Am I Not Fired? Yet...?

I'm sure I'm not a spoiled child. I have never demanded anything from my family, nor have I asked for anything excessive from people around me. Everyone knows that... But, today I have one wish. It is not something hard to reach and not so difficult to do either. I wish... I just want to go home as soon as possible, take a warm shower, and go straight to bed. However, today isn't my lucky day. After the presentation ended in disaster, now I have to pack all my things from my cubicle desk.

"Hermione, is that true?" asks Nia while looking at me with a sad expression.

"I have no other choice," I reply with a bitter smile.

"I'd be really sad if you weren't here anymore."

"Me too, sis. I will miss you and the others too."

"Oh, Come on, Nia? Don't worry. You two still can meet tomorrow, Hermione doesn't leave the office, she just moves to the next room, to Team A," says Ms. Chien, who was prepared to go home soon.

"Yes, but she is already on a different team, how can we talk if you don't sit next to me anymore?"

"Oh, please," says Ms. Chien rolling her eyes like she could not bear to hear Nia's unreasonable complaints. "Alright then, I'll go home first, bye!" she says waving her hand to say goodbye.

"Well, Do you want to go out tonight?" says Sri to Ms.Chien. "We plan a farewell dinner for Hermione tonight."

"Let's just eat tomorrow! I don't want to eat with a newbie who already looks like a zombie, I think Sandra needs more sleep than eat," says Ms.Chien waving.

Many people often misunderstand Ms. Chien. She was not very friendly, firm, and sometimes seems to lack attention to her friends. But sometimes having a friend like her is more touching. Ms.Chien didn't say many words, but she cared about her friend more than anyone else. Like this evening, Ms. Chien was the first person to know that I needed more sleep than going out to dinner together.

"Ok, Ms. Chien, I'll treat you all to lunch tomorrow afternoon!" I say waving her back.

"Oh... Yeah...," shouted Nia and Sri filled with joy.

"But, not the expensive ones, okay. My salary is running low," I say to make them not hope for the expensive treat.

"Yes, Don't worry! The girls like us, filled happy just only eating gado-gado in the cafeteria next door," says Sri. [*Gado-gado is Indonesian salad with peanut sauce]

"Gado-gado? I don't want to eat gado-gado. You must treat.. a beef bowl, right, Hermione? This newbie wasn't fired, she was promoted to team A. Why only treat gado-gado?" says Nia.

"Ok, I'll treat you to a beef bowl, but pick the cheapest one ok?" I joked cheerfully.

"Well, deal," says Nia happily.

"So how are your preparation for Team A?" asks Sri curiously.

I shook my head because I also don't know why Madam Devil transferred me to team A. I had no other choice when she gave me two tough choices. And unfortunately, I also have to answer it in a short period. If I leave this office now, maybe I should try to find another profession. Because no matter how annoying Madam Devil is, I never doubted her threat at all. I'm sure, she will make sure, if I will not be able to work in the architecture field again. So, here's my choice. I will return to work here, even if I have to receive a heavy punishment for my impudence. However, I don't understand why Ma'am Anna transferred me to Team A. A team that contains the most brilliant architects among other teams.

"Hey, Hermione? Why are you dumbfounded? Are this is an effect of lack of sleep? asks Sri when she pays attention to my face.

"Ah, sorry, sorry. Your question? Ah... preparation? Honestly... I don't know myself either," I say with a smile.

I dare not say anything about what happened in the meeting room earlier. I don't want them to overthink my unlucky fate today.

"So, what's your new job desk? In Team A, the projects are not ordinary buildings. Skyscrapers, or big houses for special clients. So far, there has never been a junior architect in Team A. So, I'm sure Ma'am Anna will be very impressed with your presentation earlier," continue Sri.

"Yes, that's true. So far, no junior architect has entered Team A directly. Congratulations, Hermione, you have made our team proud."

Proud? Are they crazy? I was put in there because Mrs. Anna wanted to make me suffer," I whispered to myself.

"Proud? I don't know. I feel a bit worried. But... I know Angga, he's in team A too, so I'm sure he will help me."

"Keep it up, Hermione. But you'd better be careful."

"Yes, Angga is kind. But not everyone in Team A is like Angga. Do you know what? They are very competitive. Everyone on the Team is a competitor of each other. They will not hesitate to stab you in the back just to get a project," says Sri.

Hahaha, now I know why Madam Devil put me in Team A. Of course, the Devil always puts innocent souls like me into hell.

"But, the worst thing is...," says Nia.

