From Heartache to Heir

Chapter 7

Archer took a deep breath and knocked on the door, and the woman inside looked up from her cell phone, her impatience evident in her tone as she responded,

"What do you want?"

Archer frowned and opened the door. He walked inside and the woman's brows furrowed.

"Who said you could enter?" she yelled at him.

His jaw dropped open in shock, and the woman's face was pinched in anger that Archer thought he had broken a rule.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to."

"Go back and knock again. You young people and lacking manners, it seems to be the trend these days." She snarled.

Archer's chest tightened in anger, as he stared at the woman in front of him. He dug his nails into his palm, trying to calm his nerves.

He did as the woman said while keeping his anger in check.

"Come in," the woman yelled.

He walked up to the table and frowned at the woman.

"My name is Archer, the new hire," he introduced himself, trying to maintain a professional demeanor despite the woman's dismissive attitude.

The woman checked her schedule with a frown and shook her head. "I don't have any record of your arrival. Are you sure you're supposed to be here?"

Archer frowned, feeling his frustration rise. "Yes, I was told to come here to complete my onboarding process"

The woman sneered, thinking Archer must be trying to pull a fast one. "Hmm, well, I don't see your name on my schedule. Are you sure you're not some kind of fraud?"

"No, ma'am. I am not a fraud."

The woman leaned in with a sneer on her face as she studied Archer, "You can't fool me, young man."

Archer took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. "I am sure an email was sent to you. Please check and confirm."

The woman rolled her eyes, taking offense at Archer's suggestion. "Are you trying to teach me how to do my job?"

"No, I am not. You don't want to believe me that I am not a fraud." Archer explained.

"Are you talking back at me? It looks like you are not ready to work here. This type of arrogance won't pass in this work..."

Just then, her phone rang, interrupting her rant. She answered the call and listened intently, her expression changing as she realized her mistake.

"Okay, I see. Thanks for letting me know." She hung up the phone and begrudgingly asked for Archer's documents.

Archer resisted the urge not to smile smugly at her.

The middle-aged woman sat in her office, her face red with anger as Archer bested her.

She called Jessie, her secretary, to her office to tell her that she wasn't happy with what happened.

"Jessie, how could you not tell me in advance? the woman cursed, her voice rising in frustration.

Jessie blushed from the accusation, "I sent you an email earlier, but you didn't reply," she protested.

The middle-aged woman sneered at Jessie. "You think that's an excuse? You should have made sure I got the message, it's all your fault." she pointed a finger at Jessie.

Jessi's heart sank. She had been working hard to keep up with the demands of her boss, but it seemed like nothing was ever enough.

"I am sorry, it won't happen again..." but the woman cut her off.

"Enough. You'll just have to help this young man finish the process. And don't mess up again, or else you'll be out of a job."

With that, the woman sat back in her chair, pulling out her cell phone as if nothing had happened.

She suddenly paused and turned to Archer who had been quietly watching them.

"Go with her." The woman's lips warped in a sneer and she focused on her phone again.

Archer abruptly lifted his head staring at the woman with disgust.

The woman was just bitter for no good reason. He wondered if this was how she treated everyone here.

Bad attitudes aren't good for business.

His gaze fell on Jessie, and a quiet sigh slowly escaped his lips as he watched her say,

"Let's go to the business department, that's where you've been employed."

Jessie forced a smile, but her reddened eyes gave her away. At a glance, one would know that she was putting on a facade.

She was one minute away from bawling her eyes out but knowing the woman, that might probably get Jessie fired.

On seeing how frustrated Jessie looked, Archer grunted and followed after her as they walked out.

They walked down the hallway in silence.

Archer desperately wanted to say something to make Jessie feel better but he had no idea what to say.

He doubted she would appreciate it coming from a stranger.

When they got to the elevator, Jessie paused and stared at the elevator. It was four floors away.

"We should take the stairs, it's just the next floor, no need to wait." She said to him.

"Okay." he swallowed as walked after her in silence.

Shortly after, Archer slowly forced out the words, "Hey, are you okay?" he asked, noticing the distressed look on her face.

Jessie's lips widened as she let out a small smile. She stared at Archer for a moment and quickly looked away when his gaze met hers.

Jessie sighed. "I'm just tired of being treated like this. No matter how hard I work, it's never enough."

"Is she always like that?" he asked.

Jessie nodded, "Yes. She wants perfection and no matter how much I break my back to please her, she still complains."

Archer suddenly went off for a moment. There was something about her words that seemed similar to his situation.

No matter how much he loved Hailey and worked hard to buy her things, it wasn't enough.

"Just ignore it, I am sure you will be rewarded for your hard work."

Jessie shook her head, a sad smile on her lips. "It's not that simple. She is an enemy of progress and she won't let me move up the ladder."

Archer's expression darkened. "That's not fair."

"I agree with you but then again, nothing is fair in this life," Archer responded as she opened the door to the next floor.

"This is the strategy department."

They headed to the Manager's office when Jessie knocked on the door. They heard an angry voice from inside, "Go away!"

Jessie was about to knock again, but her thumps curled into a fist and a sigh. escaped her lips as she turned to Archer with regret in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I don't think we can finish your onboarding today," she said sadly.

Archer nodded. "I understand."

But before they could turn around and walk away, they heard a voice cry out in distress.

They exchanged a worried look, and Jessie pushed the door open.

Inside, they saw a young woman, huddled in a corner, tears streaming down her face. The manager stood over her, a look of anger on his face as he sneered down at her.