CHAPTER NINE

I quickly returned to my desk replaying Alex’s words in my mind. One thing I knew about him was that he didn’t say anything he wouldn’t follow through on. I had to save my job. I took a deep breath and tried to focus just then Celine’s sharp voice cut through the air. “Sophie, my office. Now.”

I swallowed hard forcing myself to my feet and making my way to Celine’s door. She was already seated behind her desk, her eyes narrowed as I stepped in.

“So, I hear Mr. Hernandez rejected your proposal again,” Celine said her voice dripping in disdain.

I nodded “Yes and he gave me an almost impossible deadline with my job on the line”

Celine scoffed leaning back on the chair .” Of course, he has. The man has to impress our client and they will be here in two days so you can’t fault him for doing his business.”

I hesitated unsure of how to respond.” The clients are having the first review in two days?”

“And that’s not all. You will be presenting your work to the client at that meeting.” Celine added

“The clients will be there?” I asked, struggling to keep the panic out of my voice.

“Didn't you get a thing I said to you?” Celine snapped. “This is a crucial account for the firm and they will be expecting nothing less than perfection.”

I felt my heart sink. "But Celine, 48 hours is hardly enough time to"

"I don't want to hear it," Celine interrupted, her voice sharp. "This is your chance to prove your worth, Sophie. To prove that you deserve to be here. Don’t screw it up."

I inhaled deeply, gathering my courage. “It’s not that it’s impossible to work on it in 48 hours. The issue is meeting Alex’s standards. He won’t even tell me his ideas or where I went wrong with the previous one.”

“That’s your challenge, Sophie. Figure it out. And for god's sake, try not to embarrass me in front of the client. I don't need them thinking I have incompetent people on my team."

With that, Celine turned her attention back to her computer, effectively dismissing me. I stood there, my mind in distress, before eventually turning and walking back to my desk.

The morning after, I walked into the office and I found out that my desk seemed to have disappeared. A panic wave swept through me as I hurriedly surveyed the large open office space, hoping to see my work desk somewhere. “Derby, any idea where my desk is,” I asked turning to my colleague

Derby looked up from her computer, her brow furrowed with concern “Did you offend anybody in this office?” She asked her voice lowered.

I shook my head, my fingers drumming nervously on the edge of the empty cubicle next to me. “No, I have no time for that. Why did you ask?”

Derby’s expression was darkened as she gestured towards the far corner of the office. “Your desk was moved to a place nobody would want.” She said, a hint of sympathy in her voice.

I looked in the direction she was staring feeling a weight in my chest when I saw where my desk was placed. It was squeezed into a lit corner, hidden away in the shadows of the large office space.

“What the….” I whispered, my eyes growing wide in disbelief. “Who would do this?”

Derby shrugged, her lips pressed into a thin line. "The guy who came to move it said it was an order from above. You know what that means."

I got really mad, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. Alex Hernandez. Of course, it had to be him.

“This is unfair! I have a crucial project to work on and now I’m stuck in this… this hole?

“I think you should register your displeasure with him.” She advised.

I thought about her advice for a while and it seems that was the only available option. I could never successfully avoid him no matter how hard I tried. It has become a routine I can’t escape from.

“Can I have a word with you, Mr. Hernandez?” I asked immediately after I got into his office

He looked up from his computer without saying a word and I took that as a go-ahead

“Well, I noticed my desk has been relocated to a…rather inconvenient location,” I said choosing my words wisely. “I’m afraid this change will make it difficult for me to work at my best.”

He reclined in his chair, clasping his hands together. “I see. And what makes you think I had something to do with that?”

“You and I know you did this,” I said unable to hold back my frustration

“I would watch my tongue if I were you,” he warned. “Besides, in your application form, you stated that you could work under pressure so, what’s the problem right now?”

“I understand that, but this isn’t conducive. I’m here to plead with you to instruct them to take it back or I could do it by myself. I just need a go-ahead.” I stated firmly

He shook his head slowly. “I’m afraid that wouldn’t be appropriate. We can’t be seen as playing favorites now, can we?

"This is hardly about playing favorites. It's about getting the job done and being treated like the others. Surely you can understand the importance of this presentation,” I argued.

His expression remained impassive. "Of course, I understand the importance, Sophie. However, You need to learn to make things work even when you don’t have everything you want.

“With all due respect, sir, this is not fair,” I answered as evenly as I could. “I can see you trying to set me up to fail, and you know it. All I’m asking here is to get a chance to do my job as best I can — give me a level playing field, and I’ll do it, that’s all.”

"Life isn't always fair, Miss McDermott. I'm sure you can figure out a way to get the job done from your new workspace."

I stood there silently, like a statue, not knowing what else to say to change his mind

“I have a very important meeting to prepare for and you’re making that impossible. I suggest you get back to work and stop wasting my time.”

His dismissive tone stung but I knew I had to tread carefully. “Okay, Mr. Hernandez,” I said reluctantly conceding defeat as I left his office.