Chapter 2 The Man Who Kept the Lights On

"Get out," Vivienne barked. "And don't come crawling back. This company will run even better without you."

I packed my belongings in silence, slipping them into my bag. Before I left, I let my gaze linger on the office that had taken five years of my life.

The master access card was still in my head.

They had no clue that the building's smooth running, emergency fixes, and special favors all depended on the very "company dog" they had just tossed aside.

If they wanted to call me trash, so be it. I would leave with the one thing no one could take from me—my dignity.

So, I said nothing as I returned the master access card and stepped outside. The winter night air hit me, nearly turning my face to ice.

I hugged my coat closer and glanced up at the 15th and 16th floors, their windows glowing against the cold.

I joined Whitlock Capital Group with hope in my breast five years ago.

I had been hired as an administrative coordinator.

Everything changed two years ago.

The company claimed I lacked a "formal business administration background" and transferred me to the operations team.

My salary stayed the same, but the details of my job were completely different.

I went from managing office routines to handling every thankless task others refused to do. To make matters worse, the entire so-called department was just me.

Six months ago, Vivienne parachuted in as the new administrative director.

She thought I was too plain, old-fashioned, and working-class. On the first day she got here, she promoted one idea—operations staff were inferior to everyone else.

I endured the toxicity for six months because of the promised year-end bonus.

In the end, my reward was a dog bowl.

I arrived at the office every morning at exactly 7:30 a.m. for five whole years.

The first thing I did was use my master access card to enter the electrical rooms and check the HVAC panels for both floors.

The building's heating usually didn't turn on until 8:30 a.m., but I always started it manually earlier.

I did that to ensure that everyone who arrived at 8:30 a.m. would be welcomed with warmth as soon as they shrugged off their coats.

The most tedious part was lunch.

There were too many employees and not enough microwaves.

I would heat people's meals in batches starting from 11:15 a.m.

I labeled each container, tracked the time, checked the temperature, and made sure everyone could start eating at the start of lunch break.

No one had to wait in line, and every meal was served warm.

Vivienne called it "babysitting" and claimed that it made the company seem cheap. She never realized my so-called babysitting truly gave everyone an extra 20 minutes to rest at lunch.

Then, there were the endless disasters no one else wanted to fix.

An important client dropped by last month.

Vivienne wanted to show off her "good taste," so she ordered an expensive batch of imported flowers.

The florist sent us the wrong arrangement.

They had sent a funeral wreath instead of elegant reception flowers.

There were only 30 minutes before the client arrived. Vivienne panicked and did what she did best—she started caterwauling at the top of her lungs.

I was the one who rode my scooter through heavy rain, went to three different flower markets, and brought back the right arrangements of anthuriums and lilies.

When I returned, looking not unlike a drowned rat, Vivienne's only comment was to complain about the carpet.

Then, there was the printer.

That old Xerox machine broke down several times a month.

The admin team's solution was always the same. They would call the repair company, hang an "Out of Order" sign, and wait two days.

So, I taught myself how to fix it. I fished out my nifty screwdriver and watched the repair video playing on my phone, uncaring that the toner had gotten on my sleeves.

When the cartridges needed changing or the waste toner needed cleaning, I handled it in the stairwell with a mask on because Vivienne claimed the dust would "pollute the office air."

The company's discounted office lease was also an accident no one liked to mention anymore.

I went for a morning run in a park near the building three years ago.

As I passed a small wooded area, I saw an elderly man collapse on the ground.

People gathered around him, but no one dared to touch him.

I had basic first-aid training, so I didn't think twice.

I rushed over, started CPR, called 911, and stayed with him until his family arrived at the hospital.

That old man was Arthur Langford, the chairman of Langford Properties, the company that owned this entire building.

Arthur later found out I was working with Whitlock Capital Group when they approached him for office space.

He had his son, Daniel Langford, give the company a steeply discounted lease. He even waived the first three years of property management fees and parking fees.

At the time, Daniel said right in front of Grant, "We're doing this because of Mr. Mercer. He saved my father's life. Treat him well."

Grant smiled so broadly that he looked almost moved. He patted his chest and assured me he would treat me like family.

Now that I thought about it, family was probably worth less than a dog bowl to those opportunists.

They had grown used to the comfort I'd broken my back to provide. They had taken the cozy office, reliable utilities, ready-made lunches, working printers, affordable rent, and favors from property management all for granted.

After a while, they just stopped seeing my contributions.

To them, all of this was expected, just like the sky was blue and the grass was green.