A Rough Day's Work

The day was dragging on for Aelira as she meticulously organized files and followed a growing list of tasks from Arthur's office. Just when she thought she could catch her breath, her intercom buzzed, and Arthur's voice filled her headset.

"Aelira," Arthur's voice was cool and unyielding. "I need you to collect all the departmental reports and have them on my desk by the end of the hour. No delays."

Before Aelira could reply, he ended the call, leaving her staring at the stack of files she'd already been assigned to sort. She heaved a sigh but didn't waste a second, heading down the hallway to tackle Arthur's task.

As she scurried through various departments, she felt eyes watching her, a mix of curiosity and sympathy. Most employees knew Arthur was exacting and relentless; dealing with his workload was like walking into a storm. Just as she made her way back to her desk, Arthur's assistant, Edwin, strolled up to her with a wry smile.

"You must be Aelira, the new recruit." Edwin glanced over her pile of files, smirking. "Arthur's already giving you the grand tour of tasks, huh?"

She tried to smile politely. "It's definitely... thorough."

"Well, let's make it even more exciting. How about grabbing some coffee for the team?" He gave her an exaggerated wink.

"Of course," she muttered, barely concealing her irritation. She had hoped her morning would involve more than playing errand girl, but she complied, heading to the kitchen and returning with steaming cups for everyone.

By the time she finally returned to her desk, her feet ached and her patience wore thin. She dropped into her chair, letting out a breath she'd been holding. Her gaze drifted toward Arthur's office, her irritation simmering as she saw him working intently, oblivious to the small mountain of menial tasks he'd assigned her.

"Humans," she muttered under her breath. "They make things so complicated." She couldn't help but remember her peaceful life back on her planet. There, she did nothing but relax, surrounded by tranquil landscapes and soft music. Now, here she was—running around an office, taking orders from a man who seemed determined to make her life as difficult as possible.

She shook her head and muttered to herself, "Why did I even come to this galaxy? Out of all the planets, why did I choose Earth?"

Taking a deep breath, she clenched her fists, reminding herself why she was here. "Come on, Aelira. You have a mission. You need that device back. You've got this."

Her moment of self-motivation was interrupted as Edwin appeared out of nowhere, his tone impatient. "Hey, you—meeting room needs to be set up. Now. We have some big clients coming in, and everything needs to be perfect."

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Yes, I'm on it," Aelira replied, forcing herself to sound calm. As Edwin walked away, she grumbled, "They think I'm some kind of robot."

Summoning her hidden abilities, Aelira used her super speed, arranging chairs, setting up documents, and preparing refreshments in mere minutes. When the room was set, she stood back, admiring her work and hoping Edwin wouldn't nitpick.

As the board members began filing in, she positioned herself in the corner, documents in hand, ready to assist if needed. Her presence seemed to go unnoticed by most—except by Arthur, who glanced at her briefly with a look that bordered on amusement.

Moments later, Edwin re-entered, leaning close to Arthur to whisper, "Sir, there's a woman here asking to meet with you. Says she has an appointment."

Arthur barely looked up from his notes, his voice low and dismissive. "I'm in a meeting. Tell her I'm unavailable."

Edwin nodded and returned to deliver the message. "I'm sorry, ma'am," he told the woman, "but Mr. Langston is currently in an important meeting and won't be able to see you today."

The woman's eyes narrowed, a spark of irritation flashing across her face. "Unavailable?" she repeated with a hint of disbelief. "We'll see about that."

Without another word, she turned on her heel and stormed toward the elevator, making her way down to the building's underground parking garage. Determined to make a statement, she approached a sleek black car parked near the entrance and—without hesitation—broke the side mirror with her stiletto heel, sending a loud shattering noise echoing through the garage.

Two security guards rushed over, attempting to intercept her, but she held up a hand, her tone icy. "Do you even know who I am? Touch me, and you'll regret it."

The guards exchanged a wary glance, hesitating. Meanwhile, Edwin, who'd been alerted to the situation, rushed down to the garage, his face pale with anxiety as he relayed the news to Arthur.

"There's… uh… a situation in the parking garage," he stammered. "The woman from earlier… she's, well, she's breaking things."

Arthur's eyes narrowed, annoyance flickering across his face. "Excuse me?" He pushed his chair back, stalking out of the meeting room and down the stairs, his steps echoing in the silent garage.

When he reached the parking lot, he saw her standing defiantly beside his now-damaged car. "What on Earth are you doing?" he demanded, his voice laced with barely controlled anger. "Are you out of your mind?"

The woman turned, unfazed by his outburst, and smirked. "Nice to see you too, Arthur." Her tone was dripping with sarcasm. "It's amazing what it takes to get a minute of your time."

He clenched his jaw, his anger simmering. "You think damaging my car is the way to handle things? I don't care who you are, this is unacceptable."

She laughed, pulling a blank check from her designer purse. "Here. This should cover the damages." She shoved the check toward him, an amused glint in her eye. "Next time, don't make me wait."

Arthur's icy demeanor didn't waver, but he took the check reluctantly, his jaw tight. "Fine. Now, what was so urgent that you thought this… display was necessary?"

She straightened, her smirk fading as her expression turned serious. "You might want to take a good look at how you're handling things around here, Arthur. Your arrogance isn't charming—it's a problem. And if I have to break a few more car windows to get that message across, I will."

With that, she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Arthur standing in the garage with the check in his hand and a whirlwind of emotions churning inside him. He glanced at his car, frustration flashing in his eyes. This woman had a point, however crudely delivered.

As he headed back to his office, his mind wandered to Aelira, remembering the look of determination in her eyes earlier, even as she dealt with the mountain of tasks he'd given her. An idea began to form—a plan to test her patience even further. He was curious to see if she'd break or prove her resilience.

Once back upstairs, he called Edwin into his office, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

"Give Aelira the following list," Arthur instructed, handing him a folder thick with documents. "I want her to organize every file, alphabetize every report, and double-check each figure in these quarterly summaries."

Edwin raised an eyebrow. "That's… an intense assignment."

Arthur's smile was cold. "She'll manage. Let's see how serious she is about working here."

Outside his office, Aelira caught sight of Edwin approaching, holding a stack of folders so high it nearly reached his chin. She felt her stomach sink as he handed the mountain of work over to her, smirking slightly.

"Good luck with this, Aelira. I hope you didn't have any evening plans."

Aelira clenched her jaw, reminding herself once again of her mission. She was here for a reason. Gritting her teeth, she nodded and took the folders, determined to prove herself—even if it meant working late into the night.