Chapter 2
Marina stumbled, nearly crashing to the ground.
She stared at David Miller in disbelief. "David, how could you act like this? Aren't you running for the Quarterly Outstanding Newcomer Award? How can you help someone like her?"
David rolled his eyes and muttered, "Idiot."
Her face went from red to pale, and a dark look shadowed her eyes. "If the senior staff saw this, they'd lose their minds."
She shot us a vicious glare and spun around to leave.
Watching her walk away, David couldn't help but mutter, "It's not the seniors who'd be ticked off. She's green with envy."
I agreed completely. "But with the temperature today, and everyone having arrived and not knowing their way around yet, moving all that luggage must be a real nightmare."
Feeling the cold wind around me, I settled into a cozier position and sent another two hundred dollars to someone in the group chat.
The moment the money went out, the place went wild. People started shouting stuff like, "Charlotte's number one fan right here!" and "Team Charlotte all the way!"
For a moment, everyone's astonished eyes turned to me. When people from other departments caught wind of it, they joined in too, though their attempts were pretty clumsy.
Meanwhile, Marina, who'd been slaving away in a factory and never joined the department group chat, froze for a second when she heard the commotion, then hurried off even faster.
David summed it up perfectly. "All that talk about dignity and self-respect? Please. She's green with envy, and it's eating her alive, all because she can't stand seeing someone else's cash."
I had so much luggage that even with David's solid build and three other coworkers pitching in, we still ended up making three trips back and forth.
The midday wind in midwinter was brutal, the kind that cut right through people.
David pocketed the cash, couldn't stop thanking me, and rushed back to his desk to thaw out by the radiator.
But the other three coworkers were freezing, their hands and feet completely numb. When they tried to turn on the heat in the work area, Marina blocked them.
Marina let out a snort. "So you're her little errand crew now, raking in two hundred an hour, and I bet you haven't scored a single hot drink yet, have you?"
Our team leader, Coco Lane, couldn't be bothered to argue. She was panting, rubbing her hands together. "Where's the remote? Come on, turn on the heater. Didn't you check the weather? It's below zero today."
Marina's voice turned razor-sharp. "A touch below zero and you need the heater already?
"When I was sweating it out in the factory, it was way colder, and we didn't have any heat. Honestly, you people are so soft."
She tilted her chin up, looking down her nose at us. "Anyway, you're the ones freezing, not me. You want the heater? Figure it out yourselves.
"Who's footing the electric bill, hmm? Don't expect me to chip in. If you're going to mooch, at least own it."
It was freezing outside, and after hauling things up and down so many times, we were all about to turn into icicles.
Coco's teeth were chattering. "We'll cover the electricity this month, alright? Will you let us turn on the heater now?"
Marina drew out her words, savoring every syllable. "You chose to be her little helpers. I tried to give you some spine, but you all fell over yourselves playing loyal servants.
"Now you're cold? Two hundred an hour and you think she's going to buy you a hot drink on top of that?
"That's already more than generous. You really think you walk into your first job and stumble upon some genuine rich princess?"
"Hand me the remote for the heater," I said, my expression icy as I strode into the work area, cutting Marina off mid-sentence.
I didn't care if people didn't like me. What got under my skin was someone running their mouth right next to my desk.
Marina sneered. "Stop acting like a spoiled little princess. This workspace isn't yours. It belongs to everyone.
"And you're the ones freezing, not me. Don't hold your breath waiting for me to pay a single cent more."
"So that's what this is all about," I said, nodding slowly. Then I pulled out my phone and started tapping.
"Quit putting on a show," Marina shot back, her eyes blazing with jealousy. "Let me tell you something, kids from the wrong side of the tracks, even if—"
A message popped up. [Office electricity bill paid: 3,000 dollars.]
She stood there, mouth half-open, the words dying in her throat.
I couldn't be bothered to waste my breath. "By your own logic, you'd owe a grand right about now. But I'm not here to split hairs with you. Hand over the remote and do us all a favor. Zip it."
Her face cycled from white to red and back again. Her jaw tightened, like she was desperate to fire back something to save face, but it was as if an invisible hand had clamped around her throat.
Her face went scarlet, and nothing came out.
The next second, a message popped up: [You've received 2,000 dollars.]
The three of them went rigid, then started waving their hands frantically. "Charlotte, you already paid us. We seriously can't take any more."
"Take it. End of discussion," I said coolly, walking over to my desk. "You helped me move my things and get settled. I don't like owing people, and I'm not big on saying thank you. Get used to how I do things."
The three crisp payment notifications landed like a series of hammer blows, jolting Marina out of her frenzied state and leaving her rooted to the spot.
Her fingers went numb around her phone, eyes locked on the electricity bill notification. She stared at the screen like she'd seen a ghost.