Chapter 4 Flawed File
936 Words
Cynthia's POV
I picked up the file. The content seemed unfamiliar. I had only been here for an afternoon, and although I helped Jasmine with a lot of work, I hadn't reached the point where I couldn't remember what I did.
I was just about to deny it when a voice interrupted me, "Of course it's hers. You think I would lie to you, Simon?"
Then, snatching the documents from in front of me, she exclaimed, "Look at the job you've done. It's full of errors! Did I plead for you to join Hynes Corporation just to have you mess things up?"
I immediately understood the situation.
This was Jasmine's work, and after errors were discovered, she framed me.
She was the privileged young lady, capable of manipulating everything that concerned me.
Seeing me make a mistake probably made her happier, especially since she despised me due to my relationship with Simon.
Simon didn't continue on the topic Jasmine mentioned but turned to look at me.
"I'm asking you. Did you do this?"
This might be my only chance to explain.
But I couldn't reveal the truth.
Jasmine had me in a chokehold. I couldn't afford to be on her bad side because of this job.
"Sorry, Mr. Hynes, I'll be more careful next time." When I said that, it felt like my throat was choked up.
"See, Simon, I told you it was her, and you didn't believe me."
Simon's attention was immediately diverted. Jasmine seized the moment to hook his arm and turned to me, "Hurry up and fix it!"
After Jasmine left, I spread out her documents again.
Suddenly, I heard a snicker near my ear.
I looked up, and it seemed like everyone in the office was continuing to work within their cubicles.
I felt a bit stuffy. This cubicle seemed like it belonged to me, yet it also seemed to be rejecting me.
I got up, intending to go to the break room to catch my breath.
"Her? She's a nepotism hire. Didn't you hear the commotion this morning? They say she's Ms. Linnell's maid's niece?"
Then came another snicker, which was clearly different from before, but the two sounds seemed to overlap in my ears.
"The maid's niece? She's got it easy, doesn't she? Even the maid's niece can get into Hynes Corporation!"
"I heard that she didn't even graduate from college."
"A drop-out? No wonder her work is such a mess!"
I lingered by the door for a moment, thinking that if this had been a few years ago, I would have walked in and told them off.
I was a capable person. They could just wait and see.
But now was not the time.
I was just a nepotism hire, the "maid's niece".
I couldn't stand here proudly.
The voices inside slowly ceased, and fearing discovery, I had no choice but to hide away first.
*****
Today's work was exhausting, and I felt exhausted. Regardless, joining Hynes Corporation meant I had a stable job.
It could at least ease some of my financial burden.
It had been a while since I had seen my mother. This was good news, and I wanted to tell her.
But unexpectedly, when I got to my mother's hospital room after changing buses several times, I found an uninvited guest sitting at her bedside.
It was Jasmine…
Simon's POV
My first encounter with Cynthia Harvey was at the anniversary celebration of my old school. As the representative of excellent students, she proudly claimed her scholarship from me.
Shining with confidence, she said, "Sir, I'll definitely work for Hynes Corporation one day."
It was incredibly difficult to get hired by Hynes Corporation, even for Yale University graduates. However, I had a gut feeling that she was capable of doing it, so I nodded.
A bright smile blossomed on this young girl's face, like a ray of soothing, warm sunlight in spring.
Our second encounter was in the lift of the Hynes Corporation building. I recognized Cynthia with just one glance. She was dressed in standard formal attire, her breathing rapid as if she had just been running.
She was in the wrong lift.
When I tapped my card for her, she raised her head slightly to thank me but quickly looked down again, attempting to conceal her face with the messy locks before her eyes.
I saw the panic and embarrassment in her eyes. She was different.
I didn't speak, but I could vividly sense the awkward atmosphere in the lift.
When the lift stopped, she rushed out as quickly as she could, only to bump into my fiancée, Jasmine Linnell.
Jasmine told me that Cynthia was the niece of a maid at the Linnell family and now her assistant. From her tone, I could gather that Cynthia never graduated from Yale.
It was a shocking revelation, really. I was left wondering what had happened to Cynthia in the past few years.
I knew my fiancée well. She was willful and bossy. So, I could only assume from Jasmine's tone that Cynthia would most likely suffer in her days working for my fiancée.
I understood very well that if I showed extra concern for Cynthia, it would only make her life worse. Thus, I simply stated that the Hynes Corporation had no place for those who got in through the backdoor.
Nonetheless, I was aware that this wouldn't lead to Cynthia being fired. She was related to Jasmine, so Jasmine would surely help her. And as Jasmine's "perfect fiancé", I had no reason to refuse.
Just like that, Cynthia was accepted into Hynes Corporation.
- Writer
