Friday, 7:30 AM
Sandra was waiting in front of the company building for Adeline since they had a plan of having breakfast together.
While waiting, she caught a glimpse of Angie standing a few distances from where she was standing.
They get to stare at each other for quite a long time until Sandra speaks up to her.
"Aren’t you ashamed of coming here, showing yourself to everybody, after what you did to Adeline?" she asked her.
"We both know I never did such a thing to her. In fact, I would be unwilling to get involved with any of her business. So, I have no reasons to tamper with that rookie." Angie placed her hands inside her cardigan pocket.
"You're the only person everyone has knowledge of hating Adeline." Sandra insisted.
"That's where you're wrong, Sandra. You cannot control everyone surrounding you, telling them which person to pick on or not."
Sandra was a little alarmed by what she heard from Angie. Even though she has been fired from the job, she still has the ability to calculate and analyze how the people surrounding her treat others.
"What do you want?" Sandra asked her.
"I want justice from what you did to me." Angie went straightforward.
"I did nothing to you," Sandra said. "You should just accept your fate for being such a bitch. Just like what Adeline told you before."
Angie suddenly got furious and immediately charged towards Sandra. She attacked her by pulling her hair, matching it with a hard slap.
The people around them were surprised by what just happened. Some tried to call a security guard from the building, some were recording a video on their phone.
Sandra was helpless and was lying on the ground while the other continued to attack her.
"You did this to me, you traitor! You will pay for what you did to my life!" Angie yelled at her.
Later on, Adeline arrived at the scenario and saw what was happening. She immediately recognizes her friend, Sandra, getting attacked, that's why she rushed to help her.
She pulled Angie away from Sandra and that's when she saw Angie's face.
"What the fuck are you doing here? How dare you show your face after what you have done to me?!" she yelled at Angie.
Angie was panting, "You imbecile! You don't know anything, do you?"
"Even if I do, it has nothing to do with you!"
Adeline glanced at Sandra who had scratched wounds on her face. Her hair was also messed up.
"Are you okay?" she asked her.
"I'm fine. I just got some scratches." Sandra carefully gets up from the ground.
Adeline once again glanced at Angie and glared, "Get out of here if you don't want me to call the police to arrest you."
"You won't do that." Angie said.
Adeline opened her bag and attempted to take her phone when Angie spoke up again.
"Yes, I admit it. I'm jealous of you, Adeline. Because you are young, novice, and smart, just like me before," Angie went emotional and serious. "But because I was old and had worked for the company for several years, I was afraid that my employment might be in jeopardy and they would suddenly take my job away from me, or worse, fire me."
Adeline put back her phone inside the bag as she continued to listen to Angie's complaint.
"And I'm telling you, I can't sabotage your presentation. I don’t do such a thing." she continued.
"Then, why were you seen on the CCTV footage? Every proof seen leads to you. What would you like me to believe?" Adeline questioned her.
"How sure are you that it was me?" Angie asked her back.
Adeline got speechless.
"Did you have a strong feeling that I was the real culprit who did that thing to you?" Angie asked her again.
The silence went in between them.
"Remember, Angie, you're the only person who had shown annoyance to Adeline since she came into the office. No one else." Sandra spoke up after completely getting up.
Adeline gulped, "You now hear the answer."
Angie just sighed as she looked at them. She didn't know how to convince Adeline not to believe everything, especially since every convincing words were from Sandra.
"You're smart, Adeline. But hopefully, you also use that when it comes to getting to know the people around you. Not all of them are true to you, others are just using you."
Adeline immediately got her point based on what she said.
"I believe in Sandra more than I believed in every word you said." Adeline defended.
Sandra glanced at Adeline and secretly smirked, before glancing back at Angie who looked devastated.
Angie could do nothing but accept the fact that evil had won and she did not get the justice she deserved.
She sadly left the front of the company building, while Adeline was left blind to false beliefs about Sandra, whom she treats as a true friend.
8:00 AM
Adeline spent a few minutes inside the office clinic to accompany her friend while the nurse mends the small scratches from Sandra's face.
Adeline couldn't help but to still remember Angie's words. She couldn't imagine that someone like her would still have the feeling of being depressed.
"What's wrong, Adeline?"
She went back to her senses when Sandra called her attention.
