A VERY GOOD FRIEND

Chapter 16

AFTER

"You would be working from 6:00AM - 9:00PM this week and vice versa next week." He handed her a document to sign, which he promptly attached to a folder, then stowed it in his drawer.

He picked up his telephone and uttered a single command, "bring it in." In response, a woman, impeccably dressed in a blue shirt and black skirt, entered the room, clutching the same attire she wore.

"Here, get changed and start work," she handed it to her, "you can call me Nancy. I am your coach until you get accustomed to your duties. Yeah, follow me…"

Olivia, as jubilant and thrilled as a fledgling parrot, accepted the clothes and trailed behind Nancy. Pausing at the door, she turned to the gentleman seated behind the desk,

"thank you Sir…sorry…Boss…"

"Don't address me with any of that, young lady." His voice carried a frosty edge; though young and exceedingly handsome, he bore only one distinction from McCarthy: height; McCarthy stood a full head taller, "just call me Jerry…" he grinned before refocusing on his laptop.

"You're incredibly fortunate," she ushered her into the changing room, "are you married?"

"No, never will I."

"I'm sorry to bring this up, I hope I did hurt you in any way?"

"No, I just hate marriage and I don't even know why." She smiled a bit.

Nancy kept on looking at Olivia's stomach, she wanted to ask something about it but she thought it would make Olivia uncomfortable.

"Why?" Olivia questioned, discovering the hard look.

"Do you have a child?"

"I find children amazing, but I don't have one either." She smiled again, them looked at her own belly, "the line? I had a terrible accident. That's what mum told me."

"I'm so sorry to bring this up, I am sorry… sorry… " she recited and left the room.

Once changed, Olivia settled at her workstation. Employees were grouped into sections, each comprising five individuals. Four were women, and just a male in their mist. They sat facing one another with the group leader stationed at a separate table for oversight.

"Hello, I'm Olivia," she greeted her new peers, easing into her seat. Upon attempting to power up her computer, she noticed a glitch.

"Erm, can someone assist me with this?"

"The switch is right here," a dashing gentleman lent a hand, provoking laughter from the female colleagues, "I'm also Reginald."

"Is this amusing?" Nancy's query cast a hush over the group.

Olivia consulted her to-do list, which featured designing a new container for baby cream, a skill she honed in school. She excelled as a product designer.

"I trust you can tackle your initial task; it's proven challenging for newcomers, but they prevail. May you fare equally well."

Six hours elapsed without progress. Every idea she conceived already existed. Her eyes remained fixed on the screen, hand reluctant to release the computer mouse. Suddenly, she found herself alone; everyone had departed for lunch except Nancy, who observed Olivia intently.

"Olivia, aren't you joining us for lunch?"

She turned to face her, sweat beading on her beautiful face. "Miss. Nancy… I… don't have… " she faltered before opting for another excuse, "I'm not hungry." Yet her stomach betrayed her, rumbling loudly.

"Would you like me to fetch you lunch?" She offered, promptly placing an order.

"I'm fine, thank you."

"I've already arranged it."

Olivia fell silent, engrossed in her work. Minutes later, her colleagues returned.

"Olivia, I thought you might need some coffee." He placed it on the table before retreating to his seat. At that moment, the delivery guy arrived with pizzas Nancy had ordered earlier.

"I apologize for the delay; I encountered bike troubles."

"No worries, I understand."

"You've always been kind to me, Ma'am." He addressed Nancy, carefully depositing the order on Olivia's table as though she had placed it.

As he departed, Nancy called him back. Olivia wasted no time diving into the pizza, ravenous.

"I think I'll need another one." The delivery guy departed, leaving everyone to stare at Olivia, who continued eating voraciously, oblivious to their gaze.

"Why?" She inquired, her mouth full.

"There's a quiet spot near the women's dressing room where you can eat comfortably." The man gestured.

Grabbing her box, Olivia departed, leaving the other ladies chuckling.

***

"Are you feeling better now?" Nancy inquired, examining Olivia's work. Her screen displayed every mistake and adjustment made.

"Focusing on the third one seems promising. Don't let it go to waste."

Olivia resumed her work, questioning herself, "Did I truly overlook this design?" She pondered as she refined it.

"WOW!" Nancy's excitement drew the attention of others, prompting their curious inquiry.

Olivia revisited a previously discarded concept, enhancing it.

Nancy exclaimed again, "WOW!" The other sections, intrigued, gathered around.

"What's happening here?" A man inquired, but Olivia remained unfazed by his intrusion.

"Don't cross that line," she warned, causing him to retreat. "Are you attempting to pilfer our designs again?"

Feeling sheepish, he scratched his head and returned to his seat.

"Should I also refrain from crossing that line?" Another voice interjected, silencing the hall.

Nancy glanced up as Jerry entered.

"I am waiting for you, Nancy."

"It's alright, sir, you're welcome to cross any line in this hall."

"I'm eager to see what's causing such excitement," he remarked, inspecting Olivia's designs. "WOW!" His reaction mirrored Nancy's.

Everyone rushed over to witness the commotion.

"This is the best design we've seen for the Baby Cream container," he declared. Turning to Nancy, he instructed, "Add it to the list; we'll be meeting with B and B Cosmetics Company tomorrow to present it. If they accept, they can use it."

"But Sir, B and B Cosmetics produces second-rate beauty products. Shouldn't we collaborate with a top-tier company?" Nancy suggested.

"That company is now richer than mine; it was acquired by one of America's billionaire CEOs," he revealed, displaying a photo of the revamped B and B Cosmetics headquarters. Among the workers featured, Olivia spotted her friend, Nelly.

He addressed Olivia, "Prepare for the presentation tomorrow. Time is of the essence."

Still disoriented, Olivia inquired, "Who's the new owner?" Though she knew the answer, she refused to accept it. Fleeing from him wouldn't change the inevitable. Her heart pounded, she didn't want to hear the name.

"McCarthy Alexander, the CEO of HomeBots and Automobile. A very good friend of mine." he replied, exiting the room and leaving everyone in dismay, but Olivia in a mind aching moment.