I was waiting for Nia's words to continue, but she and Sri looked at each other meaningfully.

"What's the worst?" I asked curiously.

"Their team leader, you know? Steven Joshua?" whispered Nia.

Of course, I've heard his name. His name is quite big in this office. But, to be honest, during these 3 months, I have never met him once.

"I've heard his name, but I don't think I've ever met him before," I reply.

"Ah, I know why is that. Steven is rarely in the office. He mostly works at his SOHO or joins Madam Devil wherever she goes. He's her right-hand man who will always accompany her at important meetings with the client."

"That's right! But... are you sure you never saw him? At least you meet him this afternoon, in the meeting room," continue Nia.

"In the meeting room?" I ask myself. There were several people in the meeting room. Madam Devil, that annoying handsome man, and several others I didn't know.

"Yeah, maybe I met him. But it's a shame I didn't recognize him," I replied.

"Come on, Hermione, it's impossible you can't recognize him. At least if you have a good sight, your eyes will glance at him, but, yeah, that's also if you're heterosexual. He was a well-built, tall, and handsome man, very handsome. If I wasn't married, I would have a crush on him."

"Handsome?"

"Not only handsome, but he is also stylish. Usually, he always wears a suit or super neat clothes. The point is he is very cool," continued Sri.

I think I can guess the person that Nia and Sri are referring to, of course, they mean the annoying guy who accused me of being pregnant and told me to get out of the way at the door with his weird question.

"I think I know him, That annoying guy," I reply.

"Steven isn't just annoying, he's crazy. He's Madam Devil's genius architect. He's so ambitious, he never cares about anyone else. He had a part in firing everyone here. Madam Devil has the power to fire people, but Steven is the one who takes aim and who should be fired," says Sri.

"That's right, Do remember when Karen was fired? I think because that poor girl accidentally bumped into Steven and spilled coffee on his super expensive shirt."

Do you know what goes through my mind when I hear Nia and Sri's conversation? Could it be that I was fired because of keeping Steven from entering the meeting room? Hey, that might happen, right? Because Karen was fired just for a minor thing, for spilling coffee on his shirt.

"Yes, but don't worry! As I said before, Steven is rarely in the office. He always monitors the work of his team only from phone calls and emails. So, as long as you don't see each other very often, you'll be safe."

I laughed hard inside my heart. As long as I don't see Steven! That's impossible...

"Hey, Hermione? Why? How come your face suddenly becomes paler?" asks Nia.

"I think I'll be seeing Steven very often...," I reply resignedly.

Nia and Sri turned to me, looking at me so intensely to wait for the next word.

"Why are you so sure?" asks Sri.

"Because my new job is to be his assistant. Madam Devil assigned me to be the assistant chairman of Team A, which means to be Steven Joshua's assistant. Starting tomorrow, I will follow Steven wherever he goes," I reply resignedly.

I didn't hear a direct answer from my two seniors. And it seemed that the jaws of these two women had almost fallen out of their respective skulls. I don't know what will they say, but I guess, they will mourn my bad luck.

"It's ok," says Nia. "There is a silver lining to this situation. At least, you will work with a super handsome man," she continues to cheer me up. "

"That's true...," says Sri agreeing. "Steven is a genius architect, you can learn a lot from him too."

I don't know what to say. Should I tell you why I'm going into this position? Should I be honest with them if I was put in this horrible position because my bratty mouth said something without thinking?

"I agree with Ms. Chien. You should hurry home and rest. It looks like, your adventure will be more exciting tomorrow," says Sri.

"And of course, it's thrilling too," continued Nia, ending our conversation this evening.

I looked at the clock it was already 6 p.m. Nearly half the office employees had disappeared, returning to their respective homes peacefully. "What am I doing here?" I thought once again. Cleaning up my stuff, prepared to go deeper into the abyss of hell. I want out, I don't want to be in hell.

Seeing people being treated like slaves already hurts my heart. And now, I have to see myself being treated like a slave. Maybe I should just leave this damn job. Bury my dream and try something else, like becoming an insurance agent or any other business. But I can't. Somehow, I can't. Trust me, I hate myself for not being able to forget my dreams.

I immediately put my things in the box. Recalling the memory, how happy I was to be in this room with all the members of my old team. My feet stepped away, leaving those memories behind. I don't know where this foot will go, how long it can bear this burden. No one knows, right? I do not know my own strength. Am I capable? I don't have any idea. All I know is, tomorrow, my new life will begin. And I realized, everything will start with a name called Steven Joshua, the little devil, The one and only, Madam Devil's right-hand man.