she replied, her tone thick with disdain, “Oh, | know what your position is supposed to be. But after reading your resume, it’s clear that you’re just a mere inexperienced newcomer. How can | possibly entrust you with the responsibility of managing our stars?”
Ariana was caught off guard by the unexpected obstacles thrown her way. She looked at Donna with a mix of confusion and disbelief. “But...” she started to say, only to be cut off abruptly by her unsympathetic supervisor.
“What? Do you have something to say?” Donna’s voice boomed, causing the heads of other employees to turn and take notice.
“Don’t waste your time thinking about your position. You're lucky you even got into the company with your subpar resume. And as for your duties, every newcomer starts from the bottom, with no exceptions. If you’re not up for it, you can leave.” Donna glared at Ariana with contempt.
Ariana knew that arguing with her supervisor on the first day would only make things worse, so she forced herself to agree. “I understand. Can you show me to my desk?”
“Over there.” Donna pointed at a desk that was nothing more than a flimsy plank of wood propped up by a pile of boxes.
“That’s your desk from now on. Work hard, remember to talk less and do more,” she said with a tone of arrogance. “The workplace is not as simple as you think, even if you have connections.”
Ariana watched as Donna raised her chin and glanced at her with a look of disgust before furning on her heel and striding away. Ariana was left alone in the cluttered storage room, her mind racing.
Was it Theodore’s idea to put her in this menial position? Was he playing some kind of twisted game with her? The more she thought about it, the more her head began to throb.
Reluctantly, Ariana resigned herself to the situation and with a deep sigh, she dropped her bag and rolled up her sleeves, bracing herself to clean up the untidy storage room. The room was a disaster area, with items scattered everywhere, some requiring a herculean effort to shift.
As a result, Ariana labored away the entire afternoon, sweating profusely and working tirelessly to restore some sense of order to the chaos.
Her muscles ached and her body was covered in a fine layer of dust when she finally emerged from the storage room. It was already late in the day, and most of the employees had already left the building. Feeling exhausted, Ariana headed to the restroom to wash the grime off her body.
As she sat on the toilet seat, trying to calm her frayed nerves, she gingerly massaged her sore arm. She then pulled out a tube of bright red lipstick from her bag and reapplied it to her lips, hoping to restore some confidence in her appearance.
Just as she was about to leave the cubicle, the sound of two women’s voices from outside caught her attention.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.
“Did you hear about the new girl? She’s been assigned to clean the dingy storage room!” One of them snickered.
“And | thought she had connections. Looks like she’s nothing special. Perhaps she’s just a mistress that one of the leaders is fooling around with,” said the other with a haughty smirk.
The air was thick with malice and cruelty as the two women snickered at Ariana’s expense. “Perhaps the warehouse manager? That bald, Hiram Watts? Hahaha...”
They thought they were safe to gossip in the privacy of the restroom, but their laughter was soon cut short.