All Chapters of It’s a Rough Ride from Here: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

A SIM card was flung right at my face."You couldn't help me over the phone. Well, I'm here now. Hurry up and fix this!"I sighed helplessly. "Please believe me when I say I want to help you, but the card you own is from Revenant Corp. You're currently at Revelation Corp.""I don't care. My phone is broken, and I demand compensation! You must give me a new one, or I'll file a complaint against you!"The woman throwing a tantrum was none other than Fiona Johnson. She had called me three hours ago.I worked as a phone customer service representative for Revelation Corp. Therefore, it was my job to aid clients with their data plans via online means.Fiona had demanded that I replace her phone the second I answered her call.This was a request that I had never encountered in the past.Plus, she made the demand, citing that her phone would crash whenever she inserted the SIM card.Frankly, her words were so ridiculous I could feel my brain cells dying.To make matters worse, she r

Chapter 2

As soon as I returned to the office, a colleague informed me that Fiona, who had called me earlier, was already at my desk.I reiterated the explanation I had given her over the phone and even called Revenant Corp for her.However, the person on the other end of the line immediately hung up when they heard me claim that a phone was damaged due to a bad SIM card.I couldn't help but envy their assertiveness. Frankly, it made me want to change companies.Still, the company I work at prioritized service above all else. Thus, we were expected to greet a customer with a smile no matter how unreasonable they might get.Fiona threw the SIM card at my face. Sadly, I had to stuff my anger into a little box and squeeze a smile. In the end, I gave up and sought help from the director, Connor Aloe, due to her incessant harassment."Is she crazy? Wait here. I'll toss her out," he growled.Connor stormed into the reception room. Yet, his face did a complete 180 when his eyes landed on Fiona

Chapter 3

Work was already bothersome enough.Alas, I was unlucky enough to bump into my nemesis, Fiona, on my way home.She was dancing away in front of a restaurant.I initially thought about ignoring her and just walking by, but I stomped back after giving it some thought.The more I tried to let it go, the more infuriated I felt. My anger had reached its boiling point.So, I stood right before her and watched her dance with a murderous glare."You must work here as a server, don't you? Well, I'm going to dine here. Then, I'm going to file a complaint against you!" I declared.The arrogance she had in the day was long gone. Instead, she groveled and pleaded, "Why don't we sweep everything under the rug, huh? I'm not a server here. I'm just a dancer. This is my side gig. I'm actually an actor. I take on various odd jobs just to make a living. Please don't make things difficult for me."Oh, how the table had turned. It was finally my turn to stomp her to the curb.So, I crossed my ar

Chapter 4

"Are you delusional?" Anna asked sardonically.Tears welled up in my eyes out of frustration.I was just about to continue defending myself when Anna's laughter interrupted me once again."Maya, Mr. Aloe works really hard every day. You should stop with your pranks," she said blithely. "Besides, it takes two to tango. The customer wouldn't have complained about you if you hadn't given her a reason to, right?"I slapped her across the face. I had tolerated her long enough. "Well? How does that feel? Does it really take just two to tango?" Her eyes instantly turned red rimmed and she dashed out of the office, cupping her cheek with her hand. I didn't need to guess as to where she was going. She was definitely making rounds around the company and telling everyone how I slapped her.Connor choked on his spit out of sheer fury. He hacked and coughed before finally pointing at me and yelling, "How could you hit her? This is workplace bullying!"Even though I wasn't the one at fault,

Chapter 5

Anna was so smug after she took office that she was strutting around like a peacock.She no longer needed to answer calls and could openly slack off in the office.On one occasion, she even hired a nail technician to the office just to get her nails done.To make matters worse, she began to pick on me in earnest.Fortunately, my work performance was strong enough that she failed to find any weaknesses she could exploit.Still, she would constantly make snide remarks day in and day out."Sure, you have to be hardworking, but talent plays a huge role in life, too. All you do is compete with your colleagues, but you'll never get promoted if you're a fool," she snarked.I decided to heed her advice to the letter and did the bare minimum. I started scurrying for my shoes at 4:50 pm as my new goal was to make it to the company's entrance by 4:58 pm.That way, I would be able to punch in my card at the clock-in machine right at 5:00 pm.During Anna's first month as the department m

