Chapter 229: Chapter 229: Nonsensical Harassment
Just like the previous couple of days, Charlotte Thompson arrived early at Vanguard Jewelry.
In the office, only a few colleagues were present, yawning as they started their day. Charlotte greeted them with a smile.
"Morning." Not overly enthusiastic, but she maintained good manners.
After all, they weren’t very close, and too much enthusiasm could potentially seem like she was trying too hard to please them.
Her coworkers exchanged glances. They had all heard the rumors that Charlotte was juggling two relationships at once.
The world outside might not know, but they could certainly tell that two of the bosses, Justin Battleson and Mr. Ross, were involved.
Feelings of envy and jealousy mixed within them, but her beauty and talent were undeniable.
Fearing she would tattle on them, they begrudgingly responded with a scattered "morning".
After all, this was the design department, and she was the director. They were bound to be at her beck and call eventually.
Charlotte paid no mind to their indifference. She wasn’t a people pleaser, and she knew she couldn’t be liked by everyone.
Nonchalantly, she went to the break room to make a cup of coffee to energize her sleepy mind. Then, she returned to her assigned office to start work.
Once in her work mode, Charlotte cast aside all distractions, treating each of her designs like they were her children.
After focusing hard on her work for a good part of the day, she put down her pen, stretched, and felt a wave of stiffness in her neck.
Frustrated, she scratched her head. Every single draft in front of her eyes fell short of her standards.
With her coffee cup empty and her mind devoid of inspiration, Charlotte considered taking a break and fistful of air from the break room.
Her cup was brimmed with fresh coffee, and just as she was about to return to the grind, she accidentally ran into Cindy around the corner.
"Ah, can’t you be more careful?" Nearly getting scalded by the hot coffee, Cindy exploded with rage.
Staring at Charlotte angrily, as if she had committed some sort of unspeakable crime.
"I am sorry, I didn’t see you there." Charlotte wasn’t keen on arguing, and simply wanted to apologize and move on.
Although Charlotte was the design director, and a bit below Cindy, she was nevertheless a superior.
Politeness never hurt. She hadn’t been with Vanguard Jewelry for long, and she certainly didn’t want to make enemies. It wouldn’t be good for her future work.
"What’s the use of apologies, then what would we need the police for?" Cindy was far from accepting the apology and adopted a particularly unyielding attitude.
Ever since Charlotte had arrived, a lot of promising projects had been handed off to her, and some of Cindy’s work had been taken away.
Cindy felt the threat, and had been dying to get back at Charlotte.
The best-case scenario would be to catch onto a significant mistake and cast her out directly.
But she handled everything with such care that there was no dirt to dig up, until this day, when Cindy had finally found something to pick on.
Charlotte, completely unfazed, looked at the rampaging Cindy, with her calm eyes falling on her face.
It was abundantly clear to her that Cindy had intentionally run into her. She had obviously seen her coming.
Moreover, the moment they bumped, Charlotte had managed to protect her coffee cup, meaning that none of it had spilt on Cindy.
She wasn’t as lucky though, as the boiling coffee had splashed onto the back of her hand.
The scorching sensation seared in the back of her brain, while Charlotte swung her hand back to hide her weakness.
"Whether or not it helps, I have apologized, and you aren’t injured." Dropping these words with a stern tone, Charlotte stormed off.
Being overly tolerant would only encourage her to become even more overbearing. This was the first time Charlotte had a standoff with her.
Cindy had never been shown such disregard, and feeling furious she scanned the room, memorizing the faces of those who were laughing at her.
Wherever her gaze fell, heads started to lower, eyes focused on their noses, unwilling to meet her eyes.
No one would dare to throw fuel into the fire when she was so livid. They’d rather just steer clear.
Those who held a grudge against Cindy silently gave Charlotte a big thumbs-up in their hearts.