Chapter 01 : Challenge

Joe tidied up his messy shirt and tie, then walked into the CEO's office with the weekly sales report.

"Didn't you ever learn any manners? Knock on the door first before entering here!" Jesslyn, the company's managing director, reprimanded Joe in a cold voice.

Joe, who had been looking down, now raised his head. "I'm sorry that I forgot to knock. But, can you be more polite to me, my wife?"

He looked at his wife's beautiful face, who was working tirelessly proving herself as the best hard-working woman.

“We’re in a company, here our relationship is only as a boss and employees, understand?”

Jesslyn says while furrowing her brown eyebrows.

“OK…”Joe nodded his head following his wife's authoritative voice. He could sense that she was disappointed in him.

She forwarded the chart paper, and asked him in a high-pitched voice,” Did you work this month anything?”

Before I could answer her, she cut me off in between.

“Is this work too hard for you?”

Joe hung his head low, he knew that he failed this month again to prove himself and here he came the useless and good-for-nothing husband in her eyes.

"Sorry." That was all that came out of Joe's lips.

Joe gulped his saliva harshly. "I'm sorry, Jess. I tried my best, but the other staff always managed to take away customers who almost agreed to buy some assets through me. The manager of this company is also helping them. So, what can I do against them?"

He didn’t want to disappoint his wife but life always played an evil game with him.

“You always have excuses. I gave you this job to prove yourself, but..,” she sighed heavily.

“Nevermind…I should have not expected much from you. The workload was not lesser and now your laziness is another stress for me” Her eyes had so much restlessness that she wanted to give up on him.

Joe felt her pain, how she was tired of everything.

“Jess, don’t be stressed out. I promise everything will be done.” He tried to ease his wife's stress.

She narrowed her eyes to find in his eyes whether he was trying to mock her.

“You can’t manage to get one single sale yourself and you will help me? She gave a sarcastic laugh.

She can’t tolerate this loser husband anymore. Once she loved him for his innocence but this innocence is destroying all her dreams.

“I am done with you..and so is our marriage…I couldn’t afford a man who can only eat, but never make a penny anymore.”

Her words were filled with pain and a mix of anger.

Joe felt heartbreak like he had been stabbed with a knife. He felt so ashamed that he failed as a husband.

“Jess, .”

Jesslyn's emotions piled up so much that her love for him turned into hatred, disgust, and disappointment. She didn’t want to see his face,” GET OUT IN FRONT OF MY EYES.”

Seeing Jesslyn’s tired and sad face, Joe took the paper and left. He knew that he must do something now.

Jesslyn didn’t even have a look at him. She was so disappointed that she just wanted him to be away from her.

“I have to do something now. I am so embarrassed even to look into her eyes,” Joe murmured to himself and exhaled a deep breath heavily.

As, he walked out of the director's room with light steps and with a new determination to not lose his wife, to get the integrity back in her eyes.

Just a few steps, Joe walked. Someone threw a napkin that was usually used to wipe the table, and it managed to land on his face.

"What the hell?!" Joe grabbed the napkin and raised his voice in frustration. Then he looked up at the culprit.

"Haha. You hit the nail on the head, Rocky. Let's throw it again, this time with a broom and mop." Rizky, a staff in the same sales department as Joe, laughed out loud.

"You're right, Ky. He does deserve to be pelted with things like that. Isn't he used to using those tools?" Rocky replied to Rizky's words, laughing at Joe, who looked emotional.

Some of the other staff who saw the incident just watched. After all, they didn't want to interfere in the commotion, especially since the ones who started it were Rocky and Rizky, two marketing staff very dear to their manager, because they managed to sell many houses within a month.

"Why are you angry just because you were pelted with napkins? You should be grateful! It would be best if you cleaned this office instead of getting fired for not being able to sell a single house and other buildings. At least you can be of some use in this office!"

Rocky tried to provoke Joe, wanting the man to be fired. However, Joe kept quiet and left while holding back the emotions about to explode.

"Hey, where are you going? Hey, maid! Clean up your desk before you leave!" Rocky shouted.

"Remember, Joe. You can get into this company only because your wife is the director! Otherwise, I'm sure you won't be able to work in this company. Get ready, Joe. I'm sure you'll be fired from here. Either sooner or later." Rizky joined in the provocation and suppressed every sentence from his lips.

They both hated Joe so much because they feared he might take their place one day.

***

"What are you doing here? Doesn't the company prohibit the use of cell phones while working?" Oliver reprimanded Joe, who wrote down the cell phone number of a prospective customer Jesslyn had given him earlier.

"Sorry, sir. But I was calling a prospective customer," Joe explained.

"Really? Which other customers do you want to contact? Aren't you tired of failing a few times? Why not just give up?" Oliver said he had been pressuring and demeaning Joe since he was hired.

"I'm sure it'll work this time, sir." Joe gave a faint smile, and he tried not to show his emotions at all.

"Ha-ha. Are you sure you'll make it? If it doesn't work out, what then?" Oliver said in a challenging tone.

"I'm sure I will, sir!" Joe replied with his voice raised several octaves. He intended to convince his manager, but the man took offense.

"You have the nerve to speak to me in such a high tone, hm?" Oliver approached Joe, then his eyes glanced at the two numbers on the paper.

Seeing the name of the owner of the number, Oliver gave a sardonic smile. "Since you've been disrespectful to me, you must accept the punishment!"

"Punishment?"

"Yes! You should be fired!" Oliver widened his sardonic smile.

"You can't treat me like this, sir! I'm trying to prove that I can sell a house or another building this week. I can do it!" Joe insisted. This time, he was trying to defend his pride.

"If you don't want to be fired, you must agree to my challenge."

Joe looked at his manager with a puzzled look in his eyes. "What challenge?"

"Everyone! Listen to me!" Oliver shouted, making several staff including Rocky and Rizky, who had just arrived, turn their heads quickly.

"I challenge this loser! Tomorrow morning, at 9 am, he must sell 100 properties! If he fails, then this loser will leave the company immediately. In other words, he's fired!"

Whispers began to be heard, but unfortunately, they were mostly happy that the man considered a nuisance in the company would soon be eliminated.

"Mr. Oliver is great! I'm pretty sure that loser will be fired tomorrow!" A staff member said.

"100 properties? This past year alone, the company could only sell 89 properties, the highest sale ever!"

"Ha-ha! Finally, our company will be free of losers!"

Joe, who heard the challenge, immediately said, "No. I can't entirely agree with the challenge. I can't entirely agree with that challenge. It's very detrimental to me!"

"You have no choice, Joe. Fulfill the challenge or get fired right now!"