Clarissa missed his office despite Stella's straightforward descriptions and had to ask around until she was led to the entrance. Most of them complimented on how pretty she was dressed, before directing her. Clarissa wondered whether they would have answered her if they realized she was from the loser's team. She decided right there to succeed on the task so people would start to respect her team.
After her first knocking, she heard a voice that ordered her to step in. Inside his office was so magnificent that Clarissa began to think it might have been a little too much. The chairs were executive designs, and the wall papers were expensive 3ds. There was a red rug that just seemed dramatic to her, and more luxurious items and decors that soon began to irk her.
"Good morning, sir," she said in her most pleasant voice.
Elan smiled and licked his lips in a disgusting manner, but Clarissa was able to manage her temper. What could she do anyway? He was her freaking boss...!
"Take a seat," Elan said, his smile not diminishing. After seeing her seated, he started to say. "You know, you're too pretty to be working in that loser's team. I can help you switch teams. You can even become my very own personal assistant!"
Clarissa managed to stay still. "I actually love it here, sir. I want to remain here." She had to keep her cool. Day by day, she was starting to realize she must grow tough for this company's politics. "With my teams." She added. She could have sworn she heard him scowled, but she ignored and remained calm. Was he about to fire her just on her second day at work??
He got up and walked to the wide glass window of the skyscraper building that captured the view of everything out there. "Fine. If that's what you want." Elan said in a cold tone. "Leave my office now.
Desdra stood by the entrance and cackled, "so pathetic of you, Clarissa." Then an idea formed in her mind.
With Clarissa outside, Desdra hurried forward to make her way over to her former in-law. She cleared her throat, threw her head back and started to laugh out loud.
Clarissa frowned with a brow arched up, wondering what must have been so funny. She muttered a curse under her breath for staying to even listen to the woman before turning to walk away, but Desdra hurried forward again, stopping her.
"What's that? You were just going to walk away from me?" She scoffed in disbelief. "I always knew you didn't have respect for your elders."
Clarissa rolled her eyes."Elders? Desdra, you're probably just older than I am with a couple of months! I have a best friend who's four years older, and she's obviously more mature and smarter, compared to you." Clarissa said coolly, ignoring the startled look in Desdra's eyes.
She had sometimes stood her ground but always in a polite manner so she wouldn't upset Jared, but now that she was no longer married to him, she was free to say whatever she liked. It felt good the more she thought about it.
"If that's all you have to say, then excuse me." Clarissa said.
"Hold up," Desdra sighed. She was getting angry at the sudden 'character growth' of Clarissa. Somehow, she missed when she could speak illy to her and Clarissa wouldn't dare open her mouth to speak back. "You are just so dumb, and I intend to point that out. That's all."
Clarissa tilted her head slightly to take in a closer look at Desdra. "Are you, perhaps, ill? Do you need some help?"
Desdra frowned. "Whatever you think you might have amounted to, you're still the zero fool my idiot brother got stuck with for over ten years of his life. So many others have two, maybe three children by now. That friend you're so proud of, Sana? She has a baby girl who's over eight years old, right?" She held a smirk on her face, knowing she had hit the jackpot. Reminding Clarissa for being barren always did it for her.
Although Clarissa was shaking on the inside, she refused to give Desdra that satisfaction. "And then there's you, who couldn't even manage to keep a man down." The words hit her hard like a bullet. Desdra had been searching for love over five years now, but kept on getting dumped by men. Even women!
"Right, two can play that game." Clarissa thought to herself.
"I promise you this. You won't last long here. " Desdra said, shrugging off Clarissa's insult. "I happened to overhear all of what was happening with you and the CEO just now. You're so stupid thinking you'll go scot free by being on his wrong side."
Clarissa flinched. Desdra might have been right, but that didn't mean she would lose her pride and sleep with Elan just to keep her job!
"If that's the filth that you're made up of, then you should know you're making a big mistake trying to rob it off on me, since you've got no shame at all." Clarissa said.
Desdra did her weird laughter again that made her sound like an evil witch with a sore throat. Clarissa wondered whether Desdra always thought it was cool.
"I don't know anything about the higher ups that got you here, but I can tell you this, I will crush you and make sure you don't even stay to collect this month's salary. Yea, let's see who wins later on. Me who's got no shame at all, or you, who've got enough stored in that fool brain of yours."
Clarissa watched her turn and walk towards Elan's office with not much of a knock on the door before barging in and she sighed. "I have shame." She muttered quietly to herself. "And I'll win, just so I can prove to you that my pride will take me places, Desdra. I won't be like you."
As she was heading back to the office, she saw Denis on the way. "Oh, what are you doing here?" Clarissa asked. She hoped he had not followed her after she got summoned by Elan.
"Relax, princess. I'm just here to deliver these to the CEO." Denis said immediately, then he was muttering under his breath. "Women! You and Stella are just the same. I leave for just one second and they say I'm lazy..."
Clarissa did not hear the rest but didn't need to as she smiled and walked back to the office. Almost immediately, Denis walked in. He looked shocked, mumbling to himself.
"Well that was fast." Clarissa remarked.
"I know right!" Denis agreed."Damn it, I wouldn't want anyone in there for the next couple of...years maybe. Elan has a terrible temper. You need to see him yelling at a staff, saying things like 'how dare you try and seduce me? You have no shame at all you slut!' All sorts of insults that I was starting to feel sorry for whoever was in there--"
"--really? He said so?" Clarissa asked with eyes widened in excitement. That was Desdra in there doing...whatever God knows what!
"Yes." Denis nodded. "It was so crazy, really. I had to turn back and luckily for me, I met one of his minions and handed the files over to him. I just wish I had stayed longer to see who would walk out of his office. Probably one of those new dumb staff who think they can seduce their way to the top." Denis ranted on, even though nobody really paid any attention to him again.
Clarissa smiled to herself. "Well, Desdra...things are not looking well for you, hmm?"