Love Unspoken

Public transportation was a nonentity in this part of town, leaving a cab ride to the office as the sole means of commute. Drawing out her phone, she tapped into her messaging app, only to have her face turn a ghostly white.

A wave of panic seized her, sending chills down her spine. There was an unread message from Nicholas, and yet, it had been seen by someone else. In the villa, the only other occupant was Alexander. She hadn't seen the message, so who else could have possibly touched her phone? The answer was glaringly obvious.

Her fingers trembled as she tapped open the message. It was from Nichol as, reading, "What's the problem? But no worries, if it's inconvenient to talk over the phone, we can meet in person."

Quinn's breath hitched, her phone slipping from her grasp and clattering onto the car's floor. She closed her eyes, the chilly breeze from the car window stinging her cheeks.

"Miss, we've arrived."Jolted back to reality, Quinn picked up her phone and stepped out of the car. She walked into the company building, her demeanor akin to a lost soul. Clocking in, she took her seat in front of her computer.

An instant message from Kyle popped up on her workstation, listing the day's tasks. "Hey, newbie, I need twenty copies of this document for a meeting later."

A stack of files landed with a thud in front of Quinn. Looking up, she saw a curly-haired woman, her name badge reading 'Secretary-Maria.' This desk had once belonged to Getty, and those who had been oppressed under Getty hadn't forgotten their disdain for the position or the person who occupied it. They now projected their hatred onto Quinn.

Quinn stared at the document for a long moment before rising, papers in hand, and heading to the copier. Maria watched Quinn's retreating back with a sneer. A colleague leaned in, whispering, "Maria, she seems clueless, yet she's got a job here. Maybe tone it down a bit?"

The underlying message was clear, 'Quinn could be the next Getty.' Maria chuckled, "Did you hear about yesterday?"

"What happened?"

"Quinn was helping Getty move some stuff, accidentally spilled Getty's things, and they got into it. Alexander was so worried he skipped the meeting and went straight down. Quinn got reamed out. Didn't you notice she wasn't here yesterday afternoon?"

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The day's gossip had evolved, but the core story remained. Maria added, "I mean, how many Gettys can there be, right? You're overthinking it. I bet she's just some executive's relative who got in through the connections. No need to be polite with those types."

Their department shared a sense of contempt. No matter whose relative Quinn might be, nobody would be nice to her. At the copier, Quinn was indeed clueless, fumbling with the machine. She mixed up printing and copying, didn't know how to place the pages properly, and ended up with incomplete copies.Doubt crept in again.

Without Alexander, could she really survive?As she was lost in her thoughts, a voice from behind startled her, "Quinn."

Quinn spun around to see Walter standing there with documents, a friendly smile on his face. "You don't know how to use this, do you?"

Quinn's cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she fumbled with the stack of papers, utterly clueless. She couldn't even operate the copier. Working here was a surefire way to become the laughingstock of the office.

Taking the papers from her, Walter said, "Here, let me show you. Align the papers along this edge. This button here lets you choose options. This icon is for double-sided copying, and this is where you input the number of copies you want." He guided her hand over the machine. "Once the counter here hits zero, just open the lid, flip the papers over, and you're all set to copy the backside."He pressed the button, and the document came out from the printer. Quinn quickly gathered it up. It was the first of twenty sets she needed to make.

"Give it a try," Walter stepped aside, allowing her to have a go at it.

Quinn nodded, positioning the next sheet of paper.Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

Unnoticed by them, Alexander had come to a halt behind them, staring intently at the pair.