Aurora returned to the office with a spring in her step, greeted warmly by everyone she passed.
“Manager, good morning.”
“Good morning.”
After setting down her cup, Aurora prepared to start her workday. Ivy had also arrived at the office. Upon her arrival, everyone else fell silent, busying themselves with their own tasks.
The manager’s sister was notoriously difficult to serve. Just yesterday, she had slapped Heather on a whim; if anyone else crossed her, they might be next.
Ivy, remembering what Genevieve had told her, merely glanced at Heather and walked past her, heading to a corner at the back of the room.
Heather felt a chill run through her when Ivy’s gaze landed on her, fearing another confrontation.
It seemed Ivy had learned something from Genevieve, as observed by Aurora from within the glass-walled office. However, it was too late for her to truly change; many things had already been set in motion.
Just as everyone had booted up their computers to begin working, Ivy screamed, “Who did this!”
Somehow, a pile of trash had been placed at her desk, attracting a swarm of mosquitoes and flies. Ivy, who had never cleaned at home, was disgusted by the sight.
No one spoke; they all continued with their work, knowing any response might provoke further conflict.
Even as Ivy raged, she couldn’t pinpoint the culprit among so many in the office, nor did she have the authority to slap everyone.
Ivy finally understood the meaning behind Genevieve’s words. These seasoned office veterans, while outwardly submissive, dared to undermine her.
It must have been her derogatory comments about them being “her dogs” that had upset them. Aurora merely glanced around briefly before looking away.
This outcome was anticipated by Aurora. Ivy, a newcomer to the corporate world, was no match for these experienced players.
Like a spoiled princess who neither respected others nor restrained her caprice, Ivy would not last half an episode in a court drama.
As no one responded to her outburst, Ivy’s anger intensified. Now, even they dared to ignore her.
“Was it you?” she demanded, grabbing a female employee near her.
“No, it wasn’t me.”
“And you were sitting here; surely you saw who threw the trash?”
“Miss Montgomery, I didn’t see anything. I wasn’t in the office yesterday afternoon.”
“Not you, then it must be her,” Ivy continued her search.
If faced with such a situation, she should find evidence herself to determine the culprit, instead of interrogating everyone, which would only alienate them more.
The office was in chaos again, with everyone denying responsibility.
Ivy approached Heather, “I know it was you!”
Heather furrowed her brows, grabbed by the collar, encountering such unreasonable behavior for the first time, “Let go of me, I never do such things.”
“If not you, then who?” At this point, it hardly mattered who had done it; Ivy just wanted someone to vent her frustration on.
“Enough! This is an office, not a marketplace. You were absent all day yesterday, and since it’s your first day, I won’t hold it against you.
“If you continue to be so obstinate and disrupt everyone’s work by causing a scene in the office, I can have you fired on behalf of the company,” Aurora said, stepping in to prevent the woman from escalating the situation further.
At home, Ivy was oppressed by Aurora, and it was the same at the company. At that moment, Ivy felt like a balloon about to burst.
“Manager, look at my desk-it must have been someone deliberately messing with me. Are you going to do something about it?” Ivy pointed to the trash on her desk.
“You threw a fit yesterday saying you wouldn’t sit there anymore. Maybe they thought you weren’t coming back and just dumped some trash there. It wasn’t personal.
There’s a cloth and broom in the office. Just clean it up yourself. It’s a small matter, no need to shout about it,” Aurora dismissed it casually.
“You call this a small matter? It’s clear someone is targeting me, and you want me to clean up this trash? I’ve never even cleaned at home.”
“Home is home, this is the company. Do you expect me to hire a maid to clean up after you?” Aurora challenged.
“But…”
“There are no buts. If you want to continue working here, you must follow the company rules. Clean it up in half an hour, and then you can start your work,” Aurora commanded, leaving Ivy with nothing to say. Genevieve had advised her not to clash with Aurora.
She had worked hard to get into the company. Magnus had also said once Aurora left, she would be the manager. She could take her revenge slowly once she became the manager. For now, she needed to bide her time.
Ivy didn’t argue, showing that Genevieve had done quite a bit of psychological work on her, or else, with Ivy’s temper, she would have turned the place upside down.
“From now on, no more littering in the office. We spend a lot of our time here every day, and I hope everyone will take care of their working environment,” Aurora added.
“Yes, manager.”
Ivy grimly went to get a cloth; she had never cleaned in her life, and this trash was especially intolerable to her.
She glanced at a woman nearby who was watching her and suddenly became pleasant, “Hello, look, I’ve never done this before. Maybe you could help me clean it up?”
Genevieve had told her to get on good terms with her office mates. This was the first step.
The woman couldn’t really refuse and smiled back, “Alright, we’re colleagues now, we should help each other out.”
Women also have their own agendas. Ivy might be just a lowly employee now, but she was a daughter of the Montgomery family. Right now, it was all just a formality.
If she could ingratiate herself with Ivy, her own prospects would be bright. Everyone had their own calculations.
After Ivy cleaned up, she actively made friends with the people around her and got to know many of them well by noon.
Although everyone was surprised at how Ivy seemed to have changed, as long as she wasn’t so disagreeable anymore, it was a good thing for them.
Finally, it was lunchtime, and Ivy declared magnanimously, “Now that we’re all friends, let’s go out for lunch today. It’s on me.”
“Great, where are we going?” The others immediately felt no hostility towards her.
“Let’s go to the nearby Grand East Coast. I’m in the mood for seafood,” Ivy suggested a restaurant.
As soon as she mentioned the place, all the employees were thrilled, “Miss Montgomery is so generous. I’ve heard that Grand East Coast can cost several thousand dollars easily.”
“Indeed, we have quite a few people in our office. Miss Montgomery is really generous,” everyone praised.