Chapter 9: An unknown phone call
It was half past eight in the evening. The fluorescent lights cast a sterile glow over the nearly empty office, but Bella was still working. Papers littered her desk, and the hum of her computer was the only sound that broke the silence.
Amy was also ready to leave. Her steps halted at the doorway when she noticed Bella still working. She walked over to her desk. "How long will it take?"
Bella, a determined glint in her eyes, offered a smile. "Almost done. Another hour or two, tops."
"It’s getting late. You can do the rest of the work at home. But come early tomorrow."
"I’ll leave once I finish it," Bella asserted.
"Okay. Email me the report before you make the PPT." With that final instruction, Amy left.
Bella’s fingers flew across the keyboard, her focus firm on the screen. The clock ticked relentlessly.
After another hour of meticulous work, she completed the report and drafted an email to Amy. She then began working on the presentation.
Within an hour, the presentation was ready. Bella stretched, rubbing her stiff neck, her stomach growling loudly in protest. She had been so engrossed in her tasks that she had skipped lunch, and now hunger gnawed at her.
A glance at her wristwatch made her eyes widen in shock. It was ten. "Bridget will come looking for me," she mumbled, hurriedly packing her belongings. Springing to her feet, she dashed out of the office.
Unbeknownst to Bella, a shadowy figure approached her desk stealthily. Olivia quickly turned the system on, and her gaze fleetingly moved around, checking if anybody was there. Her fingers danced across the keyboard. Bella’s presentation, the culmination of hours of work, materialized on the screen. With a click, Olivia deleted it.
"You are doomed, Bella," she muttered with a malicious smile on her face. "Tomorrow’s meeting is very important. Mr. Hudson won’t forgive you."