It was Monday morning, and Lisa was back in the office, still recovering from her whirlwind of weekend dinners—one with clients, one with family, and both filled with far more tension than any meal should ever have. She leaned against her desk, sipping her coffee and mentally prepping herself for the week ahead.
"Okay, Lisa. New week, new mindset," she muttered. "No stressing about the family business, no client dinners to worry about. Just good, old-fashioned office work."
She opened her email, already dreading whatever chaos Jennie might throw her way, but instead of the usual meeting requests or urgent tasks, she saw something different.
Ms. Manoban, I need you to coordinate the office layout changes this week. We’re reorganizing workspaces to optimize efficiency. Please handle it. - J. Kim.
Lisa blinked. Reorganizing the office? That didn’t sound so bad. No terrifying spreadsheets or international clients to impress—just some desk rearranging. "I’ve got this," she thought, feeling a rare sense of confidence.
“Easy,” she whispered, leaning back in her chair. “What could possibly go wrong?”
---
Two hours later, Lisa found herself staring at the office floor plan with a deep sense of regret. What she had thought would be a simple task—move a few desks around, make things more efficient—was quickly turning into a logistical nightmare.
She had a map of the entire floor, complete with desk locations, employee seating preferences, and equipment layouts. But for some reason, nothing seemed to fit quite right.
“Okay,” Lisa muttered, standing in the middle of the office like an overwhelmed general surveying the battlefield. “I’ll just... start with one section and work my way out.”
She picked up her clipboard, walked over to the marketing department, and cleared her throat. “Alright, everyone! We’re doing some desk reorganization today. I’m here to make sure everything runs smoothly. So if you could all... just move your stuff for a bit, that’d be great!”
The team members glanced at her, clearly confused. One of them, a guy named Mark, raised his hand. “Uh, where exactly are we moving?”
Lisa flipped through the floor plan, squinting at the small print. “Right... over there,” she said, pointing to the opposite side of the room. “You’ll be closer to the windows, which will give you more natural light. And, you know, sunlight improves productivity or something.”
Mark looked skeptical but started packing up his things. “Sure, if you say so.”
Lisa watched as the team began to shuffle around, moving desks and equipment with varying degrees of enthusiasm. She felt a surge of confidence. "This isn’t so bad. I’m like a project manager now."
But just as she was starting to feel good about herself, her phone buzzed. It was Jennie.
Ms. Manoban, I’ll be stopping by the office at noon to check on the progress. Ensure that everything is organized by then.
Lisa glanced at the time. 10:45. Oh no.
---
For the next hour and a half, Lisa ran around like a headless chicken, trying to get the rest of the office in order. The marketing team had moved, but the finance team wasn’t happy with their new location, and IT needed extra power outlets that didn’t seem to exist.
By 11:55, Lisa was standing in the middle of the chaos, trying to keep her cool. Desks were half-moved, cables were strewn everywhere, and one of the departments had somehow commandeered the printer room as their new workspace without permission.
YOU ARE READING
Beneath the Ice
HumorLalisa Manoban had her life mapped out: gain real-world business experience before taking over her father's conglomerate. When she lands a job as the personal secretary to Jennie Kim, the sharpest and most feared CEO in the industry, she thinks she'...
