Entangled Heart

EPISODE FIVE

Summoning courage, she slowly swung the door open and stepped out, scanning the hallway. To her surprise, there was no one in sight. A mix of unease and blankness gnawed at her, but after a moment of hesitation, she retracted her steps, returning back to her father’s bed side. Perhaps fatigued was playing tricks on her mind, she though, having had no chance to rest after work.

“Dad, you've given me more than I could ever ask for... Your love, your support and strength, that's worth more than anything money can buy” she continued. “I don’t know how I got so lucky to be blessed with an angel like you, I love so much my dear” her dad said hugging her tightly. The room was filled with tender silence; the depth of their love spoke louder than any words could. They found solace in each other’s embrace, to face the uncertain path ahead.

Throughout the challenges and daily humiliations she faced at work from her boss, her resilience grew, because she was trained never to give up or back down. She found solace in the friendships she formed with other employees, who saw her dedication and recognized her potentials, and from time to time they offered her support and encouragement, and through this Emma's determination to prove herself grew. In preparation for a high profile meeting with potential investors, Emma worked tirelessly behind the scenes, organizing documents and coordinating schedules. Just as she was about to make an important suggestion to Daniel, he interrupted her mid- sentence, dismissing her contribution as irrelevant. Emma took a chance to persuade him "I believe this suggestion will really be of good use, to help win the investors in our favour" Daniel stopped her immediately, reminding her of her place "you are here to take notes, and bring coffee, not offer your worthless opinions, Emma". She didn't utter anymore words as he utterly embarrassed her, and she just stood there quietly.

On another occasion, a crucial mail needed to be sent, but the company’s server experienced an unexpected outrage, Emma tried everything in her power to resolve the issue, but she was met with a bombardment of calls and message from Daniel, questioning her competence and reminding her of her obligations. “Emma, I do not pay you to make excuses. Fix the problem and send that mail” he demanded, his voice sharp and unyielding. Despite the constant obstacles Emma demonstrated remarkable growth in her role, she meticulously improved her skills, becoming more proficient and proactive, always striving for excellence proving to everyone that despite her poor background, she can strive. Slowly but surely, her dedication caught the attention of some of Daniel’s top executives, who began to admire her for determination.

As weeks turned into months, there was a noticeable shift in Daniel's demeanor. He still possessed the sharp edge that defined him but Emma's unwavering commitment and competence were starting to penetrate his heart, he couldn't deny the impact she had on the company and even his image as the public began to see him in a good light, and the rumours stopped.

The turning point came during an important board meeting, where Emma contributed an idea that saved the company from a potential damaging deal. Her ideas and contribution impressed everyone at the board meeting, and for that short moment she was happy and she felt fulfilled knowing that they acknowledged her effort. But her happiness ended as soon as Daniel’s congratulatory pretense faded and he dismissed her achievement as a mere coincidence, not wanting to admit that she had helped him. Her heart sank, the happiness she felt in her heart disappeared as soon as he made that comment. After the close of work in the evening, Emma was alone in the office attending to a pending task; Daniel too on the other hand remained behind engulfed in his responsibilities. , The silence of the day weighed on her making her feel so alone and depressed and before she knew it she was in tears, because she couldn't contain her emotions any longer, her perseverance wavered, she found herself questioning if the job was worth the ending and constant humiliations and belittlement. Just as she was about to leave, Daniel came to her workplace, he had been looking at her from across his office. His demeanor softened, and for the first time, he seemed genuinely concerned about her "Emma, are you okay?" She hesitated, unsure if she could trust this momentary display of compassion, "I'm fine" she mumbled, avoiding his eyes, "no I don't think so, I saw you crying earlier, I could see you from across my office", she said gently, surprising her with his perceptiveness ", "I'm fine sir," Emma insisted, still avoiding him while rushing off arranging her stuff to head home. That left curiosity in Daniel's mind and sympathy, thinking if his harsh treatment towards her was the reason she was crying.

The next morning, Daniel couldn't shake off the curiosity that lingered from witnessing Emma crying the previous day, he found himself constantly stealing glances at her, trying to find out what could her caused her to cry. It was a very weird feeling he wasn't used to, because he isn't used to caring about anyone one else but himself.

Later that day, his fiancee, Franca, came to his office. As they spoke, Franca decided to assert her authority by asking Emma to go out and fetch her coffee. Emma hurriedly left to the coffee machine. However, a small delay occurred as she was trying to help her colleague with a problem because she was desperately in need of the help, but it didn't take long before she was done. When she finally went into Daniel's office and gave Franca the coffee, it was met with immediate disdain. Franca rained insults on her for the delay , questioning her competence. Emma's voice trembled as she tried to explain what caused the delay but Franca's anger only increased, she felt insulted that Emma chose to help a mere employee when she sent her on an errand, she felt disrespected and in a fit of rage Franca slapped Emma and poured the coffee all over her, drenching her in the hot liquid, her rude words echoed in the office. Emma stood there humiliated, as tears filled her eyes, she apologized but Franca continued to lash at her, feeling no remorse for pouring the coffee all over her. With her tears dropping, Emma rushed off to the bathroom, trying to escape the situation.

Daniel's anger boiled inside, disgusted by Franca’s disrespectful behavior towards Emma, but he didn't say anything , and kept calm so it wouldn't seem as if he was concerned about her but Franca could sense his anger from within. “Where the f**k did you get this low life from!” Franca questioned, “Did you really have to hit her? She is my employee for goodness sake” Daniel said in anger, “What do you mean?” Franca asked, moving close to Daniel trying to understand why he suddenly cares. Daniel unable to pretend to tolerate Franca's attitude anymore, left her in the office and went in search of Emma.