Arriving at work, Juliet stood outside the building, staring at the place she both hated and needed. She couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy toward her boss, a spoiled princess who had everything handed to her on a silver platter. Her boss had never worked for anything in her life, yet she owned this marvel of a building that screamed wealth and sophistication.
The agency specialized in event planning and decorations, and the building's design reflected that. Juliet had heard whispers among her coworkers that the boss started the business out of spite. Apparently, a terrible job on her 20th birthday decorations had prompted her to open an agency. Yet, the boss had no clue how to run it. She only cared about appearances, leaving Juliet to clean up her messes.
When Juliet first joined, the company was on the brink of failure. It wasn't until she proved her capability that things turned around. But instead of giving her recognition, the boss dumped all the responsibilities on her, turning herself into little more than a backseat driver barking unreasonable orders. Juliet sighed, shaking off the bitter thoughts, and walked into the building.
As she entered, the security guard, Charles, stopped her with his usual smug attitude. "Miss Daniels, since when did you start coming to work so late?"
Juliet raised an eyebrow, barely believing the audacity. Since when did a security guard have the right to speak to her like that? Sure, she was just the assistant manager, but still! Dismissing him with a wave of her hand, she replied coldly, "Why don't you mind your own business?"
Charles was stunned. This wasn't the timid, apologetic Miss Daniels he was used to. Normally, she'd promise to bring him coffee later or beg him not to report her tardiness to the boss. But today, she just walked past him into the reception area.
At the front desk, Juliet greeted the receptionist. "Hi, I lost my ID card. Haven't had the chance to report it yet. Can you sign me in manually?"
The receptionist nodded. "Of course, but you really should report it to the police soon."
Before she could finish signing Juliet in, Charles barged in, clearly fuming. "Wait! Miss Helen, don't sign her in yet," he said with exaggerated righteousness. "We don't know if this is really Miss Daniels or an imposter. Let's bring out the old fingerprint scanner to confirm her identity."
The receptionist hesitated. "Uh… Mr. Charles, we haven't used that thing in years. It's going to take a while to set up..."
"Enough!" Juliet interrupted, her patience wearing thin. "Mr. Charles, this is an event planning agency. What kind of sensitive information do we have that anyone would bother impersonating me to steal? Honestly, you've been watching way too many movies, you losing touch with reality, why don't you get back to your post and stop wasting everyone's time?"
Her words hit Charles hard. He couldn't reconcile this confident, sharp-tongued woman with the submissive Miss Daniels he'd known. The demeaning look she gave him made his blood boil. "I'm not letting you wander around this building until we confirm your identity. Follow me to the security post, or I'll have to use force," he said, stepping in front of her to block her path.
Juliet clenched her fists, her anger bubbling up. "You know what? I've had a rough morning, and I'm not in the mood for your nonsense. Get out of my way before I do something you'll regret."
Charles smirked and reached out to grab her. "Feisty, aren't we? Go ahead, show me."
Ding!
[Emergency Quest: The Chosen of Goddess Athena has been challenged. Prove you're not a pushover by making an example. Reward(s): STR +2, AGI +3]
Juliet blinked at the sudden system notification, momentarily stunned. When she saw Charles reaching for her again, her anger exploded. She grabbed his outstretched arm, yanked him forward, tripping him, then as he lost his balance she helped him up by landing a solid punch to his face.
A loud crunch echoed through the reception area as Charles fell to the floor, clutching his bleeding nose and wailing in pain. The entire room went silent, everyone frozen in shock at what had just happened.
Juliet glared at the security guard, now rolling on the floor. "That's what happens when you push me too far," she muttered. For good measure, she kicked him in the butt before turning on her heel and walking toward the elevator.
She adjusted her dress, pressed the button for her floor, and stepped inside. As the elevator doors closed with a chime, Juliet let out a deep breath, already preparing herself for whatever chaos awaited her upstairs.
Back in the reception area, the stunned staff finally sprang into action, calling for an ambulance and rushing to Charles' side. But all anyone could talk about was the unexpected fierceness of Juliet Daniels.
While administering first aid, one of the nosier staff members whispered, "Are we really sure that's Juliet? She seems so different. Since when did she become so... fierce?"
Another staff member leaned in, frowning. "The real question is, 'is that really her'?"
A skeptical colleague rolled her eyes. "Is there lead in your brain? Are you seriously entertaining the idea that she's an imposter? What's next, I'm the president of the company? Do you believe that too?"
"Yes, I do," a male staffer chimed in, nodding absently, only to be met with a sharp glare from the woman.
The banter quieted for a moment until someone hesitantly asked, "How are we going to explain this to the boss? You all know Charles is her cousin, right?"
A collective gasp rippled through the group. "What?!" a petite female employee exclaimed seemingly surprised.
"Yeah, crazy, right? You must be new if you didn't know," another staff member replied smugly. "Everyone here knows Charles gets away with harassing people because the boss turns a blind eye. She always glosses over his behavior, no matter how bad it gets."
"Well, it looks like his day of reckoning has finally come," the staff member administering first aid added, glancing up from Charles' still-bleeding nose. She gestured toward one of the male workers. "Help me sit him up. The ambulance should be here any minute."
"There's definitely going to be drama today," another male employee mused, chuckling as he carefully lifted Charles to a sitting position.
Just then, a commanding voice rang out, cutting through the tension like a blade. "What's going on here?!"
Everyone froze, stiff as statues, as the authoritative tone echoed through the reception area. Slowly, they turned toward the entrance to see the boss herself standing there, her sharp heels clicking against the floor as she stepped inside.
Her cold, calculating gaze swept over the room, taking in the sight of Charles clutching his nose, blood staining his shirt, and the uneasy expressions of her employees. The room was deathly silent, save for Charles' occasional groans of pain.
"So?" the boss demanded, her voice icy. "Someone had better start explaining."
The staff exchanged nervous glances, unsure of who should speak first. Finally, the receptionist hesitantly stepped forward. "Ma'am, there was... an incident between Mr. Charles and Miss Daniels..."