Adeline smiled at her, "Nothing. I was just thinking about what happened earlier."
"Was it about Angie?" Sandra asked. "You should just ignore her. She never said anything right."
'So, that's what Sandra thought about her?' Adeline thought.
"No, it's not about Angie." she lied.
"Oh, who is it about then?" Sandra pretended to also make a mistake.
"I have a childhood friend who just arrived here and he lived next door in the same apartment where I am staying."
"Wow, that's interesting. Tell me more!" Sandra got excited.
They continued to talk about Chris after leaving the office clinic and while walking along the hallway, going to the elevator.
"He confessed to you his love, undying to be precise, but he will leave you after a few days of staying here in New York? Why?" Sandra exclaimed.
Adeline sighed, "His job required him to go abroad. He needed to go to Paris."
"What will happen now? Do you think there's still a chance for both of you to be together?"
"He said he will wait for me."
They both arrived at the front of the elevator alongside the other employees waiting to board.
"He will wait for you when in fact he was the one who left," Sandra laughed. "Your friend is funny."
As soon as the elevator door opened, they both entered. They were stuck behind the others and remained a little stiff because a lot of people entered the same elevator going to the 100th floor as the highest floor in the building.
Sandra immediately caught a glimpse of her ultimate crush which was unexpectedly the Thomas Hankinson himself.
She had a sudden uncontrollable excitement which caught Adeline's attention.
"Oh gosh, it's him…" Sandra whispered to her.
Adeline looked around to see who Sandra was talking about, "Who?"
Sandra secretly points at Thomas who was wearing a V-neck green sweatshirt with white checkered long sleeves underneath, matched with a pair of khaki pants, secured with a brown belt.
“I have seen him ever since I started to work here, but it’s very seldom. I don’t even know which department he’s under.” Sandra explained.
“If you know his name, you can ask some of our co-workers. I’m sure there are some of them who know him.” Adeline suggested.
Sandra sighed, “I hope you’re right.”
They remained quiet for the rest of the elevator ride. Sandra couldn’t avoid but to keep on staring at Thomas who was a little far from where they were standing.
Adeline, however, couldn’t help but to smile because it was the first time she sees her friend being in love.
The elevator reached the 36th floor before some of the passengers actually got out. Thomas, who was going to the 98th floor where the Pioneers’ main office was located, was suddenly pushed back when few more passengers entered the elevator after a few had left.
He felt someone being pushed and pinned on his back, and he noticed that it was an elder female employee.
“Excuse me to the person in front. Would you please kindly not squish yourself anymore, there is an elder behind.” Thomas accosted one male employee.
“Shut up. Don’t meddle with anyone else’s business!” the employee said.
Adeline and Sandra noticed that the man who just spoke to Thomas was their co-worker Colton, the next senior employee from the advertising management department.
Thomas remained calm as he glanced at the elder behind him and smiled.
“Let’s exchange positions so that you won’t get squished behind.” He told her before kindly helping her switch positions.
Sandra felt so proud to see the man she admired being nice and simply human with good morals.
Adeline noticed how Thomas remained to stare at Colton who talked to him rudely.
“The one who spoke to me, what’s your name?” Thomas’s voice was loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Why do you want to know? So, you will tell the higher authorities what I just told you?” Colton smirked.
“If that’s what needs to be done, my answer is yes.”
“Fuck off, newbie. Go home to your mama and tell her someone bullied you from school.” Colton continued mocking him.
Since the tension starts to build up between the men, the other passengers remain silent as they continue to watch the confrontations.
“That jerk, I will give him a punch as soon as we get inside the office.” Sandra commented, whispering at Adeline.
Adeline was feeling uneasy, the reason for her to suddenly interfere.
“Colton!” she called the rude man.
They glanced at her and she was evenly surprised by what she did. Colton glared at her.
“What?!” he answered her.
Adeline pretended to greet him by waving her hand at him, “Hi.”
Colton showed his middle finger to her and went out of the elevator as soon as it reached the next floor level.
Adeline felt embarrassed the reason she turned her head down as Sandra tried to comfort her.
“Are you okay?” Sandra asked. “Why did you do that? Are you close with him?”
“No, I uh-” Adeline couldn’t avoid her lips from trembling.
“Thank you.”
The ladies’ attention was caught when Thomas went closer to where they were standing.