"What's going on? What happened?" I blurted out as soon as I walked into the office. The vibe today was totally different, with everyone buzzing around and totally focused on their tasks. I glanced at my watch and freaked out, thinking I was late. But luckily, I still had a good twenty minutes before I had to clock in.
"Daniel is back!" Miss R replied, rushing out of the editorial department with a bunch of papers in her hands.
"Oh my god, I'm so screwed!" Miss B exclaimed, barging into the room and looking all flustered. She plopped down next to me, clearly in a state of panic.
"Marina, can I borrow your pen, please?" Miss B barely finished her sentence before she snatched the pen I had just bought from my hand and started scribbling notes on the post-its she was holding.
As part of my daily routine, I would always begin by tidying up my workspace. Not that it was particularly dirty or messy from the previous day, but it had become a habit that I couldn't break. Just a few moments later, Chan suddenly appeared. Unlike Miss R and Miss B, she exuded an air of calmness, as she always did. However, her slightly quicker movements indicated that she was also in a rush. Approaching me, she politely requested something.
"Marina, could you please pass me the document that I gave you yesterday?"
"Of course," I replied, my voice calm and composed. "Just a moment, please." I reached into the drawer and grabbed the document, handing it over to her with a friendly smile. Meanwhile, Miss B, who was sitting on my left, seemed completely absorbed in her work, not bothered by Chan's presence at all.
"Thanks," she said, quickly snatching the document from my hand. Without wasting any time, she spun around and headed towards her room. But just a few steps later, she halted and turned back to look at me.
"Oh, by the way, Marina," she said, her tone serious. "Do you know Daniel is coming to the office today?"
I nodded in affirmation. "Yes, I do."
"Okay, good!" she exclaimed, her words rushed. With that, she hurriedly left, moving as fast as a roadrunner.
Turning my attention to Miss B, I couldn't help but comment on the hectic atmosphere. "How busy are you guys today?"
She sighed, her face showing the stress of her heavy workload. "Oh gosh, there's just so much more that needs to be done, Marina. That's why I'm looking like a tornado! Daniel is supposed to come tomorrow, not today!"
Worried about what might happen, I asked, "Will he be angry with us, Miss B?"
She shook her head, reassuring me. "No, he won't. But we don't want him to think that we are incapable of working independently without him around."
"Oh...I get it," I responded.
"Hello! Is everything going well in here?" A man wearing sunglasses suddenly appeared in the editorial department. Miss B looked momentarily stunned.
"Yes! Yes...Daniel," Miss B replied, her words slightly stuttered.
As Daniel conversed with Miss B, my heart whispered, "So this is Daniel." I observed him from head to toe, feeling a sense of familiarity. Questions swirled in my mind, trying to recall where and when I had encountered this man before.
At first, Daniel didn't seem to notice me. He gave me a polite smile like you would to someone you vaguely know. It wasn't until Miss B introduced me as the new staff member that he started talking to me and getting to know me better, before eventually going off to find Chan.
"Is Chan in her office?" Daniel asked.
"Yes, Daniel," I nodded quickly.
"Thanks," he replied, and off he went to Chan's office.
YOU ARE READING
The Sphere
ChickLitMarina was trying to search for herself and began to question her life and her passion after what had happened to her love life and career. Many things to think about. How to choose? And how to make sure she was not left feeling bitter? It was time...