Chapter 6

Anna was seated next to Connor, crying pitifully."There is a mole within the company. We are going to uncover just who that mole is in today's meeting! Now, I want all of you to write your phone's passwords on the back of your phones, hand them over, and allow Anna and me to inspect them," he instructed.An uproar erupted the minute those words fell from his lips. After all, everyone had things they would prefer to be kept private. Thus, his request was excessive.Anna rose to her feet, shedding the arrogance she had shown us just yesterday. "I don't know who I have wronged for you to put me in such a difficult position. Now, all I'm asking is for you to have some compassion and spare me."He watched her performance with heartache in his eyes. Then, he started urging us to hand over our phones.The account that I had used to upload the videos was anonymous. Unfortunately, it was still logged in on my phone. I would be exposed the second I handed my phone over like a doormat. Fo

Chapter 7

Anna got so worked up that she threw tea all over me."Stop!" a commanding voice shouted."M-Ms. Quinn…" Anna shook as she greeted the general manager tremulously.The general manager, Agatha Quinn, was a busy woman who rarely made rounds around the office. Still, she recognized me as I had been the top employee for years now.I had an inkling that she had also watched the video of Anna cursing at her subordinates during a meeting. The scandal was most probably a thorn in Agatha's side.So, I had deliberately waited for her in the basement this very morning.I informed her that I had a solution to her little problem and that I'd like a few minutes of her time so we could chat in her office.Since this scandal was snowballing into a massive pain, I knew she would come looking for me if I failed to show up in her office.Besides, I wanted to use this opportunity to show her just how arrogant Anna was. Secondly, I had something I wanted to clarify.My colleagues had snuck out t

Chapter 8

I turned to leave, but Anna stepped in front of me and barred my path. "I'm here to negotiate. How about this? I'll give you the extra 300 dollars I get every month after my promotion. All you have to do is delete the video and improve your work performance."I chuckled at her demands. She clearly had no idea how to ask for a favor. Meanwhile, Anna grew anxious when she noticed I had zero intention of ever agreeing. After all, Agatha had given her a strict ultimatum. Anna would be the one cast aside like yesterday's trash if she didn't resolve these issues herself."Be reasonable here. 300 dollars isn't a small sum. Plus, your performance last month was awful and your salary is a pittance," she added urgently.I tilted my head as I regarded her slightly flushed face, which had reddened from her agitation. My smile slipped away."I'm not here for the money. All I want is justice."Agatha found me the following day and handed me a transfer application form.My eyes were immedia

Chapter 9

Anna's sobbing broke the silence first."Dad, what am I to do now? I finally became the department manager. Am I really going to have to give it up to Maya?"Connor eventually spoke, as though in a dilemma. "My wife is starting to suspect something fishy is going on. You should start from the bottom for now. I'll steer you in the right direction after things calm down. I'll be able to promote you once you achieve some results."She clearly couldn't accept this outcome. "I just can't stand seeing Maya looking so pleased with herself. Dad, just think of something! I will never give this position back to her!"He immediately blew up on her. "You'd better cease your tantrum right this instant, young lady. Keep this up and I'll cut off you and your mother's living expenses!"I struggled to suppress my laughter, eager to hear more.Alas, the office fell into pregnant silence.To make matters worse, the door suddenly flung open violently just as I was about to take a peek.Anna storme

Chapter 10

The loud commotion had caused the nearby residents to check things out.Anna had no choice but to abandon her car in a deserted area before taking the high-speed rail to the headquarters.She thought her plan was flawless.Little did she know, the truth would always come to light and the law would wrought justice upon the sinners."Dad, save me! I don't want to go to jail!" None of us knew whether she had blurted everything out in a fit of panic or whether she had done it on purpose. What mattered was that she suddenly fell to her knees and grabbed Connor desperately.Connor struggled to shake her off, constantly glancing furtively at Agatha."Who are you calling Dad? Cease your nonsense!" he snapped."Officers, please take her away. The company does not welcome morally decrepit employees like her in our ranks!" Anna's eyes widened as she sank to the ground bonelessly.Then, she let out a bark of self-deprecating laughter. "I'm about to be taken away by the cops, and you still

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