Beyond The Facade

Freya hurriedly rushed out of her bedroom with her fingers moving with haste as she fastened the buttons of her tailored pants which fit perfectly with her long sleeved white shirt. Her head was tilted gently resting her cheek on her shoulder as she held the phone between her ear and the crook of her neck. “Seriously?!!” Patricia's voice over the phone exclaimed “You know what happens when she gets to the office before you," she continued. It was very obvious from the way she sounded that she was concerned. Freya was always reprimanded by her boss, Mrs Caroline, for coming in late to work. She was given the final notice yesterday. “If I walk into the office tomorrow before you, it would be the last time you'll ever walk in here," her exact words accompanied by her glaring eyes. Mrs Caroline always hated non-punctual employees. She's popularly known for sacking ten people in just a week. One of the reasons is not being punctual at work. “I'm on my way, pat” she replied as she slipped into her shoes. She hangs up the call and hurriedly leaves the apartment. She shuts the door and runs down the staircase. After reaching the subway, she halts. As she came to a stop, her upper body gently collapsed forward, her arms fell to the ground and her chest almost touched her thighs as she panted profusely. And just in time, a bus stopped in front of her, and she hurriedly ran onto the bus. She reached out for an empty seat and collapsed on it, releasing a deep breath. The ringing of her phone interrupted her peaceful rest. “Oh f**k!” she grunted. She reached out to her phone from her pocket and answered the call. “Hello, mom,” she said with a sad tone. “It's been years since I last saw you, I don't even know how you look now,” her mom's voice with a rich Russian accent cracking with tears said over the phone. Her words struck a chord in Freya's heart, unlocking a floodgate of long-held tears. She quickly wipes it off before it drips down. “I've told you before, I won't feel comfortable visiting until that viper is no longer present in your life.” she replied harshly. With a slight turn of her head, her eyes locked onto those who were staring at her, she shot back with a sharp, defensive “What?” glance. “Viper?.. That's not a good way to talk”. Her mom scolds her over the phone. The bus came to a quiet rest. “Mom I'll speak to you later” she quickly hung up the call and leaped from the bus. She ran into the company, dodging through people and doors just in time to catch the elevator. With seconds to spare, she walks into the office and slips into her seat. Mrs Caroline walked in with her black, fitted black dress and a long blazer layered over her gown. Her hips swayed with elegance as she walked. Freya watched her as she walked towards her office. “Yes..keep going… Go on.. one more step” she whispered to herself. She just hoped she wasn't caught coming in now, she wished for her to disappear into her office. She finally was at peace when she heard her office door slam shut. She released a deep sigh “ooh that was a close call.” Rachel approached her with a friendly smile on her face. That smile only appears whenever she wants Freya to help her out with some tasks. “You look gorgeous this morning… Oooh I see ‘no makeup’ makeup.. You should probably teach me that someday” she commented, but it was obvious it was fake. “Yh… But today's look is natural, but I'm feeling the love” she sarcastically replied. It got on Rachel's nerves, it was evident in her face, her smile quickly changed to a frown, but she covered it up immediately. “Um, go to your inbox, I sent a file to you.. Please help me arrange the files.. Pleeeeeaaaaase” she pleaded with her puppy's eyes flickering as it opened and closed continuously. “I've got work to do” Freya curtly responded. “So you won't do it?” Rachel asked. Freya chuckled in laughter, trying to lighten the mood. “Of course not, I'll do it and forward it to you”. “Thank you… You're the best” she said and returned to her seat. Rachel gives her a smile and Freya returns the smile. The worst thing she could do as an intern in the company is to get on the bad side of her colleagues, especially ones with great influence in the company. One valuable lesson she learned in life is “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” It's a quote often attributed to Sun Tzu, a Chinese military strategist and a philosopher from his book ‘The Art of War’ Just as she was about to start on her first task, her colleague, Maria, appeared at her desk, looking irritated. “Hey Freya, I need a favor," Maria said, dumping a thick stack of files on Freya’s desk. “I've got a meeting with a potential client in an hour and I still need to prep. Can you go through these artist's portfolios and make a list of the top 10 pieces that fit the client's criteria?” Patricia's eyes widened in shock as she stared at the files. “Uh, okay...I'll try,” she reluctantly said. “And can you also research the current market value of each piece and make a spreadsheet?” Rachel added, already turning to leave. “Wait, isn't this your project?” Patricia asked, feeling a bit overwhelmed. Rachel turned back, looking overstressed. “I know, I know, but I've got too much on my plate right now. You're an intern, it's part of your job to assist, right?” Freya nodded reluctantly as she stared at the large volume of work in front of her. “Yeah, of course. I'll get right on it.” Life was not on her good side. All her days in the office have always been like this. As Maria hurried off, Freya sighed and wondered how she was going to get everything done on time. Just as Patricia was starting to make progress on the task her colleagues had dumped on her, the table phone on her desk rang. She answered, hoping it was just a routine question from a colleague. “Patricia, can you come into my office for a minute?” Mrs Caroline asked curtly. Patricia's heart sank. What did her boss want? Had she done something wrong?