Chapter 3

"Anyway, I'm done wasting my breath. Get back to the office right now."

I instinctively checked the time when I heard that. "Bethany, it's already 9:00 pm. Is there something urgent that can't wait until tomorrow?"

"Obviously! I wouldn't be calling if it wasn't urgent! Get over here immediately!"

The urgency in Bethany's voice got to me, and I started worrying that something had gone wrong with the project data. I didn't even have time to ask for details before I grabbed the bag I'd just set down and rushed out the door.

But when I got to the office, the place was pitch black. I stared at the completely empty floor in confusion and called her back. "Bethany, I'm at the office. Why is nobody here?"

"Oh, just go in and check my computer."

I walked over to her desk, following her instructions. "Your computer's off. Do you need me to fix some data?"

"If it's off, that's all I needed. I was just worried I forgot to shut it down, so I had you come back and check."

The anger hit me like a freight train. I had to take several deep breaths just to keep the profanity from flying out of my mouth. "Bethany, next time something like this comes up, you can always come back and check for yourself."

"Don't you know I'm pregnant? Helping me with something this small is the least you could do!

"Besides, think of this as a lesson. You shouldn't leave your computer on after work. We need to conserve the company's electricity, you know?"

"Thanks for the reminder, Bethany."

I just wanted to end the call as quickly as possible and didn't feel like arguing anymore, but that one sentence set her off all over again. "I'm trying to teach you something, and you can't even show a little gratitude? Who exactly are you being sarcastic with?

"And today, eating your drumstick was me doing you a favor. I was letting my baby boy get some nutrition and giving you the privilege of being part of that. And you couldn't even be grateful? You actually had the nerve to ask me to pay for it!"

So this was what the whole thing had been about. She'd made me come all the way back to the office at night because of the drumstick at lunch. The whole thing was so ridiculous that I was ready to stop holding back, but I managed to keep my composure and reason with her calmly.

"Bethany, the baby isn't mine. There's no reason I should be responsible for providing nutrition for your child.

"Asking you to pay me back was perfectly reasonable, and if you don't want to, that's fine too. It's just 3.50 dollars, so consider it my treat. But I'm hoping that what happened tonight doesn't happen again, because if it does, I'll be filing a complaint with the company for personal retaliation."

I hung up before she could respond. Before I put my phone down, I checked one more time to see if she'd sent anything else, but there was nothing.

I thought she'd actually taken my words to heart and that the whole thing was over.

I was wrong.

The next morning, the second I walked into the office, she hurled a binder at me in front of everyone. "What kind of work ethic is this? You think you can make me wait for you? I don't think you want to pass your probation at all!"

I managed to shield my stomach with my hand just in time. If I hadn't, the sharp corner of the binder would have hit me right in the belly. Even so, the hard plastic edge scraped a bloody line across the back of my hand.

I winced at the sting and glanced up at the clock on the wall. "It's 8:55 am. I don't think I'm late. And I haven't received any notice from management about needing to come in early."

"Is that something you need to be told? You're an intern. You should be here half an hour early, wiping down everyone's desks before they arrive! Nobody's been keeping you in line for two months and now you've completely lost touch with reality!"

Bethany propped one hand against the small of her back and let out a haughty snort. "Starting tonight, you don't leave until you've checked every single power outlet after everyone's gone. And every morning, you have everything cleaned before the rest of us get here."

"Can I ask which supervisor assigned me these duties?"

"Mr. Niles put me in charge of you, which means I have the authority to give you assignments! If you've got a problem with that, go ahead and take it up with him. You love filing complaints, right? So go ahead and complain!"

I nodded at that and went straight upstairs to knock on Lawrence's office door. "Mr. Niles, I'd like to ask whether the company has any policy that requires interns to handle cleaning duties or check power outlets."