Ivy stormed into Magnus’s office, furious.
“Dad, you have to stand up for me!” she demanded without preamble, rushing to his side.
“What’s the matter now?” Magnus was already feeling irritable these days. Genevieve had promised that once the two children were settled into the company, she would leave voluntarily. Yet today, both Zachary and Ivy had started working, and there was no sign of Genevieve packing up to leave.
Knowing about Genevieve’s affair with Paul, Magnus found her presence repulsive and decided it was time to urge her to leave tonight. Now Ivy barged into his office; she usually came to him for money, and he wondered what it could be this time.
“Dad, can you find me a bigger office? The spaces are so small, how can anyone fit? I can’t even focus on my work!” Ivy clung to Magnus’s arm, not letting go.
“Find you an office? Are you mistaken? You’re just a junior employee,” Magnus was baffled by his daughter’s bizarre request.
“Dad, I don’t care, Aurora has her own office. We are both daughters of the Montgomery family; you can’t be biased!” Ivy protested.
“This isn’t about bias. Aurora is a manager; do you think your positions are the same? Stop making a fuss. This opportunity was given by your grandfather; otherwise, do you think you would have made it into Montgomery Group with your skills?”
Although Magnus detested Genevieve, he was somewhat tolerant of Ivy, whom he believed to be his own flesh and blood.
“Dad, am I not your daughter? Think about it, Aurora and I are both Montgomery daughters. She works in such a high position, while I’m treated like everyone else. What will people think? Won’t they say you are unfair? Or is it because I’m illegitimate that I must be looked down upon?” Ivy shifted from whining to complaining, a tactic Magnus always fell for.
“What nonsense about being illegitimate? If you’re my children, I treat you all the same.”
“Dad, if it’s really equal treatment, then find me a large office. That would be treating us equally!”
“I can agree to other things, but not this. The company has its rules. If I make an exception for you, won’t others talk behind your back? You are here to intern properly. If you perform well, you can naturally be promoted to manager or similar positions. Your sister is capable. Learn from her how she manages her work. Once she’s promoted to vice president, that manager position will be yours.”
Magnus had already planned for Ivy. He saw that she was too impulsive and lacked the necessary skills, needing more experience.
“Is it you who put us in the same department? You know I hate her the most. I don’t want to be under her,” Ivy resisted.
“Nonsense, your sister is good. I’m doing this for your own good. This matter is settled, no room for discussion. Now go back,” Magnus concluded, prying her hand away as he returned to his work.
Ivy pouted angrily as she stormed off, her heart soured by the thought that she was always ranked below Aurora. However, given Magnus’s firm tone, it seemed impossible for her to turn the situation around, so she headed back to the office. Before she even stepped inside, she noticed a pile of things thrown at the entrance, including her own perfumes and makeup scattered all over the floor.
“What are you doing!” she snapped fiercely at the downcast bodyguards.
“Miss, the manager did this, it has nothing to do with us!” the bodyguards replied in deep frustration, caught in the crossfire of the feud between the two sisters.
Ivy snorted and strode into the office on her high heels, causing the other peeping employees to quickly withdraw their heads. Clearly, Ivy was much harder to deal with than Aurora, who was inside a glass office reviewing Heather’s report. Aurora’s serious demeanor starkly contrasted with Ivy’s angry expression as she forcefully pushed open the door.
“You got this wrong, take it back and correct it…”
Ivy burst in, interrupting them.
“Aurora, why did you throw my things?” she demanded directly.
“You first, leave,” Aurora handed the report back to Heather and then slowly turned to face Ivy.
“I’ll emphasize again, you’re here to work, not to vacation. Those items are unrelated to work. Since you refused to put them away yourself, I had to do it,” Aurora explained calmly.
“What I bring is my business, you’re just a petty manager, stop acting like you’re in charge!” Ivy started berating Aurora.
Aurora ignored her, choosing instead to patiently examine her documents.
“Do you hear me? What am I saying?”
“I’m not deaf. Have you said enough? If so, get out. This isn’t a place for your tantrums. Since it’s your first day, I won’t hold it against you. But if you keep running around doing irrelevant things during work hours, I will fire you,” Aurora stated firmly, releasing her mouse with a determined look that sent chills down Ivy’s spine.
“You… you!!” Ivy was nearly fuming with rage, yet she found herself without a comeback.
“Ivy, I’m reminding you for the last time, call me manager here. As long as you work at Montgomery Group, you follow the company’s rules. If you can’t, you might as well pack up and leave. I have a lot of work to do, so please leave-and take the door with you. Remember to knock next time, and wait for my permission before entering,” Aurora concluded decisively, leaving everyone else admiring her effective handling of the situation; she seemed to be the only one who could manage Ivy.
Fuming, Ivy slammed the door on her way out, intent on moving to a window-side spot only to find it already taken by Heather.
“Who do you think you are? This is my spot, get lost!” Ivy unleashed her anger on Heather.
Looking up at her calmly and confidently, Heather responded, “Miss Montgomery, this was your spot until you left. Now, it isn’t. The manager asked me to move here. Your new spot is over there,” she pointed to a dark, cramped corner away from the windows, making Ivy’s face turn livid with rage.